Master of Strange Dao

"Why must Your Excellency press so hard?"

The elderly man grimaced with suffering and let out a long sigh.

"Was it you who kidnapped Gu Shitou?"

"I did not kidnap him; he begged me to do it."

Yu Ziqing checked and found that Gu Shitou had no injuries, his Divine Soul was intact, and there were no traces of external forces invading him. He was merely asleep.

Moreover, his body shape, apparent and unapparent features, aura, physical body, and Divine Soul had all been verified repeatedly, ensuring beyond a doubt that he was the genuine Gu Shitou.

Afterwards, he used the Compass to check again, which showed no issues. It was only after the Compass also confirmed that Grandpa Que was problem-free that Yu Ziqing relaxed a little.

Yu Ziqing stamped his foot and Lou Huai appeared beside him, also looking at the old man with some curiosity.

"Big brother, this guy seems like an Earth Deity but not quite. His foundation is shaky and he has no domain."

"I am none other than Grandpa Que. It truly wasn't I who wanted to kidnap Stone, he prayed to me for three full years, imploring me to do it. Honestly, I had no desire to take on this task, but since prayers have become so scarce, I was about to fade away. Only after receiving his incense fire prayers did I have to proceed."

The old man's face was the picture of misery, looking as though he was about to drip with sorrow.

Yu Ziqing's expression did not change, but there was still a trace of suspicion in his eyes.

He had only been testing the waters, adopting the mindset that even if he could confirm nothing at all, he still had to go through the motions.

It just hadn't occurred to him that talking nicely would be less effective than simply taking out the filth bucket.

But there really was a Grandpa Que.

"First, tell me what's going on."

"This child began worshipping me three years ago, and my name was on that bronze square pot.

I was increasingly weakening back then, about to dissipate into nothingness.

Unable to resist, I coveted the regular incense fire and owed a debt.

He worshipped me for three years just to have me kidnap him, to make his father deliver the ransom.

I'm not what the rumors say; I never kidnap children.

On the contrary, I quite like children. I'm happy to help them with their little troubles.

It's just..."

Grandpa Que's face, already full of worry, now showed a hint of sadness.

"Who would have thought, over time the legend was altered by others, becoming unrecognizable.

Now, I have become notorious for snatching children.

The incense fire did increase, but it was all either to beg me not to take their children, or from wicked women asking me to take others' children.

How could I dare to accept such prayers?

To covet even a bit of it would mean paying with my life later on.

It's rare to receive proper worship; not wanting to dissipate, I coveted the incense fire.

But who would have guessed, he too was plotting to make me kidnap someone..."

The more Grandpa Que spoke, the more bitter he looked.

Yu Ziqing pointed at Gu Shitou on the bed.

"Why would he want you to kidnap him?"

Grandpa Que glanced at Gu Shitou and sighed.

"This child is clever from a young age. I don't know how he found out, but his father is not actually from the Gu Family.

His mother, sick with worry, would murmur in her delirium, and he remembered it well.

He knew that his father must be alive and a person of significance.

He devised this plan himself, having me take him away to demand a ransom, insisting that his father come in person.

Can you guess why he would do that?"

"I don't know."

"He wants to save his mother. He heard that his mother has a heart condition that might improve if his father were still around.

Even if it wouldn't get better, he wanted his mother to be able to see the man she longs for in her final days."

Yu Ziqing turned to look at Gu Shitou, and for a moment, he was profoundly shocked.

His Yin God could see clearly, sense clearly; Grandpa Que definitely wasn't part of any Evil Cult, his power extremely weak.

If Grandpa Que had catered to the outside legends and become like the Grandpa Que of rumors, he certainly wouldn't be this weak.

Even as an Earth Deity without a domain, without a temple to dwell in, without an enlightened Golden Body icon,

With such a widely spread legend, and having been circulated for so long, he should at least have the strength of the sixth-seventh tier.

It just showed that he had never responded to those legends, never reveled in that incense fire.

"His pure filial piety alone moved me so that even though I was reluctant, I agreed to this matter," sighed Grandpa Que, somewhat helplessly.

"By agreeing to this, you will die afterwards."

"I have long been aware. After this matter, Dali will no longer tolerate an Evil Deity known for snatching children. I coveted his first wisp of incense fire, and have already met my fate. To compensate with my life later is only what I deserve."

Yu Ziqing walked to the bedside and looked at the young child. As he watched, he suddenly burst into laughter.

This was all too absurd.

Song Chengyue, the dignified Jinyiwei Commander, was at this moment pretending he had no child, while also acting with the normal force to suppress that so-called former adversary who was challenging him, but in reality, he was confronting the dong chang chief director.

The chief director, as the formidable dong chang chief director with several Ninth Tier incarnations at his disposal,

Was pretending that he was the one who had taken Gu Shitou, to pressure Song Chengyue while secretly sending people to find the real kidnapper.

No wonder it felt odd, no wonder they always seemed a step slower than himself.

Perhaps the chief director was also starting to feel the weight now, and might even believe that the kidnapper, whom neither the Shadow Department nor he could trace, must be someone with enormous power and strong capabilities.

And that this person or group must have a mortal enmity with Song Chengyue to go to such ruthless lengths, targeting a child so unscrupulously.

When he had contacted Song Chengyue today, Song Chengyue mentioned that the Jinyi Wei and the Shadow Department were almost openly clashing, and their spies were also secretly sparring with dong chang's.