How would Jun Beiyue handle this?
Short of staying behind and shouldering the burden himself, the Meng Clan Leader could think of no better solution—and that was precisely Old Meng Five’s aim all along.
Seeing the devotion of the young couple, the Meng Clan Leader already felt deeply comforted.
Some people, the older they grow, the more afraid they become of losing things, the more selfish they become—consciously or not, using their children’s and grandchildren’s wellbeing as an excuse to make selfish choices on their behalf.
But the Meng Clan Leader was not that kind of man.
He looked at Jun Beiyue with compassion and spoke earnestly. “Beiyue, you are a hawk that belongs to the sky. You must fly higher, farther. The sky of the Meng Clan is too small—there’s no dream here worth chasing for someone like you. You are also a husband, a father. You have your own family, your own duties and responsibilities. Even if it meant the Meng Clan’s ruin, that would still not be reason enough to keep you here.”
A single sentence could warm a person for a lifetime.
A single sentence could also make someone willing to walk through fire without hesitation.
To meet such a wise, understanding old man—and to have him turn out to be family—if one did not treat him with genuine sincerity, that truly would be the height of unfiliality, deserving of heaven’s wrath.
“Don’t worry, I have my own plans. I never intended to stay. But the Meng Clan won’t decline or fall to ruin either—it will only grow stronger,” Jun Beiyue said with absolute certainty, and the natural, commanding presence he carried put even the Meng Clan Leader inexplicably at ease, convincing him fully.
Seeing the old man reassured, Ziqing finally allowed herself a small smile. In truth, even setting foot in Nanzhao, building up a clan’s fortunes would be no great difficulty for someone of Jun Beiyue’s ability.
The thing she’d feared most was that this group would play the family-bond card to force them to stay.
As long as the Meng Clan Leader possessed this kind of understanding, they in turn would extend him the same consideration.
Old Meng Five—it’s easy to scheme against circumstances, but far harder to scheme against people. However much you calculated, you never accounted for the fact that your own Clan Leader would rather see the Meng Clan fall than crush his grandson’s future!
Since the Meng Clan Leader had shown no intention of keeping them there, Ziqing immediately raised the main purpose of their visit.
“Clan Leader, did the Fifth Elder tell you about Xiong Bao?”
Only then did the Meng Clan Leader turn his gaze toward Xiong Bao, who sat obediently off to the side, and an involuntary look of pity and tenderness crossed his face. This child was an existence that defied explanation.
By the logic of the Meng Clan’s bloodline, this child should either have been like any ordinary infant, with nothing unusual about his constitution, or, like Baili Weisheng nearby, someone with a naturally poison-immune yang constitution.
And yet he had somehow skipped the entire process of being cultivated with Gu—born already possessing the blood of a human Gu vessel. No, according to what Ziqing recalled, he had possessed this poison-immune nature even while still in the womb—which was why she herself had felt no fear of poison-beast blood during her pregnancy.
Aside from possessing the blood of a human Gu vessel, his body and mind were otherwise completely normal.
If it weren’t for the worry over what changes might arise down the road, perhaps everyone should have felt something closer to wonder at this child’s extraordinary blood. After all, an infant’s blood possessing absolute lethal power, and being entirely immune to poison besides—what a terrifyingly formidable ability that was!
The Meng Clan Leader gathered Xiong Bao into his arms, sinking involuntarily into deep thought. Xiong Bao, meanwhile, stared right back at him, his large, bright eyes rolling about, his little mouth pursing as if he wanted to say something but didn’t quite dare.
Off to the side, Baili Xiaosheng silently counted down on her fingers—she was certain that by the time she reached ten, if the Meng Clan Leader hadn’t let go of him, that little brat would surely start fighting back!
Even Baili Weisheng, whom Xiong Bao knew well, sometimes got refused a hug—so what chance did a completely unfamiliar old man have?
Sure enough, Xiong Bao began to resist.
He plastered on a sweet smile and said, “Great-Grandfather, I’m heavy—put me down, and I’ll rub your hands for you.”
What a saccharine smile, what a sweet mouth, what a shrewd little rascal!
“Not tiring at all,” the Meng Clan Leader said with a laugh, but he set Xiong Bao down anyway. Xiong Bao immediately scrambled onto Jun Beiyue’s back, guarding against any further hugging attempts.
Hugs weren’t something you gave out casually—especially not for a real man!
Seeing the Meng Clan Leader had gone quiet, Ziqing grew anxious and asked tentatively, “Is it… because of the Meng Clan’s bloodline?”
The bloodline pattern of the Solitary Island had remained unchanged since time immemorial. If it were ever to change, it could only be due to interference from an outside bloodline.
This possibility, manifesting in Xiong Bao, also gave Ziqing a glimmer of hope regarding the poison-immune constitution.
Years ago, it was precisely because of the existence and continuation of the poison-immune constitution that Nanzhao had destroyed the Solitary Island. If this constitution could somehow be altered, cutting off the world’s desire to cultivate human Gu vessels once and for all—could they then openly search for the Solitary Island without fear?
After all, tiptoeing around the Nanzhao royal family indefinitely was no long-term solution, and the risks only kept growing.
Even if Xuanyuan Lige could be trusted, what about the Beast Clan’s second young master, or Qinji?
There were simply too many variables in this matter.
Hearing Ziqing’s words, a complicated look flickered through the Meng Clan Leader’s eyes, as though he harbored some difficulty he couldn’t quite voice.
“Grandfather, there’s no one else here—say whatever’s on your mind,” Jun Beiyue offered him a reassuring look.
The Meng Clan Leader gave a small laugh and revealed the secret. “Within the forbidden grounds of Xuyu Peak lies a taboo of the Meng Clan—one connected to the Solitary Island and the Nanzhao royal family. If you truly wish to know the real secrets and history of the Solitary Island and the Nanzhao royal family, only by entering Xuyu Peak’s forbidden grounds can you find out!”
Originally, the Meng Clan Leader would never have spoken of any of this.
Because this was the Meng Clan’s promise to the Nanzhao royal family. But these two young people had shown him such understanding, offered him such help, and the innocent child before him was so blameless, that he could no longer bring himself to hold back.
He waved for everyone to sit; this would take some time to explain properly.
“The World of Poisonous Beasts is a Dead Barrier, with only a single entrance. Back then, the Great Gu Master of the Solitary Island invited our clan’s founding ancestor to forcibly open four great sealing gates at the four cardinal points of the World of Poisonous Beasts, deceiving everyone into believing it was merely an artificial barrier. But our founding ancestor had no idea the Great Gu Master’s true purpose was to cultivate human Gu vessels—not until the day the then-King of Nanzhao personally came to the Meng Clan and asked our ancestor to destroy the four great sealing gates. Only then did our ancestor learn the truth of the human Gu conspiracy. He immediately destroyed the four sealing gates, but he never told the Nanzhao royal family the secret of the Dead Barrier itself…”
At this point, Ziqing couldn’t help interrupting, “Why not tell them?”
From what she’d heard so far, the Meng Clan had always seemed fiercely loyal to the Nanzhao royal family.
The Meng Clan Leader gave a helpless laugh and shook his head—this was a question that had puzzled even him for years.
“The Flowing Light Dagger was precisely the artifact our founding ancestor used to open the four great sealing gates back then. It holds special power over the Dead Barrier, and has always been revered as the Meng Clan’s greatest treasure.”
At this point, the same thought occurred to everyone in the room simultaneously: Meng Wanyue!
Meng Wanyue had stolen the Flowing Light Dagger—she must know a great deal. Perhaps even things the Meng Clan Leader himself didn’t know.
The Meng Clan Leader seemed to guess what everyone was thinking and smiled. “You’ve guessed correctly. Wanyue—she must know. Otherwise, she would never have acted so rashly.”
How much of the truth did Meng Wanyue know? What truth, exactly? And where had she learned it from? The forbidden grounds, perhaps?
…