After Master Yu and Xin failed to kidnap their daughter for a second time. If they were successful would they have really just handed her over to the Bei Fongs as they thought. They had already captured her once and were going to try to get some money off them. When they were officially hired to kidnap this time around, it was possible they would demand more money to return her to them. Lao and Poppy were not thinking straight if they thought that they could truly trust Master Yu and/or Xin to actually keep their word in their deal.

Now that Toph was out in the world, she was known more as the Avatar's Earthbending Master as well as the only one that can bend metal too. This combined with the fact that the Earth Kingdom had fallen made it so there were no mercs that were willing to take the job...at least the one to bring Toph back to them alive rather than dead. The amount of money was not the issue as capturing Toph alive alone was one thing but adding the Avatar into the mix just made people nope out far faster.

Lao and Poppy could not understand why would be so hard in their eyes at least to get a single blind girl from a trio of kidnappers. It wouldn't be hard to free her and escape. Blindness did seem to run in the Bei Fong family after all. Toph was literally blind and her parents were blind to the reality of who their daughter was and what she and her friend were actually capable of.

Then on one day that seemed like any other since the 'kidnapping' of Toph by the Avatar and the failure of Master Yu and Xin...

"Every day I awaken and hope for news, but there is nothing! The sun sets, and nothing!" Lao Bei Fong raged.

"We can only hope now, my love. Hope and be patient." Poppy said.

"We have been patient. The Avatar has kidnapped her and refuses to at least let us know how she really is doing! He makes no demands either!" Lao continued to rage.

They had gotten a letter from her, explaining her recent adventures. However, they were convinced now that she become attached to her kidnappers and was not thinking straight. Lao and Poppy do not accept that Toph was even capable of those things she claimed to have done in the letter. Even bending metal which only she was capable of was something they were not willing to accept as reality. They have seen the proof and decided to reject reality and substitute it with their own.

His wife was about to reply when a servant entered. They did not notice his nervous expression though.

"Master, mistress... There is a man here to see you about getting back the young mistress" the servant said

The two then thought back to the mercenary and claimed he was the best. He had taken their claims at face value at the time

Standing before them, was the mercenary they had hired. The last time they had seen him, though, he had looked different. His arm was not broken, his eye was not blackened, his nose was not a mess, and he did not have a limp.

"It seems your daughter is...nothing like you told me. She does not need protection from anyone. I found her alone, unguarded, and when I told her why I was there, she attacked me in a rage. I had no choice but to flee..." The mercenary said, dropping a sack of coins. Lao picked it up.

"Our payment to you..."

"I have to cancel our contract. The risk is too great, she has either bonded with her kidnappers or feels she was never kidnapped. Most of the money is there, except for some that I had to use to cover... Well, I think you can guess."

Lao despaired but knew it was the truth. For a mercenary, he had shown honor by coming to return payment.

That was the last mercenary that they had managed to get after Master Yu and Xin. This time around Lao nor Poppy cared when a Solar Eclipse started right before their meeting with this new mercenary who wanted the job of recovering their daughter from the Avatar. The Bei Fongs demanded to have this mercenary brought to them right away. The fear of deceit was long gone, only the overwhelming fear for their daughter who was just fine as in reality. However, that thought never cross their mind for they were far too lost in their illusion of who they thought their daughter was to acknowledge who she actually was.