I’ve Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] 50

50: Accident

After the auction ended, Mo Xiao’s group of five replenished a lot of supplies and planned to set off, intending to reach the extreme cold lands in one go before stopping.

But just as they were about to leave Bafang City, an accident happened.

Qiu Wu and Xiao Que had made an appointment to meet before leaving. Qiu Wu needed to update the items on her shopping list and also give Xiao Que some spare spirit stones for flexible purchasing.

“It’s been half an hour since our appointed time. Is Xiao Que delayed by something?” Qiu Wu was a little worried.

Mo Xiao looked at the time and took the initiative to say, “Why don’t you wait here, Fellow Daoist Qiu? I’ll go and check on Xiao Que’s situation for you.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Yunmu,” Qiu Wu did not refuse. Half an hour had already passed. If Xiao Que still hadn’t come, something might have happened.

All five of them knew where Xiao Que lived. After giving Zuo Wuyi a “be right back” look, Mo Xiao quickly disappeared from her sight.

For the convenience of consigning items, Xiao Que’s new residence was near the trading house. After about three quarters of an hour, Mo Xiao appeared at the main gate.

Mo Xiao first knocked on the door politely. Seeing no movement inside, she directly broke in.

After opening the door, Mo Xiao saw a messy courtyard. Both the room doors and the interior furnishings were in a mess.

Mo Xiao’s face darkened. It was clear that a battle had taken place here. Since there were not many bloodstains, the battle probably hadn’t lasted long. The other party must have come prepared.

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

The one living next to Xiao Que was a pill cultivator. He stammered when he heard Mo Xiao’s question. It was clear that he knew something, but he just wouldn’t say it, as if he was waiting for Mo Xiao to offer something.

“Who came next door?” Mo Xiao was too lazy to take out spirit stones and negotiate with him. She directly placed her sword at his neck.

The pill cultivator’s face instantly changed. “It’s the Gongsun family! They didn’t manage to buy that little girl at the auction, so they took action!”

“Are there no rules in this city? They dare to abduct someone in broad daylight?” Mo Xiao frowned. She remembered the auction house steward saying that there were patrol teams in the city, and that fighting was not allowed without a special reason. The city’s security was also quite good.

The pill cultivator carefully made a swallowing motion and said in a low voice, “Our city lord’s surname is also Gongsun. Although this Young Master Gongsun is not the city lord’s son, he has a good relationship with the city lord. Most people will give him some face.”

“And I heard a few sentences. That Young Master Gongsun seemed to think that Xiao Que’s buyer would be leaving today, so…” The pill cultivator did not continue.

“…” Mo Xiao understood. Their luck was not very good this time. It seemed they had encountered another not-so-responsible city lord, and this city lord also had a relative of low character.

He couldn’t buy Xiao Que at the auction, so he took action while they were not by her side. What a good move.

Unfortunately, that so-called Young Master Gongsun’s intelligence gathering seemed to have some problems. He hadn’t found out that they had an appointment with Xiao Que, so he had acted too early.

The city lord of Bafang City was at the early Spirit Transformation stage. Mo Xiao quickly weighed the strength of both sides. Seeing that there was no chance of winning, she could only stay put for now and wait for Yun Yu and the others to come and discuss countermeasures.

“We don’t know Xiao Que’s specific location now, so it will take some time to find her. Since the person who abducted her is a relative of the City Lord’s Mansion, we might consider going to the city lord,” After hearing Mo Xiao’s account, Zuo Wuyi quickly had an idea.

“The city lord is a Spirit Transformation stage cultivator. If we directly confront him, we probably won’t get any benefits,” Yun Yu said. “Why don’t we do as Little Junior Sister said?”

“At that time, we will split into two groups. Let Eldest Senior Sister or Senior Sister go to see the city lord, and the rest of us will investigate where that Young Master Gongsun is,” Zuo Wuyi added. “When we go to see the city lord, we can reveal our identities. That way, the city lord will definitely not do anything to us, and might even cooperate with us.”

Zuo Wuyi’s proposed method was unanimously approved. After a simple discussion, the task of going to the City Lord’s Mansion fell on Mo Xiao.

The reason was simple. Mo Xiao’s cultivation and combat power were about the highest, and she was also a nominal elder of the Sword Pavilion. Although Yun Yu was the Eldest Senior Sister, because her cultivation was still at the early Nascent Soul stage, she had not been promoted by exception. Mo Xiao seemed to have more weight.

After being reminded by Zuo Wuyi for a few sentences, Mo Xiao changed into the robes of an Inquiring Dao Sect elder and went to the City Lord’s Mansion to complain to the city lord.

“An elder of the Inquiring Dao Sect is visiting? Have you confirmed their identity?” The city lord was a little surprised when he received the news. He quickly pushed away the beauty in his arms and had the maidservant beside him tidy his clothes.

“The clothes the other party is wearing have the emblem of the Inquiring Dao Sect. Your subordinate has observed that the clothes should be real, and the person also looks very powerful, with an extraordinary temperament,” the subordinate reported.

“Then invite them in first and treat them well,” The city lord was a little strange. This place was not close to the Inquiring Dao Sect. Why would an elder of the Inquiring Dao Sect suddenly visit?

Out of respect for the title of an Inquiring Dao Sect elder, the city lord did not delay for long. After tidying himself up a little, he went to the front hall to meet Mo Xiao.

“City Lord, I am Yunmu of the Inquiring Dao Sect,” Mo Xiao did not want to waste time and introduced herself right away. “I was fortunate enough to become Elder Xuan Shuang’s disciple, and I am the second in seniority in my master’s lineage.”

Elder Xuan Shuang? The city lord quickly went through this title in his mind. He didn’t know what he had thought of, but the expression on his face quickly changed.

“So you are a disciple of Fellow Daoist Xuan Shuang. No wonder you are at the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age,” The expression on the city lord’s face softened, and his attitude seemed very friendly.

“It’s quite a coincidence. I met your master many years ago,” the city lord said with emotion. “I remember that Fellow Daoist Xuan Shuang was still alone at that time. I didn’t expect her to have taken disciples in the blink of an eye. Time really flies. Two hundred years have passed in a flash.”

Mo Xiao nodded very calmly and did not reply. “City Lord, a friend of mine has been abducted in the city and her whereabouts are unknown. I hope you can help me find her.”

“Such a thing has happened?” The smile on the city lord’s face faded a lot. “Since your friend’s accident happened in Bafang City, as the city lord, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter.”

“When did your friend go missing? Do you have any clues?” the city lord asked. “I’ll understand the situation and then send people to look for her.”

A troubled look appeared on Mo Xiao’s face. “It happened suddenly. I only heard some news from the nearby residents. It seems to be a young master with the surname Sun. He directly broke into my friend’s residence with his men two hours ago and took her away.”

“Surname Sun?” The city lord frowned. There didn’t seem to be any major family with the surname Sun in Bafang City. But if it wasn’t a major family, they probably wouldn’t be so audacious as to abduct someone in broad daylight.

“Do you have any other clues for me?” the city lord asked. “With just a surname, it will take a long time to find the culprit.”

Mo Xiao hesitated for a moment, her tone laced with a hint of uncertainty. “Apart from the surname Sun, that person also seemed to have heard something about sending a birthday gift to an uncle? And the City Lord’s Mansion was also mentioned?”

The expression on the city lord’s face became a little strange, and his tone was not as firm as before. “Alright, do you have any other clues?”

As he spoke, a bad premonition arose in the city lord’s heart. Speaking of birthday gifts, he was the only one in Bafang City who had recently celebrated a birthday, right?

The surname Sun was also very subtle. After all, if Young Master Gongsun was misheard, wouldn’t it be Young Master Sun?

“Not for now. How long will it take you to find my friend, City Lord?” Mo Xiao asked. “If you can’t find her right away, we might have to take some special measures and go directly to the people with the surname Sun to investigate door to door.”

Mo Xiao emphasized the word “Sun,” and when she looked at the city lord, there was no smile in her eyes, but a hint of scrutiny.

The city lord was also a shrewd person. Seeing the change in Mo Xiao’s attitude, he also roughly guessed what she wanted to express and began to curse in his heart.

That kid is really good at causing trouble for me. If it weren’t for the fact that I have no son and he’s the only male heir in the family, I would have dealt with him long ago.

“Rest assured, little friend. My City Lord’s Mansion still has quite a few people. At most two hours, I will definitely find her for you,” The city lord also knew that although his cultivation was higher than Mo Xiao’s, she had the Inquiring Dao Sect and Xuan Shuang behind her. In this case, it was better not to offend people if he could.

From the change in Mo Xiao’s attitude, the city lord also knew that Mo Xiao must have known some key clue. She just didn’t want to make him lose face, so she didn’t directly point it out, but tactfully let him act.

“That’s great. Then I’ll thank you in advance, City Lord,” Mo Xiao liked to communicate with smart people. Since the city lord was willing to cooperate with her to find the person, she didn’t have to directly draw her sword to find them.

Her master was probably still busy at this time, so she couldn’t ask for reinforcements.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you, City Lord. My junior sisters should be looking for someone in Bafang City now. If they act rashly and offend anyone, I hope you will understand,” Before leaving, Mo Xiao added a reminder.

Although the city lord’s expression changed a little, he still maintained a calm expression and kindly saw Mo Xiao out of the City Lord’s Mansion. He also lent her a team of personal guards, nominally to help her find the person.

This was not the first or second time the city lord had cleaned up his nephew’s mess. He knew what kind of person he was and directly sent out three teams of people to the places where he was most likely to appear.

On the other side, the four who had not gone to the City Lord’s Mansion had also quickly found out about that so-called Young Master Gongsun from the local cultivators and planned to follow the clues to his door to take a look.

It was quite a coincidence. Perhaps because Young Master Gongsun thought that the people who had bought Xiao Que had already left, he did not take her to any secret place, but brazenly took her to his own residence.

Zuo Wuyi and the others asked a few people nearby and got the news from them. Just over two hours ago, the guards of the Gongsun Mansion had brought back a little girl.

“The situation is different from Fenghua City this time. The city lord is more powerful than us. This Gongsun Qiu is not so easy to deal with. He should have experts protecting him,” Seeing the place where Gongsun Qiu lived, the expression on Yun Yu’s face was a little solemn.

If she was not mistaken, there were at least two Nascent Soul stage cultivators inside. If they were to fight, she might not be able to beat two of them alone.

“Since Senior Sister has already gone to see the city lord, should we also reveal our identities and confront Gongsun Qiu?” Yun He asked, a little anxious for Xiao Que.

What if this Gongsun Qiu was an impatient bastard? Xiao Que might have already met with misfortune by now.

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

From the fact that Gongsun Qiu dared to abduct someone in broad daylight and did not hide his actions much, he should be fearless. This kind of person liked to trample on what the other party cared about to satisfy his own twisted tastes.

Xiao Que should be in no danger for now, because Gongsun Qiu’s final goal was definitely to make Xiao Que bow her head, acknowledge him as her master, and be at his beck and call.

Zuo Wuyi did not directly mention these words, but only hinted at them, to let Yun Yu understand her meaning.

“You guys stay outside. I’ll go in and take a look first,” Yun Yu quickly made an arrangement. Xiao Que must be saved, but not secretly, but openly and honorably.

It was a bit difficult for Yun Yu to defeat two Nascent Soul stage cultivators, but if it was just to hide her aura and sneak in, it was enough for Yun Yu to take out a spirit artifact her master had given her.

The Gongsun Mansion was very large. Yun Yu circled around for a while before she managed to find some useful clues. After secretly listening to some of the guards’ conversations, she successfully found Gongsun Qiu’s location.

“What did you say? Someone is looking for Xiao Que? Didn’t you say those people were leaving today?” Gongsun Qiu sat on a chair, a surprised expression on his face.

“Young Master, it might be that our information was wrong. They seem to have had some kind of appointment to meet before leaving,” the man dressed as a steward said. “Our people acted too early, which caused Xiao Que to miss the appointment, so the other party noticed.”

Yun Yu’s brow twitched. This steward’s voice sounded a little familiar. If she remembered correctly, it was this voice that had bid in Box Four, which had competed with Qiu Wu at the auction.

“Then what do you think we should do?” Gongsun Qiu frowned. “You’re not going to tell me to let her go, and then catch her again after they’ve left, are you?”

“It’s not impossible. This way, they…” Before the steward could finish, he was interrupted by a flying teacup.

“Impossible my ass! You didn’t manage to buy Xiao Que last time, which already made me a laughingstock. Now if I let her go, wouldn’t it be even more embarrassing? As if I’m afraid of those people,” Gongsun Qiu’s face was very ugly.

It was just three thousand high-grade spirit stones. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford it. Even if he didn’t bring that many spirit stones with him, couldn’t he have bought it on credit?

“Go and deal with it. Make those who know learn to shut up. When they ask, just deny it. Anyway, they can’t possibly rush in here and bring the Xiao Que in the dungeon out to confront me,” Gongsun Qiu said irritably.

After speaking, he glanced at the steward. Seeing that he was still standing there without reacting, Gongsun Qiu gave him a kick without any courtesy, sending him to the ground. “What are you standing there for? Didn’t you hear what I said! Hurry up and deal with it!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll do it right away, right away,” The steward got up from the ground, a fawning smile on his face.

Hearing their conversation, Yun Yu understood. No wonder he was unwilling to add to the two thousand one hundred spirit stones. Now he had to abduct her. It turned out that there was a problem with the command and execution.

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

Trying to deny it? In your dreams!

While Yun Yu was looking for the dungeon, Mo Xiao had symbolically looked for two families with the surname Sun. After receiving Zuo Wuyi’s message, she went directly to Gongsun Qiu’s house according to the address on it.

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

“They really don’t show any mercy,” the city lord said with emotion. “You guys speed up your search and follow their team.”

“City Lord, should we go over in advance and greet Young Master Qiu?” the subordinate asked.

The city lord shook his head. “He has been acting more and more outrageous these past few years. Let him suffer a loss this time as a lesson.”

After about half an hour, Mo Xiao arrived at the destination with a team of City Lord’s Mansion personal guards and had the guards knock on the door.

“I’m sorry, our young master is cultivating and it’s not convenient for him to see guests,” The doorman refused the request to meet and had no intention of letting them in.

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

The personal guard hesitated for a moment. Thinking of the city lord’s order, he chose to execute Mo Xiao’s command, pushed the doorman aside, and more than twenty people went directly past the main gate to the front hall.

“What are you doing? Don’t you know what this place is!” the man dressed as a steward shouted, confronting the personal guards with his own guards.

“It’s the city lord’s order to find someone. I suspect that person is here,” Mo Xiao said. “Is it convenient or not?”

The city lord’s order? The steward hesitated. Wasn’t his young master the city lord’s nephew? Why would the city lord order a search here? Should he stop them or not?

“If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as you agree. Men, search,” Mo Xiao didn’t care what they were thinking and directly gave the order.

Anyway, the people were given by the city lord, and the order was also given by the city lord. She was just repeating the city lord’s words. If anything went wrong, she could just blame it on the other party.

Besides, the city lord was also responsible for what happened today.

Seeing that he couldn’t stop the personal guards, the steward could only send his own guards to follow them to prevent them from breaking things or discovering something they shouldn’t, which would expose his young master’s plan.