Chapter 29

Seeing Li Liang come rushing in, Chen Shan frowned. 'Steady yourself. Today we're going to Wen Shu's place for his birthday — plenty of crews will be there. Don't make us a laughingstock.'

Li Liang let out a heavy breath. 'Shan-ge, let's not go. It's not safe.'

Chen Shan looked at him. 'Who says it's not safe?'

'Doctor Su. The one I told you about — the master. Except she doesn't want to be called a master, so we all call her Doctor Su.'

Chen Shan gave a short, dismissive laugh. 'Doctor Su is a doctor, sure enough. So how would she know it's not safe for us to go to Wen Shu's?'

'I went for a check-up today and she told me to be careful. The moment I mentioned going to a banquet, she said not to go. It's just — she's always right.'

Fearing Chen Shan wouldn't believe him, Li Liang recounted his own experiences and those of his family.

Chen Shan remained skeptical. He had dealt with Doctor Su himself. She was, without question, a competent physician.

He had once suspected she might be a fraud. But both he and Sha Sha had met her, and they were both certain she was a doctor of genuine character.

'Shan-ge, just trust me!' Li Liang said, frantic, terrified that Chen Shan wouldn't listen and something would happen — like what had happened to Auntie Ah Hui last time, who was still lying in the hospital.

'If you don't believe me, go see the Doctor yourself. If Doctor Su says you're fine to go, I won't stop you. Maybe I'm just the unlucky one.'

Li Liang decided to put the matter in Doctor Su's hands.

This kind of thing — if you hadn't lived it yourself, it was almost impossible to believe.

'Shan-ge, just go have a look. Otherwise I'm telling Sha Sha.'

Chen Shan: '...Fine. Let's go have a look.' He glanced at his watch. Still early. They could stop by on the way. A good chance to have Doctor Su check his pulse while they were at it.

Su Fuling had been talking through pharmacology for a while now, and the crowd of onlookers kept growing.

Mostly elderly people out for morning tea or selling vegetables — exactly the age when people start caring about their health. They had some interest in traditional medicine, but had never had the chance to hear anyone explain it properly. Now here was a young woman doing just that, and everyone found it genuinely engaging. Uncles and aunties passing by heard there were free consultations and joined the queue.

Not everyone in the queue was actually ill. Some had nothing wrong with them at all, but told Su Fuling they felt a tightness in the chest or a cough — just to save themselves the twenty Hong City dollars for a check-up. After all, healthy people coming in to see a doctor were charged.

But Su Fuling took one look and said, 'You're not sick.'

'But I feel a tightness in my chest,' an old man said, pressing a hand to his heart.

'Uncle, you really aren't sick. I'll be here — if you genuinely feel unwell, come back then.'

The people nearby caught on and laughed. 'Uncle, are you just here for the show?'

The old man's face reddened. 'She just couldn't find anything, that's all.'

Zhao Facao snorted. 'Trying to cheat the system and won't even admit it.'

Su Fuling didn't bother engaging with him. She turned to the queue. 'Everyone — if you're not ill, please come back when you actually need to. Don't hold up the others.'

When no one moved, Su Fuling had no choice but to stand up and point them out one by one. Each person she pointed to looked startled.

She could tell just by looking?

But these people still had their pride. As they stepped out of the queue they muttered, 'Oh, so I'm not sick after all. I had a bit of a headache this morning, but it really has cleared up now.'

Zhao Facao watched and said nothing. He was starting to regret putting up those flyers. More people meant all kinds of people showing up.

Su Fuling wasn't bothered. Plenty of people came purely for the spectacle. And a bigger crowd meant more foot traffic, which meant more genuine patients too.

Once the healthy ones had been weeded out, there weren't many sick people left.

But the healthy ones didn't leave either — they stood to the side and kept watching.

Su Fuling took pulses one by one and began writing prescriptions. She couldn't treat everything; some conditions she knew the moment she felt the pulse were beyond what she could handle right now — certain ailments that came with old age, for instance.

'Auntie, this looks like diabetes. I can't treat it at this stage. I won't write you a prescription — please go to the hospital.'

The old woman smiled. 'You're very accurate. It really is a stubborn illness. Sorry for taking up your time.' She got up and left.

Su Fuling was about to see the next patient when she noticed the crowd at her door suddenly scatter.

Chen Shan had just stepped out of a car with several men. They had made some effort to dress up, but that air of menace was impossible to hide. People who came to watch the fun had no interest in crossing paths with triad types, and just like that, the entertainment was over.

Even an auntie who had just sat down jumped to her feet, grabbed her vegetable basket, and said, 'I'll come back another time.'

Su Fuling: '...'

Chen Shan looked a little awkward. 'Doctor Su, sorry about that — scared off your patients.'

'It's... all the same,' Su Fuling said. 'They're all patients.'

One patient had frightened away the others. Who was she going to blame?

Chen Shan sat down. 'Doctor Su, I'm here for a follow-up. I've been taking the medicine you prescribed.'

Hearing that, Su Fuling recalled what Li Liang had said during his check-up earlier — that Chen Shan was going to the banquet with him today. She opened her scan, and sure enough, Chen Shan had become a mission target again. Strictly speaking, she had already taken on his case before and collected the fee, so this shouldn't be connected to the previous illness. She scanned the men around him — all mission targets. So it really was tied to the banquet.

She took his pulse. Not much had changed. His deficiencies ran deep. He was getting by on youth alone; once he reached a certain age, illness would come crashing down all at once.

She withdrew her hand. 'Keep taking the medicine. I've been working on a formula for you — once it's ready, I'll let you know. Speaking of which, how do I reach you? I can't always go through Li Liang.'

Chen Shan gave her his office number.

Then he added, 'If Doctor Su ever runs into trouble, feel free to call that number too.' For someone with real ability, Chen Shan naturally showed a measure of respect. On the streets, you always needed to know people worth knowing.

Su Fuling hadn't expected that — the man had a sense of loyalty. She didn't stand on ceremony. Just in the past few days she'd already had people causing trouble. In a place like this, having connections mattered.

She tucked the number away and asked, 'No new injuries lately?'

'None. But I was actually planning to come for a check-up anyway — I wanted to know how I'm looking today. And these brothers of mine, if you could check them over too.'

The men standing behind him exchanged blank looks. Shan-ge was perfectly fine, so why had he dragged them all out to see a doctor — and at a place like this, no less.

Five people in total. One hundred Hong City dollars all together.

'I just took your pulse, so I won't do it again. Li Liang mentioned you're going to a banquet today — honestly, with your health this poor, you really shouldn't be drinking. If you can skip it, skip it. Your complexion today is not good.'

Chen Shan smiled. 'Doctor Su, when you walk the rivers and lakes, you're never entirely your own master. Some things — you can't just choose not to go.' Wen Shu was a senior figure in the brotherhood, a man of great face. If Wen Shu felt slighted, there would be trouble down the line. So even if it were a dragon's den, you still had to walk in.

Su Fuling thought for a moment and opened the diagnostic function. She was worried this might be like the car accident last time — a mass-casualty event.

Better to prevent what could be prevented.

[Patient name: Chen Shan; Sex: Male Primary condition: Qi deficiency, blood deficiency Symptoms: Spontaneous sweating, occasional dizziness and blurred vision Predicted development: Left shoulder knife wound at 1:22 p.m. today.]

Su Fuling's fingertip gave a small tremor when she read that last line. These triad men truly couldn't go a single day in peace. Back in her hometown, such a thing would have been unimaginable. But she was in no position to say much. Life in Hong City was still foreign to her, yet she could see that everyone here was grinding hard just to get by. The material conditions were richer than home, but the pressure was heavier.

She looked at him. 'If you absolutely must go, wear something with good shoulder coverage. With your condition, you're prone to dizziness, which makes you more vulnerable to injury. Don't think that's strange — illness manifests in many ways, and anything is possible.'

Chen Shan gave his own shoulder an oddly searching look.

'Doctor Su, are you telling my fortune? Don't tell me what Ah Liang said is true — that you can read fates?'

Su Fuling said, with full gravity, 'Mr. Chen, I am offering advice as a physician, based on your physical health. Fortune-telling is nonsense. Let's not bring it up again.'

Chen Shan: '...'

Su Fuling thought for a moment, then asked, 'Roughly what time will you finish eating?'

'Around one,' Chen Shan said.

'Right after a meal, people tend to feel drowsy and sluggish. With your condition, the symptoms will only be more pronounced. Pay close attention to your surroundings at that point. Li Liang mentioned you all carry blades regularly, and today's occasion is what it is — be especially careful. It would be best if the people around you stayed alert as well.'

Zhao Facao, listening from the side, felt a surge of excitement. Master was reading fortunes again.

But he had been watching this whole time and still couldn't figure out how she saw what she saw, or how she worked it out.

Could it be that Master was truly what the legends spoke of — a natural spirit-child, born with the third eye already open?

Chen Shan looked thoughtful and seemed about to ask more, but Su Fuling said, 'All right. Your check-up is done.'

She could hardly come out and say directly: 'Someone's going to cut you around one o'clock today.'

Chen Shan was quiet for a moment, then stood. 'Thank you, Doctor Su.'

Su Fuling smiled and nodded. 'It's a doctor's duty.'

As for the four men behind Chen Shan, Su Fuling conscientiously took each of their pulses.

The verdict across the board: no serious illness, but poor complexion. Recommendation: avoid alcohol if possible, and rest properly after eating.

The men glanced at one another, unable to see anything wrong with each other's faces. If anything, they were all looking forward to it — showing up at the boss's banquet, making an impression in front of the big man.

One of them started to object. Chen Shan said, 'All right, check-up's done. Head back.'

Once they were in the car, the conversation started up. 'Shan-ge, why'd we come all the way out here?'

'Yeah, weren't we supposed to head over early, give Wen Shu some face?'

Chen Shan said, 'I was worried one of you might be sick and have an episode right in front of Wen Shu. That would embarrass me.'

'How could that happen? We're all in great shape. It's that useless wretch Ah Liang who suddenly got the runs. Ha!'

That got a laugh out of everyone.

Chen Shan said, 'All right. Go get yourselves cleaned up.'

Back at the lodge, Chen Shan was still turning over what Su Fuling had said. Honestly, he didn't believe in fortune-telling.

But her words had stirred something in his gut. After years of living between life and death, Chen Shan had developed a sharp instinct for trouble.

Once a thread of unease took hold, his mind would run through every possibility.

He thought it over, then said: 'Go get the gear from the storeroom.'

'That stuff? That's for big occasions,' said the Goon beside him. Because what Chen Shan meant was the protective gear — hard-won, not easy to come by.

Chen Shan said, 'Put it on. Your complexions were all off today. I once heard that people with a bad complexion tend to have bad luck.'

'Is that really a thing?'

The Goon rubbed his own face.

Then quickly said, 'Right, I'm going to go pay my respects to Lord Guan.'