There was no telling whether Meng Wanyue was feigning ignorance or was genuinely not perceptive enough to notice, but she showed no sign of picking up on Jun Beiyue’s shift in mood. She simply kept smiling cheerfully, pulling Jun Beiyue closer to her side and abruptly changing the subject. “Son, sit, Mother hasn’t had a proper look at you yet!”

As she spoke, she adjusted his collar while studying him earnestly. “All these years, living alone in the palace—it must have been so hard on you.”

“It was fine,” Jun Beiyue replied evenly.

“Blame your mother, I know.”

“I don’t blame you. You had your own matters to attend to.”

“Silly child… from now on, Mother will never leave you again. The two of us, together forever, Mother promises!”

Jun Beiyue said nothing. He had to admit, he had always instinctively resisted this kind of physical closeness—this wasn’t something that had been there since childhood, but had come on suddenly, all at once, and for the moment, he couldn’t quite bring himself to accept it comfortably.

He didn’t respond to Meng Wanyue’s words. Instead, he subtly extricated his hand from hers, rose to his feet, and cut straight to the point. “Mother, Ziqing and I plan to hold our wedding once we’ve found the Solitary Island. This is something I owe her—it’s the least I can do, and it won’t be a simple affair.”

He had originally meant this as an announcement, but in the end, he asked seriously, “What do you think?”

“With our grandson already calling her Grandma, having little Han Ziqing call me ‘Mother’ too would really be quite a hassle.” A flicker of displeasure crossed beneath Meng Wanyue’s eyes, but she quickly said, “What you’re saying makes sense! Of course it should be that way!”

“Then before the wedding, Ziqing will address you as Auntie Meng—would that be alright?” Jun Beiyue pressed on, question after question, each one closing in, leaving Meng Wanyue with no choice but to nod. “Of course! Ha ha, son, whatever she calls me, Mother doesn’t mind at all, as long as the two of you are happy together, as long as Xiong Bao grows up safe and sound—nothing matters more than that!”

As Meng Wanyue smiled along, she couldn’t help muttering to herself inwardly—this little rascal really did dote on that wife of his!

A simple “Auntie Meng” spared her so much of the formal mother-in-law etiquette, eliminated so many opportunities for her to find fault!

No doubt, that girl had put Beiyue up to saying all this to her.

The Meng Clan Leader, watching his own daughter’s reaction from the side, grew increasingly puzzled—this was so unlike her nature. He remembered how, in her youth, she would fight tooth and nail over the mere matter of what to call an older sister, causing an uproar over it for ages.

Still, Meng Wanyue had left the Meng Clan in her teens and was now a woman in her forties upon her return—change was only natural.

The Meng Clan Leader didn’t dwell on it further and changed the subject instead. “Beiyue, this is the Fifth Elder’s daughter, Meng Duo’er. She deserves half the credit for opening the Qiankun Poison Pouch.”

At these words, Jun Beiyue finally took a proper, careful look at Meng Duo’er for the first time. This girl of about fifteen or sixteen had grown up delicate and lively, though known throughout the Meng Clan as its acknowledged failure—he hadn’t expected her to have such remarkable, untapped talent.

“Grandfather, what do you mean by that…?” Beiyue asked, puzzled. Surely he wasn’t suggesting they bring this girl along too? It had to be admitted—Jun Beiyue wasn’t afraid of trouble, but he particularly despised it!

“Beiyue, this is the successor this old man has chosen!” the Meng Clan Leader announced, unable to contain his eagerness to share the news—partly so Jun Beiyue wouldn’t need to worry, and partly because this was a source of great pride for him.

That she had managed to break straight through the barrier that he and Old Meng Five had set up, and grasp the Qiankun Poison Pouch directly—one could only imagine how much untapped talent this girl possessed!

This girl was an uncut gem; once properly polished, she would surely prove every bit Meng Wanyue’s equal!

Hearing this, Jun Beiyue was genuinely delighted as well. “Congratulations, Grandfather! As for the Grand Elder, rest assured—even after I leave, I’ll absolutely ensure the Meng Clan’s stability!”

Jun Beiyue had already secretly arranged to station Shadow Guards to watch over things. With the balance of power among the various elders broken, the Grand Elder could very well pose a threat even to the Meng Clan Leader himself. To allow the Meng Clan Leader to focus wholeheartedly on cultivating his chosen successor, the clan needed a force capable of keeping the Grand Elder in check—and Jun Beiyue’s Shadow Guards were the perfect solution for that.

At this point, Ziqing arrived as well, leading Xiong Bao by the hand, together with Baili Weisheng and his disciple.

The moment Xiong Bao spotted Meng Wanyue, he immediately climbed all over her like an octopus, clinging tight. Ziqing wore a doting smile—Xiong Bao had just told her a great deal about the Qiankun Poison Pouch, all of it extracted from Meng Wanyue through sheer coaxing and cuteness!

At last, the time came to say their farewells.

Without alerting anyone else, the Meng Clan Leader arranged for them to depart through a separate, secret harbor. Meng Duo’er, ever dutiful, hung back at a distance behind the Meng Clan Leader, watching everyone leave with a smile, not even venturing to say a word. Regrettably, no one seemed particularly familiar with her either, and no one made a point of speaking to her.

Meng Duo’er felt a pang of envy. Young as she was, in the very bloom of her youth, she too longed to leave the Meng Clan, to venture out into the wider world.

She wanted to be like that group—each one so clever and formidable, each one possessing some remarkable ability. Even the two small children among them were so impressive.

But her father was imprisoned here, and she herself carried heavy responsibilities. She couldn’t leave.

Watching Ziqing and the others’ retreating figures grow distant, Meng Duo’er couldn’t help but ask, “Grandfather, will they come back?”

“Of course. As long as they find the Solitary Island, they’ll surely return. The Meng Clan’s bloodline is the only means of counteracting the Solitary Island’s human Gu bloodline. Child, the day the Solitary Island’s grievances are finally redressed and it rises again, our Meng Clan will no longer be some minor clan under Nanzhao either!” the Meng Clan Leader said with feeling.

Meng Duo’er nodded, only half understanding. She couldn’t help but turn to look up at the towering Xuyu Peak. She thought to herself—she absolutely had to work hard, to become someone as formidable as Fourth Aunt, to secretly visit the Xuyu Pagoda and find out what that voice back then had really been. She wanted to visit the second level of the Xuyu Pagoda too, to learn the forbidden techniques the founding ancestor had left behind!

“Jun Beiyue, Ziqing, Xiong Bao, and… and that most detestable little scholar-brat… farewell! Before you all return, I swear I’ll grow strong too!”

With the poison beasts’ assistance, Ziqing and the others soon reached the harbor and headed straight for Wuxie Ravine.

Meng Wanyue had originally wanted to find a chance to talk with Ziqing, but unfortunately, little Xiong Bao clung to her so persistently she couldn’t get a moment free.

Baili Weisheng kept watching her from a distance the whole while, and no one could tell what he was thinking.

“Master, you’ve been staring at her for a very long time now. That’s quite rude,” Baili Xiaosheng kindly pointed out.

“Haven’t you been staring at her for a long time too?” Baili Weisheng retorted, displeased. Without Xiong Bao around to play with, master and disciple had grown thoroughly bored with each other.

Up at the bow of the ship, Ziqing and Jun Beiyue found a moment of peace at last. The two sat together, Ziqing leaning her head against Jun Beiyue’s shoulder, gazing out at the vast ocean, unable to help thinking back to watching the sunrise from that Nanzhao Jiao Clan ship before.

“Before our wedding, just have her call you Auntie Meng. I’ve already told her,” Jun Beiyue said evenly.

“What did she say?” Ziqing asked, still a bit nervous, despite herself.

Seeing Ziqing’s nervous expression, a flicker of tenderness crossed Jun Beiyue’s eyes, though he still smiled. “She said that’s fine, and that the wedding is a major event—once we’ve found the Solitary Island and your family, it’ll be a grand, proper celebration!”

Ziqing leaned against Jun Beiyue’s shoulder, saying nothing, but the corner of her mouth gradually curved into a warm smile—shy, sweet, and even faintly bashful…