Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO-Chapter 638 - Cultivating the Poisonous Body

"Dr. Xu, please have a seat."

Watching Xu Ke enter the living room with the medicinal herbs, Poison Elder grew uncharacteristically nervous. She was rubbing her hands together nonstop, her palms icy cold. Thinking about why Xu Ke was here, she felt a mix of excitement and hope, but also a deep fear of failure…

"Where's Ghost Elder?" Xu Ke asked casually, placing the herbs from Manager Xiao Qian on the table and glancing around.

"He's busy in the kitchen. He said he wanted to cook a meal for you," Poison Elder replied.

Xu Ke looked surprised. "He can cook?"

"Ever since I acquired my Poison Body, I've stopped touching those things, afraid I might poison him. So, whenever we've lived together, he's always done the cooking," Poison Elder said, a hint of embarrassment on her old face. "He's been doing it for decades. He always says that even if he weren't an assassin, he could be a head chef in a restaurant."

Xu Ke couldn't help but smile. "It seems Ghost Elder has certainly done a lot for you."

Poison Elder nodded.

Just then, Ghost Elder brought out all the dishes. "Dr. Xu, come and eat."

Xu Ke rose and took a seat, smiling. "Ghost Elder, I never would have guessed."

There was sweet and sour pork ribs, lotus root soup, crispy sweet and sour pork, and stir-fried bitter melon with meat. It was a feast of three dishes and a soup, all in generous portions served on large plates.

"Dr. Xu, you flatter me," Ghost Elder mumbled, a bit embarrassed by the rare praise from Xu Ke.

Xu Ke picked up his chopsticks and suddenly quipped, "You haven't poisoned it, have you?"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH." Poison Elder nearly choked, forcing a dry laugh. "Dr. Xu, you're joking. Even if I had, you would certainly know."

"True," Xu Ke said with an amiable smile. He then asked, "By the way, how were things at the school today? Anything unusual?"

"No, everything was normal. The only thing is, that Hua Ziyao girl is quite sharp. She seemed to notice I was a new face," Ghost Elder said.

Xu Ke wasn't surprised. As Hua Xingxue's granddaughter, she was bound to have some of her grandfather's professional intuition. What he was curious about, however, was something else. "How did you know she noticed you?"

Could it be that Ghost Elder was actually clever enough to figure that out through observation? If so, he wasn't nearly as simple-minded as I thought! That's right. Who among the top ten on the Assassin's Alliance roster would be a pushover? I can't underestimate them just because they've stumbled against me a few times.

At that moment, Ghost Elder answered honestly, "She came right up and asked me. She said, 'Sir, are you the new person handling the trash at the women's dormitory?' I said yes, young lady… She was quite polite. If I hadn't spent my life on the run, I might have a granddaughter about her age by now."

As he said this, a kind, grandfatherly smile spread across his face.

Xu Ke was at a loss for words. He silently picked up his bowl to serve himself some rice. "Let's talk about something else, shall we?"

"Okay." Ghost Elder, oblivious to the change in Xu Ke's mood, took the bowl from him. "Let me get that for you."

"Sure." Xu Ke handed over the bowl and sighed as he watched Ghost Elder's back, a wistful look in his eyes.

Poison Elder then spoke up. "Right, Dr. Xu, Han Wang must have followed your instructions and announced his defeat overseas. The Assassin's Alliance has intensified its hunt for us, but based on my experience with those cowards, I doubt any of them will enter Huaxia to search for us anytime soon."

"We're safe!"

Hearing this, Poison Elder felt her eyes welling up with tears. They had been hiding for nearly ten days, a time filled with the terrifying feeling of a noose constantly tightening around their necks. How could she not be moved to have survived it all?

"Good, that's great to hear," Xu Ke said, greatly relieved.

Han Wang might have grumbled, but he still got the job done. More importantly, judging by Poison Elder's tone, it seems he didn't announce that she possessed a fully mastered Poison Body as they had discussed. It seems Han Wang is a decent guy after all!

"By the way, are you settling into this apartment okay?" Xu Ke asked. He had gotten it from Chang He. It was also in the Junyue Residence, which made it convenient for them to meet and was close to his clinic.

"Yes, we are. Thank you, Dr. Xu," Poison Elder said, touched by his concern.

For a pair of assassins who had once tried to kill him, Xu Ke hadn't been vengeful at all. Instead, he had treated her, shielded them from the Assassin's Alliance, and helped them start a new life. Now, he was even asking if they were comfortable. Hearts are made of flesh, after all. Because Xu Ke had so readily put the past behind them, Poison Elder and Ghost Elder had long since felt willing to give their lives for him. This wasn't a feeling born of circumstance, but a genuine, heartfelt loyalty.

"It's nothing. Have you gotten your new IDs from Yuk Dalong and Jiang Yi?" Xu Ke asked. Jiang Yi and Yuk Dalong were former subordinates of the Ye Family who had switched their allegiance to him at the Golden K Bar.

"We have."

"And it's Wei Guifen, right?" Xu Ke smiled. "If they made a mistake, I'll have a word with them."

"There were no mistakes," Poison Elder nodded.

Beside her, Ghost Elder couldn't help but boast, "Dr. Xu, isn't her name beautiful? Back then, it was her name that first made me interested in her."

Xu Ke glanced at him and fell silent. Under Ghost Elder's expectant gaze, he finally managed to utter two words.

"It's beautiful."

Poison Elder showed a touch of shyness. "Stop talking nonsense, old man."

Hearing this, Ghost Elder grew smug. "What's wrong with that? I'm just learning from the young people. This is what they call showing our love, right, Dr. Xu?"

Xu Ke's expression froze for a few seconds. He then nodded and gave a thumbs-up.

Ghost Elder beamed with satisfaction.

Xu Ke lowered his thumb and quickly changed the subject. "Alright, let's eat. No more public displays of affection for now. After dinner, I'll treat your Poison Body."

"Once your Poison Body has fully matured and you can control its toxins at will, you'll be able to live a normal life."

"Okay," they both nodded in unison.

After the meal, Xu Ke had Poison Elder sit in the living room in a meditative posture to begin cultivating.

"Dr. Xu, are we starting now?" Ghost Elder asked, surprised and curious. He had heard that the Medical Saint used acupuncture, medicinal poultices, and even circulated True Qi to treat patients. Why was Xu Ke just telling Poison Elder to start cultivating?

"Yes. Poison Elder's condition isn't difficult to handle; it won't require much effort on my part," Xu Ke explained.

The main drawback of the Poison Body formed by the Hundred-Year Spider Poison was its vulnerability to willow root. Xu Ke's first task was to help Poison Elder overcome this weakness and cultivate her Poison Body to a complete, harmonious state. Afterward, he would help her find a path to break through to full mastery.

Frankly, the power of a Poison Body was incredible. Against anyone other than a master physician like Xu Ke or the Medical Saint, or someone powerful enough to block any poison, a Poison Body was nearly unbeatable. However, the cultivation process was incredibly tedious. Even for a prodigy like Xu Ke, it would require at least a decade of consuming poisons both internally and externally, which was why he had never considered that path for himself.

Now, seeing Poison Elder, who had already accumulated decades of toxins and was just a few steps from full mastery, Xu Ke was filled with anticipation. Just how much would her power increase his own combat strength…?