16

Su Fuling rose early the next morning to find her uncle in high spirits.

It turned out that Zhao Facao had earned a good sum the previous night. A regular client, knowing he was working overtime, had been generous with his payment.

Zhao Facao declared, I will be working overtime every night from now on.

Seeing him earn money, Zhou Huijuan was naturally delighted and fully supported his endeavors. You focus on your work, and leave the household matters to me. I will bring meals to the shop for you.

Zhao Facao nodded with a smile.

David Xiao Wei, seeing their father in such a good mood from his earnings, seized the opportunity to ask for treats.

Zhao Facao laughed and said, Buy them, buy whatever you like. But you must study hard.

Having secured his promise, the two children happily shouldered their school bags and headed off to school.

Zhao Facao said, Once we have saved enough, Su Fuling will go to school too.

Su Fuling smiled and replied, Let us wait until Uncle makes a fortune first. I am off to set up my stall.

Early that morning, Su Fuling spotted He Li and her son at the stall.

Master Zhao was chatting with the pair. The mother and son were recounting the terrors of the previous day; they were desperate to vent about the ordeal and were also hoping to fish for information about the Doctor to understand her better.

Unfortunately, Master Zhao knew nothing about the Doctor himself, and he listened to their tale of yesterday’s narrow escape with a bewildered expression.

When he saw Su Fuling arrive, he fixed his gaze upon her.

Could she truly be a master of the hidden arts?

She certainly did not look the part.

But looking at his own attire—the very image of a master—he reminded himself that one cannot judge a book by its cover. Appearances, after all, can be faked.

Yet, this girl from the Mainland, despite wearing a faded, patched white coat, clearly possessed some genuine skill.

Master!

Seeing Su Fuling, He Li finally felt a sense of security.

She had not slept a wink the night before. Without seeing Su Fuling and hearing the Doctor confirm she was safe, she simply could not rest. A simple trip to the night market had led to a gang brawl, and her son had been wounded. Who knew what other misfortunes might be lurking?

Su Fuling noticed the bandage on the arm of the Goon and frowned, followed by a sigh.

She had warned them, yet it had been to no avail.

Seeing her expression, Li Liang realized the Doctor was not at all surprised by his injury; she had truly foreseen it all along.

He pulled a bitter face. Doctor, you knew yesterday that I would be slashed, did you not?

Su Fuling replied, I did not know. I only felt that going out at night was unsafe. Did you go out last night?

It was just a quick trip downstairs for a late-night snack.

Su Fuling said, You should be more careful in the future.

That was all she could warn them of; the System did not provide much information. Even her advice to stay indoors was based solely on the general danger of the night. If someone were to break into their home, she would be powerless to stop it.

Su Fuling began to set up her stall: wiping the table, arranging the Plaster and pills from her medical kit, and putting up her sign.

Seeing this, He Li eagerly stepped in to help.

When she realized Su Fuling was providing free consultations that morning, she became even more convinced that the Doctor possessed the true demeanor of a master.

Once everything was ready, He Li pulled her son over to sit down. Doctor, please, give some guidance to my good-for-nothing son. Has our run of bad luck finally come to an end?

Su Fuling said, I only know how to treat illnesses, not how to read fortunes. I have a specially formulated Plaster here that helps with wound recovery. She stared at the arm of the Goon, itching to treat him herself. Even though she was not the first to attend to his wounds, if he used her medicine, he would surely owe her some Merit Points.

She would not turn down even the smallest amount!

He Li said, The wound has already been dressed. We just wanted to have you take a look, Doctor.

That is fine, Su Fuling replied. She reached out to take the pulse of the Goon, and upon finishing, she marveled at his robust constitution. Despite having bled from a wound, his pulse remained strong.

It is nothing serious. Just ensure the medication is applied on time.

He Li leaned in and asked, Doctor, is he... truly alright? Is there anything else we need to watch out for?

Su Fuling replied, Just apply the medicine on time. The previous doctor must have given you instructions.

He Li hinted, Were there no other warnings? Like the one yesterday about not going out at night...

As she spoke, she slid a paper packet across the table toward Su Fuling.

Su Fuling opened it to find a stack of bills inside. There was about a thousand dollars in total. Crucially, the bills were of various denominations, looking as though they had been scraped together.

...

Looking at the earnest expressions of the mother and son, she finally understood. They were asking for a fortune reading.

But she was truly powerless to provide one.

He Li, as a mother, had cast all caution to the wind, her face full of entreaty. Master, I can handle my own bad luck and financial losses, but my child cannot come to harm. Please, Master, show us the way to avoid these disasters.

Such is the heart of a parent; no matter how strong one appears, they become vulnerable when faced with the plight of their children.

Su Fuling looked at her, reminded of her own mother far away in the borderlands.

If her mother were to beg others on her behalf, she would surely be heartbroken.

But she truly could not read fortunes. She could only occasionally catch glimpses of the truth through the detection functions of the System.

However, she only had one quota for the detailed detection function each day, and she could not waste it all on one person... She preferred to save that function for illnesses she could not otherwise diagnose, rather than using it for fortune-telling. If only that function were unlimited, she would not have to worry so much...

Wait, there was another function she could use.

Su Fuling suddenly remembered the daily target detection function. This one could be used indefinitely.

In order to encourage her to earn more Merit Points, the Merit System allowed unlimited use of this feature, eager for her to identify more targets for treatment. While this function was not as detailed as the single-use daily detection, if used correctly, it was quite powerful. The targets it identified included not only those currently suffering from illness but also those who would fall ill that very day.

Combined with her own pulse diagnosis, this function could determine whether a person’s physical safety was under threat that day.

Li Liang had been identified through this very function previously.

She decided to use it, not just for these two, but for the sake of others in the future.

Su Fuling felt that she truly could not stand by and watch someone walk into danger without speaking up. Whether they chose to listen was their own business. By speaking out, she would be unburdened of any guilt.

Sit down, Su Fuling said, gesturing to the seat.

He Li and Li Liang sat down immediately, their faces lighting up.

Master Zhao, having nothing better to do, came over to see exactly how Su Fuling performed her readings.

Su Fuling said, I must clarify again: I am merely a doctor with limited abilities. I cannot read fortunes; I can only determine if one is healthy.

Li Liang asked, Then how did you know to tell me not to go out yesterday?

Su Fuling had her own explanation ready. My advice yesterday was also based on health. From a medical perspective, emotions affect the brain’s judgment. When one is in a poor emotional state, the likelihood of making errors is higher, which is why I offered that suggestion.

Li Liang: ...That works?

Su Fuling continued, If I offer any further warnings in the future, they will also be based on health-related inferences. They will not be one hundred percent accurate, so whether you choose to listen is up to you.

He Li quickly said, We will listen, we will definitely listen.

He Li did not understand why Su Fuling insisted on denying she was a fortune-teller; perhaps there was some family restriction? But she could only agree; as long as the Master was willing to look at them, they had nothing to complain about.

Su Fuling activated the group scan function on the two of them to see if they were task targets.

He Li was not a target, but Li Liang was, which was hardly surprising given the wound he was carrying. This function had its limitations: if the target already had an illness, she could not determine if they would encounter further accidents. She told He Li, You are very healthy today. As for this gentleman, he is carrying a wound and requires treatment. He should not go out until the wound has healed.

Staying in would certainly be safer. As a doctor, that was all she could advise. Although she could use her one-time detection function to see what specific harm might befall him, she did not intend to use it on the same person repeatedly.

Ah? Li Liang looked reluctant; how could he possibly stay indoors?

He Li slapped him on the head. Listen to the Doctor!

It was because he had not listened yesterday that he had been slashed.

If he did not listen again, who knew what greater disaster might strike?

She quickly said to Su Fuling, Master... Doctor Su, I promise we will listen to your advice this time and stay home. We will come back to see you once the wound has healed.

Su Fuling nodded.

Master Zhao: ...It is that simple? She does not have to say anything else? As a fellow practitioner, he found it difficult to undermine her.

He could only watch as He Li stuffed the bag full of Hong Kong dollars into Su Fuling’s hands.

Su Fuling, of course, would not take it all.

She felt that her fees should be standardized. She could not simply take whatever people gave her.

However, the fee could not be too low either. If it were just a simple pulse reading, she could not justify taking much; three dollars per pulse reading was the standard market rate.

But since she would be using the System to probe for daily omens, Su Fuling felt she could charge a bit more.

These were, after all, scarce resources, not a scam.

As for the standard, she looked at Master Zhao’s rate of ten Hong Kong dollars per reading. Su Fuling felt her own service was more reliable than his, yet not perfectly accurate, so she doubled it to twenty.

This ensured that those who truly needed a health check for the day could afford it, while discouraging those who were merely bored.

Looking at the mother and son, Su Fuling took forty Hong Kong dollars and pushed the rest back.

Seeing her take so little, He Li quickly asked, Is this enough? In her eyes, a Master with true ability deserved whatever they asked for. It was only because she had just lost a large sum of money that she was strapped for cash and could only offer this much.

Su Fuling said, This is my standard fee. If you wish to thank me, simply recommend more people to come to me for medical treatment. She was counting on these two to refer patients to her. Yesterday, thanks to this Goon, she had earned quite a few Merit Points.

He Li quickly replied, Doctor Su, even if you did not say so, I would have done it anyway. Only with a doctor as good as you can we feel at ease.

Li Liang also added, That is right. I will bring all my Goon subordinates here for treatment.

He Li added, Tell your Goon subordinates to behave themselves.

Li Liang scratched his head. I know, Mom.

Su Fuling seized the chance to promote her wares. Since you have paid, why not take this Plaster back to try? It really helps with wound recovery and is brewed from herbs. It is very safe.

He Li trusted Su Fuling implicitly by now; what kind of ill intent could a Master who did not greedily take money have? She immediately accepted it with both hands. Master, I will have him use it as soon as we get home!

The voice of the Merit System rang out: Merit Points +1.

Hearing the sound of earnings, Su Fuling felt quite pleased. She looked at Li Liang with satisfaction. Go home early. If you want to check your health next time, just come directly.

Hearing the Master’s tone, He Li knew their relationship with her would only grow closer.

He Li took her son home, intending not to go out at all that day. She also planned to persuade Ding Lanhui to come here for a reading.

Their luck had been so terrible lately that she decided she would come here every morning to check their omens.

Once they had left, Master Zhao hurried over. You just said a few random words, and they believed you? Can you really diagnose illnesses that accurately?

Su Fuling replied, That is why sometimes it is not accurate. When it comes to predictions, how can anything be one hundred percent certain?

Master Zhao shook his fan and sat down. Help me take a look as well. See if I have any problems today.

Su Fuling: ...Master, you are in that line of work yourself; do you believe in this? She had assumed that all the masters here knew it was a scam, a form of feudal superstition.

Master Zhao, of course, did not fully believe it, but he would not ruin his own reputation. We are all people with genuine skills; how could we not believe? I am just testing your abilities.

Su Fuling replied, As I just said, it is not necessarily accurate. A doctor’s assessment is merely an inference.

Fine, just help me take a look, Master Zhao insisted.

Su Fuling said, The fee is twenty Hong Kong dollars.

Master Zhao: ...He gritted his teeth and pulled the money from his pocket. To test the depth of Su Fuling’s skills, he was truly making a significant investment.

Su Fuling did not stand on ceremony and pocketed the money. She could have done it for free, but she was worried that Master Zhao would start asking for readings every day. Charging a fee was the best way to make him retreat.

After activating the System function, Su Fuling discovered that Master Zhao was also a target.

Extend your hand.

Seeing her actually begin to take his pulse, Master Zhao cooperated, extending his hand while observing her movements.

He wanted to see what hidden secrets she was concealing.

Having been in this business for so many years, he had heard stories of industry giants, but he had never seen a master who relied on treating illnesses to perform fortune-telling.

Su Fuling carefully took his pulse, observed Master Zhao’s complexion, and inquired about his health.

Although Master Zhao did not have the robust vitality of a young man like Li Liang, he likely practiced Taoist techniques and paid attention to his health, as he was quite fit.

Could it be that, like Li Liang, he was going to encounter some external harm?

Su Fuling resisted the urge to use her only detection quota for the day.

Because Master Zhao was right there before her eyes, she wanted to see if he would encounter any situation while she was watching him. If nothing happened, yet he was still identified as a target, it would mean he had a hidden illness, and she would use the detection quota tomorrow.

Master, please take care of your health today.

Master Zhao raised an eyebrow. Why? Are you saying I am going to have a run of bad luck today?

Su Fuling replied, I only mean that you should take care of your health.

Master Zhao said, Can you not be more specific?

Su Fuling replied, This is all I can see from your health. In any case, you should be extra careful with your body today. If you feel any discomfort, tell me. And do not engage in anything dangerous.

Master Zhao: ...Twenty Hong Kong dollars for just those few words? He stood up. You are truly heartless.

Thinking about it, he felt quite unwilling. If I have absolutely no problems today, will you refund my money?

Su Fuling replied, If you are truly fine, I will refund the money.

Only then was Master Zhao satisfied. If he had let Su Fuling earn twenty dollars with just a few words, his heart would have ached.