Chapter 348: The Jin Family's Eldest Daughter
5:00 PM.
Xiao Ye and Jin Mingzhu appeared in the hotel lobby right on time.
"The places I'm taking you to next are mostly deep in the mountains."
Xiao Ye had already anticipated this. After all, anything that could affect the nation's fate would surely involve exceptional Feng Shui.
And such Feng Shui could not be casually disturbed.
In cities, for instance, many places had been completely transformed by various planning and construction projects, making it impossible to preserve their Feng Shui Formations.
Jin Mingzhu continued, "Besides, many of these places are now used for secret training, similar to Cyan Dragon Mountain."
Xiao Ye nodded. "I know."
That was a suggestion made by Lingxiao Daoist: to use the righteous energy—and the sheer human presence—generated by the training to stimulate the Feng Shui and make the nation's fate more active.
The two left the hotel and got into an SUV.
"Let's get going, then. The next location isn't too far from here. We'll drive."
"I've already prepared food, water, and other supplies. They're in the trunk. I figure we can drive straight there in one go."
Xiao Ye didn't refuse. "Alright."
It was just a car ride; he wasn't so delicate as to mind.
As the car started, Jin Mingzhu would occasionally glance through the rearview mirror at Xiao Ye, who was resting in the back with his eyes closed.
'I have to admit, he's the most handsome man I've ever seen.'
'A man like this... It wouldn't be so bad having him as my fiancé in the future.'
Jin Mingzhu had been a Martial Arts prodigy since childhood. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for a woman to become a Level-1 Special Agent.
After all, to a certain extent, there are natural physical differences between men and women.
Men definitely have the advantage in training.
But Jin Mingzhu not only succeeded, she performed even better than the men.
Therefore, she had always known how capable she was and looked down on ordinary men.
The car traveled for a full five hours before finally reaching its destination.
The place they parked was a small county town. It was very modestly developed, with an antiquated air all around.
"From here, it's about a day's hike up the mountain to the next location."
Jin Mingzhu took out two backpacks. "Want one? They have emergency supplies for the wilderness. I prepared them myself and didn't miss a thing."
"No thanks, I have my own."
Jin Mingzhu didn't insist. She crisply put the bag down, locked the car, and said, "Let's set off, then."
As expected of a Level-1 Special Agent, her wilderness survival skills were superb.
Level-1 is the highest rank for a special agent.
To reach this level, one needed not only outstanding physical skills, but more importantly, a vast range of practical knowledge.
For example, wilderness survival, bomb disposal, piloting aircraft, and so on...
You could say she was a true all-rounder, with no significant weaknesses.
She knew a little bit about everything.
The two walked in silence.
Jin Mingzhu, however, was quite active. She would occasionally pick a wild fruit, and when she saw Xiao Ye wouldn't eat it, she ate it herself.
"Oh right, there's something I forgot to tell you."
Jin Mingzhu tossed away the fruit pit and suddenly spoke.
Xiao Ye looked at her. "Does it have to do with me?"
"Yes." Jin Mingzhu smiled faintly. "Actually, I'm from the Jin Family. You should know of the Jin Family—they're part of the Golden Saber Covenant."
Xiao Ye now understood where the sense of familiarity with her surname had come from.
'So it really is the Jin Family, the one associated with Martial Arts. No wonder Jin Mingzhu is so skilled.'
"I didn't mean to investigate you, but since we're on this mission together, it's only natural that I'd look into your background first."
Jin Mingzhu looked at Xiao Ye. "I'm the eldest daughter of the Jin Family."
Every eldest daughter from the Golden Saber Covenant families had a marriage contract with Xiao Ye.
But Xiao Ye already knew that Lin Chuyue was the one who could break his seal, so naturally, he wasn't interested in other women.
Among the nine marriage contracts, only one was the real one.
Jin Mingzhu's gaze was intense. "In other words, we are currently fiancés."
She was very confident. 'To Xiao Ye, I must be special. After all, no other woman is as powerful as I am!'
Seeing that Xiao Ye didn't object, Jin Mingzhu continued, "Although I'm currently a Level-1 Special Agent and still have to carry out various missions..."
"Rest assured, I'm strong enough to protect myself. There won't be any problems."
Xiao Ye frowned slightly. "About the marriage contract..."
Before he could finish, Jin Mingzhu suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"
Immediately after, she whipped out a dagger and slashed viciously!
A patterned snake fell to the ground, severed in two.
After this brief incident, the two became more cautious.
Jin Mingzhu continued, "I can probably do this for another ten years. I'll retire around the age of thirty-two."
"But with my skills, I can at the very least stay in the military and become an instructor."
"Then, I can come home every day to be a wife and mother."
As a strong, independent woman, she was different from others. She was accustomed to life-and-death situations.
The life of a wife and mother, which many modern women dislike, was something she actually yearned for.
Xiao Ye said helplessly, "I already have a fiancée. Once the Jin Family's Golden Saber is returned, our marriage contract will be dissolved."
"So please, don't waste your time on me."
He thought he had made himself perfectly clear, but Jin Mingzhu showed no signs of backing down.
In fact, a hint of challenge even appeared in her eyes.
"I understand," she said, though she was already thinking about how to cultivate a relationship with Xiao Ye. 'As long as we develop feelings for each other, the rest will naturally fall into place. I'm confident of that!'
For the rest of the journey, Jin Mingzhu constantly showed off her strength.
She understood that in front of a powerful man, the only way to attract his interest was to be powerful herself.
Just pretending to be weak was completely useless.
Xiao Ye could see her intentions, but since she hadn't said anything and wasn't bothering him, he didn't care.
'I've already made my position clear and rejected her from the start. If she insists on doing something, I can't stop her. I'm not a god; I can't control what other people do or say.'
After traveling for a full day, the two finally arrived at the next national fate point in the evening.
This was another deep mountain, but there was no training team here.
"Xiao Ye, the terrain here is rather unique, and the Feng Shui formation can't be altered, so they didn't build a training facility here."
Xiao Ye nodded, then operated a drone to survey the area.
After about ten minutes, he had already identified the formation's core.
The two headed to the specific location together.
They walked continuously eastward.
In front of a slope stood a large, very twisted-looking tree.
Although the tree looked as if it had withered, its roots were still sunk deep into the earth.
Moreover, a small sapling was even growing on its withered trunk.