Faced with a spread of food, everyone could only watch with hungry eyes, unable to eat a bite.

No one had noticed Meng Duo’er, who had kept her eyes shut the whole time, straining hard, muttering something under her breath.

The surroundings were utterly silent.

After a long while, Xiong Xiaobao himself began to feel embarrassed and started packing everything back up one by one. But just then, Meng Duo’er spoke up timidly, “Xiong Bao, wait a moment.”

Xiong Bao looked up, puzzled. “What for?”

Toward Meng Duo’er, Xiong Bao’s attitude was much the same as Baili Weisheng’s — this girl was Fifth Elder Meng’s daughter, and Fifth Elder Meng had a feud with them!

Though there was no lingering resentment, Xiong Xiaobao simply wasn’t close to her.

Even with Meng Duo’er, who had been so quiet all this while, finally speaking up, it still didn’t draw much attention — Ziqing kept staring at the volcano, Jun Beiyue dozed lightly off to the side with his eyes narrowed, and even Madam Jinjiao was too exhausted to pay much mind to anything else.

Meng Duo’er glanced around at everyone before speaking again, timidly. “That… it seems the barrier has come loose. Everyone can… can breathe now.”

Even after saying this, still no one reacted.

Well, the ones focused stayed focused, the ones asleep stayed asleep, and the rest simply weren’t paying her any mind, no one really listening closely.

Only Xiong Xiaobao suddenly startled. “What did you… say?”

“I think… I think I’ve mastered instant sealing,” Meng Duo’er said, still somewhat timid. She wasn’t naturally timid by nature, but faced with this particular matter, she couldn’t help but grow cautious.

After all, instant sealing was the highest realm of barrier techniques. Mastering it would elevate her from an obscure young girl into the ranks of true masters — with instant sealing alone, she could even earn the Meng Clan a place of standing among the peoples of Nanzhao!

Looking at Meng Duo’er’s expression, a mix of delighted surprise and timidity, Xiong Xiaobao was startled and suddenly shouted, “Ah…”

That finally drew everyone’s attention. Baili Weisheng snapped irritably, “What are you yelling about! One more shout and I’ll kick you off!”

Xiong Xiaobao glanced at him and shouted again anyway, “Ah…”

“What’s wrong?” Jun Beiyue also frowned, looking over. At this point, everyone was exhausted to their limits — only this little troublemaker still had the energy for this.

“Daddy, she really did master instant sealing! She’s amazing!” Xiong Xiaobao said at once.

At these words, even Ziqing, who had been intently focused elsewhere, whipped her head around. “Really?”

“Mm-hm!” Meng Duo’er nodded very earnestly, lightly touching the air beside her. In an instant, everyone saw a purple barrier of light suddenly surround the whole group!

For a moment, everyone froze, especially Baili Weisheng, who sat bolt upright as though jolted by electricity, staring at Meng Duo’er with open suspicion.

Did this girl even realize what mastering instant sealing meant?

It meant she’d just joined the ranks of the precious few true masters on the continent of Longyuan!

Watching everyone’s shocked expressions, Meng Duo’er couldn’t help but smile. She gently lowered her hand, and the purple glow around them vanished.

She released her suspended-breath technique, smiling with a hint of provocation as she looked at Baili Weisheng. “I guess I can keep tagging along with you all now, right? Definitely not a burden, like someone said.”

This girl, though sweet-natured, wasn’t exactly soft — deep down she had a stubborn, unyielding streak, and when she dug in her heels, she was probably a match for her father.

Looking at Meng Duo’er’s teasing yet sweet smile, Baili Weisheng instinctively looked away, casually grabbing a braised duck leg and saying offhandedly, “There’s only one stop left now.”

Indeed, Baili Weisheng wasn’t wrong — there was only one stop left, the secret of the final missing note.

Once it was found, the isolated island would be right within reach, and that would also mark the moment everyone went their separate ways.

Baili Weisheng said this in an idle, lazy tone, impossible to tell whether it carried relief or regret. Meng Duo’er’s heart gave a small pang, and she was about to say something, but saw he’d already started devouring the meat, and any thought of speaking up left her at once.

“Duo’er, your grandfather will be proud of you!” Ziqing said earnestly, thinking of that old man of the Meng Clan, a warmth always rising in her chest.

Meng Duo’er finally snapped back to herself, still smiling sweetly. “Mm, once he finds out, he’ll be so happy!”

“Girl, I’m proud of you too!” Madam Jinjiao said with a smile, privately thinking that she really needed to find a time — perhaps when Baili Weisheng was in a good mood — to have a proper talk with him about this girl!

Just as everyone was chatting, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

“Situ Haonan…”

The voice wasn’t loud, but it silenced everyone at once.

Baili Weisheng was almost the first to snap back to attention, turning to look toward the Roaring Rabbit’s back, crying out with delight, “She’s awake!”

Yelu Qianqian was awake!

No, to be precise, she hadn’t fully woken yet — drifting in and out of consciousness, hazy and half-aware — but for some reason, tears were already glistening at the corners of her eyes.

Jun Beiyue immediately shot forward, and everyone else quickly followed.

Only Meng Duo’er remained behind on the Great Beast Zizhu’s back, watching them from a distance.

For some reason, Meng Duo’er just stood there, staring blankly from afar.

Meanwhile, the moment Ziqing reached them, she immediately shook the still-hazy Yelu Qianqian and Situ Haonan awake, frantic with urgency.

The moment the couple woke, they looked at the anxious faces surrounding them, momentarily dazed.

“What are you still dazed about — you nearly died here!” Ziqing snapped angrily, not even noticing her own anger, nor fully understanding why she was so furious.

Situ Haonan finally came to his senses, while Yelu Qianqian glanced at Ziqing and immediately threw herself forward, bursting into tears with a wail!

“Ziqing, it was Xuanyuan Lige, it was him! It was him!”

“Ziqing, how could that man be so vile! Ziqing, I hate him! I’ll kill him! How could he hand us over to Wanyan Lie!”

…

Yelu Qianqian sobbed uncontrollably, like an angry, terrified little rabbit huddled in Ziqing’s arms, crying her heart out.

She remembered how she and Situ Haonan had only just gotten married when the two of them had rushed off toward Nanzhao to find Ziqing and the others — only to run into Xuanyuan Lige along the way.

He’d seemed absolutely determined to abduct them, bringing along a group of skilled fighters, including the Beast Clan’s second young master.

Outnumbered, Situ Haonan had sustained serious internal injuries and ultimately couldn’t win the fight.

After that, they’d fallen unconscious, and when they woke, they found themselves face to face with Wanyan Lie!

“What did he do to you two?” Ziqing asked, alarmed. Beside her, Jun Beiyue listened in silence, but the veins bulging on his forehead made it clear no one dared look at him too closely.

Faced with Ziqing’s question, Yelu Qianqian fell silent.

Ziqing’s heart lurched with dread, and she instinctively turned to look at Situ Haonan, only to see his eyes bloodshot, his lips bitten bloody at some point without her noticing.

For a moment, everything around them fell utterly silent, the air seeming to freeze solid, the atmosphere unbearably heavy.

“What exactly happened!” Jun Beiyue finally roared with fury.