Han Yu absorbed all that Hou Luli had said in silence.
"Why try at all?" he finally asked.
Hou Luli's expression hardened. "Because at the time, it was that or disappear quietly into mediocrity. And I don't like disappearing."
That resonated more than Han Yu expected.
He shifted the conversation slightly. "Did anyone else enter around the same time as you?"
"No," she said. "But there were some twelve years ago. Two of them." She added.
It was clear that Hou Luli had gathered a lot more information than Han Yu had managed to do in a day.
"What happened to them?" Han Yu asked.
"One died," she said calmly. "Heart stopped soon after they reached the Stelae. The other came out screaming and never stopped. They put him in the underground cells eventually."
Han Yu's fingers tightened inside his sleeves.
"Would you do it again?" he asked.
Hou Luli hesitated for the first time.
Then she exhaled slowly. "If I had the merit points again? Yes."
That answer surprised him.
