Soon, Xu Ke found what he was looking for in the documents.

The solution to the Oath of the Medical Path didn't require him to pay with his life like before. However, it did require him to find Dragon Essence. Every breakthrough required the aid of Dragon Essence to succeed. In other words, if Xu Ke wanted to reach the Postnatal Late Stage, he would need to absorb Dragon Essence while cultivating to successfully complete his breakthrough.

"Troublesome."

Xu Ke's eyelids drooped slightly.

Treasures containing Dragon Essence won't be easy to find.

They were all artifacts once worn by a Jiuwu Sovereign. Even if they weren't family heirlooms, they were the kind of collections found in museums and antique galleries, easily worth tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. Buying them would be difficult enough. Moreover, even if he managed to acquire them, there was no telling if the Dragon Essence on these treasures had faded over time.

After pondering for a while, Xu Ke shook his head. "A real headache."

This is so hard!

He closed the document, stood up, and walked over to the brewed medicine. After preparing it, he drank it down in one go. After taking the medicine, Xu Ke sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes.

The matter of Dragon Essence can wait. I'll focus on recuperating first!

...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

While Xu Ke was recuperating, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door, revealing the visitor's impatience.

Forced to stop recuperating, Xu Ke got up and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me."

It was a middle-aged woman's voice. Xu Ke recognized it as his landlord.

"What's the matter?" he asked, frowning as he stood up.

"Open the door and we'll talk," the landlord said coldly.

Xu Ke reluctantly opened the door.

The landlord was a forty-five-year-old woman named Qian Hong. Usually, to be flattering, Xu Ke would call her Sister Hong. The winter in Tianhai wasn't cold, so Qian Hong was only wearing a thin dress, though her appearance left much to be desired.

As Qian Hong banged on the door, some of Xu Ke's neighbors had already begun to peek out curiously. It was the time of day they usually returned from work. Seeing the landlord's confrontational demeanor, they were naturally eager to watch the commotion.

"Sister Hong, what's wrong?" Xu Ke asked.

"What's wrong?" Qian Hong sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now that you're Wang Qifu's gigolo, you've gotten so slow to open the door. What a fine temper you have."

Xu Ke frowned. She's here to pick a fight, isn't she?

"Sister Hong, if you have something to say, just say it," Xu Ke said, his voice turning grave.

"Oh, my. I've hardly said a word, just a bit of pleasantry, and you're already telling me to get to the point. What, you look down on a poor woman like me now? Too good to talk to me?" Qian Hong was only further provoked.

Xu Ke was now certain she was here to start trouble.

"What is it, exactly?" he asked, his expression darkening and his voice growing even colder.

Seeing Xu Ke's demeanor, Qian Hong was not the least bit intimidated. She sneered, "It's simple. You must move out by noon tomorrow."

"Move out?" Xu Ke said darkly. "Why?"

"I've paid my rent on time and haven't broken any rules. The apartment is in the exact same condition as when you rented it from me. Nothing is damaged."

"The contract isn't up yet. What right do you have to kick me out?"

A cold smirk touched Qian Hong's lips. "It's simple."

"You've been a few days late with the rent almost every month. According to the contract, I have the right to unilaterally terminate our rental agreement."

"But, I, Qian Hong, have a good reputation in this neighborhood. Taking into account that you young people are often short on cash, I naturally wouldn't make a fuss over a day or two's delay."

"I wasn't planning on bringing that up with you."

Xu Ke's expression didn't change at all as he listened. It was true that he had been late with the rent by a day or two before, but it was only because he was short on cash or his pay was delayed. Such situations were common among tenants. Qian Hong wasn't saying this for his benefit; she was trying to place herself on the moral high ground for the gossiping neighbors to hear.

"However, there is something else you've done that I am very dissatisfied with." Qian Hong's tone shifted, a cat-playing-with-a-mouse glint in her eyes as she stared at Xu Ke.

"Go on," Xu Ke said, his face expressionless.

"It's simple," Qian Hong sneered. "Young man, you have a healthy body, yet you choose to be a kept man. Although I, Sister Hong, don't approve, I won't lecture you. After all, it's your private business."

"But your little affair has brought a horde of reporters to our urban village, constantly sniffing around for interviews and photos. It's disrupting our normal lives."

"Now, I'm kicking you out, but I'm still giving you a full night to pack. Wouldn't you say I'm being generous?"

As she finished, the surrounding tenants began whispering among themselves as the realization dawned on them.

"So he's Xu Ke, the guy who caused that huge stir a few days ago..."

"Yeah, he's the one being kept by someone from the Wang Family Corporation."

"He's good-looking, but if he's a kept man, why is he still living here? I'm always seeing reporters lurking downstairs. It's gotten so I don't even feel comfortable leaving my own apartment."

"That's right! Me too. If Sister Hong gets rid of him, our lives can go back to normal."

A sense of excitement rippled through the crowd. The media had descended on the urban village, completely disrupting the residents' peaceful lives. Now that Qian Hong was driving Xu Ke away, it felt as though she were ridding the community of a pest.

Xu Ke chuckled. "You're so thoughtful, Sister Hong. Even giving me a whole night."

"Of course," Qian Hong said, wrinkling her nose at the smell of medicinal herbs wafting from his room. "You should go brew your herbs in the Wang family's mansion, son-in-law of the Wangs."

"However, when she mentioned marriage, she was probably just saying it. I doubt she actually intends to go through with it."

"Who told you to reach for someone so far above you?" Qian Hong gloated.

Hearing this, Xu Ke laughed as well. "Sister Hong, you're being a little too nosy."

"Also, my lease isn't up until the end of the month. You have no right to terminate the contract early, much less kick me out."

"I hope you understand that," Xu Ke said slowly.

If she had just asked him to leave politely, Xu Ke wouldn't have minded. He didn't want to cause trouble for others. However, Qian Hong seemed less interested in evicting him and more interested in mocking him. There was no need to go to such lengths just to make someone move out.

Something about this was fishy.

Although Xu Ke couldn't figure out Qian Hong's true intentions, he wasn't about to let her get her way so easily.

Hearing his rebuttal, Qian Hong wasn't surprised in the slightest. "Oh, really?" she retorted. "In that case, why don't you fulfill your duty as a tenant and get rid of those harassing reporters?"

Then, she turned to the others. "Don't you all agree?"

"Can Xu Ke act so high-and-mighty just because the Wang family has money?"

"He could be living in a private villa, but instead, he insists on cramming into a tiny apartment with the rest of us."

"Now everyone gets hounded by reporters the moment we step outside. Does that feel comfortable to any of you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd erupted.

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