Chapter 31: The Lakeside Gang
‘How could he flatter Master like that?’
Little Yuan’er could not help laughing, but when she saw her master’s solemn look, she quickly lowered her voice. Then, fearing that he would scold her, she turned around and covered her mouth.
Murong Hai looked embarrassed and confused. He could not understand what was so funny about such a serious topic.
“You can just ignore her and continue,” Lu Zhou said calmly.
Murong Hai did not know how to keep his sobbing voice after he was interrupted by Little Yuan’er, so he said in his normal voice, “This Lakeside Gang is indeed a nonexistent gang. Two days before they kidnapped the Ci Family, they were surveying in Anyang with about thirty people.”
“How did you know that?”
Since they faked a gang, that meant they did not want others to know them, so how did the Murong Family know what they did?
That gave Murong Hai a pause, and an embarrassed look crept up his face.
“Tell me.”
“Actually, some of them are from my family.”
“You are so shameless!” Little Yuan’er said angrily.
Lu Zhou lifted a hand and said, “Good. You have answered well.”
“Please have mercy, Old Mister! I promise you that I will no longer be against the Ci Family from now on,” said Murong Hai while bowing.
Lu Zhou slowly turned his back on him. “Last question...Can you track down the hostages?”
Murong Hai’s expression changed when he heard that. ‘He really wants to provoke this group of people!’
“This...This...”
“Well?”
“Yes, I can!” Murong Hai bowed his head and answered honestly.
A cultivation seal was a crude tracking method, which greater cultivators would not use. Since the Lakeside Gang was backed by some so-called formidable cultivators, they would not be so ignorant as to neglect such a little trick. In other words, the information was leaked on purpose.
When the mounted brigands kidnapped the Ci Family, all they wanted was money. But what did the Lakeside Gang want?
“We should go back now,” said Lu Zhou.
“Let me help you, Grandpa!” Little Yuan’er hopped next to him.
After taking two steps, Lu Zhou stopped and pointed at Murong Hai, “Bring him with us, and don’t forget about the imperial token.”
Murong Hai was struck dumb. He wanted to kneel and beg for mercy, but Lu Zhou turned away from him, shattering his hope. Weak as he was, he did not dare to fight back, so he just followed timidly, walking dejectedly beside Wang Fugui.
“Grandpa, I found the imperial token.”
“Put it away.”
“This is a beautiful dragon carving,” Little Yuan’er turned the token over and over in her hand.
Lu Zhou smiled. “It is a unique dragon carving of the imperial token, the only symbol that distinguishes a real one from a fake one. Put it away now, lest it attracts unwanted attention.”
Plop!
Murong Hai collapsed to the ground, his legs weak, his forehead covered with sweat, and his hands shaking. Little Yuan’er looked back over her shoulder and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with you?”
“That, that token is-is-is a real one?”
“Of course, it is!”
Little Yuan’er shoved the token into her pocket and trotted toward Lu Zhou, and then she heard Wang Fugui’s voice ringing out from behind her, “Get up, Murong Hai, you are sitting in a puddle of piss!”
Halfway down the street, Lu Zhou suddenly stopped and said, “Yuan’er, send a letter to your senior brothers. Tell them to keep an eye out for unidentified cultivators approaching Golden Court Mountain.”
“Yes, Master!” Little Yuan’er nodded.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring Murong Hai to rescue your family.”
“Thank you...Grandpa!”
...
By the time they returned to the Ci Family’s residence, the night had fallen. As usual, Lu Zhou opened the system interface and looked at the merit points he had.
“Lucky draw.”
“Ding! This lucky draw costs 50 merit points. You have received 3 reversal cards.”
“Are reversal cards so cheap?”
Lu Zhou had a sudden feeling that he had been ripped off by the system. When he purchased them from the shopping mall, a reversal card had cost him 500 merit points. But now, he got three with just 50 merit points! If this were not a rip-off, what was it?
“Lucky draw.”
“Ding! This lucky draw costs 50 merit points. You have received 5 critical block cards.”
“Lucky draw.”
“Ding! This lucky draw costs 50 merit points. Thank you for trying, you have received 1 luck point.”
“Lucky draw.”
“Ding! This lucky draw costs 50 merit points. Thank you for trying, you have received 1 luck point.”
Lu Zhou shook his head. “This game is too addictive! I just can’t stop...No, I have to control myself. I have to stop now.”
If he tried ten times and failed to win even a reversal card, then he was losing.
“Use them.”
He used the three reversal cards. After that, he looked at the system interface and saw that his remaining life had increased to 5,507 days.
“Oh? Three cards have given me one thousand days of life!”
Lu Zhou remembered that the first reversal card had given him 310 days, and the later ones around 300 days. He was surprised that each of these three cards had given him 333 days.
“Interesting...”
He felt that his body function had strengthened a lot. Although his cultivation base was still weak, at least his flesh had grown stronger. He also felt that his vision had improved significantly, for the light sprinkled through the windows in his eyes and moved like ripples on the surface of the ocean.
“Ugh?”
He rubbed his eyes, and everything suddenly returned to normal. “What was that? Could it be the so-called extraordinary power of the Heaven Writing? If so, how can I use it? The system had said the method to cultivate the Heaven Writing is unlike that of the other cultivation techniques, which means all the existing experience and insight are useless. I guess I’ll have to find my own way.”
And thus, he opened up the Heaven Writing’s interface and continued studying it.
...
The next morning, Lu Zhou, Little Yuan’er, Murong Hai, and Wang Fugui gathered in the courtyard.
“Grandpa, you’re getting younger again.”
“Garrulous!”
That seemed to be the only flattering words the little girl knew.
Clasping his hands behind his back, Lu Zhou said, “Lead the way, Murong Hai!”
Murong Hai nodded and performed an incantation gesture. Streams of weak energy swirled around his arms before spreading out and disappearing into the void.
“About ten miles to the north.”
“Only ten miles away from here?” It was plain that the group of cultivators did not fear that someone might come to rescue the hostages.
‘If this is related to those villainous disciples, it may be not appropriate to let Yuan’er go...Should we wait for a little longer?’
“What are you thinking about, Grandpa?”
“Nothing. Let’s go!”
“Alright.”
Wang Fugui was not a cultivator, so he was left behind to wait in the residence.
...
Ten miles to the north of Anyang, at a place called Bluesun Mountain...
“This should be it,” Murong Hai said while pointing at the mountain ahead of them. The three of them looked up from the foot of the mountain.
“This is the Bluesun Mountain. The seal has led us here, so the cultivators of the Lakeside Gang should be hiding in the mountain.”
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “Yuan’er, it’s time to rescue your family.”
“I understand.” A sly smile brushed the little girl’s lips as she walked toward the mountain one step at a time.
“At such a young age, she has opened all eight meridians of the Brahma Sea realm...She’s really a rare genius!” Murong Hai was still shocked by her cultivation base.
Right then, strange cultivators rushed out of the woods and flew up, hovering orderly in the air on swords, as if they had been waiting here for a long time.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, dozens of cultivators appeared in front of them.
“We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”