Chapter 679: Thoughts

"What did you see?" he asked softly, crouching beside her. He didn't push, allowing her the time she needed to collect her thoughts.

Yu Holea took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"I saw... them. My family. They were performing some kind of ritual. A sacrifice."

Qiao Jun's jaw tightened, but he stayed silent, letting her continue.

"There were five of them," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"My mother was there, along with my brother—Shuchang, Sicong, and Sile. And then... there was someone else. A man I didn't recognize. I even heard everything..."

"What were they talking about? And who was the man?" Qiao Jun probed gently.

.................

20 minutes before. 

In a dark stone pathway where the light could barely reach the ground, a few figures were walking toward the circular platform.