They were none other than Xuanyuan Lige and the Second Young Master of the Beast Clan.

Xuanyuan Lige had withdrawn his acceptance of Jun Beiyue’s peace conference invitation, and had instead come to wait at the Nanzhao harbor.

The Second Young Master of the Beast Clan had originally assumed he’d take some kind of action, but instead, the man had simply stood off to the side, watching from a distance, doing nothing at all, saying nothing at all the entire time.

“Xuanyuan Lige, don’t tell me you’ve been standing guard here for five days and five nights just to catch a glimpse of that woman? Is it really worth it?” the Second Young Master of the Beast Clan said with evident disdain.

“Yes. So what?” Xuanyuan Lige’s voice was icy cold — colder even than his usual detachment, now carrying an added edge of lethal intent.

This only irritated the Second Young Master further. He said sharply, “Let’s go. I’ll arrange for you to see the Nanzhao king right now and lay out the whole truth. Let’s see whether Jun Beiyue can even make landfall after this trip of his!”

The instant these words left his mouth, Xuanyuan Lige turned his head sharply, his icy gaze seeming to freeze the air itself. The Second Young Master flinched, not daring to speak further, instinctively stepping back.

“I’ll warn you one last time — if you dare do something like that, I’ll make sure you’re the one who never makes landfall again!” Xuanyuan Lige said, each word cold and deliberate.

“You… you…” The Second Young Master looked utterly incredulous. He’d assumed that once Xuanyuan Lige withdrew his invitation, he’d intended to make his move. But now, instead…

“What… what do you mean by this?” the Second Young Master couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing in particular. Arrange it for me right away — I want to meet the Xiongnu king,” Xuanyuan Lige ordered.

“Meet the Xiongnu king? Xuanyuan Lige, have you lost your mind? With just the northern highlands, with just your army of Sound Killers, you think you can conquer the realm? The Xiongnu king? Ha, what a joke, an absolute joke — the Xiongnu can barely protect themselves right now, can’t you see that?”

The Second Young Master of the Beast Clan was seething with fury. He’d stayed by Xuanyuan Lige’s side this whole time, waiting for the day Xuanyuan Lige would finally confront the Nanzhao king directly, waiting for the day Xuanyuan Lige would gain Nanzhao’s backing and launch a full assault on Da Zhou.

As long as Nanzhao sent out its beast-clan armies, he was certain he’d be given an important role, certain he’d lead the Beast Clan to seize a stretch of fertile land on the Longyuan continent.

But now Xuanyuan Lige had actually abandoned such a powerful backer as Nanzhao, choosing instead to court favor with the Xiongnu king — this man had truly lost his mind.

Facing the Second Young Master’s relentless cursing, Xuanyuan Lige remained utterly unmoved, raising an eyebrow and staring at him coldly, though killing intent was unmistakably visible in his eyes.

The Second Young Master, mid-tirade, unconsciously fell silent — though he remained outwardly compliant, he was far from convinced inside.

“If you want the Beast Clan to break away from the Nanzhao royal family and stand on its own, then follow me honestly and help conquer the realm — I’ll give you your fair share. But if… you dare set your sights on Han Ziqing in the slightest, I guarantee you I will make your…” Xuanyuan Lige said, the corner of his mouth curling into a wild, malevolent sneer as he softly uttered a few words, “entire clan… obliterated.”

The Second Young Master couldn’t help but shudder, feeling that the man before him had changed — completely changed. Gone was the frail sickliness of before, replaced by a wild, untamed ferocity he’d never seen in him before.

Even though the man currently had almost no real leverage to speak of, for some reason his words left the Second Young Master unable to doubt him.

“Fine, Xuanyuan Lige, I’ll follow you. I only hope you don’t end up losing to a woman!”

The Second Young Master muttered silently to himself, and without further delay, immediately began arranging the meeting between Xuanyuan Lige and the Xiongnu king.

He pondered to himself — with the entire Longyuan continent essentially under Jun Beiyue’s control, how could Xuanyuan Lige’s first move possibly break through the situation Jun Beiyue had already set up? And with nothing but the tiny northern highlands to his name, what leverage did he even have to negotiate with the Xiongnu king?

Xuanyuan Lige’s trip to Nanzhao seemed to have truly been just to watch Ziqing’s departure. He didn’t linger — that very same day he set off, heading, of all places, toward a small town in the northern desert.

Xuanyuan Lige traveled steadily north, while Jun Beiyue’s group continued south. The Dream Clan occupied an archipelago in the southern seas — the main island wasn’t large, but scattered around it were numerous smaller islands.

It was the most obscure of all Nanzhao’s many islands; if not specifically mentioned, most people from Nanzhao had entirely forgotten it existed.

After several days at sea, the island cluster finally came into view in the distance.

Little Xiong Bao was thrilled, especially at the sight of a nearby beach — he could hardly wait to dive in and play. He bounced around excitedly on the deck. Baili Xiaosheng sat on the railing, chin propped in her hands, watching him, unconsciously lost in thought. She’d been mulling over one particular question — once this child grew up, would he turn out to be a bright, cheerful, kind-hearted young man?

But the moment she looked over at Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing, she knew — probably not.

Girls change dramatically as they grow up, and it turned out boys were much the same — in looks, and in temperament.

Just as Baili Xiaosheng was lost in thought, Ziqing suddenly approached. “Xiaosheng, we’re almost there — go wake up your master, would you?”

Before falling asleep, Baili Weisheng had made it very clear — no one was to disturb him until they reached the Dream Clan; he needed to conserve his energy.

Though there had been several times Ziqing couldn’t resist wanting to wake him, worried something might be wrong, the experienced Baili Xiaosheng had assured her it was fine.

Indeed, Baili Weisheng’s hibernation periods lasted even longer than an animal’s — he’d once slept for the better part of a year!

This time, though he was seriously injured, the wound was to his human-gu body — his spirit remained in good condition, so no one had thought much of it.

Lying there unable to move a muscle — how miserable that would be. Being able to sleep through it was actually a blessing!

“All right, let me show you my special technique!”

Baili Xiaosheng, delighted, hopped down off the railing and walked off. Xiong Bao trotted eagerly after her, imitating her walk. Watching the two little ones trotting along one after the other, Ziqing couldn’t help but laugh, thinking to herself that it was rather nice for Xiong Bao to have a little older companion like her.

Once inside the cabin, Baili Xiaosheng immediately pulled a thick, dark, hairy caterpillar out from her sleeve, startling Xiong Bao so badly he leapt aside instantly!

“What are you going to do with that?”

“Don’t worry, Master is immune to all poisons!” Baili Xiaosheng giggled.

Xiong Bao paused, then suddenly realized he too was immune to all poisons. As a proper young man, what was there to be afraid of?

So he leaned in closer while still hugging his mother’s leg for reassurance.

Baili Xiaosheng placed the caterpillar right at Baili Weisheng’s nostril, letting it slowly crawl inside.

Watching from the side, Ziqing felt a chill run down her spine, seriously reconsidering whether she should let Xiong Bao continue spending time with this little medicine girl — this was no medicine child, this was a poison child through and through!

Gruesome as it was, though, the method proved remarkably effective.

Before long, Baili Weisheng couldn’t stand it any longer and let out an enormous sneeze, instantly blasting the caterpillar right back out!

Baili Xiaosheng and little Xiong Bao both turned their heads in unison, tracking the caterpillar’s flight path. The moment it hit the ground, dead, Baili Xiaosheng burst out laughing, turning back with delight. “Master, you’ve killed another—”

But the words died in her throat. Baili Weisheng remained perfectly still… still not awake!