Chapter 193: Easy to Say When You're Not the One Suffering

Deep beneath Shen City City Hall.

In the dark, damp dungeon, the air was filled with a nauseating moldy smell and the stench of blood. The yellow oil lamp on the wall cast flickering shadows, adding a touch of gloom.

Sun Lingyun leaned against the wall corner, eyes closed. A coarse bandage wrapped his forehead, already stained red with blood. The wound from being hit by Lin Yu with an ashtray still throbbed faintly, but compared to his inner torment, this pain was nothing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hurried footsteps echoed in the dungeon. Lu Xiao paced back and forth like a trapped beast in the cramped space. His right hand was tightly wrapped in thick gauze, the spot burned by Lin Yu's cigar.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Lu Xiao suddenly stopped pacing and shouted hysterically, "Lin Yu, you madman!"

Sun Lingyun opened his eyes and looked at this once‑dandy friend. In just a few days, Lu Xiao seemed to have become a different person. His once‑pristine white suit was now ragged, his hair disheveled, and his eyes held a hint of madness.

The air in the dungeon grew ever more oppressive; the two former aristocrats who once commanded wind and rain were now like prisoners awaiting an unknown fate.

Half a month has passed.

The biting cold dampness permeated everything, seeping into the marrow. The air mingled with several nauseating odors: a heavy mold smell, an inescapable stench of waste, the sour‑sweat odor emanating from their bodies, and a faint trace of blood—this was the pus from Lu Xiao's burned, festering hand.

In the silence, the drip of water and the scurrying of mice were magnified like an invisible hammer relentlessly pounding their nerves. Light was extremely dim; the oil lamp had become a luxury, leaving only a weak daylight seeping through a small window in the wall. Prolonged exposure to this environment caused their vision to deteriorate, leaving only vague outlines before them.

Their daily food was merely a bowl of spoiled thin porridge and two hard steamed buns, barely sustaining life. Sun Lingyun and Lu Xiao had visibly wasted away, their eye sockets sunk, faces sallow. Lacking clean water and basic hygiene, their bodies were filthy. Their skin itched unbearably from lack of washing, and Lu Xiao's burned hand began to ooze pus, giving off an ominous smell.

Sleep had become a luxury. The cold floor made it hard to fall asleep, and the constant noise and inner fear kept them tossing and turning. Sun Lingyun's forehead wound throbbed faintly, while Lu Xiao's new and old injuries flared up in turn, constantly reminding them of their predicament.

Sun Lingyun leaned against the wall corner, gazing at the thin slice of daylight coming through the small window. He knew Lin Yu's mind too well—this half‑month imprisonment was a meticulously crafted purgatory.

Lin Yu needed not only time to fully seize Shen City and eliminate rivals, but also to use this near‑forgotten imprisonment to break their will. Once‑lavish young masters who enjoyed fine clothes and food and had retinues, now reduced to prisoners sharing their cell with rats—this stark contrast itself was the cruelest punishment.

Lin Yu wanted them to waste away their arrogance and hope in endless waiting and fear, to realize they were merely meat on the chopping block. Only when they were utterly desperate would their families truly feel Lin Yu's deterrent power, making the ransom negotiations carry more weight.

This half‑month of silence was the suffocating calm before the storm, meant to make the forthcoming thunderbolt strike even deadlier.

"Let me out! Let me out!" Lu Xiao bellowed again at the iron bars outside, his voice already hoarse.

The guard didn't even lift his head, merely spitting in irritation.

Lu Xiao's fists ached from pounding the iron bars; finally, he directed all his resentment toward his sole cellmate.

"Sun Lingyun!" His voice trembled with tears and venom, "It's all your damn fault! If you hadn't dragged me into Shen City to wade through this mess, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Sun Lingyun wearily opened his eyes: "It's come to this; blaming each other is pointless. Save your strength, think about how......"

"Save strength?" Lu Xiao cut him off, his voice growing more hysterical, "Are we just waiting to die?! You're certainly not in a hurry! Your father Sun Dingyuan is rich, and as Governor of Five Provinces, thirty million is nothing to him—he'll surely ransom you!"

He staggered around in a circle, then let out a shrill laugh: "What about my father? That 'Lu Gongji' who values money over his son! Twenty million! Could he bear to part with it? He'd rather I die out there so his illegitimate adopted son Lu Xuan can take over legitimately!"

Sun Lingyun furrowed his brow, his tone also gaining a hint of impatience: "Brother Lu, the worse the situation, the more we need to stay calm. No matter what, Uncle Sun, you are still his biological son......"

"Calm?!" Lu Xiao exploded, lunging at Sun Lingyun, "You speak easily while standing—no pain in your waist! How can I stay calm?! Are we just waiting to die?! I tell you, if we die, you won't fare any better!"

He shoved Sun Lingyun toward the wall with all his strength. Sun Lingyun, caught off guard, slammed his back hard against the cold stone wall and let out a muffled groan.

The enraged Sun Lingyun also flared up, grabbing Lu Xiao's collar and shouting, "You're crazy?!"

The two instantly grappled. But this was no splendid fight—just two weak, injured beasts driven by fear and desperation tearing at each other.

They shoved and pulled at each other, striking with feeble but hate‑filled fists. Lu Xiao ignored his burned hand, desperately clawing at Sun Lingyun's face; Sun Lingyun fought back fiercely, trying to pin Lu Xiao beneath him.

They rolled on the filthy floor, heavy breathing, tearing cloth, bodies colliding, and repressed growls echoing in the dungeon. Dust swirled, mixing with sweat and blood to intensify the stench.

"I'll kill you!" Lu Xiao roared, eyes bloodshot.

"Stay calm!" Sun Lingyun also shouted in anger.

But soon, exhausted, they stopped, collapsed apart on the ground, gasping for air. Lu Xiao's split lip bled, and Sun Lingyun's face gained several deep scratches.

They lay on the ground, glaring at each other. Besides anger, their eyes held helplessness and deeper despair. This ugly scuffle solved nothing, only leaving them more disheveled.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The guard outside the cell coldly tapped the bars with a stick: "Make another ruckus and you won't get dinner!"

Silence once again settled over the dungeon. The two former young masters now lay like dying dogs, unable even to lift a hand.

The silence lasted a long time.

"Brother Lu," Sun Lingyun struggled to sit up, his voice hoarse, "We need to stay calm. Lin Yu wants money, not our lives. As long as......"

"Hmph." Lu Xiao snorted coldly, cutting him off. Curled in the corner, his voice heavy with despair, "You really think Lin Yu only wants money? You haven't seen how he dealt with Qin Chang'an and his son."

His voice began to tremble: "That day, Lin Yu's soldiers shot Qin Chang'an dead with a single gunshot. Just like that—bang—and a life was gone. He's nothing but a madman!"

Lu Xiao clutched his head, voice trembling with tears: "I don't want to die...... I don't want to die here like Qin Chang'an......"

He suddenly lifted his head, eyes hollow: "Had I known it would turn out this way, I'd rather be beaten to death than come to Shen City. All this talk of the Jiangnan Four Young Masters and a bright future is utter bullshit!"

Sun Lingyun opened his mouth, but didn't know how to comfort him. For he knew Lu Xiao spoke the truth.

In this dark dungeon, the pride they took in their status and position was nothing but a ridiculous joke.