Although she wasn’t educated, she had watched the news. The news said Human Traffickers had all kinds of tricks, using every kind of lie to fool uneducated people like them.

Right away, Lin Cuihua’s impression of Lin Beichen fell straight to rock bottom. She thought, this guy might have high cultivation, but he’s also someone who’s done every bad thing under the sun. And he’d even dared ask her earlier why she was working herself to the bone for that bastard surnamed Wang?

It really was like a Crow standing on a black pig’s back—only seeing other people’s black, not his own! When Lin Beichen said he was willing to treat those two kids, Lin Cuihua’s expression clearly softened a lot, but then a streak of guilt climbed back into her heart.

After all, her intentions might have been good, but she’d almost gotten Lin Beichen killed.

Luckily Lin Beichen’s cultivation was profound, so she hadn’t succeeded. If it had been an ordinary person, they would’ve been taken down by her spirit-fighting technique long ago.

"Let’s go." While Lin Cuihua was still in a daze, Lin Beichen’s steady voice sounded by her ear.

She saw Lin Beichen already starting to pack up the kids’ clothes; he really meant to take them to the hospital.

Seeing this, Lin Cuihua couldn’t hold herself back anymore. She blocked Lin Beichen’s way and decided to tell him everything.

"Daoist Lin Beichen, this time I was wrong. I acted on impulse and offended you. But I still have something to say!" Lin Beichen paused slightly and looked at Lin Cuihua.

In fact, he was also curious why Lin Cuihua, with cultivation that was no joke, would be willing to work for Wang Zhangmin.

Lin Cuihua hesitated at first, but then continued, "Daoist, you’ve seen it yourself. I’m on my own with these two pitiful kids, living in this run-down factory building. We don’t have decent living conditions, let alone any way to treat them. So I had no choice but to take a job from the black market and do something this conscience-less. I hope Daoist can forgive me."

Lin Beichen had already guessed some of this before. Now that Lin Cuihua admitted it personally, he became even more certain of his suspicions, and his mind suddenly cleared.

After all, with Wang Zhangmin’s ability, finding a real expert wasn’t easy. Right now he could only look to the black market for this kind of down-and-out Cultivator to help him.

But setting aside whether Lin Cuihua’s actions were right or wrong, those two kids absolutely had to be saved.

So Lin Beichen decided to take them to the hospital for treatment first.

"I can understand what you did. We can talk about everything else later. Right now the most important thing is these two kids." Lin Beichen’s words were full of strength, leaving no room for argument.

Even so, Lin Cuihua was deeply moved. She hadn’t expected Lin Beichen to actually care about the kids’ safety.

In that moment, Lin Cuihua understood in her heart: as long as these two kids could be saved, her life would belong to Lin Beichen.

Thinking of this, Lin Cuihua’s emotions surged, and in the end she could only nod heavily.

Very soon, the two of them brought the two children to the hospital.

After going through a series of procedures, Lin Beichen finally got the kids formally admitted under the doctors’ arrangements.

Lin Cuihua stayed in the ward to accompany the two kids, while Lin Beichen watched this warm scene with relief.

However, the doctor walked up to Lin Beichen with a grave expression and asked, "You’re the kids’ guardian, right?"

Lin Beichen was about to say he wasn’t, but on second thought, he actually kind of was now—after all, he was the one footing the medical bills—so he didn’t argue.

The doctor continued, "Good, that makes things easier. Do you have any idea how serious these two kids’ conditions are? Why did you bring them to the hospital this late? If you’d come any later, there’d be no way to treat them!"

To be honest, Lin Beichen was startled by the doctor’s harsh tone. He didn’t care about the scolding, and instead asked nervously, "So you’re saying their condition is really serious?"

The doctor was furious at this "parent" who seemed to know nothing. He’d never seen a guardian like this. He’d seen far too many similar cases in his life—obviously minor illnesses, dragged out again and again until they turned into major ones.

"What do you think?" the doctor snapped. "Because these two kids have gone without treatment for so long, simple illnesses have become extremely troublesome. Ordinary methods won’t work anymore. If you want them cured, they’ll have to go through surgery. And I can’t handle that. We’ll need an expert to do further diagnosis!"

"It’s that bad?" Lin Beichen’s heart sank. It wasn’t his wallet he was aching for, but these two kids who had never gotten proper treatment. He looked back at the ward—at the two children and Lin Cuihua, all smiling, their eyes brimming with hope again.

Lin Beichen grit his teeth and silently made up his mind. No matter the cost, he was going to cure them. He turned and pulled the doctor a little farther away, speaking in a low voice: "Doctor, just focus on treating them. These two kids must be saved."

The doctor looked at Lin Beichen in surprise. He noticed how Lin Beichen referred to them, and the determination in his eyes. The kids’ ragged clothing contrasted sharply with Lin Beichen’s relatively decent outfit.

All of a sudden, the doctor realized that Lin Beichen didn’t seem to be their legal guardian, but a kind-hearted man trying to save two innocent children. With that realization, the doctor looked at Lin Beichen with genuine respect and said frankly, "I’m sorry. I got too worked up just now and didn’t realize you weren’t their parent. That was my mistake."

Lin Beichen said he understood and told the doctor not to mind, then added, "Doctor, let’s talk about the surgery for these two kids."

Once it came to his field, the doctor immediately grew serious. "Sir, these two children’s illnesses have already mutated. Ordinary doctors definitely can’t handle this kind of surgery. To make sure it goes smoothly, we’ll need a top expert to operate. Only then can we guarantee there’ll be no mishaps."

Hearing this, Lin Beichen didn’t waste words. He immediately asked the doctor to write up the order to invite the best surgeon to operate, and told him to prepare for surgery as soon as possible. But the doctor quickly said, "No need to rush. Even if we plan surgery, we still need a period of observation first." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

So Lin Beichen didn’t press the matter and decided to go pay the fees listed on the form. But when he actually went to pay, he was stunned.

The total cost was practically astronomical. Even if he handed over everything he owned, it wouldn’t be enough. Now Lin Beichen was in a real bind. What should he do? Save them, or not?

Holding the form in his hand, Lin Beichen wavered. For the first time, he truly felt the despair Lin Cuihua had felt before. He had never imagined that one day he too would be trapped by money.

After struggling for a moment, the smiling faces of the two kids floated up in his mind, along with the hope in their eyes. He’d already walked up to the trash can; all he had to do was toss the form in, get in his car, and drive away.

But at that moment, Lin Beichen just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he clenched the form even tighter. He stuffed it back into his pocket, looked at the people flowing through the hospital corridor, and suddenly let out a self-mocking laugh:

"I really didn’t expect this. In this surging mortal world, I wanted to prove an Immortal’s heart. Year after year of bitter Cultivation, and I’ve turned into an ordinary person in this world. I actually couldn’t escape a single word—’profit.’ I even thought about betraying my morals and running away. If I really did that, what Dao would I be cultivating, and what kind of person would I be?"

Once he’d figured it out, Lin Beichen felt his whole body relax. His joints crackled, his Inner Strength’s five qi circling, and in his mind it was as if the Dao Scripture was echoing, shining brilliantly. Feeling light as a feather, he walked out of the hospital—not to run, but to ask for help from the one person he least wanted to ask.

In the Huo Group Building, on the 18th Floor, in a restaurant. Huo Ziyan looked at Lin Beichen playfully, resting her white chin on her hands as she asked: