Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

Lu Changsheng's expression remained solemn.

Although the "immobilization talisman" was effective, it consumed a lot of energy, and its effect on the villager seemed to be slowly resisted by some force, with the red light on the talisman visibly dimming.

"Get out of here quickly, we can't hold him for long!" Lu Changsheng helped Cheng Caijun up, preparing to retreat first.

Just as the two relaxed slightly and turned to leave—

Another slender figure darted out from behind the low wall on the other side like a ghost!

The man moved with incredible speed and without a sound. A flash of cold light appeared in his hand, revealing a sharp boning knife, which he thrust straight at Cheng Caijun's back, who had just been helped up and was not yet on his feet!

This sneak attack was perfectly timed, extremely fast, and completely unexpected!

When Lu Changsheng realized it, the tip of the knife was less than half a foot away from Cheng Caijun's back!

Cheng Caijun didn't even have time to turn around before he felt a chilling aura of death envelop him!

"Clang!"

Another crisp, metallic clang rang out!

A jet-black dagger appeared out of thin air, precisely parrying the deadly boning knife!

The knife tip stopped abruptly just inches from Cheng Caijun's clothes.

An Zhiyu suddenly appeared beside Cheng Caijun. As she parried the dagger, her right leg swept out silently like a whip, delivering a vicious kick to the side of the skinny attacker's knee!

"Crack!" A sickening sound of bone breaking rang out.

"Ugh!"

The gaunt attacker let out a short scream and fell forward, losing his balance.

An Zhiyu pressed down with her left hand, striking the back of his neck with a clean and decisive blow, knocking him unconscious. The entire process was incredibly swift and fluid, from appearance to resolution, taking only a breath.

Only then did Cheng Caijun feel the chill on his back subside, and his heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

He looked back at the unconscious skinny man on the ground and the frozen giant beside him, then at the calm-looking An Zhiyu, and was speechless for a moment.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Cheng Caijun's voice trembled with lingering fear and heartfelt gratitude.

Lu Changsheng was also terrified. The sneak attack just now was too sudden. If An Zhiyu hadn't intervened, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He looked at An Zhiyu and nodded solemnly:

Thank you.

An Zhiyu shook her head slightly, indicating that there was no need to be polite.

"Interrogate these two people."

After the initial shock, Lu Changsheng said in a deep voice.

He wanted to go and wake the skinny guy up to ask if he had any useful information, but An Zhiyu said indifferently.

"We can't get anything out of these two."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng frowned slightly. He had just opened his mouth when An Zhiyu seemed to know what he was going to ask and interrupted him succinctly:

"I just caught one."

As she spoke, she gestured to the narrower, darker alleyway beside her.

Lu Changsheng and Cheng Caijun followed her gaze and then noticed that in the shadows of the alley, there seemed to be a young man who was tightly bound and gagged. Judging from his clothes, he was a villager from Luoshan Village.

This person also appeared to be unconscious and motionless.

Cheng Caijun's eyes widened, and he looked at An Zhiyu with even more admiration.

So, in the short time she disappeared, she not only interrogated a villager but also dealt with the attackers here. That's efficient...

Lu Changsheng's heart also stirred. An Zhiyu was clearly acting faster and with a clearer goal than he had anticipated.

The people she arrested were probably not arrested randomly.

"Arresting someone in the village is quite risky," Lu Changsheng said in a low voice. "What's so special about this person?"

An Zhiyu glanced at Lu Changsheng, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes, her gaze cool and clear.

"I was just going to grab someone randomly. Then I ran into him. He was coming out from the direction of the shaman's courtyard, and he looked a little flustered."

But she immediately added, her tone still flat:

"His bones are very hard. Even after I crippled one of his arms, he didn't say a word."

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng's expression darkened.

Even An Zhiyu's methods couldn't pry open the villager's mouth. Either the villager was under a very strong restriction, or he was afraid of something that far outweighed the physical pain.

Interrogating the two thugs on the ground will likely yield little result.

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes.

If conventional methods don't work, then we'll use unconventional ones!

"Directly and forcibly summon the soul!"

"Luring souls?"

Cheng Caijun was taken aback. What kind of superb skill was this?

An Zhiyu, who was standing to the side, seemed to know something, and a strange light flashed in her eyes.

"Yes, soul-summoning. It involves drawing the soul out of the body when the other person is unable to resist. However, if the other person does not cooperate, the success rate of soul-summoning is very low, and it can easily cause the person to become mentally impaired."

Lu Changsheng reached down and pulled out the jade pendant he always wore close to his body from his neck.

The jade pendant felt warm and smooth to the touch, but under Lu Changsheng's mental stimulation, the faint spiritual energy inside was quickly drawn out, emitting a faint, almost invisible, shimmering white luster.

His gaze was fixed on the skinny guy who had ambushed Cheng Caijun!

Although the young man caught by Anzhiyu was more suspicious, this also shows that the young man was more important.

If the soul-summoning fails, this young man's trail will be severed.

Lu Changsheng held the jade pendant in his hand, pointed it towards the skinny man, and uttered a low shout. An invisible force of attraction then emanated from it!

"come out!"

With his low shout, the jade pendant's light intensified slightly.

The next moment, a scene that sent chills down Cheng Caijun's spine unfolded!

The unconscious, thin man's body suddenly convulsed violently, his expression contorted in extreme pain, as if he were enduring indescribable torture.

Immediately afterwards, a blurry, semi-transparent phantom was forcibly "pulled" out from above his head!

The silhouette of the phantom was exactly the same as the skinny man's, but his face was filled with extreme fear and confusion; it was his soul!

As his soul left his body, the skinny man's physical body went limp, and his breathing became extremely weak, like a candle flickering in the wind.

The soul phantom that was forcibly pulled out floated in mid-air under the shimmering light of the jade pendant, trembling. It seemed that after losing its reliance on the physical body, it had become fragile and chaotic, with a dull look in its eyes.

"This...this is a soul?"

Cheng Caijun felt a chill run down his spine, a mixture of awe and fear.

An Zhiyu observed intently, her cool eyes filled with contemplation.

This method of forcibly drawing the soul is indeed domineering, and it is a huge burden on both the caster and the caster.

Lu Changsheng's face was slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Forcibly drawing upon the spiritual energy of the jade pendant to absorb the soul was a tremendous drain on his current cultivation level and mental strength. But he persevered, his gaze sharp as lightning, staring directly at the trembling, dazed phantom of the soul.

At this moment, the skinny man's soul was in a dazed and defenseless state, making him the easiest target for questioning.