"Never mind that, let's go quickly."
Su Fan had no time to explain, urging the two to hurry down.
Xiao Yan, with Zhao Ling'er, quickly descended into the tunnel. It was pitch black below, so dark one couldn't see their hand in front of their face.
After Su Fan came down, he blocked the entrance to prevent discovery.
Then, he took out his phone from his spatial ring and turned on the flashlight.
"What is this?"
Xiao Yan was startled. He had never seen such a thing, and was amazed by its ability to emit light.
"A little gadget, let's go,"
Su Fan didn't know how to explain it to Xiao Yan, so he changed the subject and urged Xiao Yan to hurry.
Xiao Yan suppressed his curiosity and followed Su Fan forward.
"Ah!"
Zhao Ling'er suddenly screamed.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Yan asked Zhao Ling'er with concern.
"I stepped on something soft. Are there snakes here?"
Zhao Ling'er said with a hint of fear on her face.
"Probably not. Speaking of which, it smells a bit here."
Xiao Yan said, covering his nose.
Su Fan walked over with his phone, the light illuminating Zhao Ling'er's feet.
"Ah!"
Zhao Ling'er was so scared when she saw what was under her feet that she almost fell to the ground.
She had stepped on a decaying corpse, a sight that was both terrifying and disgusting.
Su Fan remembered that this was where he had killed Fang Shijie.
"Don't look, let's go."
Su Fan urged them forward without any surprise.
Zhao Ling'er quickly ran a few steps forward and tightly held onto Xiao Yan's arm, as if seeking security.
"Su Fan, what is this place? Why is there a corpse?"
Xiao Yan asked Su Fan curiously.
"The Prince of Heterodox Lineage, Fang Shijie, attempted rebellion. This was a secret passage he dug. It was likely prepared for attacking Tianlong City during his rebellion. I discovered this place while pursuing him, and that corpse is Fang Shijie."
Su Fan briefly explained the cause and effect to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan nodded in understanding.
He knew about Fang Shijie; it was he who had asked Su Fan to investigate the evidence of Fang Shijie's rebellion. He hadn't expected Fang Shijie to die here.
Before long, the three reached the end of the passage. They opened the stone at the exit and appeared in a pavilion two li outside Tianlong City. The tunnel was located beneath the stone table of this pavilion.
Most people wouldn't be able to open it; the stone table was too heavy for an ordinary person to move.
This was likely for security, to prevent ordinary people from easily discovering the entrance.
"Take care of yourselves. Take this money with you for your journey."
Su Fan bid them farewell.
"Aren't you coming with us?"
Xiao Yan frowned.
"I don't know Xiao Xue'er's situation yet. I need to find her. If she's still alive, I have to save her."
Su Fan did not intend to travel with Xiao Yan. He had important matters to attend to in Tianlong City.
Although Xiao Yuan was confirmed dead, the news released by Xiao Zhihong did not mention Xiao Xue'er. It was highly possible that Xiao Xue'er was still alive, so Su Fan had to save her.
Moreover, he couldn't leave. Once "Destiny Su Fan" dealt with the royal family, he might try to organize an attack on the real world.
Su Fan had to stop him, or, upon receiving news, ambush him beforehand and prepare for battle.
Xiao Yan nodded.
"I entrust Xue'er to you."
Xiao Yan naturally hoped for news of Xiao Xue'er being alive. Since Su Fan was willing to stay, he couldn't say much more.
"Take care."
"Take care."
The two bid each other farewell, and Xiao Yan set off on his journey to the Northern Territory.
Su Fan, however, returned the way he came, back to Tianlong City.
If Xiao Xue'er was not dead, she would likely be imprisoned, either in the imperial palace or the Ministry of Justice prison.
The imperial palace was guarded by "Destiny Su Fan," making it difficult to enter, so he could only check the Ministry of Justice prison first.
Su Fan was familiar with the place, having only recently been released from there.
Arriving outside the Ministry of Justice prison, Su Fan directly used his invisibility technique and walked in boldly.
The entire dungeon was divided into several levels. The top level contained ordinary cells, housing prisoners with no significant threat.
The second underground level housed severe offenders, those with no hope of ever being released, who had committed heinous crimes.
The third underground level was the torture chamber, used for stubborn offenders, equipped with instruments that instilled fear at the mere mention.
The fourth underground level consisted of solitary cells. Each prisoner here was held in an individual cell. These prisoners were either extremely wicked or had connections, essentially housing special individuals.
Su Fan had been imprisoned here last time and had encountered Tian Zechuan.
There was also a fifth underground level, the legendary water dungeon. It was perpetually dark and damp. Staying there for an extended period, let alone living, would make one feel chilled to the bone. Most people would die within days.
Su Fan checked the cells one by one. He didn't find Xiao Xue'er on the first level.
Su Fan proceeded to the second level. Xiao Xue'er was not on the second underground level either.
The third level was the torture chamber. There was no one inside at the moment, so he went directly to the fourth level.
The cell Su Fan had been in previously, the one Tian Zechuan had broken, had not yet been repaired.
Although there weren't many cells here, several people were still imprisoned.
Su Fan walked further in, and as he turned a corner, he spotted a familiar figure.
Xiao Zhiyi.
He hadn't expected Xiao Zhiyi to be imprisoned here. He had to admit that Xiao Yuan was ruthless, showing no mercy even to his own son.
Since Xiao Zhiyi was here, it was likely that Xiao Xue'er was also here.
Su Fan continued to search further in but did not find Xiao Xue'er.
"Could she be on the fifth underground level?"
Su Fan said with a frown.
Could Xiao Zhihong be so cruel as to subject his own sister to the suffering of the water dungeon?
Su Fan frowned and went down, but the entrance to the fifth underground level was locked with a heavy iron gate. It was impossible to enter without a key.
However, this did not pose a challenge for Su Fan.
Instantaneous Movement!
Su Fan's figure flickered, and he instantly teleported inside.
The structure of the fifth underground level was completely different from the levels above. It was a circular room with a circular platform about three meters high in the center. Around the platform was a water pool about three meters wide, with a depth that seemed bottomless. The water was bone-chillingly cold.
Further out, along the walls, were seven cells, encircling the water pool. The cells were small and made of fine iron, incredibly strong.
The only way to reach the central platform was through the door Su Fan had entered. There was a very narrow path from the iron gate to the central platform.
Su Fan walked to the center of the water dungeon and surveyed the eight surrounding cells. Each cell held a prisoner, their hands and feet bound by heavy chains. The chains passed through their scapulae and were secured to the cell walls.
"Who are you, sneaking around?"