"Sister Lan, I heard Dou Se say that, to help me escape, you actually agreed to become Li Kui's concubine.
Is... is that really true?!"
Zhao Bufan's face was filled with horror and disbelief. His voice trembled so badly it was almost inaudible, as though he dreaded hearing that terrible answer.
Beside him, Ying Ming Hao, Fatty Zhang, and the others had been shouting something, but now they suddenly fell silent. Their eyes widened as they stared anxiously at Ye Rulan, seemingly hoping to find some hint of denial from her.
Yet under everyone's expectant gazes, Ye Rulan merely stood there in silence, saying nothing.
Seconds and minutes ticked by, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy and oppressive. Everyone felt an indescribable sorrow spreading through the room.
At last, someone could no longer bear the deathly silence. He Lingyin sighed softly and said regretfully, "Alas, Junior Sister Ye did indeed agree to become Li Kui's concubine. Word of it has already spread like wildfire throughout the Corpse Puppet Sect. Everyone knows."
Her words struck Zhao Bufan like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. His vision darkened, and his body swayed involuntarily. Had he not been sitting on a stool, he might have fainted on the spot.
Meanwhile, tears poured from his eyes like floodwater bursting through a dam and streamed down his cheeks. He could not utter a single word. All he felt was that he should have died that day. Why had he survived alone?!
Everyone looked utterly heartbroken, as though they had witnessed a fresh, delicate flower being forcibly planted in a stinking pile of cow dung. It was unbearable to look at.
They had a thousand things they wanted to say, but the words stuck like bones in their throats, impossible to voice.
Their hearts brimmed