Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

Xu Ke finally understood where the medicinal fragrance he had smelled upon entering came from. It was from the door right beside him.

The door opened. Xu Ke had assumed the inside would be as vast as Zhou Hongsheng's treasure vault, but all he saw were a few simple shelves. On them were various types of medicinal herbs. Those prone to releasing their oils were placed in cool, dry areas, while others were kept in ornate, sealed containers alongside a temperature control system, obviously set up to regulate the temperature.

Xu Ke nodded slightly. Storing traditional Chinese medicinal herbs wasn't just a matter of putting them on shelves; every necessary condition had to be met. Neglecting them could lead to deterioration at best, and complete ruin at worst. With values easily running into the millions, there was no room for error.

"See anything that interests you?" Yang Shoukang asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice, though his eyes couldn't hide his pride.

Although the collection was small, the herbs here were the cream of the crop. He never willingly showed this room to others, except for those he trusted implicitly. Now, faced with the complete Seven-Star Exquisite Needle, Yang Shoukang naturally had to offer his most prized possessions in exchange.

To hear the Dao in the morning is to die content in the evening. Yang Shoukang had pursued the medical path his entire life. To see its true teachings, he would do whatever it took to attain them. Even if it meant death. That was his conviction.

"Elder Yang, you truly operate on another level. To think you even managed to obtain a two-hundred-year-old Hollow Azure Lotus Seed…" Xu Ke said with a trace of admiration.

The Hollow Azure Lotus Seed, if brewed into a medicinal soup with the right herbs, could help an Innate Late Stage master push for the Great Perfection realm. This was a top-tier medicinal material for Martial Path cultivation!

"Do you want it?" Pleased by Xu Ke's compliment, the joy on Yang Shoukang's face intensified.

But Xu Ke simply shook his head. "I don't need the Hollow Azure Lotus Seed for now. Besides, Elder Yang, you'll need it yourself when you aim for the Great Perfection realm in the future."

There were no Innate Late Stage experts around him, and what Xu Ke himself needed was a vast amount of Dragon Essence, not medicinal herbs. The Hollow Azure Lotus Seed would be useless to him.

A look of regret flashed across Yang Shoukang's face, but he quickly perked up again. "Then why don't you take a look at something else?" He had to find something to entice Xu Ke.

Xu Ke glanced around before his gaze finally settled on a Purple Mountain Ginseng near the door. "I want this one."

"Purple Mountain Ginseng is generally used for detoxification," Yang Shoukang said, slightly stunned. "It's not very valuable. I only took it in because it was of a good age. Won't you be taking a loss if you choose this?"

Yang Shoukang was conflicted. He hoped Xu Ke would choose something more valuable; otherwise, he would feel too embarrassed to ask for the true version of the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle in exchange.

"It's no loss. Trading the true version of the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle for this is enough," Xu Ke said with a smile. He had a use for the Purple Mountain Ginseng.

"Ah? That simply won't do!" Yang Shoukang promptly objected. "Why don't you take the Hollow Azure Lotus Seed, the Seeking Fell Root, and this... take them all with you?"

He pointed out a large selection of rare and valuable medicinal herbs. If converted to currency, the total price would be astronomical.

But Xu Ke placed a hand on Yang Shoukang's, smiling. "Elder Yang, the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle doesn't actually have a true version. The version you've seen is the real one."

These words stunned the still-excited Yang Shoukang. He stared blankly at Xu Ke. "What?"

Was Xu Ke deceiving me just now?

Seeing his reaction, Xu Ke knew what he was thinking and quickly explained, "What I mean is, the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle you've seen is the only true version passed down today, but it's incomplete. You won't find a more complete version no matter where you look."

Hearing this, Yang Shoukang's strength seemed to drain away. He murmured, "Then... does this mean I'll never obtain the true solution in my lifetime?"

Seeing that Yang Shoukang looked as if his conviction was about to shatter again, Xu Ke hurriedly said, "It hasn't come to that!"

"There's still hope?" Yang Shoukang's eyes immediately lit up.

Xu Ke felt a headache coming on. Yang Shoukang was a good man, but when it came to matters of the medical path, his fortitude was a bit lacking.

"Yes," Xu Ke nodded, then added thoughtfully, "The version of the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle that my Master first saw was the same as yours—it was incomplete. After searching for a long time, he concluded that a complete version simply couldn't be found. So, he conceived the idea of perfecting it himself."

At this, Yang Shoukang's mouth fell open in shock. He knew the Medical Saint was formidable, but he never imagined he would attempt to perfect a legendary acupuncture technique. A wry smile touched his lips.

No wonder they called him the Medical Saint. While I was still pondering how to find the real answer, the Medical Saint was already planning to create it himself!

"Then, what happened next?!" Yang Shoukang asked impatiently. He was incredibly excited and full of anticipation. With the Medical Saint involved, success was guaranteed, right?

But as Xu Ke reached this point, he coughed awkwardly a few times. "Later, my master took me in as his disciple. Six months into my studies, he handed me the task of perfecting the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle."

This was why his master's image had never been particularly grand in his mind, and why he always seemed a little unreliable. Who in their right mind would entrust the task of perfecting an acupuncture technique to a disciple who'd only been studying medicine and martial arts for half a year?

As soon as he spoke, the expectant Yang Shoukang was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at Xu Ke. "What... what did you say?!"

Xu Ke forced a dry laugh. "I mean, it's my job to perfect the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle."

Yang Shoukang: "..."

I praised Ren Gu too soon.

Xu Ke continued, "That's why I'm so aware of the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle's flaws. In order to perfect it, I had to study it myself. It was only natural that I experienced the painful side effects after doing so."

Yang Shoukang found this completely logical, but then a strange thought struck him. He shot his head up and stared at Xu Ke in shock. "Wait, how long did you say you studied medicine before you began perfecting the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle?"

"Half... half a year."

Yang Shoukang's expression changed dramatically.

Half a year? How much could one possibly learn in half a year? What's more, if he spent six months on medicine, how much time could he have had left for the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle?!

His eyes widened even further. "Then how long did it take you to learn the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle?"

Xu Ke furrowed his brow in thought. "Two weeks?"

Yang Shoukang suddenly felt dizzy. He gripped the back of his chair, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"Elder Yang, what's wrong?" Xu Ke asked, puzzled.

Yang Shoukang swallowed hard. "Are you sure it was two weeks? You're not misremembering?"

It took me a year to learn the basics! A full ten years to master it! And Xu Ke started trying to perfect it after just two weeks?!

"No, I'm not mistaken," Xu Ke said confidently after a moment of thought. "My master said everyone who learned this technique was that fast. He learned it in two weeks himself and told me I couldn't be any slower, or I'd be punished. So, I worked exceptionally hard when I was learning the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle."

Xu Ke still had lingering fears just thinking about it; the punishments back then were terrifying. Of course, it also made him admire Ren Gu immensely. A master was a master, after all. His master's mind was simply on another level.

By now, Yang Shoukang was nearly sliding off his chair.

One old, one young—what a pair of freaks!

Then, Xu Ke thoughtlessly added, "By the way, how many weeks did it take you back then?" He was curious if Yang Shoukang had also learned it in just a few weeks, as Ren Gu had implied.

Yang Shoukang's eyes bulged. He squeezed out a smile and said, "It's been such a long... long time. I can't quite remember. Let's get back to discussing the perfection of the technique."

Xu Ke took two weeks to start perfecting the technique. Ren Gu took two weeks. And me? Over five hundred weeks! How could I possibly admit that?!