Song Hao glanced at the mechanism in the corner that opened the secret room. The chair hidden there was still there, untouched, which reassured him somewhat. The secret room was very well hidden; it would only be discovered if the entire house were torn down.
Song Hao checked the items and found that only one copy of "The Great Compendium of Acupuncture" was missing. He had read it during the day, but it had vanished without a trace. The several hundred yuan on the table were still there; the thief was clearly not an ordinary person who stole valuables. A sense of foreboding rose in Song Hao's heart. Had his whereabouts been discovered?
Song Hao was immediately alarmed. If the newcomers were after the Heavenly Saint Acupuncture Bronze Figure, then he and the bronze figure would be in danger. These people are amazing! They actually found this place.
Song Hao took a stick and checked the yard. The locks on the gate and the house were intact, and the doors and windows were complete, as if no one had ever entered. This showed that the person who came had the ability to move freely.
Song Hao didn't dare close his eyes all night, a strong sense of unease gripping his heart. Could it be that the careless phone call he made had exposed his location, or that those people had found the driver of the truck that carried the bronze statue? Perhaps the whereabouts of the bronze statue had already been exposed when Wang Yu and his wife from Yantai were murdered.
The visitor was quite strange; he took nothing else but a copy of "The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion." What was his intention?
Exhausted by anxiety and worry, Song Hao leaned against the bed and unknowingly fell asleep.
Although Song Hao was exhausted and had fallen asleep, he remained highly vigilant. He suddenly sensed something amiss in the room; there must be another person there. A jolt went through him, and Song Hao awoke with a start.
Chapter Twenty of the Record of Strange Writings: Kidnapping
Tianjin, Luo Beiming's residence.
Luo Beiming held the copy of "The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" that Song Hao had lost in his hand, while answering a phone call from his daughter, Luo Feiying.
"Dad, you received that copy of 'The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion,' right? We found the man named Song Hao who moved the goods from Yantai and his residence today. We didn't expect him to be a medical practitioner, and he must be proficient in acupuncture, as evidenced by this well-worn copy of 'The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.' However, we didn't find it at his house; he must have hidden it somewhere else. We didn't disturb him, but we're under his surveillance. We want to track him down to where he hid it. Also, news has leaked out again; several groups of people of unknown origin have arrived in Penglai, and they all seem to have some influence. But don't worry, Dad, we're determined to get that thing; we won't let anyone else get it," Luo Feiying said confidently on the phone.
"Yingying, it's best to strike first. If we can't find anything, we should bring that kid back first." Luo Beiming said, excited but also somewhat worried. He was surprised that several more groups of people had arrived in Penglai.
"Otherwise, Yingying." Luo Beiming stroked the book "The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" with his hand, and said with some doubt, "I just found several needle marks on the book you sent back. The edges are very neat, so it should be from a single needle. It's terrifying that there are people in the world with such super strong finger strength. Tell Diao Cheng to be careful."
“Dad, you’re very observant. I didn’t notice anything. Don’t worry, that Song Hao is just an ordinary person. We can handle him. But to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, we’ll follow your advice and bring Song Hao back. We’ll make our move tonight. With him in our hands, we’re confident he’ll reveal the whereabouts of that thing,” Luo Feiying said.
“No, if you make your move now, I’m afraid someone else will beat me to it, and that would be troublesome,” Luo Beiming said decisively.
“Okay, I’ll do as you say. Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back to you tonight,” Luo Feiying replied hastily.
"Good daughter! As long as you bring that brat back and force him to reveal the whereabouts of that treasure, everything in the Luo family will be yours in the future," Luo Beiming said with a satisfied smile.
At this moment, Uncle Lin stood aside, his face full of respect, but he had heard every word of the conversation between the Luo father and daughter.
Then Song Hao realized someone had entered the room, and he woke up with a start, immediately standing up.
At this moment, someone had already moved in front of him and reached out to hold Song Hao down.
In a panic, Song Hao quickly pulled out a needle from his sleeve and swiftly stabbed it into the Quchi acupoint on the man's arm, using the Thunder Needle Technique.
The man's body jolted, and he froze instantly. His face was filled with horror. The shockwave from the Thunderclap Needle Technique traveled up his arm, instantly coursing through his entire body, sluggish his blood and qi, and like an electric shock, the needle had immobilized him.
Song Hao's needle worked, and he quickly dodged aside, asking in surprise, "Who are you?"
The man was restrained and unable to speak. This was Song Hao's first time using the Thunderbolt Needle Technique on a person, and it was a technique he had practiced to perfection. Even in this critical situation, he only used 30% of his strength. If he had used more than 70% of his strength, the man would have already had all his tendons severed and died from a single needle.
Having landed a successful blow, Song Hao was about to ask his opponent's background when he suddenly heard someone behind him sneer, "Kid, you actually have this trick up your sleeve!"
Before Song Hao could turn around upon hearing the sound, he felt a strange fragrance waft over, his body went limp, and he fainted. He had been drugged.
The one who drugged Song Hao was a fair-skinned young woman with long hair. She put away the handkerchief she had used to administer the drug, glanced at Song Hao on the ground, and showed a hint of surprise. She then asked the man, "Brother, are you alright?"
The man stood there, his face contorted in pain, unable to utter a word.
"Your brother's acupoints were sealed by this person with needles!"
A middle-aged man walked in, reached out and removed the needle from the man's arm, then patted his back. The man then recovered.
"Father, this kid's needles are truly bizarre! They only pierced my Quchi acupoint, yet they instantly restrained my entire body, unlike the feeling of being acupunctured," the man exclaimed in astonishment.
"Could it be Lu Men's Thunderbolt Needle Technique?!" the middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise.
"No way! How could I so easily subdue someone from Lumen with a drug?" the young woman exclaimed in surprise.
"Never mind that for now, just take him away. The people from Feng Huo Tang have been lured away. Let's get out of here first," the middle-aged man said.
“That acupuncture bronze figure…” the young woman hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“The Feng Huo Tang people have searched the place several times. This house can’t possibly hide something that big. It seems this person hid it in some other secluded place. So let’s kidnap this person and question him when we get back. As long as he’s in our hands, that acupuncture bronze figure is ours,” the middle-aged man said.
The three men then stuffed Song Hao into a cloth bag, which the man lifted onto his shoulder, and the three of them went out through the gate. By then, it was already getting light.
There was a lookout outside the door. When he saw the three of them come out, he hurried forward to greet them and said respectfully to the middle-aged man, "Master, hurry up and go. Second Senior Brother and the others have entangled Ghost Hand Diao Cheng, and Third Senior Brother is holding off another group of people. The police will be here in ten minutes."
"He's really in high demand!" the young woman muttered.
As they exited the alley, a black Audi pulled up. Several people put the cloth bag containing Song Hao into the trunk, then hurriedly got into the car, which sped away.
Half a minute later, Luo Feiying led a dozen people to the front of the house in a hurry. Seeing that the gate was half open, Luo Feiying's expression changed and she said, "Oh no! Someone beat us to it. We're too late!"
A man nearby said in bewilderment, "Young Miss, tonight so many experts have appeared out of nowhere, entangled all our people, even Diao Cheng..."
"Don't mention him! You people from the Wind and Fire Hall are good for nothing but causing trouble. You can't even keep an eye on one person!" Luo Feiying roared angrily.
The dozen or so people lowered their heads in shame.
Police sirens sounded in the distance.
One of the people who had gone into the courtyard to check came out and shook his head at Luo Feiying with disappointment. Helpless, Luo Feiying turned and led the group away.
When Song Hao woke up, he found himself lying on a bed. A serious-looking middle-aged man sat upright in a chair beside him, flanked by a group of people, one of whom was the man Song Hao had immobilized with a single needle. Among them was a long-haired woman, fair-skinned and beautiful, with smiling eyes, who was particularly striking.
Song Hao knew he had been kidnapped by this group of people, and he cried out inwardly, "Oh no!" He quickly sat up in bed. He felt his head was still a little dizzy, and he didn't know how long he had been unconscious.
The middle-aged man cleared his throat and said calmly, "You're awake. Young man, don't be afraid. We're not bad people. We brought you here for your safety."