Indeed, both Ziqing and Baili Weisheng still had questions of their own.

Baili Weisheng was just about to speak up, but seeing that Ziqing wanted to ask something too, he fell silent instead.

“So, back then, you chose to leave home for the Longyuan continent, to search for the death seal, waiting for the day the seal’s cycle would come to pass?”

At these words, Meng Wanyue seemed to hesitate for a moment, but quickly nodded. “Yes. That was the founding ancestor’s dying instruction, and also the secret itself. The ancestor left strict word that without absolute certainty of success, it could not be spoken of. He didn’t want the Dream Clan to make any pointless sacrifices — it simply wouldn’t have been worth it.”

“Fourth Elder, why did the ‘lure’ mechanism have to be placed specifically within Jun Beiyue’s body?”

Baili Weisheng finally spoke up. Though the question was phrased delicately, everyone present, save for the two fools Meng Duo’er and little Xiong Bao, were sharp enough to catch the skepticism embedded in Baili Weisheng’s words immediately!

What Baili Weisheng was really implying was this: if Meng Wanyue had been so single-mindedly devoted to reaching the Longyuan continent in search of the Qiankun Poison Pouch, why had she gotten entangled with the Solitary Clan leader in the first place, and why had she given birth to Jun Beiyue within the imperial palace, granting him the identity of an imperial prince?

Could it be that even before she’d given birth to Jun Beiyue, she’d already known his constitution would be capable of bearing the “lure” mechanism?

It was precisely this question from Baili Weisheng that pulled Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, still immersed in their joy, back toward a measure of clarity and caution.

“Beiyue…” Meng Wanyue said, turning to look at Jun Beiyue, a faint trace of sorrow lingering in her eyes. She smiled, a bitter, helpless smile, shaking her head repeatedly.

“Beiyue… was an accident. I used fleeing an arranged marriage as my excuse to leave home, living under a false identity — but I never expected to encounter him…”

That “him,” everyone understood, referred to the Solitary Clan leader.

Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression settling into a silence so still it was almost unsettling, leaving one to wonder just what thoughts might be running through this man’s mind as he listened to the story of his own origins.

“I remained on Nanzhao’s mainland, gathering information about the poison-beast world, and traveled throughout Longyuan as well, searching for a suitable place to establish the ‘lure’ mechanism. But I never found one — I even grew somewhat discouraged, because after establishing the ‘lure,’ I still needed to cultivate within the Liuguang Dagger, and I needed sufficient time to ensure I’d have enough power, strong enough to use the Liuguang Dagger to break through the death seal and restore the Qiankun Poison Pouch, before the poison-beast world’s seal fully closed and shifted…”

As Meng Wanyue spoke, her sorrowful, gentle gaze finally drifted away from Jun Beiyue. She lowered her head, sniffed softly, and continued in a subdued voice, “And then, I met him…”

She paused for a long, long moment before continuing, “And then I had Beiyue. Only… he abandoned me, called back by his family to complete an arranged marriage of his own, and I… consumed by love turned to bitterness, I infiltrated the imperial palace, wanting to give Beiyue a noble, dignified status, wanting to ensure he could never be found. But then… then, after Beiyue was born, I discovered…”

“You discovered that Beiyue’s body was the final medium needed — the perfect vessel to establish the ‘lure’?” Old Meng Five, who had remained silent throughout, suddenly couldn’t hold back, exclaiming in shock.

“Yes!” Meng Wanyue covered her mouth, nodding in confirmation, her phoenix eyes brimming with tears, wanting to look at Jun Beiyue yet not quite daring to.

Seeing Jun Beiyue remain silent throughout, his handsome face composed and unreadable, Meng Wanyue’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. She immediately rose and walked over to stand before him.

She made no further move, simply covering her mouth, tears finally spilling freely as she spoke through choked sobs, “Beiyue… your mother… your mother truly doesn’t expect your forgiveness. It’s only that, when I established the ‘lure,’ I also placed a Five Elements Seal upon you, to protect you… it’s only that, all these years, I have remained inside the Liuguang Dagger, watching over you, right by your side the entire time — truly, I have!”

The room fell completely silent, every gaze fixed on this mother and son, Meng Wanyue weeping uncontrollably while Jun Beiyue remained so composed it was worrying.

But just then, little Xiong Bao suddenly spoke up, his voice childish and earnest, clumsily trying to smooth things over. “Daddy, say something! Daddy, Grandmother said she’s always watched over you…”

These words, ordinary enough, caused no particular stir. But what little Xiong Bao said next landed like a bomb dropped straight into that heavy silence, sending ripples of shock through everyone present!

He said, “Daddy, Grandmother’s been watching over you this whole time — maybe she was trapped inside the dagger, but she probably still knows everything that’s happened around you! Just forgive Grandmother already!”

What a troublesome child!

Truly, a troublesome child through and through — capable of talking a living person right into a corner with a single sentence!

Everyone froze in place, Meng Wanyue most visibly of all!

In that instant, the room fell even more deathly silent. After a long moment, Old Meng Five was the first to snap back to his senses, erupting in fury. “You troublesome child! Is that any way to talk? If your grandmother really knew everything that happened out here, would she still be asking us all these questions? She’d have burst out of that dagger ages ago, eager to tell everyone the secret of the isolated island herself!”

Though Old Meng Five’s words were meant as a scolding directed at little Xiong Bao, he wasn’t wrong, was he?

Ziqing gently patted little Xiong Bao’s small head, a flicker of complicated emotion crossing her eyes.

At this point, Meng Wanyue finally spoke up. “Fifth Brother, he’s just a child — children speak without filter, don’t be so harsh with him! What Xiong Bao said isn’t wrong, it’s just… it’s just…”

As Meng Wanyue spoke, sorrow overtook her once more. “It’s just that I truly know nothing at all — I have no idea how Beiyue has spent these years, how he…”

But before Meng Wanyue could finish her sentence, little Xiong Bao suddenly let out a loud “Waaah!” and burst into tears.

Crying, he unexpectedly threw himself straight into Meng Wanyue’s arms. “Grandmother, he glared at me again! He’s always glaring at me, scolding me, blaming me for everything! Grandmother, you have to stand up for me!”

As he cried, Xiong Bao pointed accusingly at Old Meng Five.

It was true that Old Meng Five had glared at him — but no one had expected the boy to seize on this particular moment to throw a tantrum and file a complaint.

“This child — even if you want to throw a fit, you should pick the right moment! Can’t you see the adults are discussing serious matters?” Old Meng Five said, thoroughly displeased.

A flicker of cunning flashed through little Xiong Bao’s eyes, and he immediately cried even louder. “Grandmother, listen, just listen — he’s scolding me again! Waaah… I don’t want to see him, I don’t want to see him at all!”

Meng Wanyue immediately began comforting him, shooting Old Meng Five a furious glare — and from the angle where Baili Xiaosheng sat, that glare looked genuinely, chillingly vicious.

Even Baili Xiaosheng couldn’t help but shudder, looking at little Xiong Bao with an expression of deep complexity. What exactly was this kid up to? Could it be that he’d actually noticed something?

Jun Beiyue, Ziqing, Baili Weisheng, and even the Dream Clan leader, who knew Meng Wanyue so well, couldn’t make sense of it at all, only finding the whole scene rather strange — what could little Xiong Bao possibly have picked up on?

This troublesome little bear cub had his heart set on nothing but the Qiankun Poison Pouch — he’d made up his mind to seize this rare opportunity, with everyone gathered together, to force Meng Wanyue into formally, publicly declaring that the Qiankun Poison Pouch belonged to him!

Seeing Old Meng Five back off a little, little Xiong Bao only grew bolder, pressing his advantage to settle old scores as well. “Grandmother, you have no idea — he was so fierce, so fierce, he scolded me something terrible, saying the Qiankun Poison Pouch was yours and no one else was allowed to touch it!”