Chapter 26
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.
1The 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.
2The kick had almost killed him.
That stunned the nearby common people, and they quickly moved backward with fear.
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.
2“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.”
1Wang Fugui felt a sharp pain in his face, but he said embarrassedly, “I deserve to be slapped by Young Miss.”
2“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.”
1“No way!”