With Baili Weisheng’s silence, everything remained uncertain, and the decision rested entirely with him. Meng Wanyue’s gaze drifted back and forth between Madam Jinjiao and Baili Weisheng, a leisurely air of one watching a show hidden in her eyes.

But the true spectator here wasn’t her at all — it was Jun Beiyue and his little family of three.

By now, the three of them had already sat down on the stone steps. Ziqing, holding Baili Xiaosheng, leaned against Jun Beiyue’s shoulder, watching Meng Wanyue’s distant figure. Beneath her weariness lay a trace of icy coldness in her brow.

Xiong Xiaobao was curled up in Jun Beiyue’s arms, timidly studying Baili Xiaosheng, cradled in his mother’s arms, his little face gradually darkening, his eyes brimming with tears.

Jun Beiyue gently stroked Xiong Xiaobao’s shoulder, one slow pat after another, his gaze deep and unreadable — no one could tell what he was thinking at that moment.

This little family of three weren’t watching Baili Weisheng’s show as mere bystanders detached from it all — it was simply that they understood this man far too well.

Talk to this fellow about face? When had he ever given anyone face?

Talk to this fellow about his own clan and kin? Did he give a single thought to all those Jiao people across Nanzhao?

Talk to this fellow about forgiveness? Did he even understand the meaning of the word?

This man never let a grudge go unanswered — and he always repaid it with interest, many times over!

Suddenly, Baili Weisheng slowly raised his right hand, and instantly, the Helian mother and son’s pleading cut off abruptly, not even daring to breathe too heavily.

The Helian mother and son, Meng Wanyue, Madam Jinjiao — all of their attention fixed on his hand in that instant. Who could have known, he merely brushed back his disheveled hair.

The Helian mother and son let out a breath of relief and immediately resumed their wailing, “Lord Golden Jiao…”

But before those words could even finish coming out, Baili Weisheng spoke up, turning to look at Meng Wanyue, asking with a perfectly serious expression, “Auntie Meng, how do you think we should go about stripping them, to make sure not a single scale of theirs goes to waste?”

Baili Weisheng had been thinking about this the entire time.

Silver Jiao scales were, after all, even more precious than Black Jiao scales — second only to Golden Jiao scales themselves!

If one could strip them off in a single complete piece, without damaging or losing a single scale, it would become a treasure one could store away and summon at will — wearing it would fuse seamlessly with the body, becoming an invisible silver garment, letting one summon reverse scales freely at will.

As for the scales of common shrimp-soldier types, he had no interest whatsoever — but the silver scales on these two, he could tell at a glance, were the finest of the finest among silver scales!

Upon hearing this, Madam Helian was utterly terrified out of her wits, collapsing heavily to the ground. Helian Shaoze froze for a moment, then immediately burst into wailing sobs, throwing himself almost entirely flat on the ground. “Lord Golden Jiao, we are of the same clan! We share the very same blood flowing through our veins! Lord Golden Jiao, if you won’t avenge the Silver Jiao, so be it — but how could you… Lord Golden Jiao, can you truly face our ancestors after this? Lord Golden Jiao, please reconsider…”

Baili Weisheng paid them no mind whatsoever, turning his head toward Meng Wanyue instead, still with that same earnest expression. “Auntie Meng, what do you think?”

Meng Wanyue was rendered utterly speechless in that instant, having never once expected this man to be so merciless, so ruthless!

These were his own clan members, after all!

After a long moment, Meng Wanyue finally recovered from her shock enough to murmur, “Weisheng, this… they… one should show mercy where mercy is due — they are, after all, your own kind…”

“Auntie Meng, even one’s own flesh and blood can be abandoned, even turned against with blade in hand — so what does it matter, a mere matter of clan kinship?” Baili Weisheng suddenly smiled.

Meng Wanyue’s heart skipped a beat, a sudden chill of dread washing over her, running cold from the soles of her feet straight up to the back of her skull!

Baili Weisheng — what exactly did he mean by that? Was he saying it deliberately, for her benefit?

Meng Wanyue stood there stunned, utterly at a loss for words, no longer able to spare a single thought for Madam Helian or Madam Jinjiao, standing rooted to the spot, very nearly frozen in shock.

But Baili Weisheng suddenly spun around, turning a cold gaze on the Helian mother and son, and said coldly, “You may all go die now!”