Jun Beiyue’s words dripped with mockery. Old Meng Five’s ambition, so carefully guarded for so many years, wasn’t merely insignificant in Jun Beiyue’s eyes—even to a woman like Ziqing, it seemed laughably feeble.

Seeing Old Meng Five’s shocked expression, Ziqing added mischievously, “Indeed—disappointingly ‘great.'”

For a man with dreams, nothing was more unbearable than having those dreams belittled and dismissed.

The couple’s back-and-forth mockery stung far worse than several lashes of a whip. Finally, Old Meng Five couldn’t hold back and exploded, “You two! Beiyue, you… you’re disappointed? Then let me ask you—why do you still fear the Nanzhao royal family to this day? If your ambitions are so grand, why bother searching so desperately for the secrets of the Solitary Island? Why not simply go confront the Nanzhao King directly?”

“Me—afraid?” Jun Beiyue said coldly.

Aside from the two times he’d lost Ziqing, he had never once, in his entire life, known what it meant to be afraid.

“Not being able to win right now doesn’t mean I’m afraid,” Jun Beiyue said, each word cold and deliberate.

If not for the glory and prestige left by their ancestors, if not for the backing of the three great clans, what would the Nanzhao royal family even amount to?

Weaker than every other royal house on the Longyuan continent!

He, Jun Beiyue, had relied on Da Zhou—but Da Zhou had given him nothing. Everything he possessed today, he had built with his own two hands, piece by piece.

What was the point of comparing a man barely in his twenties to a royal house with centuries of foundation, defended to the death by loyal clans?

Jun Beiyue had never once been afraid. If he had been, he never would have harbored ambitions of shaking the Nanzhao royal family’s very foundations, of swallowing the power of Nanzhao’s great clans whole.

“Fifth Elder, I came specifically to tell you—I will not be staying in the Meng Clan. Even if my mother asks it of me, I won’t stay.”

The moment these words fell, Xiong Bao immediately shouted, his babyish voice carrying unshakable resolve, “I don’t want to stay either!”

With her husband and son having spoken, did Ziqing even need to say anything?

As Old Meng Five turned to her in shock, she turned gracefully and made to leave without so much as a farewell.

Enough. There was no need to explain the rest—the plans Jun Beiyue would put in place for the Meng Clan’s future. This alone was the greatest punishment for Old Meng Five: let him worry, let him regret.

His dream had been a beautiful one. It was simply that his methods had been far too selfish.

Ziqing took Xiong Bao’s hand and turned to leave; naturally, no one else lingered either.

Meng Duo’er, scatterbrained as she was, wasn’t stupid—she understood exactly what had happened. Watching the group about to leave, how desperately she wanted to apologize on her father’s behalf, to beg for leniency, to ask Jun Beiyue to put in a good word with the Clan Leader to lighten her father’s punishment!

But she had already done exactly that once before.

Just as Meng Duo’er hesitated, the Meng Clan Leader came hurrying in from outside, bringing Ziqing and the others to a halt.

“Old Clan Leader, don’t worry—we haven’t taken matters into our own hands!” Baili Weisheng said teasingly, arms crossed lazily as he leaned against the wall, as though he already knew they wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

The Meng Clan Leader gave him a helpless glance and said in a low voice, “The Qiankun Poison Pouch can be opened, but…”

Before he’d even finished, everyone turned in unison to look at Old Meng Five.

For the Meng Clan Leader to have rushed all the way here to bring this up now, whatever came after that “but” could only concern him.

Seeing the Meng Clan Leader approach him step by step, Old Meng Five grew visibly tense, gripping the iron bars so hard they nearly bent.

From childhood all the way into old age, he had never once deceived his father. That time he’d left the Meng Clan—if it hadn’t been for years of restraint finally reaching its limit, the moment finally ripe, he never would have dared leave so easily.

Deception was rare enough for him—let alone scheming.

Before the Meng Clan Leader even reached him, Old Meng Five lowered his head, just as he had during the family council earlier, never once daring to meet his old father’s eyes.

The Meng Clan Leader, however, seemed strangely at peace—perhaps this was what it truly meant to have lived through the weight of years.

“Fifth… I never once guarded myself against anyone… except you.”

No one knew with what feeling the Meng Clan Leader spoke these words, but he said them with a smile.

Hearing this, Old Meng Five still didn’t dare raise his head—but he suddenly dropped to his knees. At the sight of her father kneeling, Meng Duo’er, who had been holding back, finally broke into sobs and knelt down beside him.

The Meng Clan Leader stood tall above him, looking down at Old Meng Five—both a father and a mentor.

“Father! I…”

Old Meng Five wanted to explain, but the Meng Clan Leader gave him no chance, saying flatly, “Opening the Qiankun Poison Pouch requires your assistance. If you’re willing, your sentence will be reduced by three years. If you’re unwilling…”

The Meng Clan Leader didn’t finish the sentence, but how could Old Meng Five possibly refuse? He was desperate for Meng Wanyue to be freed as soon as possible.

“Father, Jun Beiyue must stay! The position of Clan Leader cannot fall into Elder Brother’s hands!” Old Meng Five couldn’t help but urge, still fixated on this one concern above all else.

But at these words, the Meng Clan Leader finally lost his patience and slammed his palm hard against the iron bars. “Enough! Foolish! Utterly unforgivable foolishness!”

Even setting aside any sympathy for his younger generation, he should have understood by now—people like Jun Beiyue and Ziqing were like coiled springs; unless you destroyed them completely, there was no way to hold them down. A melon forced from the vine before its time is never sweet.

The Meng Clan Leader’s scolding was well deserved—the old fool truly was a fool.

Ziqing walked over, smiling helplessly. “Fifth Elder, I wonder if you know that the head of the Gu Clan on Liuxian Island, the one revered as supreme in the martial world, is none other than Jun Beiyue himself?”

Seizing the opportunity, Xiong Bao chimed in, his baby voice dripping with smug satisfaction, “Fifth Elder, my daddy’s influence knows no bounds—even without being here, he can still make people tremble all the way over here. You’re such a big dummy!”

For a grown man, well on in years, to be mocked by a small child—how did that feel?

Old Meng Five, head bowed, jerked his gaze upward, sudden realization dawning across his face—and at the same time, his face flushed crimson with embarrassment.

“‘Influence knows no bounds,’ indeed!” Baili Xiaosheng muttered under her breath, thinking to herself that this little rascal really did hold grudges—clearly using this moment to get back at Old Meng Five!

And yet, Xiong Bao hadn’t been wrong. Even with the balance of power among the clan’s major factions broken, Jun Beiyue’s influence could still permeate the entire Meng Clan, ensuring it stayed stable, ensuring the Meng Clan Leader had enough time and energy to focus wholeheartedly on cultivating worthy successors.

As vast as the Meng Clan was, though there might never be a second Jun Beiyue, there was surely someone better than the Grand Elder, someone the Meng Clan Leader could look upon with favor.

Even settling for second best was far better than pushing Jun Beiyue to the brink and having everyone’s relationships fall apart entirely.

Only now did Old Meng Five truly understand the real meaning behind Jun Beiyue’s earlier, unshakable refusal to stay.

So that was it!

“So you’re saying, Jun Beiyue, you still intend to go searching for the Solitary Island, to make an enemy of the Nanzhao royal family?” Old Meng Five shook his head firmly.

“That is my own family’s affair,” Jun Beiyue said coldly, without a trace of courtesy, making it clear to Old Meng Five that the matter was settled—that he had failed completely.

Old Meng Five grew desperate, so agitated he nearly jumped, all the worry he’d been holding back finally bursting forth. He pointed at Ziqing and blurted out, “Beiyue, the Nanzhao royal family isn’t as easy to deal with as you imagine! She’ll bring you nothing but trouble!”

Clearly, Old Meng Five knew something.

But suddenly, Xiong Bao, cheeks puffed with fury, shoved past the person in front of him and charged straight up to the iron bars, roaring like a wild beast, “My mommy won’t! She won’t! She won’t! She won’t! Say it again, and I’ll bite you!”

As he spoke, he genuinely opened his mouth wide, revealing two small canine teeth that had, at some point, turned a bright crimson red.

Seeing this, Old Meng Five froze in sheer terror, stumbling backward again and again.

This child…