Chapter 176 | You Said You Only Wanted to Die

Feng Qingping flicked her finger, and the restriction on the evil cultivator loosened slightly. The man's eyelids fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes.

They were a pair of sinister eyes, his pupils pitch black and filled with a trace of disdain and mockery. Clearly, he held no fear regarding his capture. He scanned his surroundings, but the moment his gaze landed on Li Nanzhu, he visibly recoiled.

"You're awake?" Li Nanzhu squatted in front of him with a smile, the flame at her fingertip flickering. "Now, shall we talk about something else?"

The evil cultivator gave a cold snort and turned his head away.

"Tsk, so uncooperative." Li Nanzhu sighed and turned to look at Feng Qingping. "Fifth Senior Sister, why don't you take over?"

Feng Qingping stepped forward expressionlessly, the array disk rotating slowly in her palm. She didn't even speak; she simply waved her hand, and several cyan chains appeared out of thin air, binding the evil cultivator tightly.

"Argh—!"

The evil cultivator suddenly let out a shrill scream. The chains were slowly carving into his flesh, blood seeping from the wounds and spreading dark stains across his black robes.

Li Nanzhu's eyelids twitched at the sight, but she didn't voice any objections. After all, the methods of an evil cultivator were far more cruel than this. She was merely surprised to see her Fifth Senior Sister use such a method for interrogation.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Feng Weilan remained expressionless; he was likely long accustomed to this.

"The solution for the chains," Feng Qingping finally spoke, her voice as cold as ice.

The evil cultivator gritted his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, yet he forced a twisted smile. "There... is no solution... Hahaha..."

Feng Qingping's gaze turned cold, and the chains suddenly tightened.

The evil cultivator's laughter came to an abrupt halt, turning into a muffled groan as a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"What are you doing with Hehuan Sect disciples?" Rong Yuying suddenly asked, her red lips curving into a dangerous arc behind her round fan.

The evil cultivator grinned, revealing bone-white teeth. "Why don't you guess?"

A cold glint flashed through Rong Yuying's eyes. She flicked her finger, and a puff of pink mist drifted into the evil cultivator's nostrils. Instantly, his face flushed red and veins bulged on his neck, clearly indicating he was suffering some form of intense agony.

However, the evil cultivator still said nothing, only biting his teeth hard.

"For the... great..."

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly shut his mouth, a look of terror appearing in his eyes as if he had remembered something horrifying.

Li Nanzhu keenly noticed this detail. In her previous life as a war correspondent, she had seen many fanatics, but even the most extreme believers rarely showed this kind of... fearful expression.

"The great what?" she pressed further.

But the evil cultivator looked as if he were being strangled. His face turned deathly pale, and his entire body began to tremble.

Seeing that something was wrong, Feng Qingping retracted the chains and instead used her divine sense to directly invade the man's sea of consciousness, attempting a forced soul searching.

However, the moment her divine sense touched the core of the evil cultivator's memory, it felt as if she had slammed into an invisible wall—

"A restriction?" Feng Qingping's expression shifted slightly as she immediately withdrew her divine sense. "A restriction was placed on his memory. A forced soul searching will trigger a self-destruct."

Li Nanzhu felt a chill in her heart.

This meant the organization behind the man was extremely cautious, even tampering with the memories of their own people to ensure not a shred of information could be leaked.

Feng Weilan said coldly, "Kill him. We won't get anything out of him."

Feng Qingping pondered for a moment, seemingly considering the suggestion.

Li Nanzhu suddenly spoke up, "Wait, let me try."

After saying that, she stepped forward and squatted in front of the evil cultivator, wearing a harmless smile. "This fellow Daoist, what should I call you?"

The man froze, clearly not expecting someone to treat him with such an attitude.

Feng Qingping and Rong Yuying were also stunned, but neither spoke, curious to see what Li Nanzhu was planning.

The evil cultivator stared at Li Nanzhu, a hint of wariness in his eyes. It was obvious he had no intention of talking to this bizarre little girl. He started to turn his head away, only to hear her voice again.

"It's just a name, not some big secret. If you tell me, you won't have to suffer my senior sister's torture. Why be so stubborn?"

The evil cultivator struggled with the thought for a while before admitting the girl was right. It was just a name; there was no harm in saying it.

"Zhao Tiezhu," the evil cultivator muttered reluctantly.

Li Nanzhu: "...?"

That name was way too down-to-earth!

She suppressed the twitch at the corner of her mouth and continued to ask with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, have you eaten today?"

Zhao Tiezhu: "...?"

Feng Qingping: "..."

Rong Yuying: "..."

Feng Weilan silently turned his head away, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Zhao Tiezhu was confused by the inexplicable question and instinctively answered, "...No."

Li Nanzhu nodded, looking sympathetic. "Sigh, it's true that being captured means no food. How pitiful."

Zhao Tiezhu: "..."

Is this girl sick in the head?

Li Nanzhu continued her questioning, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, what do you evil cultivators usually eat? Surely you don't actually eat people?"

Zhao Tiezhu's mouth twitched. "...We eat normal food like everyone else."

"Oh," Li Nanzhu hummed, then asked, "Then what do your elders usually like to eat?"

Zhao Tiezhu instinctively replied, "Our elders like to—"

Halfway through, he suddenly snapped out of it. His face changed drastically, and he slammed his mouth shut.

A glint of cunning flashed in Li Nanzhu's eyes, yet her face remained innocent. "What's wrong? Is it a secret?"

Zhao Tiezhu stared intensely at her, a hint of alarm finally surfacing in his eyes. This girl was not right!

Li Nanzhu sighed, her tone full of regret. "Sigh, it seems your elders are quite strict if you can't even mention what they like to eat."

Zhao Tiezhu: "..."

What kind of tactic is this?!

Li Nanzhu continued to chat idly, her questions becoming more and more ridiculous. "Fellow Daoist Zhao, as such a large organization of evil cultivators, do you guys get year-end bonuses?"

Zhao Tiezhu: "...What?"

"You know, getting spirit stones at the end of the year? How are the benefits?"

Zhao Tiezhu: "..."

What on earth is this girl asking?!

Feng Qingping and Rong Yuying stood to the side. Although their faces were expressionless, a hint of amusement flickered in their eyes.

Feng Weilan had silently turned his back to them, his shoulders shaking even harder now.

Zhao Tiezhu was driven to distraction by Li Nanzhu's questions. Combined with the previous torture, his mental state was beginning to fray. Finally, he couldn't help but roar, "What exactly are you trying to ask?!"

Li Nanzhu blinked, her tone innocent. "I'm just chatting. Look, you've been caught and you can't run away. Why not just talk and relax a bit?"

Zhao Tiezhu: "..."

Damn it, this girl is more torturous than any physical pain!

"Fine, fine, let's change the subject then." Li Nanzhu sighed. "Your outfit is quite unique. Black magic robes with dark patterns—I almost couldn't see you in the mine tunnels."

Zhao Tiezhu gave a cold snort and looked away.

"Speaking of which," Li Nanzhu took a small porcelain bottle from her storage bag, "I have a high-quality rejuvenation pill here. Do you want one? You don't look so good."