The Card Apprentice

When Lin Yao saw Chen Mu come out of the room, she became completely respectful. Having dared to be the way she had been toward Ah Sang, she didn’t dare to be the same toward Qiao Yuan. Someone like Qiao Yuan, who had been the object of such powerful enticements from the school, was someone you would want to give a lot of respect to—at least on the surface.

The situation for each side was extremely subtle. Chen Mu was quite disgusted with Moon Frost Island, but he couldn’t show any of that on the surface. He still needed to take advantage of his identity as Qiao Yuan to get into the household of the Tai-shus of Dong Rui. If he were to get into an open fight with Moon Frost Island, that identity would become useless. The Tai-shus of Dong Rui would never accept a card artisan with a grudge against Moon Frost Island, as would be the case with any clan that had any brains.

So long as he showed no animosity on the surface, Moon Frost Island wouldn’t be able to openly carry out any suppression and would have to accord him some face. But no one could do anything about what was done in secret. Chen Mu did believe that by fending for himself in that big whirlpool, however, Moon Frost Island wouldn’t necessarily have the energy to deal with him in secret.

Seeing the delicate, pretty face in front of him, Chen Mu was speechlessly disgusted. He hated any woman who would so unscrupulously use any means to get her objective, especially when those means were not well-intentioned. He had heard with his own ears how she had pushed Ah Sang to the brink. While Chen Mu had no particularly good feelings toward Ah Sang, once Lin Yao used such means on her, he couldn’t quite control his anger. The reason Lin Yao had dared to act that way and the reason she could was only because she had Moon Frost Island behind her!

“Oh, Miss Lin is still here.” The first words out of Chen Mu’s mouth gave the reporters a jolt. That phrase revealed a bit of news, making it clear that the two had met before.

Could the two sides have really made some agreement?

The reporters didn’t dare to utter a word, their gazes firmly on Chen Mu. If that information was correct, that would mean Moon Frost Island had yet another ace. That would be sensational news!

Aces on the Black-Line Star Listing didn’t seem to pay that much attention to Moon Frost Island. Ever since Yin Shanfei refused Moon Frost Island’s attempts to recruit him and then seriously injured 16 of their aces, the aces on the Black-Line Star Listing seemed to have become rebellious all at once. Moon Frost Island’s recruitment schemes immediately plunged into an unprecedented predicament with no one buying their brand.

If Qiao Yuan were to accept the backing of Moon Frost Island at that time, what effects might it have? Would it incite the rest of the card artisans on the Black-Line Star Listing? Or, would it be the leading wave for the resurgence of Moon Frost Island? If the two sides were to make some agreement, what would be in the agreement?

The reporters had suddenly discovered that the matter contained many headlines. Each one was full of suspense, which was the sort of thing reporters liked most. All of them became attentive as they waited for Chen Mu’s confirmation.

Chen Mu said seriously, “Since Miss Lin still hasn’t left, I happen to have something to say that I’d like to trouble Miss Lin to take back to Lord Zeng.”

“What word would Mr. Qiao like me to take back to senior classmate Zeng?” Lin Yao was somewhat puzzled about what Qiao Yuan was up to. What was he going to do by drawing her in to say something completely irrelevant?

“Lord Zeng saw me last time with his own eyes, and Qiao Yuan was overwhelmed by his flattery. But I have just told Miss Lin that my cooperation with Miss Ah Sang has come to term, and I had been planning on going along with him after we met. I never thought I would encounter yet another important matter that requires me to leave a little early, meaning I won’t be able to say my goodbyes to Lord Zeng. That’s sometimes the way things are in life. I would like to ask Miss Lin to say goodbye to him for me.” Nothing strange was visible on Chen Mu’s face, and he was speaking smoothly and naturally.

Lin Yao’s expression quickly changed!

The nonsense Chen Mu was speaking came out so seamlessly that there were no holes in it. He had just asserted what he had already said to her, and the others naturally didn’t doubt him. The most crucial thing was that everything Lin Yao had just said didn’t actually indicate that her objective was Qiao Yuan but had instead been to have Ah Sang ask Qiao Yuan to come out and to say a few words. Qiao Yuan had added that he had some important matter to attend to, which blocked any way out for her.

The reporters were stunned, never having thought that along those winding roads through the peaks, that turn would be so quick. Once they realized such a big news headline had just disappeared like that, the dejection on their faces was palpable.

“Miss Lin deserves to be called one of the best students of Moon Frost Island, having truly exceptional insight, after all. To have taken the initiative to reach a cooperative relationship with the Chichi Trading Firm, Qiao Yuan has to admire Miss Lin’s courage and determination!”

Once he said that, Lin Yao’s face became quite a bit uglier. She couldn’t let it go without any response, so she forced out a smile to say, “Mr. Qiao flatters me beyond what Lin Yao deserves.”

Chen Mu smiled coldly to himself; she had lifted up a rock and had smashed her own feet with it. She’d announced her cooperative relationship with the Chichi Trading Firm in front of so many people, on top of which were those final words of Chen Mu showing such admiration. There was no way Lin Yao would swallow such bitter fruit. Furthermore, Chen Mu had pointed out that it was Lin Yao’s sole decision. Whether she wanted to or not, Lin Yao would later have to expand the Chichi Trading Firm since she otherwise would become the material for countless people’s after-dinner-tea jokes, which was something she absolutely couldn’t bear.

Chen Mu still didn’t feel very satisfied. Even though he had imitated the “soft knife” known as Xi Ping, he hadn’t placed that much importance on that little scene. But he still found it quite refreshing to see Lin Yao choking like that.

“Since Mr. Qiao is about to leave, I wonder when Ah Sang will see you again, sir.” Ah Sang came out of the training room holding back tears and full of worship. “No matter what, Ah Sang will never forget your help!” What she said was sincere.

Chen Mu felt a lot better. To have concluded the matter like that was pretty good. He wanted to leave Zargan a little early to put some distance between himself and that whirlpool.

Just as Chen Mu was about to leave, however, someone stood up.

“I didn’t think Mr. Qiao would be about to leave. Of course Jin Yin can’t miss out on this opportunity.” The one speaking was a card artisan whose face was crossed with scars. He was staring venomously at Chen Mu, squeezing out his words between his teeth one by one. “Jin Yin is making a special challenge to Mr. Qiao!” The scars criss-crossed on his face were quite horrible and made him practically unrecognizable.

Everyone clearly heard what he said. The reporters, who had just been so dejected, seemed to have all gotten a shot in the arm. Jin Yin made a challenge to Qiao Yuan!

Not only the reporters, but all of the audiences watching the fantasy card viewers were excited. They had just been dazed and confused, but they were now watching their favorite sort of content.

A battle between two card artisans among the top 100 on the Black-Line Star Listing would certainly be a top-notch contest! A contest at that level was not something usually possible to even get a glimpse at. With people now being able to see the battle with their own eyes, the news flew across the entire federation as though it had grown wings. If they were card artisans, they would be even more likely to quickly get in front of a fantasy card viewer and to sit patiently in anticipation. A battle between aces had always been something they might luck into but could never go looking for, and it could also be helpful in their advancement. The card artisans who were better informed about the news started to solemnly discuss what sorts of tactics the two might use, or they just chatted about the feud between the two.

When Chen Mu saw Jin Yin, his heart sank a little. For him to take a challenge at that time wasn’t a good thing. Once he took the challenge, wanting to get away from that whirlpool would undoubtedly become wishful thinking. If he didn’t accept the challenge, though, the reputation he had built up over that time might plummet because of it. In other words, having braved such danger and having done so much would then result in nothing.

The gazes of the two facing the confrontation were on fire, which made the onlookers still more excited.

Chen Mu gave a cold snort and pretended to be arrogant. “What standing do you have to issue me a challenge, loser?” That was the best response he could come up with, asserting that his adversary had lost and that he disdained to fight with him. It seemed to be the only possibility for avoiding the battle.

Jin Yin’s eyes were nearly spitting fire, but he still didn’t know how to retort. He had been defeated in Qiao Yuan’s hands, and that was when he’d had the advantage himself. That had been engraved in his mind. If he hadn’t had something of a breakthrough, he would certainly not have come forward. But, at the same time, he saw that Qiao Yuan’s power had also surged.

All of the bystanders were making an outcry, never having seen such an arrogant person. The temperaments of some aces were always said to be rather strange, and it looked like that was correct.

“Jin Yin doesn’t have a chance.” Wen shook his head and spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Yuchi Bai also said with some regret, “Too bad. I had thought that after his breakthrough, his resolve would have become stronger. I didn’t expect him to actually be deterred by Qiao Yuan’s imposing manner and to have his will wrested from him.”

“Too bad.” Wen really didn’t know in the end what sort of “too bad” he was feeling.

The bronze-masked man next to the Madam had been shaking his head. “Jin Yin should lose.” His voice was gravelly and wavering. Once you heard it, you knew he wasn’t young.

The Madam asked with curiosity, “Why? Isn’t it the case that they haven’t contested anything yet?”

“They don’t have to. There is only a limited difference in their basic strength, but their increases cancel out. Some distance between the two will be opened up right away,” the bronze-masked man patiently explained. To the side, Dang Han nodded in agreement since he could also see it.

“So, they won’t fight?” the Madam asked.

“I don’t think they will,” the bronze-masked man said.

The Madam made an “oh” sound and rolled her eyes. She then came out from the crowd, and both Dang Han and the man with the bronze mask came with her.

With the three of them emerging onto the field, they immediately drew everyone’s gazes. The Madam wasn’t wearing a mask that day but was instead wearing a black veil. Her graceful appearance sent one into endless reveries. The man with the bronze mask was tall and erect, and his mask was both hideous and a mark of distinction. Several people recognized Dang Han and cried out, “Dang Han! It’s Dang Han!”

How could it not be striking for the three of them to come out? Most of the gazes had fallen onto the woman in front. Dang Han’s expression of respect behind her made them curious about the identity of that woman. They admired every movement of the bronze-masked man, along with his calm look and his style as an ace, though he was obviously still under that woman.

The crowd quickly quieted down as everyone was trying to guess what the woman was actually up to.