This was why so many people were afraid of Wang Wu.

The sheer pressure from an Innate Great Perfection expert was so overwhelming that it crushed any thought of resistance. The only time Wang Wu had ever failed was when Huang Qi captured Xu Ke. But that was only because Xu Ke had been knocked unconscious, leaving Wang Wu at a disadvantage. Apart from that one incident, Wang Wu had steamrolled over everyone.

"Kneel now, and I might still give you a chance." As his aura exploded outward, Tang Yingchang's previously murky eyes flashed with a terrifying, cold light.

Xu Ke felt as if he were being watched by a venomous snake.

However, while feeling Tang Yingchang's invincible aura, Xu Ke also caught a whiff of a strange medicinal scent... It was coming from Tang Yingchang himself.

Xu Ke's eyelids twitched as he muttered inwardly, It can't be such a coincidence, can it? This scent is a bit too familiar!

"Did you hear him? Mister Chang is being merciful and giving you a chance. I order you to kneel immediately! Otherwise, not even Wong Qifu can save you!" Wang Yu chimed in, growing arrogant and domineering, her face alight with smug satisfaction.

An Innate Great Perfection expert could kill you thousands of times over, even with only half an hour to act!

But Xu Ke acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. "So, according to you, I should be thanking you?"

A faint, mocking smile played on his lips.

Tang Yingchang's eyes were deeply sunken, making him look like a ghoul. "You still dare to run your mouth?"

His aura intensified once more, crashing down on Xu Ke like a violent storm.

Xu Ke's feet sank slightly into the ground, but the mocking curve of his lips only deepened. "Mister Chang is indeed very strong."

"However, I'd like to know exactly how strong you are."

"How about this? I'll stand right here and let you punch me once."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Yingchang's expression changed dramatically.

Does this kid know what he's saying?

When Wang Yu saw Xu Ke make such an insane suggestion, she didn't think he had gone mad. Instead, her expression soured. She didn't believe Xu Ke was truly fearless of Tang Yingchang's attack. She just assumed that Xu Ke dared to say such a thing because Wang Wu was nearby.

Xu Ke keeps provoking Tang Yingchang, surely to bait him into attacking first. This will give Wang Wu a legitimate pretext to arrest everyone in a setup.

Thinking this, Wang Yu sneered, "Xu Ke, do you really think that will work?"

"Mister Chang is an esteemed guest of the Wang Family Corporation. By offending him, you are disrespecting your superiors. Even if he kills you, you'll have no one to turn to for justice."

Despite her words, Wang Yu kept backing away, completely ceding the living room to Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang. She was afraid of getting caught in the crossfire if they fought. In doing so, however, she could no longer hear their conversation clearly.

Xu Ke continued to watch Tang Yingchang calmly. "Go on. Make your move."

Tang Yingchang's expression grew more sinister. "Are you really forcing my hand?"

But an ominous premonition was rising in his heart... No, it's impossible. He couldn't have seen through my act.

"Force you?" Xu Ke laughed, his tone thick with ridicule. "Weren't you the one who wanted to teach me a lesson?"

As soon as his words fell, to Wang Yu's utter disbelief, Xu Ke began to move. He slowly walked toward Tang Yingchang, stopping only a meter away from him.

Wang Yu was ecstatic, cheering silently, Mister Chang, do it! Attack now! With Xu Ke this close, not even Wang Wu with all his divine power could save him!

But Tang Yingchang didn't move. His face was hideously ugly, his gaze dark. "You're looking for..."

Xu Ke cut him off, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear. "Stop the tough talk. You can't attack at all."

"I've never heard of a serious illness that only lets someone use their full strength for half an hour."

"You've suffered a cultivation deviation, haven't you?"

That last sentence instantly turned Tang Yingchang's boiling killing intent to ice. It felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

"How... how could you know...?" Tang Yingchang muttered.

When Xu Ke first began goading him to attack, his reaction had been the same as Wang Yu's: he thought Xu Ke was trying to bait him into making a mistake. It was only when Xu Ke kept pressing, walking right up to his face, that he realized something was wrong...

But he just couldn't figure it out. I've succeeded with this bluff so many times before. How was I seen through this time? Even Wang Yu, the sucker who's been footing the bill for so long, never noticed!

"Earthworm, purple cinnamon... with so many herbs mixed together, the only possible use is to suppress the effects of cultivation deviation," Xu Ke said with a small smile.

On his way to Wang Yu's villa, he had already learned that she had an Innate Great Perfection expert protecting her. But when he heard that the man was supposedly so ill he could only fight for thirty minutes, Xu Ke found it odd. What kind of disease is that? I've never heard of it.

It wasn't until he met the man that he knew it was all nonsense.

This Tang Yingchang had clearly suffered a cultivation deviation! He still possessed the aura of an Innate Great Perfection expert, which was enough to fool people, but he had lost all his strength. If they were to actually fight, Xu Ke feared he might accidentally shatter the man's bones with a single slap.

The man was a complete fraud! He was pretending to be an Innate Great Perfection master to trick Wang Yu into being his cash cow.

Seeing Xu Ke accurately list the secret ingredients of the medicine he was taking, Tang Yingchang's expression changed drastically.

What is this Xu Ke's background?

Tang Yingchang was horrified. "Who are you?! How do you know the contents of the Medical Saint's Remnant Prescription?"

It was a precious prescription he had spent a long time searching for. Thanks to it, he was able to suppress his cultivation deviation and stave off death. And now, Xu Ke had exposed it all in a single breath!

Hearing the question, a strange look appeared on Xu Ke's face. "What did you call this prescription? The Medical Saint's Remnant Prescription?"

Tang Yingchang's brow furrowed. "That's right! How do you know what's in it?"

Xu Ke's expression remained peculiar. "It's not called the Medical Saint's Remnant Prescription. You've likely been scammed."

"Nonsense!" Tang Yingchang exploded with rage. "You blaspheme the Medical Saint! You're courting death!"

"I found this incomplete formula two years ago in Long Capital's black market while tracing the footsteps of the Medical Saint! It clearly states its effects against cultivation deviation and even includes the Medical Saint's personal, handwritten notes! It would not be an exaggeration to call it a sacred formula! And you dare say I've been scammed? Boy, I advise you to watch your mouth!"

Tang Yingchang was seething. If he hadn't lost all his strength, he would have killed Xu Ke without a second thought.

But Xu Ke suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. "Is the prescription really that good?"

Tang Yingchang laughed in fury. "What do you think?"

"You're a frog in a well! A summer bug cannot speak of ice! You are not worthy of discussing the sacred formula with me! By desecrating the Medical Saint's prescription, you have already committed a capital crime. But, considering your youth, I won't hold it against you."

"Now, leave at once!"

But Xu Ke didn't move an inch. "I came here to arrest someone today. I'm not leaving."

"Besides, I'm telling you the truth. This prescription is no good."

"When I wrote it three years ago, I already knew its effects were poor."

"If you keep taking it, you'll be a cripple for the rest of your life!"

"That's none of your concern," Tang Yingchang angrily interrupted.

But the next moment, just after cutting Xu Ke off, he realized something was wrong. "What did you just say?"

"If you keep taking it, you'll be a cripple for the rest of your life!" Xu Ke repeated.

"No, the line before that. Who did you say wrote the prescription?"

Xu Ke repeated himself once more. "I did."

Silence.

The hall went deathly still.

Tang Yingchang suddenly wondered if there was something wrong with his hearing.

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