Chapter 990 Dungeon
Under Xie Xuan's instruction, Lin Fangda, Xu Heng and Ling Qing officially led people to take over the dungeon and replaced all the guards arranged by Gu Ri and Yan Bugui.

When everything was ready, Xie Xuan ordered Lin Fangda and others to wait outside the dungeon, and he led Luo Ningyu into the dungeon.

From the beginning to the end, only Xie Xuan, Lin Fangda and Xu Heng knew Luo Ningyu's identity. The other disciples, whether "newcomers" or "oldies", knew nothing about it.

Entering the dark and damp dungeon, passing through the narrow and dark passage, shocking bloodstains and filthy and terrifying snakes, insects, rats and ants can be seen everywhere. The air is filled with a disgusting smell of rot and mold, and the deeper you go, the stronger the smell becomes.

Today, there is only one "prisoner" imprisoned in the dungeon of Prince Xian's Mansion, and he is imprisoned in the deepest, darkest and most terrifying place in the entire dungeon.

From the dungeon gate to the deepest stone chamber, Xie Xuan and Luo Ningyu walked for a full incense stick of time in the winding passage, passing through six iron doors in succession. The meticulous prevention and strict alert were evident.

The ground here has become a bit muddy due to years of accumulation of water, and the surrounding walls are covered with moss and are mottled.

The smell of mold, feces, urine, and blood all mixed together, filling the narrow and closed space and overflowing every inch of air. If it weren't for the deep obsession in her heart, Luo Ningyu probably wouldn't be able to endure it for a moment.

Except for the "prisoners" locked in the stone chamber, no one else... including the dungeon guards would stay here for too long. Regardless of how bad the environment is and how bad the air is, the weird atmosphere of the year-round dim candlelight and no sunlight is enough to make people feel depressed and mentally collapsed.

"Xun Yi, he's inside."

When Luo Ningyu, who was in a heavy mood, was in the devastated and gloomy environment and was lost in thought, Xie Xuan's voice sounded quietly. Although the voice was not loud, it was extremely loud in the silent dungeon, and even echoed.

Luo Ningyu suddenly realized what was going on and looked in the direction of Xie Xuan's finger. She saw a dark "stone wall" about ten feet away. When she got closer, she realized that it was a heavy iron door embedded in the wall.

Xie Xuan inserted a copper key into the only hole on the iron door and turned it slowly. With a series of "click-click" sounds of unlocking, the still iron door suddenly trembled, opening a gap as wide as a finger.

"go in!"

After much difficulty in finding out Liu Xunyi's whereabouts, she did everything she could to get Xie Xuan's permission. At the moment, Luo Ningyu and Liu Xunyi were only separated by a door.

However, despite her high expectations, she suddenly became hesitant and stood in front of the iron gate for a long time, refusing to take a step forward.

It seemed that Luo Ningyu had already anticipated that this meeting between her and Liu Xunyi would reveal more secrets, lead to greater troubles, and cause her to fall into deeper entanglement.

In this case, should she still meet him? Should she continue to avoid him by pretending to know nothing, or... face the reality and face it bravely?

If she escapes, can her rough fate end? Can the tragic ending be changed?
The answer is obvious, no!

But if she chooses to face it, what should she do next?

Luo Ningyu also knew nothing about this.

"Yu'er, let's go back..."

"No!"

After a long silence, Xie Xuan, who had already guessed what was going on, spoke softly. However, before he could finish his words, Luo Ningyu flatly refused.

"Some things are destined, I can't escape..."

After uttering an inexplicable sigh, Luo Ningyu slowly stretched out her hands under Xie Xuan's melancholy gaze and gently placed them on the iron gate.

Instantly, an icy chill penetrated her fingertips and spread throughout her body at lightning speed, reaching deep into her heart, completely destroying the last bit of warmth hidden there.

"squeak!"

Luo Ningyu mustered up her courage and pushed hard. With a piercing sound like a death knell, the heavy iron door opened.

At the same time, a bloody smell a thousand times stronger than outside wafted into their faces. Not to mention Luo Ningyu was caught off guard, even Xie Xuan, who was used to seeing life and death, couldn't help but frown.

Gradually getting used to it, Luo Ningyu, who was still frightened, quickly looked closely.

"what!"

With just one glance, Luo Ningyu was frightened by the horrific scene and let out a scream. She subconsciously covered her mouth and nose with her hands, and tears rolled down uncontrollably like a string of beads that had broken off the string.

There stood an iron frame in the stone chamber, and a "blood gourd" that was ragged, bloody, and almost unrecognizable as a human was firmly tied to the iron frame with six iron chains as thick as forearms.

One was tied around the neck, chest, abdomen, hands and feet, so that he was tightly restrained and unable to move.

His hair was disheveled, his face was covered in blood, and his robe, which had been soaked in blood countless times, hung on his body in tatters.

From head to toe, his body was covered with bruises and bloodstains. Especially his torn chest, where the white bones were faintly visible among the blood and flesh, rising and falling rapidly with the beating of his heart, which was horrifying and unbearable to look at.

The torture day after day not only caused his old injuries to not heal, but also caused new ones to appear, and there was almost no "complete" place on his body.

If Xie Xuan hadn't told her, Luo Ningyu would never have believed that the dying "Blood Gourd" in front of her was the once elegant and energetic Liu Xunyi.

Restraining the great grief in her heart, Luo Ningyu staggered towards Liu Xunyi step by step.

At this moment, her heart was bleeding, her tears were bursting, and her mind was wandering outside of her body. She couldn't believe what she saw, but... she had to believe it.

"Looking for...looking for clothes..."

Luo Ningyu tried desperately to suppress her emotions and not let herself cry. Her right hand trembled as she reached out to Liu Xunyi, as if she wanted to wipe the blood off his face.

"Ugh..." Suddenly, Liu Xunyi let out a painful whine. Luo Ningyu mistakenly thought that she had touched his wound, and immediately showed panic on her face, and quickly retracted her right hand.

As if awakened by the whimpering sound so close to him, Liu Xunyi opened his eyes with difficulty, and stared blankly at Luo Ningyu who was covering her face and crying with his listless and turbid eyes.

"Xunyi, you have suffered..."

I don't know when? Xie Xuan had walked up to him, looking at the wounded Liu Xunyi with anger in his eyes, his fists clenched in his sleeves making crackling sounds.

"Second Master, Ning Yu, what are you doing...hiss!"

Liu Xunyi, who was gradually waking up, was frightened by the two people in front of him. Due to his excitement, he accidentally touched the wound, so his eyes changed, and he gritted his teeth and took a breath of cold air.

"Don't move!"

Luo Ningyu hurriedly tried to comfort him. She wanted to help Liu Xunyi relieve the pain, but she had too many wounds to do anything. She was anxious and angry, but she could do nothing.

Seeing Luo Ningyu again, scenes of the past came to his mind uncontrollably. Liu Xunyi suddenly felt ashamed, and his eyes darkened. He said guiltily: "Ningyu, I... I'm sorry..."

Hearing this, Luo Ningyu couldn't help but feel sad and choked up, "If you want to apologize to me because of Dad, I think... it's not necessary."

"what?"

Liu Xunyi frowned, as if he didn't understand what Luo Ningyu meant, and cast a curious look at Xie Xuan who was standing beside him.

"Thank you, Uncle Xie... He has told me the truth about my father's murder."

"hiss!"

The disheartened Luo Ningyu used an almost desperate answer to dispel all of Liu Xunyi's doubts, which made him feel nervous and even more at a loss.

Through Liu Xunyi's complicated expression, Luo Ningyu tacitly agreed that Xie Xuan did not lie. Luo Tianjin's death... was indeed related to Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao.

Thinking of this, Luo Ningyu was even more grief-stricken. But she did not indulge in her sorrow and ignore everything. Instead, she spoke out her confusion in a disjointed manner: "I don't understand, what happened today? If Xunyi is not the murderer of my father, why did Second Uncle Xie bring him back?"

"This..." Faced with Luo Ningyu's questioning, Xie Xuan, with a lot of thoughts in his mind, didn't know how to answer.

“Ning Yu, actually…” Seeing through Xie Xuan’s depression, Liu Xunyi lied and evaded the question, “In fact, Second Master Xie had no choice. After all, it was the order from the leader of the martial arts world, and he…had to obey…”

After hearing this, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but secretly curse himself as "despicable and shameless".

It was obvious that he and Xie Xuan had conspired to act, but now he was talking nonsense in a serious manner. Especially... Luo Ningyu was very caring towards him, which made Liu Xunyi feel that he was repaying kindness with ingratitude, and was worse than an animal.

However, considering Xunzhen and Xie Xuan's life-saving grace and the big event they had planned for a long time, Liu Xunyi had to hide the truth from Luo Ningyu.

At this moment, the torment in his heart was far more painful than the scars on his body.

“If what Second Uncle Xie said is true, he…how could he possibly obey Grandpa’s orders?” Luo Ningyu shook her head repeatedly and said firmly, “Second Uncle Xie would never bring you back, let alone kill you…”

"Ningyu, I know you are confused. But Master Xie is the lord of the Xianwang Mansion, and there are many things he cannot decide for himself..."

"No, you are the one who is really confused!" Luo Ningyu couldn't wait to interrupt Liu Xunyi's consolation, "You don't know the truth at all, so you think that Second Uncle Xie regards Grandpa's order as more important than your life. In fact, in his heart, nothing in the world is more important than you..."

"Ningyu, what...what are you talking about?" Liu Xunyi, who was already confused, became more and more confused as he listened. "I know that in your heart I am not guilty of a capital crime, and I also know that in your heart Mr. Xie has always been upright and honest. But now..."

"I'm not talking about Second Uncle Xie, I'm talking about you, Liu Xunyi!"

"Me?" Looking at the emotional Luo Ningyu, Liu Xunyi was even more stunned. He cast a look of confusion at Xie Xuan, who had a complicated expression and tangled eyes, and said hesitantly, "Second Master Xie, Ningyu...what is she talking about?"

"This……"

At this moment, Xie Xuan's face was more solemn than ever, and his heart was about to jump out of his throat. He wanted to say something several times, but in the end he didn't say a word.

"Thank you, Master. You are..."

"Liu Xunyi!"

Suddenly, Luo Ningyu, with tears streaming down her face, let out a tender cry, which immediately startled the suspicious Liu Xunyi so much that he subconsciously looked into her eyes.

"how……"

"You have a long-lost sister named... Yun Jianping, right?"

"This……"

As soon as Luo Ningyu said this, the absent-minded Liu Xunyi suddenly felt as if he was struck by lightning, and the world was spinning. His face couldn't help but change color, and his eyes couldn't help but tremble violently.

"You...you...how could you..."

"You want to ask me how I know?" Luo Ningyu held her breath and concentrated, letting her tears fall silently, but every word she said was precious. "Because your last name is not 'Liu' at all, and you are not an orphan with no relatives. In fact, your father is Luo Tianjin, your mother is Xiao Zhirou, and you are my... half-brother."

……

(End of this chapter)