Shao Xin watched Oscar so skillfully charming the young girl and could only chuckle to himself without saying anything. When he heard Oscar invite Dugu Yan to share some roasted meat, Shao Xin immediately began slicing portions on the side.
Bringing Dugu Yan over to the campfire, Oscar handed her a portion of the meat that Shao Xin had carved.
"Try this. Teacher Shao's cooking is second to none—I guarantee you'll never forget it."
"Thank you." Dugu Yan accepted the roasted meat, and the moment the fragrant aroma hit her nose, her mouth watered uncontrollably.
She had been in Sunset Forest for quite some time, constantly searching and chasing after soul beasts. By now, she was indeed rather hungry.
She took a small bite, and the instant the flavor spread in her mouth, she realized Oscar had not exaggerated in the slightest.
Enjoying the taste, Dugu Yan couldn't help but praise Shao Xin:
"Teacher, your cooking is amazing! It's even better than those so-called top chefs."
Hearing her praise, Shao Xin's plump, round face broke into a wide smile.
"Girl, if you like it, eat more. We've got plenty here."
As he spoke, he sliced off another piece from the beast's chest muscle and handed it to her. Dugu Yan, while thanking him, eagerly accepted it.
In truth, soul masters, whether male or female, usually had quite large appetites. The energy they expended was several times that of ordinary people. However, because this was soul beast meat, its energy content was much higher than that of common food. A little was enough to replenish what was needed.
But Shao Xin's cooking was simply too delicious. Dugu Yan couldn't stop herself and ate several more pieces until her stomach was round and full before finally stopping.
During this meal, Oscar deliberately sat about a meter away beside her and started chatting casually.
Faced with Oscar's friendly approach—and given that he was an incredibly handsome young man—Dugu Yan was naturally happy to go along.
After all, this was the very first person, apart from her grandfather, who accepted her without fear or disgust. And he was even a handsome boy!
"You could tell from just a few details that I carry poison in my body. Were you born into some kind of family of pharmacologists?" Dugu Yan couldn't help but ask curiously.
Oscar shook his head.
"No. I just studied hard. Since my martial soul is of the Food-type, I've been learning pharmacology since I was six years old."
"You're self-taught? But your age seems about the same as mine, fifteen or sixteen. How much time could you have had to study? Yet you could see through my problem at a glance. That means your knowledge in pharmacology is already quite accomplished." Dugu Yan's expression carried some doubt.
Oscar explained with a smile:
"Haha, I was fortunate. Originally, I only studied by reading pharmacology books, and naturally, it would have been very difficult to reach where I am now. But when I was eight years old, I had good luck at an auction house. I managed to buy an old manuscript—written by a great pharmacologist—that recorded his entire life's experience. Most of what I know, I learned from that book."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan finally understood how Oscar could possess such profound knowledge at such a young age.
Oscar wasn't lying either. When he was eight, he had gone with Flender to Soto City's auction house in search of treasures. Among the lots, there was an ancient pharmacology text. On the Douluo Continent, pharmacology wasn't highly valued—after all, in the original story, only Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Yang Wudi's Broken Clan had deep research into it. Most soul masters focused on cultivation alone.
So Oscar was able to acquire the manuscript cheaply. Much of his medical knowledge, medicinal baths, and even certain pill recipes came from it. Some detailed records of immortal herbs had also been included.
With such a topic opened up, Oscar naturally found conversation flowing easily with Dugu Yan. He noticed that, unlike the arrogant girl from the original timeline, she wasn't proud or overbearing. Instead, she seemed a little shy, though there was still a faint sense of self-confidence.
As they chatted, Oscar also learned Dugu Yan's age—fifteen, having just broken through to the thirtieth rank.
This trip was to obtain her third soul ring. After that, she would enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy, since her grandfather insisted she couldn't live her life alone and should make more friends.
From this, Oscar immediately realized something: in the original timeline, Dugu Yan appeared only three years later, when Tang San and the others had already joined Shrek Academy. By then, she was eighteen and possibly around rank thirty-eight.
Now, however, he had met her three years earlier. And she hadn't even entered Heaven Dou Academy yet. This was clearly heaven, handing him an opportunity.
Because at this point, Dugu Yan had very little contact with anyone aside from her grandfather, Dugu Bo. As a child, she had attended a junior soul master academy, but her poison had driven other children away. With no friends and constant rejection, she dropped out.
Up until now, at fifteen, she still had no real friends. She had lived in loneliness, and when she went out, she was met with disdain.
But because she had a Title Douluo as a grandfather, nobody dared bully her openly. Some children tried to play with her, but only to curry favor.
Over time, she stopped going to academies altogether. Yet Dugu Bo knew he couldn't stay by her side forever, so he wanted her to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy to gain some experience.
But now, knowing that she hadn't joined yet, Oscar naturally wasn't going to let this chance slip away. And since she was still inexperienced with the world, this was the perfect time to win her over.
What's more, after hearing her story, Oscar truly felt pity for the girl. He genuinely treated her as a normal person.
Thus, Dugu Yan would gain a handsome, wealthy, and kind friend in Oscar, while Oscar could plan for access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well through her grandfather. It was a win-win.
So, by the end of their conversation, Oscar directly invited Dugu Yan to his academy.
At first, Dugu Yan felt flattered by his invitation. Then Oscar playfully teased her:
"Our academy only accepts 'monsters.' Right now, there are only three of us. But if we had a great beauty like you, you'd definitely become our team's little darling."
Oscar coaxed her until her face was crimson. More importantly, his words didn't feel fake to her. She sensed his sincerity, and her heart was moved.
Hearing that the academy only recruited geniuses, she thought perhaps Oscar's academy might suit her better.
After all, Oscar himself was a Food-type soul master who wielded the power of an assault-type. That was already monstrous. As for her, with poison coursing through her body, she was unique too—monsters belonged with monsters, didn't they?
And when she found out Oscar was only eleven years old, she was even more shocked than when she had discovered he was a Food-type.
Not because he seemed mature beyond his years, but because at only eleven, he was already a Soul Elder. When she was eleven, she was only a little over rank twenty. But Oscar? He was already a Soul Elder at eleven?!