I Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] - Chapter 50

After the auction ended, Mo Xiao and the four others restocked their supplies, intending to set off and travel non-stop until they reached the extreme northern region.

But just as they were preparing to leave Bafang City, an unexpected situation arose.

Qiu Wu and Xiao Que had an agreement to meet before Qiu Wu left. Qiu Wu needed to update the shopping list and give Xiao Que some reserve spirit stones to facilitate flexible purchasing.

“Half an hour has passed since our agreed time. Did something delay Xiao Que?” Qiu Wu was a little worried.

Mo Xiao checked the time and proactively said, “How about Fellow Daoist Qiu and the others wait here? I’ll go check on Xiao Que.”

“Then I’ll trouble Fellow Daoist Yun Mu,” Qiu Wu didn’t refuse. Since half an hour had passed and Xiao Que hadn’t arrived, it was possible something had gone wrong.

All five knew Xiao Que’s residence. Mo Xiao gave Zuo Wuyi a look that promised a quick return and soon disappeared from her sight.

To facilitate the consignment of items, Xiao Que’s new residence was near the trading center. After about three quarters of an hour, Mo Xiao arrived at the front gate.

Mo Xiao politely knocked on the door first. Finding no response, she directly broke the door open.

Upon opening the door, Mo Xiao saw a messy courtyard. Both the room doors and the internal furnishings were in disarray.

Mo Xiao’s expression darkened. This place clearly showed signs of a fight. The minimal presence of blood suggested the fight wasn’t long, and the perpetrator likely came prepared.

Mo Xiao took out a communication talisman, briefly explained the situation, and then knocked on the door of the neighboring courtyard to ask about the situation.

The cultivator living next to Xiao Que was an alchemist. He stammered slightly when he heard Mo Xiao’s question. Clearly, he knew something, but he wouldn’t say it, seemingly waiting for Mo Xiao to offer something in return.

“Who came to the house next door?” Mo Xiao was too impatient to waste time negotiating with spirit stones. She directly held her sword horizontally across his neck.

The alchemist’s face instantly changed. “It was the Gongsun family! They couldn’t buy the girl at the auction, so they took action!”

“Doesn’t this city have any rules? They dare to kidnap someone in broad daylight?” Mo Xiao frowned. She recalled the auction house steward saying that the city had a patrol team, fighting was not allowed without special reason, and the city’s public security was considered quite good.

The alchemist carefully made a swallowing motion and whispered, “Our City Lord’s surname is also Gongsun. Although this Young Master Gongsun is not the City Lord’s son, he has a close relationship with the City Lord. Most people give him face.”

“Also, I overheard a few words. Young Master Gongsun seemed to think that the buyer of Xiao Que would be leaving today, so…” The alchemist did not continue the rest of the sentence.

“…” Mo Xiao understood. Their luck was not great this time; they seemed to have encountered another irresponsible City Lord, and this City Lord had a relative with poor character.

Failing to buy Xiao Que at the auction, he directly took action while they weren’t around Xiao Que—what a cunning tactic.

Unfortunately, the so-called Young Master Gongsun’s intelligence gathering seemed to have been flawed. He hadn’t investigated that they had an appointment with Xiao Que, so he made his move too early.

The City Lord of Bafang City was a Spirit Transformation initial stage cultivator. Mo Xiao quickly assessed the relative strengths of the opposing sides. Finding no chance of victory, she could only wait quietly for Yun Yu and the others to arrive and discuss countermeasures.

“Now we don’t know Xiao Que’s specific location, and finding her will take some time. Since the person who kidnapped Xiao Que is related to the City Lord’s manor, perhaps we can consider approaching the City Lord,” Zuo Wuyi quickly offered an idea after hearing Mo Xiao’s report.

“The City Lord is a Spirit Transformation cultivator. If we directly confront him, we might not gain anything,” Yun Yu said. “How about we follow Little Junior Sister’s suggestion?”

“Then we can split into two groups. Have Eldest Senior Sister or Senior Sister go see the City Lord, and the rest of us can investigate where that Young Master Gongsun is,” Zuo Wuyi added. “When meeting the City Lord, we can reveal our identity. That way, the City Lord certainly won’t do anything to us and might even cooperate.”

The method proposed by Zuo Wuyi received unanimous agreement. After a brief discussion, the task of going to the City Lord’s manor fell to Mo Xiao.

The reason was simple: Mo Xiao’s cultivation and combat strength were the highest, and she was an honorary Elder of the Sword Pavilion. Although Yun Yu was the Eldest Senior Sister, her cultivation was still only at the Nascent Soul initial stage, so she hadn’t been promoted exceptionally. Mo Xiao appeared to carry more weight.

After being pulled aside by Zuo Wuyi for a few words of caution, Mo Xiao changed into the attire of an Asking Dao Sect Elder and headed to the City Lord’s manor to file a complaint.

“An Elder from the Asking Dao Sect is visiting? Has their identity been verified?” The City Lord was surprised when he received the news. He quickly pushed the beauty in his arms aside and had the servant attending to him tidy his clothes.

“The person’s clothes bear the symbol of the Asking Dao Sect. My subordinate observed it; the clothes appear genuine, and the person seems very formidable, with an extraordinary presence,” the subordinate reported.

“Then invite the person in and treat them well,” The City Lord found it strange. The distance to the Asking Dao Sect wasn’t short, so why would an Elder suddenly visit?

Respecting the reputation of an Asking Dao Sect Elder, the City Lord didn’t delay for long. After briefly tidying himself up, he went to the front hall to meet Mo Xiao.

“City Lord, I am Yun Mu from the Asking Dao Sect,” Mo Xiao didn’t want to waste time and immediately introduced herself. “I was fortunate enough to become a disciple of Elder Xuan Shuang, ranking second in the sect.”

Elder Xuan Shuang? The City Lord quickly reviewed the title in his mind. Not knowing what he recalled, the expression on his face quickly changed.

“So you are a disciple of Fellow Daoist Xuan Shuang. No wonder you are already at the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age,” The City Lord’s expression instantly softened, and his attitude appeared very friendly.

“Coincidentally, I met your Master many years ago,” the City Lord reminisced. “I remember Fellow Daoist Xuan Shuang was alone at the time. To think she has already taken disciples in the blink of an eye. Time truly flies; two hundred years have passed in a flash.”

Mo Xiao nodded calmly, not taking up the conversation. “City Lord, a friend of mine in the city has been kidnapped and is currently missing. I hope the City Lord can help me find her.”

“Such a thing happened?” The smile on the City Lord’s face greatly diminished. “Since your friend went missing within Bafang City, as the City Lord, I will certainly provide an explanation to you.”

“When did your friend go missing, and do you have any clues?” the City Lord asked. “I will understand the situation and then send people to search.”

A troubled expression appeared on Mo Xiao’s face. “The incident happened suddenly. I only managed to gather some information from nearby residents. It seems to have been a Young Master with the surname Sun, who forced his way into my friend’s residence and took the person away about two hours ago.”

“Surname Sun?” The City Lord frowned. There didn’t seem to be any major family with the surname Sun in Bafang City. But if they weren’t a major family, they shouldn’t be brazen enough to kidnap people in broad daylight.

“Do you have any other clues you can give me, young friend?” the City Lord asked. “Simply relying on a surname will take a long time to find the culprit.”

Mo Xiao hesitated, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty. “Besides the surname Sun, that person also seemed to mention something about sending a congratulatory gift to his paternal uncle? And something about the City Lord’s manor?”

The City Lord’s expression instantly became subtle, and his tone was no longer as assertive as before. “Understood. Do you have any other clues, young friend?”

The City Lord felt a premonition of trouble. Speaking of a congratulatory gift, he was the only one in Bafang City celebrating a birthday recently, right?

The surname Sun was also very subtle. If the name Young Master Gongsun was misheard, wouldn’t it become Young Master Sun?

“Not for now. How much time do you estimate you need to find my friend, City Lord?” Mo Xiao asked. “If the person cannot be found immediately, we may have to resort to some special methods, like going house-to-house to investigate everyone with the surname Sun.”

Mo Xiao emphasized the surname “Sun,” and when she looked at the City Lord, there was no smile in her eyes, only a look of scrutiny.

The City Lord was also a shrewd person. Seeing the shift in Mo Xiao’s attitude, he roughly guessed what she was trying to convey and secretly began cursing in his heart.

That young brat really knows how to cause trouble for him. If he didn’t lack a son and the brat wasn’t the sole male descendant of his family, he would have dealt with him long ago.

“Don’t worry, young friend. My City Lord’s manor has plenty of people. At most, two hours, and I guarantee I’ll find the person for you,” The City Lord knew clearly that although his cultivation was higher than Mo Xiao’s, she had the Asking Dao Sect and Xuan Shuang behind her. In such a situation, it was best to avoid offending people if possible.

From the change in Mo Xiao’s attitude, the City Lord also knew that Mo Xiao must have acquired some key clue. She simply didn’t want to embarrass him, so she was subtly hinting that he should take action.

“That is excellent. Then I thank the City Lord in advance,” Mo Xiao preferred to interact with smart people. Since the City Lord was willing to cooperate and find the person, there was no need for her to draw her sword and search for the person herself.

Her Master was probably still busy right now, so she couldn’t easily call for reinforcements.

“By the way, I forgot to tell the City Lord that my several Senior and Junior Sisters are probably searching for the person in Bafang City right now. If they act rashly and offend anyone, I hope the City Lord will be understanding,” Before leaving, Mo Xiao added this as a reminder.

Although the City Lord’s expression changed somewhat, he maintained his composure and kindly escorted Mo Xiao out of the City Lord’s manor, even lending her a squad of guards—nominally to help her search.

This wasn’t the first or second time the City Lord had cleaned up after his nephew. He knew the brat’s character well and immediately dispatched three squads of men, heading towards the most likely location for him to be.

On the other side, the four people who had not gone to the City Lord’s manor quickly gathered information about the so-called Young Master Gongsun from local cultivators, intending to follow the clues and pay him a visit.

As luck would have it, Young Master Gongsun probably thought the people who bought Xiao Que had already left, so he didn’t take Xiao Que to a secluded place but brazenly brought her to his own residence.

Zuo Wuyi and the others asked a few people nearby and immediately got the news. Just over two hours ago, the Gongsun Manor guards had returned with a young girl.

“This situation is different from Feng Hua City’s. The City Lord is stronger than us. This Gongsun Qiu won’t be easy to deal with. He should have experts protecting him,” Yun Yu’s expression was slightly solemn after seeing Gongsun Qiu’s residence.

If she hadn’t sensed incorrectly, there were at least two Nascent Soul stage cultivators inside. If a fight broke out, she alone might not be able to defeat both.

“Since Senior Sister has already gone to the City Lord, should we also reveal our identities and confront Gongsun Qiu?” Yun He asked, worried about Xiao Que.

If this Gongsun Qiu was an impatient scoundrel, Xiao Que might have already suffered misfortune.

“No, we shouldn’t cause a scene now, or we’ll only give Gongsun Qiu time to react,” Zuo Wuyi was much calmer than Yun He. “If we reveal our identities, it’s best to first find some evidence that Xiao Que is here.”

From Gongsun Qiu daring to kidnap someone in broad daylight and not trying to conceal his actions, he must be acting with impunity. Such a person loves nothing more than stepping on what others value to satisfy his perverse pleasure.

Xiao Que should be safe for now, as Gongsun Qiu’s ultimate goal is certainly to make Xiao Que submit, acknowledge him as her Master, and allow him to command her.

Zuo Wuyi didn’t state these thoughts directly but hinted at them subtly, allowing Yun Yu to understand her meaning.

“You stay outside; I’ll go in and take a look first,” Yun Yu quickly made arrangements. Xiao Que definitely needed to be rescued, but it shouldn’t be done secretly; it should be done openly.

Defeating two Nascent Soul stage cultivators would be difficult for Yun Yu, but merely concealing her aura and sneaking in was a simple matter that only required her to use a spiritual artifact given to her by her Master.

The Gongsun Manor was large. Yun Yu circled around inside for a while before barely finding some useful clues. After secretly listening to some guards’ conversations, she successfully located Gongsun Qiu.

“What did you say? Someone went looking for Xiao Que? Didn’t you say those people left today?” Gongsun Qiu sat in his chair, a surprised look on his face.

“Young Master, our intelligence might have been wrong. They seemed to have had an appointment to meet before leaving,” the person dressed as a steward said. “Our people acted too early, which prevented Xiao Que from making the appointment and caused the other party to notice.”

Yun Yu’s brow subtly moved. That steward’s voice sounded familiar. If she wasn’t mistaken, the person who bid from the four-number box against Qiu Wu at the auction had this same voice.

“Then tell me, what should we do?” Gongsun Qiu frowned. “You’re not suggesting I send the person back, wait for them to leave, and then kidnap her again, are you?”

“It’s not impossible. That way, they…” The steward was cut off before he could finish by a flying teacup.

“Impossible my foot! Last time you failed to buy Xiao Que, I was already ridiculed once. If I send the person back now, wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing? Making it look like I’m afraid of those people,” Gongsun Qiu’s face was grim.

It was only three thousand high-grade spirit stones. It’s not like I can’t afford it. Even if I didn’t bring that many spirit stones, couldn’t I just run up a tab?

“You go handle the matter. Make those who know keep their mouths shut. When they ask about it, just deny everything. It’s not like they can rush in here and take Xiao Que out of the dungeon to confront me,” Gongsun Qiu said angrily.

After speaking, Gongsun Qiu glanced at the steward. Seeing him still standing there without reacting, Gongsun Qiu unceremoniously kicked him, sending him tumbling onto the floor. “What are you spacing out for? Did you hear what I said! Go deal with it right now!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll go right now, immediately,” The steward climbed up from the ground, putting on a fawning smile.

After hearing their conversation, Yun Yu understood. No wonder he was unwilling to increase the bid past two thousand one hundred spirit stones back then, yet now he was trying to kidnap the person. It turned out the issue lay with the command and execution.

Seeing that there was no more useful information here, Yun Yu began searching for the so-called dungeon.

He wants to deny everything? Dream on!

While Yun Yu was searching for the dungeon, Mo Xiao made a show of searching two households with the surname Sun. When Zuo Wuyi’s message arrived, she followed the address provided and headed straight for Gongsun Qiu’s residence.

“City Lord, the people from the Asking Dao Sect seem to be heading towards Young Master Qiu’s manor,” As soon as Mo Xiao moved, the City Lord received a report.

“They really don’t hold back,” the City Lord remarked. “You all speed up the search and follow their team.”

“City Lord, should we go ahead and give Young Master Qiu a heads-up?” the subordinate inquired.

The City Lord shook his head. “His behavior has become increasingly excessive over the years. This time, let him suffer a little loss; consider it a lesson learned.”

After about half an hour, Mo Xiao arrived at the destination with a squad of City Lord’s guards, and instructed the guards to knock on the door and demand to see the people inside.

“I’m truly sorry, but our Young Master is currently cultivating and cannot receive guests,” the gatekeeper flatly refused the request to meet, showing no intention of letting them in.

“Go in and search directly,” Mo Xiao said.

The guards hesitated briefly. Recalling the City Lord’s instructions, they chose to obey Mo Xiao’s order, pushing the gatekeeper aside. Over twenty people bypassed the main gate and proceeded directly to the front hall.

“What are you doing? Don’t you know where this is!” The person dressed as a steward shouted, leading the guards to confront Mo Xiao’s accompanying guards.

“City Lord’s order. We are looking for someone, and I suspect that person is here,” Mo Xiao said. “Will you permit the search?”

The City Lord’s order? The steward was hesitant. Isn’t our Young Master the City Lord’s nephew? Why would the City Lord order a search here? Should I stop them, or not?

“If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as consent. Men, search,” Mo Xiao ignored their internal thoughts and immediately gave the order.

In any case, the people were given by the City Lord, and the order was given by the City Lord. She was simply carrying out the City Lord’s words. If anything went wrong, she could just easily shift the blame to him.

Besides, the City Lord was partially responsible for what was happening today.

Seeing that he couldn’t stop the City Lord’s guards, the steward could only send his own guards to follow them, preventing the City Lord’s guards from carelessly breaking anything or discovering anything they shouldn’t, which would expose his Young Master’s plan.