Sheng Jiangli moved through the Ministry of Justice prison as if it were unguarded. With a flash of his figure, he arrived at the women's cell area.
Perhaps due to its deep location and strong yin energy, the women's cell was colder and more putrid than the men's.
Sheng Jiangli took a few steps. Rats and cockroaches scurried around his feet. Along the way, faint groans came from the cages where female prisoners were held.
If one looked closely, they could see the dark, glowing eyes of rats peering through the darkness in each cage.
Sheng Jiangli had excellent eyesight. He searched the cells one by one.
"Damn girl!" Sheng Jiangli called out. "Ge Qingqing!"
There was no familiar response from Qingqing.
Instead, the rats in the cages were startled by the sound. They turned their heads and stared at him with their crimson eyes.
Sheng Jiangli took a closer look and was shocked to find that the rats were biting the female prisoners.
The poor women didn't scream because they were already on the verge of death. All they could do was let out faint moans from their throats. They didn't have the strength to scream like Qingqing did a few days ago.
Sheng Jiangli's heart sank.
He hadn't expected the situation in the women's cell to be like this.
In the men's cell, most of the prisoners were ruthless villains. To these hungry men, rats were not something to be feared but rather a source of food.
Sheng Jiangli had overlooked this point. He had forgotten that women were too weak to fight against these creatures.
Was Qingqing also bitten like these women in the cages?
"Ge Qingqing!" Sheng Jiangli quickened his pace in a hurry.
The cries of Qingqing before she was dragged into the women's cell suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Brother Sheng! Are you really so heartless to leave me alone? There are big rats and cockroaches in there. They will bite people... I'm scared! I'm so scared..."
He took a deep breath. Suddenly, it felt like a knife was stabbing his heart. A hint of red appeared in his eyes, and regret flashed across his dark pupils.
Even if that girl was full of tricks and her identity was suspicious.
How could he just ignore her based on a little suspicion without any evidence?
If something really happened to her and her face was disfigured by the rats...
Not only would Caiyu kill him, but he would also never forgive himself.
"Ge Qingqing!"
Sheng Jiangli had reached the last row of cells.
Suddenly, a familiar corner of a robe caught his eye.
Sheng Jiangli held his breath and looked towards the darkest and most secluded cell in the corner.
There was a small figure curled up in the messy straw, motionless, as if dead.
Several gray rats with red eyes let out "squeaky" sounds from their throats. They circled around her. Then, they arched their bodies and pounced on Qingqing like cannonballs, opening their sharp mouths in the air!
In a split second, Sheng Jiangli kicked several gravels from the ground.
The gravels flew out like meteor darts and hit the rats accurately.
The rats let out shrill cries, rolled on the ground a few times, and then died silently.
"Clank!"
Sheng Jiangli broke the lock with his bare hands. He took three steps in two and rushed to the girl. He put his hand under her neck and hugged her in his arms. With his other hand, he slapped her face desperately.
"Hey! Girl! Wake up!"
"Girl! You're not dead, are you? Don't die! If you die, I won't be able to live!"
Shuer would beat him to death.
Qingqing slumped on his arm. Her head swayed from side to side as he slapped her. It seemed that she had lost her breath.
Sheng Jiangli was extremely anxious. He gritted his teeth and put his face on her chest to listen for her breathing.
The softness and warmth of the girl's chest made the man freeze for a moment. Then he realized what was happening, and his ears turned red.
He was about to straighten up like an electric shock when the seemingly dying girl suddenly raised her arms and hooked his neck!
She was surprisingly strong.
The unprepared man was forced to press his handsome face back onto the girl's chest. His straight nose was squeezed so hard that he couldn't breathe!
The next second, Sheng Jiangli reacted and threw the girl back into the straw!
"Ge Qingqing!"
The man's angry voice echoed in the cell!
Qingqing rolled in the straw and opened her eyes. There was no trace of the dying girl just now.
She bit her lip and stared at Sheng Jiangli. "Didn't you say you wouldn't care about me? Why don't you just let me fend for myself? What are you doing here?"
Sheng Jiangli took a deep breath and stared at her angrily. "You pressed my face against your body. You're a girl... Don't you have any shame?"
Qingqing retorted without hesitation. "It was you who rubbed your face against me first. You were the one who was being a hooligan!"
"You..." Sheng Jiangli felt dizzy. "I was..."
He did it because he couldn't wake her up and couldn't detect her breath. He did it in a hurry.
Sheng Jiangli had never met such a bold and shameless girl in his life. He was so angry that he couldn't speak.
His face was gloomy. He seemed not to want to talk to her anymore. He turned around and walked away.
But Qingqing rolled up from the straw and pounced on his back. She hugged him tightly from behind!
"Brother Sheng! Are you really going to leave? Is it true that you said you wouldn't be able to live if something happened to me?"
Don't be deceived by her petite figure. She was very strong. Her arms wrapped around the man's waist tightly. Sheng Jiangli tried to shake her off but failed.
He was about to shake her off seriously when he suddenly felt a warm and wet sensation on his back.
His back stiffened immediately. He didn't dare to turn around. His beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with shock.
This girl... was crying?
He had seen girls cry before.
He pretended to be a playboy, and there were always countless beautiful women around him. He had seen women cry many times.
But this girl's tears soaked his clothes and penetrated his skin. They burned his heart.
His cold heart softened a little. The big hand that was about to pry her fingers away slowly dropped.
"Let go." Sheng Jiangli's voice was a little lazy, without any anger or coldness.
Qingqing pressed her face against his strong and broad back and shook her head. "No. If I let go, you'll leave. I'm scared."
A sneer came from the man's throat.
At first, he was so anxious that he didn't notice the situation in the cell. Now that he had calmed down, he took a closer look.
The whole cell was filled with the corpses of rats, scattered on the ground.
Moreover, the female prisoners in other cells were bitten badly by the rats, not only on their hands and feet but also on their faces. Only this girl didn't have a single wound on her hands.
He didn't know what method she used. Maybe it was that mysterious silver needle!
Sheng Jiangli moved his arms and pushed the girl behind him. "I won't leave. Can you let go of me now?"
Qingqing's voice came from his back in a muffled voice. "Really? You won't lie to me?"
"Really. I won't lie to you."
"Then if you lie to me, you're a dog."
Sheng Jiangli twitched the corner of his mouth. "Okay. I'm a dog."
Qingqing let go of her arms and looked at him eagerly as he turned around.
The man's beautiful eyes scanned the rat corpses on the ground. He lifted his chin and asked, "Did you kill them all?"
Qingqing grinned. "How could it be? I'm just a weak girl. I'd be so scared that my hair would stand on end when I see a rat. I'd cry and pounce on you in a hurry..."
Feeling the man's deathly stare, Qingqing pouted and readily betrayed Xu Ziyi.
"It was that Lord Xu!"
She immediately added, "But Lord Xu is really a good man. He knew that I'm crazy about you, so he gave me some powder to repel snakes, insects, rats, and ants... Lord Xu told me to pretend to be dead. He said that if you showed up in the women's cell, it meant that you cared about me!"
The little girl looked at Sheng Jiangli proudly. "Brother Sheng, you care about me!"
Sheng Jiangli: "..." I'll definitely kill Xu Ziyi when I get out!"
After saying that, Sheng Jiangli turned around and walked away.
Qingqing didn't expect him to leave. She couldn't grab his sleeve. She watched helplessly as he quickly flashed out and then locked the door with a clang!
Qingqing rushed up. She was separated from him by the locked door. She roared at his back.
"You just swore that you'd be a dog if you lied to me!"
The man stopped and turned around.
His charming phoenix eyes curved into a sly arc. He smiled and said,
"Yes! Didn't I just say I'm a dog?"