Lol, after posting, I almost instantly started seeing reply numbers go up, but I wasn't seeing any of them, ngl, knowing I'd already blocked them all felt fantastic. I made the mistake of doing what you did, knowing what to expect but not being able to stop my self, and it was as depressing as I thought it would be. Not checked again though, which I'm very proud of!
You're spot on about it being a litmus test, I especially hate it when someone I thought better of fights back, which sadly happens often, but didn't this time, so yay.