"Forget it, have it your way." Ren Gu waved his hand.

Xu Ke walked toward the little girl. As the woman watched in astonishment, Xu Ke began to perform acupuncture on the child. The technique to defy heaven and change fate was, in essence, a method of seizing life force from the world itself. It required three needles: the Immobilizing Needle, the Soul Stabilizing Needle, and the Spirit Calming Needle.

Accordingly, the practitioner had to expend all their strength to seize that life force on the patient's behalf. After placing the three needles, Xu Ke was completely drained, drenched in sweat. The little girl's complexion, however, rapidly returned to a healthy pink.

The nearby woman's expression shifted from astonishment to disbelief, and finally, tears streamed down her face. She fell to her knees before Xu Ke and kowtowed three times.

But by then, neither Xu Ke nor Ren Gu had the energy to pay her any mind. Xu Ke's face was ashen, all his strength had been sapped away, and his body was on the verge of collapse. Seeing this, the woman wept even harder, realizing the heavy price Xu Ke had paid to save her daughter.

"Steady yourself," Ren Gu said, his expression grave as he rushed to support Xu Ke.

"Master, I'm fine... but I can feel the backlash coming," Xu Ke said, his lips turning a dark purple. "All my memories of the medical arts have faded. I can't remember how to use the Soul Stabilizing Needle."

"Don't speak," Ren Gu commanded, circulating his True Qi.

"I'll be fine. Once my True Qi dissipates, I should return to normal," Xu Ke managed to say.

After examining Xu Ke, Ren Gu sighed in relief. "Fortunately, this is the lightest price to pay."

"The technique to defy heaven and change fate is born of the Dragon Vein, so the Oath of the Medical Path is naturally restrained by Dragon Essence.

"If, in the future, you can find a rare treasure containing Dragon Essence, you could use death to break the oath, and the Dragon Essence would save your life."

After speaking, Ren Gu shook his head. Finding a treasure imbued with Dragon Essence in this era is far too difficult.

"It's fine. The medical arts don't matter. It's just a shame I can't inherit my master's legacy," Xu Ke said with a faint smile, his eyelids growing heavy as they began to close.

"That's not a big issue," Ren Gu replied, shaking his head. Looking at Xu Ke's state, he sighed. "Just get some sleep. You'll be better when you wake up."

Xu Ke closed his eyes and sank into darkness.

「The next day.」

"I accept you as my disciple, but I will not teach you any medical arts. The mortal world has its own opportunities for you. Go down the mountain," Ren Gu said, looking at him with a beaming smile.

"So, you duped me?" Xu Ke stood at the foot of the mountain, looking at Ren Gu with a completely bewildered expression.

His memory stopped at the previous day when Ren Gu had led him up the mountain. Now, he had woken up lying at its foot. What in the world was going on?

"Taking a disciple is a matter of mutual consent. How can you call it duping? Be on your way," Ren Gu waved his hand. "We'll meet again if fate allows. I must be going now, too."

After speaking, Ren Gu departed with a nonchalant air—by running.

Xu Ke was speechless. Couldn't you have used a lightness skill to fly away?

「The memory stopped there.」

At that moment, Xu Ke finally understood what had happened to him.

He had originally planned to commit suicide to resolve Wong Qifu's predicament. But by a fluke, he had paid the price of his life to lift the Oath of the Medical Path, and all his lost memories had returned. In that instant of death, the ring on his hand had saved him. It was a rare treasure imbued with Dragon Essence. The whole thing sounded a bit mystical, but now that his memories were back, Xu Ke understood. Dragon Essence was, in fact, the aura of a Jiuwu Sovereign—the aura of a true Son of Heaven. The imperial family possessed the Dragon Vein, so naturally, they also had Dragon Essence. This essence originated from those born with a heavenly mandate. Not every Jiuwu Sovereign possessed Dragon Essence; only those who founded prosperous and flourishing dynasties could have it. Xu Ke speculated that if he wasn't mistaken, Wong Qifu's ring must have been passed down from an ancient Jiuwu Sovereign. Perhaps one of them had bestowed it upon the Wang Family. Luck. It was pure, dumb luck. After millennia of erosion, any Dragon Essence that remained today was exceedingly rare. For him to have obtained a ring that still contained some was an incredible stroke of fortune.

As his memory came to an abrupt end, Xu Ke's chaotic consciousness began to stir. A scorching wave of heat seemed to surge before him, tearing the chaos apart. He snapped his eyes open!

「In the hospital room.」

BOOM!

The hand wearing the ring slammed down. With that single blow, the power that had just returned to Xu Ke's body instantly shattered the hospital bed beneath him.

"What's going on?" Wang Wu cried out, startled, as he hurriedly shielded Wong Qifu.

Lin Qinghua immediately pulled Wong Qifu behind her. They thought someone was using Xu Ke's corpse as bait for an attack. But after they braced themselves, the room fell silent again.

"Help Xu Ke up," Lin Qinghua said.

Just as Wang Wu stepped forward, a voice suddenly left everyone stunned.

"Cough, cough. No need, Uncle Wu."

Xu Ke pushed away the remnants of the hospital bed and stood up.

Lin Qinghua and Wang Wu stared, mouths agape, while Wong Qifu's pupils contracted in disbelief.

"Why are you all staring at me like that?" Xu Ke gave a wry smile and patted the dust from his body.

The sensation was unsettling. Regaining his memories felt surreal, as if he'd been training on a mountain one moment only to be stabbed in a factory the next. It was like he had traveled through time.

"You... you're alright?" Wang Wu was stunned. For the first time, he was genuinely terrified. Everyone knew the dead could not be brought back to life. So what was this?

"It's a long story." Xu Ke touched his nose. "Actually, my second uncle taught me how to feign death. The knife didn't actually pierce my heart." He had no choice but to start making things up.

"What?" Wang Wu and Lin Qinghua were flabbergasted. What kind of suspended animation could have fooled them so completely?

At that moment, Wong Qifu, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. "Uncle Wu, Aunt Lin, please step outside for a moment. I want to talk to Xu Ke alone."

"Alright." Since they still couldn't make sense of the situation, the two decided to leave.

BANG. The door shut, leaving only Wong Qifu and Xu Ke in the room.

Xu Ke looked at Wong Qifu, at a loss for words. He didn't know how to begin explaining. Wong Qifu simply gazed at him in silence.

"Sister... Sister Wang, I..." Xu Ke could no longer bear the silence.

But before he could finish, Wong Qifu strode forward and slapped him.

SLAP.

He was stunned. It didn't hurt, but it was completely unexpected.

"Why were you so reckless?" Wong Qifu glared at him, gritting her teeth as her eyes rapidly turned red.

Just as Xu Ke opened his mouth to explain, she took another step forward and threw her arms around him, her soft body pressing into his embrace.

Xu Ke's hands froze in mid-air, unsure of where to go.

Wong Qifu didn't speak, but Xu Ke could feel his shoulder growing damp with her tears.

"I... I'm fine now," Xu Ke hesitated before finally placing a hand on her back and patting it gently.

"Don't ever do that again," Wong Qifu sobbed.

At that moment, she was no longer the formidable Wang Family Empress.

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