At the end of the month, He Qing completed his panda observation report, submitted his assignments, and returned to school. As he passed by the botanical garden after class, he paused for a moment and then walked in.

The last watermelon of the summer should be delicious, and he thought it would be nice to share it with the General when he returned.

As He Qing wandered around looking for watermelons, he saw Zhang Yi in a corner eating one, surrounded by several others. Upon closer inspection, one of them was the watermelon farmer! It seemed Zhang Yi had snitched on him and the General for stealing watermelons, getting chummy with the farmer in the process.

He Qing clasped his hands together: The enemy is close by.

The watermelon farmer’s name was Shi Lei. Shi Lei, clearly well-off, said, “I’m giving you all the last watermelon. Too bad we never caught the thief.”

“Well, there’s always next year, hahaha,” everyone awkwardly laughed.

“I’ll be graduated by next year. What’s that supposed to mean?” Shi Lei took a fierce bite of his watermelon, glaring at them.

“Haha, just kidding. Your watermelons are really sweet.”

He Qing glanced at the others. They were also part of the watermelon-stealing gang. Then he looked back at Shi Lei, silently reciting the Heart Sutra. Shi Lei really had it rough.

Zhang Yi devoured the purple-heart watermelon in one gulp, spitting out the seeds. “I heard the First Expedition Group discovered a new habitable planet. Man, I’m so jealous of the people who got to intern there.”

“They even applied for an extension on their internship.”

“Honestly, I wish I could go too…”

Hearing this, He Qing turned and left. The General’s aura, with its added karmic power, was naturally impressive. He Qing wandered around Shi Lei’s watermelon field, poking around until he found several watermelons still hidden.

“Amitabha,” He Qing muttered silently. Who’s deceiving whom here? The “last watermelon” was still hanging healthily on the vine.

He eyed the remaining watermelons, squatted down to pick one, then planted a spiritual herb from his space in its place. He even left a sign next to it that read: Edelweiss: Enhances mental strength. Thanks for the watermelon. A small note added: Might as well use it.

He Qing stood up, satisfied, and cast a small spell to prevent anyone else from harvesting it. Hugging his watermelon, he strolled away.

Back home, He Qing carefully stored the watermelon and headed to the lotus pond to feed the koi fish. After feeding them, he sat in the pavilion, reciting sutras and tapping his Muyu. Suddenly, a breeze blew through, and the bells hanging from the pavilion rang melodiously. The lotus leaves in the vase also swayed slightly.

He Qing opened his eyes, sensing a fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from the jade carving he had given Duan Chenhui. Has the General gone somewhere? Did he cross into a cultivation world?

Frowning, He Qing stood up. Perhaps it was time for him to go check things out. As he walked, he opened his contact list and called Duan Chenhui, but there was no response for a long time. Sure enough, something was wrong.

He Qing hopped into a hovercar and returned to school, planning to track someone down. After waiting a while, he spotted a group coming out, including Zhang Yi, who had just finished eating watermelon.

He Qing walked over with a smile, greeting them. “Morning, everyone. Zhang, I’d like to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Zhang Yi felt a chill run down his spine at He Qing’s smile. It wasn’t that He Qing’s smile was unpleasant; on the contrary, it was too pleasant. Like a gentle spring breeze, sweet and warm, even the birds in the trees might come down to be charmed by him.

In short, it felt like…there was a conspiracy!

Zhang Lin, dressed all in black, stared silently at He Qing.

“Can we speak privately?” He Qing glanced at the others.

Zhang Yi became even more suspicious. He led He Qing to a corner. “Alright, what do you want?”

“You have a spaceship, right? I’d like to rent it. It’s urgent.” He Qing got straight to the point. There were no civilian spacecraft heading to the new planet yet, and he didn’t have any magical artifacts on hand. He was out of options.

“So, this was your real motive for getting close to us?” Zhang Yi glared at him. “Where do you want to go?”

“To that newly discovered planet.” He Qing dangled the bait in front of them. “Don’t you want to go too?”

“…” Zhang Yi felt like he’d been hit right where it hurt.

“Do you even know how to pilot a spaceship?” Zhang Lin asked a more practical question.

He Qing clasped his hands together. “I have a basic understanding.”

Zhang Yi’s jaw dropped. He looked around. “Weren’t you just doing flower arrangements?!” Who would believe He Qing’s “basic understanding”? This guy was way too modest, too good at hiding his true abilities.

He Qing smiled. “That’s true, but piloting spaceships is just one of my hobbies.”

“…What other ‘hobbies’ do you have?!” Zhang Yi’s eyes widened. Who casually lists piloting spaceships as a hobby? He was starting to think he didn’t know He Qing at all.

He Qing counted on his prayer beads. “Mechs, energy systems, propulsion, anatomy…you know, modern subjects.”

“Stop… just stop.” Zhang Yi covered his face, taking a deep breath. A thought suddenly struck him. “Wait a minute… does the General even know you have these skills? Not only are you skilled in scheming, but you’ve been hiding your true strength!”

Zhang Lin remained silent for a moment. “Then you can assist me.”

“Thank you,” He Qing smiled, grateful. Sometimes Zhang Lin was easier to deal with.

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but ask, “The General doesn’t know?”

“No, he doesn’t,” He Qing calmly replied. “We’ll be divorced sooner or later, so there’s no need for him to know.”

“??!!” Zhang Yi was utterly shocked.

Zhang Lin patted his friend on the shoulder. “We’re not on the General’s side, so it’s fine.”

“Oh… yeah, I guess that’s true.” Zhang Yi calmed himself, realizing He Qing must have his reasons for keeping these abilities hidden.

“Alright, let’s check out the spaceship,” Zhang Yi said, leading them to the car. As they drove, he watched He Qing counting his prayer beads in the rearview mirror. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you?”

He Qing chuckled, pulling out two edelweiss plants. “I accidentally consumed this herb, and it boosted my mental strength. You guys can try it too, though how much it improves you will depend on your potential.”

Zhang Yi shut his mouth immediately. What could have more “alliance” value than an herb that boosts mental strength? The answer was nothing.

He exchanged a glance with Zhang Lin, who nodded. “He’s probably not lying.”

Zhang Yi licked his lips, stealing a glance at the edelweiss before snatching it. “No take backs!”

“Deal.”

“What’s your current mental strength?”

“SSS.”

“WHAT?! SSS?!!”

“Hey, keep your voice down.”

A hovercar nearly flipped over on the road as Zhang Yi coughed and tried to calm down. “Does that mean I could have SSS-level mental strength too?”

He Qing answered seriously, “Not necessarily. I have good potential.” Actually, he could make elixirs too, but modern people trusted herbs more than pills.

Zhang Lin added, “We’re currently at level A, so reaching S should be possible.”

Zhang Yi carefully cradled the herb, glancing at He Qing. “Our spaceship can measure mental strength. Could you demonstrate for us?” He still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Sure,” He Qing replied, turning his prayer beads. “But do you guys even have a pilot’s license?”

The three of them exchanged awkward glances. Finally, Zhang Lin admitted, “Co-pilot… but we haven’t completed our internship, so no, no license.”

Zhang Yi thought for a moment. “I think one of my uncles from a side branch of the family is a certified pilot. I’ll call him over.”

“That works,” Zhang Lin agreed.

“I’ll tell the housekeeper that I’m going out with you guys and won’t be back anytime soon,” He Qing said, lowering his head to send a message.

Zhang Yi’s eye twitched. Did the General have any idea what He Qing was like outside?

The hover car drove up to a large villa, and Zhang Yi, feeling light-headed, leaned on the car door as he got out. “We’re here.”

He Qing stepped out of the car, stood in front of the tall doors, took a step back, then moved forward again.

Zhang Yi opened the door, glancing at him. “What’s the matter? Get inside already. What are you looking at?”

“I think I need to redefine ‘fallen aristocracy,’” He Qing said, looking at the intricately carved doors and the grand villa beyond them.

“You’re one too,” Zhang Yi retorted.

“…” He Qing couldn’t argue with that. “The nobility here is truly impressive. Maybe my thinking was too conservative.”

“Our spaceship is pretty old, from years ago, so it’s a bit outdated. We’ve kept it sealed up,” Zhang Yi said, leading him around the front yard and toward the back of the mountain.

Looking up, He Qing saw that even Zhang Yi’s so-called “old” spaceship still gleamed brightly. They entered and looked around, with He Qing stroking the control panel’s black crystal. “It’s beautiful.”

The black crystal shimmered, clearly very high-tech.

Zhang Yi grinned. “Of course, this is the most valuable part of the ship, except for the core.”

“When’s your uncle arriving?” He Qing asked, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat and testing its comfort.

Zhang Yi’s temple throbbed. “He’s our uncle.”

He Qing smiled. “Out of respect, I’ll call him uncle too.”

Zhang Yi plopped down next to him, ignoring him, while Zhang Lin checked his messages. After a moment, he said, “He’s here.”

He Qing turned around and locked eyes with… Qiao Yi.

“Uncle… no, Mentor?”

Qiao Yi took off his sunglasses and glared at them. “You little brats! Were you planning to sneak off in this ship without me?!” He then turned to He Qing, rubbing his chin as he approached. “He Qing, how do you plan to bribe me?”

Seeing He Qing genuinely surprised him. Then, he found it amusing. What kind of person had Duan Chenhui married? Did Duan Chenhui even know?!

He Qing obediently stood up. “Mentor, I wouldn’t dare. Please, have a seat.”

Qiao Yi glanced at him, then spun around and pushed him into the pilot’s seat. “How about I personally teach you to fly, He Qing?”

Zhang Yi & Zhang Lin: “…” Help! Uncle’s being weird again.

Zhang Yi hesitated, trying to save He Qing. “Uncle, isn’t that a bit much?”

“Thank you, Mentor. Could you sign off on my license afterward?” He Qing replied instead.

Qiao Yi chuckled, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. “That depends on your performance. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Duan Chenhui about this.” He was dying to see what Duan Chenhui’s reaction would be once he learned the truth about He Qing.

“Thank you, Mentor.” He Qing let out a small breath of relief, closing his eyes briefly before placing his hands on the control panel and slowly channeling his mental power into the ship.

[Ding! Mental power detected. Please enter the password. Spaceship AI Xiao He at your service.]

Qiao Yi opened a holographic screen and entered the password, swiping his card. “Pilot Qiao Yi, logging in.”

[Ding! Acknowledged. The spaceship is preparing to launch. Please fasten your seatbelts.]

Qiao Yi turned to look at He Qing and the others. “Now, let’s see how He Qing and Zhang Lin do.”

“Mm.” He Qing nodded slightly, using his mental power to sense every corner of the spaceship, from the engines to the auxiliary systems.

Zhang Yi sat quietly to the side, munching on some snacks. Thank goodness he focused on mechs, because the spaceship was already taking off. Watching the data on the screen, Zhang Yi couldn’t deny it—He Qing hadn’t lied. This seemingly delicate guy had incredibly powerful mental strength. Never judge a book by its cover.

Zhang Lin was only slightly surprised, while Qiao Yi stroked his chin, lost in thought. So this is the legendary SSS vs. SSS? Maybe Duan Chenhui really struck gold with this one… No wonder he likes He Qing so much.

However, communication with Duan Chenhui had suddenly been cut off. Qiao Yi wanted to check out what was going on, especially since there were students involved. For now, this incident was being kept under wraps.

Seeing that the spaceship had successfully launched and breached the atmosphere, Qiao Yi opened a communication link. “I’m heading to Duan Chenhui’s location to assess the situation.”

Dean: “Huh? We’re still waiting for you to attend the meeting.”

Qiao Yi: “Oh, I’m taking the family spaceship. By the time they finish discussing things, it’ll be too late.” In reality, there were people itching to throw Duan Chenhui under the bus.

Dean: “Alright… but be careful.”

“Later.” Qiao Yi focused on the data on the screen, narrowing his eyes. “Prepare for warp drive.”

“Yes,” He Qing and Zhang Lin replied simultaneously.

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