The Card Apprentice

Chen Mu’s face dropped, but as he was turning around to respond he saw that she was asking herself.

How could a Hundred Depths person who didn’t even know how to speak clearly know about the big six and the Star Academy? She must have heard something when she went out last night. The big six and the Star Academy were a popular topic for conversation, and there was a real possibility she would have heard it.

“The Six Big are the most famous academies in the Heavenly Federation, and the Star Academy is one of those . . .” Chen Mu laid out everything he knew about the six big academies. He already knew the best attitude to keep in front of the demonic woman.

The resiliency of people is a great thing! He was thinking of the person he’d been before, who wouldn’t say anything for half a day – who was called ‘Blockhead’– now endlessly explaining all sorts of questions about common knowledge as though he were a kindergarten teacher. He figured that after going through the experience, if he were still alive, his eloquence would have advanced quite a bit!

It was a good thing that the demonic woman wasn’t interrupting, but was just listening calmly showing a look of deep thought from time to time.

Even though Chen Mu felt that his talking was much better than it had been, his introductions were quite dry. But the demonic woman seemed to take all those words to heart as though they’d come from the sky. Before two minutes were up, Chen Mu had exhausted everything he knew. Chen Mu had paid attention when her eyes lit up when he mentioned that the founder of the Star Academy was Heiner Van Sant.

Heiner Van Sant was so awesome after all that even people from the Hundred Depths would know his name.

“The Six Giants,” the demonic lady asked abruptly.

Chen Mu thought it over, and nodded, “Mmmm.” Although his understanding about the six wasn’t very deep, when the demonic woman said that, he had more of an image. Which of the big six wasn’t a colossus?

“Star Academy is one of the six giants?” She asked again.

Chen Mu continued to nod his head, “mmmm.”

“Star Academy, never go out?” she asked.

“mmmm.” Chen Mu nodded.

“Now they come here?” the demonic woman continued to ask.

“mmmm. ” Chen Mu nodded again.

“Why?” she asked.

Chen Mu finally shook his head, “I don’t know.” There were a lot of people who weren’t too clear about that. Even Copper, who was an extremely intelligent person, didn’t know, so how would he know? And futhermore, he hadn’t put any energy toward the matter.

The demonic woman finally stopped talking. She only showed a thoughtful expression which she maintained until Chen Mu had gone to sleep.

Once he woke up, the demonic woman didn’t look as she had the last time. But Chen Mu didn’t know if she had gone out or not.

After getting up and washing and gargling, he remembered that it had been a while that he hadn’t practiced the exercise gymnastics. He was utterly destroying the life ahead of him. He was suddenly missing that daily immersion in the card; the days soaking in the simple water world. He had brought that mysterious card along with him, but he really didn’t have any place to do it.

Before the shopkeeper had woken up, when it was still early to go out, Chen Mu did the exercises again.

After having done a set, Chen Mu felt more comfortable.

“What is it you’re doing?” The demonic woman’s speech was a lot more fluent than it had been.

“Exercise gymnastics.” Chen Mu answered.

“Good for your health, but too mild.” She laid bare the shortcomings of the exercise gymnastics in a word.

Suddenly remembering the incredible balance and burst strength that the demonic woman had in the jungle that day, Chen Mu had a mind to learn, “What should I be doing?”

Looking at Chen Mu, she thought for a second, and said, “tonight.”

* * *

Walking in the campus of the Eastern Wei Academy, Yin Chenjiu took a look, and seeing that no one was around, said in a low voice to Wang Ze, “Old Ze, it seems as though there are more people in the outer reaches recently.”

“Mmmm, that’s for sure.” Wang Ze had a tranquil expression.

“A lot of people from the Zuo household, as well as some card artisans of uncertain origins, all very strong. I’ve heard that there have already been some conflicts.” Yin Chenjiu was sincerely concerned.

“Mmmm, but there’s no need to worry, everyone should stay calm, we’ll keep a low profile for a while, and cancel our activities. After a few days, some reinforcements will have come from the school to help.” Wang Ze was sedate.

Yin Chenjiu perked up, “Excellent!” He immediately realized that his voice had gotten too loud, and lowered it, “Who is coming this time?”

“Her!” There was also a hint of excitement in Wang Ze’s voice.

Yin Chenjiu’s eye’s widened and his voice trembled, “Is it really her?”

“Mmmm.” Wang Ze pronounced heavily.

* * *

In the evening up in the loft, Chen Mu and the demonic woman were sitting cross legged opposite one another.

“What can you do?” she asked.

Chen Mu thought it over, and said “Make cards, and control them a little.

“Used for killing people.” She asked tranquilly.

Chen Mu’s heart jumped, while he kept a calm look. He’d been provoked that way a few times, and knew how to keep a tranquil expression. After some thought, he raised his right hand and activated the apparatus.

In the darkness the brilliant undulations flowed slowly toward his right hand, and then quickly coalesced into the tailless shuttle. The crystalline tailless shuttle emitted a soft hum as it started spinning quickly on his index finger. Seeing the half-opened skylight, Chen Mu pointed his finger toward the opening.

The tailless shuttle shot out like an electric spark!

The strange squeal appeared again, and then as suddenly went dead.

Not thirty centimeters from the skylight, a glittering fragmentary light slowly scattered down, bewitching in the dark. Chen Mu opened his eyes wide, and looked despondently at the skylight.

How could that be?

A stalk of the black vine appeared on the demonic woman’s hand. The tailless shuttle had just been knocked right to pieces by that piece of black vine. Chen Mu hadn’t seen when the vine had appeared, or how it had appeared, or how it had knocked the shuttle apart faster than lightning.

The demonic woman lowered her head to look at the tip of the black vine which had just knocked apart the tailless shuttle, but the top of the vine had also been frayed into several forks.

“It’s very powerful.” The demonic woman said critically, “but too slow.”

Without waiting for Chen Mu to dip his head in agreement, she came out with a series of analytical data, “Preparation time, three point two seconds, enough for someone to kill you more than twenty times.” The demonic woman seemed pretty interested in that kind of talk, and she said much more than she usually did.

“So, what should I do?” Chen Mu had to ask.

“Practice.” She answered very simply.

Chen Mu let out a smirk, since training with the tailless shuttle card required a three-star power card or above, and he was now penniless, so what would he practice with? And with the situation so unclear, he wouldn’t dare go rashly back to the low-grade fantasy card club.

“Killing people is very simple. Speed and skill.” She shot a look at the apparatus on Chen Mu’s wrist, “This thing of yours is too complicated.”

Everything went blurry for Chen Mu, as he was lightly stung in the neck, while the demonic woman sat there not having moved.

Chen Mu rubbed his neck, and there was impressively a trail of blood on his hand.

“How should I practice?” Chen Mu suddenly asked.