Yu Ziqing stretched out his hand and touched the table inside the room where, according to the documents, the letter had appeared.
The kidnappers had silently placed the letter here. It wasn't until the maid came to this spot that she discovered the kidnapper's note.
No one has figured out how the letter appeared to this day.
Yu Ziqing did a round of the place and located the steward to start interrogating every person who might have had access.
From this step forward, Yu Ziqing knew that his presence here would definitely draw attention.
Half a day later, Yu Ziqing had finished questioning everyone he needed to.
Song's son was named Gu Shitou, according to the Gu Family.
Gu Shitou's father had been away for two years, handling family affairs. It was during his travels that he met Gu Shitou's mother.
Before they could return, they had secretly pledged their lives to each other and Gu Shitou's mother was with child.
However, Gu Shitou's father met with an accident while he was away and encountered some criminals. Unfortunately, he fell victim to them.
Although somewhat irregular, the Gu Family's distant relatives still brought Gu Shitou's mother back to their ancestral home to settle.
It has been ten years to the day.
This time, since Gu Shitou was kidnapped, everyone also kept it from his mother.
With Gu Shitou's mother seriously ill and growing weaker day by day, everyone was afraid she could not bear such a blow, saying that a strong member of the clan took a liking to Shitou during his passage and had taken him away. The local elders personally explained this to Shitou's mother, who did not suspect anything.
The Gu Family was meticulous in its dealings, providing medicines and Spiritual Medicine when needed, even invitng a physician from within the family to tend to her.
Yet, the result was not good; Shitou's mother had fallen ill from excessive grief, a malady of the heart, beyond the help of medicine or stone.
And Shitou's mother had only a First-tier cultivation, which she used solely for maintaining her health.
The Gu Family saw that Shitou's mother was deeply devoted to Shitou's father. They treated her kindly, and the clan did not neglect her.
Yu Ziqing sat outside Gu Shitou's courtyard, chin propped on his hands, furrowing his brow in deep thought.
Could it really have been the act of a Ninth Tier Strong?
That didn't seem right either. A Ninth Tier Strong could easily do many things, but Yu Ziqing had intelligence in his hands.
In recent times, not one notable Ninth Tier had been in the vicinity, none at all.
Besides, even someone like Zhong Shouzheng, who worked for money and lacked any semblance of Primordial Spirit Realm dignity, wouldn't stoop so low as to kidnap a child for ransom.
Among those who commit evil acts, there are still levels to consider.
Those who kill and loot scoff at gentlemen thieves, who in turn look down upon those who kidnap young children.
And those kidnappers who only dare to bully women and children are not even at the bottom of the scorn chain; it's the Human Traffickers.
So, when battling such people, if you want others to draw their swords and assist, claiming that the enemy is a degenerate lackey of the Jinyi Wei is more effective than calling them Human Traffickers.
Yu Ziqing sat there for quite a while, his thoughts drifting incessantly.
He produced a paper bag and began breaking off pieces of deep-fried twisted dough sticks, crunching away while his thoughts remained a jumbled mess.
After a moment, Yu Ziqing lifted his eyelids and saw across the way, beside the door of the house opposite, a small head with a shiny forehead peeking out stealthily.
Yu Ziqing smiled, glanced at the paper bag in his hand, and extended his hand outwards.
A child with a shiny forehead hesitated, silently sliding over, tentative and unsure about drawing too close.
Yu Ziqing broke off a piece of the twisted dough stick and began to nibble it bit by bit, the crunching noise audible as the scent of the fried snack proved irresistible.
Yu Ziqing tore off another piece and handed it to the shiny-foreheaded little plump boy.
The little plump boy imitated Yu Ziqing, nibbling bit by bit, the flavor growing more delicious with each chew.
Yu Ziqing placed the paper bag to the side and patted the stone slab, indicating for the child to sit down and share the food.
Sitting together, they broke pieces off the dough sticks and ate. Once he saw the child enjoying himself, Yu Ziqing began to ask questions.
"Are you a friend of Shitou's?"
"No, Shitou owes me a roasted pigeon. We will not be friends again until he has repaid me."
"Why does he owe you a roasted pigeon?"
"He asked me to keep a secret. If I don't keep it, I'll never get to eat a roasted pigeon."
"I'll give you a honey-roasted chicken."
"That won't do either. A man must keep his word."
"He's not your friend right now; he's been kidnapped. You need to help us rescue him; that's what counts."
"He wasn't kidnapped." The little plump boy immediately denied it.
"A man of his word should never speak out."
"But Shitou didn't make you promise to keep this matter secret, did he?"
"Uh..." The little plump boy thought for a moment and then nodded, "You're right, Grandpa Que took him away."
"That Grandpa Que who takes away naughty children?"
"You know about him too? It's Grandpa Que."
"Shitou's mother is seriously ill and she misses Shitou very much. If you know where Shitou has gone, could you tell me? This whole bag of snacks is yours."
The little plump boy reached for the paper bag and then withdrew his hand, his face saddening as he spoke.
"I already said, Shitou was taken away by Grandpa Que, but no one believes me. My mother and father even hung me up and beat me together."
As he spoke, the little plump boy lifted his pant leg to reveal his wounds.
"Hmm, I believe you. Do you know where we can find Grandpa Que?" Yu Ziqing said with utmost sincerity, stuffing the paper bag into the little plump boy's arms while he spoke.
"I don't know, but I saw Shitou offering sacrifices to Grandpa Que under the willow tree not far from his backyard."