"Su Chen!"
"What are you doing?"
Hearing the suggestive words coming from inside, Bibi Dong's chest heaved with anger.
She shoved open the door.
Inside,
her personal maid, Bai Ruyan, was kneeling on the floor, her face flushed.
Bai Ruyan's clothes were damp with something—sweat, perhaps.
They clung tightly to her body.
Her breathing was ragged, and her eyes were shy.
She held a piece of Whale Rubber in her hands.
Su Chen sat in a chair, looking at Bai Ruyan with eager anticipation.
There was no one on top of anyone.
It wasn't like the scene she'd imagined.
Bibi Dong let out a breath of relief.
The next moment, the anger that had just subsided flared up again.
"Teacher, what are you doing here?"
"Heh. I came to see how my eldest disciple was enjoying himself."
As Bibi Dong spoke, she glanced at Bai Ruyan, whose face filled with panic.
She hurriedly straightened herself and tried to stand, swaying as she rose. Just as she was about to bow, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.
Bibi Dong's chest tightened. She stared at Su Chen with wide eyes. "You—you little rebel! You didn't actually do anything, did you?"
She thought of the scene in her dream. The feeling of being completely weak seemed just like the moment after it had ended.
"Teacher, no!"
"She ate this Whale Rubber. It has a tiny side effect."
"I discovered that Whale Rubber can strengthen a Soul Master's physique. Teacher, you should try it."
Seeing that Bibi Dong looked ready to hit him at any moment, Su Chen pushed the Whale Rubber toward her and explained its unique effects.
In an organization as vast as Spirit Hall, Su Chen knew there was no way to keep this secret.
Besides, if he wanted to obtain his Second Soul Ring, people would notice and ask him how he'd managed it.
Better to come clean than get found out. The two were entirely different.
"She ate the Whale Rubber? Weren't you the one who was supposed to eat it?"
"Isn't that just an excuse you made up because you wanted to do something bad?"
Bibi Dong eyed him suspiciously. Strengthening a Soul Master's physique sounded like something straight out of a tall tale.
Still, it was the first time she'd heard of a woman eating this stuff.
"Teacher, even if I wanted to do something, shouldn't I be the one to eat it?"
"I didn't know the right dosage, so I asked Sister Ruyan to test it for me."
"She's a Soul Emperor, so she can avoid a lot of risks."
Su Chen couldn't help rolling his eyes at Bibi Dong.
What was this woman thinking?
She'd actually imagined them going all the way.
How could she even think of that?
A small horse pulling a big cart?
Bibi Dong's face flushed slightly. Half-convinced, she held out her hand and snorted. "I'll try it!"
"Teacher, just eat a little. We went through a lot of trouble to soften this stuff."
"This Whale Rubber is hard as a rock!"
Su Chen cut a small piece off the hundred-year-old Whale Rubber and handed it to her.
Bibi Dong put it between her rosy lips. Its fishy, awful taste nearly made her throw up, but when she saw Su Chen's expectant gaze, she forced herself to swallow it despite the discomfort.
A faint blush quickly spread across her skin.
Without hesitation, she sat cross-legged and began refining the energy.
Before long, Bibi Dong opened her eyes, unable to hide her shock. "It really works. I can feel my physique has grown quite a bit stronger."
"Teacher, do you believe me now?"
Su Chen stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at her smugly.
"Mm!"
Bibi Dong's face was flushed, and her legs shifted together awkwardly.
She bit her thin lower lip and said, "It's just...the side effect is pretty strong too..."
The stimulation left Bibi Dong thinking of those things from her dreams for no apparent reason.
Her breathing grew ragged, and her gaze turned hazy.
Suddenly,
Bibi Dong felt something pushed into her mouth.
She opened her eyes.
Her disciple was standing over her, looking down at her.
"Teacher, swallow."
Su Chen held a water flask and had put it into Bibi Dong's mouth, urging her to drink cold water to cool down.
Bibi Dong glared at him in embarrassment and annoyance. Was he really allowed to just shove things into her mouth without asking?
Though she was angry, Bibi Dong swallowed the water, one mouthful at a time.
Su Chen's method really worked. The side effects of the Whale Rubber began to fade.
Bibi Dong felt her breathing gradually return to normal.
"Teacher, drink plenty of cold water!"
"Sister Ruyan, help me soften the rest of the Whale Rubber."
Bai Ruyan had nearly recovered. At Su Chen's words, she nodded lightly.
She raised her hand and summoned a small flame, then held the Whale Rubber over it to soften it. She controlled the temperature of each piece perfectly.
Su Chen picked up a piece of hundred-year-old Whale Rubber and cut off a quarter.
He blew on it a few times, then popped it into his mouth once it had cooled.
Su Chen immediately tasted a strong fishy flavor. No wonder Bibi Dong had nearly thrown up.
It tasted awful!
The stuff smelled wonderful after it was softened, but once it went into his mouth, the taste was unchanged—fishy from beginning to end.
After Su Chen swallowed it, sweat quickly poured from his body.
Bibi Dong glanced at Bai Ruyan. The maid understood what the Saintess meant and hurried out.
When she returned, she was carrying a basin of water. Bibi Dong had experienced the side effects herself, so using water to cool him down seemed like the best solution.
"Let me."
When Bai Ruyan picked up a wet towel and started to tend to her disciple, Bibi Dong spoke without thinking.
She took the cool towel and wiped the sweat from Su Chen's face. As she looked at him, her expression grew a little dazed.
"Teacher, I'm done!"
"I want more."
Su Chen felt that not only had his physique grown much stronger, but his Soul Power had increased too. He couldn't wait to have more.
This Whale Rubber really was a treasure.
At his age, it could actually make him this...impressive.
"You can't take any more. Maybe next time!"
"This stuff is good, but it's also very hard on your body."
Bibi Dong blushed as she put away the towel.
Whale Rubber really was a powerful tonic.
At his age, he'd already become so impressive.
"Then I'll listen to you, Teacher!"
Su Chen also realized he wasn't in great shape.
He turned sideways, a little embarrassed.
At this rate,
if he ate any more, he might really explode.
"Ruyan, you may go."
"Remember, no one can hear about what happened today."
"Not even the Pope."
Bibi Dong gave her a serious warning.
Bai Yunyan answered and then respectfully withdrew.
Su Chen was a little surprised.
Bibi Dong was actually planning to keep this secret.
She wasn't even going to tell Qian Xunji.
That was quite different from the Bibi Dong he remembered.
Could it be because of the dream?
In the dream, he'd seen Qian Xunji do something rather unpleasant.
Qian Xunji had once asked Bibi Dong whether she was willing to become the Pope's wife.
"Xiao Chen, how did you find out?"
Bibi Dong suddenly picked up the Whale Rubber and looked at him seriously.
This discovery could overturn everything the Soul Master World believed.
It strengthened a Soul Master's physique.
That meant they could absorb Soul Rings with a higher age limit.
In a way, Whale Rubber was even more valuable than a Soul Bone.
"Teacher, I read about it in a book, and I'd heard about it too."
"People say nobles get really strong after eating it."
"So I thought, if it can make the body that much stronger, maybe it can indirectly improve a Soul Master's physique too."
Su Wen offered the excuse he'd prepared in advance.