The Card Apprentice

“That Rong Ming is truly an impressive one.”

Tai-shu Yong giving such positive compliment showed he had recognized Rong Ming’s capability and how special he was. If Rong Ming was organizing his daughter’s birthday party, a person like Tai-shu Yong, who held great power in the Dongrui, would definitely come to show his support.

Everyone had already heard about the secret news and was saying the Tai-shu family had acquired the vote. The Luo family of Dongrui had already received that information through their base in Qianhu. It had spread over the top management level of Dongrui in lightning speed. The entire Dongrui area had already found out about the shocking news that the Tai-shu family would be the only family with a vote. The whole community couldn’t believe that a seemingly fallen family, the Tai-shu family, could have such power in them! Although the vote was yet to received by the Tai-shu family, everyone knew they had to change the way they treated them from now on.

“My family was held in contempt for a long time,” Tai-shu Yong said. He paused a while and said, “But as soon as Rong Ming came to the guards division and invited the five forces of Dongrui, we were one of the five strongest families in Dongrui. Frankly, I was surprised at that time. Don’t tell me Rong Ming could foresee what could happen in the future.”

Chen Mu listened but said nothing.

“According to the date recorded, this was the day I first moved to Moon Frost Island. Such a coincidence,” Tai-shu Yong said.

“Do you mean you are the people from Moon Frost Island?” Chen Mu was shocked.

Tai-shu Yong applauded the fact that Chen Mu had gotten it right. “Well, whether I am one the people of Moon Frost Island is yet to be known. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rong Ming had any strange relationship with Moon Frost Island.”

Chen Mu was confused about the relevance of all those stories, but Tai-shu Yong suddenly asked an unrelated question. “Do you know the greatest difference between the card artisans from the Big Six and the card artisans from other schools?”

“I don’t know.”

“Just because the card artisans are from the Big Six doesn’t mean they are stronger than those from other schools. However, there is one thing they are clearly stronger in, and that is their experience. The card artisans from the Big Six are experienced, and some of them can even easily figure out their opponents’ history.”

“Are you concerned that Rong Ming has already found out my true identity?” Chen Mu asked.

Tai-shu Yong laughed. “I doubt he’s already recognized your identity.”

Chen Mu furrowed his eyebrows. He had been wearing a mask to avoid being recognized by anyone. After the battle with Jin Yin and Dang Han, Qiao Yuan’s identity had been revealed, and he had become the mortal enemy of Faya. Doing things in a frank and righteous way was never Faya’s style. They would be more proficient in setting up an assassination.

He hadn’t even reached level-seven perception. In the world of card artisans, he was still far from being immortal. From the information he had obtained from Bogner, there were 11 members with level-seven perception in the Blood Hammer Troop of the Blood-Red Card Artisan Team! Although the Blood-Red Card Artisan Team was well-known for its combat effectiveness, it was still a card artisan team. Compared to the Big Six or Faya, it was much weaker.

How many card artisans with level-seven perception were there in Faya? When he thought about it, Chen Mu was terrified. He still had a long way to go before his perception reached level seven. The only thing that made him feel peaceful was that his perceptual control was above level seven. Xiaobo’s situation was almost the same as his, and Sang Hanshui had acquired the greatest perceptual power among all of them. His perceptual power was only a step away from reaching level seven.

However, all of the cards in their hands were of the best of the best. Whether it was the Bipolar Card or the Golden Word Shackle, their powers were formidable. Ever-changing was unpredictable, though. He had also acquired State Zero from Caesar and had learned air skill from Wei-ah. Moreover, he could still use deep tranquility to improve his the recovery of his perception. Therefore, he wasn’t afraid to face the card artisans with level-seven perception.

Besides that, the Wheel in Xiaobo’s hands was the most satisfying card Chen Mu had made. With Xiaobo’s several years of combat experience through training in the forest, there was no room to doubt his capabilities. And, after Sang Hanshui had acquired the Bomb, he had become a living cannon.

Their combat power was definitely astonishing. Taking into account the 11 card artisans with level-seven perception on the Blood Hammer Troop, however, Chen Mu was speechless. Luckily, among those 11 card artisans, only three of them had reached the top 100 on the Black-Line Star Listing. The level of perception couldn’t determine everything!

Throughout those two days, Chen Mu had to communicate with Bogner and Xi Ping. Bogner’s confident manner had calmed his mind immediately. His intention was to get back as soon as possible. The issues in Dongrui had already came to an end, and there were still a few months until the elite competition organized by Thousand Lakes, which he would need attend on behalf of Tai-shu Yong.

However, Dongrui was too far away from the base. It would take too much time to travel back and forth. With no choice left, he could only stay at Tai-shu Yong’s house temporarily. With the thousand-kilometer card, he could still keep in touch with Bogner and the others. He was thinking about what he could do.

“Ha ha! I see that your ranking went up by three spots on the latest issue of the Black-Line Star Listing.” Tai-shu Yong laughed and said, “Looks like they found out about your attack on Faya.” He showed a joyful expression. Ever since the incident of Faya planning to kidnap his three sons, he felt tremendous hatred toward them.

“This doesn’t benefit me at all.” Chen Mu spoke in an absolute tone. “Instead, I hope this matter doesn’t spread to anyone’s ears.”

“Ha ha! Youngsters should have some drive in them!”

The security in Rong Ming’s mansion was insane. Card artisans in security uniforms were all over the place like they were going to face their greatest enemy. Rong Ming’s mansion wasn’t as luxurious as other houses, like Tai-shu Zheng’s. It looked like a larger version of a normal residence.

However, Chen Mu still realized something different about the mansion. It may have looked like a normal residence, but it was actually a combination of a small fortress, an outpost, and a firepower mechanism. The design was so functional that it was certainly the work of an expert.

Chen Mu was walking beside Ta-shu Yong while observing him greeting his neighbors from other families. The banquet’s scale was apparently much greater than the one organized by Tai-shu Zheng. The visitors were from various well-known forces, which showed how much influence Rong Ming had in Dongrui.

Chen Mu felt uneasy inside and was distracted while listening to their stories. The way they spoke made him uncomfortable, so he decided to just ignore them altogether. His mind was on Bogner. The enemy they were about to face was way too strong, and the situation they were in had placed him in panic. Although he was confident Bogner and the rest could come out on top, he couldn’t help but feel worried.

A woman’s voice suddenly came into Chen Mu’s ear. “The White Commander.”

Chen Mu abruptly snapped out of his thoughts and raised his head to see Tan Yumin. Her face was pretty and captivating. However, Chen Mu didn’t have the same surprising feeling he’d had the previous night. She was wearing a simple white dress, which was so long that it rested on the ground. Not a single speck of dust stuck to it, though.

Hmm… What kind of special cloth is this? The first thing that popped into his mind was actually a question out of context.

Beside him, Tai-shu Yong laughed while looking at them playfully. “Ha ha! Miss Yumin, you’re making me jealous. So, the White Commander is the only one in your eyes? I think I need to protest for my jealousy!”

Tan Yumin blushed and then quickly said, “Mr. Tai-shu, the way you speak is a little…”

Tai-shu Yong patted Chen Mu hard and said, “Yes! Keep it up!”

Soon after, he smiled at Tan Yumin and said, “I shall stop disturbing the two of you.” He left while laughing loudly.

“It’s been a while, Miss Tan,” Chen Mu said courteously.

Tan Yumin’s eyes briefly showed a hint of discontent. In the next second, though, she immediately retrieved her graceful smile. “White Commander, you’re being too courteous. It has been a while since we last met, though.” Her focus then fell on the black and white bracelet on Chen Mu’s wrist, and her eyes glinted.

Only then did he remember Tai-shu Zheng’s banquet had only been a few days ago. Everything that had happened those past few days had made him think it had already been a long time, which was why he had subconsciously said that.

“Ha ha! True.” Chen Mu knew he had said something he wasn’t supposed to, and his expression became awkward. Fortunately, he was wearing a mask.

Tan Yumin pursed her lips and smiled. The nearby guests at the banquet looked at her with their eyes glazed over. She was playing with the wine glass with her perfectly white and elegant hand. She sighed and said, “I thought Dongrui was a land of happiness. Who knew it could be such a dangerous place? Rumor has it that one of the Faya’s secret hideouts was suddenly attacked a few days ago. An important individual was kidnapped, and everyone says it was done by Qiao Yuan. I am feeling curious. If this well-known Qiao Yuan and the White Commander were to have a fight against each other, who would win?”

The captivating beauty’s stare sent a chill down his spine. After a quick thought, he wondered whether Tan Yumin was hinting at something. Still, Chen Mu acted calm and said, “The one suffering the loss would definitely be me. I don’t dare to embarrass myself in front of others.”

“Oh, is that so?” Tan Yumin looked at Chen Mu doubtfully.

This woman is dangerous! Chen Mu trusted his instincts, but he realized he couldn’t pierce that woman’s thoughts at all. How he wished he could stay miles away from her. Fortunately, Jiang Yu came over at that moment, so Chen Mu used the opportunity to walk away. When he reached a corner, he realized his back was dripping with sweat. He started to become frightened while sitting there.

Could Tan Yumin actually have discovered my identity? What does she mean? Is she hinting at something?

He wasn’t worried about Tai-shu Yong discovering his identity since he would never simply betray a secret; it wouldn’t benefit him. However, if that mysterious woman found out about it…

What was actually troubling him more was Tan Yumin’s extra attention toward him!