—Regardless of whether life's circumstances are good or bad, how one confronts them with what kind of mindset is the foremost priority.

While Su Ziqi and her companions were pondering the meaning of Chief Kong Xiaotian's words, they were startled by a loud bang.

Turning toward the source of the sound, they saw the main door forcefully pushed open, and a young man hurriedly entered the hall.

"Elder Brother, why are you only coming back now?" the second son complained to the newcomer.

The young man quickly kneeled before the chieftain, "Father, I apologize for my late return. Please forgive me."

"Gong Kang, you finally came back," the chieftain nodded approvingly, showing no sign of displeasure. On the contrary, his eyes were full of appreciation and delight. "Come over and greet the celestial beings."

"I already heard from the guards at the door that celestial beings have arrived," the young man said, turning his gaze towards Su Ziqi and her companions.

Upon observing the attire of the five individuals, the young man quickly showed astonishment and knelt down on one knee, saying, "Gong Kang pays respects to the celestial beings, wishing my lord eternal life!"

The chieftain introduced his eldest son to Su Ziqi, saying, "Celestial beings, this is my eldest son, Gong Kang, the first warrior of our tribe."

The five individuals promptly stood up, and on behalf of everyone, Su Ziqi gestured with her hands towards Gong Kang, saying, "Young Master, there's no need for formalities. We are not celestial beings."

With these words, Su Ziqi exchanged a momentary gaze with the young man named Gong Kang, and a subtle surprise flickered in their hearts.


The young man appeared older than Gong Yi and Gong Kong, standing at least six feet tall. He wore a yellow headscarf, had dark skin, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose, broad shoulders, and a sturdy physique.

What surprised everyone was that the young man had dual pupils in his eyes, and his gaze was sharp. His temples bulged, exuding a heroic aura from his brows.

Standing there, the young man resembled a lighthouse, and even the Night Bright Flowers shining on the wall seemed to dim in comparison to his powerful presence, as if bowing in deference.

Su Ziqi pondered silently, "Gong Kang has an extraordinary appearance. Throughout history, those with dual pupils are often heroic figures. Gong Kang might not be an ordinary person."

Taking the opportunity, Gong Kang scrutinized the faces of Su Ziqi and her companions, revealing a more astonished expression. "It's my first time seeing celestial beings who look exactly like us!"

Gong Kang stood up and turned to Gong Kong, "Younger brother, this morning in the forest, I saw a giant bird emitting black smoke flying across the sky. Is it an omen or a blessing?"

"Elder brother, that large bird is the conveyance of the celestial beings." Gong Kong replied.

"So, it's an auspicious gift from the heavens. The celestial beings of the human race have visited our tribe, and it will surely bring prosperity."

"Hmph, I bet our eldest son didn't go hunting but instead went to meet his lover." Someone interjected ambiguously from the gathering.

All eyes turned to see that it was Kong Xiaotian, the chieftain of the Tiger Tribe.

"Chieftain Xiaotian, tonight the celestial beings have descended upon our tribe, truly a fortunate event for our people. Let's discuss family matters later," High Priest Fangmu diplomatically intervened.

Kong Xiaotian snorted, lifted a bowl of wine, and downed it in one gulp.

Su Ziqi and her companions were puzzled by Kong Xiaotian's seemingly cryptic remarks, finding it difficult to grasp the meaning.

After taking his seat, Gong Kang extended his large hand, grabbed a sizable plate of meat from the table, and placed it in front of himself. With a piece of bone in each hand, he enthusiastically chewed away, cheeks puffed out, creating a small mountain of leftover bones in no time. The members of the tribe sitting beside him were unfazed, accustomed to this sight.

Satiated, Gong Kang let out a satisfied burp, stood up, and, with a jar of wine in his left hand and a wine cup in his right, went around toasting each of the guests, including Su Ziqi and her friends.

When it was Hua Mei's turn, she merely touched the wine cup to her lips, barely taking a sip.

Observing this, Gong Kang, downing his cup in one go, remarked, "This celestial being isn't very generous!"

Subsequently, Gong Kang continued to offer toasts to various members of the tribe, starting with his parents, then the High Priest, tribal chieftains, and his siblings.

When toasting Kong Xiaotian, he respectfully said, "Gong Kang pays respects to Father-in-law and wishes for your longevity!" Finishing his words, he downed another cup.

Kong Xiaotian snorted disdainfully, emptying his bowl of wine in response.

Gong Kang continued to offer everyone a toast, regardless of whether they had finished their drinks or not; he drained his cup each time. After consuming over a dozen cups without a change in expression or any sign of intoxication, the onlookers secretly admired Gong Kang's impressive alcohol tolerance.

As the night deepened, the wine was exhausted, and the people were becoming intoxicated.

With the banquet dispersed, Chief Gong Dian arranged for Su Ziqi and her companions to stay on the second level of the tree hollow.

Accompanied by Gong Kong, they ascended the stairs to the second floor. Night-blooming flowers adorned the walls, illuminating the place brightly.

Gong Kong explained, "This grand hall is only used during our tribe's ritual activities. The rooms on the second floor and above are vacant, and specifically reserved for our celestial guests. Only celestial beings are allowed to stay here."

"We are not celestial beings. Placing us here seems inappropriate. Also, earlier, Chief Kong Xiaotian mentioned that the celestial beings are impossible to resurrect. What does that mean? Have your Yellow Tribe celestial beings already perished?" Su Ziqi inquired.


"This, um... Today, the day has grown late. Let's explain to you celestial beings another time."

Wang Yue observed that Gong Kong, as he responded, tightly pursed his lips. His hands, hanging down, clenched into fists, producing a faint creaking sound in the darkness.

The second floor had over a dozen rooms, with a height from floor to ceiling of about four to five meters. Each of the five of them had their own room, spacious and well-equipped with bedding. Night-blooming flowers provided illumination in each room.

Dong Yifeng had gone to sleep early due to excessive drinking. Su Ziqi, having consumed too much alcohol, currently couldn't find the desire to sleep. She decided to invite Zheng Ya and Wang Yue to go downstairs and take a walk nearby.

Three women, each holding a night-blooming flower, descended to the ground floor and stepped out of the gate.

Life's experiences are truly unpredictable. Just two weeks ago, they were on Earth, packing their bags, preparing to embark on an expedition to Mars. At that time, they were part of a highly developed Earth civilization.

However, now, they found themselves on a planet within the solar system that shouldn't exist. Moreover, the extraterrestrial inhabitants of this planet referred to them as "celestial beings." The comparison between the two scenarios felt like worlds apart.

If Zheng Ya's speculation was correct, they might have traversed to a planet located tens of thousands of years ago, situated between Mars and Venus. In that case, where was their home—Earth? How were their families, friends, and colleagues back on Earth? Were they forever stranded in a different era?

Under the influence of alcohol, the three women's minds were foggy. Everything before them seemed surreal, like a dream. They hoped to wake up from this dream and return to their own world.

The three sat silently on a rock at the summit platform of the hill. It wasn't too dark around them; below the hill, clusters of bright lights could be seen, emanating from the night-blooming flowers.


They gazed foolishly at the sky, searching for the moon, hoping to find it and grasp even a glimmer of hope.

Yet, reality proved to be so cruel: the sky was filled with countless stars, but the moon was nowhere to be seen!

Su Ziqi twisted her arm. "Ouch! I really wish this were just a dream!" She shouted into the night sky.

The faint starlight wasn't enough to unveil the curtain that covered the sky, making the night much dimmer than the moonlit nights they were familiar with on Earth.

The void left by the absence of the moon became a stark reminder that this was undeniably not Earth; it wasn't just a dream but a harsh reality.

So, where was their beloved Earth, their hometown? If they were still within the solar system, through a process of elimination, there might be only one plausible answer: the "Ice Star" mentioned by Gong Kong could potentially be Earth, albeit existing in a different space-time dimension.

In one corner of the celestial canvas, a brilliant star shone, surpassing its counterparts in brightness and size. Was it the Ice Star? Could it be our Earth?

The air resonated with sobs, and Su Ziqi found solace in her tears. Her head found comfort on Zheng Ya's shoulder, where gentle strokes of reassurance flowed through her hair.

In truth, tears had already welled up in Zheng Ya and Wang Yue's eyes. Who wouldn't succumb to the overwhelming emotions in such a surreal situation?

Their cherished homeland might be forever beyond their grasp. In the hushed embrace of the night, guided by Su Ziqi, Zheng Ya and Wang Yue finally let go, their tears silently marking the weight of their shared despair.

Su Ziqi brushed away the tears in her eyes. "What should we do next?"

Despite Wang Yue's shaken resolve, she clung to her words. "I still can't accept that this is real. Once the spacecraft is repaired tomorrow, we'll leave this planet. Maybe we can go back to our Earth, to our time."

"Ah! I don't know if we can return to our time," sighed Zheng Ya. "If we've truly traveled through time, getting back to our era would require traversing the wormhole again. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Su Ziqi inquired.

"Otherwise, we'll be trapped forever in the current spacetime."

A heavy silence enveloped the scene, intensifying the gravity of their conversation.

Wang Yue broke the silence. "If the current spacetime is indeed tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years ago, Earth during that period was truly experiencing a new ice age, blanketed in ice and snow. It was an ice star."

Su Ziqi clung to hope, saying, "Let's go to the Ice Star and see if it resembles ancient Earth."

Zheng Ya's response was more discouraging, "Ziqi, the Earth's ancient geography must differ significantly from today's. Even if we reach the Ice Star, confirming it as ancient Earth is uncertain."

Zheng Ya's words cast a deeper shadow over Su Ziqi. The night seemed to darken further, like spilled ink, intensifying the oppressive atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yue interjected, "Ladies, could it be that Gong Kong is deceiving us? Maybe we haven't time-traveled or entered a parallel universe. Perhaps we've landed in an unknown star system, and Gong Kong is misleading us with tales of it being the solar system, making up stories about Venus and Mars."

Zheng Ya contemplated for a moment. "But what would be Gong Kong's motive for deceiving us? I find it unlikely."

"Observing Gong Kong, I find him highly suspicious," Wang Yue voiced her doubts, sensing that Gong Kong seemed to be harboring some secrets.

"Why suspicious? I think Gong Kong is fine. If it weren't for him last time, Uncle Dong would have been in trouble," Su Ziqi asked, puzzled.

"When their clan members first saw us, everyone was terrified, except him. Also, look at his carefree and roguish appearance. Do you find his words trustworthy?"

"And, when Professor Dong Yifeng was in danger, don't you find it strange? Gong Kong claimed he could speak the language of beasts, but at that time, we didn't hear him make any sound. He didn't use any weapons, yet he managed to scare away the wild beast."


Zheng Ya also pondered, "Wang Yue, hearing you say that, I find it suspicious too."

"Regardless, tomorrow we'll contact Captain Yang Zhiyuan. If the spacecraft can take off as usual, we'll leave this planet and return to our hometown—Earth." In Su Ziqi's heart, she still fantasized about returning to Earth once again.