Courtyard House: My Time Travel is a Bit Too Strong

Four figures stood in front of the door, and a military green Jeep was parked quietly at the entrance of the alley.

The two men were dressed in crisp military uniforms with gleaming epaulets, submachine guns slung across their chests, and dark pistols at their waists—clearly bodyguards.

The other two men were a man in his early thirties, carrying a dark brown leather briefcase, with a discreet watch and a calm gaze; the other was around fifty, with neatly trimmed gray hair and a warm smile on his lips. When his gaze fell on Lin Quan's face, it was as if he had seen right through the young man.

It was this old man who made Lin Quan's throat tighten and his heart skip a beat.

Although it was their first meeting, Lin Quan recognized him at a glance by his demeanor, his expression, and the weight that settled between his brows.

Seeing his stunned expression, the old man smiled, a smile spreading across his eyes: "Young man, won't you invite us in for some tea?"

"Please! Please come in!"

Lin Quan snapped out of his daze, stepped aside to lead the way, his movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"You're not a novice when it comes to the world, why are you so tense?"

The group followed him through the corridors and courtyards, heading straight for the small courtyard at the back. The ground was paved with blue bricks, bamboo shadows swayed, several old plum trees had gnarled branches, and a half-worn pottery jar sat at the base of the wall, with two water lilies floating inside.

The old man nodded as he walked, his tone casual: "This courtyard has a certain charm."

Before he finished speaking, the two guards stood firm behind him like pine trees, while the secretary waited quietly with his hands at his sides, not even flinching.

Lin Quan saw this and understood, but only smiled and said nothing more.

After the old man sat down at the stone table, he personally poured him a cup of clear tea, the tea soup was clear and steaming.

"Sir, your presence today is truly a bit overwhelming..."

"I wonder... is it about the blueprints?"

He already knew what was going on—those drawings had only been submitted three days ago, yet they had unexpectedly caught the attention of the person in front of him.

The old man didn't answer, but only nodded slightly to the secretary.

The secretary immediately took out a sandalwood box and a plain silk scroll from her bag and presented them with both hands.

The old man gently placed the two items on the stone table, his voice calm: "Open them and see for yourself."

Lin Quan's gaze narrowed slightly. After a moment's thought, he picked up the wooden box and clicked open the lid.

Three medals lay quietly in the box, gold and red, with sharp edges and ribbons as bright as ever.

His fingertips paused—it was too familiar.

In the old brocade pouch left by my parents, there lay the same three, only covered with a thin layer of dust and slightly rusted at the edges.

"This... is it for me?"

He looked up, his voice slightly hoarse.

The old man didn't say much, only nodded, his gaze calm as an ancient well.

Then, he raised his hand and pointed to the scroll: "The main event is yet to come."

Lin Quan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and promptly unrolled the scroll.

The plain silk was laid out, the ink strokes vigorous, bearing only four characters—

But when his gaze slid to the signature, he suddenly froze, as if nailed to the spot.

"This, this, this..."

For several breaths, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a complete syllable. He just stared blankly at the old man, his eyes churning with turbulent emotions, unable to squeeze out a single word.

Lin Quan's appearance made the old man burst into laughter.

A slight smile played on his lips, a hint of interest in his eyes, as he slowly asked, "How about it? Would you call it a rare treasure?"

But what he held in his hand was no ordinary object! If those medals were talismans, then this calligraphy was the sword of Damocles hanging over his head—as long as he did not betray his country, even if he pierced the sky, it could be contained and suppressed!

Lin Quan was shocked, never expecting that the higher-ups would offer such a generous gift.

After a long while, he finally calmed himself down and carefully put the scroll into his pocket with trembling fingertips.

"It is indeed priceless... I never expected that my meager contribution would earn me such a generous treatment."

Before he finished speaking, he had already gathered the wooden box and the scroll to his side with swift and decisive movements.

The old man caught a glimpse of this scene, smiled slightly, and didn't even raise an eyebrow.

These two items were originally prepared for him; how could they be taken back?

Seeing Lin Quan's open and honest attitude, the old man was not annoyed at all; instead, he secretly nodded in approval.

"The stuff you handed over is enough to quadruple our fighting strength!"

He paused, then narrowed his eyes, his tone slightly probing: "Kid, what are your plans for the future? Want me to help you find a job?"

Lin Quan shook his head vigorously, waving his hands repeatedly, "No, no! I really wouldn't dare trouble you..."

"I just want peace and quiet, to live a peaceful life, and to stop causing trouble."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the attitude was already set in stone.

Swah——

A sharp, knife-like gaze suddenly slashed over, fixing directly on Lin Quan.

Even though he had already undergone a complete transformation, the moment that gaze swept over him, his back involuntarily tensed, as if a tremendous force had suddenly pressed down on his shoulders.

"Hahaha! You're the first young man to turn down my invitation to my face!"

"Alright! Since you've made up your mind, we won't force you."

The old man stood up, placed his hand heavily on Lin Quan's shoulder, and said in a deep voice:

"If you ever encounter difficulties in the future, as long as you do not harm the foundation of the country or the people, feel free to come to me—this old face of mine can still be of some use."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and strode out, followed by his entourage, giving Lin Quan no chance to interrupt.

"I'll take you!"

Lin Quan snapped out of his daze and immediately followed, silently walking through the courtyards and watching the jeeps disappear into the dust until they shrank into tiny black dots on the horizon.

He then slowly looked away and turned back to the backyard.

On the stone table, the wooden box lay quietly, with a corner of the scroll slightly exposed, its ink color deep and rich.

Lin Quan stood there, motionless for a long time, his heart filled with indescribable sighs.

He never expected that the few things he casually picked up would bring him such a substantial reward.

That medal was exactly what I expected;

But this calligraphy was an unexpected and delightful surprise that struck right into my heart!

Time flows silently.

Three days slipped by quietly...

Apart from the elderly couple who came to the door, no one else knocked on the gate.

In just three short days, through repeated tempering with the zombie crystal core, Lin Quan's power had risen to the critical point—stuck at the peak of Level 1 Awakener, just one step away from breaking through the gate to Level 2.

Not only him, but Qiao Jingjing and Zhu Zhuqing also hit a bottleneck.

Zhu Zhuqing, like Lin Quan, now stands firmly at the peak of level 1;

Qiao Jingjing has already crossed the threshold of Level 2 and is now poised to challenge Level 3.

In order to help Lin Quan and Zhu Zhuqing break through their cultivation levels, Qiao Jingjing has been almost constantly on the move for the past three days.

The batch of food she had acquired from the Martial Soul World was sold off within a few days, with nearly half of it lost.

Even so, they only received three level 3 crystal cores and more than twenty level 2 crystal cores in return.

These crystal cores are enough for Lin Quan and Zhu Zhuqing to both leap to level 2;

However, it would still be a drop in the ocean if we wanted to help Qiao Jingjing break through to level 3.

The gaze slowly shifted to the courtyard where the three people were.

Qiao Jingjing's gaze suddenly sharpened, sweeping across Lin Quan and Zhu Zhuqing's faces like a blade.

After a two-second silence, she slowly spoke, "Who wants to go first?"