Xu Ke returned to Junyue Residence after having dinner at the Wang Family.
Wang Wu was concerned for Xu Ke's safety and offered to escort him back, but Xu Ke told him not to worry to avoid the hassle.
While on the road, Duan Chongfeng called him.
"Nicely done, Xu Ke," Duan Chongfeng said with a chuckle. "You really put that Ye Fan kid in his place."
Xu Ke smiled. "You're too kind, Brother Duan."
"Haha, what does that have to do with ? That was all your own skill."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Duan Chongfeng continued, "Right, I need to tell you sothing. Make a trip to the clinic when you have ti. There are still things that need your attention. I've already handled all the paperwork for you this past week."
"The renovation team told they've finalized the style and everything. They're just waiting for you to co take a look."
Almost a week had passed since Xu Ke last visited Villa No. 1 to treat Duan Chongfeng.
Xu Ke paused. "Oh, that's right..." He had actually forgotten about this matter.
"If you have any problems, contact or Duan Jia right away. I'll send you their numbers."
"Okay, thanks for the reminder, Brother Duan."
"Don't ntion it!"
Xu Ke then hung up the phone.
***
After returning to Junyue Residence, Xu Ke lay on a chair to rest for a while before calling his parents. Wong Qifu had ntioned at dinner that his parents were back in Jiang City and were now safe. So, Xu Ke decided to call and let them know he was okay, to give them so peace of mind.
Over the phone, Xu Ke's parents told him they were fine. They also went on about how proud and triumphant his Third Uncle was after returning ho...
Xu Ke chuckled.
Only after Xu Ke repeatedly assured them that he was perfectly fine did his mother, Shen Fen, reluctantly hang up.
***
After ending the call, Xu Ke walked out onto the balcony.
He gazed at the stars dotting the night sky, sighed, and muttered a curse. "This is so damn tiring..."
One thing after another kept coming at him, leaving him no ti to catch his breath.
He found himself missing his ti on the mountain and in college. Only those who have been beaten down by society and live with daily anxiety can truly appreciate the preciousness of days spent focused on learning...
But Xu Ke's mont of reflection was brief; he quickly gathered his thoughts. He hadn't yet earned the luxury of squandering ti on such reflections.
Xu Ke set a reminder for himself to visit the clinic the next day.
Then, he took out the jade box containing the Dragon Essence Ring. The Dragon Essence Ring was the source of his power, his very ans of survival, so he carried it with him at all tis, even to the Martial Alliance.
The ruby shone with a brilliant light, exuding an eerie yet profound aura that captivated Xu Ke.
He took a deep breath, turned, and went back into the room to fetch so dicinal herbs. He had herbs stored here; so were bought by Wong Qifu before his life-and-death duel, and others he had purchased himself.
To increase his tolerance for the pain of absorbing Dragon Essence, he wouldn't just absorb it directly tonight. Instead, he planned to use a dicinal bath in conjunction with the process. Xu Ke believed the synergy between the two would greatly strengthen his endurance.
The pain would be unimaginable, of course, but Xu Ke was confident he could withstand it.
***
「Twenty minutes later.」
SPLASH!
Water flew everywhere.
"I... I was wrong..."
Completely drained of strength, Xu Ke leaped out of the dicinal bath, relying on his last shred of willpower. His skin was completely red, as if it had been scalded by boiling water.
The dicinal bath was supposed to last between forty minutes and an hour, but the combined assault of the Dragon Essence's impact and the bath's tempering effect was simply unbearable. Even his advanced body hardening techniques were no match for an hour of such dual internal and external tornt.
It took him a full hour of absorbing Dragon Essence outside the tub to recover. Only then did he barely manage to climb back in and finish the rest of the dicinal bath.
Although the process had been an ordeal, Xu Ke could feel that this first attempt at combining Dragon Essence with a dicinal bath was incredibly effective.
His tolerance for pain had increased significantly, bringing him one step closer to the stage of Innate Great Perfection.
***
「The next morning.」
After waking up, Xu Ke went straight to Global Square.
Although Duan Chongfeng had asked him to co and take a look, there wasn't anything that needed his special attention. At most, he just needed to review the decor style and a few other things.
The man Duan Chongfeng found was nad Zhao Chengyang. He was a powerfully built, muscular man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
When Zhao Chengyang saw Xu Ke arrive, he imdiately recognized him. "Doctor Xu!"
"Hello, how should I address you?" Xu Ke smiled.
As he spoke, he glanced around. The space was still just a shell; renovations had clearly not yet begun.
"My na is Zhao Chengyang, but please, just call Yang, Doctor Xu."
"Co on, everyone," Zhao Chengyang called out, stepping forward. "Stop what you're doing for a mont. Co and et the boss."
The crowd of workers surged forward.
After the introductions, Zhao Chengyang imdiately took out the design plans and explained them to Xu Ke in great detail. The man Duan Chongfeng had found was clearly reliable. Xu Ke approved the plans after a quick look, trusting Duan Chongfeng's judgnt.
"Alright, I'll leave it in your hands," Xu Ke said with a smile. "I have to go now. I'll let you know the na for the clinic once I've decided on one."
"Great! Thanks for making the trip, Doctor Xu!" Zhao Chengyang laughed heartily, then suddenly asked, "By the way, where are you headed? Need a ride?" He pointed to a Toyota parked outside.
Xu Ke was ward by his friendly attitude. "No need, thanks. I'll just take the subway."
Zhao Chengyang nodded.
But as soon as Xu Ke's figure disappeared from sight, the smile vanished from Zhao Chengyang's face. He imdiately picked up his phone. He sent a voice ssage: "He's heading toward Longcha Subway Station..."
After the ssage sent, a strange, eerie smile spread across his face.
***
There were two routes from Global Square to Longcha Subway Station. One took a pedestrian bridge over an eight-lane road.
But when Xu Ke followed his navigation app to the bridge, he found it had been closed off. This was his first ti taking this path, so he had no choice but to try the other route.
Global Square was surrounded by office buildings, and the most direct alternative was a narrow alley.
As Xu Ke stepped from the sun-drenched street into the shady alley, his expression suddenly changed.
The alley was strangely, unnaturally quiet. There wasn't a soul in sight.
Sothing's wrong... His expression tightened, and he spun around to run.
"Too late, Xu Ke."
Sun Luo's voice ca from the alley's entrance as he slowly strode into view. Behind him, a group of construction workers was blocking the path, sealing the exit.
Xu Ke's gaze sharpened. He recognized them—they were the sa workers who had blocked the pedestrian bridge earlier.
"What do you want?" Xu Ke asked, his heart sinking.
After his last failure, Sun Luo must have co prepared this ti. I was careless...
As expected, an irritating voice echoed from the other end of the alley. "Heh, what do I want? To settle a score, of course..."
The next mont, several powerful auras instantly locked onto Xu Ke.
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