The Card Apprentice

“Ha-ha, Little Ying, where did you get such a fine one?” A little girl a little older than Tai-shu Ying, probably about sixteen or seventeen, was doubled-over laughing. She was wearing really short hot-pants, which showed off her beautiful long white legs, while the top half of her body had on a loose tee-shirt, which looked rather cool. She was also surrounded by guards, and was squinting like a cat and covering her mouth unable to stop laughing at Bu Mo.

The guards around her were also looking as though they found something funny, though they remained standing bolt upright and didn’t relax. That made Chen Mu’s eyes light up at how high quality that gang of guards was! He looked again at the Tai-shu guards, who were undisciplined and without any fight in them; far beneath the ones now in front of him.

Tai-shu Ying said unhappily, “He’s my guest, Sister Ling Ling. You are being so rude.” She looked at Chen Mu a little worried, not wanting Ling Ling to annoy them; that would really be bad!

The girl called Ling Ling was taken aback and responded very quickly, immediately retracting her smile, and rushing to give a bow to Chen Mu and the others, saying apologetically, “I really apologize. Please forgive me if there was something offensive in what I just said. Little Ling was so rude.”

Wei-ah didn’t look like he was listening and Sang Hanshui didn’t dare to respond, while Bu Mo continued to hop like a frog, so Chen Mu came forward, “It’s nothing.” He didn’t say anything else after saying those two words.

Tai-shu Ying made introductions to Chen Mu by saying, “She is my good friend, don’t consider her all that gentle since she’s really quite wild.” Tai-shu Ying spoke without any sense of her own age, and it was very amusing to hear her speak as though she were proud of her own age and experience. Even Sang Hanshui couldn’t help an involuntary chuckle.

That lass called little Ling kept on laughing and smiling, “Little Ying has grown up a little after all.”

Tai-shu Ying was a little slow on the uptake, and her fair and tender little face looked a little annoyed, as she lifted her little fists with a harrumph and shook them at little Ling.

Little Ying’s beautiful eyes rolled as she said laughingly, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Uncle Cheng and I actually miss him. You said you owed me one last time, so I should mooch some lunch from you.”

It seemed that as soon as Tia-shu Ying ran into that little Ling she became a little helpless, and bizarrely didn’t even try, as she muttered, “Do as you please. When have you ever needed a reason to come to my house?”

Seeing that Chen Mu and the others didn’t seem to want to say anything, little Ling didn’t bother them, but kept on bickering with Tai-shu Ying. The clear sound of the two girls’ laughter was full of the naïve carelessness of youth. Even Chen Mu was infected by it and seemed to feel a lot better.

But the stalwart who was the lead of her guards showed some vigilance in his eyes when he looked at the four of them.

Chen Mu was relieved when he thought about his party all wearing masks. No wonder people were paying attention. That stalwart’s gaze was sharp, and his body was flitting a little. When he looked closely he found that his feet weren’t touching the ground. That was the first time Chen Mu had encountered a card artisan who even used a jet stream card just to stroll, and he couldn’t help doing double-take.

That stalwart noticed Chen Mu’s gaze, and nodded to him with a slight smile.

After checking it out in detail with his perception, he found that the stalwart had been deploying his perception very delicately. It was all very smooth and natural. Chen Mu realized that it wasn’t such a bad way to train. To continually use perception during ordinary times would make it as normal as eating and drinking, and would be of great assistance in the deployment of perception. Still, it was a good way to burn money. There would be a shocking consumption of power cards to train like that and a huge expenditure.

It was a good thing that Chen Mu was worth rather a lot by then, so the power cards wouldn’t be much of an issue for him.

As soon as he thought about it, he did it. Chen Mu’s body started to flutter almost imperceptibly. The stalwart was a little astonished to see that, though he very quickly laughed it off. It wasn’t any exclusive secret method. In reality, as long as a card artisan had gotten a traditional education even if they hadn’t yet gotten to that stage, their professors would likely tell them about the trick. It was only someone like Chen Mu who switched careers midstream and followed an unorthodox method, who wouldn’t know about it. Most of the stalwart’s attention was on little Bu Mo frog jumping. He seemed to be more interested in that.

Chen Mu had strong flight skills, and before Jin Yin’s breakthrough he had still been a notch better than him. But after his breakthrough, when Jin Yin could make even such a powerful flying attack as the Pointed Cloud Burst, Chen Mu felt far inferior. Still after Chen Mu tried it, he found that to use a jet stream card for such slow strolling was completely different from the violent storm of perception while travelling in midair.

Even though Chen Mu had pretty good flight skills he only got his perception right after going along for a little ways, when his movements become a lot smoother.

Sang Hanshui was a little surprised to see how rough Chen Mu was at the start. How could an ace who was number fifty on the Black Line Star Listing not even be able to do that?

Defeating powerful enemies in actual battle and then moving up the ranks was the most persuasive way to advance without a doubt. So there had been no objections when he was stepped up to number fifty in the newest issue of the Black Line Star Listing.

But could that person in front of him really be the ace on the Black Line Star Listing who had been able to advance to number fifty? Still, although he felt a little puzzled, he wasn’t stupid enough to go ask Chen Mu about how he gotten to where he was.

The speed of the party wouldn’t be called fast, but with both groups of guards together now, the pedestrians along the route still all gave way. Both Tai-shu Ying and little Ling were used to that.

Before long they arrived a large building.

There were two towering silvery buildings in parallel with a skybridge connecting them. Card artisans and shuttle cars would fly in and out of the entryways on each floor from time to time.

Probably having been informed earlier of their arrival, there were staff members awaiting them.

“The director general has instructed that you may go directly to his office, Miss Ying.” That slightly made-up and professionally dressed woman made a slight bow to Tai-shu Ying.

Both Tai-shu Ying’s and little Ling’s guards went with that staff member to a lounge to rest. Only the middle-aged man remained by Tai-shu Ying’s side, along with that stalwart who stayed close to Little Ling.

The metallic-style great hall had a highly polished floor and floor-to-ceiling windows which isolated it into a separate space. All the busy staff inside had expressions of being rushed. It was very eye catching for Chen Mu and his party of four to all be wearing masks in that great hall. The most amusing was little Bu Mo. Since Wei-ah had never told him to stop, he was still hoppoing along after everyone in the style of a frog.

All of the staff looked like they found that weird, though no one said anything.

Tai-shu Ying was very familiar with the place and didn’t need anyone to show her the way. She led the group directly to the general director’s office.

The building was exquisitely appointed, but from Chen Mu’s point of view, it had too many vulnerabilities regarding security. If Borna had built it, it might not have been so comfortable and luxurious, but it would be a lot more secure.

They heard some roaring from inside just when the party arrived at the director general’s office, “You are just too deceptive!” And then they heard the sound of a glass being smashed from inside.

Tai-shu Ying’s expression turned tense, and she quickened her pace. She walked to the door and called out in aloud voice, “I’m back Daddy!”

After she said that she pushed open the door and entered and then saw her father’s flustered look once inside. She hurried to her father’s side, and jumped into his arms, asking with some concern, “What happened, Daddy? Who made you angry? I’ll fix them!”

When he heard his daughter say that, Tai-shu Cheng who had just been so angry immediately brightened up. His mood abruptly smoothed out quite a bit. He was about to say something when he showed some surprise at seeing Chen Mu and his party, along with Little Ling.

“Little Ling came along! Yikes, Little Ying, are these your guests?” Tai-shu Cheng was looking at his daughter in his arms with a questioning look on his face.

Tai-shu Ying batted her eyes at her father, and said, “Mmmm, Little Ying was naughty during our walk, and I offended these uncles. Didn’t you say, Daddy, that you should admit it when you make a mistake? Little Ying invited these uncles to be her guests. Won’t you help me apologize to these uncles, Daddy?”

Tai-shu Cheng was a little puzzled. But his daughter had always been mischievous. He didn’t know how many disasters she had brought down on herself, so why should today be any different? But he knew his daughter’s temperament, and she had always been naughty, so he couldn’t help saying to Chen Mu and his party, full of apologies, “I am really very sorry, but my discipline is very lax, and the little girl is naughty and has caused many offenses!”

Chen Mu waved his hand, “A small matter. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Little Ling also looked puzzled, not able to make out where Tai-shu Ying was coming from.

Tai-shu Ying then shook Tai-shu Cheng’s arm, and said in a cute voice, “These uncles are awesome, Daddy! Angie says that that one is even more awesome than Ma Hu!” Angie was the middle-aged man who was accompanying Tai-shu Ying, and Ma Hu was the manager of the Tai-shu household guards.

Tai-shu Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he secretly glanced at Angie, to see his nearly imperceptible nod. His tone immediately became a lot warmer, “So rude of me! Come come come! let’s not stand or I won’t dare to sit myself. Tell them to send in a pot of Mingxiang, Angie.”

Little Ling couldn’t help being moved, “You are actually hiding away such a good thing in here, uncle Cheng!” Little Ling really regrets not mooching lunch from you a long time ago!”

“Ha-ha!” Tai-shu Cheng said with some satisfaction, “Don’t lets turn our eyes red with greed, little Ling, this is the last of your uncle’s stash, and if it weren’t for the honored guests on our doorstep today, I would never have brought it out.”

Although Chen Mu didn’t know what Mingxiang was, he knew that it was certainly something good. Tai-shu Cheng kept himself up very well. He looked very youthful, and his face always had a self-deprecating smile on it. He remained very low key when he spoke, and if he hadn’t seen him with his own eyes it would have been hard to imagine that this was third son of the Tai-shu household.

Tai-shu Yong had three sons altogether, the oldest was Tai-shu Zheng, the second was Tai-shu Shen, and the youngest was then Tai-shu Cheng.

The Mingxiang was light yellow, each piece a rectangle a little bit bigger than a fingernail. It would melt instantly when it was put into water, when an intoxicating delicate fragrance would waft almost imperceptibly. It then became as though it were scratching the deepest reaches of one’s soul in a very titillating manner.

Tai-shu Cheng very carefully poured each of them a small cup.

Once the tea entered the throat, a very refreshing fragrance would exude from the farthest reaches of one’s heart. There was an exotic slight feeling of incense along with an indescribable taste which would gradually emerge and then spread to the limbs, until the entire body seemed to be washed in it and felt unspeakably comfortable.

Even someone like Chen Mu who didn’t know anything about tea still couldn’t help praising it, “Nice tea!”

Fingering his already empty teacup, Tai-shu Cheng looked enraptured. After a long time, he suddenly opened his eyes and asked directly, “I wonder why you have come?”