The Mighty Mage

Long Yifan, who had been sitting quietly, saw the change in her face. He leaned forward, took the agreement from her hands, and began reading.

His expression grew darker with every line he read.

By the time he reached the end, his whole face was filled with anger.

"This…" he hissed. "This is what you meant by 'official mission'?"

He stood up sharply, glaring straight at Feng Lian.

"So you're going to let her do all the work, get the keys, give them to your country… and what does she get? A few small privileges and money, but even that through EMI's?"

Feng Lian looked uncomfortable. "I-I didn't want it to be like this. It was the higher-ups who..."

"One trillion dollars," Long Yifan cut in. "That was the reward promised. Now you are saying that you will pay her in EMI. Like she's begging on the street?"

Feng Lian took a breath and tried to calm things down.

"You have to understand. One trillion is a huge amount. Even our country has to prepare for that."

Long Yifan didn't look convinced. He flipped to another page and pointed at a line.

"And what's this? Taxes? 20% tax for foreigners?"

Feng Lian nodded. "Yes… Any foreigner receiving funds must pay a special tax. It's part of our law."

Without another word, Long Yifan ripped the agreement in half... then again, and again, until the entire document was torn to shreds.

Gu Jin and Feng Lian both stared at him, shocked.

Long Yifan threw the pieces on the table and said coldly,

"If your country doesn't want to work with us fairly, then don't work with us at all. And if you dare bring such garbage to Gu Jin again, I'll personally make your country bankrupt."

He stepped closer to Feng Lian, his voice dropping to a whisper only they could hear.

"I know your country has more than twenty trillion dollars sitting in its reserve. If you say you're poor again, I'll make sure that money becomes dust. Don't test me."

Feng Lian's eyes widened. He froze completely.

Long Yifan then calmly handed the torn papers back to him.

"Leave."

Feng Lian turned toward Gu Jin, as if hoping she would say something. But she stayed quiet.

She looked down, thoughtful.

She understood clearly now... Long Yifan wasn't just being overprotective.

He had read the contract, and it was clearly meant to trick her. Even if she got the key, they could still deny her any rewards, and she wouldn't even be allowed to protest.

She didn't need to go through all that.

After all, the key was still going to be hers.

She could open the temple herself without anyone's help.

Feng Lian seemed to realize this, too. His face changed. He looked genuinely nervous now.

"I… I'll come back again after talking to the higher authorities. Maybe they'll change their stance."

Gu Jin shook her head. "Don't bother. I've already made up my mind."

Her voice was calm but firm. "I'll go to the mountain. I'll find the key. But this time, I won't let anyone take credit for it. Not your country, not your leaders, no one."

Feng Lian's face turned pale.

He understood the real danger now. If Gu Jin went alone and found the key, she would control everything. His government would lose the chance to even see the temple.

He stood frozen, sweat starting to form on his forehead.

"I...I'll talk to them! I promise. Just… please don't act too fast."

Gu Jin didn't reply.

She simply turned away.

Feng Lian got the message.

Without another word, he left, clutching the torn contract in his hands and already planning what he would say to the greedy ministers waiting back in their office.

...................

Inside the grand meeting hall of Country J's Defense Bureau, tall windows let in streams of light that didn't quite match the mood inside.

Feng Lian stood stiffly in front of a long wooden table where five high-ranking ministers sat in a row, each dressed in dark robes, faces serious and cold.

"Well?" the oldest minister asked, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. "Did she sign the contract?"

Feng Lian took a deep breath and answered honestly, "No, sir. She tore it up."

Gasps echoed across the room.

"She what?" one of the younger ministers barked.

"She tore up a government-issued mission agreement?" another added, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yes," Feng Lian said calmly, though sweat was forming on his neck.

"And she had good reason. The contract was clearly unfair. It stated she'd get no credits after retrieving the key, and the money, if any, would be paid through EMI. There was also a 20% tax clause."

The head minister slammed his fist on the table.

"She's asking for too much! She should be grateful we're offering her anything at all! If she won't accept our deal, then let her go!"

Several ministers nodded, their faces twisted in arrogance.

"She thinks she's special?" one of them said. "She's just a talented girl. There are hundreds like her. Let her wander around those deadly mountains if she wants."

But Feng Lian didn't back down. "With all due respect, if you let her go… she might really find the key. And when she does, she might keep it for herself. Or worse, use it without our permission. You'll lose all the credit."

The room went quiet for a moment.

Then a tall, thin minister sneered. "So what? If she finds the key, we'll just kill her and take it. Problem solved."

Feng Lian's face turned pale. "It's not that simple."

That caught the room's attention.

Feng Lian looked around, lowering his voice slightly. "I believe she has powerful backing. Someone far above what we can handle."

The head minister narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

"There's a man staying with her," Feng Lian said slowly.

"Long Yifan. I don't know exactly who he is, but the way he talks, the confidence he shows… even the way he tore the contract, it wasn't the attitude of someone afraid of our country. It was like… he could destroy us without blinking."

The ministers exchanged uneasy glances.

"He even told me straight to my face," Feng Lian continued, "that if we dared to cheat Gu Jin again, he'd bankrupt our entire country. And I believe he can do it."

Silence filled the room again.

The arrogant expressions were gone now, replaced by worry and calculation.

"So…" the oldest minister said, stroking his beard, "what do you suggest?"

Feng Lian straightened his back.

"We offer a new contract. One that's at least halfway fair. If we don't, she won't come back. And if she gets that key without us… the world will remember her, not us."

The ministers murmured among themselves for a while.

Finally, the head minister nodded slowly. "Fine. We'll revise it. But only a little. We don't want her getting too full of herself."

They adjusted a few clauses:

1) A line was added to say she might get official credit... if the higher-ups agreed.

2) The tax would still be there, but reduced to 10%.

Feng Lian looked at the new draft and frowned. "She's not going to accept this either…"

"She will," the minister said confidently. "Eventually. Everyone has a price."

Feng Lian didn't reply.

But in his heart, he wasn't so sure.

Because Gu Jin didn't seem like the kind of person you could buy.

.....................

Gu Jin stared at Long Yifan for a long moment, her eyes sharp. "You went too far," she said quietly.

Long Yifan didn't flinch. "No, I didn't," he replied firmly. "People like that only understand power. If you're soft with them, they'll walk all over you."

Gu Jin frowned. "Still, you didn't have to threaten their entire country."

Long Yifan looked at her, his gaze steady.

"You were being tricked. They would've taken the key, your efforts, and your name—left you with nothing. If they want to deal with you, they need to show proper respect."

Then he tilted his head and asked, "So… are you really going to go alone?"

Gu Jin gave a small nod. "Yes."

Long Yifan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "If you do… You should be careful. Once they realize they can't control you, they might try to kill you. Assassinations, traps… It's all possible."

"I know," Gu Jin said simply.

"That's why," Long Yifan continued, "if they come back again with another agreement, wait. Don't sign right away. Make sure the deal is good enough. If not, I'll make them fix it."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so, they will make any changes considering how blatantly they tried to scam me."

Long Yifan smirked. "If they dare do that again, I'll give them a proper warning."

"A 'proper warning'?" she repeated. "And what exactly does that mean?"

Long Yifan grinned and shrugged. "You don't need to worry about that. I'm with you now. As long as I'm here, they won't be able to touch you."