"Then why is it called the backlash of the Oath of the Medical Path?" Facing Xu Ke's slippery evasion of the question about the Heaven-Defying Fate Change Technique, Wong Qifu asked, her patience wearing thin.

"Because this medical art contends with heaven and earth for a sliver of life, it goes against the harmony of nature," Xu Ke explained with a smile. "That's why it's called the backlash of the Oath of the Medical Path."

"I see." Wong Qifu's expression was placid as she made a token show of support.

Xu Ke just chuckled.

Then, a thought occurred to Wong Qifu, and she asked abruptly, "If the price for lifting this backlash is one's life, does that mean your death that night was real?"

"Yes," Xu Ke nodded.

Wong Qifu's brow furrowed. She had genuinely thought he was faking his death. But after hearing his confirmation, her brow was knitted so tightly it could have crushed a sea crab.

"Then how on earth did you survive?" she demanded.

"The ring," Xu Ke answered without hiding anything, raising his hand to show her the Dragon Ring she had given him—the one with the shattered gemstone.

"The ring?" Wong Qifu's face was a mask of astonishment. "That ring could actually save your life?!"

She suddenly recalled the strange red glow that had emanated from the ring when Xu Ke first woke up. At the time, however, her attention had been entirely fixed on him smashing the hospital bed to pieces with a single palm. How could she have possibly noticed such a detail? Moreover, the ring had been in her possession for at least ten years. She had studied it for a long time without discovering any such effect, so she hadn't paid it much mind.

If the ring could truly save lives, then why did Father die?

"Yes." Xu Ke nodded, pondered for a moment, and added, "Strictly speaking, it was the Dragon Essence within the ring that saved me."

"Dragon Essence is useless to ordinary people, but it has life-saving properties for those who have practiced the Heaven-Defying Fate Change Technique."

"The Heaven-Defying Fate Change Technique was created by a descendant of the Dragon Vein, so in that regard, Dragon Essence is helpful to people like us."

Wong Qifu was getting lost in the explanation. "What is Dragon Essence?"

Xu Ke explained, "Dragon Essence originates from those born bearing the Mandate of Heaven—the emperors and generals of old, the Jiuwu Sovereigns."

"I was thinking that it's possible one of those Jiuwu Sovereigns gave the ring to your Wang Family."

As he finished speaking, understanding dawned on Wong Qifu's face, followed by another memory.

The fortune teller had once told her that the owner of this ring could guide the Wang Family through a great calamity. But in this day and age, where could one possibly find a Jiuwu Sovereign? Now that she thought about it, the owner of this ring could only be Xu Ke. After all, he had learned the Heaven-Defying Fate Change Technique and could make the ring glow red. He had to be its rightful master.

A wave of retroactive fear washed over her. "In that case, it's fortunate I gave you the ring when I did. Otherwise, you'd really be dead."

Xu Ke nodded. "Yes, if you hadn't given it to me beforehand, I'd probably be dead right now."

Wong Qifu fell silent, staring at him quietly for a long moment before speaking again in a serious tone. "But you don't have another ring."

"You need to stop taking such dangerous risks."

She didn't need Xu Ke to explain it. She knew just how precious a ring carrying Dragon Essence must be. Even if other treasures with Dragon Essence that could save his life existed in this world, they were practically impossible to find now. Wong Qifu knew that the next time Xu Ke gambled with his life like that, he would really die.

"I know," Xu Ke said with a wry smile. "But I only ended up in such a dangerous situation because I had no cultivation and was utterly weak. It's different now…"

"What difference does it make?" Wong Qifu interrupted coldly. "You'll still try to challenge those above your rank, won't you?"

"My fault, my fault," Xu Ke conceded obediently.

"Don't take any more risks until your cultivation improves," Wong Qifu said flatly.

"Okay," Xu Ke agreed decisively.

He didn't mention that his cultivation was still stuck at the Innate Middle Stage, unable to advance. If Wong Qifu pressed him about it and insisted on finding another treasure with Dragon Essence for him, he would have no idea how he could ever repay her.

"If you need to deal with someone, or if you're worried about being targeted, you can use the Wang Family's power. You can use my people, too. Don't worry about being indebted to me," Wong Qifu said earnestly.

It was as if Wong Qifu had read his mind, as her words unintentionally hit upon his very concern.

Xu Ke's expression froze for a second before he let out a resigned laugh. "Alright, I'll remember that."

"I'm serious," Wong Qifu stated grimly.

Xu Ke was always like this, readily agreeing to everything but never following through when trouble actually struck.

"I understand," Xu Ke nodded.

Wong Qifu shook her head and stood up. "Fine, I won't force you. I'm going back to the company. What about you?"

"I'm going to head back to the urban village first. I have some injuries I need to treat myself," Xu Ke replied. The real reason he'd left the hospital was so he could recuperate faster at home.

"Alright." Wong Qifu nodded. Now that she knew he possessed medical skills, she wasn't so insistent on him staying in the hospital.

With that, Wong Qifu left the apartment.

Xu Ke got into Wang Wu's car and returned to the urban village. This was at Wong Qifu's insistence. Since he was injured, she was fine with him treating himself, but going back alone was out of the question.

「…」

After dropping Xu Ke off at his home, Wang Wu drove back to the Wang Family Corporation.

As Xu Ke reached the ground floor of his building, his expression darkened. He noticed that a crowd of reporters had gathered outside. Luckily, his agility was exceptional. He found a blind spot in their line of sight and slipped upstairs to his apartment.

Once inside, Xu Ke took out the medicinal herbs Wong Qifu had given him, processed them, and set them to brew on a stove. As the aroma of traditional medicine filled the room, he sat on the sofa, removed the Dragon Ring, and studied it intently.

Although the Oath of the Medical Path had been lifted, its lingering effects still prevented his cultivation from advancing an inch. He had to find a solution. If not for the threat of Wong Ting, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to seek a breakthrough.

But things were different now. He had to become stronger! At least as strong as he was three years ago.

He had already broken the Oath of the Medical Path, so he really couldn't figure out his current situation. After some thought, he decided to consult the ancient medical texts his master had left him.

To do this, Xu Ke didn't need to return to the remote mountain forests where he had studied. While there were indeed stacks of thick medical tomes on the mountain, they were actually just second-hand books Ren Gu had casually picked up in the city, mainly to create an air of profundity. When Xu Ke had studied medicine on the mountain, he hadn't been reading physical books.

He was reading e-books.

The first time his master had produced an encrypted USB drive and a password, telling him to "move" the medical books from it, Xu Ke had been completely floored. The profound, ancient atmosphere was instantly shattered. But according to his master, "We live in the modern world. Don't you realize how much more portable e-books are?"

Xu Ke had been instantly ashamed. It made perfect sense!

So from then on, Xu Ke had always studied by transferring the texts to the computer he bought in his college days.

Now, Xu Ke turned on his computer once again and began his search.

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