In Tianhai, who could possibly have the kind of power and skill to send someone like that out for surveillance? Aside from a few specific names, there was no point in even considering anyone else.

"Did they discover you?" Wang Wu couldn't help but ask from the side.

Tang Yingchang said, "I was taking Miss Xu Yi to school and made no attempt to hide my tracks. I'm afraid I was spotted the moment I entered the school gates."

Wang Wu looked regretful. "A pity. If you had been hiding and hadn't been discovered, we might have been able to see who's behind them."

Tang Yingchang's expression showed his wholehearted agreement.

Xu Ke frowned and asked, "So what did they do today?"

Tang Yingchang looked perplexed. "From the moment Miss Xu Yi entered her classroom until she left school after her classes, they simply watched the entire time. They made no other moves."

"After they'd been observing for half the day, I went and gave them a direct warning."

"But surprisingly, when they saw me, they just offered a few apologies and then brazenly found another corner to continue their observation."

"They didn't take me seriously at all. So arrogant!"

As he said this, Tang Yingchang's face was still etched with indignation. Clearly, he felt it was outrageous for them to disregard him, a mighty Innate Great Perfection Expert!

Xu Ke and Wang Wu couldn't help but show a hint of amusement. They had never seen this side of Tang Yingchang before.

Wang Wu asked, "And then what happened?"

"Later... I considered injuring them, but since we were at a school, I held back," Tang Yingchang said. "By the time I went to look for them again, they were gone."

After hearing this, Xu Ke's brow was furrowed so deeply it looked like it could crush a crab.

Observing Xu Yi so brazenly, right in front of Tang Yingchang? Is this really how the people from those families I suspected would behave?

Xu Ke wanted to ask for more details about their features to make an investigation easier, but just then, a voice suddenly called out from the living room.

"Sister, you're back?"

Hearing Wang Qiya's voice, Xu Ke immediately signaled for Tang Yingchang to pause the discussion and walked straight back into the living room.

「The Living Room」

Wong Qifu walked in. Today, she was dressed simply in a well-tailored black suit that gave her a powerful and domineering aura. It only softened when she looked at Wang Qiya and the others. Beneath the suit, however, her delicate, fair skin and graceful figure were undeniable.

Xu Yi stood beside Wang Qiya, her eyes filled with intense wonder as she watched Wong Qifu approach.

When she saw the photo, she'd already thought Xu Ke must have accumulated some immense merit in a past life. Now, seeing Wong Qifu in person, she felt his karmic reward must have been built up over several lifetimes...

"Xiao Yi, hello," Wong Qifu said, approaching with a warm smile. She had already seen Xu Yi's picture.

Seeing that smile, even Xu Yi, a girl herself, couldn't help but hold her breath. It was partly due to her stunning beauty, but also because of Wong Qifu's powerful aura. As a student, Xu Yi naturally found it overwhelming...

Xu Yi called out nervously, "Sist-, Sister-in-law..."

A flicker of amusement shone in Wong Qifu's eyes. "Sit down, don't be nervous."

Xu Yi was led back to her seat. At this moment, Xu Ke also came to Wong Qifu's side. They didn't exchange many pleasantries, just a single look. The next moment, Xu Ke smiled, and Wong Qifu couldn't help but smile back.

Xu Ke looked at Xu Yi and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? Are we a good match?"

The previously tense Xu Yi couldn't help but laugh despite herself. "Stop being so full of yourself. Haven't you ever looked in a mirror?"

"He has always lacked self-awareness," Wong Qifu rarely chimed in to attack Xu Ke.

Xu Ke was immediately displeased. "I'm quite a handsome man myself..."

"Ignore him," Wang Qiya cut off Xu Ke's shameless boasting, saying excitedly, "Sister, now that you're here, let's hurry up and eat."

Wong Qifu added, "Alright, let's see if the kitchen is ready."

Lin Qinghua turned and headed toward the kitchen.

Xu Ke was left speechless, an exasperated expression on his face.

「At the Dining Table」

The head of the table was empty. Wong Qifu and her sister sat opposite Xu Ke and his sister, while Wang Wu, Lin Qinghua, and Tang Yingchang occupied the seats further down.

Wong Qifu looked at Xu Yi. "Are you getting used to being back in the country?"

"Very much. It's just suddenly having such a beautiful sister-in-law that's taking some getting used to." Once she relaxed, Xu Yi proved to be quite the sweet-talker.

At these words, the joy in Wong Qifu's smiling eyes deepened. To say she didn't care about the opinions of Xu Ke's family would be a lie.

"Then you can come over more often. Otherwise, these two are hardly ever here, and I get quite bored," Wang Qiya said.

Xu Yi subconsciously glanced at Xu Ke.

Xu Ke nodded. "Sure. But don't ask me for meal expenses. Make your sister Qiya cover it."

"Sis, are you going to let him get away with that?"

"Hahaha..."

After lunch, Xu Ke took Xu Yi to Wang Qiya's bedroom, mainly to check on her progress with her medical skills. He had brought Xu Yi along because he wanted her to understand more about what he did. After she had experienced the dangerous events of the previous day, letting her know he knew medicine wasn't a big deal.

However, after watching Wang Qiya insert a few needles, Xu Ke felt compelled to firmly explain to Xu Yi—the medical arts he knew were not like this.

This left Wang Qiya feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. Isn't he just outright saying my skills are terrible?!

After watching Wang Qiya's medical demonstration, Xu Ke left Xu Yi behind and went up to the study on the second floor. This left Xu Yi and Wang Qiya behind to tease him, suggesting he was off to do something naughty... Wang Qiya even kept "warning" Xu Yi that the things Xu Ke did were not suitable for children, so she shouldn't follow...

Xu Ke pretended not to hear a word. But he, who originally had no such ideas, was now provoked into having a few romantic thoughts...

A faint, pleasant fragrance still lingered in the study. Wong Qifu had come up right after lunch, clearly still having company business to attend to.

"How are things? What's the situation with the Martial Alliance?" As soon as Xu Ke entered, Wong Qifu got straight to business.

Xu Ke, who had been hoping for a tender moment, had no choice but to get serious. "I've handled Lin Zhongtian."

"Now we'll just have to see how this matter with Li Lang concludes."

Wong Qifu smiled. "I was actually prepared to step down from my position."

Xu Ke was startled, then smiled wryly. "It's enough for me to bear the consequences alone."

He knew the gravity of his actions. Kidnapping someone from the Martial Alliance and assaulting one of its chief elders was an extremely serious offense. This was tantamount to the Wang Family declaring war on the Martial Alliance! If Wong Qifu still wanted to cover for him, stepping down as the Helmsman would have been the best choice. After all, it was the only way to avoid implicating the entire Wang Family.

It was because he had thought of Wong Qifu on his way from the Junyue Residence to the Martial Alliance last night that he had formulated a rough plan to control Lin Zhongtian and keep the situation from escalating. Otherwise, without that concern for Wong Qifu, given the madness he'd exhibited last night, Lin Zhongtian would have long since met his end.

But just as Xu Ke had thought of Wong Qifu, she too had thought of him. Why else would she have said such a thing?

"How can you still have such a naive thought?" Wong Qifu walked to Xu Ke's side and said softly, "You and I have long since become one. There's no longer a 'you' and 'me'."

As they drew close, a delicate fragrance drifted into Xu Ke's nostrils. The romantic thoughts he had just pushed aside were stirring once again...

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