"Mister Xu, your presence is becoming more and more imposing," Tang Yingchang said with a smile on their way back.
Xu Ke chuckled. "Don't make fun of me."
Venturing into a new industry is like crossing a mountain. To make money, Xu Ke's prescriptions had to be put into practice. He couldn't trust others like Huang Zhendong and Qin Feng with the job, since they didn't know the first thing about it. He didn't have the clout to involve Zhou Qingzhi, either. Therefore, the only one he could trouble to play this role was Zhou Qingyong. Besides, one percent of the profits was more than enough for him to live on! This was another reason Xu Ke had spared Zhou Qingyong's life. The odd jobs always needed someone to do them. But by now, Xu Ke couldn't be bothered to poison such minor figures; they couldn't stir up any major trouble anyway.
Just then, Xu Ke noticed Ki Qinyin was calling.
"It's settled already? That's quite efficient!"
Xu Ke was somewhat surprised.
Ki Qinyin's call was within his expectations. Whether it was about the completion of the Northern Dragon Guard's training mission, the safe return of Xia Wenfeng and the fieldwork class, or, most importantly, Fang Caizhe's betrayal, Ki Qinyin would certainly inform him once she'd handled it all. Especially regarding how Fang Caizhe was dealt with. This concerned Xu Ke's life and death; Ki Qinyin had to give him an explanation, one way or another.
However, Xu Ke did feel a little guilty about this particular matter. After all, Dragon Country prohibits entrapment. And he was the one who had sent people to bait Fang Caizhe out.
"Madame Yu." Xu Ke picked up the phone, cleared his throat, and greeted her calmly.
To Xu Ke's surprise, the first thing Ki Qinyin said was out of concern. "How are you? Are you unhurt?"
Xu Ke was startled for a moment, but it quickly dawned on him. How could the Northern Dragon Guard not have eyes and ears everywhere? If they hadn't received a single whisper about something as big as the incident with the Ye Family, they'd be truly finished.
He adopted a theatrical tone. "I'm touched by your concern, Madame Yu, but I'm fine."
"Really fine?" Hearing the way Xu Ke spoke, Ki Qinyin felt reassured and laughed. "Just make sure you don't die and fulfill some people's wishes."
Frankly, Ki Qinyin was one of the few people who had witnessed Xu Ke's true strength. She also knew just how heaven-defying and terrifying this man's talents were. Therefore, she wasn't at all shocked by the reports of Xu Ke's incredible feats, like injuring people from a distance.
She couldn't help it. She had witnessed even more shocking things long ago!
A twenty-two-year-old at the peak of Innate Great Perfection; was there anything in this world Xu Ke couldn't do? If he hadn't risked his life to save her daughter, damaging his cultivation in the process, then by now... Wong Ting wouldn't even be part of the equation.
That was precisely why Ki Qinyin was so concerned.
Xu Ke didn't know that in her heart, Ki Qinyin already saw him—her daughter's savior—as a younger brother. Furthermore, as the wife of the Northern Dragon Guard's commander, she also viewed Xu Ke as her most important future ally. With all these factors combined, she certainly didn't want Xu Ke to perish prematurely just to deal with someone like Ye Yunfeng.
"It won't come to that. A hundred years after they're dead and gone, I reckon I'll still be alive and well," Xu Ke said cheerfully.
He knew the "some people" Ki Qinyin referred to were Wong Ting and Yan Xuehai. Xia Wenfeng must have told them everything when he returned.
"Why didn't you notify me when you were dealing with Ye Yunfeng? I could have had Kang An rush over," Ki Qinyin said.
"It was a misjudgment on my part; no one expected him to be such a tough nut to crack," Xu Ke said with a bitter smile. "But you understand his situation now, don't you?"
"I do!" Ki Qinyin laughed. "Demonic Qi. Your master asked us to investigate it. I never expected it to be in Tianhai as well, let alone being used by Ye Yunfeng. That, we truly didn't anticipate."
Seeing that Ki Qinyin wasn't at all surprised by Demonic Qi, Xu Ke thought to himself, So it's true! It seems Master really is running around everywhere because of Demonic Qi, and he even had the Northern Dragon Guard keeping an eye out. At the same time, Xu Ke also understood something else… It seems that when Master beat Second Uncle for seven days and seven nights, he wasn't actually trying to bully him.
"Yes," Xu Ke said with a wry smile. "Who would have thought that such a strange thing could exist in this world?"
"That's also why Kang An hasn't returned to Dragon Country. He's always on guard against Demonic Qi, even though he's never found any," Ki Qinyin said, then changed the subject. "As for Fang Caizhe, we've dealt with him."
"How so?" Xu Ke asked curiously.
"Killed," Ki Qinyin said plainly.
Dealing with Fang Caizhe was the simplest of all the matters. He dared to attack a Seasoned Envoy and betray his comrades, thereby violating more than a dozen articles of military law punishable by death.
Not to mention, this Seasoned Envoy was Xu Ke!
So what if Ki Qinyin, after reviewing the entire incident, knew that Xu Ke had set a trap? Xu Ke's hook was so obvious, yet that idiot Fang Caizhe still managed to get caught. If we don't kill you, who do we kill?
So, upon her return, after confirming the evidence was sound, she shattered Fang Caizhe's skull with a single slap, refusing to even hear his excuses. Afterwards, she simply had someone file the report.
The entire process took less than ten minutes. It took even less time than Ki Qinyin spent considering how to reward Ma Tong.
Xu Ke was taken aback. "Just like that, you killed him?"
Hearing this, Ki Qinyin was somewhat surprised and let out an amused laugh. "Is there a problem?"
She had thought Xu Ke would be delighted.
"He... wasn't he from the Fang Family of Jiangnan?" Xu Ke said.
He was worried that killing Fang Caizhe so rashly would cause the Fang Family to become hostile toward the Northern Dragon Guard.
"Haha, the Fang Family? Who the hell do they think they are?" Ki Qinyin's words dripped with undisguised mockery. "Let them try to get revenge on us, if they have the guts. Or they can come looking for you..."
"But I reckon with that Peak Level Maestro around, they wouldn't dare approach even if they wet their pants in fear!"
Hearing this, Xu Ke thought for a moment and then let out a chuckle. "Right. I was overthinking it."
He had always assumed Ki Qinyin would lighten the punishment for the sake of the bigger picture. But he'd never considered that if this formidable woman truly feared a mere family from Jiangnan, she never would have fled the Ki Family all those years ago to brave the harsh winds of the northern border with Yu Kangan.
Since the Northern Dragon Guard wasn't afraid, Xu Ke had even less reason to be. If anyone from Jiangnan dared to come, he'd dare to kill them. Besides, with Xu Zhentai posing as a Peak Level Maestro, he didn't believe they'd have the guts to try anything!
Now that he had powerful backing, why not throw his weight around a bit? He had been so cowardly before only because he had no one to watch his back. Now that he had connections in high places, wasn't it the perfect time to act a little brazen? Although this backing wasn't exactly solid, it was enough as long as it looked solid to outsiders. And putting on a front was something Xu Ke excelled at.
"Alright, since there's nothing else, I won't disturb our esteemed Seasoned Envoy's rest. Remember to visit us at the Northern Dragon Guard when you have time," Ki Qinyin said with a smile.
"Sure!" Xu Ke replied. "In that case, you have to let me see what kind of toilet could possibly be clogged by Xiang Hongyu."
"HAHAHA..." Ki Qinyin burst out laughing.
「At the same time, in Jiangnan.」
At the Fang Family residence.
"Do you really not want to avenge Caizhe?" a beautiful woman, weeping inconsolably, cried out as she looked at the stern-faced middle-aged man before her, who bore a slight resemblance to Fang Caizhe.
"How can we get revenge? Between the two maestros backing Xu Ke, which one can we possibly afford to offend?" The middle-aged man's face was ashen, his eyes burning with a mixture of rage and hatred, but he didn't dare act on it.
He was Fang Caizhe's father, Fang Shuyuan.
