After passing through the long corridor, the view suddenly opened up, and in the spacious area in front of him stood a dozen or so people, with Zheng Qing sitting upright in a grand chair, and his subordinates standing on either side of him.
Jiang Baiyuan was badly injured and was tied up and thrown on the ground. His eyes were indifferent, and he did not seem to be discouraged by his dangerous situation.
Chen Qianlan and Su Wan were also tied up, their mouths gagged with rags. Neither of them showed any panic. When they saw Qin Yi and the others come in, Su Wan's eyes suddenly reddened.
Qin Yi glanced at Su Wan, his calm eyes concealing a raging fire of anger.
When Cui Zhengming saw Zhengqing, both old and new grudges surged up in his heart, and he practically spat out through clenched teeth: "Zhengqing, do you have any humanity left?"
Zheng Qing glanced at Cui Zhengming with a mocking smile: "Humanity? How much does humanity cost per pound? Senior brother, are you getting senile? Still talking about humanity now?"
Cui Zhengming was so angry at Zhengqing's shameless mouth that he cursed. This Zhengqing who used to be so docile like a lamb when he followed him, was it all an act?
Qin Yi's eyes remained fixed on Su Wan out of the corner of his eye as he calmly looked at Zheng Qing: "What do you want?"
Zheng Qing took out a whistle and blew it softly. As soon as the whistle sounded, Su Wan curled up on the ground, her clothes soaked with cold sweat. She could feel the Gu worms in her body awakening, like countless tiny insects wriggling in her blood vessels. The feeling was clearer than any previous attack, as if the Gu worms were gnawing at her flesh.
This pain made her feel like she was living a life worse than death.
"Waaah..." Her mouth was gagged, and she could only whimper in pain. Her fingers dug deep into her palms, and the tension in her body made the ropes around her tighten even more.
"Wanwan..." Qin Yi's pupils suddenly contracted, his voice hoarse as he tried to approach Su Wan, but was stopped by someone. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Zheng Qing with a gloomy gaze, "Zheng Qing, you better pray that none of us can get out of here alive, or I will scrape your flesh off inch by inch."
The threat in Qin Yi's words was obvious: either Zheng Qing would kill them all here and that would be the end of it, or if he was lucky enough to survive, he would find a way to take revenge on Zheng Qing later.
Moreover, the people who came with Qin Yi are still searching for their whereabouts outside. These people are all skilled, and Zheng Qing has no way of being able to keep everyone alive.
He is a cautious person; he won't go to extremes or risk disaster unless he's 100% certain.
Upon hearing Qin Yi's words, Zheng Qing's face darkened, and he waved his hand to stop Qin Yi's men from letting Qin Yi pass. He rushed over and carefully helped Su Wan up.
He saw strange blue patterns appear on Su Wan's body, and something was moving inside her.
"Wanwan."
Qin Yi's voice trembled slightly, filled with heartache.
He is Wanwan, the person he cherishes dearly, yet he has been bewitched by Zhengqing and tormented like this!
Qin Yi helped Su Wan up and removed the rag from her mouth. Su Wan was pale, but she forced her eyes open and managed a smile: "I'm fine."
Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible. She felt the Gu worms becoming more and more active, and wherever they passed, there was a tearing pain. Her vision slowly began to blur, and the buzzing sound in her ears made it impossible for her to hear Qin Yi's voice.
"Wanwan, hold on a little longer." After Qin Yi finished speaking, he clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white, then turned to look at Zheng Qing, his tone full of indifference: "Zheng Qing, state your terms."
Zheng Qing chuckled lightly, "It's very simple. First, hand over the snake-controlling secret formula that Su Wan possesses. Second, exchange the Western Secrets for all of your lives."
As soon as Zheng Qing spoke, everyone's expression tightened, and Qin Yi also looked at Zheng Qing with a serious expression.
So he really came for this matter, but how did he get the information about something so confidential? Or did he reveal the traitor?
Zheng Qing finished speaking without any rush. He slowly picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip of tea, and looked relaxed and carefree. He had hostages in his hands, Qin Yi's beloved, his brothers who had been through thick and thin with him, and his dearest cousin. He would weigh each of them carefully in his heart.
Su Wan noticed Qin Yi's tense expression, and their eyes met. Su Wan shook her head at him.
Su Wan felt a chill for Qin Yi. Her life wasn't important, but the matter Zheng Qing mentioned was something Qin Yi had never said before, meaning it was a secret. Zheng Qing was now using such a confidential matter to exchange for their lives, because he was certain that Qin Yi would be under his control.
If Qin Yi really told them, it would definitely not be allowed. Even if Su Wan and the others could get out safely, as long as this matter was exposed, Qin Yi's future would be ruined.
Not only would she not get it, but she might also face imprisonment, an outcome Su Wan didn't want to see.
She didn't want Qin Yi to put himself in danger because of her.
Zhengqing wanted the secret formula for controlling snakes, so she gave it to him.
Regardless, let's use this to stall him and buy Qin Yi some time.
A plan flashed in her clear black and white eyes as she turned to look at Zheng Qing. "Zheng Qing, didn't you want the secret formula for controlling snakes? I'll give it to you. Just let them go."
Zheng Qing narrowed his eyes, looking confident of victory. "Little girl, you have no right to negotiate with me."
Su Wan scoffed, disgusted by Zheng Qing's shamelessness. "The reason you want the secret formula is that it's useful to you. With it, even the most powerful weapon will be at a disadvantage."
"As for the results, you've already tried it, so I don't think you haven't experienced it."
Su Wan looked at Zheng Qing without a trace of fear in her eyes, while Zheng Qing looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
Su Wan was gambling, gambling on how much Zheng Qing wanted that snake-controlling secret formula.
After all, Su Wan had personally tested him.
Sitting upright in the armchair, Zheng Qing sized up Su Wan. This girl was no simpleton; she was far superior to that good-for-nothing Su Shikun. She was definitely not a brainless girl.
After Su Wan finished speaking, she stopped talking and just looked at Zheng Qing. Neither of them spoke, and the surroundings fell silent.
Skilled negotiators rely on psychological tactics.
Qin Yi, who was standing to the side, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, waved it in front of Zheng Qing to indicate that he did not have any weapons, then slowly took one out and put it in his mouth, and lit one for Lin Changchun and Cui Zhengming respectively.
He silently smoked his cigarette, remaining silent for a long time, his mind racing with thoughts of how to escape danger and how to safely rescue Su Wan and the others. As he finished his cigarette, he slowly glanced at Zheng Qing and said, "You can take your time to think about it."
Zheng Qing's face was gloomy. He was confident that they would submit to his demands, but Su Wan and Qin Yi were clearly not easy to control.
"Have you forgotten that your wife, sister, and brothers are still in my hands?"
Qin Yi's expression remained unchanged. "You can give it a try."
Su Wan and Qin Yi exchanged a glance. "If you don't believe me, we can test it out. It's faster for you to cast the Gu than for my snake."
Su Wan's voice wasn't loud, but Zheng Qing could hear it clearly. Zheng Qing was full of doubts. He didn't believe that Su Wan, in her current state, could still control snakes. But he didn't dare to gamble, after all, he had learned his lesson once.
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