Chapter 12: The Power of the Tree of Life

  Huang Lao was extremely excited, unexpectedly discovering the ape-man skull, it's really unbelievable. Also heard that it's raining locally and there's also rain sound on the phone. The ape-man skull is in a deep pit, can't help but say: "He Ming, listen, I'll report to the team immediately, rush over tonight, you must protect the scene well, keep the ape-man skull fossil safe, don't let the rain destroy it!"

  He Mingdao said, "Wait a minute, Huang Lao, you report to the government, I haven't made any money yet?" This is a red light item. Blue light porcelain has sold for tens of millions, let alone red light.

  Huang Lao was so angry that he couldn't help but laugh, "That's a priceless cultural relic about the origin of humanity, it's a national treasure, to be handed over to the state! You want to buy and sell? Xiao He, take good care of it, when the archaeological team arrives, you'll become the discoverer of the Malan Mountain Ape-man skull, and you'll make a big name for yourself!"

  It ended up like this, He Ming was speechless, maybe he could gain some fame out of it?

  What a tragedy, it's too precious, can't bear to part with it.

  Maybe several hundred million RMB.

  He Ming held up the ape-man's skull, with a careless expression, any archaeologist who saw it would rush up to hit him.

  After some thought, He Ming took off his sweatshirt, tied a knot in it, and perhaps the most expensive Versace sweatshirt in history was born, priced at 5,500 yuan, no bargaining accepted.

  No bag is really troublesome. Thinking of this, He Ming put all the items with green light into his bag, regardless of whether they were bones or stone tools. Finally, he looked around and didn't find anything else, so he put away his glasses, climbed out of the pit, started his motorcycle, and left.

  He Ming arrived at the old house in the old city district, which was already empty. He went inside and turned on the light to see that his and his sister's bedroom had been packed up with big and small bags, apparently the family was preparing to move out overnight.

  He Ming put away the "Fan Si Zhe sack", found his old clothes, took a refreshing bath and regained his energy.

  At this time, Huang Lao made a few more phone calls to ask about the ape-man's skull. Only after hearing that He Ming had been transferred to his own home did he feel at ease.

  He Ming had just left the door, his stomach was already very hungry, and the rain stopped. He arrived at the New Era Hotel at 8 o'clock, knowing that the He family had booked a floor, opened 50 tables, and almost 500 people had gone.

  "Ah, Hai Ming has finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for a long time, come on and tell us your story of making a fortune!" Suddenly, a large group of familiar friends and acquaintances gathered around.

  He Ming couldn't keep up, and waved his hands repeatedly: "Uncles, aunts, grandfathers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters, let me fill my stomach first. Let's talk about the story of getting rich later!"

  The crowd dispersed, and He Ming walked over to his family's table. His father was nowhere to be found, having gone off somewhere to drink with others, and his sisters were also absent, leaving only his mother eating alone.

  Seeing He Ming coming, he immediately exclaimed with excitement: "Xiao Ming, today is really too exciting. I really didn't expect it, I really didn't expect that such a good thing would happen. I'm really too happy."

  He Ming nodded while eating, and his mother told a story. When He Ming was about three or four years old, his mother took him to see a fortune teller. The fortune teller looked at the expressionless little boy He Ming and felt a bit uneasy in his heart. He told He Ming's mother that this little soybean's facial features were extraordinary, destined for great wealth and nobility, with eyebrows that shone brightly and eyes that sparkled, evoking love and affection from all who saw him. His forehead had the bone structure of a dragon, indicating unparalleled prosperity. By the age of 20, he would surely become extremely rich.

  "Look, it's done! Wait a minute, how did you change your clothes? You changed into an old outfit, what happened to the original high-end one?"

  Mom He said nonstop.

  He Ming nodded repeatedly, eating voraciously. The big sister with a smile all over her face came over and said: "Xiao Ming has finally come back. Everyone is too enthusiastic and must celebrate. Dad wants to save face, so he opened 50,000 yuan per table. A total of 2.5 million. Do you have enough money?"

  "What's the highest standard...” He Ming swallowed a lobster, with an explosive expression on his face, and said. "It's only 2.5 million, it's just a small amount for me. I still have over 10 million in my bank account. And just now, I got something truly priceless!" As he spoke, He Ming beckoned the waiter to come over and asked: "What's the highest standard table setting at your restaurant?"

  The waiter smiled and said: "Hello sir, our highest standard in this restaurant is 10,000 yuan per table. Emperor-class enjoyment..."

  "50 tables all gave a standard of 100,000 yuan each, everyone came to enjoy the emperor-level treatment! The 5,000-yuan-per-table ones will continue to come up!" He Ming said. Big sister was surprised and said: "Isn't this bad, little brother? This adds up to 7.5 million, we haven't even collected any gift money yet. You say your bank still has over 10 million? How much money did you actually make? Second sister's Lamborghini is probably worth over 50 million now!"

  He Ming ordered the waiter to serve them imperial-class dishes. As they ate, he said, "Dear sister, you don't have to worry about this anymore. I'm making a fortune every day. Forever making a fortune. You won't know how I make my fortune. Because I also don't know what I'll discover next."

  He's mother was playing with the pair of top-grade red agate bangles, saying: "Ice, don't bother about Xiaoming anymore. He and we are not the same kind of people now. As the fortune teller said, he has become a dragon in the great sea, flying high and prosperous. We can just enjoy his good fortune."

  He Ming nodded, blinked his eyes, and looked at He's mother. Tonight she was carefully dressed up, looking radiant and rejuvenated, as if she had become ten years younger. However, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, the hidden fatigue, and the no longer slender body lines revealed that she was already a 47-year-old middle-aged woman.

  "This is the person who loves him the most, He Ming can't bear this feeling anymore, excitedly saying: "Mom, I said earlier that I got a treasure, originally wanted to give it to you as a New Year's gift tomorrow, but this treasure is too precious, it's hard to describe how precious it is. I think giving it to you now is the best, you will definitely have something that all women want to possess - magic."

  Hehe, "What's wrong, dear? Is it the jade bangle again?" She said with a loving gaze at the red jade bangle, "This bangle is envied by all my elder sisters."

  He Ming burst out laughing, excitedly devouring a lobster, swallowing even the shell, and then said: "Not worth 10,000 emerald bangles!!"

  "Hey sis, can you find me something to weigh things with? It needs to be accurate to the gram."

  He Bing nodded gently and said, "Okay, I'll go borrow some from the wine house, they must have some."

  He Ming took a look around and found that everyone else was excited about the upgraded emperor-level service, while his table only had him and his mom.

  He Ming leaned in close and whispered, "Mom, this treasure can restore your youth, revitalize your body, make you look younger, and greatly improve your physical quality. It's a super treasure that anyone would dream of having! You must keep it a secret, don't get too excited."

  He's mother smiled and said, "Good son, are you telling a fairy tale? There's no such thing, everyone has to grow old. Mom won't be surprised either, seeing our He family like this today, I have no regrets."

  He Ming knew that it was pointless to talk nonsense before seeing him, so he continued eating and chuckled: "You'll know when the time comes."

  The elder sister brought a scale, which was used in the wine house to weigh meat, and could be accurate to one gram.

  He Ming excitedly took out the egg-sized Life Wood from his bosom and placed it on the scale, 1436 grams.

  Awesome, He Ming was extremely excited, unexpectedly so many kilograms, looks like a small piece of wood the size of an egg, can hold down the soul of a three-story tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, and also make a person regain their youth.

  Big sister looked on in surprise and asked He Ma: "What is Xiao Ming doing? What's this thing? He's so nervous he's almost sweating."

  He's mother explained, and his older sister covered her mouth and laughed: "Xiao Ming, where did you hear this ghost story? Don't be superstitious. Science can't even restore youth, how can this thing do it? It's too ridiculous."

  He Ming smiled and said nothing, picked up a dinner knife, cut a piece with extreme care, and then put it on: 53 grams.

  He Ming smiled nervously: "This corner can be compared to a ton of gold." As he said that, he continued to cut another piece and put it on the scale, exactly 103 grams.

  This number is just right, no less than 100 grams, so as not to have a small effect, and not too high to waste.

  He Ming quickly gathered up the Tree of Life and tensely put it into his bosom.

  Then He Ming put the two pieces of wood into a bowl and handed it to his mother, saying: "Mom, eat this and you'll return to being 18 years old, even younger than us. You can go shopping with your sisters, all three of you."

  He Ming believed that the glasses were more powerful than himself, so he didn't try them out and directly gave the Tree of Life to He Mu. This was an instinctual feeling, a natural reaction after obtaining the Tree of Life, and also the reason for the fish's frantic behavior.

  Of course, it's also because of He Ming's impatient and impulsive personality.

  He's mother took a glance, accepted it, and the elder sister wanted to persuade her again. He's mother swallowed it down and said: "Today Xiaoming gave us such a big surprise, even if it's poison, I'd be willing to eat it!"

  The older sister looked at He Ma anxiously, afraid that something would happen to her. He Ma smiled and said: "I feel it in my stomach, I just ate a lot of things, digestion takes time, don't look like that, there's no such thing as instant effect." But before she finished speaking, she saw He Ming smile and his older daughter He Bing looked like she had seen a ghost.

  He's mother immediately felt the infinite changes in her body, all fatigue disappeared instantly, full of vitality, just like the healthiest moment in life, every breath was extremely powerful, and the air became incredibly fresh!

  He Mu hastily sized herself up, rolled up her sleeves, touched her thighs, and even awkwardly caressed her chest. He Mu's arms, visibly transformed from those of a middle-aged woman to smooth and fair ones, were more beautiful than they had ever been before.

  He Ming and his sister witnessed this miracle, in over ten seconds, time flew back 20 years, and with a flicker of the eye, He's mother transformed into a young woman of around 20 years old, even her clothes seemed outdated!

  "What!!" Older sister He Bing couldn't believe it! She left her position, stunned like a wooden chicken.

  "Right, mom. Congratulations on returning to 18 years old." He Ming said and went to eat. At this time, let He's mother feel it for herself. There was no need for him to say anything more.

  Her mother hasn't spoken for a long time, constantly stroking and observing herself, without even letting go of her toes.

  Then she got up and hurriedly went to the bathroom.

  Big sister He Bing looked at He Ming with an indescribable gaze, as if looking at a god. Then she sat over enthusiastically and said coquettishly: "Dear little brother Ming, quickly, give me some of that thing too. I also want to try the feeling of youth."

  "What?" He Ming raised his head in confusion. "You're only 24! You've just left your youth behind! Let's talk about it when you're 44."

  "You're 44 years old and you still have that thing. That's ridiculous! And youth is only at 18, only at 18! Give it to me right now!" He Bing excitedly came to grab the Tree of Life.

  He Ming had never seen his normally cold and distant sister act so wildly before, even more so than this morning.

  "Alright, I'll give it to you. Why are you so excited?" He Ming took out the Tree of Life again and cut off a 107-gram piece. He Bing said to make it a bit bigger. He Ming explained: "Over 100 grams can restore youth!"

  "A bit bigger! Otherwise I will get angry."

  He Ming was speechless, and cut off a 143-gram piece. He Bing took it over and swallowed it directly. Then he snatched away the 107-gram piece again.

  I'm going to kill you! You're too ruthless. He Ming was speechless, but fortunately, the Tree of Life itself is an embodiment of life and won't cause any harm. "Truly underestimated women's passion for their own appearance."

  Soon, Hei Bing revealed a smile. She looked at her hands and arms, and indeed, the skin had become smoother and more delicate to the naked eye. Although it wasn't as drastic a change as Hei Ma's, there was still a huge transformation in terms of temperament and physical quality, like a 24-year-old career woman turning into an 18-year-old young girl. Her dressing style also seemed no longer sexy but cute and charming.

  He Bing looked at herself in the mirror and smiled silently.

  He Ming savored the newly arrived imperial delicacy, a crab. He nodded and said, "You should call me brother now." After finishing the crab roe, He Ming also wanted to try the taste of the Tree of Life. He took out another piece, very generous with himself. In one bite, he swallowed 180 grams.

  The Tree of Life was a bit dry and hard when swallowed, but it digested at an extremely fast speed. He Ming felt his entire body reviving, with cells cheering!

  After a moment, He Ming grabbed his sister's mirror and indeed he had transformed into a young boy, even the wisps of his mustache had completely disappeared.

  Bright eyes, a glance shows endless energy, smooth and delicate skin, it's really too beautiful.

  He Ming and his older sister He Bing exchanged a glance, both bursting into laughter. Then their mother, He Mama, returned. The youthful version of He Mama sat down in her seat without saying a word. He Ming chuckled, "Mom, how does it feel to have regained your youth? You're beautiful, people often said you were a beauty when you were young, and now I see that it's really true."

  He Mu ignored He Ming's teasing and said to his elder sister He Bing, "Bing, look at me! I washed off the makeup and my skin is so good that I don't need any makeup at all. When I went to the bathroom, I looked at my body and it was like a young person's! I was crazy in the bathroom just now, doing high-difficulty movements that only young people can do, but now I did them easily. A cleaning lady came in and she was even scared!"

  "He Ying smiled and said: "Mom, being young is really great. You're so beautiful, it's really good like this.""

  He Ming chimed in, "Mom, stop being coy. You look great like this. When you walk on the street, people can't help but turn their heads. Young girls are all envious of your skin."

  He's mother grabbed He Ming's face, rubbing it hard, her eyes filled with joy. "You silly boy, why didn't you come home and tell me? Now, now what am I going to do?! I have to hurry back, just say I'm sick and left early. Otherwise, those old sisters will make a fuss."

  He Mingdao said: "What are you afraid of? Say that your mood is good, and you've had too much to drink. You're mistaken. As we talk, everyone believes that you were originally so young."

  "Do you think everyone is as confused as you are?" He Mu said, "Baby give me a little more."

  He Ming thought it was going to be divided soon, what a tragedy. He cut another 150g piece and said, "Mom, you keep this one." Then he cut another 106g piece and said, "This one is for Dad."

  In this way, the 1436g Life Tree became 647g. He Mu carefully picked it up, as if collecting a priceless treasure. Indeed, compared to the Life Tree, the top-quality Red Agate Bangle had become a joke.

  He Mingdao said: "Everyone must keep it a secret. Absolutely, within the scope of our family, if someone asks you that you look younger, just say you used foreign cosmetics or that your body has improved because you have money now. After saying it for a long time, they will all believe it!"

  "What do you believe in?" A fragrant and charming woman sat beside He Ming, one hand hooked around his neck, her pretty face flushed from drinking, short hair scattered, voice seductive, "What do you believe in? Dear little Ming, you're finally back. I've been waiting for you for so long, I miss you so much. Let's have a drink..."

  Before she could finish, He Fang's eyes widened in shock, and she suddenly sat up straight, exclaiming: "Mom, am I drunk and seeing things? Why do you look so young?! Wait a minute... You look like you're 20 years old!!!!! It's too unfamiliar! And sis, how did you become 18 again?!

  Everyone laughed and told He Fang what was going on.

  He Fang inhaled cold air, she grabbed He Ming with a force that was hard to describe: "Give it to me, give it to me quickly! Baby, give it to me!"

  He Ming was speechless, and cut a 112g piece. He Fang was extremely dissatisfied, her eyes fixed on the larger one, and she reached out to grab it. He Ming cut another 143g piece and said: "Eat the 143g one, put the 112g away for collection. In 30 years, you'll still be young, but your son will be old. At that time, give it to him to eat, and you can become mother and son again. If you eat both pieces, I'm afraid you'll turn into a little girl who hasn't even had her period yet, and you'll scream in fright once more."

  Finally, He Ming had only one 392-gram piece left. He decided to keep it as a collection and would no longer let it go easily. This is his life after all.

  He Fang swallowed 143 grams. He's mother saw how she became younger this time.

  He Fang finally observed herself, grabbed that 112-gram wooden life, and escaped to the bathroom. He Bing also followed up.

  He Mu smiled happily and said: "I pretended to be ill and left. You help me explain it."

  Then He Ming went to the main hall and told his own story of getting rich, went around offering wine, when he left the restaurant, it was already 11 o'clock. His family members went back home and moved overnight. He Ming found a large pharmacy to buy Viagra and prepared to practice Toad Kung Fu.

  Just received a call from Huang Lao, he actually arrived in Malanshan City in just four hours.

  A fleet of cars arrived, with more than 20 vehicles. A woman jumped out of the first car, exuding an air of elegance and authority, walking quickly towards them - it was He Ming's older sister Ying Qun.

  "She exclaimed excitedly: 'Great job, Xiaoming, that's too awesome! I'm here now, your discovery is going to shake the world, provided you're not lying! Otherwise, you'll be in trouble. There are reporters following behind, and a group of big shots too.'"

  "What's going on? A single ape-man skull and so many people."

  When he said this, Ying Qun rolled his eyes and said: "Idiot, with your knowledge of cultural relics, how did you find so many treasures? Professional archaeologists can't even find them!"

  At this time, Huang Lao, Huang Xue-xiong and several old men whom He Ming did not know got out of the car and hurried over. Huang Lao stepped forward anxiously and asked: "Where is the skull of the ape-man?"

  "At my home."

  "We're going right away."

  In He Ming's home, He Ming opened the "Fan Zhi Che edition gunny sack" under his parents' and two sisters' strange gaze.

  Everyone was shocked and then burst out laughing.

  The moment the ape-man skull was exposed, the fluorescent lights flashed and the reporters' cameras recorded this sacred and ridiculous scene. Huang Lao and others immediately applauded, it is absolutely an ape-man skull.

  The ape-man skull was taken away by the expert team, and then they went to the scene, where a temporary tent was set up for excavation and drainage.

  He Ming found an excuse and went far away to the mountains to practice his toad skills. Half an hour later, he returned, and Ying Qun was a bit puzzled. He Ming seemed to have grown stronger again, and his body had become even bigger.

  The entire wasteland became very lively and turned into a protected site. He Ming's axe and the discarded oil barrel all became exhibits. Huang Lao was dissatisfied and surprised by He Ming's rough exploration methods.

  Many vehicles arrived, and one after another famous domestic archaeological experts rushed overnight, He Ming received interviews from more than a dozen journalists, his consistent statement was that I felt there were treasures, so I dug to take a look.

  The large truck that caused the accident was also found, but only a few journalists interviewed the traffic police and then went to find the scene of the incident.

  He Ming was speechless. Fortunately, the vagrant had vanished into thin air, or else he would have turned from a great archaeological discoverer to a murder suspect in the blink of an eye.

  "Comrade He Ming, hello." At 5 o'clock in the morning, He Ming was woken up by someone in his tent. He came out with a drowsy look and saw a big shot approaching, a real heavyweight, Ying Qun's old man, the provincial party secretary of their province, Ying Wei.

  "Thank you for your major discovery in archaeology, the country and Jiang Province will not forget you." The big shot shook He Ming's hand particularly hard. He Ming faced the camera, taking photos and shaking hands with the provincial party secretary, trying his best to reveal a handsome smile, but the stiff corners of his mouth, messy hair, and eye discharge deeply betrayed his "sly" nature.

  A glimmer of hope, and it ends up like this. It's not bad, He Ming thought, his smile growing even more rigid.