Kidnapping?

Zhao Ping'an, who had only recently upgraded his Four Symbols Gathering Essence Art, didn't have enough Deduction Points to upgrade these three Martial Arts.

He wasn't in a hurry. In a little over a month, he would have enough Deduction Points to upgrade all these Martial Arts to the Profound level.

Just as Zhao Ping'an was cultivating peacefully on Wu'an Mountain, a group of people on horseback was rapidly approaching South Ridge City.

Each horse was well-fed and strong, with smooth, shiny fur of a single color. Five of them were reddish-brown, and the rest were entirely black.

If one observed closely, they would notice that these horses were extremely fast and their gaits were unified and coordinated, clearly showing the tacit understanding formed from living and training together for years.

Such fine horses, worth thousands of gold, could only be raised by centuries-old aristocratic families or the army.

"Giddy up! Giddy up! Giddy up!"

Shouts echoed from the backs of the horses, mixed with the sound of whips cracking.

Most of the people on them were dressed in uniform black clothing and wore bamboo hats.

A saber was sheathed on their left hip, and a small crossbow, filled with complex mechanical structures that made it look formidable, was on their right hip.

Anyone knowledgeable would immediately recognize it as an Armor Piercing Crossbow from the Shan'an Dynasty, east of the Profound Water Dynasty. When combined with specially made Qi Breaking Arrows, even a newly ascended Great Grandmaster could be killed if caught off guard by a volley from multiple shooters.

There were twenty of these black-clothed individuals wielding crossbows, and their cultivation levels were all uniformly at the early Innate Realm (levels one to three).

As for the five red steeds at the very front, five figures of varying appearances were seated upon them.

Those familiar with the experts of the Profound Water Dynasty could recognize four of them at a glance.

Shangguan Xing, Surging Waves Palm from Central Prefecture, cultivation: peak Grandmaster!

Jia Chengzhi, Hall Master of Thunderclap Hall from Central Prefecture, cultivation: peak Grandmaster!

Guan Liang, Mountain Breaking Fist from Central Prefecture, cultivation: peak Grandmaster!

Qian Yingying, Scorpion Woman from Central Prefecture, cultivation: peak Grandmaster!

And at the forefront of the four was an elder in brocade robes, his face aged but his eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence. Within the entire Profound Water Dynasty, very few people had ever seen this elder.

His cultivation had reached the Great Grandmaster realm.

"Everyone, speed up! We must reach Thousand Guts Valley, ten miles outside South Ridge City, before nightfall!"

"Yes!"

"Giddy up!..."

"Crack!..."

With a loud shout from the brocade-robed elder leading them, everyone immediately increased the speed at which they cracked their whips.

Thousand Guts Valley was the most geographically complex valley around South Ridge City. Its interior was like a giant maze, connected by narrow paths. Due to its unique terrain, it was perpetually shrouded in fog.

Without a familiar guide, an ordinary person would need at least three days to find their way out.

Many who strayed inside never emerged and starved to death, which is why the surrounding mountain folk called it Heartbreak Valley, and they would give it a wide berth when entering the mountains.

In the dead of night, the group quickly emerged from Thousand Guts Valley and sped towards South Ridge City.

These were some of the people from the earlier horseback group. Only six of them had come out, led by Shangguan Xing of Surging Waves Palm and Scorpion Woman Qian Yingying, followed by four black-clothed individuals in the Innate Realm.

"Mistress Qian, why do you think that esteemed person summoned us this time? To have two Grandmasters sneak into the city in the middle of the night to capture a Houtian Martial Artist? And bringing twenty Black Underworld Guards!"

The eight of them all used Qinggong to travel, and Shangguan Yun, walking at the front, curiously asked Qian Yingying beside him.

"Brother Shangguan, some things are better left unknown to you and me. Don't say I didn't warn you, curiosity killed the cat. Don't end up dying without even knowing how."

"You... forget it..."

Hearing Qian Yingying's warning, Shangguan Yun was quite annoyed and stopped talking, not wanting to embarrass himself further. He just continued on his way in silence.

He also knew that the other party didn't know the purpose of this mission either. The four of them had all owed a favor to that esteemed person's family, and this was their way of repaying it.

Debts of gratitude were the hardest to repay, especially life-saving favors during times of crisis. To repay them required risking one's life.

Their target was the owner of the Zhao Residence in South Ridge City, a woman in her thirties or forties with a cultivation level of only the Houtian Martial Artist realm.

The esteemed person's instructions were to capture her and not harm her.

Although they didn't know why that esteemed person wanted them to capture someone in a small border town, they only needed to follow orders.

The next morning, just after finishing breakfast, Zhao Ping'an suddenly received an urgent letter delivered by the steward.

"Hmm? Mistress missing last night? Master seriously injured! Butler Fu is dead?"

Reading the contents of the letter, Zhao Ping'an shot up from his seat, his face changed drastically, and he asked in disbelief.

The letter was sent by his Senior Disciple Brother, who, along with several other senior disciples, was searching the city for clues.

Zhao Ping'an couldn't fathom who would dare to make a move against him within the territory of South Ridge City. He couldn't recall offending anyone in the city.

"Could it be outsiders?"

He no longer hesitated, quickly disappearing from Wu'an Mountain and heading towards South Ridge City at high speed.

The Qinggong he used was Flying Dragon Crossing. After such a long period of cultivation, he had brought Flying Dragon Crossing to the Proficient level, and his speed could be described as lightning fast.

He covered the distance of over forty li in just five or six minutes.

At this moment, South Ridge City was under strict martial law, with all incoming and outgoing individuals subjected to three layers of inspection before being allowed to pass.

Evidently, Zhao Xiuyun's disappearance had directly alarmed the City Lord, Zhou Ruiming. Out of respect for Zhao Ping'an, he had dispatched people early that morning to actively assist in searching for useful clues.

However, that was clearly futile. After all, anyone capable of easily defeating and severely injuring Zhao Ping'an's Master, Zheng Hetong—a martial artist at the Xiantian late stage—was at the very least at Xiantian Peak, and most likely a Grandmaster.

But since the other party had gone to such lengths to abduct Zhao Xiuyun, they must have some request of Zhao Ping'an.

If it were revenge, they would have simply killed him. Why go through the trouble of kidnapping her, and only his Mistress Zhao Xiuyun, while leaving his severely injured and unconscious Master Zheng Hetong at the Zhao Residence?

With a terrifyingly grim expression, Zhao Ping'an soon met his Senior Disciple Brother in the Zhao Residence, the one who had brought him the message.

As for the remaining Second Senior Disciple Brother, Third Senior Sister, and Fourth Senior Disciple Brother, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, they were all searching the city for useful clues.

Zhao Ping'an first went to check on his Master's injuries. Under the pervasive probing of his True Essence, he quickly ascertained the cause of his Master's injuries.

A palm strike to the chest, four broken ribs, ruptured and bleeding lungs and liver, and multiple damaged meridians.

Fortunately, the assailant hadn't intended to kill Master Zheng Hetong; the attack had been aimed away from the heart, otherwise