Ki Qinyin stifled a laugh. "You two really are deeply in love, but do be careful..."

Upon these words, the atmosphere in the corridor grew even stranger.

"Hahaha..."

Someone could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing.

Xu Ke froze, his eyes widening.

Damn it. What did I just say?

He realized his mistake and rushed to correct himself, but his expression suddenly contorted in agony.

At his waist, a jade-like hand was pinching him viciously.

He turned his head.

Wong Qifu's face had turned a beautiful, radiant scarlet. Her eyes, filled with indignant anger, shot Xu Ke a fierce glare.

What does he mean, 'bedmate'? How dare someone who claimed he didn't have a second bed and refused to let me stay the night use a word like 'bedmate'?

Even though Wong Qifu wasn't particularly thin-skinned, she couldn't help but blush. She wanted to refute it but couldn't.

She couldn't possibly say that she and Xu Ke hadn't reached the 'bedmate' stage, could she? If she did, these people would just say, 'Oh, so you haven't gotten there yet!' The scene would be even more humiliating...

So, she could only take out her frustration by pinching Xu Ke's side.

...

After this little incident, Wong Qifu had Xu Ke go in to meet with Ki Qinyin alone.

Wong Qifu knew Xu Ke was going to refuse to join the Northern Dragon Guard. Therefore, Ki Qinyin's request for a private meeting suited her plans perfectly. If he were to refuse Ki Qinyin in front of so many people, what would become of the Madame Dragon King's dignity?

Although Ki Qinyin was easy to talk to, the Madame Dragon King still possessed her own dignity. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Xu Ke understood this as well, so he agreed.

...

Inside the conference room, Ki Qinyin and Xu Ke walked to the table.

Naturally, Xu Ke had to play the part of the host.

"Madame Yu, please have a seat. What would you like to drink?"

Xu Ke turned and reached for the tea set on the shelf.

But just then...

THUMP!

A dull thud sounded from behind him.

His expression changed instantly.

What's going on?

He spun around, his face paling in shock.

Ki Qinyin was kneeling before him! The loud sound had come from her knees hitting the floor.

"Madame Yu, what are you doing?!"

Xu Ke was terrified and hurried forward to help her up. Why would Ki Qinyin suddenly kneel without saying a word?

"Dr. Xu, please accept this kowtow from Qinyin!"

But Ki Qinyin refused Xu Ke's help. Instead, after kneeling, she bent forward and gave him a heavy kowtow.

THUD.

Her forehead hit the ground, leaving a red mark when she looked up.

This was a gesture of immense respect!

Xu Ke's pupils contracted. "Madame Yu, whatever it is, please get up first."

He suddenly realized something—the sense of familiarity she gave him, and the way she addressed him as "Dr. Xu."

But Ki Qinyin didn't listen, continuing to kowtow. "Dr. Xu, this kowtow is on behalf of An Kang, who couldn't be here."

THUD.

"And this kowtow is on behalf of Han Han, who also couldn't make it!"

After finishing, Ki Qinyin straightened up and looked at Xu Ke. Her forehead was already bright red, but she seemed to feel no pain, her eyes filled only with profound gratitude.

By now, full understanding had dawned on Xu Ke. He remembered who Ki Qinyin was.

"So it was you!" he said with a smile, extending a hand to help her up.

"It's me!" Ki Qinyin smiled and nodded as she was helped to her feet.

Those three kowtows had brought it all back.

Ki Qinyin was the mother of the little girl he had saved with the Heaven-Defying Fate Change Technique three years ago. Back then, Ki Qinyin had kowtowed until she bled. Moved by her earnest plea, Xu Ke had performed the Heaven-Defying Fate Change Technique to save the child's life.

"So you were Madame Yu all along," Xu Ke sighed. "No wonder I felt like I'd met you before at the stadium, but I just couldn't place it."

Ki Qinyin laughed. "Back then, because of Han Han's situation, I was overcome with grief and my face was haggard. Now that Han Han is healthy and growing, and Kang An's strength is constantly increasing, everything is going smoothly. Naturally, my worries have vanished, and I'm full of smiles, so I look completely different. Besides, three years have passed. It's perfectly normal that you don't remember, Dr. Xu!"

"That's true," Xu Ke nodded.

I can't believe the little girl I saved back then had such a powerful background.

But he soon chuckled at the thought.

Then again, it makes sense. An ordinary person probably wouldn't even know of the Medical Saint, let alone be able to find his location. Only someone with the status of the Northern Territory Dragon King could do that! And only the Northern Territory Dragon King could have found a top-tier doctor to preserve the last trace of the girl's life force when it had nearly dissipated, buying enough time for me to perform the Heaven-Defying Fate Change Technique! An ordinary person would have been helpless at that point.

"So, Madame, you came to Tianhai looking for me?" Xu Ke quickly put the pieces together.

"That's right," Ki Qinyin admitted.

"Then what you said at the stadium about just passing by, and the misunderstanding about the Northern Dragon Guard expanding their influence in the country... that was all a lie, wasn't it?" Xu Ke asked.

Ki Qinyin chuckled. "Of course, it was a lie. The Northern Dragon Guard can't even solidify its position in the Northern Territory. Why would we blindly expand into the rest of the country? That would be suicide."

"That makes sense," Xu Ke nodded.

"However, while we don't plan to expand our influence, it's perfectly normal for us to keep an eye on developments within the country," Ki Qinyin said. "For the past three years, I've had people searching for you to repay your kindness. Unfortunately, the Northern Territory is just too far from Tianhai, and I couldn't send too many spies without angering other factions. So, in this vast sea of people, I was never able to find you. But by pure coincidence, when this month's news from Tianhai reached me, I happened to see you and your wife on TV. I immediately prepared to set out and find you."

"So that's why!" Xu Ke exclaimed in realization.

It was because he and Wong Qifu had been at that press conference that Ki Qinyin noticed he was in Tianhai. He'd wondered why she hadn't found him during the three years he worked in Tianhai. And now that his memory was restored, she suddenly appeared... It turned out he had become famous!

"By the way," Ki Qinyin said with a smile, "the way you and your wife speak, so sharp and eloquent that you leave others speechless, is something I truly envy. Han Han's father is a hopelessly blunt man, only good for fighting. From the very beginning, I've always had to be the one to handle these kinds of situations; he just stands by and watches."

As she spoke, a hint of indignation crept into her voice.

Xu Ke felt a bead of sweat. "Lord Dragon King's martial prowess is supreme. If anyone disagreed, a single slap would suffice to settle them. It's because my strength is lacking that I must rely on words. Otherwise, I'd want to be just like Lord Dragon King."

With the strength of the Northern Dragon King, Yu Kangan, what need is there for verbal sparring? He could just kill his opponents with a single slap.

Hearing this, Ki Qinyin shook her head. "You really have a way with words. If he heard that, that uncultured oaf would certainly start boasting everywhere about his supreme martial prowess."

Xu Ke chuckled.

But then, Ki Qinyin sighed. "Besides, if it weren't for us, you never would have lost your cultivation. After three years, with your supreme talent, you probably would have become invincible by now."

Even though she had been desperate to save her daughter back then, Ki Qinyin was still speechless with shock when she saw that Xu Ke, after only one year of cultivation, had achieved the strength of Innate Great Perfection at the age of twenty-two.

Such talent was truly unmatched in the world.