Bo Saixi's Curiosity

The old man and Bo Saixi heard two entirely different answers. The old man naturally believed Li Qing's superficial excuse, his face breaking into a look of sudden realization as the wrinkles on his face smoothed out. He chuckled, "So that's how it is. You're buying it for the adults at home. The best piece I have here is one I was lucky enough to acquire a few days ago. It's said to be taken from an eight-thousand-year-old deep-sea giant whale, and its energy storage is remarkably well-preserved. If you want it, little one, I'll give you a discount."

Upon hearing "eight thousand years," Li Qing's eyes lit up instantly.

For his current stage, the effects of whale glue of this age should be quite substantial.

He immediately handed over the dark gold card Bo Saixi had given him, waving his small hand with a display of great "wealth," "No need for a discount! Grandpa, just charge the original price. My sister has plenty of money; she's not lacking for this little bit!"

Hidden in the shadows, Bo Saixi's mouth twitched slightly at the mention of "my sister has plenty of money," and she felt a moment of speechlessness.

Although as the High Priest of Sea God Island she had no real concept of money, being used by this little guy to save face so generously still left her feeling both amused and exasperated.

However, what concerned her more was the information revealed in Li Qing's inner thoughts: tempering the physique, honing the bones, and absorbing soul rings beyond one's level?

Whale glue actually had such an effect?

Bo Saixi knitted her delicate brows, falling into deep thought.

In her understanding, while whale glue contained a fair amount of energy, it was primarily used by nobles or wealthy merchants for... certain unspeakable purposes. She had never heard of it significantly enhancing a soul master's physique.

If anyone else had said this, she would have scoffed, but these were thoughts she had heard directly from Li Qing's mind.

Connecting this to the various incredible things about this child, as well as that mysterious Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag... Bo Saixi found herself uncertain for a moment.

Could it be that whale glue really had some unknown, special usage?

Or perhaps, only when paired with his unique martial soul could it exert the miraculous effect of strengthening the body?

Just as Bo Saixi's thoughts raced, Li Qing had already paid the money briskly. He held the dark yellow, pungent-smelling, eight-thousand-year-old whale glue—roughly the size of an adult's fist—carefully in his arms, as if he had obtained some great treasure, and left the stall in high spirits.

Watching Li Qing hold the whale glue and trot away on his short legs toward a less crowded area, Bo Saixi followed silently, like a ghost in the dark night.

She wanted to see exactly what this little guy intended to do after going to such lengths to buy this thing.

As Li Qing walked, he looked down at the heavy whale glue in his arms, his small brows furrowed as he began to mutter to himself:

The whale glue is bought, and the age is decent. But this thing stinks to high heaven. Eating it directly is definitely out of the question; it needs high-temperature softening or even melting to absorb the essence within. With my current soul power, refining it slowly by myself would take too much time, and the results might not even be good.

If only I could get Bo Saixi to help... With her ninety-nine-level soul power, her control is at the pinnacle. If she were to refine it, she could surely extract the energy within the whale glue to the greatest extent, and the process would be safe and efficient.

But... how should I ask her? Should I just say, "Sister High Priest, could you please help me refine this whale glue used for male potency? I want to use it to temper my body"? This... this is just too embarrassing! Would she think I have some strange hobby? Or would she just treat me like a brat causing trouble?

But if I don't ask for her help, I can't do it on my own!

Li Qing's inner struggle and calculations were heard, word for word, by the little tail behind him.

Listening to his distressed inner thoughts, especially his worries about embarrassment and strange hobbies, a faint, beautiful smile curled the corners of Bo Saixi's lips, like an ice lotus beginning to bloom—though, unfortunately, no one was there to see it.

So, this little guy was worried about that.

However, his idea of asking her to help refine it was actually feasible.

Because she, too, wanted to verify for herself whether this whale glue truly possessed the miraculous effect of tempering the physique as Li Qing believed.

If it were true, it might be a new discovery for the training system of the soul masters on Sea God Island.

Holding the heavy, pungent-smelling whale glue, Li Qing returned to Sea God Hall with hurried steps.

His heart beat a little fast, not just because of the valuable treasure in his arms, but because he was about to face Bo Saixi and make that request he found so difficult to voice.

As he walked, he repeatedly rehearsed his speech in his mind, trying to find a reason that would be both convincing to Bo Saixi and not appear too abrupt.

When he stepped into the magnificent and empty main hall of Sea God Hall, he caught sight of that familiar, graceful figure at a glance.

Bo Saixi was standing quietly before the massive statue of the Sea God, her back to the hall entrance, gazing up at the majestic face of the deity.

She was still wearing that light blue long dress, her sea-blue hair cascading down to her waist like a waterfall. Her posture was upright and elegant; merely standing there, she seemed to merge with the entire Sea God Hall, exuding a sacred and inviolable aura.

The morning light filtered through the high windows, casting a hazy halo around her, beautiful enough to take one's breath away.

Looking at Bo Saixi's exquisite back, Li Qing took a deep breath, steeling his heart, and thought to himself: Whether I stick my head out or pull it back, the blade falls all the same. I'll go for it! To become stronger, what's a little embarrassment!

He hugged the whale glue and walked up quickly, stopping a few paces away from Bo Saixi, trying to make his voice sound calm and natural: "Sister High Priest, I'm back."

Hearing his voice, Bo Saixi turned around slowly.

Her beautiful face wore a look of perfectly measured confusion, her gaze falling on the oil-paper-wrapped object in Li Qing's arms as she asked, feigning ignorance: "Oh? Back so soon? What good things did you buy?"

Li Qing coughed a few times, a faint, imperceptible blush appearing on his face; he was clearly still quite embarrassed.

However, this time he did not attempt to hide it or invent another reason. Instead, he opened the oil-paper package in his hands, revealing the dark yellow, hard-textured, and pungent-smelling whale glue inside.

"It... it's a piece of whale glue." Li Qing's voice was a little lower than before.

Bo Saixi's beautiful eyes narrowed as she looked closely, her face showing a timely expression of surprise and bewilderment: "Whale glue? What are you buying this for?"

Her tone carried just the right amount of confusion, as if she were truly seeing the item for the first time and found its purpose puzzling.

Seeing Bo Saixi ask, Li Qing knew he couldn't avoid it, so he bit the bullet and explained according to the script he had prepared: "Sister High Priest, you may not know this. This whale glue... although most people on the market use it for... that kind of purpose, in reality, if it is refined through special techniques to remove the impurities, the pure energy contained within can be absorbed by soul masters to strengthen their physique and bones."