Master, What Dao Do You Cultivate?

Chapter 18: A Fortunate Encounter with a D*mn Conman and a Good Man

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!—

At point-blank range, the bullets instantly shattered Shen Bixin’s gun-wielding right hand.

Even with a bulletproof vest, she could still feel the rounds piercing through her body. The sheer impact sent her flying off the rooftop.

The fall felt incredibly slow to her. In that not-so-brief moment, it was as if she understood many things.

The company’s client was Tie Kuang Seng? No, if the company truly wanted to profit off him, they wouldn’t have sent her on this mission.

Tie Kuang Seng must have had someone else purchase the service for him, pre-installing the activation device in a prosthetic body. Then, he just had to transfer that prosthetic onto himself.

The company never cared who the client was—as long as someone paid.

Thinking back, none of them—ABCDE—had ever been in control of their own fate. In the end, they were just slightly more advanced tools.

If she had to name one thing she had done that was truly her own choice, it was her genuine desire to save the client just now—followed by killing Tie Kuang Seng.

Being sent to rescue the man who killed her brother was absurd from a human perspective, but from a tool’s perspective, it was just business as usual.Her broken body crashed through multiple billboards before landing in a pile of construction sand.

Just like how Shen Bitao had once watched the helicopter fly away, Shen Bixin now lay paralyzed, watching the armed helicopter on the rooftop swiftly take off.

Did they even try to save Tie Kuang Seng? Not even a quick check—she and her fallen teammates weren’t even worth the effort.

After all, to the company, the client always came first.

But none of that mattered anymore. She had gotten her revenge.

Perhaps… she had been living her life all wrong.

With a mix of unwillingness and relief, Shen Bixin weakly closed her eyes.

Screech—screech—

Half-conscious, she heard the sound of a small cart rolling. At the same time, searing pain spread through every inch of her body.

Was an organ trafficker taking her away to be sold?

If so, what bad luck for them—her body was so damaged that her organs were probably useless.

Drowsiness took over, and she blacked out again.

When she regained some awareness, the pain had lessened significantly. A familiar white light flickered before her eyes.

She struggled to open them.

Yes—it was a surgical lamp she recognized.

Nearby stood an old man and a younger one, the latter’s back oddly familiar. The young man was haggling with the doctor in a white coat.

“Old Sun, come on, I’ve introduced plenty of patients to you. Give me a discount this time—saving lives and all that.”

“What? Just now, you barged in, yelling at me to save her, saying money was no issue. Now you’re trying to back out? If I’d known, I’d have left a pair of scissors inside her.”

“Ugh, listen to yourself! Does that sound like something a decent human being would say?! Your service attitude sucks—I’m deducting 20% as a service fee.”

“F***! Believe it or not, I’ll stab you right now with a scalpel! Not fatally—just the kind of stab that hurts like hell!”

The voice sounded familiar.

That distinctive hoodie...

Shen Bixin finally recognized him—it was the owner of Ji Family General Store.

But she couldn’t recall his name.

She struggled to open her mouth and rasped out:

“D*mn… conman…”

Hearing her speak, Ji Qinglin knew she had pulled through. He let out a relieved sigh—at least his money hadn’t gone to waste.

Turning to Dr. Sun, he added:

“Hey, hey, hey, Old Sun, looks like her brain and memory are fine. No need to prescribe those neuroprotective meds—every penny counts.”

“......”

Shen Bixin spent quite some time recovering at Sun Yi Clinic in Xindong Street before her body was back in shape.

Ji Qinglin filled her in on what had happened.

Old Hu, the former owner of Ji Family General Store, had an old property near Xindong Street. After the old man passed, Ji Qinglin planned to clean the place up and sell it—after all, that area wasn’t exactly safe.

Sure enough, the night he finished tidying up, a massive shootout broke out right across the street—fireworks-like chaos.

Seeing an armed helicopter arrive, Ji Qinglin decided to get out of there immediately. But as he stepped outside, he found Shen Bixin, who had just fallen.

Realizing she was still alive, and remembering their brief encounter before, he figured—well, a seven-tier pagoda had practically fallen into his lap. So he threw her into his car.

Ji Qinglin knew that as a member of the Security Task Force, Shen Bixin could definitely afford medical expenses. Without hesitation, he took her to a familiar doctor and had her treated.

“Cough, cough.”

Shen Bixin, still recovering, sat by the window, adjusting to her soon-to-be-installed prosthetic right arm. She wasn’t used to smoking yet.

Ji Qinglin pulled up a chair beside her.

“I’m sorry about your brother.”

“You knew?”

“Well, I handle some brokerage work, so I can dig up that kind of information.”

Understanding his hint, Shen Bixin told him everything. At the end, she asked:

“Can you help me confirm if Tie Kuang Seng is dead?”

Ji Qinglin chuckled bitterly.

“You’re overestimating him. His head was blown to bits—how could he still be alive? Your company even made an official announcement, saying he was shot dead after being caught stealing a platinum-tier service authorization.”

A dead client still needed an official explanation.

Ancheng Company’s crisis PR team acted fast.

The public now believed that even stolen authorization codes could summon the Security Task Force, reinforcing the company’s dedication to clients. Another round of positive PR.

And killing Tie Kuang Seng? That was just another way for the company to flex its power. A win-win situation.

Before Shen Bixin could ask more, Ji Qinglin added:

“Oh, and that shareholder you guys rescued? He’s dead too. Just a few hours before you saved Tie Kuang Seng.

“Tie Kuang Seng probably killed your old client and got hunted down by his men. That’s why he called the Security Task Force for help.

“He probably never expected that, even in disguise, he’d run into you. Talk about karma.”

Thinking back on how she and her brother had risked their lives to save people like that, Shen Bixin stared out the window without speaking.

Ji Qinglin, already used to such ironies, joked:

“What’s wrong? Had an epiphany about the world?”

“You wouldn’t understand… unless you’ve lived two lifetimes.”

“......”

Ji Qinglin thought to himself, You’re really asking the right person.

“So, what’s your plan now?”

“Not sure yet.”

“As long as you don’t go looking for death, that’s fine. You may have paid me back in cash, but you still owe me a favor.”

Shen Bixin let out a wry chuckle.

“You really are a d*mn conman.”

But this time, her tone carried no resentment.

With her only remaining left hand, she snuffed out her first cigarette, took a deep breath, and made a decision.

“Can you help me find a place? I want to open my own clinic.”

“That’s easy, as long as you have the money. But I’m curious—why not leave this place full of bad memories?”

“No matter where I go, it’s the same. I’ve spent my whole life living for others.

“This time, I want to do something for myself.”