Duan Chongfeng's little performance hadn't scared him one bit. In fact, it made Xu Ke wonder if accepting Duan Chongfeng as his Big Brother was a bit unreliable.

Seeing the speechless expressions on the faces of his confidant and Xu Ke, Duan Chongfeng coughed to cover his embarrassment. "AHEM, AHEM. Just a joke to lighten the mood."

"By the way, I bumped into Li Lang in the parking lot," Duan Chongfeng said. "I told him I would give him an explanation. To maintain the reputation of the Dapeng Business Association, I will condemn your behavior to the Wang Family."

"Alright, then I'll trouble Brother Duan with the condemnation," Xu Ke chuckled.

"This little matter is hardly any trouble," Duan Chongfeng said with a smile. "Duan Jia, send a text message... no, send an email. Make it more official."

"Yes." Duan Jia bowed.

With that, Duan Chongfeng put the matter with Li Lang to rest.

"By the way, Little Brother, here are the keys. The paperwork should be processed in a few days, but that won't be a problem," Duan Chongfeng said, taking out the keys to the clinic. "This shop hasn't been renovated. I've already sent a crew over to work on it, so just tell them what you need. If you're not satisfied with the design, you can have them scrap it and start over. As for the name, you'll have to come up with one yourself later."

Xu Ke took the keys. "Okay. But as for the renovation, anything is fine. I don't have any particular demands."

"Then that's settled!" Duan Chongfeng nodded.

...

「At noon.」

The sun had warmed the asphalt road slightly, but for February, the sunshine was perfectly comfortable.

Pedestrians were coming and going at the entrance of the Jincheng Hotel.

Xu Ke walked out of the hotel with a bag in his hand. It contained the keys and the property deed from Duan Chongfeng. Duan Chongfeng had matters to attend to in the afternoon, so Xu Ke hadn't stayed long.

However, just as he came out, he noticed a gaze spying on him from a corner not far away.

He turned his head to look.

No one was there.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Afterward, he walked toward the nearby subway station and slowly disappeared down the descending escalator...

...

"Why did he come out so quickly?" Li Lang, watching from the shadows, looked on in disbelief.

Didn't Duan Chongfeng promise to deal with Xu Ke? Why was Xu Ke able to walk out of the Jincheng Hotel in one piece? Why did he leave so quickly? Could it be that Xu Ke's cultivation is too powerful for the people at Jincheng to lay a finger on him? Impossible! Duan Chongfeng is a renowned grandmaster!

The bodyguard next to him spoke cautiously, "Second Young Master, could it be that Boss Duan is wary of the Wang Family and doesn't dare to touch Xu Ke?"

"Nonsense!" Li Lang scolded angrily. "The Dapeng Business Association is nominally a first-tier power, same as our Li Family, but do you really think they're on the same level as us? Boss Duan needs to be wary of the Wang Family? What kind of bullshit is that!"

"I misspoke, Second Young Master." The bodyguard immediately clammed up, not daring to say another word.

"I'll wait a bit longer..." Li Lang grit his teeth. "Boss Duan will definitely teach Xu Ke a lesson for me."

However, he was still pondering one question.

Why on earth didn't Duan Chongfeng deal with Xu Ke directly?

...

Xu Ke was unaware that Li Lang was beginning to question his entire life. He had already arrived at the urban village.

However, at the entrance to his building, he saw a face he had no desire to see.

Qian Hong.

The landlady.

But at this moment, Qian Hong's face was filled with anxiety. She was pacing back and forth in front of Xu Ke's door.

"My, you're in a fine mood, Sister Hong. Taking a stroll at my doorstep?" Xu Ke said lightly as he approached.

At the sound of his voice, Qian Hong's face immediately lit up with surprised delight. "Xu... Little Ke, you're back?! Sister Hong has been waiting for you for a long time! How are you? Have you eaten?" she asked enthusiastically, her eyes darting to the bag in Xu Ke's hand.

Seeing Qian Hong's overly warm demeanor, Xu Ke's frown deepened. "Sister Hong, just say what you have to say."

"Well, it's like this..." Seeing that Xu Ke wasn't in the mood for pleasantries, Qian Hong dropped the pretense and put on a pleading expression. "As you know, Sister Hong is getting old. I get by on the rent from my properties since I'm too old to work. My life was reasonably stable, but now someone is targeting me, trying to keep this old woman from living out her final years in peace. I was hoping... could you please help Sister Hong?"

Qian Hong started to move forward to grab Xu Ke's hand to beg, but his cold gaze stopped her in her tracks.

Hearing this, Xu Ke chuckled. "Sister Hong, you might be overestimating my abilities. If an opponent can stymie a big shot like you, how could I possibly help?"

With that, Xu Ke moved to open his door.

Qian Hong grew frantic. "Little Ke, you can definitely help me! The... the Wang Family can!"

Xu Ke twisted the doorknob, not looking back. "Sister Hong, you must be mistaken. The Wang Family already has me, a kept man. They can't afford to support anyone else."

"No, no, no!" Qian Hong said in a panic, fawning over him. "With your capabilities, joining the Wang Family surely enhanced their power. How could you be a kept man? Anyone who says you're a freeloader has a screw loose. They should be locked up in a mental hospital and given some electroshock therapy."

In her desperation for his help, Qian Hong didn't hesitate to say such things.

At this, Xu Ke turned back with a ghost of a smile. "In that case, Sister Hong, why don't you go get some electroshock therapy right now?"

After all, Qian Hong was the one who used to say such things with the most relish.

Caught by Xu Ke's taunt, Qian Hong's face flushed with embarrassment. She forced a dry laugh. "Oh, that... the mental hospital saw I was too old, that my brain was beyond saving, so they kicked me out..."

Xu Ke almost laughed out loud from exasperation. He was genuinely curious who Qian Hong had offended to make her spew such self-deprecating lies so readily.

Indeed... Qian Hong's skill at slinging insults was impressive. When it came to insulting herself, she truly drew blood without a blade.

"Alright, so you admit you were kicked out because your brain is shot," Xu Ke said. "In that case, I suggest you start preparing for the hereafter."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and slammed the door shut.

BANG!

The sound of the door echoed, leaving a stunned Qian Hong standing alone.

This Xu Ke is too ruthless! I already called myself an imbecile, and he still won't let me off the hook?!

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