The young man leaned against the tree, the last rays of the setting sun spilling over his head, casting shadows across his handsome face, tinged with a hint of dejection and the stubborn endurance of pain.
He Mu watched his figure, walking step by step toward him.
Lu Shiyan noticed her approach, turned his back, and fussed with his hair and face with both hands. Then, striking a pose as if nothing had happened, he put on a “I’m the coolest guy in the world” attitude.
It truly lived up to the saying—your head can be broken, your blood can flow, but your hairstyle must never be messed up!
He Mu stopped under the tree, standing in front of Lu Shiyan. She slowly bent down, placing her hands on her knees, her gaze sharp as she stared at Lu Shiyan and asked, “Does it hurt?”
Lu Shiyan wanted to maintain his tough-guy image, but at He Mu’s gentle question, the corners of his eyes drooped, and for a moment, his defenses crumbled.
He turned his head away, avoiding He Mu’s gaze, his voice slightly hoarse. “I was planning to make a cool entrance and a graceful exit, but… it seems like I messed up.”
His leg hurt so much he couldn’t stand up anymore.
“Lu Shiyan.”
He Mu called his name.
Lu Shiyan slowly turned his neck, stealing glances at He Mu. “What?”
In that instant, he saw a flower bud bloom into a vibrant, beautiful rose in his heart.
He Mu’s lips curved slightly into a smile. “Lu Shiyan, you look handsome today.”
The way he fearlessly stood in front of her to fend off that raging wild boar was truly handsome.
“Let me take a look at your leg.”
He Mu crouched down in front of Lu Shiyan, reaching out to roll up his pant leg.
Lu Shiyan raised his hand to stop hers. “I’m fine, you don’t need to look.”
He Mu frowned, pretending to get angry. “Take your paw away.”
Lu Shiyan’s fingers trembled slightly as he withdrew his hand.
He Mu slowly rolled up the pant leg. There were no obvious external injuries on his slender calf, but a large bruise covered the outer side of his leg, likely a muscle contusion from compression.
He Mu gently pressed her finger against it, and Lu Shiyan sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. When He Mu looked up at him, he pretended nothing was wrong.
“Bear with it for a moment.”
He Mu continued pressing, checking for any abnormalities in the bone.
Fortunately, the bone wasn’t injured, but the soft tissue damage was still painful.
He Mu rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a Yunnan Baiyao spray, applying it to Lu Shiyan’s injury as an emergency treatment.
Su Miaomiao and Su Mu walked over.
Su Miaomiao hadn’t had much fondness for Lu Shiyan before, as he was He Mu’s rival and always had his eyes on her.
But after Lu Shiyan’s brave and fearless actions just now, Su Miaomiao’s opinion of him changed dramatically.
Lu Shiyan could be so fierce for He Mu!
The way he always bullied He Mu before suddenly seemed to Su Miaomiao like it might not have been genuine bullying, but rather that kind of “bullying.”
Su Mu looked at Lu Shiyan with a mix of admiration and a sense of crisis.
This kid Lu Shiyan was so determined, and he was the same age as He Mu, giving him the advantage of proximity…
He would be a formidable rival.
Putting everything else aside, He Mu’s ability to time travel alone made Su Mu feel he needed to work hard to earn her favor.
At that moment, He Mu put the medicine back in her bag and, with her back to Lu Shiyan, said, “Get on. I’ll carry you back.”
Your foot can’t walk anymore, can it?
He Mu knew Lu Shiyan cared about his pride, so she didn’t voice that last sentence.
Lu Shiyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and waved his hand dismissively. “You? Forget it. Don’t let me crush you. I’m not so crippled that I need a weak woman like you to carry me.”
He Mu retorted, “I’m not a weak woman. I’m a tour guide, a leader.”
The three of them—Lu Shiyan, Su Miaomiao, and Su Mu—had come to this place because of her. She had a responsibility and an obligation to look after them.
If it weren’t for her, Lu Shiyan wouldn’t have been injured like this.
Su Mu said, “Let me do it.”
If He Mu carried Lu Shiyan, who knew if feelings might develop? It was better to prevent such a thing.
Lu Shiyan immediately nodded, pointing at Su Mu. “Right, he can do it.”
Su Mu’s lips twitched: You sure know how to take advantage of the situation.
Maintaining his composure, Su Mu said to He Mu, “I’ll carry him.”
With both sides in agreement, He Mu didn’t insist further. Su Mu carried Lu Shiyan on his back, while she and Su Miaomiao walked hand in hand behind them.
The Yuanmou Man carried the large wild boar back to their tribe as well.
Night had fully fallen. Outside the cave, a bonfire crackled brightly. The four of them—He Mu and the others—sat around it, playing with their phones and recording videos.
There was certainly no internet in this primitive society from 1.7 million years ago, but the phones’ photo and video functions worked just fine.
Earlier in the day, they had been too nervous upon arriving to think of taking out their phones to record. Now that they remembered, they all started snapping photos and videos.
Su Miaomiao was determined to prove her classmates wrong when she returned—the ones who hadn’t believed He Mu—and make them green with envy.
Su Mu was already planning how to commercialize time-travel tourism to the greatest extent possible.
Lu Shiyan wasn’t filming the scenery or the Yuanmou Man; his camera was focused on He Mu.
Meanwhile, He Mu was flipping through the photos in her album when she suddenly came across a picture of her grandmother.
Her eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.
Grandma, just wait a little longer. Tomorrow, I’ll be back.
Grandma, I will save you!
“Wow, Mu Mu, look! They’re dancing!”
Su Miaomiao’s excited shout dispelled the sadness in He Mu’s heart.
The Yuanmou Man danced joyfully around the bonfire, feeling the warmth of the flames and the aroma of the roasting wild boar. Smiles of happiness lit up every face.
Bidding farewell to raw meat and mastering the skill of making fire—today marked the greatest turning point in their lives.
And all of this was because they had encountered the Immortals.
The Immortals wore smooth fabrics they had never seen before, carried bags that held many things, and held small boxes that glowed and emitted sounds.
So, as they danced, all the Yuanmou Man knelt before He Mu and the others, expressing their gratitude for their salvation.
The four of them exchanged glances, feeling both flattered and overwhelmed. They had only come as tourists, not intending to be saviors.
But as they looked at the Yuanmou Man illuminated by the firelight, they suddenly felt they hadn’t done enough.
He Mu cleared her throat. “Little Sunflower Mom’s class is now in session. Everyone, perk up and listen carefully…”
That night, He Mu taught them many things: how to build a raised fire pit to reduce smoke and make the fire burn brighter; how to wrap food in mud and bury it in the embers to roast, making it softer, easier to chew, and better at retaining moisture; and how to insert sharpened branches into the ground around the tribe to create a simple defensive fence against wild animal attacks…
As the first rays of morning sunlight appeared, He Mu woke up inside the tent he had set up. He glanced at his phone—the battery was at thirty percent, and the time was seven forty. There were still a few hours left before he had to head back.