Seeing how strong Baili Xiaosheng was being, Xiong Bao liked this “Big Brother Sheng” more than ever. He immediately climbed up onto the bed and patted Baili Xiaosheng’s shoulder with great seriousness. “Xiaosheng, I’ve decided — I’m not going to treat you as my little sidekick anymore. From now on, I’m calling you brother!”
Ziqing and Jun Beiyue exchanged a knowing glance, saying nothing at all.
Baili Xiaosheng was utterly speechless, unsure what had gotten into Xiong Bao. She was about to go find her master, but Xiong Bao, acting like old buddies, threw an arm around her shoulders, grinning. “Want to know a secret?”
“What?” Baili Xiaosheng asked, suspicious.
“There’s something you and I both have — something only you and I have,” Xiong Xiaobao said, all mysterious.
“What is it?” Baili Xiaosheng really had no idea.
Xiong Xiaobao leaned in close to her ear and whispered about the silver jiao scale armor. Baili Xiaosheng, slightly startled, immediately tried Xiong Bao’s method, silently summoning the silver scales in her mind — and the instant the thought came to her, a full layer of gleaming silver-white reverse scales erupted across her entire body, leaving her utterly stunned!
“Heh heh, I’ve got it too!” Xiong Xiaobao said, immediately revealing his own set of silver scales. Truthfully, the two kids were still so small that if they curled up, anyone might genuinely mistake them for giant hedgehogs.
“Cool, right? Your master gave it to you! Stripped straight off those two Silver Jiao, as revenge for you!”
In truth, Xiong Xiaobao wasn’t normally such a chatterbox — he was rambling on so much purely to distract Baili Xiaosheng and cheer her up.
Whether it was the effect of the silver scales, or something else entirely, Baili Xiaosheng slowly let her reverse scales retract, and a genuine, happy smile finally spread across her face.
More than the toughness from before, Xiong Bao far preferred seeing Big Brother Sheng smile — because, really, toughness was so often just an act put on for show.
Seeing the patient was fine, Jue Mingzi finally asked Ziqing quietly about the Silver Jiao situation. Ziqing gave him a rough account of what had happened at the Innocent Abyss. Just as she finished, the voice of a Shadow Guard called from outside the door: “Master, Young Master Baili says the prisoner has confessed. He wants you all to come now.”
Interrogating Meng Wanyue was quite the technical job — the Shadow Guards likely couldn’t have managed it. Ziqing had a good idea of that already; still, Baili Weisheng had only been gone a short while, and heaven only knew what method he’d used to get the truth out of Meng Wanyue so quickly.
Before Ziqing could even respond, Baili Xiaosheng was already the first one off the bed, dashing out the door in a blur.
“Big Brother Sheng, wait for me!”
Xiong Bao immediately toddled after her, his small body, chubby little legs and plump little bottom bouncing along — the very picture of a devoted little sidekick.
Ziqing glanced at Jun Beiyue, asking if he was coming.
“I’ll go check on the Gu army,” Jun Beiyue said flatly, not directly answering her question.
Jue Mingzi, not knowing the full situation, only sensed there was something delicate going on, and asked no questions, simply following along with Ziqing.
Along the way, Ziqing gave Jue Mingzi a rough account of everything they’d been through over the years, searching for the Isolated Isle. Father and daughter walked side by side, lacking the familiarity and closeness between a father and daughter, and lacking too the formal courtesies between elder and younger. Ziqing’s manner remained cool and detached, while Jue Mingzi, quite noticeably, had taken on a certain eagerness to please.
By now he’d changed into fresh clothes, a long grey robe, his frame sturdy and broad, skin weathered dark, his face resolute and composed. Nearly two decades of living wild had stripped away the refined elegance of a physician and replaced it with the rough vigor of a wild man.
A man like this, so carefully, so cautiously trying to win over his daughter’s favor — there was a certain warmth to the sight, in its own way.
Of course, this kind of ingratiating manner was reserved solely for Ziqing. Jue Mingzi had never been a man of good temper otherwise.
Father and daughter arrived at the prison mid-conversation. The moment they stepped through the door, they were hit by an overpowering stench of feces and urine. Ziqing pinched her nose as she entered, and was immediately shocked by the scene before her!
There was Meng Wanyue, her hands strung up high, her feet shackled with heavy lead balls, unable to move a single limb, doused from head to toe in filth, her face smeared with plenty of it too. Her clothes and the floor around her were covered in vomit — no need to guess whose it was.
Just the smell and sight alone were nauseating enough — let alone actually being there in person.
Ziqing glanced at the corner of Meng Wanyue’s mouth and felt entirely certain — Baili Weisheng had actually fed her the filth directly.
What a piece of work, this Baili Weisheng — truly ruthless in his own way!
This method wouldn’t harm Meng Wanyue at all — wouldn’t leave so much as a scratch on her skin. It gave Jun Beiyue, as her son, something of an explanation too, sparing his dignity in a way.
But this method was, without question, far more terrifying than any form of physical torture — genuinely, thoroughly disgusting in a way that cut deep.
“Han Ziqing, I’m your mother-in-law! How dare you treat me like this — aren’t you afraid of being struck down by heaven’s thunder?”
The moment she saw Ziqing enter, Meng Wanyue erupted in furious shouting.
Ziqing acted as though she hadn’t heard a word, turning instead to look at Baili Weisheng.
At that moment, Baili Weisheng had both nostrils stuffed with cloth, sitting off to the side with his legs crossed casually, while Baili Xiaosheng and Xiong Xiaobao stood on either side of him, looking every bit like two little guardian attendants.
For some reason, Ziqing suddenly had the odd impression that her own son had somehow also become this foul-mouthed scholar’s disciple.
“Xiong Bao, your daddy’s looking for you, in the main hall,” Ziqing said seriously.
After all, Meng Wanyue was Jun Beiyue’s own birth mother, Xiong Bao’s own grandmother. Though Xiong Bao was precocious for his age, he was still a child, and there were things she didn’t want him to see — and if possible, didn’t even want him to know at all.
In a certain sense, the one most hurt by all this wasn’t really Jun Beiyue — it was Xiong Bao.
Xiong Bao, only half understanding, pouted a little, then left with the Shadow Guard.
Meng Wanyue couldn’t help but sneer. “Han Ziqing, what’s the matter — afraid your son will see what you’re doing to me?”
Baili Weisheng secretly laughed to himself. Whether Meng Wanyue was genuinely dense or just playing dumb, little Qingqing had just sent her son away — that could only mean she was about to get really ruthless.
Ziqing ignored her entirely, her eyes flashing coldly as she kicked Baili Weisheng’s crossed leg down without warning, saying icily, “Wasn’t she supposed to have confessed already? What’s with all this nonsense? How exactly have you been interrogating her?”
Baili Weisheng immediately sprang up from his seat, putting on an exaggeratedly servile air, grinning as he ushered Ziqing to a seat and offering an apology. “Forgive me, mistress — this humble servant will resume the interrogation right away!”
“Don’t you dare! Where’s Jun Beiyue — call him here! I’m telling you all right now, if he doesn’t come, I’ll die before I say another word!” Meng Wanyue shouted furiously.
Her concession to Baili Weisheng was purely in hopes of getting Jun Beiyue to come!
She simply refused to believe Jun Beiyue could truly do anything to her!
Jun Beiyue was the son she’d given birth to — that was a fact no one could change!
“Han Ziqing, whatever else, I am still Jun Beiyue’s mother, still your mother-in-law! You can’t do this to me! Someday you’ll be a mother-in-law yourself — aren’t you afraid of karma catching up to you!”
Facing Meng Wanyue’s fury, Ziqing paid her no attention whatsoever, settling comfortably into her seat, crossing one leg over the other, and only then lifting her eyes to look Meng Wanyue over, saying impatiently, “Meng Wanyue, my mother-in-law — Consort Wan — is already dead. What exactly are you supposed to be? What are you yammering on about?”
At those words, Meng Wanyue was genuinely shocked, sucking in an involuntary breath of cold air. Up until now, Ziqing had remained silent throughout this entire ordeal!
That one sudden, cutting remark snapped Meng Wanyue instantly to her senses!
This daughter-in-law wasn’t someone to trifle with at all!
The dog that doesn’t bark is the most vicious. The quiet ones are the most ruthless!
…