Zhao Shuning was no longer polite at this moment. With a flash of spiritual power around her, she directly immobilized Ji Wei on the spot.
"Where's Master Gong?"
"It's no use looking for him now. That old fool is hanging on his last breath without the pills to sustain his life. He said he was waiting for Gong Xiaotang to come back. But judging from his life - force, he won't live past tonight at most."
Ji Wei laughed, and there was something terrifying in his smile.
"How disgusting!"
"The look of your smugness is really disgusting."
At this moment, Zhao Shuning's spiritual power leaked out, and the surging mental power followed. In the Gong family compound, the group of people were attacked by the sudden sound - wave and immediately squatted down, covering their heads.
Ji Wei's eyes also bulged out slowly under the effect of the sound - wave. This appearance was really scary.
"I don't want to ask a second time. Where's Master Gong?"
"Where's my father? What did you do to him?"
"Stop! I'll tell you. I'll tell you."
Zhao Shuning withdrew her mental power and looked at Ji Wei. The impatience in her eyes was obvious.
"Speak."
"He's in the Gong family's water dungeon."
The water dungeon?
"You're not human! My father is seriously ill, yet you still put him in the water dungeon."
Zhao Shuning waved her sharp sword. Ji Wei covered his arms and staggered back.
"If anything happens to Master Gong, all of you will be buried with him."
With a wave of Zhao Shuning's slender hand, those people were frozen in place and couldn't move.
There were already tears in Gong Xiaotang's eyes.
"Gong Xiaotang, this is not the time to cry. You have to save your father now. Do you understand?"
Gong Xiaotang nodded and forced the tears back.
She wiped away her tears and then ran towards the Gong family's water dungeon.
Zhao Shuning followed closely behind. Then, not feeling at ease, she planted her mental power in a few of those people.
It was an extremely secluded dungeon.
As the name suggests, there was nearly a meter of water in the dungeon, submerging the lower half of the body.
This place was usually used by the Gong family to detain the crazy livestock. No one would have thought that it would become the dwelling place of Gong Qing.
Gong Xiaotang pushed open the door.
A pungent and irritating smell immediately came from the dark and damp water dungeon.
Zhao Shuning covered her nose.
Gong Xiaotang lit the lamps one by one beside the water dungeon.
She walked towards the iron cages, checking them one by one, and calling out for her father again and again.
Seeing Gong Xiaotang stumbling forward, Zhao Shuning felt a twinge in her heart. In her previous life, when she was Ye Ling, she had no parents. In order to find her younger brother, she had been in such environments many times.
Every time, she also despaired while calling out her younger brother Ye Xingchen's name.
In that dark and damp place, there were only the sounds of the iron cages colliding, plus the pungent smell. All these made many people shy away.
"Gong Xiaotang."
"Shuning."
"Are you okay?"
Zhao Shuning could feel Gong Xiaotang's collapse. She had been pampered all the time. How could she have seen such a scene? Suddenly hearing such news and seeing such a situation, it was already very strong of her not to faint immediately.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. Father must be okay too."
"Don't be afraid. I'm here with you."
In the darkness, Zhao Shuning's small hand gently held Gong Xiaotang's right hand. Zhao Shuning's hand was not warm and thick, but such a simple action gave Gong Xiaotang great courage.
"I'm okay. Thank you."
Holding Zhao Shuning's hand tightly, she continued to search for Master Gong one cage after another. She called out all the way, but there was no response.
It was not until she reached the deepest part of the water dungeon that there was a faint groan coming from below.
Gong Xiaotang suddenly stopped.
She lay on the iron cage.
Tears fell one by one.
"Father, is that you?"
The dim candlelight couldn't clearly show the situation under the iron cage. Zhao Shuning took out a night - pearl from her Qiankun bag and placed it on the iron cage.
Now, the situation under the iron cage became much clearer.
It was a man in his forties.
He looked very gentle and elegant. Even being locked in such an iron cage like a beast, there was still a faint smile on his face.
No wonder Gong Xiaotang was so innocent and loved to laugh. Presumably, she was influenced by Gong Qing.
"Father, how are you?"
Seeing Gong Xiaotang, the man's eyes brightened a little.
"Ji Wei is still a man of his word. He still helped me find you."
"Father, it wasn't him. It wasn't him. Father, what have you done?"
Zhao Shuning opened the iron cage, cut the iron chains with the sharp blade given by her master, and then, together with Gong Xiaotang, pulled Gong Qing out.
"I said that as long as he helped me find you, I would give him all the property of the Gong family."
"Father, you're so silly. You're even sillier than Xiaotang."
"It's so good. I've seen my Xiaotang again."
"Father has no regrets even if I die."
At this moment, because Gong Qing had been soaked in the water dungeon for several days, his skin was wrinkled and his whole body had turned pale.
His complexion was very bad.
It seemed that this illness was not just a simple cold. Presumably, a special alchemist had poisoned him. Judging from the current situation, the person who poisoned Gong Qing should be Ji Wei.
"Father, don't say such discouraging words. If you're not here, what will I do? I've already lost my mother. You can't leave me, Father. If you dare to go like this, I'll surely follow you."
"Silly child."
Gong Qing wanted to reach out and touch Gong Xiaotang, but now he had no strength at all.
He lifted his hand with difficulty, but it dropped heavily on the iron cage.
"Xiaotang, Father is already a useless man."
The scene of the father - daughter reunion was really touching, but Zhao Shuning had to interrupt them now.
"Xiaotang, go out and call someone. Ask them to carry your father to the bed and prepare a medicinal - bath bucket. Now, just relying on the Purple Spirit Pill is not enough."
"Shuning."
"Go quickly!"
"Okay!"
Gong Xiaotang wiped away her tears, stood up, and ran out.
Zhao Shuning then stood beside the iron cage and guarded Gong Qing.
"Little girl, thank you. Xiaotang really regards you as a friend. If I'm not here, I hope you can take care of her more."
"Master Gong, don't hand your daughter over to me. I'm not that magnanimous. I won't help you take care of your daughter. If you really want to do well by her, then try your best to live. You know that Gong Xiaotang is so naive. If you're not here, she will surely be bullied by others. If you can bear to see her like this, then you can go with peace of mind now."
Gong Qing didn't expect this little girl to say such things. He coughed repeatedly before he stopped.
"But my body—"
"Don't worry. If I, Zhao Shuning, want to save someone, even Lord Yama can't take you away."