Chapter 26: Investigate the Kidnapping
The Nether Sect was considered the largest sect in today’s cultivation world, with tens of thousands of members. It had become the terror of orthodox sects, as well as a common enemy of all the orthodox cultivators in the world.
It was unexpected that an object of hatred such as this showed no fear and was openly recruiting new members.
“Is this your granddaughter, old man? Well, her potential is much greater than yours, and she is beautiful. But, I can talk to our chief and let both of you join us together,” the man said with a sly smile.
‘Master is not talking...I think he’s angry now. Master said that we can’t simply kill people, but he didn’t say we can’t hit people...’ Thinking that, Little Yuan’er bolted over as she raised her leg and kicked the man in the chest.
The man flew backward like a football as he threw his head back and spewed out a mouthful of blood. He crashed through three stalls and slew about ten meters on the ground before stopping.
The kick had almost killed him.
That stunned the nearby common people, and they quickly moved backward with fear.
“Does she have no respect for the laws?”
Unfortunately, if she knew anything about laws, she would not be Little Yuan’er.
“Who gave you the right to call my Grandpa an old man?” Little Yuan’er put down her leg and said angrily.
“How dare you attack us!” said one of the two remaining members of the Azure Dragon Association.
“I not only dare to attack you, but also dare to kill you.” As she said that, a faint ripple of energy emanated out of her body.
The two men exchanged a look and blurted out, “A Mystic Enlightening expert!”
A Body Tempering expert was strong only in physique, but a Mystic Enlightening expert began to open the five apertures, and could pour Primordial Qi into them to produce energy. Only after reaching the Mystic Enlightening realm could a person be considered a real cultivator.
Plop!
Both men dropped to their knees at the same time and cried out, “Please spare our lives, my lady!”
Little Yuan’er shook her head as she snorted and said, “Why should I?”
She was lifting her fist when Lu Zhou walked over and said, “You’ve done a good job, Yuan’er!”
The compliment made Little Yuan’er laugh happily, and she said, “Hehe! I was angry at them for calling you an old man, so I thought I should teach them a lesson.”
Lu Zhou looked at the two men and glanced around. In fact, he was not concerned about their life and death, but that their death would attract unwanted attention.
“Where are the headquarters of the Azure Dragon Association’s branch?” he asked.
“Th-three miles north of Anyang’s Gu River.”
“I’ve just arrived in Anyang, so I’m not familiar with the people and places here. Go back and tell your chief that I will call on him personally tomorrow.”
“I...I...I will.”
“Now get out of my sight.”
Hearing that, both men stood up and helped their wounded companion before fleeing the scene.
“Master, it is very thoughtful of you to ask them where their headquarters are, so that we can destroy them all in one go,” said Little Yuan’er in a low voice.
Lu Zhou smiled as he lightly knocked her on the forehead and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? I just want to use them to investigate the kidnapping of the Ci Family.”
“Ouch! I’m sorry, Master...”
“Do you still remember where your home is?” Lu Zhou asked.
“I only remember that there are two stone lions at the front door. My father likes to practice with sabers and spears while my mother likes embroidery best...No, my mom likes me best,” said Little Yuan’er.
Of Ji Tiandao’s disciples, some he took from their parents with force while others were sent to him by their parents voluntarily. Lu Zhou only remembered that Little Yuan’er was very small when her parents sent her to Golden Court Mountain, and he did not know the reason why they wanted to send her over.
Why would any parent want to send their children into a wolf den?
...
The Ci Family was not hard to find. There were not many wealthy families with the surname of Ci, and since Anyang was not large, they found it after asking around.
When they arrived in front of its door, Little Yuan’er was so excited that she kept jumping over the heads of the two stone lions like a rabbit.
“Master, these are the lions I told you about! They are exactly the same as in my memory!”
“Now that you are home, don’t be so playful. Come down.”
“Oh!”
Right then, Lu Zhou noticed that a side quest of investigating the kidnapping appeared in the quest menu.
The doors squeaked as they slowly swung open, revealing a middle-aged man dressed like a steward who looked at them quizzically.
“Who are you looking for?”
“Where are my father and mother?” Little Yuan’er peered through the door, eager to see her parents.
The steward frowned. “Who are you, little girl? Your parents are not here.”
Pak!
Little Yuan’er slapped the man in the face. “You asked for it! Now get out of my Grandpa’s way!”
The steward covered his cheek with one hand and trembled all over.
Lu Zhou did not know whether to laugh or cry, but at the same time, he felt nothing wrong about the way she handled it. Sometimes, too much attention to courtesy would greatly affect efficiency.
Like the most filial granddaughter, Little Yuan’er helped Lu Zhou into the mansion.
The mansion was empty. They saw no servants or maids, and even the tables, chairs, and other furniture were taken away. The whole interior looked rather sad and desolate.
“It looks like your fourth senior brother’s news is true,” Lu Zhou said faintly.
Little Yuan’er pointed at the steward and said angrily, “You, come here!”
“Ah?”
“Where are my father and mother?”
The question put a blank expression on the steward’s face. Little Yuan’er had grown up, and she looked very different from when she was little. So, the steward could not recognize her.
Lu Zhou asked, “What’s your name?”
“I-I am Wang Fugui, the steward of the Ci Family,” the man stammered while still holding his cheek with one hand.
“Where is Ci An? I thought he is the steward?” Little Yuan’er only remembered that man who went to Golden Court Mountain for help after the first kidnapping happened.
“They-they were all kidnapped.”
“She is Ci Yuan’er, the young lady of the Ci Family.” Lu Zhou pointed at Little Yuan’er.
“Ah?”
Wang Fugui swallowed and looked Little Yuan’er up and down. A brief moment later, his eyes lit up as he dropped to his knees and kowtowed, “Young Miss! You have finally come back! I’m Wang Fugui!”
“Wang Fugui?” Little Yuan’er scratched her head.
“Let’s talk inside.”
In the main hall of the mansion...
After listening to Wang Fugui’s explanation of the incident, Lu Zhou and Little Yuan’er learned that most of the Ci family members had been kidnapped by a gang called Lakeside Gang. No one knew what background this gang had, who ordered them to do it, or where they were located.
Because the Ci Family had been kidnapped two times in a row, nobody dared to work for them anymore, so the remaining servants and maids had all fled with the valuable things of the family. Wang Fugui was the last person in the mansion.
“Why didn’t you report this to local authorities?” ask Lu Zhou.
“I did, but they couldn’t find any traces. All the people in the Ci Family were kidnapped, except those who were outside for tasks. I was lucky to have escaped because I was in a privy.”
“Then why didn’t you run away?” Little Yuan’er asked.
“The Ci Family had treated me well. I will live and die as a member of the Ci Family.”
Lu Zhou said with a smile, “You are very loyal to the family. Fortunately, Yuan’er didn’t kill you.”
Wang Fugui felt a sharp pain in his face, but he said embarrassedly, “I deserve to be slapped by Young Miss.”
“You must keep Yuan’er’s return a secret. I’ll investigate the kidnapping and rescue them,” Lu Zhou said.
“Ah?”
Although Lu Zhou had become much younger, he still looked old and frail. Apart from his imposing manner, he appeared like an old man anyone could knock over with a slap. Wang Fugui only knew that Little Yuan’er was sent away by her father, but he did not know where she was sent to, for what purpose, or the fact that her master was the infamous old villain.
“Leave us now!”
Wang Fugui dared not question Lu Zhou. Even though Lu Zhou was an old man, he could tell that he was respected by Little Yuan’er. So, he nodded and took his leave.
“Yuan’er!”
“Yes, Master?”
“Go to the Azure Dragon Association tomorrow morning and ask them to find out more about this so-called Lakeside Gang.”
“I understand, Master.”
“Remember, don’t reveal your identity.”
“I understand, Master.”
As soon as he assigned the task, Lu Zhou heard the system prompt.
“Ding! The task of supporting Duanmu Sheng is completed. You are rewarded with 200 merit points.”
Mingshi Yin had completed the supporting task and should have gone to fix the shield.
Lu Zhou frowned slightly as he watched the tasks change in the system. When he left Golden Court Mountain, the task he gave was for the two of them to repair the shield together, but it only showed Mingshi Yin alone in the system. There was only one possibility—Duanmu Sheng was injured.
Meanwhile, at Golden Court Mountain...
Mingshi Yin, together with Duanmu Sheng lying in bed, looked at Little Yuan’er’s letter with a puzzled look.
“I can’t believe Master left the mountain! What is he thinking?”
Duanmu Sheng coughed and said, “Perhaps it is because he has stayed on the mountain for too long and wants to go out for a walk, but he doesn’t want to be identified.”
“That does make sense...Master has been acting so out of line these days that I can’t figure out what he thinks,” Mingshi Yin sighed.
“In the past, Master had absolute strength, so he did not like to use his brain. All tricks are meaningless struggles in the face of absolute power after all.”
“Perhaps.”
“The task of repairing the shield will have to be done by yourself, Junior Brother. I’m afraid that my injury won’t heal in three to five months.”
“No way!”