Would they still go down into the Heavenly Lake?
Bringing Baili Xiaosheng to seek medicine was one matter—going down into the Heavenly Lake to gather herbs was an entirely different one.
Had it not been for the earlier wager, faced with a simple request for medicine, the Medicine Clan’s physicians might never have brought out the treasures hidden in the lake’s depths at all.
Now that it was confirmed there was no cure anywhere in the lake for Baili Xiaosheng’s injury, Jun Beiyue naturally intended to claim the three plants Prince Nanzhao had promised.
Prince Nanzhao’s question made it plain enough that he was being rather stingy about it.
Jun Beiyue smiled faintly. “We won’t be going down, then.”
At these words, Prince Nanzhao and the head of the Medicine Clan both brightened with relief. The medicinal treasures within the Heavenly Lake were far too precious—the deeper one went, the rarer they became, and often each plant was worth a life.
Had Jun Beiyue actually gone down, given their sharp eyes, there was no telling whether he and his wife might have plucked the three most precious specimens for themselves.
Just as Prince Nanzhao and the head of the Medicine Clan were secretly rejoicing, Jun Beiyue added, “We’ll simply let this debt stand for now. When the opportunity arises, I’ll come collect them myself.”
These weren’t words of a question—they were a statement of fact.
Prince Nanzhao’s brow furrowed sharply, and the Medicine Clan head’s face darkened at once.
If he’d dared voice a complaint, he certainly would have had plenty to say about Prince Nanzhao’s presumption—the Jade Water and Nectar Heavenly Lake didn’t even fall under the Nanzhao royal house’s jurisdiction!
That was a matter strictly between the Medicine Clan and the Beast Clan themselves.
But with Jun Beiyue having already spoken, what could Prince Nanzhao do? He simply chuckled awkwardly and waited for the Medicine Clan head to respond.
Though the elder Sheng’s mind remained fixed on Baili Xiaosheng, he was no fool, and he caught Jun Beiyue’s meaning at once. Seeing the Medicine Clan head still hesitating to respond, he quickly smoothed things over. “His Majesty’s word is as good as gold—since Prince Yao has won the wager, he’s welcome to visit the Heavenly Lake anytime. The Beast Clan has no objection.”
Prince Nanzhao gave a light cough, nodding in evident satisfaction.
With that, the Medicine Clan head had no choice but to speak up as well, forcing a smile. “Of course, of course. The Medicine Clan will remember that we owe Prince Yao three medicinal plants.”
This was, in truth, a debt Prince Nanzhao himself had incurred—yet the Medicine Clan and the Beast Clan were the ones left to pay it.
This was exactly the outcome Jun Beiyue wanted. Unless he someday razed the entirety of Nanzhao to the ground, even if the Nanzhao royal house itself were to fall, the poison beasts, the Medicine Clan, and the Jiaoren—these three powers would still remain the dominant forces of the Nanzhao region.
This was him securing, for the future, a way to keep the Medicine Clan in check.
Compared to the Beast Clan, the Jade Water and Nectar Heavenly Lake mattered even more deeply to the Medicine Clan’s own interests.
With the gathering concluded and no cure to be found, it was time for Jun Beiyue’s group to take their leave and set out on their journey.
Yet because of Baili Xiaosheng’s presence, the elder Sheng, right there in front of Prince Nanzhao and the Medicine Clan head, couldn’t help but eagerly invite Jun Beiyue and Ziqing to be guests at the Sheng family estate.
He knew that if Prince Yao and Consort Yao didn’t come along, Baili Xiaosheng, in her current state, would never willingly go with him at all.
Though technically no one but the royal house had the authority to invite foreign guests, the elder Sheng pressed forward regardless, screwing up his courage.
At last, taking a deep breath, he turned to Prince Nanzhao. “Prince Yao and his consort are great benefactors to the Sheng family. I humbly beg Your Majesty’s permission.”
Prince Nanzhao felt a faint stirring of unease, sensing that this change of Beast Clan leadership seemed to be slipping somewhat beyond his control. But he didn’t dwell on it too deeply, simply assigning an attending minister to accompany them, and granted his permission.
Ziqing and Jun Beiyue were, of course, more than willing to visit the Sheng family—the final missing note was still to be found within the phoenix-tail sheng itself.
Even if the head of the Sheng family hadn’t extended the invitation himself, they would have found some pretext to go regardless.
For now, everything had worked out well for everyone involved.
That day, after bidding farewell to Prince Nanzhao, Ziqing’s group set off together with the elder Sheng.
Watching their receding figures, Prince Nanzhao stroked his chin, still feeling that something wasn’t quite right, yet unable to place it. Perhaps he was simply getting too old to catch the subtle signs the way younger minds could. He let out a faint sigh and said quietly, “Qinji, let’s head back to the palace as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll go make the preparations at once,” Qinji said, bowing slightly, a flash of dark malice flickering in her eyes.
She thought to herself: once they returned to the palace, the old emperor would soon learn everything.
Ziqing and Jun Beiyue traveled the road toward the Sheng estate, with the elder Sheng’s carriage leading the way ahead of theirs.
At last, free from prying eyes, everyone could finally speak freely among themselves.
Baili Xiaosheng remained curled up in Ziqing’s arms the whole time. Usually this child hardly seemed like a child at all, but in this moment, she truly looked every bit the part.
She kept her eyes lowered, staring at her own tangled, fidgeting hands, saying nothing.
“The final note of Lishang lies within the duet of the sheng and xiao,” Ziqing said, breaking the silence, glancing over at Baili Xiaosheng as she spoke.
At that, the girl finally opened her mouth. “Let’s go to the Sheng estate—I’ll borrow the phoenix-tail sheng, play a duet with the little prince, find the missing note, and then we leave!”
“My, aren’t you a heartless one—your father’s actually quite good to you,” Ziqing said, smiling.
“I’ll wait for my master to come. Otherwise, I won’t acknowledge anyone as family!” Baili Xiaosheng said, putting on a stubborn front.
“Do you really think the elder Sheng would just let you walk away, looking the way he does?” Ziqing asked.
“So you’re not taking me with you anymore?” Baili Xiaosheng shot back, a pair of wide, glistening eyes gazing innocently at everyone.
Jun Beiyue only smiled, an indulgent, doting smile, saying nothing.
Jue Mingzi smiled too, warmly, though no one could quite tell whether he was smiling at Ziqing or at Baili Xiaosheng.
Ziqing said nothing either. Finally, Baili Xiaosheng’s gaze landed on Xiong Xiaobao, but instead of his usual clingy demeanor, he simply raised an eyebrow, sizing her up coolly. “You little liar, you fooled me this whole time! Well played.”
He’d chased after this girl calling her “Brother Xiaosheng” more times than he could count—thinking back on it now, it was genuinely mortifying.
If he’d known she was a girl, he never would have played with her! Hmph!
“That’s your own poor judgment, not my fault!” Baili Xiaosheng said, too irritated to bother explaining.
Xiong Xiaobao narrowed his eyes as if in warning, but said nothing more, crossing his arms and turning his head away.
Seeing this, Baili Xiaosheng ignored him too, looking up at Ziqing instead, her eyes brimming as if she might cry any moment, utterly heartbreaking. “Auntie Qing…”
That single word melted Ziqing’s heart completely. She shook her head helplessly. “That’s your real father, you know!”
“I want to see my master!” Baili Xiaosheng said, and she meant every word. She had always belonged to her master—suddenly becoming part of the Sheng family was something she simply couldn’t accept.
If she was going to see her master again, return to the Sheng family, it had to be her master who brought her back—or at the very least, he needed to know what had happened.
“Be good. The moment we get back, we’ll tell your master right away and have him come find you,” Ziqing said earnestly.
“Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind to leave me here,” Baili Xiaosheng said, utterly dejected.
“It’s not me who wants to keep you here—it’s the elder Sheng who will absolutely never let you go. Want to bet on it?” Ziqing teased, tapping lightly on Baili Xiaosheng’s silver-white mask.
Baili Xiaosheng acted as if she hadn’t said a word, turning to bury her face in Ziqing’s arms, ignoring everyone else.
The sight sent everyone into fits of laughter.
In truth, this wasn’t such a bad thing at all—the girl was probably just nervous.
Only Xiong Xiaobao didn’t laugh, sitting off to the side fiddling with the white jade flute, head lowered, seemingly still in a sour mood.