After entering the medical hall, Wang Qiya, who had been feeling nauseous for a while, said with a look of utter disgust, "Brother-in-law, the way they're fawning over my sister is making me dizzy."
"It's so repulsive. A 'nation-toppling beauty,' a 'dazzling pearl'… I feel like I'm going to vomit. Do they think we're fools? It's not like we can see right through their flattery!"
The disgusting words were one thing, but Wang Qiya simply couldn't stand the people speaking them. The Huang family had once been sworn enemies of the Wang family. Now that they were witnessing the Wang family's rise, their fawning attempts to curry favor were truly pathetic.
"Exactly," Xu Yi echoed, acting like a little follower. "Flattery that clumsy… even I can tell he's only saying it to please you. It's not from the heart, so he might as well not say it at all!"
Hearing their indignant words, Tang Yingchang and Xu Ke both chuckled.
"Huang Zhendong is behaving like this on purpose," Xu Ke stated.
His comment took both women by surprise.
"Why?" Wang Qiya asked hurriedly. "Isn't the best flattery the kind that doesn't sound like flattery, the kind that makes people think it's genuine praise?"
Like a broken record, Xu Yi chimed in, "Exactly, exactly."
Xu Ke shook his head. "Huang Zhendong had Huang Zhenyang say and do all those things for a very simple reason."
"He's demonstrating his loyalty to me, trying to earn my trust."
"The Huang family will spare no effort to please me, and it doesn't matter if they appear clumsy in the process."
"In fact, you could say that offering such crude flattery is something Huang Zhendong considers the duty of a loyal dog."
"Imagine this: an enemy surrenders to you, but they continue to act clever, handle every matter flawlessly, and display an extremely high level of competence. Would you place your trust in them and give them an important position, or would you remain on guard, fearing they might one day make a comeback?"
As he finished speaking, the two women were stunned once more, falling into deep thought.
He's right. If the members of the Huang family were all intelligent, it would only make people feel the need to stay on guard. But if they consistently act servile, foolish, and comical, others will only find them disgusting, not a threat capable of making a comeback.
After thinking it through, Wang Qiya asked hesitantly, "Well, since you know his intentions, doesn't it make you uncomfortable?"
"Why would I be uncomfortable?" Xu Ke chuckled. "He's willing to be obedient, so what's not to accept?"
"Besides, he gave me the exact medicinal ingredients I wanted most. How could I possibly be unhappy about that?"
Ultimately, Xu Ke didn't care whether the Huang family could be trusted. He had them constrained by poison and could crush them with his martial prowess. With this dual insurance policy, there was nothing to fear. This applied to the Huang family, and it would apply to the Qin family as well.
"Oh..." The two women seemed to understand, but not completely.
Meanwhile, Xu Ke walked over to the medicinal ingredients Huang Zhenyang had set down. After scanning them, he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
"What an extravagant gesture..." Xu Ke couldn't help but remark. And he meant it.
The several boxes Huang Zhendong had prepared for him were the very definition of opulence, and every single item was incredibly expensive. Moreover, all that money was spent exactly where it mattered most. These herbs had nothing to do with general wellness or treating illnesses; they were all purely for cultivation. Every single herb was meant for an Innate Martial Artist's training.
And the most valuable item of all was none other than the Huang family's ultimate treasure—the Hollow Azure Lotus Seed.
"Elder Yang has a two-hundred-year-old Hollow Azure Lotus Seed, but I never imagined there'd be a two-hundred-and-thirty-two-year-old one here... Impressive, Huang Zhendong. You really spared no expense."
When brewed into a medicinal soup with the right ingredients, the Hollow Azure Lotus Seed could help an Innate Late Stage master break through to the Great Perfection realm. This was a top-tier medicinal material for cultivating the Martial Path.
He had been fortunate enough to see a two-hundred-year-old one in Yang Shoukang's treasury. At the time, Yang Shoukang had even offered to give it to him, but Xu Ke had politely refused.
The reason was simple. Back then, Xu Ke was still far from reaching the Innate Late Stage, and even if he had truly wanted it, he couldn't have taken it. He was young, while Yang Shoukang was old; without the Hollow Azure Lotus Seed, the elder's chances of a breakthrough would have been drastically reduced. That was why Xu Ke had said he didn't need it, but deep down, he had desperately wanted it. This just went to show how much Yang Shoukang had been willing to invest back then to win his favor.
Now, Huang Zhendong had brought him another Hollow Azure Lotus Seed, this one even older. How could this not make his heart burst with joy and excitement?
"This... Mister Xu, how much is it worth?" Tang Yingchang asked curiously, noticing how long Xu Ke had been staring at the Hollow Azure Lotus Seed. He didn't understand such things, but from Xu Ke's expression, he could tell he was astonished. It was rare to see Xu Ke with such a look.
"How much is it worth?" Xu Ke smiled. "It's priceless! This is the kind of thing used to protect an entire clan!"
Tang Yingchang couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. "It's that valuable?" To earn such an appraisal from Xu Ke, the Medical Saint's disciple, meant its true worth was beyond his imagination.
"Of course," Xu Ke said with a laugh. "Wouldn't something that can guarantee a higher success rate for breaking through to the Innate Great Perfection be worth this price?"
"True..." Tang Yingchang's face was filled with shock. "It seems the Huang family really did take out their most precious treasure."
"That's right," Xu Ke nodded, then added reflectively, "For Huang Zhendong to decide to hand this over to me must have required a great deal of courage. If he'd had this kind of decisiveness when he was opposing me, I'd probably have died eight hundred times over by now."
Everyone was left speechless. Why did his words have to sound so cutting?
After Xu Ke finished inspecting the medicinal ingredients, he sorted them, placed them in their proper storage, adjusted the temperature control system, and gave Xu Yi detailed instructions to preserve them carefully. If she failed, he would tell her father.
Xu Yi's face immediately fell into an anguished expression. What does this have to do with me? Is Xu Ke really treating me like a common worker?!
Once the ingredients were stored away, Xu Ke walked outside. A car slowly approached and stopped in front of him.
"You're here," Xu Ke said as a greeting.
"Mister Xu!" The ones stepping out of the car were Hu Deyao and his two followers, Ye Lang and Han Wang. The two men stood back in a reserved manner behind Hu Deyao.
With their current strength, they no longer needed to act this way, but Hu Deyao was the one who had set them on their path in the first place. To them, he was both a mentor and a friend, and they had long since grown accustomed to this posture in his presence. It was a habit they couldn't break.
"Do you want to go in and see her?" Xu Ke asked.
"No, no, that's alright," Hu Deyao said, shaking his head.
The exchange left Han Wang and Ye Lang completely bewildered, but the other two knew exactly what they were talking about. Xu Ke was asking if Hu Deyao wanted to go in to see Xu Yi. However, Hu Deyao was afraid that getting too close to her might attract unwanted attention, which could lead people to eventually trace things back to Xu Zhentai.
"In that case, find a shop to rent somewhere nearby. That way it'll be convenient for you to keep an eye on things," Xu Ke said.
Hu Deyao's arrival was actually by Xu Ke's arrangement. Now that he had enough manpower, he naturally wanted someone protecting Xu Yi around the clock. Since Wang Wu was just one person and couldn't always be running back and forth, it was only logical to ask the now-unoccupied Hu Deyao to come over. As for Han Wang and Ye Lang, Xu Ke had no specific plans for them; they were free to go out and take on missions if they wanted. However, the two of them didn't seem to have any such intentions and continued to stick by Hu Deyao's side.
"Yes, sir!" Hu Deyao nodded.
