Hearing Gai Yue's introduction, Shao Xin also stepped forward and bowed toward Dugu Bo:
"Junior Shao Xin, greets Your Majesty."
Dugu Bo waved his hand dismissively.
"No need for such courtesy. Since Yanyan has been under your care before, it should be I who thanks you."
Saying this, his sharp gaze softened as it flicked toward the bonfire nearby.
"I hear from Yanyan that your roasted meat is quite good. Since I'll be traveling with you this time, I wonder if there will be a chance for me to taste it?"
If this were under normal circumstances, Dugu Bo would never have spoken in such a kind and polite tone. But with his granddaughter present—and knowing that she wanted to befriend Oscar—he naturally had to put on a more approachable persona.
His reputation in the soul master world had long been infamous, but as long as he displayed gentleness at this moment, it would leave the group with a much better impression.
He himself didn't particularly care, but Yanyan certainly did.
"This junior would be honored," Shao Xin replied.
Dugu Bo chuckled. "Hahaha, I won't disturb you further. Go ahead and absorb your soul ring. This old man will stand guard for you."
"Then I must trouble Your Majesty. Later, I will personally prepare roasted meat for you." Shao Xin did not pretend to decline. Instead, he directly pulled out a dagger from his soul tool and ended the Spirit Tree Burrow beast.
A moment later, a deep-black soul ring condensed above the slain spirit beast. Shao Xin sat cross-legged, adjusting his breathing, preparing to absorb it.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan tugged her grandfather aside, whispering to him. Gai Yue, who wasn't much for words, saw Dugu Bo busy amusing his granddaughter and simply leapt up into the branches of a great tree, vigilantly watching the surroundings.
Although Dugu Bo had said he would protect Shao Xin, Gai Yue understood one principle: relying on oneself was always better than relying on others.
Oscar, seeing Dugu Yan whispering to her grandfather, felt it was inconvenient to interject. Instead, he gathered more dry wood and fed the fire.
After about ten minutes of hushed conversation, Dugu Yan suddenly waved to Oscar.
"Oscar, come over. Grandpa has some questions for you."
Oscar complied without hesitation, stepping forward. Dugu Bo, seeing the boy's slightly nervous look, pointed to a nearby stone.
"Sit down. It's just a chat—you don't need to be so tense."
Oscar nodded, seating himself politely.
"Please ask, Senior. This junior will answer truthfully to the best of my ability."
Dugu Bo chuckled at the sincerity.
"You're straightforward enough. Yanyan seems to think highly of you. Since the two of you met by chance and became friends, I'll just say this—Yanyan doesn't have many friends. Boy, you'd better not bully her."
Internally, Oscar couldn't help rolling his eyes. With a doting grandfather like you, who would dare bully her?
Of course, he didn't dare say that aloud. Instead, he smiled lightly.
"Senior jests. Although Yan and I feel an unusual sense of familiarity as though we've known each other for a long time, I would never do something as shameful as bullying a girl."
Satisfied with the answer, Dugu Bo nodded and then got to the real matter.
"Yanyan tells me you are only eleven years old this year?"
Oscar nodded.
"A food-type soul master, already past the thirtieth rank at only eleven? Even with innate full soul power, this would normally be impossible. Your talent is extraordinary, boy—one in a million."
Oscar kept his gentle smile.
"This junior has simply worked a bit harder than others. Moreover, I enjoy studying pharmacology. I happened upon a rare medicinal herb once and managed to refine some pills that accelerated cultivation. That's how I reached my current level."
This was, of course, fabricated. While Oscar had indeed practiced medicinal baths, he had never refined pills to increase cultivation speed. That lie was meant to conceal the existence of Whale Glue.
He wasn't afraid of Gai Yue or Shao Xin knowing his secrets—they understood why such things must be hidden. But with Dugu Bo, whom they had just met, there was no reason to reveal too much.
That said, if Oscar could someday enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and use the immortal herbs within, creating such pills would not be impossible.
Dugu Bo's eyes lit up with interest.
"Oh? Do you possess such a skill?"
Oscar waved it off modestly.
"Merely a stroke of luck. But without enough medicinal ingredients, I could only succeed once. It isn't something I can reproduce freely."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo still couldn't help being impressed. Luck? Then why doesn't anyone else have such luck?
He remembered what Oscar had said earlier—claiming his pharmacological knowledge came from stumbling upon an ancient text at the age of eight. But how could an eight-year-old truly absorb so much knowledge from a single book?
Even Yanyan, at that age, was just a silly child reluctant to cultivate. No child could have shown such brilliance.
In fact, Dugu Bo suspected Oscar's knowledge might already rival his own. But his own understanding came from decades of accumulation!
Thus, he surmised Oscar was hiding something. Perhaps the boy belonged to a hidden clan specializing in pharmacology—or else that so-called ancient text was an extraordinary treasure.
Either way, Dugu Bo wanted to know more. Because he himself possessed a unique treasure land. Yet, despite his vast knowledge, he could only identify less than ten percent of the herbs there.
Still, even that ten percent had allowed him to break through to Title Douluo. What would happen if he understood the rest? The value was unimaginable.
That was why he hoped to probe Oscar further—perhaps to leverage the boy's knowledge to better unlock the secrets of that treasure land.
Keeping his tone casual, Dugu Bo asked,
"I heard from Yanyan that your studies came from a wide range of pharmacological texts, and also from one particular ancient book?"
"To tell you the truth, I am also something of a pharmacological scholar. I love to collect such texts. Perhaps, if there's an opportunity, we might exchange some knowledge."
If Oscar hadn't known before why Dugu Bo wanted to chat, he certainly understood now. The man was fishing for details about the "ancient book."
Oscar still wore his easy smile.
Senior flatters me. My meager knowledge is hardly worth comparing to yours.