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"Hey! There really is a pill! This thing smells weird—" Shawn Young took out the pill and handed it to Felix Eagleclaw.
Felix Eagleclaw leaned in, took the pill, sniffed it under his nose, and frowned. "Yeah, that's right. This is potassium cyanide. Originally, it was a suicide drug for secret agents. I didn't expect even ninjas to carry it now! And this female ninja is wearing a dark blue ninja outfit. The ninja world has a strict hierarchy—the dark blue outfit means her rank is definitely high!"
"Oh—so she must know a lot, right?" Shawn Young asked quickly.
"Yeah, for sure. But with someone of her rank, it's even less likely you'll get anything out of her. In the ninja world, there are four basic rules: One, don't abuse ninjutsu—it's only for official business! Two, during training and missions, you have to ditch all pride and focus on the mission! Three, keep your mouth shut, even if it costs your life! Four, never reveal your identity—that's the most important! High-level ninjas like her stick to these rules religiously! So if she wakes up, she'll probably try to kill herself right away!" Felix Eagleclaw explained.
"What? She'll off herself the moment she wakes up?! Then all my effort catching her was for nothing!" Shawn Young groaned, totally bummed. What a waste—she's a knockout with a body that could start wars, letting her die like this is a crime against humanity!
"Uh—yeah, unless she gets completely brainwashed, wipes out those deep-rooted clan rules, and becomes a whole new person. But that's not likely—" Felix Eagleclaw shook his head.
"Oh!? Brainwashing?! That might actually work!" Shawn Young perked up at Felix Eagleclaw's suggestion, suddenly remembering his 'Soul Search Ritual.' If he used it on this stunning female ninja, he could dig into her memories. But the side effects were intense—afterward, she'd probably end up a complete idiot or a vegetable! Shawn was really tempted by her beauty and hot figure, but he didn't want to use such a brutal spell on her! For now, he couldn't think of a better way, so he just stared at the gorgeous face of the ninja in his arms, lost in thought.
"Uh—Shawn, let's not worry about the female ninja for now! Just don't let her wake up. We're surrounded here, and Charles Morin is hanging by a thread. We need to escape down the mountain and find an expert—maybe we can save him!" Felix Eagleclaw said, looking troubled.
"Hmm, what's up with Charles Morin right now?" Shawn Young asked quickly.
"Sigh—he's been hit by the Yan Twins of Terror's 'Soulhook Arrow.' That thing is seriously sinister, and I can't break such a wicked spell! I'm afraid he won't last till morning—his soul will be scattered!" Felix Eagleclaw sighed.
"Yan Twins of Terror? Who are they?" Shawn Young asked, curious.
"Yan Twins of Terror—Yan Long and Yan Hu, a pair of twin brothers, ranked ninth and tenth on the China Dragon-Tiger Leaderboard. They're Xiangxi natives, born into a family of corpse herders—masters of ghost-busting and spell-slinging. These two are like shadows, popping up when you least expect it. Their kung fu isn't much, but their Luban mechanical sorcery is legendary in the underworld. Normally, they're off doing their own thing, but now they're teaming up, and trust me, that makes them twice as nasty—even I got my butt kicked!" Felix Eagleclaw shook his head, half impressed, half annoyed.
Felix Eagleclaw had already taken a hit from sparring with Shawn Young earlier, so his strength was down. Now, facing the combined power of the Yan Twins of Terror, it was no surprise he got the worst of it.
"Hmm—so, where are the Yan Twins now?" Shawn Young asked quickly.
"Uh—not sure. After I escaped Stone Dragon Mountain with the two officers and Charles Morin, we ran into this valley. The Yan Twins didn't chase us, so it looks like their target was Charles Morin! They've pretty much succeeded, so they're probably gone—" Felix Eagleclaw said, frowning.
Just then, a creepy laugh echoed from the cobweb-covered rafters of the rundown temple: "Heh heh—Felix Eagleclaw, you old dog, you guessed half right. Our target is indeed that Morin kid, but you never thought we'd know you were hiding here, did you? Heh—heh—heh—"
"Ah! It's the Yan Twins of Terror!! How did you track us here? Why go after Charles Morin?!" Felix Eagleclaw shouted, looking up at the rafters, but couldn't see anyone.
"Heh—heh—heh—We're not interested in the Morin Family's business in Beijing. Someone paid us big money, and taking care of trouble for cash has always been our Yan family rule. We don't care what the employer wants—we just snatch the kid's soul and that's it!" The creepy voice echoed through the temple, sounding extra spooky.
"Uh—Yan Long, Yan Hu, get out here! I'll fight you to the death!" Felix Eagleclaw shouted angrily.
"Heh—heh—heh—Felix Eagleclaw, we don't have time to fight you now. We're heading back to report in! You guys can mess around all you want—heh heh—" The creepy voice faded away, as if it had never been there.
"You—come out here! What kind of coward hides in the shadows?!" Felix Eagleclaw shouted up at the roof, but no one was there—only his angry voice echoed.
At this moment, Shawn Young frowned and said, "Felix, stop shouting. They're gone, and they never actually came up the mountain. Just now, they used the Underworld Soul Snare!"
"Underworld Soul Snare? What's that, some kind of spell?" Felix Eagleclaw asked, surprised.
"Yeah, it's a tracking spell. Once they lock onto someone's birth info, they use the Soul Snare Needle to track that person, and can even send messages through the Underworld Soul Snare—like what they just said, that was transmitted remotely. The person they've locked onto is probably Charles Morin!" Shawn Young explained.
"Uh—why Charles Morin?" Felix Eagleclaw asked, shocked.
"If I'm guessing right, the Soulhook Arrow that hit Charles Morin had the Underworld Soul Snare mixed in! Those guys have real magical chops—they can blend spells like cocktails! We need to seal Little Charlie's Seven Orifices Aura right now, or things are gonna get ugly! Where is he?" Shawn Young fired off quickly.
"Oh—I hid him behind the temple idol!" Felix Eagleclaw replied quickly.
"Come on, take me to him—maybe I can get his soul back!" Shawn Young said immediately.
"Alright—follow me—" Felix Eagleclaw replied, hustling Shawn Young into the temple. As they left, Shawn focused his qi, sealing the Baihui Point and other key acupoints of the knockout ninja babe, making sure she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. He handed her over to the jittery Captain Victor Zhang and Sergeant Hannah Pan to keep watch.