The Card Apprentice

Without lifting his head, Chen Mu observed the Snow Thorn Bear closely. He was unfamiliar with it as this was the first time he ever encountered this creature. Moreover, he was not very skillful in gathering. There was barely any introduction about gathering on the mysterious cards.

However, he was now the least concerned about the source of his material. There was at least a few hundred liters of blood in this Snow Thorn Bear , and that was more than sufficient for him.

Chen Mu clumsily looked for the part of Snow Thorn Bear he should extract the blood from. All the grade seven card artisans were taken aback by Chen Mu’s clumsiness as it was compulsory for all card masters to learn about gathering materials, especially the advanced materials.

Is boss really a card master?

The corner of their eyes twitched, as they could barely look at Chen Mu. Most of them had spent their youth gathering and it made up a major component of their daily incomes. In actual fact, most of the card artisans had been through this. They gained not only materials from gathering, but also made earnings and strengthened their real life battle experience through gathering, not to mention increasing their rate of growth in power. Regardless of which academy, the gathering lessons were meant to enhance the basics of their perception and energy. Hence, it was a compulsory course for all card artisans and card masters.

They felt anxious seeing their boss handling the Snow Thorn Bear rustily and clumsily.

If we go on like this, and the Snow Thorn Bear gets awakened…

Finally, Chen Mu picked the part where he wanted draw the blood from the Snow Thorn Bear . Without hesitation, he affixed the suction right at where the heart of the Snow Thorn Bear was located. He assumed that it was the best area to draw the blood of the Snow Thorn Bear as from his point of view, the heart was the main organ of its circulation system!

All the 15 grade seven card artisans’ faces were painted in terror the moment they saw their boss placing the suction on the Snow Thorn Bear ‘s heart!

“Stop!”

Fu Dong yelled out of fear!

Before he could finish his words, the roaring of the Snow Thorn Bear pierced through the atmosphere!

Crap!

All the card artisans were in great shock yet acted as quickly as the lightning bolt. They have never expected that their boss would choose such a ridiculous spot to work on! The heart was the main weakness of all the beasts. The stronger the beasts, the more they protected their hearts. The nerves around their hearts were extremely sensitive after years of evolution. The beasts would turn insanely ferocious even after a mild trigger and their counterattacks before their last breath could often defeat enemies than were way stronger.

Mentors would repeatedly emphasize on this during the gathering course, to make sure all the card artisans to never choose the heart as the collection point when they were drawing the blood of the beasts. According to the standard procedure mentioned in the textbooks, the best body part for blood drawing was the legs, as the nerve around that area was less sensitive, and there were arteries running through the legs.

But, boss actually chose the heart of the Snow Thorn Bear !

They had never expected their boss to make a mistake that even an amateur would not make!

The roar spread across the horizon and frightened everyone. Being the king of the beasts in the woods, the Snow Thorn Bear ‘s howl clearly showed its pain and anger! The Snow Thorn Bear , that was initially sedated, lifted its head abruptly. Ferocity and ruthlessness filled its big and widened eyes. Its body twitched in agony, at the same time, it was charged with petrifying energy!

It shrieked as loud as the thunder while its muscles expanded. It stared at Chen Mu with its bloodshot eyes. The next second, it opened its big mouth and tried to bite Chen Mu, who was standing right beside it!.

The white yet sharp teeth were coated in foul-smelling saliva. The card artisans could sense the chilliness running through their veins!

Damn it!

It’s too late!

The Snow Thorn Bear acted faster and more powerful than anyone of them! An adult Snow Thorn Bear like this contained more active blood than the other beasts. Usually, it was an occasion worth celebrating to be able to catch a matured Snow Thorn Bear . However, it had turned into a fatal disaster now!

When its sharp teeth were almost going to snap off the head of their boss, a punch suddenly landed on the top of the Snow Thorn Bear’s head.

Bam!

The punch, that seemed to be weak, however it managed to push the head of the lunatic Snow Thorn Bear right into the ground as dirt splashed all over the place!

Flabbergasted, the 15 grade seven card artisans paused to look at the scene before them.

The power of the punch was evidently showcased as half of the Snow Thorn Bear ‘s head was buried in the ground. However, the psychotic Snow Thorn Bear became far more powerful than before!

It abruptly lifted its head and shrieked angrily!

Bam!

The sound came from yet another punch that hit right at the Snow Thorn Bear !

The head of the Snow Thorn Bear was once again thrown into the ground but more forcefully. Its entire head was buried into the ground this time!

Grudgingly, the Snow Thorn Bear roared in despair! It exerted all its energy to lift its head once again!

Boom!

As though a meteorite hit on the beast’s head, everything before its eyes turned pitch black before it lost its consciousness.

All the 15 grade seven card artisans were stupefied. In shock, they stared at the Snow Thorn Bear which neck was twisted in an abnormal manner. Its enormous and strong head was buried so deep into the ground that it was no longer visible.

The man, who was wearing a wooden mask, rested one of his feet on the back of the Snow Thorn Bear . However, his right fist appeared to have no difference from the others. From the beginning to the end, there were merely three punches from this man, no yelling nor panting. But, this scene had completely imprinted in the minds of the card artisans.

After a long while, the sound of someone gulping pulled all of them back to reality.

Satisfied, Chen Mu kept his collection box. It only needed a very short amount of time to fill up the box as he chose the heart as the gathering area. He could easily produce a huge amount of cards with this box of fresh blood from the Snow Thorn Bear . However, he could not bear to let the rest of the fresh blood go wasted. He took out two more collection boxes to make sure that he gathered all of the blood from the beast.

The others, who were badly frightened just now, proactively came forward to help and harvest the teeth, claws and winter glands of the beast.

“You al arel very professional in gathering,” Chen Mu praised them nonchalantly.

The people, who were currently working diligently, were flustered. Bei Ling asked softly, “Boss, do you rarely gather?”

“Yes, I don’t do it often,” Chen Mu replied as he nodded.

“Then, how about the materials you use?” Bei Ling asked curiously.

“I buy it at the store,” Chen Mu said.

Bei Ling asked with a peculiar look, “The quality of the materials from the store are very much worse than the ones we gather on our own. The quality of the cards that are made from the materials will be greatly affected!”

“Huh? Is that true?” Chen Mu asked in surprise.

The rest of them were taken aback by Chen Mu’s reaction.

“Boss, this is common sense,” Bei Ling could not help but disprove in a soft voice.

Fu Dong could not bear to see Chen Mu being embarrassed, hence, he explained to Chen Mu, “The materials that are sold in the stores are usually processed and added with conservatives. The effect of the processed materials are very different from the fresh ones. It’s common for the seasoned card masters to hire a team of card artisans to gather the materials directly from the woods. The experts will usually process the materials personally with their own unique methods.”

“Oh, I see!” the realization hit Chen Mu hard.

“Is our boss really a numbered series of cards master?” Wen Renhong mumbled as the rest of them were secretly judging Chen Mu.

After the gathering, the Snow Thorn Bear turned into their dinner.

Wei-ah took a seat as all the card artisans maintained at least a five meters radius from Wei-ah.

However, their attentions were quickly drawn to Little Bomo’s shocking appetite. All the card artisans were all astounded. They could finally understand the reason Wei-ah hunted another bear separately for dinner as Little Bomo almost finished half of the bear on his own!

Little Bomo’s flat stomach was like a bottomless pit. Yet, he ate continuously with a steady pace.

‘He is indeed a weirdo!’ The 15 card artisans thought synchronously.

Bogner rested both of his feet on the table lazily. The moustache on his face had been shaved off. With a toothpick in his mouth, he slurred, “Little Ginger, how is the preparation going?”

The veins on Jiang Liang’s forehead were pulsating as usual as he answered in a clear tone, “There are a total number of 3000 card artisans in the entire team, all well rested and well prepared. However, they are card artisans who are barely grade four and not highly capable. But, from my observation during the training in the past few days, they are all up for challenges.”

Bogner waved his hand indifferently, “It doesn’t matter if they are not capable. As long as they are willing to do the tough jobs. Hehe!”

His laugh carried a hint of chilliness to the people in the room.

He turned to look at Ru Qiu and asked, “Little Autumn, how is the repair of the card set going?”

“They have all been repaired, except for the 15 cards that were severely damaged and could not be fixed,” Ru Qiu replied succinctly.

“That’s good. Little Autumn is so capable!” Bogner complimented Ru Qiu before he shifted his gaze to Sue Lochiro. Sue Lochiro smiled faintly, “The injured members are recovering speedily and their psychological rehabilitation is completed. Basically, they now are fit to carry out the daily training.”

Bogner appeared pleased. A card artisan who recovered from injury could perform better battle skills compared to the normal card artisans. As they had successfully overcome the trauma, they were more fearless in the battlefield. From Bogner’s perspective, they were more valuable than the normal card artisans.

Xi Ping casually took a sip of his tea when he saw Bogner turning to him, “The supplies are ready. Indeed, Scarlet Card Artisan Team is very wealthy. They prepared so many supplies for a sole assignment of five hundred people. We’ll be rich after robbing a few more of their warehouses. Oh, we have also sold off some of the purple fluorescent extract. Haha! You can never imagine how the businessmen fought for it! Rare items like this are very beneficial for us. We only have to put some of it on sale everytime we arrive at a place, then we will be very popular among the businessmen no matter where we go.”

“That’s a good idea,” Bogner agreed as he stroke his chin, “You’re such a cunning person!”

“Fine!” Bogner spit out the toothpick and stood up abruptly. He looked around and announced with a solemn expression, “Since the preparation is done, then it’s time for us to leave this place! Assemble the team and we will depart at three in the afternoon!”

“I’ll be ashamed of myself if we fail to defeat the Scarlet Card Artisan Team this round! They have the guts to show off in front of us despite being a nobody. I’ll let them taste death this round!”

Bogner, who now resembled a fierce wolf, said in a harsh tone.

A man in grey windbreaker was standing in front of a window in the Yuzi Military Force’s meeting room, staring at the dark sky outside the window.

He turned around. With a deep and complex gaze, he said fiercely, “Someone has informed me about the issue that concerns Yumin. I believe I’m the only person who can accomplish this in the Heavenly Federation.” He made an extremely bold statement in a calm tone.

“Of course, Yumin will never doubt Lord Tang’s ability,” Tan Yumin forced a smile. Yet, she felt slightly upset as she was suddenly reminded of the White Commander. ‘He might be able to do it as well. Unfortunately, he has rejected me.’

The White Commander had left a great impact on her. She had finally understood that it was almost impossible for her to fulfill her wish on her own. When she realized that she could never break free from the Star Court and Bitter Solitude Temple’s restraint, she also unexpectedly found hope in her situation. However, the White Commander rejected her without any contemplation. He rejected her without a second thought!

There was limited time, and she could not wait any longer!

Coincidentally, Tang Hanpei had sent someone to liaise with her discreetly at this moment.

From Ji Zhihao’s analysis, Tang Hanpei was a better candidate than the White Commander. Tan Yumin understood as well. Yet, she felt a little disappointed.

She had always been a very detailed person. She understood clearly that once she asked for Tang Hanpei’s favour, her only consequence was to turn into one of his tools. If the White Commander was willing to form alliance with her, she would definitely not ask for Tang Hanpei’s help. She had an unexplainable feeling where she would never turn into one of the White Commander’s tools after working alongside with him. The feeling was so intense and she did not doubt it at all.

Sadly, the White Commander had rejected her request! Till today, she was still puzzled by his decision!

Is he not an ambitious man? Does he not know that this is the notebook that the Big Six are fighting for?

Am I not pretty enough to move him? I’m even willing to marry him! Does he not know how many men are longing for me?

Her mind was weary. She tried her utmost to compose herself and her gaze fell on Tang Hanpei again. This man before her was more powerful and legendary than the White Commander. He even had a way better appearance than the White Commander. However, he failed to move her even by a tiny bit.

Tan Yumin’s voice sounded vague, “Lord, Yumin is handing you these four notebooks. With Lord’s ability, it must be an easy job to bring Yumin away from this place. Yumin will stay under Lord’s protection in the future. Yumin doesn’t dare to ask for much, but there are three simple requests that Yumin wishes to be granted by Lord.”

Tang Hanpei replied in a solemn tone, “Yumin, just speak.”

“Brother Ji is my best friend and he has a chronic illness that requires the gold-mottled liquid soft-fungus. Yumin is useless as I failed to obtain the medication for him. Yumin begs for Lord’s help!” Tan Yumin bowed.

“Miss!” Ji Zhihao did not expect that Tan Yumin’s first request was for him. He immediately stood up with teary eyes.

Tang Hanpei nodded without any hesitation, “Hanpei has heard about Mister Ji’s capability a long time ago. Although the gold-mottled liquid soft-fungus is rare, but there are still available stocks in the Federation Comprehensive Academy. Hanpei would have done so even if Yumin didn’t bring this up. Hanpei cannot bear to see such a capable man like Mister Ji to die of young age!”

“Thank you, Lord!” Tan Yumin expressed her gratitude towards Tang Hanpei before she lost her composure again.

Tang Hanpei did not urge her to continue.

After a short while, Tan Yumin regained her consciousness and said, “After many years of working, Yumin feels drained mentally. I only hope for a serene and simple life after I follow Lord to the capital. Yumin understands that there are many notable families in the capital, but Yumin does not want to work against her own will anymore.”

Tang Hanpei agreed promptly as his icy eyes beamed, “I promise you. I’ll kill anyone who dared to harass Yumin!”

“Mei Ji is my father. In spite of my grudges against him, I hope that Lord can spare his life,” Yumin bowed again.

“Haha! Good! I favour sentimental people like Yumin! I promise you that I’ll spare his life!” Tang Hanpei let out a loud and carefree laugh.

At this moment, the door was pushed open quietly.

“Brother Tang came for a visit. If Mei Ji don’t even come and give his greetings, wouldn’t he as a host, be giving poor hospitality?” A loud voice came from behind the door.

An old man entered the room with another young man walking along his side.

The old man appeared healthy, yet his face was painted in sorrow, “Yumin, I know that I’ve disappointed you and your mother. But if you colluded with Tang Hanpei, what good consequence would it bring you?”

Tan Yumin, whose expression was cold, answered in despise, “Good consequence? What good consequence will I have if I don’t? To be a prisoner?”

The young man in white was bald yet good looking and carried an impressive aura. He bowed at Tang Hanpei, “Siam, the master of Bitter Solitude Temple and the owner of the South Temple, greets Principal Tang!”

“Siam?” Tang Hanpei scanned him, “Indeed, there are a lot of elites in Bitter Solitude Temple. You can achieve your level at such a young age. That’s rather impressive.”

“Does Principal Tang intend to rob whatever that belongs to the Bitter Solitude Temple and Star Court in your late night visit?” Siam raised his head and asked calmly.

“You’re saying it belongs to your Bitter Solitude Temple and Star Court?” Tang Hanpei laughed mockingly, “Tan Xiaoyi left the relic for Yumin. Why does it belong to the Bitter Solitude Temple and Star Court?”

Siam replied composedly, “The master of the South Temple in Bitter Solitude Temple is Miss Tan’s grandfather, and Senior Mei Ji from Star Court is Miss Tan’s father. I wonder what is the relationship between Principal Tang and Miss Tan?”

“You have to ask for the permission from the owner. Yumin is the owner of the relic. She has the right to decide who she wants to hand it to,” Tang Hanpei remained cool.

Siam shook his head, “Miss Tan is too young to know the evil of this world. The elders shall decide on her behalf.”

“Nonsense!” Tang Hanpei chuckled, “You don’t have to speak further. I’ll make sure to bring her with me tonight. You will not be able to defeat me even if you work together.” He sounded gentle, yet his domineering aura was overwhelming.

“Principal Tang is right.” Surprisingly, Siam did not deny it. He kept a cheerful grin on his face, “But, will Principal Tang remain this confident if we have another comrade?”

A lady entered the room and bowed elegantly. She spoke with a voice as cold as the wind that blew from the top of a snow mountain, “Baiyue from Moon Frost Island greets Principal Tang!”

Tang Hanpei’s expression turned solemn abruptly.

Mei Ji had always been well known for his capability. He might not be on par with Tang Hanpei, but there was not a huge difference between them. For Siam, his skill does not need further clarifications as he was able to become the master of the temple. As for Baiyue, he was the most excellent apprentice of Moon Frost Island. None of them was competent enough to fight Tang Hanpei. However, things were different if the three worked in alliance.

The three of them formed a triangle as they surrounded Tang Hanpei.

The situation had changed drastically for Tang Hanpei.

Unexpectedly, Tang Hanpei flashed a smile as he spoke, “Senior, why are you still hiding?”

“Haha!” A laughter that resembled an owl spread across the night sky. Their expressions changed immediately as they did not realize there was someone hiding in the dark.

A silhouette slowly appeared from the darkness.