Fellow Daoist Zhao, Do You Fart Often?

"It seems you don't like that topic," Li Nanzhu said, spreading her hands in mock regret as she saw Zhao Tiezhu’s face darken further.

"Let's switch it up then. Why do you like wearing black so much?"

Zhao Tiezhu froze, clearly not expecting her to bring that up.

Li Nanzhu continued, "Look, in our cultivation world, people either wear flowing white robes, vibrant magic robes, or at the very least, low-key greys and browns... It's rare to see someone like you, dressed in black from head to toe."

Zhao Tiezhu frowned, staring at her warily, unsure of what tricks she had up her sleeve.

Li Nanzhu shrugged, pulled a pot of spirit drink from her storage bag, poured herself a cup, and took a slow sip.

"Want a cup?" She shook the pot, her tone casual. "Since you can't move anyway, drinking something and chatting is better than just wasting away."

Zhao Tiezhu sneered. "Don't give me that."

Li Nanzhu didn't take offense; instead, her smile deepened. "What, afraid I've poisoned it?"

Right in front of Zhao Tiezhu, she took another sip and sighed. "To be honest, I actually quite understand you."

Zhao Tiezhu's eyes flickered slightly.

"This is the cultivation world, after all. Who isn't trying to get stronger?" Li Nanzhu spoke in a peaceful tone, as if heart-to-heart with an old friend. "Your methods as an evil cultivator are a bit harsh, but in the end, isn't it all for resources? All just to survive?"

Zhao Tiezhu remained silent, but the hostility in his gaze—previously sharpened because she had almost tricked him into talking—seemed to soften by a fraction.

Li Nanzhu had seen too many enemies on the battlefield in her past life. She knew the most effective interrogation method wasn't torture, but making the other party lower their guard, even creating the illusion that 'she understands me.'

She continued, "Honestly, I'm quite curious about you evil cultivators."

Zhao Tiezhu asked, "...Curious about what?"

A flash of success crossed Li Nanzhu’s eyes, but her expression remained calm. "Curious about how you managed to survive under the combined suppression of the great sects."

Zhao Tiezhu let out a cold snort. "We have our ways."

"Oh?" Li Nanzhu raised an eyebrow. "Like the restriction in your divine soul?"

Zhao Tiezhu's expression changed. He clearly knew about it, but having it pointed out so bluntly by Li Nanzhu made him somewhat uncomfortable.

Li Nanzhu struck while the iron was hot. "Actually, I think you guys are quite impressive. To be able to develop in the shadows for so long, you must have unique strengths." A hint of pride flashed in Zhao Tiezhu's eyes. "That goes without saying."

Li Nanzhu laughed inwardly—he had taken the bait.

Seeing his reaction, Li Nanzhu suddenly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, you're capturing Hehuan Sect disciples this time to feed something, aren't you? Is that thing very picky?"

Zhao Tiezhu answered subconsciously, "That thing is picky as hell—" He stopped mid-sentence and shut his mouth again.

"How picky? Does it only choose female cultivators from the Hehuan Sect?" Li Nanzhu pressed on.

"Nonsense!" Zhao Tiezhu retorted, his neck stiffening. "Who said it has to be from the Hehuan Sect? As long as it's..."

Li Nanzhu's eyes lit up. "As long as it's a female cultivator?"

Zhao Tiezhu's face stiffened, and he followed with a cold sneer. "What do you know! That thing..."

"It must have requirements for spiritual roots too, right?" Li Nanzhu nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder you targeted the Hehuan Sect. Most of them have water or wood spiritual roots. The spiritual energy in the blood of such cultivators is much gentler, isn't it?"

Zhao Tiezhu's pupils dilated instantly. It was obvious she had hit the mark. He tried to control his facial muscles to appear normal, but this subtle change was clearly seen by everyone present.

"What are you talking about? No such thing," Zhao Tiezhu insisted stubbornly.

Li Nanzhu curled her lip. "Well, that's a pity. I guessed wrong."

Hearing this, Zhao Tiezhu finally let out a sigh of relief, secretly vowing that no matter what this girl said next, he wouldn't engage.

But he never expected that the girl would go crazy in a different way. Seeing that he wouldn't respond, Li Nanzhu began to call his name incessantly.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao? Fellow Daoist Zhao? Why aren't you talking? Are you not talking because you have something on your mind?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, come on, don't be silent."

Zhao Tiezhu's mind was filled with 'Fellow Daoist Zhao' playing on a loop. He finally snapped and shouted.

"Fine, fine! Say whatever you want! Just talk about something else, okay?"

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Zhao," Li Nanzhu said with a beaming smile.

"Stop calling me Fellow Daoist Zhao!" Zhao Tiezhu cried out in collapse.

"Understood, Fellow Daoist Zhao."

Zhao Tiezhu: ...

Damn it, he knew this girl was the most wicked of them all!

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, what's your favorite thing to eat?"

"...Braised pork trotters."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, when do you usually sleep at your place?"

"...I don't sleep."

"That's a shame, you don't even get to dream. So, Fellow Daoist Zhao, how old are you this year?"

"One hundred and sixty-eight."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, what color are the inner pants you're wearing today?"

"...Green."

By the time she asked her thirty-seventh question, the veins on Zhao Tiezhu's temples were bulging.

"Do you fart often?"

"What kind of question is that! I've reached fasting, how could I possibly fart!" He realized what he had said only after he finished roaring.

Rong Yuying's round fan snapped against her palm as she held back laughter, her shoulders trembling.

"Oh, don't be so angry~" Li Nanzhu said with a grin.

"So, what's your elder's name?"

"Elder Blood Fi—"

Halfway through the word, Zhao Tiezhu suddenly froze. Extreme terror surfaced in his eyes as eerie blood-colored patterns began to emerge beneath his skin. His lips trembled. "No... I didn't mean to... Elder, have mercy..."

"Get back!" Feng Qingping, who had been watching closely, shouted sharply as the green light on her array disk flared intensely.

Bang!

Zhao Tiezhu's body instantly exploded into a cloud of blood mist, which was blocked by Feng Qingping's barrier. A thick smell of blood filled the air, and a brief silence fell over the mine.

Li Nanzhu brushed some non-existent dust off her sleeve and said softly, "It seems this elder Blood Fiend has a rather short temper."

"It seems that as soon as key information is mentioned, the restriction triggers immediately to silence them..." Feng Qingping put away the array disk, her eyes fixed grimly on the spot where Zhao Tiezhu had exploded.

Rong Yuying put away her round fan and spoke with rare seriousness. "Blood Fiend... if I remember correctly, that was an evil cultivator organization that was supposed to have been wiped out a hundred years ago. To think there are remnants left, and they've even grown into a threat..."

Ling Suxin also frowned slightly. "The situation is more serious than we thought."

Feng Weilan's grip on the chains tightened. "The lead is dead."

Li Nanzhu shook her head. "No, we've learned at least two things."

"First, they have an elder named Blood Fiend." She paused. "Second, the fact that they guard their own subordinates so strictly means their goals must be massive."

Feng Qingping pondered for a moment. "The man is dead, and now is not the time to think about those things. Since everyone has recovered a bit, we must find a way to break these chains."

"But they said only someone at the Nascent Soul stage can break them... what do we do?"