After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhongtian stood up stiffly.

Who would have thought?

In the morning, he was full of vigor, able to strut around proudly within the Tianhai Martial Alliance. By evening, he found himself shrouded in the despair of a seven-day lethal poison.

Lin Zhongtian was afraid of death. He was also greedy for glory and wealth. He had climbed the ranks his entire life to finally reach the position of Martial Alliance Elder, hoping to live a life of luxury. But now…

Ying Changhe had told him there was no cure for his poison.

Wasn't he as good as dead now?! Only Xu Ke could save him!

Lin Zhongtian was utterly desperate. But he didn't understand. If Xu Ke has such a poison, why not use it on people with real power and influence? Why target a minor Martial Alliance Elder like me?

Little did he know that administering the Shitian Elixir came with many stringent conditions. Against the truly powerful, Xu Ke wouldn't have had a chance to use it.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

THUD, THUD.

"Come in," Lin Zhongtian said, covering his wound.

The door opened, and a bruised and swollen Peng Hetong walked in.

"What is it?" Lin Zhongtian asked, his expression dark.

Seeing Lin Zhongtian's unfriendly face, Peng Hetong knew he was in a bad mood. He didn't realize, however, that it was because Lin Zhongtian was facing imminent death. He simply assumed the elder was upset for the same reason he was—they had both been humiliated by Xu Ke. At this moment, Peng Hetong felt that he and Lin Zhongtian were on the same side.

"Elder Lin, shouldn't we pull the surveillance footage and take care of Xu Ke?" Peng Hetong said viciously. "How dare that piece of trash come to our Tianhai Martial Alliance and cause trouble?

"He's completely out of line. If we don't make him pay with his life this time, it will tarnish your reputation as a Martial Alliance Elder!"

Peng Hetong expected Lin Zhongtian to share his hatred and viciously retaliate against Xu Ke.

But he was wrong.

Lin Zhongtian suddenly shot to his feet, glaring murderously. "What did you say?" His voice was icy cold, brimming with killing intent.

Baffled by the sudden outburst, Peng Hetong still managed to stammer, "Take care of... Xu Ke..."

"Take care of Xu Ke?!" Lin Zhongtian repeated, grinding his teeth.

Peng Hetong hesitated before nodding. "Y-Yes, that's right!"

"Right, my ass!" Lin Zhongtian roared, his teeth clenched, before striking out with a vicious slap.

SLAM—

Peng Hetong was sent flying to the ground, completely disoriented, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

What the hell is going on? I said to kill Xu Ke, not me!

But what truly astonished Peng Hetong was Lin Zhongtian's furious bellow, "If you dare to kill Xu Ke, I'll kill you myself!"

Peng Hetong was flabbergasted.

Is Xu Ke your long-lost father? It's only been a few hours, and now he's suddenly off-limits?

But he didn't dare say those words aloud.

Lin Zhongtian glared at him fiercely. "I'm telling you, if you dare to touch Xu Ke, I don't know if he'll die, but I will report your plot to kidnap Xu Yi to the main alliance. You'll be as good as dead!"

The authority to appoint the Law Enforcement Hall Chief rested with the main alliance; removing him required their approval. This was precisely why Yuan Shang had been unable to get rid of Peng Hetong.

"What?!"

Peng Hetong was dumbfounded. Weren't you the one who ordered the kidnapping, Lin Zhongtian? How is this suddenly all on me?

"Go and delete the surveillance footage now. If you dare leave a shred of evidence of Xu Ke's alleged crime, I'll make sure your entire family never knows a moment of peace!" Lin Zhongtian roared.

Xu Ke can't come to any harm before he gives me the antidote!

Hearing this, Peng Hetong wanted to curse Lin Zhongtian out loud. Even a clay figurine has some fight in it, let alone a man! Who could possibly endure such humiliation? But in the end, he could only swallow his bitterness and silently leave Lin Zhongtian's office.

As he walked away, he felt utterly hopeless. Why did Lin Zhongtian just give in? Is Xu Ke really his long-lost father?

---

「Tianhai Martial Alliance.」

Xu Ke's car finally arrived. He glanced through the glass doors and saw the Tianhai Martial Alliance was serene and peaceful. Even the cabinet that Peng Hetong had smashed earlier was now spotless, clearly cleaned up on Lin Zhongtian's and Peng Hetong's orders.

"Mister Xu, what should we do now?" Tang Yingchang asked after stopping the car. They didn't know what to do next either. Should we wait for Li Lang to come and get the antidote?

"We wait," Xu Ke said.

Tang Yingchang nodded and settled in to wait.

Before long, Lin Zhongtian limped out of the Tianhai Martial Alliance, clutching his face to avoid being recognized.

"You three wait for me in the car," Xu Ke said.

"Okay." The three of them nodded in unison.

Then, Xu Ke got out of the car alone.

When Lin Zhongtian reached him, Xu Ke stepped forward and asked, "How did it go?"

"I've done everything you ordered," Lin Zhongtian said. "I deleted the surveillance footage and told Peng Hetong to keep his mouth shut. I have him cornered now. Combined with his self-punishment earlier, his future is looking bleak, so he won't dare to try anything else..."

If Lin Zhongtian hadn't known that even Ying Changhe couldn't cure the poison, he might have remained arrogant. But not anymore.

"Fine," Xu Ke responded noncommittally.

Seeing this, Lin Zhongtian hurriedly rubbed his hands together. "Then... Young Master Xu, about that antidote..."

"What antidote?" Xu Ke asked coolly.

Lin Zhongtian knew Xu Ke was still messing with him and quickly forced a placating smile. "Young Master Xu, what happened before was my fault. But we don't have any deep-seated hatred between us. I've just grown accustomed to being arrogant. Can't you let me go? I'll never do it again. In the future, if you ask me to climb a mountain of swords, I wouldn't dare descend into a sea of flames."

Xu Ke, however, just laughed. "What if I asked you to deal with Wong Ting?"

"Of course, no pro—"

Lin Zhongtian was about to make a promise, but he caught himself. His body stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh. "You're joking. How could I possibly have that kind of ability?"

Xu Ke smiled enigmatically. "If you don't have the ability, then don't make empty promises. Tell me what you can do for me. You can live if you're useful. If you're not, it's simpler if you just die. After all, there's only one dose of the antidote, and someone else is waiting for it too."

Upon hearing this, a chill ran down Lin Zhongtian's spine.

Someone else is competing with me for the antidote?

He quickly stammered, "I-I'm very useful! Think about it, this incident caused such a stir. If I suppress it, won't that shield you from the consequences? Besides, if I die, people will surely suspect you. And I have some influence in the main alliance as well..."

Lin Zhongtian was babbling, the main point being that he was very useful and that Xu Ke would not be wrong to save him. This submissive posture was a stark contrast to the arrogant demeanor he had displayed upon arriving in Tianhai that morning.

Seeing this, Xu Ke just smiled and took out a pill he had prepared earlier. "Eat this. The poison won't spread for one day."

Lin Zhongtian's face fell. "Just... just one day?"

"If you don't want it, I can throw it away," Xu Ke said, his expression flat.

Lin Zhongtian jolted. "I want it, I want it..."

He hurriedly took the pill.

"Next," Xu Ke said, "there's something I need you to do..."

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