Return of the Pearl

Immediately afterwards, An Yi's devil-like hand slowly reached out to the bottle containing ants. He gently unscrewed the bottle cap, and a strong smell came to his nose. Those black, wriggling ants seemed to smell the scent of prey. They began to become restless, rolling and crawling in the bottle.

An Yi showed a ferocious smile, and he suddenly turned the bottle upside down. The black ants seemed to have received the signal of release, and rushed out of the bottle mouth one after another. They were like a group of black tides, rushing towards Altai quickly.

An Yi cruelly poured all the ants on Altai's bloody wound. In an instant, the ants rushed to Altai's wound like a tide. They greedily gnawed at his flesh and blood, making subtle but creepy sounds.

Altai's body was shaking violently, and he let out a heart-wrenching scream. The sound seemed to burst out from the depths of his soul, filled with endless pain and despair. His wounds were crawling with ants, and those black figures were moving freely over his wounds, devouring his flesh and blood, and making him fall into pain that was worse than death.

Altai was so shocked by the sudden severe pain that he screamed at the top of his lungs. The screams seemed to break through the roof and soar into the sky. His voice was full of pain and despair, like the howl of a wounded beast in the desolate wilderness, shrill and sad.

His entire body was shaking violently from the unbearable pain, like a fallen leaf in the wind, about to fall. The muscles on his face were twisted beyond recognition due to the agony, completely deformed, hideous and terrifying. The blue veins on his forehead bulged out one by one, standing out like winding earthworms, clearly visible. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead like raindrops, soaking his clothes in an instant. His originally handsome face was now shrouded in pain, becoming twisted and hideous, making it unbearable to look at.

Despite suffering such severe pain, Altai still kept his lips tightly closed and his teeth clenched, refusing to utter even a word. His eyes were as firm as a rock, resolute and persistent, revealing an unyielding will, as if declaring to the world that he would never give in easily.

At this time, An Yi, with his keen insight, noticed Altai's abnormality. He understood that the person behind the tortured Altai who was beyond recognition must be extraordinary. He knew that he could no longer continue to interrogate Altai in the conventional way. Otherwise, with such cruel torture, Altai might really not be able to save his life.

In the eerie and dark cell, An Yi took steady steps and slowly approached Ortai. His figure looked particularly mysterious and frightening in the dim light. The corners of An Yi's mouth were slightly raised, with an unfathomable and elusive smile on his face. That smile seemed to hide endless secrets and mysteries.

He asked softly in a slightly joking tone, "Is the person you are colluding with Prince Duologo Hongzhan?"

When Altai heard this, there was no emotion on his face, as if he had heard nothing and had no reaction.

Seeing Altai like this, An Yi understood a little, so he pressed further, "The person you are colluding with is Heshuo Heqin Prince Hong Zhou?"

At this moment, Altai tried his best to hide the panic surging in his heart. He gritted his teeth and pretended to be calm. However, the emotions he tried so hard to hide were inadvertently revealed.

His pupils involuntarily dilated rapidly at that moment, and a trace of imperceptible fear and panic flashed in his eyes. It was an unspeakable fear, and this subtle change could not escape An Yi's eagle-like sharp eyes. An Yi took it all in, and the smile at the corner of his mouth became more and more intense, as if mocking Altai's futile struggle.

An Yi raised one corner of his mouth slightly, and the mocking smile became more and more obvious. He said in a slightly joking tone: "Look, you still admit it. After going through so much pain, what's the point?"

After hearing what An Yi said, Altai was like an enraged lion, his emotions exploded instantly, his eyes widened, fire seemed to be spewing from his eyes, his face became extremely distorted by anger, he shouted frantically: "No! I didn't say anything, I didn't confess!" His voice kept echoing in the dark cell, with endless unwillingness and grief, as if to shatter the cell.

An Yi stared at Altai with cold eyes, which were filled with deep disdain and contempt, as if Altai was just a speck of dust in his eyes. He took firm steps, walked quickly to Altai, suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbed Altai forcefully, and then threw him back into the cell.

Altai's body drew an arc in the air and fell heavily on the floor of the cell. The already hideous wounds on his body became even more painful after this fall, and blood continued to ooze out. However, An Yi turned a blind eye to all this. His eyes were as cold as a thousand-year-old ice, without a trace of mercy.

"Just wait, I guess you can't go back to Beijing." An Yi's voice was low and cold, as if it was wrapped in the chill of the underworld, floating in the cell like a ghost, as if it was the voice of judgment coming from the depths of hell.

After hearing what An Yi said, Altai's face instantly showed an expression of extreme disbelief. He widened his eyes, which were filled with shock and panic. His pupils shrank sharply due to fear. His heart was filled with despair and unwillingness, surging like a surging tide. He could not accept this fact.

He suddenly raised his head, his face distorted by emotion, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm a high-ranking official! According to the law, the Emperor should bring me back to the capital for trial!"

His voice exploded in the cell like thunder, carrying endless grief and resentment, echoing for a long time in this small space. The voice was full of his unwillingness and despair, as if it would shake the cell down. His eyes were red, and tears and sweat mixed together, sliding down his cheeks.

An Yi raised the corner of his mouth into an icy smile, which was full of sarcasm and disdain. He responded in a mocking tone: "You also said that, that is according to the law. The land of Shandong is now a barren land for dozens of miles. The people are struggling in pain, and there are countless casualties. Not only that, even the elite secret guards, brave guards and loyal soldiers brought by the master have died heroically here. In this case, do you think you can still return to Beijing alive?" His words were like an ice-cold sharp blade, piercing Altai's heart, making him feel unprecedented despair and helplessness.