Could it really be that the combination of the Solitary Island bloodline and the Meng Clan bloodline had produced this result?
Baili Weisheng’s words left everyone both astonished and worried—worried about exactly what “this” even meant.
Even Xiong Bao himself had no idea what was happening to him; it was the unknown that made it truly frightening.
For a moment, everyone fell into silence, their attention drawn toward the direction where the Meng Clan Leader and the father-daughter pair had vanished.
They would simply have to wait. At the latest, in three days, there would be an answer.
Meanwhile, inside the Xuyu Pagoda, the Qiankun Poison Pouch now hung suspended high in the air, encircled by a faint ring of purple light. The glow appeared weak, but its power was immense, enveloping the entire surroundings in that purple radiance, as if the whole place had become a dream.
This Qiankun Poison Pouch had always been meant to open eventually.
It was the Flowing Light Dagger that had caused the World of Poisonous Beasts’ barrier to reveal its true form and become the Qiankun Poison Pouch. Whoever held the Flowing Light at the moment of that transformation became the pouch’s rightful master, the master of its contract.
Because of the unique nature of the contract, once bound, ownership was extremely difficult to transfer.
Unfortunately, Xiong Bao was still just a child—neither his temperament nor his power was strong enough to open the pouch, even as its rightful master.
Not only could he not open it, but the Flowing Light Dagger had instead been trapped inside as a result.
And under these circumstances, no matter how formidable Meng Wanyue’s abilities might be, she had no way to open the Qiankun Poison Pouch from within—she could only remain trapped inside.
No one knew what state of mind Meng Wanyue had been in all this time, nor what attitude she held toward Xiong Bao, the one responsible for her predicament.
Now, the only option left was to open it by external force!
The Meng Clan Leader was drenched in sweat—clearly, this was grueling work—while Old Meng Five, serving as the secondary support, bore less of the strain than the Meng Clan Leader, yet his expression remained just as grave.
It had to be understood: if anything went wrong while opening the Qiankun Poison Pouch, if the attempt failed, then… the pouch itself would be ruined.
The pouch being ruined was one matter—but Meng Wanyue dying inside it was an entirely different matter altogether.
Father and son both remained grave and tense, fully focused, utterly absorbed in the task.
Meng Duo’er, off to the side, had truly come only to observe—there was nothing she could do to help. From the moment they’d entered, her eyes had never left the Qiankun Poison Pouch; anyone unfamiliar with her might have mistaken her for a statue.
It had to be admitted—the girl looked rather endearing when she was this focused.
Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly. The dreamlike purple light around them gradually gathered toward the center, enveloping the Qiankun Poison Pouch, and the palm-sized pouch slowly began to grow larger!
Meng Duo’er, who had already been sitting up straight, gave a startled jolt and sat up even straighter.
Her small cherry lips fell open involuntarily, forming an astonished “O” shape.
Had any other member of the Meng Clan seen her like this, they would surely have laughed at how easily impressed and unworldly she was, startled by even the smallest of movements.
Compared to Meng Duo’er, the Meng Clan Leader remained far more grave, while a faint, knowing smile tugged at the corner of Old Meng Five’s mouth.
He knew they were one step closer to opening the Qiankun Poison Pouch. One step closer to seeing his fourth sister again.
His father had said it would take at least three days—but at this rate, it looked like they might not even need all three!
At that moment, both the Meng Clan Leader and Old Meng Five paused their movements, staring intently as the Qiankun Poison Pouch continued to slowly grow.
And as the pouch expanded, the shape of the Flowing Light Dagger within it grew increasingly distinct.
Eventually, the dagger’s shimmering, iridescent light began to seep out through the tightly drawn mouth of the pouch, streams of radiant color spilling forth from the dreamlike, pale purple glow, scattering outward in every direction like blossoming flowers—a sight so breathtakingly beautiful it stole the breath away.
“So beautiful!” Meng Duo’er murmured to herself, dazed.
But something even more astonishing was about to happen!
Once the pouch had expanded to the size one could just barely wrap both arms around, the two drawstrings at its mouth suddenly shot up into the air, hovering horizontally in midair.
Meng Duo’er’s heart gave a jolt of alarm.
At this, the Meng Clan Leader and Old Meng Five also tensed. Together, they formed hand seals—this time, it wasn’t a matter of one assisting the other; they needed to combine their strength.
This was the final push! The last barrier—the Qiankun Poison Pouch was about to open, the Flowing Light Dagger was about to be retrieved, and Meng Wanyue was about to be reunited with everyone!
The Meng Clan Leader formed his seal, and the purple light transformed into a purple dragon, flying toward the right-hand drawstring at the pouch’s mouth, its jaws clamping down on the cord. At the same time, Old Meng Five formed his own seal, conjuring a purple phoenix that flew toward the left-hand drawstring, its beak seizing hold of the cord.
The two paused for a brief moment, and seeing no sign of resistance from the cords, they immediately channeled their full power and pulled hard in opposite directions!
“Ahh…”
Meng Duo’er let out a startled cry, fortunately clapping a hand over her own mouth in time so as not to disturb the Meng Clan Leader and Old Meng Five.
She couldn’t help but rise to her feet, even unconsciously rising onto her toes, hoping to get a clearer view.
She saw it—she saw, under the combined pull of grandfather’s dragon and father’s phoenix, the tightly sealed mouth of the Qiankun Poison Pouch slowly, gradually being drawn open.
And at the same time, beneath the opening, the Flowing Light Dagger was clearly straining, struggling, eager to burst free!
Meng Duo’er couldn’t help clenching her fists, her heart pounding wildly.
Almost there!
Almost!
The Flowing Light Dagger would soon come bursting out—the opening didn’t need to be very wide; the dagger would have the power to force its way through!
“Come out! Come out! Come out!” Meng Duo’er couldn’t help crying out softly.
And, unbelievably, her words proved prophetic!
The instant the pouch’s mouth had opened just the slightest crack, the Flowing Light Dagger suddenly surged upward with tremendous force, shaking the entire Qiankun Poison Pouch violently. Both drawstrings shook wildly, and at once, the Meng Clan Leader’s purple dragon and Old Meng Five’s purple phoenix both faltered, drawing back slightly!
How could this be happening? Could it be that the dragon and phoenix were automatically retreating because the dagger was trying to break free?
Meng Duo’er thought to herself, watching the Flowing Light Dagger with even greater tension.
But then, unexpectedly, the Meng Clan Leader suddenly cried out, “This is bad!”
A moment later, Old Meng Five, too, snapped to alertness. “Father, what do we do? This dagger simply won’t come out—if we force it any further, it will only shatter our formation! The Qiankun Poison Pouch is in danger!”
Hearing this, Meng Duo’er sucked in a sharp breath of cold air—she hadn’t expected this at all!
She hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth, terrified that her grandfather and father would notice her ignorance!
But the Meng Clan Leader and Old Meng Five had no attention to spare for her right now.
Both men stared at the dagger surging forward, and at their own purple dragon and phoenix retreating steadily, sweat pouring down their faces in sheer desperation!
What could they do?
At this moment, neither father nor son had a free hand, nor any spare strength, to subdue the dagger directly!
If this continued, the dagger wouldn’t come free, and they wouldn’t be able to open the Qiankun Poison Pouch at all!
“What does Fourth Sister mean by this!” the Meng Clan Leader couldn’t help but roar in fury.
The only reason he’d asked Old Meng Five for assistance in the first place was because he knew that with Meng Wanyue trapped inside the Flowing Light Dagger, she should have been able to control it herself. And yet, instead of being controlled, the dagger was surging upward on its own!
A note to readers: I announced an update for noon, but I stayed up all night to get it out early instead, since I have things to attend to during the day and was worried about further delays. I love writing Poison Pampered, and I love all of you. Good morning, early risers — the Lantern Festival’s just passed, so the New Year is officially behind us now, and it’s time to get back into the swing of things. Let’s use the weekend to get ready, and keep pushing forward together!