THUD!
Wong Qifu, her face flushed red, slammed the door shut.
Xu Ke hadn't dared to use his full strength against her, so he allowed himself to be pushed out. Still, his face was full of confusion.
What on earth was in that box?
Just then, Wong Qifu's urging voice came from behind the door. "Go change your clothes! Stop standing in front of my door!"
"All right then!" Xu Ke responded helplessly.
Only after Xu Ke had left did Wong Qifu, her face still beet red, finally breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm not buying this again… she thought, glancing at the box. After a moment of hesitation, however, she decided not to throw it away.
Perhaps… it might come in handy one day?
「...」
Downstairs, Xu Ke found Tang Yingchang, who had already spent half the day drinking tea with Wang Wu at the Wang Family estate.
"Enjoying your tea, gentlemen?" Xu Ke asked with a smile as he walked over.
"We just finished sparring!" Tang Yingchang replied with a laugh.
"You two are really addicted. Wasn't an entire afternoon of fighting enough for you?" Xu Ke said, completely speechless. These two had been going at it for hours on the Ye Family's back mountain; how could they still be so eager for more?
The mention of it made Wang Wu's expression turn frustrated. "You call that a fight? It was just plain irritating. They couldn't injure us, but we couldn't leave, either. I felt even worse after it was over."
A bunch of pathetically weak Acquired Martial Artists had held him up for half the day. The mere thought of it felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Hearing the phrase "couldn't injure us," Xu Ke had a feeling Wang Wu was taking a subtle dig at the Yin and Yang Elders.
"Well, as long as you two are happy," Xu Ke said with a smile.
Wang Wu then remembered something. "Oh, right. Chief Hua just sent a message. The Wang Family personnel who investigated Song Zhong will need to go and give a formal statement."
On paper, the killing of Ye Yunfeng had to go through official channels. Therefore, the people from the Wang Family who had originally obtained Song Zhong's diary had to make a trip to provide their testimony.
"Great! That's good," Xu Ke said with a slight smile. It seemed having connections in high places really did make things easier. If the current Law Enforcement Hall Chief wasn't one of his own people but one of Wong Ting's, he would have likely faced a lot more trouble.
"You should both head back now. Mister Xu, your injuries are too severe…" Wang Wu said to Tang Yingchang.
"It's nothing serious," Xu Ke said, not in any hurry.
But the sight was alarming to both Tang Yingchang and Wang Wu, who stood up and began pulling Xu Ke toward the door. "Aren't you afraid Xu Yi will see you like this?" they urged.
At the mention of Xu Yi, Xu Ke quickly made his exit. Although Xu Yi wasn't entirely shielded from the affairs of the six major families, Xu Ke had never let her see him in an injured state. What if the girl was scared out of her wits?
As he was leaving, however, a thought occurred to him. Given how powerful his uncle's martial talents were, what about Xu Yi's? But then again, his uncle had already decided to retire from the martial world. Even if Xu Yi possessed talent, Xu Zhentai would never teach her. By keeping her out of the martial world, he would prevent her from repeating the same mistakes he had.
「...」
After returning to Junyue Residence, Xu Ke immediately took a shower and went to bed. As for Ye Feng, he naturally wouldn't be coming back for the night. He was already busy dealing with the Ye Family's internal power struggles.
Although he was Ye Yunfeng's biological son, with a DNA test to prove it and the legitimate claim to inherit the position of Ye Family Patriarch, and he also had Ye Taiqing's support, the internal strife of such a major family couldn't be settled with just a few words. While the family wouldn't fragment as Ye Yunfeng had feared, it didn't mean Ye Feng would have an easy time. Consequently, even though Ye Feng had wanted to talk to Qin Yu, he no longer had the time.
But none of these matters concerned Xu Ke anymore. He had already drifted off to sleep.
「...」
「The next morning.」
With the major burden lifted from his shoulders, Xu Ke arrived at the clinic feeling as light as a feather.
"Finally, I can get back to work properly," he said with a laugh.
He had more or less dealt with the Northern Dragon Guard, the Assassin's Alliance, and the Ye Yunfeng affair. Since the final cleanup didn't require his presence, he was feeling extremely relaxed. There was still some time before his departure for Haojing, so he could afford to take a few days off. As for the matter of the Demon Race, that could wait a couple of days.
Hearing this, Tang Yingchang couldn't help but chuckle. He had a feeling Xu Ke was speaking a bit too soon.
Just as they reached the clinic's entrance, they saw an employee from Yihe Pharmaceuticals standing there, his expression troubled and desolate, looking utterly wronged. It seemed that, come hell or high water, they would still show up to deliver the medicine.
"Good morning! What medicine do we have today?" Xu Ke asked cheerfully.
"Everything you requested," said the Yihe Pharmaceuticals employee. The staff had already been rotated several times; the original Manager Xiao Qian was nowhere to be seen.
"Great!" Xu Ke said, glancing at Chen Haiming, who was already placing the herbs into the cold storage with practiced familiarity. "Well done!"
"Mister Xu, you flatter me!" Chen Haiming immediately beamed with joy.
At that moment, he couldn't have been prouder to be working for Xu Ke at the clinic. Since Xu Ke was sleeping last night, he was naturally unaware of just how much he had shocked all of Tianhai with his actions on the Ye Family's back mountain.
An Innate Initial Stage Martial Artist had demonstrated the ability to injure someone from a distance. Didn't this signify the full-fledged rise of a new star? Furthermore, Xu Ke's backing was overwhelmingly powerful; the strength Xu Zhentai had displayed yesterday had terrified everyone. Following Xu Ke now was like clinging to the most powerful patron imaginable. Gaining Xu Ke's approval was like gaining the approval of the future Tianhai King. How could Chen Haiming not be ecstatic?
"You brought the Purple Mountain Ginseng, right?" Xu Ke asked, turning to the pharmacy employee.
"We did!" the employee replied, nodding, on the verge of tears.
Purple Mountain Ginseng was extremely valuable. When Xu Ke specifically requested it, Manager Xiao Qian had nearly fainted on the spot. If they had sold it through normal channels, they could have made a profit of at least several hundred thousand. But the moment Xu Ke asked for it, that money was gone. Helpless, Zhou Qingyong had still approved the order, leaving them no choice but to continue delivering.
Xu Ke looked at the Purple Mountain Ginseng and said with a smile, "The quality is excellent. You've done a great job. Keep it up. I'll need herbs of similar quality tomorrow."
Hearing this, the employee's knees went weak. With trembling lips, he forced a smile and said, "Okay, okay..."
He didn't want to agree at all, but he had no choice. The order was in, Zhou Qingyong had promised to honor it, and there was no way for him to resist.
After the employee left, Xu Ke looked at the Purple Mountain Ginseng and smiled.
Purple Mountain Ginseng was used for detoxification and was the main ingredient Xu Ke had chosen for Qin Yu. He had first seen it in Yang Shoukang's treasure trove while discussing the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle with him. Xu Ke had already been planning to get that very root from Yang Shoukang, but who knew that Yihe Pharmaceuticals would have it in stock? In that case, he wouldn't be polite.
After all, Yang Shoukang was one of his own. Why use his resources when he could use Zhou Qingyong's? Every bit saved was a bit earned.
Subsequently, Xu Ke made a call to Ye Feng. "Are you busy?"
