Kidnapping (I)

Two hands helped him up; they were his parents. The three of them looked each other over. Yue Changgui, whose temples were already graying, held his arm and patted his shoulder, saying repeatedly, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Xue Erniang, however, threw herself into his arms and burst into tears, wailing, "It's all your father's fault! He let my son leave for so many years."

Yue Qianchou scratched his head, gave his father an awkward, wry smile, and then pushed Xue Erniang away, saying, "Mother, don't cry, your son is back now."

With slightly red eyes, Yue Changgui pulled his wife away from their son and said, "What are you doing? What's with all this crying and wailing as soon as our son comes home? Aren't you just trying to upset him?"

But then Xue Erniang broke free and grabbed Yue Qianchou, crying, "Chou'er, it's good that you're back! You must save your brother! You must save your brother..." Her crying stopped abruptly, as Xue Erniang was so heartbroken that she fainted.

Yue Qianchou was startled and quickly caught her, bending down to pick her up and carrying her to his parents' room with practiced ease. A group of people followed behind him. Upon reaching his parents' bedroom, he placed his mother on the bed, grasped her hands, and channeled two streams of True Essence into her body, quickly dispelling the pent-up emotions in her chest. Xue Erniang slowly awoke, and upon seeing Yue Qianchou, she began to weep again.

She's already crying so much; any more and she'll break her spirit. Yue Qianchou immediately tapped his mother's forehead, Xue Erniang instantly fell into a deep sleep. Yue Qianchou breathed a sigh of relief and shouted in a deep voice, "Someone come here!"

A young maid glanced at the silent master, then trembled as she approached Yue Qianchou and timidly said, "Young Master!"

Yue Qianchou took out a 'Origin Qi Pill' and handed it to her, saying, "After Madam wakes up, dissolve this pill in a bowl of warm water and feed it to her. Don't forget!" The maid quickly and obediently agreed.

Yue Changgui had been in business for many years, and his attention was now entirely on his son. He noticed how efficiently his son commanded others, and how his demeanor exuded the air of a superior. He also seemed to have some skill in treating his wife, indicating that he hadn't had a bad life all these years. His son had left at only sixteen, but now he possessed a composed demeanor and a resolute face; the naiveté of his youth had faded, and he was a grown man!

"Is your mother alright?"

"It's nothing, just a bit too heartbroken! A nap and some medicine will do the trick." Yue Qianchou stood up, turned around, and stared at his father, frowning as he asked, "Father, did I mishear something or what? Mother seemed to say something about me saving my brother. What exactly is going on?"

Unbeknownst to him, the year after he left, Xue Erniang, who had been infertile for many years, gave birth to another son. Yue Changgui was deeply moved; his eldest son was gone, but Heaven had given him a younger son—it was truly a twist of fate. However, he found it difficult to tell his son about this unexpected pregnancy.

"What's wrong, Father? Is there something you can't tell your son?" Yue Qianchou asked, somewhat displeased.

Yue Changgui shook his head and smiled bitterly, slowly explaining the situation, "The year after you left, your mother gave birth to a younger brother named Yue Wuchou, who is now eight years old. But just a few days ago, your brother suddenly disappeared. Until yesterday, someone delivered a letter saying that your brother had been kidnapped and that we should prepare 10,000 taels of gold, which they would collect today."

Yue Qianchou nodded and said "Oh." He really hadn't expected to have another younger brother, but the couple had married early, and when he passed away, they were both under forty. It wasn't strange that she was pregnant with another child. But what was wrong with the Yue Family's offspring? The eldest son had been kidnapped once, and now the Second Brother had been kidnapped again. Were the Yue Family members so easy to kidnap? Who knew if there was another traitor in the family?

"It seems the Yue Family's wealth has attracted envy! My mother's maternal family is deserted; she doesn't know about our Yue Family's relatives... Heh heh! It's hard to say. I believe my father isn't a fool; he should have some idea." Yue Qianchou sneered. He seemed to have seen a large group of the Yue Family relatives earlier, and some of them looked quite strange upon seeing him!

Yue Changgui said in a gloomy tone, "I've had my suspicions for a while now. Some people probably think I'm only good at business and not at killing!"

"I knew you weren't a pushover, otherwise your business wouldn't be this big!" Yue Qianchou's lips curled up slightly as he asked, "Did the kidnappers give their business number?"

"No," Yue Changgui shook his head. "They said they'd send someone to check the ransom today and tell us the transaction location. We'll exchange the money for the person then." As he spoke, he suddenly stared at his son and asked, "Qianchou, you've been cultivating immortality for many years. Have you learned any magical immortal techniques?"

"I didn't cultivate immortality; that's something only Spirit Transformation stage cultivators do. I'm just cultivating true immortality." Yue Qianchou smiled. There was no need to say such things to his father. Of course, he knew what his father was planning—he simply wanted him to use some magical immortal techniques to rescue his younger brother. He didn't answer directly but said, "Father, don't worry. As long as my brother is alright now, I guarantee you won't have to spend a single penny, and he'll return safely."

Yue Changgui nodded with satisfaction. The father and son walked and talked as they left the bedroom and came to the courtyard outside, where a large group of relatives and servants were standing. Seeing the father and son come out, the oldest-looking man in the middle asked, "Changgui, how is Second Mother? Should we call a doctor?"

Yue Changgui bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Clan Leader. Second Sister is just a little too sad. She'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Qianchou, come and greet the Clan Leader."

Yue Qianchou had no fondness for these clansmen. He remembered his father losing both parents in his early years and living in abject poverty; not a single one of them offered a helping hand. His father later received assistance from his mother's family and, through his own hard work, built the vast business he had today. Yet, these clansmen flocked to him upon hearing the news, displaying extreme snobbery. However, the Chinese have a strong sense of clan, and Yue Qianchou didn't want to embarrass his father, so he went forward and bowed, saying, "Yue Qianchou greets the Clan Leader."

The Clan Leader nodded and said, "I heard years ago that you went out to learn a skill, but I don't know what skill you learned. Have you returned now that you have mastered it? Looking at the sword on your back, could it be that you have learned some martial arts?"

Knowing that his parents hadn't told anyone about his cultivation, Yue Qianchou smiled calmly and said, "I didn't learn anything practical. I just went out and traveled around. I happened to find out that some cowardly scoundrels were trying to take advantage of my family, so I bought a sword to deter them."

The Clan Leader chief stroked his long beard and said, "Very good!" Then he said nothing more. However, a middle-aged man beside him walked up to Yue Changgui and said in a sarcastic tone, "Brother Changgui, I've seen your elder brother before, but he looks nothing like him now! Your family is incredibly wealthy; you should be careful!"

The implication of his words was simply to tell Yue Changgui that his youngest son had just been kidnapped, and his eldest son, whom he had not heard from for many years, had arrived. Moreover, the eldest son looked different, so he should be careful, as someone might be after his family's wealth.

"Brother, there's no need to worry. He is undoubtedly my eldest son," Yue Changgui voice. He was slightly displeased. How could he not recognize his own son? Putting aside everything else, just the fact that his son could say, "Mother's maternal family has no one left, and she doesn't know any of our Yue Family's relatives..."—words that only heaven, earth, you, and I know, the deeper meaning of which only the person involved truly understands—was enough to tell him he was undoubtedly his eldest son. Besides, as a father, how could he not know some of the subtle features of his son's appearance?

"Father, who is this elder?" Yue Qianchou asked, looking at the man with interest. [Frustrating! I've written hundreds of thousands of words, but I don't have a single fan on the leaderboard. It's so embarrassing! Looks like the writing is terrible. I'll keep working on it, everyone please support me!]

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