The carriage compartment was enveloped by a powerful surge of soul force, ensuring that the conversation inside would not be overheard by outsiders.
Shen Hanyu looked at the Shui Bing'er sisters and said indifferently:
"You don't need to offer anything in return. Just keep it a secret."
Shen Hanyu didn't say this because he fully trusted them. Human soul masters developed quickly, and it wouldn't be long before they discovered the various uses of these treasures themselves.
He wasn't some selfless saint; in many cases, he was completely self-interested. At least until others discovered it, it was fine for the people close to him to know the secret and benefit from it.
For now, the continent's situation was still relatively stable. If a spark suddenly appeared, the entire continent would turn into a powder keg that could explode at any moment.
Shui Bing'er was stunned, as if she hadn't expected his request to be so simple. She asked with some doubt:
"Just that simple?"
Shen Hanyu rolled his eyes and said helplessly:
"What, do you think I could ask you to swear right now to marry me in the future? If I dared to say it, would you dare to do it?"
Hearing this, a faint blush appeared on Shui Bing'er's beautiful face. She lightly spat and said softly:
"You're still the same as ever, full of wishful thinking, pervert..."
Shui Yue'er and Shen Liuyu, who were sitting beside them, both showed knowing smiles, looking forward to what would come next.
Shen Hanyu helplessly waved his hand and said:
"See? You don't have anything that could tempt me anyway, so what else could I possibly ask from you?"
Shui Bing'er was silent for a moment before saying:
"You're right about that. I really don't have anything worth offering."
Although she and her sister were the nieces of Tianshui Academy's dean and had received the best education and cultivation resources, compared to what Shen Hanyu had, those things truly weren't worth mentioning.
Shen Hanyu nodded without denying her words.
"That's exactly it. What are you overthinking for?"
Shen Hanyu said.
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, grabbed Shui Yue'er's hand, and said:
"I agree. Yue'er and I will swear on our martial souls that we won't reveal your secret. Is that enough?"
Shen Hanyu nodded, accepting their somewhat informal oath.
Seeing that the two had finished talking and fallen into silence, Shui Yue'er couldn't sit still any longer. She asked anxiously:
"Brother Yu, hurry and tell us! What is it? I'm dying of curiosity..."
Before Shen Hanyu could speak, Shen Liuyu lazily lifted her head from his shoulder and said:
"It's simple. It's whale glue, you know, the one that comes from the brain of whale soul beasts. The first time I ate it, I never imagined whale glue could have such an effect. How about it? Surprised?"
Shui Yue'er nodded blankly. She wasn't very familiar with whale glue; female soul masters rarely came into contact with it, as it was generally used by male soul masters.
Shui Bing'er was stunned for a moment, but didn't have much of a strong reaction.
"So that's it. The world only knows whale glue as something related to... that kind of thing, a romantic aid. Who knew it had such a wondrous use... It's just that the effect..."
Shui Bing'er found it somewhat hard to say.
Shen Hanyu glanced at Shen Liuyu, shook his head, and explained:
"Powerful battle soul masters who absorb the energy from whale glue generally won't experience the kind of thing you're thinking of. Though there are exceptions. Don't worry, if anything unexpected happens, I'll help you suppress it."
As he spoke, Shen Hanyu took out two pieces of hardened millennium whale glue from his soul guide device and handed them to the sisters.
These were whale glue that the Shen family had collected over the years from various sources, mostly hundred-year and thousand-year grades. Ten-thousand-year whale glue was almost nonexistent on the continent's open market.
Even the millennium whale glue was still extremely expensive. Even though its current effects weren't known to the world, it was still an excellent tonic, and many wealthy merchants and nobles on the continent had a particular fondness for it.
The Shui sisters took the two pieces of whale glue, examined them curiously for a bit, then looked up at Shen Hanyu:
"This... how do we use it?"
Shen Hanyu patiently explained:
"Use your soul force to refine the hard outer shell, continuously catalyzing the whale glue until it softens. But I have to warn you, the taste isn't great. In fact, at first, it's extremely hard to swallow. I've said what needs to be said. Now, I'll help you refine it."
With that, Shen Hanyu mobilized the scorching fire-attribute energy within his body, directing it to continuously refine the two pieces of millennium whale glue.
As the scorching heat rose along with a faint fishy fragrance, Shui Yue'er couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
Shen Liuyu suppressed the smile at the corner of her mouth. The first time, she too had been deceived by the smell, but only when eating it did she truly understand the suffering.
A quarter of an hour later.
Shen Hanyu slowly stopped outputting soul force, let out a gentle breath, looked at the two soft masses of whale glue in front of him, and said:
"That's about enough. Let me remind you both one more time, hold on and be mentally prepared."
Shui Bing'er nodded solemnly and took one of the masses.
The warm whale glue entered her mouth. Shui Bing'er's beautiful brows furrowed tightly, her expression turning somewhat unsightly. She chewed with difficulty a few times before gradually easing up, and finally swallowed it slowly.
The corner of Shen Hanyu's mouth curved into a faint smile. Being able to endure the intense fishy taste of whale glue showed that Shui Bing'er had some skill.
Shui Yue'er, on the other hand, didn't hold up as well. The moment the whale glue touched her tongue, her face immediately turned bad. She let out a "wah" and was about to spit it out when Shen Liuyu, laughing playfully, firmly covered her small mouth and pushed it back in.
"Yue'er~ be good~ swallow it down. This is all good stuff, one bite is worth hundreds of gold soul coins!"
Tears welled up in the corners of Shui Yue'er's eyes. Under Shen Liuyu's threats and coaxing, she still chewed a few times. Moments later, Shui Yue'er's big eyes suddenly widened, a look of enjoyment appeared on her face, and she obediently swallowed it.
Shen Hanyu lifted the carriage curtain a small slit, allowing the gentle breeze from outside to blow in and slightly disperse the smell inside the carriage.
This was undoubtedly a process that was painful yet worth enjoying. Shen Hanyu sat to the side, watching the Shui sisters consume the whale glue while Shen Liuyu sat back down.
Shui Yue'er was quite obedient. Although she rolled her eyes in discomfort at first, she still managed to tough it out.
Compared to Shui Yue'er, Shui Bing'er was much more mature. Although she wasn't used to it, she showed no major changes on the surface, only her brows occasionally tightening and quickly relaxing, which revealed that her mood was far from calm and beautiful.
Shen Hanyu stopped watching and closed his eyes to rest instead.
For the upcoming soul beast hunts, he would have to exert himself. Although it was a simple matter, it was still necessary to conserve energy and... maintain appearances.
The self-cultivation of an expert and handsome guy.