Kidnapping

Chen Wu offered a flurry of flattery, leading the heir of Duke Chen on a aimless stroll—ringing bells, circling pagodas, burning incense, requesting sutras, and even sampling the vegetarian meals specially prepared by the monks—until he finally coaxed the little ancestor into leaving, fully satisfied.

Exhausting! It was damn exhausting!

Not only did he have to provide maximum emotional labor, but he also had to deal with every sudden, whimsical idea that popped into the boy's head.

Chen Wu felt that coaxing the heir of Duke Chen was far more tiring than practicing martial arts for half a day.

Watching the heir look as if he intended to come back and play again, Chen Wu had to exert quite a bit of effort just to squeeze out a smile.

Being a sycophant really wasn't an easy job!

For the sake of those twenty-some secret manuals, Chen Wu had truly given it his all.

He only hoped these manuals would be worth the effort, so this hardship wouldn't be in vain.

He read the secret manuals until the sun dipped below the horizon.

A wave of hunger hit Chen Wu's stomach, forcing him to snap out of his studious trance just as he was about to go find something to eat.

Thump, thump, thump—

Urgent knocking echoed at the door.

What was going on?

Chen Wu pulled the door open to find one of the servants who had accompanied the heir that morning, his face etched with panic.

"Brother Chen, disaster has struck!"

"Did something happen to the heir?" Chen Wu's first thought went straight to that.

It wouldn't be strange for that second-generation rich kid to stir up trouble.

"The heir has vanished!" The servant was so anxious he was practically hopping on one foot.

"Don't panic, tell me slowly!"

The servant calmed down slightly and recounted the events.

It turned out that after leaving Chen Wu, the heir had reverted to his old ways, looking for some amusement, and had gone to the largest brothel in Yan'an Prefecture to enjoy some wine and company.

Normally, this wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary, but unexpectedly, after the heir ordered two girls into his room, he never came back out.

By the time the guards realized something was wrong, the room was already empty.

"Did they leave any clues?"

Chen Wu pondered; kidnapping cases like this were usually about money or revenge, and they should have left some kind of trail.

"Someone left a letter and delivered it to the Duke," the servant said. "The Duke sent me to ask you to come and discuss it."

"Fine! I'll head over right now."

What a damn headache; he couldn't even get a meal in.

If it's a kidnapping, go to the Constabulary Office—why come looking for me?

Duke Chen's Mansion.

Seeing Chen Wu approaching from a distance, Duke Chen rushed forward in a frantic hurry.

"Little Brother Chen..."

The moment he spoke, Chen Wu felt goosebumps rise on his skin. For a man of Duke Chen's status to address him this way meant the situation must be dire.

"I dare not accept such a title!" Chen Wu quickly offered a formal salute.

Duke Chen was impatient and grabbed hold of Chen Wu.

"My son's life is in your hands! Whatever money or goods those people want, I will agree to it; the key is that my son must be safe."

"Duke, Duke!" Chen Wu said. "Please, don't be so anxious. Why did you come to me for this?"

"Those people specifically named you to go and negotiate the terms," Duke Chen said, his face full of anxiety, his gaze toward Chen Wu carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Who could it be?

Wasn't this just making me a suspect as well?

"Duke, although I don't know why this is the case, I certainly won't refuse to help. However..." Chen Wu asked, "Who exactly is behind this?"

"I don't know the specifics; you will have to go and negotiate that yourself," Duke Chen replied.

"Then I have a condition."

Chen Wu knew that Duke Chen already suspected him, and at this point, there was no way to clear his name.

If he put himself in Duke Chen's shoes, Chen Wu now appeared to have deep ties with the kidnappers; otherwise, why would he be the one inexplicably asked to step forward?

He had to negotiate terms, and the more terms he negotiated, the more he could stabilize Duke Chen. After all, whether Chen Wu was the kidnapper or not, the more conditions he set, the more effort he would appear to be putting in.

As for the suspicion of being a kidnapper, he would just have to wait until the heir was rescued to clear it.

"Speak!"

"I have heard that Emperor Taizong compiled a martial codex, kept in secret in the capital, accessible only to the imperial nobility," Chen Wu said, opening his mouth like a lion asking for a huge sum. "I want to take a look at this martial codex."

"Very well." The doubt in Duke Chen's eyes diminished slightly as he said, "My son has no future in the martial path, so I shall grant you his qualification to view the codex."

"As long as you bring my son back!"

At the hour of the Rat, by the Yan River.

Tonight was a moonless night, yet the stars across the sky were all the more prominent; the Spring Triangle hung high in the firmament, having looked down upon the human world for thousands upon thousands of years.

On this unobstructed flat land, Chen Wu waited for the negotiator who was about to appear.

Who could it be?

Regardless of who it was, this fellow certainly harbored malice toward him!

Just as Chen Wu was pondering, a radiance rose within the darkness—white and brilliant—and from it, a ball of fire ascended!

No!

Chen Wu knew this was an illusion!

Chen Wu's eyes told him that on the opposite side, there was only a gaunt old man.

But in his Concentrated Spirit Realm, that old man appeared as if he were a ball of flame.

Chen Wu immediately thought of the jade seal of Xu Songnian.

"So you are truly the real Jade-Faced Killing God!"

The old man's lips did not move; only his Adam's apple bobbed as he produced a voice.

"Why would you say that, Excellency?"

"The 'Jade-Faced Killing God' who died was one of our own!"

The old man's lips remained still; this was likely some form of ventriloquism.

"That still doesn't prove that I am the 'Jade-Faced Killing God', does it?"

"Ever since he died, we have sent people to investigate your background." The old man spoke unhurriedly. "The identity you fabricated in Jiuyuan Prefecture belonged to an orphan. We questioned the relevant people thoroughly; although the age matched, your appearance did not align at all."

Damn it, you have already invited your own death!

Even the Great Shun Dynasty court hadn't investigated that deeply, yet you have dug so thoroughly.

Chen Wu's background was a pretense, stolen from another disciple of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower. That disciple had been sent to Gan Province to serve as a liaison and rebuild the River-Viewing Tower under an alias, and Chen Wu had simply recycled this identity.

He hadn't expected these people to investigate it to the very end!

Chen Wu's gaze turned sharp instantly!

"Who are you people?"

"Oh?" A look of mockery appeared on the old man's face. "Has Duke Chen not guessed yet? Or is he unwilling to guess?"

"In that case, we shall send another letter tomorrow to help him recall it properly."

"As for today, you shall stay here!"

"Duke!" A man with long legs and a thick-backed saber strapped to his back stood before Duke Chen and spoke, "This incident is surely aimed at you; you must tell me the truth!"

"Does the death of the Grand Patriarch have anything to do with you? Are these people related to the Grand Patriarch's death?"

Duke Chen's eyes darted away, but he eventually crumbled under the man's intense stare.

The Duke, who usually appeared to be a kindly old man, suddenly wore a solemn expression: "Lord Dang! You also hail from the Old Five Battalions; you know why I did this!"

The man addressed as Lord Dang changed color slightly: "Among the descendants of the Twenty-Two Generals of the Five Camps, you were always the easiest to talk to. You never fought or scrambled for anything, always working without complaint, yet I never expected that you would be the one to pull off such a massive feat."

"That is because the Emperor and the Grand Patriarch were wrong! Wrong and obsessed in their delusions!" Duke Chen said with resounding conviction. "I am merely setting things right!"