"Looks like I really can't joke around like that with you next time, or you'll start crying again, Sister Erlong." Mo Li looked at Liu Erlong helplessly.
"You're getting too big for your boots."
After some time, Liu Erlong's tears finally stopped, though her eyes were still red.
Of all these years, only one person had ever noticed the pain and sorrow she kept buried deep inside: Mo Li.
And Mo Li alone had spent all these years, in his own way, mending the wounds in her heart.
The fear and unease, the worries and pain she had once felt had now faded away for the most part as the two of them shared what was in their hearts.
It turned out someone like that had always been by her side: someone who shared in her happiness when she was happy, and felt her pain when she was sad.
Thinking of this, Liu Erlong felt that her reaction just now had been a little too melodramatic.
But whenever she thought of Mo Li leaving, and how she would be alone again afterward, she simply couldn't control her emotions.
"I really haven't helped you that much. I just hope you don't mind."
"How could I?" Mo Li still hadn't let go of Liu Erlong's hand.
"Sister Erlong has done more for me than I can count. You've never once skipped my medicinal baths, not since the day I awakened my Martial Soul."
"And in 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 brighten, Mo Li spoke in a lighthearted tone:
"There's just one thing I need to discuss with you. From now on, Sister Erlong, it'd be even better if you could give me a heads-up before sneaking into my room at night."
Mo Li had always been a light sleeper. After he turned six, Liu Erlong had moved him into the room next door.
But Liu Erlong would sneak into his room to check on him every few nights, and she had kept up the habit to this day.
That was only how many times Mo Li had caught her. There might have been many more times he hadn't noticed.
The first part of his words had moved Liu Erlong, but the second part made a blush rise to her cheeks.
"What are you saying?!"
Mo Li feigned ignorance and asked curiously:
"Doesn't Sister Erlong always like sneaking in at night to check on me?"
At that, Liu Erlong shot to her feet and grabbed Mo Li's cheeks, tugging them from side to side as she gritted her teeth.
"The academy is mine, the room is mine, and you're mine! What's wrong with coming to check on you at night?"
Mo Li winced in pain and hurriedly laughed.
"Of course, of course. Come whenever you like, Sister Erlong. I don't mind."
Only then did Liu Erlong give a soft snort and release his cheeks. "That's more like it."
Mo Li stood and went behind Liu Erlong, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he spoke softly:
"That's why I don't care how powerful or wealthy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is. To me, the most important thing is having you by my side, Sister Erlong."
As if afraid Liu Erlong wouldn't believe how important she was to him, he tightened his arms and added:
"Even more important than cultivation!"
Liu Erlong's gaze turned complicated. Mo Li's words left her momentarily dazed.
But she soon collected herself, reaching back to grab his ear as she warned him:
"What nonsense. More important than cultivation? You're asking for a beating again."
Mo Li dodged her fingers and chuckled, but didn't take it any further.
"Do you feel a lot more important now?" Mo Li asked.
"Of course. I've got a little fellow who can't live without me. What else can I do?"
Liu Erlong sounded rather pleased. Mo Li's words had put her fears of losing him to rest and made her understand just how important she was to him.
She felt as if a great weight had lifted from her.
"By the way, what did you buy at the black market?"
Though she felt at ease now, Liu Erlong hadn't forgotten to ask about Mo Li's plans for the day.
Mo Li paused, then felt a little resigned. Liu Erlong had been protecting him in secret the whole way. How could his movements possibly have been a secret to her?
Looking at the tear tracks that had yet to dry on Liu Erlong's face, Mo Li recalled what had just happened and sighed inwardly:
Oh well. If I'm going to die, I might as well get it over with!
He steeled himself, made up his mind, and left her with a "Wait a moment."
He got up, went back to his room, and brought over the package.
"This is Whale Rubber?"
Liu Erlong looked at the opened package on the table. Five pieces of Whale Rubber, each a different color, lay quietly inside, giving off a faint fishy smell.
Two of them were noticeably different from the rest. They were golden-yellow pieces of rubber about the size of a baby's fist—Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber.
Liu Erlong turned a puzzled gaze toward Mo Li but didn't press him, waiting for him to explain.
"Right, it's Whale Rubber. These two pieces are especially good—they're over ten thousand years old."
Mo Li didn't deny it. He simply gave her a quick account of what had happened at the black market.
"But the Whale Rubber I need isn't in this form. I need it to look like this."
Mo Li picked up one of the Ten Thousand Year pieces. Black flames rose from his palm, and the golden Whale Rubber began to melt and condense in the fire...
About half an hour later, the golden Whale Rubber had shrunk to nearly half its original size. It was now crystal clear and translucent all the way through, like a piece of gel.
A faint scent drifted from it, neither pleasant nor unpleasant.
"What is that?" Liu Erlong asked.
"Whale Rubber."
"Don't be stupid. I'm asking what it does." Liu Erlong rolled her eyes at Mo Li.
Mo Li smiled. "It's pretty amazing. It can strengthen a Soul Master's physique, greatly increasing the number of years a person can absorb in their next Soul Ring."
"This piece in my hand is Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber. It can increase the age of my second ring by nearly a thousand years. A piece around a thousand years old can increase it by about five hundred years."
The room fell quiet. Only after Mo Li had finished speaking did Liu Erlong manage to tear her gaze away from the transparent gel in his hand.
"Are you serious?" Liu Erlong asked almost instinctively.
"In theory, it should work like that, but I haven't tried it yet. How about I test it now?" As he spoke, Mo Li prepared to put the Whale Rubber into his mouth.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Liu Erlong hurriedly stopped him. "You're not even sure what effect it'll have, so don't rush to eat it."
"How else will we find out what it does if we don't eat it?" Mo Li asked.
"How about this? Let me try it. I'm a Soul Saint, after all. If something goes wrong, I'll be much better equipped to deal with it than you are."
"All right."
Seeing the determined look in Liu Erlong's eyes, Mo Li didn't insist.
Liu Erlong casually picked up a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber and began refining it the way Mo Li had.
It didn't take long for it to take shape.
Liu Erlong put the refined gel into her mouth and carefully sensed the changes it brought to her body.
After a while, seeing Liu Erlong react, Mo Li asked, "How is it?"
"It does strengthen the body, but the effect is very weak." Liu Erlong pondered for a moment before answering.
Mo Li couldn't help smiling. "Of course it's weak. They say it's best to take it before you reach the third ring. Once your level is higher, it naturally won't do much."
"Besides, you can't use Whale Rubber without limit. It usually works best the first time you absorb it."
Mo Li explained while Liu Erlong listened intently.
When she heard that Whale Rubber could increase the ages of the first three Soul Rings by such a staggering amount, she had been prepared, but she still couldn't help feeling shaken.
"Then I'll eat mine too."
Seeing Liu Erlong nod, Mo Li didn't hesitate any longer. He put the piece of Whale Rubber he had refined earlier straight into his mouth.