Held fast in Xiong Bao’s death grip, roaring, Old Fifth Meng was struck completely dumb, utterly unprepared for this, and for a moment had no idea what to do.
And it wasn’t just Old Fifth Meng who’d been struck dumb — so had Baili Weisheng and Meng Duo’er.
That move Xiong Bao had just pulled — this was no toddler’s move at all, but something closer to a small beast’s paws, the exact same technique a young animal would use to pounce on prey!
Old Fifth Meng seemed to sense something and tried desperately to break free, but it was already too late.
Xiong Bao’s eyes had gone bloodshot, and he gripped the man’s collar in a death grip, his small mouth nearly pressed against Old Fifth Meng’s face, roaring like a bear cub, “I’m not a curse-bringer! I’m not! Not! Not!”
The roar was deafening, leaving Old Fifth Meng stunned senseless, while Meng Duo’er, only just snapping out of her own shock, rushed forward to try to pull Xiong Bao off.
But Xiong Bao’s small hands held fast, refusing to let go no matter what, and Meng Duo’er couldn’t budge him an inch.
“I’m not a curse-bringer! I’m not! Not!”
“Let go! Let go of me… you insolent little brat, how dare you, let go!”
…
Old Fifth Meng, having recovered his senses, struggled with all his might — but the more he struggled and cursed, the more it provoked Xiong Bao.
Watching from the side, Baili Weisheng kept cheering him on. “Bite him! Bite him, Xiong Xiaobao, bite him — I’ll take responsibility for it!”
Zizhu the Great Beast grew anxious, flying down urgently from the roof beam, about to help pull Old Fifth Meng free — but the moment Xiong Bao turned and shot it a single glare, Zizhu obediently backed away!
It knew this child was dead serious now, past the point of backing down.
What to do!
If this kept up, something terrible would happen sooner or later. This child was normally so gentle and simple-hearted, but once he truly turned vicious, not even the Four Great Poison Beasts, let alone the Silly Bear, could hold him back.
After a moment’s hesitation, Zizhu hurried off to find Ziqing.
“Riiip…”
Suddenly, Old Fifth Meng’s collar began to tear. Seeing this, Meng Duo’er hurriedly wrapped her arms around Xiong Bao’s waist, while Old Fifth Meng frantically clutched at his collar. Baili Weisheng watched sidelong, so anxious he nearly leapt off the bed. “Grab his neck! Quick, grab his neck!”
Whether Xiong Bao had actually heard him or not, his movements were swift and agile — just as the collar finally gave way completely, he wrapped his legs around Old Fifth Meng’s waist and, with both hands, actually seized the man by the throat.
Now pulling this child off was going to be even harder!
Meng Duo’er, both furious and frantic, whirled around to glare at Baili Weisheng, shouting, “You shut your mouth!”
Baili Weisheng blinked, momentarily taken aback, then shouted again, “Xiong Xiaobao, bite him! Bite him hard, do it for me!”
Whether Xiong Bao had truly been egged on by Baili Weisheng’s words or had simply meant to do it all along, the moment Baili Weisheng spoke, he wrapped both hands around Old Fifth Meng’s neck, using the grip for leverage to climb higher, and buried his face against the man’s shoulder, biting down viciously!
“Ahh—!”
Old Fifth Meng screamed in agony, the sound deafening, the veins on his neck bulging out. It hurt so badly — surely this child’s teeth couldn’t be actual bear fangs? How terrifying!
“Let go! Let go!”
Old Fifth Meng couldn’t bear it any longer, yanking desperately at Xiong Bao. Meng Duo’er, thoroughly panicked now, threw caution to the wind and pulled with all her strength alongside him.
But Xiong Bao’s strength was extraordinary, comparable to a full-grown wild beast — no matter how hard father and daughter pulled together, they couldn’t budge him at all.
He simply clamped down and refused to let go!
Gradually, though, Old Fifth Meng’s grip began to slacken. Meng Duo’er quickly sensed something was wrong and looked up, only to be horrified to see her father’s face had somehow turned a deep purplish-black!
This…
Meng Duo’er froze, then screamed, “Father!”
Seeing this, Baili Weisheng suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help bursting into laughter. “Serves you right, old man!”
The little one’s blood was human-gu blood, deadly poisonous. He’d just bitten through his own lip moments ago, and now he’d bitten Old Fifth Meng — the man had surely been poisoned!
Seeing this, Meng Duo’er ground her teeth in fury. “You wretched scholar, is this really how you behave? Are you going to help or not!”
Baili Weisheng only snorted coldly in reply. His usual playful banter was reserved for Little Qingqing alone — everyone else’s life or death was none of his concern. Cross one of his own taboos, though, and he’d kill anyone, heaven and earth be damned.
But just at that moment, a sharp reprimand rang out from beyond the door. “Jun Buli!”
That voice!
Meng Duo’er and Baili Weisheng both looked over at once, to find Jun Beiyue standing in the doorway, his face furious as he glared at Xiong Bao.
Zizhu the Great Beast stood beside him — having failed to find Ziqing, it had had no choice but to fetch Jun Beiyue instead.
Hearing his father’s voice, Xiong Bao immediately let go, the tears that had been welling in his eyes spilling over at once, and he nearly threw himself straight into his father’s arms. But the moment he turned to look, Jun Beiyue demanded furiously, “What do you think you’re doing!”
That fierce tone startled Xiong Bao so badly he tumbled right off Old Fifth Meng, his small body trembling, and he instinctively backed away.
He’d seen his father angry before — plenty angry — but he’d always believed his father would never turn that anger on him.
He kept backing away, further and further, until his whole body was pressed against the wall.
Old Fifth Meng, glancing once at Jun Beiyue, swayed, his head spinning, and collapsed in a heap.
“Father!” Meng Duo’er cried out in alarm, rushing to support him. “Please save my father, I beg you, please save him! Has he been poisoned?”
Jun Beiyue strode forward in an instant, frowning as he glanced at Xiong Bao, but had no time to say more, hurrying instead to examine Old Fifth Meng’s wound. Confirming it was poison, and seeing the blood smeared around Xiong Bao’s mouth, he understood at once what had happened.
“Baili Weisheng, how is this poison cured?” Jun Beiyue asked seriously — this was clearly Baili Weisheng’s area of expertise.
But Baili Weisheng was in no hurry at all, drawling lazily, “Your son gave him quite a fright, didn’t he.”
Whether it came to going to the Meng Clan or rescuing his mother-consort, Old Fifth Meng was a crucial piece — Jun Beiyue understood perfectly well what schemes the man was playing at, but by every measure of reason and duty, Old Fifth Meng couldn’t be allowed to die.
Human-gu poison was no joke. At this moment, Jun Beiyue had no time to spare for anything else — his only priority was saving the man. He stood at the bedside, glaring coldly down at Baili Weisheng, and said darkly, “Are you going to tell me or not?”
“Jun Beiyue, what are you so fierce about? This whole thing was his fault, not your son’s. It was this old man who pointed at your son’s nose and called him a curse-bringer. I’m telling you right now — make him apologize, or I guarantee you, within fifteen minutes he’ll be bleeding out of all seven orifices and dead! Even the Meng Clan’s Five Elements Seal has no effect against human-gu poison!”
Fifteen minutes!
So short!
Hearing this, Meng Duo’er spoke up at once. “I’ll apologize. I’ll apologize on my father’s behalf.”
“Get lost and cool off somewhere, I want your father to apologize!” Baili Weisheng had truly dug in now, unusually savage about it.
Hearing this, Old Fifth Meng, on the verge of death, found a surge of anger that gave him strength, and he propped himself up, shouting, “Impossible! Jun Beiyue, you won’t even save your own birth mother, and yet you indulge this brat so shamelessly, letting the young defy the old. You truly disappoint me. If you want this old man to apologize, this old man would rather die. You had better never rescue your mother, and never expect to gain anything from the Meng Clan! Otherwise, you’d best explain yourself thoroughly to your mother about this! I am her closest, dearest younger brother! I have searched for her for over twenty years! Everything I do is for your own good!”