Kidnapping
At this point, weaving through the streets was a hassle due to the crowd. Who wouldn’t want to watch superior cultivators fight to learn a thing or two – minus those who had no desire to improve? Where there were cultivators, there were fights. Nonetheless, they settled their differences out in the desert, lest they irritated the eight great sects’ members, the new security division of Clearwater City. By the same token, people spied on Mu Clan, but nobody would dare to pick a bone with them in public.
Tailors were one of the most lucrative professions since fighting meant damaging clothing. Some cultivators would make special orders, such as weaving their clothing using fiend beast nerves to shield them against blades to a certain extent.
Mu Rongxuan and his daughter went to their cultivator tailor to discuss some problems in purchasing ownership to the store the former was interested in. Mu Xin wasn’t a fan of business, so she went window shopping in the tailor store instead. Any clothing she deemed nice would have her eyes sparkling.
“That girl is from Mu Clan, isn’t she?” A youth sitting at a table at the tea stand across the road from the tailor had a sip of green tea.
“The formation protecting Mu Estate is on par with Formation Sect’s formations. We will have to go through the front door if we want to see Mu Yu,” said a maiden adorning a blue robe, watching Mu Xin.
“It’s not hard to get in, but it won’t be easy to get out,” rectified the youth.
“How do you plan to bait him out, then? We came here for him, didn’t we?”
“Mu Yu’s strong love for his family is his weakness. Be careful not to let anyone catch you,” answered the youth, glancing to the tailor.
“I know.”
Mu Rongxuan and the owner held their meeting at the back of the store, while only the clerk and Mu Xin were in the storefront. The maiden in blue strolled over and fired a blue ray from her eye into the clerk’s eyes, freezing him in place.
The maiden in blue instructed, “You didn’t see me, understood?”
“Yes,” answered the clerk, returning to the seat behind the counter and spacing out.
“Miss, are you here to shop for clothing?” Mu Xin asked.
The maiden in blue gave Mu Xin a dimple. “Yes, I am. Can you choose a nice set for me?”
“Sure!”
Mu Xin led the maiden to a rack. Following a flash of blue light, the two disappeared from the store, along with the youth across the street.
***
“Mu Xin is missing?” Mu Yu asked in a deep voice.
The charcoal clouds in the sky appeared ominous.
Anxiety gripping him, Mu Rongxuan passed Mu Yu a sheet of paper and explained, “When I brought Mu Xin with me on a business trip, I left her to her own devices in the store. When I went to pick her up, she was gone. The clerk sent me this sheet. Mu Yu, what should we do?”
Mu Yu unfolded the sheet of paper and read, “Tell Mu Yu to come to Clearwater City’s Wall of Death at midnight. Else, the girl’s life shall be forfeited.”
Mu Yu turned and twisted the sheet, hoping to find further clues. Alas, that was all there was to it.
“You reckon it’s the Shadow Syndicate” asked Cai Lie, taking the sheet Mu Yu passed him.
“Not sure. Nobody, not even Qing Ming, can infiltrate Mu Estate now thanks to the formations. I assume they are resorting to kidnapping to draw me out,” Mu Yu coldly replied.
“How strong is Shadow Syndicate’s Qing Ming?” Mu Zhexing came rushing over and inquired.
Mu Yu shook his head.
“Third Brother, did you ask the clerk for details? Surely he would recognise them,” Mu Zhexing questioned.
“I asked, but he lost his memory or something. He didn’t even remember seeing Mu Xin.”
“I’m going to see what they want,” Mu Yu announced.
“We must think this through and go in with a plan,” Mu Tianhe disputed upon arrival.
“Mu Yu, I’ll go with you,” offered Lu Deyi.
“I’ll go alone. If it really is a shadow assassin, I can handle them by myself. Greater Heaven Caster Lu, I need you to stay here and protect everyone here. Don’t let anyone else leave. I won’t be long.”
Mu Zhexing grabbed Mu Yu’s shoulder, refusing to lose his son a second time. “I’m worried about you going alone.”
Mu Yu was touched. Still, he argued, “I got it. I’m not fodder. Wait here for me, and don’t go anywhere.”
“Are you sure?” Mu Zhexing asked, still worried.
“I am. Fights aren’t won until someone is defeated.”
“Finally,” someone hiding in a dark alley remarked, seeing Mu Yu exit Mu Estate.
The scenery of the desert resembled a land of snow thanks to the silver light shining down from the sky. The breeze was chilly unlike during the day. The individual in the shadows traced Mu Yu from the cover of the night and shadows. He came to a sudden halt and peered into the dark narrow allow. He dawdled for a moment and then vanished out of sight.
A maiden attired in blue emerged from the dark alley, looking to where the individual before stopped and then looking up to Mu Yu, who was in the sky, before disappearing, as well.
Rock of Death used to be a route for businessmen to travel on. On a certain day, the sand in the wall started to move according to the wind’s choreography several times a day at random intervals. Anyone who entered the area would be in peril. Consequently, it was designated an out of bounds area, and travellers who formerly used the route decided to take longer routes than to risk their lives.
Mu Yu headed from east to north to find Rock of Death. It was easy to locate from the sky as the red rocks looked sinister at night. He landed on a sandy rock and surveyed the dark surroundings. Only the contour of the city could be seen from there.
“True God’s disciple, this was the only method I had for drawing you out.”
It was impossible to tell if the individual was waiting for Mu Yu on the sand dune opposite the latter the entire time or if he just arrived for Mu Yu didn’t notice his presence. The moonlight revealed his youthful appearance and navy attire. His qi was potent, yet he kept it under wraps. Mu Yu couldn’t read the individual.
“Shadow Assassin Qing Ming?”
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