Chapter 24: The Black Iron Token

As the vehicle came to a steady halt, Jiang Ye turned and bowed to Ying Zheng. "Your Majesty, the time has come. We must return."

"Wait," Ying Zheng frowned, "I still have many questions."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty," Jiang Ye said with a faint smile. "In a few days, we shall certainly return. At that time, we will answer all your questions in detail."

Meng Yi asked anxiously, "If you go and never return..."

Ying Zheng suddenly unfastened a black iron token from his waist, the coiled dragon motif upon it glinting coldly in the sunlight.

"With this token, you may enter the Xianyang Palace at will," the Emperor’s voice was low and powerful. "I shall await your good news."

Jiang Ye took the token with both hands, feeling its weight as if it carried the burden of the entire empire. He carefully stowed it away and bowed deeply. "I shall not fail your trust, Your Majesty."

The car stopped, and Ying Zheng and his two companions stepped down slowly. The surrounding guards, seeing the Emperor safe and sound, finally eased the tension in their hearts.

Jiang Ye turned to wave at Fang Gaochang and the others. "Hurry, get on the bus! It’s time to go!"

The eight of them, as if waking from a dream, quickly boarded. Jiang Kai was the last to climb in, still glancing back repeatedly. Once everyone was seated, Jiang Ye signaled for the return journey to begin.

Suddenly, Fang Gaochang leaned most of his body out of the window, waving his arms vigorously. "Your Majesty! We will definitely come back!"

"Lord Meng!" Jiang Kai also squeezed to the window, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Next time, I'll bring you better and more novel gadgets!"

Shi Xiaoyu waved reluctantly at the First Emperor. "Take care of your health, Great Ancestral Dragon!"

The Coaster started slowly, eight heads pressed against the window, their arms waving like reeds swaying in the wind. Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, the corners of his mouth curling upward imperceptibly. Meng Yi, meanwhile, nodded with a stern face. These descendants of the future were truly interesting.

As the space-time tunnel opened, the vehicle erupted in a blinding white light. The radiance, like a bursting sun, instantly swallowed the entire yellow-colored bus. Ying Zheng instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, his black robes fluttering in the violent wind.

"Your Majesty, watch out!" Meng Yi lunged in front of the Emperor, shielding him with his body while keeping his eyes squeezed shut against the piercing glare.

Within the white light, the people in the car could be vaguely seen still waving, their silhouettes flickering and blurred like reflections in water. Just as Ying Zheng squinted, trying to see clearly, the intense light suddenly contracted and then exploded into an even more blinding white flash. The entire vehicle was swallowed by an invisible maw, vanishing without a trace.

On the training ground, dust drifted slowly to the ground, leaving only two shallow tire tracks.

"Two thousand years later..." the Emperor whispered, his fingertips lightly rubbing the mobile phone he had kept as a sample, his eyes flashing with an unfathomable light.

Meanwhile, the blinding white light gradually dissipated. The people in the car were still holding their eyes. When Jiang Kai was the first to open his, he saw the familiar tunnel walls outside; the Coaster was driving steadily along the highway.

"Holy crap!" He pinched his thigh hard. "We're back?!"

Fang Gaochang checked his watch; the second hand had only ticked past once. "It's only been a minute?!"

The bus erupted in chaos. Li Jun rubbed his eyes frantically. "Am I dreaming? Did I really just see the First Emperor of Qin?"

Zheng Chen took it a step further and slapped himself across the face with a sharp *crack*, a sound that silenced everyone for a second.

"Check your phones, then you'll know if it's real," Shi Xiaoyu was the first to recover, reminding the others. She opened her photo gallery first and, seeing the stern face of Meng Yi and the courtyard in the Qin dynasty style on the screen, felt a surge of reality.

"It's real! It's all real!" Jiang Kai flipped through the candid shots he had taken of the First Emperor, so excited he could barely speak. "Look at the imperial crown! The black robes and red skirts!"

The eight of them scrambled to share the photos and videos on their phones. Fang Gaochang gently stroked the screen showing a candid profile of Ying Zheng and whispered, "We really... went back two thousand years."

A strange silence fell over the bus. Everyone stared down at their phones, the images glowing with the light of a thousand years under the tunnel lamps. After a long while, they finally found their voices.

"Director Jiang! When are we going back again?" Jiang Kai looked at Jiang Ye, his eyes shining brightly. "I’m the first to sign up!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Fang Gaochang leaned in, asking anxiously, "Next time, I’m bringing a flashlight for His Majesty!"

Shi Xiaoyu brandished her phone. "I want a drone to show off for the Ancestral Dragon."

"Next time, I have to take a selfie with the Ancestral Dragon. It’s such a pity we didn't get one this time," Li Lin said, looking heartbroken.

The bus turned into a cacophony as the eight of them shouted out outrageous suggestions. Li Jun had already started looking up information on Qin dynasty attire, claiming he wanted to order a proper "tourist outfit" for the era.

Jiang Ye felt a headache coming on. "Stop, stop, stop! The next trip hasn't been planned yet."

"Then hurry and plan it!" Jiang Kai patted his seat in urgency. "How about we go tomorrow?!"

"Do you think this is a trip to the grocery store?" Jiang Ye said, half-laughing, half-crying. "This is time travel! It depends on... uh, it depends on the weather! Yes, the weather!"

The eight of them looked out the window in unison at the cloudless sky.

"Director Jiang, you're full of it!" they shouted in unison, their laughter nearly lifting the roof of the bus.

In the rearview mirror, the corners of Jiang Ye's mouth curled up quietly. These simple-minded folks would likely never forget today's experience for the rest of their lives.

As soon as Jiang Kai got home, he immediately pulled out his phone and started a video call with his best friend, Qiao Wenbai. On the other end of the screen, the wealthy second-generation heir, dressed in designer brands, was lying by a pool sipping juice.

"Old Qiao! Let me tell you something—a very, very big deal."

Seeing Jiang Kai’s solemn expression, Qiao Wenbai’s curiosity was piqued. "What big deal?"

"I, damn it, traveled back to the Qin Dynasty!" Jiang Kai gestured excitedly at the camera. "And I even met the First Emperor of Qin!"

Qiao Wenbai’s sunglasses slid to the tip of his nose, and a row of black lines appeared on his forehead. He had actually thought this kid was going to tell him something important, and it turned out to be this...

"You’re drunk again, aren't you?" Qiao Wenbai said dismissively.

"If I'm lying, I'm a dog!" Jiang Kai hit the table, anxious. "Fang Gaochang and the others went too!"

He turned the camera to the group, who were holding a "time-travel sharing session" in his living room. Fang Gaochang immediately leaned in. "I can testify. Jiang Kai isn't lying to you. We really traveled to the Qin Dynasty and saw the First Emperor."

Before Qiao Wenbai could speak, he held up the photos on his phone. "Look! This is Meng Yi! A genuine member of the Meng family from the Qin Dynasty!"

Qiao Wenbai squinted at the screen for a long time before bursting into laughter. "Not bad Photoshop skills!"

Shi Xiaoyu squeezed into the frame. "Brother Qiao, we really aren't lying. All eight of us went. We have photos and videos as proof."