Xu Ke was stunned. The Northern Dragon Guard was sending a group of people to Tianhai? For what purpose? For some reason, he felt this matter was inextricably linked to him.

The sudden change in Chen Xiong's expression did not escape Xia Wenfeng's notice. A slight smile touched the corners of his lips. I'll explain everything later...

Upon hearing this, Yang Shoukang's brow furrowed. "A temporary military doctor?" he asked. "There are so many skilled medical practitioners in Tianhai. Why specifically me? I don't have time to take care of your Northern Dragon Guard."

He already held a grudge against the Northern Dragon Guard because of Xu Ke's rejection. And now Xia Wenfeng expected him to treat and save people? He was barking up the wrong tree!

Xia Wenfeng was not discouraged. He smiled and said, "Elder Yang, you are a Grandmaster of The Medical Path. Lord Yu will only be at ease if you are in charge of their safety. If anything were to happen to them, it would be a huge blow to the Northern Dragon Guard."

At these words, everyone paused.

Yang Shoukang's curiosity was piqued. "Them? Who exactly are you referring to? What is the Northern Dragon Guard sending them to Tianhai for?"

Although Xia Wenfeng hadn't emphasized his words, he had clearly revealed two things. First, Yu Kangan was personally overseeing this group's mission. Second, this group was very important to the Northern Dragon Guard.

Chen Xiong's expression grew even more solemn. Sending people of such importance to Tianhai? Are you sure they don't have designs on the city?

It wasn't that Chen Xiong was resistant to outside forces entering Tianhai. The main issue was that if the powers within his jurisdiction became too complex, the difficulty of managing them would increase exponentially. For a man on the verge of retirement, it was a major headache.

Seeing Yang Shoukang's question, Xia Wenfeng smiled. "It's like this," he explained. "The Northern Dragon Guard's young talents are about to undergo their final trial. The trial requires them to come to Tianhai, find Madame Yu's lost Seasoned Envoy Pass, and bring it back."

He then turned to Chen Xiong with a smile. "Alliance Leader Chen, you don't need to be nervous. The Northern Dragon Guard has no intention of meddling in Tianhai's territory. We're only here to find the pass."

At these words, Chen Xiong's tension vanished. He exclaimed in shock, "What did you say?!"

They had never imagined this to be the case. They were astonished. Ki Qinyin came to Tianhai and actually lost the Seasoned Envoy Pass? The Madame Dragon King herself had lost such an important item in Tianhai? Was this some kind of joke?

Only Xu Ke remained silent, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.

"It's the truth," Xia Wenfeng said with a wry smile, rubbing his nose. "Like all of you, I found it hard to believe when I first heard the news. But my team and I came to a unanimous conclusion: Madame Yu couldn't have actually lost the pass.

"Based on our understanding of Madame Yu, we believe this seemingly simple task conceals a great danger. Finding the pass is likely a smokescreen; the real mission will come later. Therefore, I wanted to ask you in advance, Elder Yang, to please not refuse to help them if the need arises. This is to prevent a situation where they encounter danger in Tianhai, suffer severe injuries, and have no one to turn to for treatment.

"These are the future hopes of the Northern Dragon Guard!"

After speaking, Xia Wenfeng looked at Yang Shoukang with utmost sincerity.

Chen Xiong and Yang Shoukang were silent for a moment. As Xia Wenfeng said, these were the future of the Northern Dragon Guard. Yang Shoukang found it difficult to refuse. Chen Xiong didn't want him to refuse, either. Xia Wenfeng's candor was one reason. Another was that if several of these talents were to perish in Tianhai, it would be difficult to answer to Yu Kangan.

At that moment, however, Xu Ke silently poured himself another cup of tea, looking utterly uninvolved.

Xiao Ji, who hadn't dared to speak, was astonished. Why does Dr. Xu possess such an air of sober indifference amidst a crowd of drunks?

"Ah, this..." Yang Shoukang struggled for a moment before glaring at Xia Wenfeng. "Aren't you just morally blackmailing me? If I refuse to save them, won't I be destroying the future of the Northern Dragon Guard and offending Yu Kangan?"

Knowing Yang Shoukang was worried this was an order from Yu Kangan, Xia Wenfeng quickly explained, "My life was saved by you, Elder. You can rest assured. The Northern Dragon Guard never arranged for me to seek medical help in Tianhai; this was entirely my own idea. If you refuse, I guarantee the Northern Dragon Guard will never know I approached you. If you don't believe me, I can show you my leave request. My stated reason for coming to Tianhai was to visit Xu Ke and to go home for a blind date."

A blind date is one thing, but what does that have to do with me? Xu Ke wondered.

Yang Shoukang laughed in spite of his anger. "I've known you for many years. Do you think I wouldn't trust you? Fine, fine, I'll agree to it. But you must pay the medical fees!"

Xia Wenfeng was overjoyed. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Elder Yang."

Actually, Xu Ke's medical skills are far superior to my own. If they were in real danger, they should be looking for him, Yang Shoukang thought. But after a glance at Xu Ke, he suppressed the thought.

From the moment Xia Wenfeng mentioned the young talents coming for their trial, Xu Ke had been silently drinking his tea. Obviously, the phrase "young talents" had struck a nerve. As a young talent himself, Xu Ke didn't even qualify to enter the Northern Dragon Guard. That must be why he was remaining silent, just quietly drinking his tea.

For Xu Ke's sake, I can't say his medical skills are better than mine, Yang Shoukang thought to himself. What if having people from the Northern Dragon Guard meet him just makes him feel even worse?

But Yang Shoukang had no idea. While Xu Ke appeared to be calmly sipping his tea, his mind was in a complete daze.

Looking for the Seasoned Envoy Pass? Isn't Ki Qinyin just telling those young talents to find me?

As he drank his tea, Xu Ke finally understood why Ki Qinyin hadn't told You Jinlong or Xia Wenfeng about him becoming the Seasoned Envoy. The trial for the young talents was to find him. Telling Xia Wenfeng and the others would be like leaking the exam questions in advance.

He took a deep breath. Looks like my job as the Seasoned Envoy is about to begin...

Once Yang Shoukang agreed to help, Xia Wenfeng had no more time to linger. He exchanged contact information with Xu Ke, telling him to keep in touch, before hurriedly leaving Fengming Pavilion. They all assumed he was rushing to catch a plane back to the northern border to handle official business. But when Xu Ke couldn't resist prying, Xia Wenfeng simply fell silent. He was, in fact, on his way to a blind date.

After Xia Wenfeng's departure, only the four of them remained in the private room. Xiao Ji played the role of a mute the entire time, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say there were only three of them.

After eating for a while, Chen Xiong finally spoke. "Now that Xia Wenfeng has left, when are you taking us to your treasury to pick out medicinal herbs for Xu Ke?"

He hadn't forgotten their original purpose for coming here.