Chapter 357: Curse
Jin Mingzhu had a strong yang aura, making it difficult for ordinary malevolent spirits to approach her.
Coupled with her diligent training, her physical condition was excellent.
The better one's physical health, the less likely they are to be targeted by such things.
Xiao Ye suddenly had a thought. "Without your Eight Characters, there's one other thing that can be used to deeply influence you."
"What?"
"Blood."
Jin Mingzhu was about to say she hadn't been injured, but she suddenly recalled what happened at the Xiao Family. "Could it be Lin Chuxing?"
"That was the only time I was injured. If it was longer ago, it would have been in the ancient tomb, but the bleeding had already stopped by then."
"Besides, there was no one else there but us. My blood was spilt outdoors, so it must have mixed with the soil, making it difficult to collect."
'That's right. Curses require a significant amount of blood.'
'A small amount would be useless.'
He and Jin Mingzhu had been together the entire time, with no outsiders around. That small amount of blood would have long since dried.
Furthermore, the blood would have been contaminated by the forest's soil and sand, which would have severely diminished its effectiveness.
"Then it must have been Lin Chuxing," Xiao Ye concluded. He hadn't expected her to be so capable of causing trouble.
'But she's not smart enough, nor does she have this kind of ability. The only possibility is that her backer, the godfather, did it for her.'
'It seems I need to throw the Ouyang Family into greater chaos,' Xiao Ye thought. 'That way, the godfather won't have time to bother with Lin Chuxing.'
According to the intelligence he had received, the illegitimate son, Li Mao, had already successfully infiltrated the Ouyang Family.
Although Li Mao himself was incompetent, he had a whole team backing him.
The people supporting him were all shrewd. They had formed a think tank solely to assist him, which was more than enough.
So, even as an illegitimate son, as long as he had Ouyang blood and could display sufficient intelligence and talent, he would undoubtedly be able to gain a foothold amidst the turmoil.
Now it just depended on how far Li Mao could go.
As long as he was smart enough to not get overly ambitious, he would surely be able to claim the position of Patriarch Ouyang.
Xiao Ye looked at Jin Mingzhu. "You were cursed because of me, so I'll definitely help you solve this."
"But we'll have to wait until we get back. Don't worry, though. I have a way to temporarily suppress it so you'll be fine and won't have any more hallucinations."
Jin Mingzhu gave a generous smile. "I trust you. Besides, I don't believe a mere curse is enough to kill me."
"If that were the case, the world would have been in chaos long ago."
The curse wouldn't be fatal, but it would certainly affect Jin Mingzhu.
She kept seeing hallucinations. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be a major issue, but if it happened during a mission or while she was on the road, it could be incredibly dangerous!
Xiao Ye took out a Dharma Artifact. "My master left this to me. It's very effective."
"Keep it close for the time being. It will ensure you aren't affected."
"Okay, thanks." Jin Mingzhu took it. As soon as it was in her hand, a cool sensation traveled up from her palm to her head.
Her previously groggy head now cleared up quite a bit.
"You should get some rest."
After Xiao Ye took his leave, Jin Mingzhu went into the bathroom.
Recalling the vision she had seen, even she couldn't help but blush.
But her expression quickly sharpened. 'Lin Chuxing... you actually dared to harm me. I won't let you get away with this!'
'Does she really think I'm some kind of pushover?'
As a grade-one special agent, Jin Mingzhu had her pride!
'I don't bother anyone who doesn't bother me.'
'But if someone comes after me, I'll pay them back a hundredfold!'
「Early the next morning.」
Xiao Ye and Jin Mingzhu set out again.
They made their way deep into Da'anling.
It was now noon, the warmest part of the day.
Xiao Ye listened for a moment. After confirming the tigress was gone, he relaxed slightly. "Let's go."
"We don't know what other wild animals might be around. If we're unlucky enough to run into something, our first priority is to run."
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Xiao Ye didn't want to harm them.
The animals in these deep mountains were actually more spiritually aware than those in the outside world.
If this had been a thousand years ago when cultivation was common, some might have even achieved sapience.
The two of them arrived at the core of the formation.
Thankfully, the surroundings were completely silent.
Xiao Ye and Jin Mingzhu immediately got to work and started digging.
"Nothing." After digging about half a meter deep, there was still nothing.
Xiao Ye frowned slightly. "That's impossible. This has to be the place."
He carefully examined the soil and quickly discovered something was wrong.
"A box was definitely buried here before, but it's gone now."
He stretched out his hand and rubbed the dirt between his fingers. A portion of it was very moist.
This is because the oil paper wrapped around the rosewood box was waterproof. While keeping moisture out, it also trapped the cold, causing the soil immediately around it to become exceptionally damp.
"It must have been taken not long ago."
Hearing this, Jin Mingzhu immediately inspected the surroundings.
"There are tracks here, very deep. It must have happened today! From my experience, it was probably less than six hours ago."
"It seems someone got here first and dug up what was inside." Xiao Ye frowned slightly.
When he had retrieved the item from Cyan Dragon Mountain, the people from Jin Que had made no move.
Even the incredibly rare twin infant corpses had been found and destroyed by him.
So why, here in Da'anling, was someone one step ahead of him?
Xiao Ye didn't believe for a second that his opponents had simply failed to notice the other sites. He was more inclined to think that the object buried here was particularly sensitive and could not be exposed to the public.
He thought hard but couldn't imagine what else could have been buried here.
Besides people, the only things that could influence the nation's destiny were extremely ancient artifacts.
Otherwise, animal carcasses and a few Dharma Artifacts would be completely useless.
"Since the thing has already been dug up, it won't affect the nation's fate here. Let's go down the mountain first."
"I suspect that person is likely still nearby."
Xiao Ye suspected that the person had dug it up not only because its contents couldn't be exposed, but also to prevent it from being damaged.
'Once Jin Mingzhu and I leave, they'll probably come back to rebury it.'
Jin Mingzhu nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. Come on, let's check out the nearby town."
Although the weather here was cold, there was a town nearby, not far from their guesthouse.
They were staying at the guesthouse, so the person they were looking for wouldn't dare check in there. They were most likely hiding in town.
It was winter, and though spring had officially begun, the temperature remained low.
Even though it wasn't as cold in the afternoon, there weren't many people outside, but the shops were all open.
Occasionally a vehicle passed by, but they were all three-wheeled vehicles.
The two arrived in town, found a small eatery to grab a bite, and only then did they start asking about any outsiders in the area.