Untying the Knot, Ten Thousand Year Whale Glue

"It seems I really shouldn't tease you like that next time, or else you'll be crying again, Sister Erlong." Mo Li looked at Liu Erlong helplessly.

"You have no sense of propriety."

Some time had passed, and while Liu Erlong's tears had finally stopped, her eye rims remained rimmed with red.

For so many years, she was the only one who had perceived the deep-seated pain and sorrow she kept hidden away—that person was Mo Li.

And only Mo Li, from childhood to the present, had been using his own way to mend the scars in her heart.

Her past anxieties and insecurities, her troubles and her pain, had mostly dissolved through their heart-to-heart talk.

It turned out that there had always been such a person by her side—someone who would be happy when she was happy, and who would feel sad when she was sad.

Thinking of this, Liu Erlong felt that her reaction just now had been a bit too sentimental.

Yet, the moment she thought about Mo Li leaving and her being left alone again, she couldn't control her emotions at all.

"I really haven't helped you that much; as long as you don't mind me, that's enough."

"How could I?" Mo Li didn't let go of Liu Erlong's hand.

"The kindness Sister Erlong has shown me is too much to count. Just the medicinal baths alone—you haven't missed a single one since I awakened my martial soul."

"Besides, in the Sunset Forest, if you hadn't trusted me, my first soul ring wouldn't have been six hundred years old."

Seeing Liu Erlong's expression improve, Mo Li said in a lighthearted tone:

"There is just one thing I need to discuss with you: in the future, when you sneak into my room at night, it would be better if you gave me a heads-up first."

Mo Li had always been a light sleeper, and ever since he turned six, Liu Erlong had moved him into a separate room next door.

However, every few days, Liu Erlong would sneak into his room at night to check on him, a habit that had continued to this day.

This was just what Mo Li had discovered; the number of times he hadn't noticed was likely even higher.

The first part of his words had made Liu Erlong's heart flutter, but the second half made a blush uncontrollably spread across her face.

"What are you saying!"

Mo Li feigned ignorance and asked curiously:

"Isn't it that Sister Erlong just likes to sneak in to see me at night?"

Hearing this, Liu Erlong suddenly stood up, reached out to pull at Mo Li's cheeks from both sides, and said through gritted teeth:

"The academy is mine, the house is mine, and you are mine! So what if I come to check on you at night!"

Mo Li felt the sting and hurriedly laughed:

"Fine, fine, Sister Erlong, come whenever you want. I have no objections."

Only then did Liu Erlong snort softly and release her fingers. "That's more like it."

Mo Li stood up, walked behind Liu Erlong, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and whispered:

"That's why I don't care how powerful or wealthy the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is. To me, as long as Sister Erlong is by my side, that is what matters most."

After saying this, as if afraid she didn't believe how important she was to him, he tightened his arms and added:

"Even more important than cultivation!"

Liu Erlong's eyes were complex; Mo Li's words made her heart feel slightly dazed once more.

However, she quickly adjusted herself, raised her hand to grab Mo Li's ear from behind, and threatened:

"Talking nonsense again, saying it's more important than cultivation—you're asking for a beating, aren't you?"

Mo Li dodged her fingers and chuckled, though he didn't continue.

"Do you feel like you've suddenly become a lot more important now?" Mo Li said.

"Yes, there's a little guy who can't live without me, what else can I do?"

Liu Erlong said with a hint of pride. Mo Li's words had allowed her to let go of her restless anxiety and fully understand her standing in his heart.

Her entire being seemed to become incredibly relaxed.

"By the way, what did you buy at the black market?"

Even though she felt relaxed, Liu Erlong didn't forget to ask about Mo Li's itinerary for the day.

Mo Li was stunned, then felt a sense of relief. Liu Erlong had been protecting him from the shadows the entire way; there was no such thing as a secret regarding his whereabouts.

Looking at the still-damp tear tracks on Liu Erlong's face, Mo Li subconsciously recalled the scene from just a moment ago and sighed inwardly:

"Forget it, come what may!"

He steeled his heart, made up his mind, and left her with a "Wait a moment."

He stood up, returned to his room, and brought back a parcel.

"This is... Whale Glue?"

Liu Erlong looked at the opened parcel on the table. Inside, five pieces of Whale Glue of varying colors lay quietly, faintly emitting a fishy scent.

Among them, two pieces were clearly distinct from the others; they were golden-yellow, the size of an infant's fist. This was the ten-thousand-year Whale Glue.

Liu Erlong cast a look of confusion toward Mo Li, though she did not rush him, waiting for his explanation.

"Yes, it is Whale Glue, and these two pieces in particular are over ten thousand years old."

Mo Li did not deny it, instead recounting the events that had transpired at the black market in simple terms.

"However, I don't need the Whale Glue in its current form, but rather like this."

Mo Li took one of the ten-thousand-year Whale Glue pieces into his hand, and black flames rose from his palm; the golden-yellow glue began to melt and refine within the fire...

About an hour later, the golden-yellow Whale Glue had shrunk to nearly half its original size, its entire body now crystalline and transparent, resembling a piece of gelatin.

It emitted a faint, lingering scent that was neither pleasant nor foul.

"What is this thing?" Liu Erlong asked.

"Whale Glue."

"No kidding, I'm asking you what it does." Liu Erlong rolled her eyes at Mo Li.

Mo Li laughed, "Then it's quite impressive; it can improve a spirit master's physique, allowing for a significant increase in the absorption limit of their next spirit ring."

"The piece in my hand is ten-thousand-year Whale Glue, which could increase my second ring's limit by nearly a thousand years, while a thousand-year piece can increase it by about five hundred years."

The atmosphere in the room grew quiet, and it wasn't until Mo Li finished speaking that Liu Erlong managed to tear her gaze away from the transparent gelatin in his hand with some difficulty.

"Are you serious?" Liu Erlong asked almost instinctively.

"Theoretically, that should be the case, but I haven't tested it yet. How about I try it now?" As he spoke, Mo Li prepared to put the Whale Glue into his mouth.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Liu Erlong hurriedly stopped him. "You aren't even sure what the effects are yourself, don't be in such a rush to eat it."

"If I don't eat it, how will I know what the effects are?" Mo Li said.

"How about this, let me do it. I'm a Spirit Saint, after all; if something goes wrong, I'm much better equipped to handle it than you."

"Alright then."

Looking at Liu Erlong's determined gaze, Mo Li did not insist otherwise.

Liu Erlong casually picked up a thousand-year Whale Glue and began to refine it, imitating Mo Li's method.

Before long, it had taken shape.

Liu Erlong placed the refined gelatin into her mouth, carefully sensing the changes it brought to her body.

After a long while, seeing Liu Erlong react, Mo Li asked, "How is it?"

"It does indeed strengthen the body, but the effect is very weak," Liu Erlong replied after a moment of contemplation.

Mo Li couldn't help but smile, "Well, of course. It's said that it's best to consume it before the third ring; once your level is high, it naturally won't have much effect."

"However, Whale Glue cannot be used without limit; generally, the first time you absorb it, the effect is the best."

As Mo Li explained, Liu Erlong listened with rapt attention.

Upon hearing that the boost Whale Glue provided to the first three spirit rings was so terrifying, even though she had been mentally prepared, her heart still couldn't help but tremble.

"Then I'm going to eat it too."

Seeing Liu Erlong nod, Mo Li no longer hesitated and shoved the piece of refined Whale Glue into his mouth.