21

Never mind that the protagonist was speechless — Li Liang, standing off to the side, was inwardly cursing the old fox for his shamelessness. Then he reflected that his own choice of words had been rather precise after all.

'I am quite the celebrated figure in this trade,' the Master said. 'Hand it over to me and dealing with the police will be no trouble whatsoever.'

'You're not still planning to con people, are you? And drag me into it?' she said.

'How could I? Shifu, you must trust my sincerity. Ever since I met you, my ambitions have been entirely transformed.'

'If you dare use Dr. Su to deceive anyone,' Li Liang said, 'I won't let it go.'

The Master laughed. 'Of course not. I'm doing this to spare Shifu the trouble.'

'...' she said. 'Stop calling me that. I am not your Shifu.'

'Shifu,' the Master pressed on, 'even if you won't acknowledge me, I will still acknowledge you. Having met a true master in this lifetime, I have no regrets whatsoever. From now on I only wish to study at your side.'

He had even switched to a respectful form of address.

'Master Zhao,' she said, 'please speak plainly and drop that tone. I genuinely have nothing to teach you. I'm not deceiving you. I truly cannot tell fortunes.'

The Master waved a breezy hand. 'I understand. It's fine. I know everything.'

What exactly do you know... She had worked out what was going on in his head by now — he had almost certainly convinced himself that she could tell fortunes.

He had wanted to follow and learn from her before; now that he believed she had accurately predicted the car accident, he was probably set on it with iron resolve.

'Shifu,' the Master said, 'taking me on as a disciple is a deal with no downside. From now on this shop is yours to use as you please, and I'll be your assistant — free of charge, not a cent. I want to follow you and learn medicine; consider it a small wish for my twilight years. If I cannot take a master in this life, I tell you, even in death I would not rest easy.' With that he began dabbing at his eyes.

Even as he said all this, he was not entirely sure of himself. He understood perfectly well that a Doctor with abilities like hers would never want for money in the future. A true master was someone people fawned over. So his only option right now was to invest while she had not yet made her name.

She said nothing.

'Dr. Su,' Li Liang said, at a loss, 'he's daydreaming.'

The Master played his trump card, wiping tears while making his vow: 'Shifu, from now on I will tell no more fortunes. I will devote myself entirely to medicine — I renounce the dao for the healing arts.'

She sighed. 'All right, stop calling me Shifu. I'll teach you medicine. But let's be clear — medicine only. And my own skills are nothing exceptional; think of it as two people learning from each other.'

Hearing her relent, the Master immediately said, 'Yes, yes, wonderful, Shifu — I'll do whatever you say.'

She fell silent again.

Li Liang had not expected her to give in.

He shuffled awkwardly. 'Dr. Su... if you're willing to take on a student, what do you think of me?'

She pressed a hand to her forehead. 'Don't make trouble. Don't you still need to get your mother out?'

'Of course I do,' he said quickly.

She truly did not want to go to the Police Station — did not want her uncle and aunt to worry. And as a Doctor, she had no wish to deal with people under the banner of a fortune-telling master. If this kept up, everyone would start thinking of her as a master rather than a Doctor.

That would be putting the cart before the horse entirely.

She looked at the Master. 'Master Zhao, I'll have to trouble you this time. But let's agree upfront — you cannot use this to deceive anyone.'

The Master waved his hands quickly. 'Aiyo, Shifu, don't call me Master — my name is Zhao Facao. You can call me A-Fa or A-Cai, whichever you like.'

Li Liang said nothing.

She waved him off. 'I said I'm not taking disciples. I'll call you Uncle A-Fa — you won't be a master much longer anyway. This matter, I'll leave in your hands.'

Zhao Facao laughed. 'Shifu, don't worry, leave it to me. Everyone on this street knows I'm a fraud, and those officers all know I have no real ability. Even if I go and say I predicted it, they'll only think it was a lucky guess.'

'That makes sense,' Li Liang said. 'This old con man has been working this street for years. If he actually had the gift, he'd have made his fortune long ago.'

She felt reassured.

Li Liang and Zhao Facao set off together at once.

She sat in the shop, thinking about the road ahead, and felt certain that trouble would be a permanent fixture in her life from now on.

If she never read anyone's fortune, there would be no problem. But when people came to her door, she would inevitably have to draw on the System's functions. And once she discovered someone's problem, could she really stay silent, knowing what she knew?

If only the daily scan quota could be a little larger — she could use the scan function as a filter. For minor injuries she simply would not say anything. That alone would spare her a great deal of grief.

'Is there any way to increase the quota?'

The Merit System replied: 'Yes. After upgrading with Merit Points, one additional quota slot may be unlocked.'

She already knew that. The trouble was she never had enough Merit Points.

Even the Merit Points she needed for study were in short supply. Never mind. Her grandfather had always said: being a Doctor meant trouble was unavoidable.

Still, she would have to be especially careful about how she framed things going forward — suggestions could only come from the angle of physical health and medical knowledge.

...

Zhao Facao and Li Liang went to the Police Station and immediately sought out Officer Wang Sihua to retrieve the detainees.

Wang Sihua did not know Zhao Facao well, but he had some impression of him — the man had worked that street for years, after all. One look and it was obvious he was a fortune-teller.

But the idea that Zhao Facao could have predicted a car accident? That he simply did not believe.

'How exactly did you predict the accident?' Wang Sihua asked.

Zhao Facao stroked his beard with deliberate flair. 'The moment I looked at those three women, I saw the sign of blood and calamity upon them. So I warned them not to go out. What I truly did not foresee was that this calamity would sweep up others as well — ah, what a sin. Had I known, I would certainly have given warning sooner.'

The moment he opened his mouth, every word reeked of a con man. Zhao Facao had years of experience handling police officers. The more he denied having predicted anything and admitted to being a fraud, the more suspicious they became. The trick was to behave exactly as he always did — that was the only way to make them believe it had all been a lucky guess.

Wang Sihua listened with a deepening frown.

'Hey, Officer Wang,' Li Liang said, 'you're not deliberately trying to make things hard for my mum and Auntie Xiang to get back at me, are you? My mum and Auntie Xiang are not thieves — what grounds do you have for keeping them here?'

'I have not detained anyone,' Wang Sihua said, exasperated. 'I merely invited them back to assist with the investigation. Someone has filed a complaint against them, and the police have a responsibility to look into it. Please watch your language — this is the Police Station, not the Four Directions Society.'

Li Liang was not the least bit afraid of him.

The officers of Hong City could only push around honest people. 'We are law-abiding citizens, you know. You can't abuse your authority — oh, I'm so frightened,' Li Liang said with a smirk.

Wang Sihua said nothing. One day he would round up every last one of these gang lackeys and lock them away.

He could not be bothered with Li Liang. He turned to Zhao Facao. 'Since the Master is so gifted, perhaps the Master would read my fortune as well.'

'My fees are quite steep,' Zhao Facao said. 'Prices have gone up — thirty for a basic reading. If you need a problem resolved, that's extra on top. And I require payment upfront before I read, you understand, Officer — sincerity is essential. Without sincerity, the reading won't be accurate.'

Wang Sihua was speechless. The man was trying to con him out of money. He immediately turned serious. 'Tell me honestly — do you truly have no information about the accident?'

'Officer,' Zhao Facao said, 'people in my line of work cannot predict things in such detail. And we can only read the fortune of whoever is sitting in front of us — how would we know that others would also be in an accident? If you don't believe me, ask Mr. Li here — at the time, did I not only tell them not to go out, and say nothing else?'

Li Liang nodded. 'That's right. It was my mum and Auntie Xiang who guessed that something might happen when they went to find that scoundrel Faqiang, so they called everyone to warn them. The Master never predicted any car accident.'

'Then your mother lied and said she had divined it herself,' Wang Sihua said.

'My mum trusts the Master completely,' Li Liang said, aggrieved. 'The Master saved her life — how could she hand him over to the Police Station? I went behind her back to find the Master for help. Please don't tell her.'

Of course Wang Sihua told her. Before bringing He Li out, he passed along the news that the Master had come to collect her.

He Li was inwardly stunned.

Surely her son was not this foolish. When she had winked at him earlier, she had meant for him to stay outside and fetch Chen Shan and the others to come to the Police Station. If she had been willing to give up the Master, why would she have claimed to have divined it herself?

But her son's filial devotion was genuine — perhaps he really had blundered. She was so furious she ground her teeth. 'I don't believe it. I need to see it with my own eyes.'

So Wang Sihua brought He Li to see them.

The moment she laid eyes on Master Zhao, He Li startled — then erupted. 'Liang-zai, you little wretch. How dare you disturb the Master — I'll never forgive you!'

With that she rolled up her sleeve and moved to hit Li Liang. She was genuinely furious: if Zhao Facao had come, it meant Dr. Su knew about all this. It had to be Liang-zai who had gone to Dr. Su. Dr. Su had never admitted to having any real ability, and now that she knew she had been dragged into this mess, what if she refused to read their fortunes in the future?

He Li's hand was no light thing — even Ding Lanhui could not hold her back.

Wang Sihua watched from the side and decided this mother and son were not putting on an act. His doubts began to dissolve.

What he could not work out was how such a coincidence was even possible.

Only after He Li had given Li Liang a thorough beating did Zhao Facao step in. 'Ms. He, since I am here, I have my reasons. Please stop.'

Li Liang's mouth twisted — he wanted to curse the old fraud. If you were going to speak up, you could have done it sooner. You waited until the beating was done. Surely that was deliberate.

And those officers — they had stood there watching him get pummelled without a single one intervening. Weren't they so fierce when it came to making arrests?

He Li smoothed her hair and looked at Zhao Facao with an expression full of exaggerated remorse. 'Master, I've caused you such trouble. Please don't hold it against us. I truly never imagined this fool would go and bother you.'

Zhao Facao waved a hand. 'Say no more. All of this is the result of Ms. He's own greed. You paid for one reading and yet presumed to protect everyone around you. Without sincerity, not only can the calamity hanging over others not be lifted — it will rebound upon yourself.'

He Li fell silent.

Wang Sihua had no desire to watch people openly tell fortunes and fish for money inside the Police Station. 'Everyone,' he said, 'once you've signed, you're free to go.'

He Li and Ding Lanhui signed. When it was done, He Li turned to Wang Sihua. 'Thank you for your hospitality, Officer. I've certainly had a chance to witness the investigative capabilities of Hong City's finest — when you can't crack a case, you go after innocent people like us. If this is how you handle things, who will dare to "mind their own business" in the future?'

Wang Sihua pressed his lips together and conceded the point. 'We've caused you trouble this time.'

If there was truly no evidence linking these women to the case, and they had no knowledge of any leads, then his conduct today had indeed been an injustice against their 'good intentions.'

Only then did He Li look satisfied. She turned and left, pinching Li Liang's ear as she walked.

The officer standing beside Wang Sihua sighed. 'I thought it was going to be some big case. Turns out it really was just an accident. And the one lead we had — a complete misunderstanding.'

'Was it really a misunderstanding?' Wang Sihua said.

'You don't still think someone actually predicted it, do you?'

'Either way, there are too many coincidences. Until I understand them, I will never believe it was just chance.' ...

By the time the group returned to the shop, she had just finished up and was about to lock the door and head home.

Seeing them all back safe, she felt relieved.

He Li was the first to rush over, her face a mask of exaggerated guilt, already washing her hands of the whole affair. 'I truly never thought he would come to find Dr. Su — who knew this fool would just come charging over here on his own.'

'It was such a big thing, a car accident,' Li Liang said, aggrieved. 'I thought the Master should know.' Since Dr. Su had been the one to predict it, of course his first instinct had been to come straight to her.

Though he had to admit that Dr. Su gave him a greater sense of security than Chen Shan did.

After all, Chen Shan could not guarantee the safety of him and his mum.

He Li moved to hit him again; she was stopped by Dr. Su.

Li Liang was immediately moved, and said with a pout, 'Dr. Su, you said earlier that nothing would happen to me today. Look — I got beaten. It really hurt.'

She activated the scan function. Li Liang was still not a mission target.

So she smiled. 'Your mum held back. There's pain, but no injury.'

'He deserved to feel the pain,' He Li said. 'Maybe next time he'll have a bit more sense. I'm truly sorry if we've troubled Dr. Su.'

'Never mind,' she said. 'You were trying to warn people out of kindness. You caused trouble, yes, but your intentions were good. Just don't go about it this way in the future. Think of another method to stop people. After all, fortune-telling isn't real.'

He Li nodded quickly, thinking that Dr. Su was indeed the wiser one. If she and Auntie Xiang had found another way to stop them at the time, perhaps the accident could truly have been prevented.

She wondered how badly those people were hurt. That woman Ah-Hui was truly vicious — to go and file a complaint against her and Auntie Xiang. 'We really did mean well and ended up making things worse.'

'All right,' Ding Lanhui said, 'it's over now. As long as we're all safe. Let's treat Dr. Su to lunch — we've caused her enough trouble today.'

He Li quickly agreed and began listing which nearby restaurants were worth visiting.

She declined. 'I've made plans with my uncle to look at a pharmacy. Another time.'

Naturally no one dared impose on her time further, and they said their goodbyes and headed home.

Zhao Facao, however, spoke up. 'Shifu, let me come along — I know this area very well.'

'Zhao — Uncle A-Fa,' she said, 'there's no need. It would be inconvenient.' She had stopped worrying about what to call him. She could see clearly enough by now that Uncle A-Fa's skin was genuinely very thick.

He had, in fairness, been useful to her. She did not want to make too much of it.

Unable to follow along, Zhao Facao could only nod with a touch of disappointment. 'Then I'll make some preparations at the shop.'

When she returned home at noon, she was carrying a great deal of food — all of it brought over that morning by He Li and the others.

Zhou Huijuan saw it all and marvelled that her niece had managed her patient relationships so well.

In just a few days, she had not only earned money but had people bringing her food.

This only went to show that her medical skills were genuinely good — she had solved real problems for real people.

David Xiao Wei were eating lunch at school and would have to wait for their share of the biscuits. Soo San, however, received a small bread roll, held it in her mouth, tasted something sweet, and broke into a toothless, delighted grin.

After eating, she went to bring her uncle his lunch. Once Su Jueming had wolfed it down in a few bites, they went together to look at the Chinese medicine shop.

The Chinese medicine shop here was naturally not large, but for her purposes it was more than enough.

She had worried beforehand that Chinese medicinal herbs would be hard to find in this area. It turned out she had been overthinking it. Commerce here was well developed — you could buy almost anything with ease.

Su Jueming usually sourced the materials for his medicinal wines and ointments from this very shop, and he was on reasonably familiar terms with the owner.

When the owner heard that she had also come to order medicinal herbs, he was naturally very welcoming.

She examined the quality of each herb carefully, then pointed out that several of them were substandard.

This gave the owner quite a new impression of her.

Those particular herbs — even Su Jueming, who ran his own clinic, had not noticed anything wrong with them.

In the processing of Chinese medicine, the shop had its own methods for making lower-quality herbs look like premium stock. Even among practitioners of Chinese medicine, only the more accomplished ones could detect it.

She saw through it but said nothing of the kind. 'I grew up preparing medicines,' she said, 'so my standards for herbs are very high.'

Su Jueming had not expected this — that his niece had this ability too.

In all the years he had been away, just how much had the old man taught her?

The shop owner had not expected to encounter such an expert, and had no choice but to bring out a separate stock — the reserves he kept for the most discerning practitioners of Chinese medicine.