Meng Jueyan shook her head slowly.
"We were separated after the first day. I did not see most of them again. But I saw some in the market. They were bought by disciples. Some were killed for resisting. Some are still in the Slave District being prepared. Many did not survive the conditioning."
Her voice lowered to a whisper.
"For some, dying was better than living."
Han Yu felt his chest tighten painfully. Not just from fear for his friends, but from the horror of what they had all gone through. He almost asked about Wu Shuan. About Duan. About others. But he stopped himself.
Meng Jueyan noticing patterns might expose him.
He forced himself to nod coldly.
"Good. You answered well. That is all I needed to know."
She bowed her head again, obedient and quiet. But her remaining eye held a tired, haunted expression.
Xuan Qing remained motionless in the corner, watching without emotion.
Han Yu stood there between them, his heart heavy.
One woman had lost her mind.
