Chapter Eighteen: Kidnapping

"Where are Liu Biao and the others? Hurry and take us to them!" Qi Jun quickly stood up to ask.

"They're halfway up the mountain. Just follow the path and you'll see them!"

Qi Jun and Liu Kui exchanged a glance, then hurriedly followed Dunzi as they rushed up the slope.

Liu Biao was standing on a patch of hillside, and from a distance he saw Liu Dong leading Liu Kui and Qi Jun up the path. He quickly dusted off his clothes and went to meet them with the other villagers.

"Brother Kui, Master Qi!" Liu Biao cupped his fists as he approached. "We just found another piece of cloth. I think this might be a sign left by Yunfei!"

As he spoke, Liu Biao produced a strip of red cloth and handed it to Liu Kui.

"Yes! That girl has been clever since she was young. If we follow these marks, we’re bound to find her!" Liu Kui said excitedly after taking the cloth and glancing at it.

"But wait! Isn’t it possible... someone is deliberately trying to mislead us?" Qi Jun pondered, stroking his chin.

He felt things couldn't be so simple—if Liu Qi had planned this, he wouldn’t have been so careless.

At Qi Jun’s words, Liu Biao realized this clue might indeed be a ruse.

"Right, we also found some footprints. I’ll take you to see them!" Liu Biao remembered and quickly added.

Qi Jun nodded, following Liu Biao to the footprints. He squatted down to examine them.

"It’s definitely her! No mistake!" Liu Kui squatted as well, comparing his hand to the prints, hope rekindling in his eyes.

But Qi Jun frowned and shook his head. "I don’t think so. Look closely—these prints are deeper at the front and shallower at the back, with a wide stride. It’s more like a man wearing women’s shoes and deliberately making tracks!"

With his investigative instincts from a previous life, Qi Jun sensed something was off. After studying the prints, he was sure the kidnappers of the clan elder and Yunfei intended to mislead them.

Hearing this analysis, Liu Biao also recognized the flaw. His opinion of Qi Jun rose.

"This..." Liu Kui was stunned, as if doused with cold water, and even felt a momentary resentment toward Qi Jun. The hope that had just been kindled in his heart flickered and dimmed again.

Learning that their hard-won clues might be false, the faces of the other villagers fell as well.

It had been many hours since the clan elder and Yunfei disappeared, and their fate weighed heavily on everyone’s mind.

Red-eyed, Liu Kui slumped at the base of a tree, his face full of loss and confusion. Everyone was silent, the atmosphere tense and oppressive.

"At this point, maybe we should report this to the authorities," someone suggested.

Liu Kui started, then gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. He knew that in times like these, when so many people had starved to death without response from the officials, two missing mountain folk would hardly matter to them.

"There’s nothing more to be found on this side of the Western Mountain," Qi Jun muttered, rubbing his brow as he racked his brains, then suddenly remembered Liu the Leper.

How had he overlooked him? Qi Jun’s face lit up and he strode quickly over to Liu Biao.

"Brother Liu Biao, I heard you saw Liu the Leper last night?" Qi Jun asked intently.

In terms of seniority in the village, Liu Biao was of the same generation as Liu Kui, but only ten years older than Qi Jun, so Qi Jun addressed him as "brother."

"That’s right! And Liu the Leper—how could I forget! I did see him last night. The three of them were right on the village road below that slope!"

Liu Biao walked a few steps ahead, pointing at the hillside as he recalled, "I’d just set my animal traps and was heading home. As I passed that slope, I saw them coming up the village road—Yunfei was helping the clan elder in front, and Liu the Leper was following behind. I thought it odd and called out, but only Liu the Leper turned around; the other two didn’t respond!"

"It really was Liu the Leper?"

"Absolutely! The moon was so bright last night, I could see clearly. I even recognized the sores on his scalp! I kept thinking something wasn’t right after I got home, and only realized this morning when everyone started searching that something had really happened!"

As Liu Biao recounted, the scene quickly reconstructed itself in Qi Jun’s mind. He was certain that Yunfei and the clan elder had been taken by Liu the Leper.

"If Liu Qi did this to get back at me, it makes sense. But why involve Liu the Leper?" Liu Kui wondered. They had no conflict—why would Liu the Leper get involved?

"I was a fool! If only I’d chased after them and stopped them!" Liu Biao sighed heavily, punching a tree in frustration.

"Don’t blame yourself, Brother Liu Biao. Without your information, we’d have nothing to go on," Qi Jun reassured him, patting his shoulder. "But to figure out what really happened, we need to find Liu the Leper. Does anyone know where he usually goes?"

"The Yongshun Gambling House!" a villager immediately answered. "I work in the county town and have seen him and Liu Qi at the gambling house entrance several times!"

"Liu Qi?" Qi Jun and Liu Kui echoed in surprise.

"That explains everything..." Qi Jun mused, rubbing his chin. "I suspect these two racked up gambling debts they couldn’t pay. Liu Qi kidnapped the clan elder and Yunfei to extort money from Uncle Kui and pay off the debts, and also to settle a personal grudge."

"If that’s the case, it all adds up! We’ve been tricked by Liu Qi. He left false clues to lead us into the mountains, giving himself more time to prepare!" Qi Jun clenched his fists, surprised by Liu Qi’s cunning.

"So Liu the Leper showed himself to me on purpose?" Liu Biao realized. He always went home at the same time after setting animal traps—everyone in the village knew, and naturally so did Liu Qi.

So Liu Qi had planned for Liu the Leper to appear on Liu Biao’s route home.

"Damn that scoundrel, pulling such a trick on me!" Liu Kui now saw Liu Qi’s intention, gritting his teeth in anger.

He’d always thought Liu Qi was just a slippery rogue, but clearly he’d underestimated him.

"If that’s the case, the clan elder and Yunfei should be unharmed for now. The elder holds authority in Liu Qi’s eyes, and Yunfei is his cousin. As vile as Liu Qi is, he’s not likely to hurt them," Qi Jun reasoned.

"If so, that’s a relief," Liu Kui said, finally able to breathe a little easier.

"Master Qi, what should we do now?" Liu Biao asked, and the rest of the villagers turned to Qi Jun.

"We can only return to the village and wait. Liu Qi will surely send word sooner or later," Qi Jun replied helplessly.

For now, all he could do was hope that his deductions were correct.

The villagers, pressed by their daily hardships, dispersed once they descended the mountain. Liu Kui invited Qi Jun to his home and prepared a simple meal.

Compared to most, Liu Kui’s home could be called "luxurious"—the large wooden house to the north of the yard was divided into three rooms: ancestral tablets and offerings were placed in the middle, while the clan elder and Liu Kui lived on either side.

On the west side of the yard stood a small house Liu Kui had built especially for his daughter Yunfei, and in front of the door he’d planted wildflowers, now wilted and yellow.

"You’re a good father," Qi Jun said with feeling, recognizing how much Liu Kui had done for his daughter.

"Good father? I..." Liu Kui shook his head, wiping his eyes, and set down his chopsticks. "For now, let’s make do with what we have. When I’ve rescued my father and daughter, I’ll give you a proper feast!"

Just as Qi Jun was about to respond, a sudden knock came at the door.

"Brother Kui, are you there? Liu Qi sent me with a message for you!" someone called urgently, pounding on the gate.

"Coming!" Liu Kui leapt to his feet and hurried to the door.