In the dim, damp scene, Xiao Ye and Hao Duoyu formed a stark contrast.
The Blue Star crowd showed various expressions, making Hao Duoyu, standing nearby, furious.
He gritted his teeth and said, "This was a strategic move. I feigned allegiance to King Zuo to find a way to survive."
"If I had been seriously injured then, I wouldn't have made it back."
The Blue Star crowd was half-believing.
They saw in the footage that Hao Duoyu was terrified, weeping, and shouting his loyalty to King Zuo.
"You really acted convincingly then..."
Hao Duoyu's expression stiffened; he found the words grating.
"Didn't Xiao Ye also pledge allegiance to King Zuo?"
Hao Duoyu pointed at Xiao Ye on the judgment platform, saying sarcastically, "My betrayal was fake; his is real."
The Blue Star crowd, blinded by the protagonist's halo, finally turned their gaze to Xiao Ye.
"Xiao Ye betrayed King Zuo, and he summoned demonic creatures, causing so many deaths?"
But ten years ago, on Blue Star, they had never heard of any connection between Xiao Ye and King Zuo.
The female war gods and the others had cold expressions. They cared not one bit about the hardships Xiao Ye had endured.
"That's right, Elder Feng, have people record the subsequent footage. Xiao Ye's crimes will be forever etched in the annals of Blue Star history!"
They wanted to witness firsthand Xiao Ye killing, Xiao Ye committing evil, and destroying Blue Star.
They wanted to stand on the highest moral ground and denounce this devil who would be damned for eternity.
"You can't do this. Even if Brother Xiao betrayed Blue Star, he was forced into it..."
Ye Qingrou clenched her fists, her heart aching. She wanted to stop the female war gods and the others.
But no one paid any attention to Ye Qingrou.
Elder Feng had already dispatched an elder, who held a scroll and began to write with a large brush.
The first line recorded was: "The sinner Xiao Ye became King Zuo's dog before destroying Blue Star."
Ye Qingrou grew anxious.
"Liu Qiaoqiao, say something quickly!"
Her single voice wasn't enough. With Liu Qiaoqiao's words,
Xiao Ye would surely not suffer humiliation, nor would his crimes be recorded in history.
However, Liu Qiaoqiao bit her lip, remaining silent.
She knew Xiao Ye had suffered, but that wasn't an excuse for his evil deeds.
During the upheaval on Blue Star years ago, her parents had also died at King Zuo's hands.
It was possible Xiao Ye was involved.
Ye Qingrou felt helpless; her face turned somewhat pale.
"You don't deserve Brother Xiao's affection."
Hearing Ye Qingrou's words, Liu Qiaoqiao's heart bled.
She forced a cold smile. "I am considering the greater good. I cannot just consider my own feelings; that would be selfish."
Was Liu Qiaoqiao indirectly mocking her for only caring about personal feelings?
Ye Qingrou was so angry she could have laughed.
The scene suddenly became stiff and frozen.
The elder continued to record the events, depicting Xiao Ye's sins.
...
Even though his body was pierced with bone spikes, and whips fell upon Xiao Ye.
His sweat and blood completely merged.
Xiao Ye still refused to pledge loyalty to King Zuo.
Three days.
Xiao Ye's body was nearly unrecognizable. The bloody wounds began to fester.
After bowing and scraping to King Zuo, Hao Duoyu exuded the air of a sycophantic villain.
"Xiao Ye, what are you pretending for? An infected person still refuses to bow to King Zuo."
King Zuo favored stubborn slaves, so he sent Hao Duoyu to persuade Xiao Ye.
Facing Hao Duoyu's disdain, Xiao Ye's eyelids lifted.
"Ptooey."
Xiao Ye spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm at Hao Duoyu, his eyes showing contemptuous disdain.
He wiped his face, his face flushed with anger. "Damn it, Xiao Ye, just wait for your death!"
Xiao Ye watched Hao Duoyu leave in frustration.
He was then hauled away by King Zuo's subordinates to a dark dungeon.
The dungeon held many slaves awaiting death, waiting to come to their senses and pledge allegiance to King Zuo.
Once they did, they would be released.
Xiao Ye, covered in blood, was thrown ignominiously before the slaves.
The slaves looked at Xiao Ye, beaten and bleeding profusely, with pity, but no one approached.
This was because he emanated the dark aura of an infected person.
When food was distributed, Xiao Ye, his consciousness blurred, felt a scramble around him.
The slaves snatched the meager food and retreated to a corner.
They were still bound by heavy chains, and no one paid any attention to the near-death Xiao Ye.
Just then, an elderly couple helped Xiao Ye up.
"Young man, don't close your eyes. Your family is still waiting for you."
They did not mind taking Xiao Ye to a corner.
The elderly couple did not have much food.
However, they still gave some to Xiao Ye.
"As long as you hold on, you have hope of living."
Xiao Ye struggled to open his eyes and looked at the elderly couple.
They showed kind smiles on their faces.
Xiao Ye clutched the food in his hands and uttered two words: "Thank you."
With the help of the elderly couple, Xiao Ye's injuries stopped worsening.
The slaves were again rounded up by King Zuo's men to work.
Xiao Ye was among them, but his injuries were severe.
The elderly couple pleaded, "Can we do his work instead? He is heavily injured; forcing him to work will surely shorten his life..."
The man in charge of the slaves noticed Xiao Ye was unusual, someone King Zuo desired.
He struck the ground with his whip. "Fine, fine, stop the nonsense. You two go work for me."
When Xiao Ye returned to the dungeon, he saw only the figure of an elderly man.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he followed behind the other slaves.
Seeing the old man's dejected state, Xiao Ye quickly asked, "Uncle, where is your wife?"
The old man looked at Xiao Ye, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
A nearby slave answered Xiao Ye, "His wife wasn't feeling well today. She was a bit slow in front of King Zuo's men, so she was whipped to death right there and then!"
Dead.
King Zuo and his men did not regard slaves as equals.
The number of slaves who died daily was countless.
Xiao Ye finally understood, watching the old man weep.
"I couldn't protect her. I watched her get whipped to death with my own eyes."
The old man's face was filled with despair, the pain unbearable.
The surrounding slaves only dared to curse King Zuo secretly at such times. "We really wish we could return to the Blue Star Alliance... There, we have our families, our homes. We shouldn't be suffering here like this."
"King Zuo wants to rule our Blue Star and treats us like livestock, penning us up."
"Perhaps we should also pledge allegiance to King Zuo? No! We Blue Star citizens cannot be so spineless!!"
They were gaunt, facing desire and loyalty to their Blue Star people.
Xiao Ye had already pulled out all the bone spikes from his body.
He looked at the old man and calmly said, "Uncle, live well."
The despair here was making the old man lose his will to live.
"Perhaps I should have died with my wife, and not burdened my daughter..."
"You have a daughter?"
"Yes, my daughter is a genius on Blue Star!"
As he spoke of his daughter to Xiao Ye, the old man's face gradually lost its despondency.