When Xiong Bao first confronted Old Meng Five, at first only Old Meng Five could see his blood-red fangs. But upon seeing Old Meng Five’s terrified expression, Ziqing and Jun Beiyue both rushed forward almost simultaneously—and Baili Weisheng charged over as well!

Still, it was Jun Beiyue who moved fastest, sweeping Xiong Bao up into his arms!

For the moment, there was no time to worry about the strangeness of his teeth—he focused entirely on soothing him.

Xiong Bao’s emotions were still wildly unstable. Even held tight in Jun Beiyue’s arms, he kept shouting at Old Meng Five, “My mommy isn’t! She isn’t! Say it again and I’ll bite you! Nobody’s allowed to say anything about my mommy!”

Having been pointed at and cursed by Old Meng Five so many times as a “harbinger of disaster,” he knew exactly how painful it was to be scolded, blamed, and accused.

While the adults had been talking, he had been listening quietly off to the side. At first, he’d had to ask the Ounce Great Beast to explain things, but eventually, he no longer needed to ask—he understood everything perfectly well!

He had known it—he had known this old man’s true target all along was his mommy!

What had Mommy ever done wrong?

Was being born on the Solitary Island a crime?

Why did they have to talk about Mommy like that?

He would never allow anyone to hurt his mommy. Not even a single word against her would he tolerate!

Mommy, all alone in the World of Poisonous Beasts, had raised him all by herself. He would never forget the sight of her, sitting alone on the cliff’s edge every evening, lost in thought.

If she truly had brought his father trouble, it certainly hadn’t been her intention—she had endured so, so much herself, only she never spoke of it, never said a word.

At first, Xiong Bao had merely stubbornly denied Old Meng Five’s words, but soon it turned into a full roar, like a wild beast. All four of his top-tier poison beasts materialized out of thin air in shock, staring wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before them.

Jun Beiyue, noticing his son’s emotions spiraling out of control, quickly held him tighter. Ziqing rushed over as well, wrapping her arms around Xiong Bao. “Sweetheart, it’s alright, Mommy’s here!”

“Son, don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Daddy’s here too. No one can hurt you or Mommy!”

“There, there, good boy. Come here, Mommy’s got you. No one can hurt Mommy—Mommy’s so strong!”

…

Baili Weisheng narrowed his eyes at Old Meng Five, his teeth grinding faster and harder, as though quietly making some kind of decision.

But soon, his attention shifted entirely to Xiong Bao!

Human Gu blood!

He could smell it—the scent of human Gu blood!

He wasn’t a poison beast; unless the blood of a human Gu vessel actually flowed from the body, he’d have difficulty sensing it at all.

And yet, right now, he could sense the scent of human Gu blood so distinctly—and so strongly!

Baili Weisheng found himself drawn toward Xiong Bao, wanting to get a clearer look at his mouth.

By the time Ziqing pulled Xiong Bao into her arms, he finally began to calm down, his eyes red-rimmed—whether from crying or from being too worked up, it was hard to say. He looked at Ziqing timidly, glanced around at everyone else, and then suddenly buried his face in her chest.

What had just happened to him?

He felt like he’d lost control of himself for a moment.

Why did it feel like all the blood in his body had rushed straight to his mouth? His whole row of teeth had felt so tight, so clenched!

Ziqing steadied herself, gently patting and soothing Xiong Bao, but her sharp phoenix eyes remained fixed coldly on Old Meng Five. For a moment, the entire place fell silent—no one dared ask a single question. Even the Meng Clan Leader, seeing Xiong Bao in this state, was momentarily stunned.

Once she was certain Xiong Bao had calmed down, Ziqing’s expression turned instantly cold, and her gaze toward the Fifth Elder grew even icier, forcing him to look away instinctively.

Judging by what the Fifth Elder had just said, there was clearly more to it—he knew something.

But whatever the Fifth Elder knew, Meng Wanyue was certain to know as well.

Ziqing had no patience left to linger here any further. If she wanted to know the secret of the Solitary Island, the nature of Xiong Bao’s constitution, and why his teeth had turned like that, she might as well ask Meng Wanyue directly.

If even Meng Wanyue couldn’t give her a complete answer, she would leave at once—her time was precious, and she had no wish to waste it.

“Fifth Elder, please assist in opening the Qiankun Poison Pouch immediately. Will you agree to it or not?” Ziqing said coldly. Her words were courteous enough, but her tone carried the weight of a command.

Complicated emotions swirled in the Fifth Elder’s eyes, but he didn’t dare say another word, nodding repeatedly. “I agree! I agree!”

Opening the Qiankun Poison Pouch wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a short while, nor could it afford to be disturbed.

The Meng Clan Leader chose the first level of the Xuyu Pagoda atop Xuyu Peak—arguably the safest place in the entire Meng Clan.

Without him leading the way, no one else could currently enter.

The Meng Clan Leader stopped on a stone step near the mountain’s summit and said calmly, “Beiyue, Ziqing, opening the Qiankun Poison Pouch will take at least three days. Go and rest—come back in three days.”

Jun Beiyue nodded. “Thank you for your trouble.”

The Meng Clan Leader seemed to want to say something more but held back, instead offering a faint smile before leading Old Meng Five off to break through the barrier and enter. Just then, Meng Duo’er, who had been trailing behind them, couldn’t help but speak up. “Grandfather, let me go in and take a look too, please? I…”

In truth, what Meng Duo’er really wanted to say was that she was worried about her father.

If Meng Duo’er hadn’t spoken up, everyone likely would have forgotten she was even there.

The word “Grandfather,” spoken so sweetly, tinged with timid uncertainty, made it impossible for the Meng Clan Leader to refuse. Among all his grandchildren, she was the only “useless” one before him who never fawned or flattered.

The Meng Clan Leader hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Come along, then—broaden your horizons a little.”

In an instant, three figures vanished into thin air, entering the barrier of the Xuyu Pagoda. Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, naturally, had no intention of leaving.

Ziqing, holding Xiong Bao, sat down on the stone steps in perfect sync with Jun Beiyue. Baili Weisheng and Baili Xiaosheng settled in cross-legged as well, showing no sign of leaving either.

They intended to wait—wait for Meng Wanyue to emerge, and get a clear answer from her.

At that moment, Xiong Bao, who had been burying his face in Ziqing’s chest the whole time, timidly poked his head out. He’d assumed everyone had forgotten about him, but the moment he looked up, he found everyone’s eyes on him.

“Heh heh…”

He flashed a grin—no matter how bright the smile, those two little fangs carried an inborn hint of menace, like a tiny devil.

“There you are. Feeling better?” Jun Beiyue’s usually cold, stern face rarely broke into a smile, but it did now. He reached out a large hand toward Xiong Bao’s mouth, and without needing to be told, Xiong Bao obediently opened wide. “Ahh…”

There was no hiding those two strange little fangs now—everyone had already seen them, and he knew that the moment things settled down, this group would start poking and prodding at his teeth!

Jun Beiyue gently prodded Xiong Bao’s two small fangs, but found nothing unusual about their shape—they looked exactly like any ordinary child’s canine teeth, with no trace of blood or scent. He simply couldn’t figure out how they’d turned blood-red.

“Son, when did this start happening?” Ziqing began questioning him.

“Just now,” Xiong Bao answered honestly.

“Did anything unusual happen beforehand?” Ziqing asked again.

Xiong Bao shook his head. “Mommy, was it because I got so angry that all my blood rushed to my teeth?”

At these words, everyone was startled.

Baili Weisheng couldn’t help but speak up. “I caught the scent of human Gu blood just now. If he’d bitten someone in that state, they might well have been poisoned! Could it be that combining the Solitary Island bloodline with the Meng Clan bloodline produces some entirely new constitution?”