Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

"Thank you," Poison Elder said softly to Xu Ke, helping Ghost Elder sit down. At this moment, she was a far cry from the spirited assassin who had come to kill Xu Ke.

"In your condition, did no one notice you on your way up?" Tang Yingchang asked as he walked over after closing the door.

Ghost Elder trembled as he spoke. "No. With our abilities, they can't track us for now."

"I see."

Neither Xu Ke nor Tang Yingchang thought Ghost Elder was boasting. Both ranked tenth on the assassin leaderboard, and as Innate Mid Stage martial artists, they had once teamed up to kill a warrior at Innate Great Perfection. If they could be caught just entering the Deyun Hotel, even while severely injured, it would be pathetic.

"However, how did you know I was here?" Xu Ke asked again. The news of his attendance at the auction was supposed to be a closely guarded secret.

"This is Sui City. The news that Xie Jiancheng gave you the Jade Mountain Lotus is common knowledge. Naturally, we knew you were here," Poison Elder said with a wry smile. She was extremely anxious, desperate for Xu Ke to treat Ghost Elder. But if Xu Ke wanted to chat, she had no choice but to comply.

"Alright. Tell me, what's your situation? And why did you come looking for me?" Xu Ke asked, his questions coming out like rapid-fire bursts as he noticed Poison Elder's anxiety.

He knew they wanted him to heal Ghost Elder. But he wasn't one to act without incentive. If their answers weren't to his satisfaction, he would have them leave the Deyun Hotel.

"We're at the end of our rope, being pursued by the Assassin's Alliance. We hope you can heal our injuries. You can rest assured, we've temporarily shaken them off our trail, so they won't find their way to the Deyun Hotel while you're treating us," Poison Elder said, trying to reassure Xu Ke so he would feel at ease helping them.

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. "I heard the Assassin's Alliance sent three Innate Great Perfection experts alone. How did you escape with only severe injuries? Are they that incompetent?"

It was true they had killed an Innate Great Perfection warrior before. However, that was only achieved through the element of surprise and a carefully planned assassination. It didn't prove they could genuinely confront such a warrior head-on, let alone withstand an assault from three top-tier assassins at that level. Therefore, he suspected there was something deceptive about their return. He even thought they might have been sent by the Assassin's Alliance to finish him off.

Poison Elder smiled bitterly. "Before leaving Tianhai, we went to our safe house in Sui City to prepare. We planned to set up traps with deadly poison and explosives to injure them and slow them down before we fled Huaxia."

"But we never expected that even with all the traps triggered, we still couldn't overpower them."

"Thanks to the old man's Iron Shell Divine Skill, he took two of their long-range attacks, which allowed us to escape their line of sight."

"Finally, we hid in the hidden compartments of the cabins on the river cruise boats in Sui City to evade their search."

Listening to Poison Elder's account, both Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang felt their hearts pound. First, they were amazed at the pair's audacity. To challenge the strong while weak, to fight two against three, and even dare to strike first... Their nerve was off the charts! Second, the scenario she described sounded incredibly perilous.

"However," Xu Ke began to ask, but at that moment, Ghost Elder's breath grew faint...

Poison Elder's face went pale. "Old man, hold on!"

Xu Ke couldn't just let the man die. He barked, "Elder Tang, needles!"

Tang Yingchang immediately dashed out, grabbed the silver needles from the bedside table in a flash, and tossed them to Xu Ke.

Xu Ke caught the needles. "Lay him flat!"

With tears welling in her eyes, Poison Elder hurriedly laid Ghost Elder on the bed. It had to be said that even in such a critical situation, a flash of discomfort crossed Tang Yingchang's face as he saw his bed being soiled by Ghost Elder's filthy clothes.

With a few swift movements, Xu Ke inserted the silver needles, sealing the meridians around the heart. He grasped Ghost Elder's wrist, checked his pulse, and then let out a sigh of relief. "Good, it's just rampant True Qi. Not too troublesome."

Hearing this, Poison Elder looked up sharply. "And that's not troublesome?" This is the True Qi of an Innate Great Perfection expert!

"What's there to be afraid of?" Xu Ke smiled, his eyes radiating boundless confidence and pride. "If my medical skills couldn't even handle this, then why the hell did I bother coming down the mountain?"

The next moment, True Qi surged within Xu Ke. Thirteen needles flew up simultaneously, turning into a golden gleam before descending in an instant.

Beside them, Tang Yingchang and Poison Elder's eyes shot wide open, their mouths falling agape in utter shock. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

What is this?

They knew which technique Xu Ke was using. It was that same set—the Tenro Thirteen Needles! But that wasn't what stunned them; they'd been amazed by it before. This time, they were flabbergasted because Xu Ke was using his True Qi to control the needles, simultaneously executing all thirteen forms of the Tenro Thirteen Needles at once.

What the fuck... Both Tang Yingchang and Poison Elder felt dizzy.

Is such medical skill something a martial artist at the Acquired Great Perfection realm can wield? Is he just a regular physician? Is he even human? Only one question dominated their minds: what level had Xu Ke's medical expertise truly reached? Even the legendary Medical Saint hadn't been this monstrously talented at Xu Ke's age!

Xu Ke paid no mind to their thoughts. Though he spoke as if the rampaging True Qi was a minor issue, he was actually being extremely cautious. He focused completely on driving the True Qi—which could only be released externally using the silver needles as a medium—and began to dispel the raging energy within Ghost Elder.

Almost instantly, his forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Manipulating thirteen needles at once, especially by channeling True Qi through them, was incredibly taxing. However, to eliminate the Innate Great Perfection True Qi that clung to Ghost Elder's body like maggots on bone, releasing all thirteen needles at once was the only way.

「...」

"Phew, it's done." Xu Ke let out a long breath, his face completely pale.

Tang Yingchang hurriedly supported him as he retrieved the needles.

Poison Elder's face was filled with deep gratitude as she looked at Xu Ke. "Doctor Xu, thank you for setting aside our past grievances and saving my old man first."

"It's fine," Xu Ke said, waving a hand as he slumped into a chair. "The True Qi in his body has been cleared out. As for the remaining external injuries, he can just buy some ointment from a pharmacy and treat them himself."

At this moment, Ghost Elder's mind was completely clear. After checking his own body, he was dumbfounded, his lips trembling. "It's... it's really all gone?"

If someone had told him before this that a physician at the Acquired Great Perfection realm could instantly purge the lingering True Qi left behind by an Innate Great Perfection expert, he would have slapped them across the face. But now, the naked truth unfolded right before his eyes. How could he not be shocked? His gaze toward Xu Ke became extraordinary, as if he were looking at a monster.

Poison Elder and Tang Yingchang had much the same reaction. An achievement like this was so unheard-of that they couldn't help but be stunned.

"Alright, that's not important," Xu Ke said. "I still have questions for you."

"Please, ask anything." After witnessing Xu Ke's divine medical skills on two separate occasions, Poison Elder's attitude had become unconsciously respectful.

Of course, this respect was perhaps also fueled by her almost certain conclusion that Xu Ke's master was the Medical Saint.

"What is the Iron Shell Divine Skill?" Xu Ke inquired.

He felt that Poison Elder's explanation for how they had evaded three master assassins was a bit flimsy and wanted to press for more details to confirm his suspicions.