Chapter 312: Defying Fate (Part 17)

Lin Xue and Shui Miao both fell silent…

Suddenly, after certain words had been spoken, everyone felt things had become dull.

Shui Miao felt that Chu Miaoyi would never deceive her. She would always tell the truth, unlike Lin Xue, who had proven to be less than a true friend.

The convoy wasn’t moving quickly, and Lin Xue soon caught up.

Shui Miao switched cars, and Jiang Zhihao followed suit, which left Lin Xue slightly disappointed.

Before long, Lin Xue picked up her earpiece and was shocked to discover it had remained on the entire time…

Putting it on, she received orders from her father: find an opportunity to leave the convoy, as someone else would be assigned to take over surveillance of Shui Miao.

Helplessly, Lin Xue requested to resign from Jiang Zhihao, but Jiang consulted Shui Miao first, who told him to stall for time.

※※※

Inside another Hummer, Shui Miao, Jiang Zhihao, Sun Hao, and Jiang Tao were holding a meeting.

Shui Miao wrote her grandfather’s phone number on a piece of paper, had the four copy it down, and then asked them to use their connections to trace the last location from which the number had been used.

This would be extremely difficult for ordinary people.

But for Jiang Zhihao and his group, who had access to both legal and underground networks, it was a simple matter.

The convoy couldn’t keep driving aimlessly forever. Suddenly, Shui Miao felt a sense of urgency. She needed to find her grandfather as soon as possible—he might be in trouble, trapped deep in the mountains, needing her help. Another reason was that she wanted to shake off Captain Lin and her group. Having a bunch of heavily armed special forces trailing behind wasn’t exactly conducive to peaceful meals or restful sleep.

“At the border of Qinghai and Tibet, in the Kunlun Mountains.”

Sun Hao was the first to get results. He put down his phone and excitedly announced the location.

Jiang Zhihao and Jiang Tao also put their phones away. Sun Hao had a relative who was a manager in the telecom department—this kind of task was effortless for him.

Shui Miao double-checked anxiously, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sure,” Sun Hao nodded firmly.

“Where’s the nearest airport?” Shui Miao’s eyes lit up. “Right, we should find a helicopter. The Kunlun Mountains are huge—we could be hiking for ages on foot. I need to find Grandpa as soon as possible.”

“Helicopters are easy!”

Jiang Zhihao quickly jumped in. “All three of us have private helicopters. One call and we can have one here in about an hour.”

“Great!”

Shui Miao was thrilled. She immediately took out three Three-Life Pills. “Here, these are sacred pills I obtained from the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Spring. Taking them will greatly benefit your souls.”

“Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master…”

The three elderly men, deeply devoted to cultivation, were overjoyed at the sight of the pills. After swallowing them, they immediately began discussing the route and how many helicopters they would need with Shui Miao. Considering Captain Lin’s group, Shui Miao instructed Jiang Zhihao to inform Lin Xue that her resignation was approved immediately. Jiang’s subordinates settled Lin Xue’s wages and let her off the convoy right there.

Then the convoy descended the mountain and reached a four-way intersection, splitting into four groups heading in different directions. Shui Miao and Jiang Zhihao’s group headed directly to a place called Ping County. In a wide suburban area, they waited twenty minutes before seeing the helicopters. The helicopters flew them to the nearest airport, where first-class seats had already been booked. They then headed straight to Qinghai.

By the time Shui Miao boarded the flight to Qinghai, Captain Lin was still chasing the four Hummer groups.

That afternoon at four o’clock, the group arrived at Xining Airport in Qinghai.

Thanks to his wealth and connections, Jiang Zhihao even managed to rent a military helicopter, which transported everyone to Golmud City overnight. That night, Shui Miao stayed at the Kunlun Hotel in Golmud, while Jiang Zhihao’s team worked through the night to track the exact location of the phone signal, preparing to head out together the next morning.

※※※

The sky over Qinghai was clear and cloudless, with rolling mountains all around, offering a beautiful and serene view. The air was filled with spiritual energy, far cleaner and purer than in Zhonghai City.

After a night of cultivation, Shui Miao stepped onto the balcony of her hotel room at dawn and saw, a few hundred meters away, a flat mountain area where three military helicopters were parked, with over a dozen soldiers standing guard nearby.

Shui Miao had spent the night in peace, practicing the Lingtong Jue and the Zongheng Ce over a dozen times, greatly enhancing her spiritual power and doubling the range of her spiritual perception. Now, the entire Golmud City was within her awareness.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhihao and the others had been busy all night, handling many arrangements and verifications.

Through information from bodyguards on the other three Hummer routes, they learned that the police were secretly following them. Therefore, all three used their complex networks to gather detailed intelligence.

Everyone was waiting for Shui Miao to have breakfast.

Shui Miao had her backpack stored in the Holy Yuan Ring, so she had nothing to pack. When she arrived in the hallway, she found Jiang Zhihao and the others waiting and urged them to go eat. She also told them not to wait for her for meals in the future—she could survive on wind and dew alone.

In fact, since beginning cultivation, Jiang Zhihao and the others had also greatly reduced their need for food.

So, some ate while others got into the cars.

Jiang Zhihao and the other two didn’t eat but accompanied Shui Miao into the car, reporting the information they had gathered the previous night.

“The Xuan Group?”

After hearing the report, Shui Miao was slightly shocked. She hadn’t expected the country to have such a mysterious organization, filled with various mystic experts, even semi-immortal-level beings.

“That’s right, the Xuan Group. I also heard that there’s a teenage prophet among them. They seem to know everything we do in advance,” Jiang Tao said nervously.

Shui Miao smiled faintly and shook her head. “Don’t believe that kind of thing. If they were really that powerful, they wouldn’t need to send the police to follow us. By the way, did you find out if there are any martial artists in this group?” Shui Miao was a bit worried that there might be special strong individuals in this organization.

In a world where ghosts and gods existed, martial artists weren’t surprising.

Jiang Zhihao and the other two exchanged glances and shook their heads.

The Xuan Group was extremely mysterious, and very few people even knew of its existence. Jiang Zhihao and his group had already done exceptionally well to uncover this much.

“Alright, time to head out.”

Shui Miao sensed that her four bodyguards and her foster father, Wang Yong, had quickly eaten a few bites before rushing over.

Everyone got into the cars, boarding three helicopters with some supplies, and headed toward the location where the phone had last signaled.

Flying southwest from Golmud, the helicopters flew for nearly an hour and a half before dropping off Shui Miao and the other eight members of the team at a towering, steep mountain range.

After the helicopters left and the roaring sound faded, the group climbed up a nearby mountaintop and gazed out in all directions. The view was endless—rolling mountains as far as the eye could see. However, the mountains here were barren, with no plants in sight, and patches of snow lingering in the shaded areas, making the wind cold and biting.

Shui Miao subtly activated her immortal energy to keep warm, while the others hurriedly unpacked their backpacks and put on thermal suits.

After observing the terrain, Shui Miao found a relatively flat area and sat down cross-legged, closing her eyes and focusing her spiritual perception around her.

“I found it!”

Suddenly, she sensed a massive natural rock crevice over 300 meters away, possibly containing a large amount of supplies, with her grandfather’s phone inside.

“Hmph!”

Shui Miao activated her immortal energy and leapt over ten meters in one jump. With another leap, she soared over thirty meters. Within moments, she had reached the entrance of the crevice.

“…”

Everyone was stunned by her incredible jumps, except for Wang Yong, who chuckled and carefully made his way down the mountain, following Shui Miao.

“Master is amazing!”

“Yeah! Master is incredible. At this rate, he’ll be flying in no time!”

“He’s already flying now…”

Jiang Zhihao, Sun Hao, and Jiang Tao couldn’t contain their excitement, revering Shui Miao like a deity.

However, the four bodyguards Jiang Zhihao had brought exchanged cold glances. Not a trace of shock showed on their faces.

The rock gap wasn’t too wide. Shui Miao bent down and entered, finding a surprisingly large space inside. Not far ahead were several tents, but it was pitch black. She walked to her grandfather’s tent and found his phone, now out of power, along with many other supplies. Some food was scattered around the tent, and the scene looked slightly disordered.

What had happened?

With her spiritual perception, Shui Miao detected a long, narrow natural rock crevice inside the mountain, stretching far deeper than she could sense.

There were a few lanterns inside the cave, which she lit to examine the area carefully.

Soon, Jiang Zhihao and the others entered the cave.

Shui Miao crouched at the entrance of the underground crevice, sniffing the air. Her brows furrowed slightly. “They must have gone into this crevice. There’s still a lot of food left, so they’re likely still alive. Bring more food and follow me deeper inside.”

“Okay!”

Wang Yong was the first to agree. A former tomb robber who had long since retired, he felt a familiar thrill at being in such an adventurous place.

For safety, everyone tied a long rope around their waists and carried backpacks with high-powered mining lamps, following Shui Miao into the crevice.

Although Jiang Zhihao and the others had begun cultivation, they were still old men and moved slowly.

Shui Miao, moving fast, carried a lamp and a red marker pen, taking the lead to scout ahead.

With her spiritual perception guiding her, she dashed through the crevice, moving swiftly with her immortal energy.

Half an hour later, Shui Miao was forced to stop.

Her spiritual sense detected a massive underground military base ahead. Not only were there surveillance systems at the entrance, but she also sensed metallic traces underground—possibly traps.

What should she do?

A military base—should she break in?

Shui Miao hesitated. Although she had made progress in cultivation, she was still flesh and blood. Charging into a military base meant facing gunfire…