The Card Apprentice

Unexpectedly, Tai-shu Cheng’s battle in the large building hadn’t seemed to attract any attention. All of the forces, including the guards division, had lost their voices. However, that topic, as if it carried a unique charm, made the card artisans discuss it with no sign of boredom. The energy wave that had carried the scent of death had moved everyone deeply.

How many card artisans were there? Two? Three? What cards did they use?

On the second day, many card artisans visited the ruins of the fallen building to witness first-hand the aftermath of the world-class fight.

Tai-shu Cheng’s building hadn’t been the tallest building of the skyline of Dongrui. However, it was rare to see a building with 5,600 square meters and 160 stories being wrecked into pieces. The framework of the building was barely preserved, and only three floors remained. The metal framework was completely burned black and was covered with solidified metal that had been melted by the extremely high temperature. A thick layer of dust coated the ground. When the wind blew, the dust swirled and formed a layer of sand fog.

The ruins before their eyes seemed to be able to unknowingly call on their respect. Perhaps it was for death, or perhaps it was for power.

Since the building had turned into wreckage, Chen Mu and his team could only follow Tai-shu Yong to stay at the Tai-shu palace in the Garden Above the Center. When Tai-shu Yong realized the incident had progressed out of his control, he even had the intention to cry. He only hoped Qiao Yuan would stay obedient and would cause no more trouble. Fortunately, no one else had been in the building that day. Otherwise, it would have been no surprise if that incident were to have caused thousands of casualties. The Tai-shu family was not as influential as the Big Six; such a great number of deaths could easily destroy their reputation, especially during that crucial period.

That was the reason Tai-shu Yong had earnestly invited Chen Mu to stay in the Tai-shu palace, hoping the family could peacefully go through the elite competition and not bring about anymore troubles. However, Tai-shu Yong knew that move was barely helpful to their current situation. With the White Commander’s current level of involvement in the battle, his intervention would not necessarily be effective for the Tai-shu family.

However, as long as the White Commander could attend the elite competition, the Tai-shu family would be able to develop according to the situation, and there would definitely be no concerns over obtaining the vote.

The Tai-shu family had gained more fame than they had expected, but they were carrying a lot of hidden troubles. The presence of Caesar’s descendant and Jie Yanbai at their residence was more than sufficient to attract the jealousy of other forces. Nowadays, many card artisans personally inquired about the benefits of joining the Tai-shu family. Among the inquiries, most of them requested to work under the White Commander. There was even a huge amount of card artisans who expressed their willingness to take a huge step back on their salaries if they were able to work under the White Commander.

However, without the White Commander’s approval, he didn’t dare to recruit the card artisans. It was similar to a starving person not eating any of the delicious dishes laid out before him; it was a type of suffering.

If what the other said was accurate, that every suffering was happiness in disguise, there was another thing that raised the suspicion of that sensitive, old fox.

Chen Mu sensed the uneasiness and worry in Tai-shu Yong’s expression when he met him. His wounds had already recovered by then.

“What happened?” Chen Mu asked in a straightforward manner, skipping the nonsense.

Tai-shu Yong was slowly getting used to the White Commander’s temper. He knew the White Commander wasn’t one who enjoyed beating around the bush. Hence, Tai-shu Yong answered frankly, “Miss Tan called the old man yesterday night to talk.”

“Miss Tan?” Chen Mu was taken aback.

“Yes. Miss Tan Yumin.” Tai-shu Yong glaced at Chen Mu cautiously. Seeing that Chen Mu’s expression remained the same, Tai-shu Yong continued, “Miss Tan called the old man to ask about the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus.”

Chen Mu abruptly focused his gaze. “Gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus?”

Tai-shu Yong’s heart skipped a beat before he braced himself and said, “Yes. I’m not sure where Miss Tan heard the news that the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus in within the possession of my family. She hoped the old man could sell it to her.” Tai-shu Yong flashed a bitter smile. “Miss Tan gave a generous offer. Moreover, she inquired about it personally. Supposedly…” When he got to that point, he couldn’t help but pause.

Chen Mu lowered his voice and asked, “Then?”

Sensing the slight yet apparent unfriendliness in Chen Mu’s tone, Tai-shu Yong panicked briefly. “Nonetheless, the old man declined. It is not possible for the Tai-shu family to bring out a second piece of gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus.”

“That means you told Tan Yumin that I obtained the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus?” Chen Mu cut Tai-shu Yong off and glared right at the old fox with a sharp gaze.

Tai-shu Yong felt a hint of awkwardness and answered reluctantly, “What else could I have done?”

Chen Mu was speechless.

In actual fact, Tai-shu Yong’s deed was not unusual. Chen Mu knew he played an important role in the Tai-shu family’s future. Under normal circumstances, Tai-shu Yong would definitely not have created trouble for Chen Mu. However, Tan Yumin was certainly not a weak and naïve lady. She had Mei Ji, who was equally as strong as Caesar, to back her up. Furthermore, she was in control of the Yuzi Military Force. If the Tai-shu family accidentally offended Chen Mu, their future might be affected. However, if the family upset Tan Yumin, the question of whether they would continue to live would be unanswered.

Tai-shu Yong didn’t know how to explain it to the White Commander. If the White Commander was to leave, there was absolutely nothing Tai-shu Yong could do. However, from what he could see, the White Commander had a rather close relationship with Miss Tan. At the least, the White Commander was always wearing her bracelet.

At that moment, a servant came with a message. Tan Yumin had sent someone over with an invitation to invite the White Commander and Jie Yanbai to attend the evaluation of the Yuzi Military Force that was going to happen in three days.

An unusual expression flashed through Chen Mu’s eyes as he received the invitation, but he quickly returned to a normal state. What is supposed to happen will happen. There’s no way I can dodge it.

Tai-shu Yong secretly heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the White Commander wasn’t enraged. As Tai-shu Yong was about to leave, Chen Mu said to him, “I heard there are recently many card artisans who are interested in joining the Tai-shu family.”

“Yes, yes!” Tai-shu Yong sensed the willingness in Chen Mu’s tone and was pleased. However, he put on a pretentious and awkward expression. “But all of them wish to work under you. That puts me in a difficult position.”

Chen Mu saw through his act and knew exactly what the old fox had on his mind. He said icily, “You can start recruiting new members. I’ll train them.”

Tai-shy Yong felt as if a huge cookie had fallen from the sky and hit his head to the point that he was stupefied. Ah! Who knew the White Commander was this easygoing? However, he barely had the opportunity to savor the happiness before Chen Mu woke him up with an icy request. Tai-shu Yong felt like a big bucket of cold water had been poured onto him.

“However, I want half of these new recruits, and I’ll pick first.”

The cookie was broken in half, and the half with the most chocolate chips was taken away from Tai-shu Yong. The abrupt yet enormous change of the situation brought Tai-shu Yong’s heart for a rollercoaster ride. However, at that moment, Tai-shu Yong feigned the decisiveness of a superior and nodded without much hesitation. “Fine!”

Despite having only half of the cookie, it was still a feast for the starving Tai-shu family! Besides, the deal could strengthen the relationship between the Tai-shu family and the White Commander. At the very least, he temporarily didn’t have to worry about the possibility of the White Commander’s sudden departure.

But why does the White Commander want to recruit the card artisans? There were some questions on Tai-shu Yong’s mind.

Chen Mu had actually come up with that deal unexpectedly. It would divert the public’s attention to recruit under Tai-shu Yong’s name. The people would think Chen Mu was training the card artisans on behalf of the Tai-shu family. No one would expect that Chen Mu was preparing the card artisans for himself.

Chen Mu was somehow cautious around Tan Yumin even though she appeared to be gentle and kind. Moreover, he carried the title of Caesar’s descendant. It was indeed a respectable title; however, the title undoubtedly placed him in a dangerous situation. The grievances between Caesar and the Federation Comprehensive Academy were a well-known affair. Besides, the card artisan from the Bitter Solitude Temple who had appeared that night had also stunned him.

Chen Mu could save himself a lot of trouble if he held a force under his own control. Even though the card artisans were not considerably helpful when they were facing the true masters, masters were certainly not that common. Furthermore, he didn’t have to worry about the expenses spent on recruitment and training. The Tai-shu family would naturally bear the expenses. That thought originated from one of his boldest ideas.

According to Bogner’s strategic plan, the chase between them and the Blood-Red Card Artisan Team would possibly last for a long time. If he was able to bring a force with him to ambush the headquarters of the Blood-Red Card Artisan Team while they were focusing on Bogner and the others…

Initially, Chen Mu had planned to sneak into the headquarters of the Blood-Red Card Artisan Team with Wei-ah and a few others. Unfortunately, they lacked information at that moment, and it was hardly possible for them to launch an accurate attack. However, things would be different if he had a force under his command. There would be a higher chance for him to create mayhem. He didn’t intend to annihilate the Blood-Red Card Artisan Team. He only needed to cause sufficient chaos. He was positive that a sharp and sensitive person like Bogner was definitely capable of seizing any tiny opportunity.

Chen Mu couldn’t stand watching the rest of them fighting that tough battle on their own. He had to do something for them!

Tai-shu Yong appeared to be enthusiastic. He turned around and dashed off with his fastest speed, as if he wished he had a pair of wings and could fly instead. Seeing Tai-shu Yong’s departure, Chen Mu’s black eyes turned serene and tranquil. He held the two invitations in his hands silently.

“You have improved greatly!” Jie Yanbai said, clearly impressed, when he stepped out of the training room with Xiaobo.

Jie Yanbai seemed relaxed. Aside from some slight perspiration, there seemed to be no hint of weariness. On the other hand, Xiaobo appeared far more exhausted. He was drenched like he had fallen into a lake, with many cuts and slits on his clothes.

“I still have no way to defeat you,” Xiaobo mumbled. Nowadays, he requested to practice with Jie Yanbai whenever he had a chance. He had learned a lot from the tough fight with the card artisan from the Bitter Solitude Temple. Coincidentally, he had come across Jie Yanbai, one of the aces. How could Xiaobo miss a chance like that?

He had always planned to bug Jie Yanbai to make him agree with his request. Unexpectedly, Jie Yanbai agreed with no hesitation. Seeing that, Sang Hanshui, too, joined the practice. Hence, Jie Yanbai took turns to practice with the both of them. However, their capabilities were rather subpar compared to Jie Yanbai’s. They were usually badly defeated.

Jie Yanbai truly acknowledged their diligence and hard work and trained them with all of his effort. What impressed him the most was that their cards, especially Xiaobo’s Wheel, which came as a great surprise to him.

“What is Brother White thinking about?” Jie Yanbai noticed Chen Mu’s entrance, and he walked toward Chen Mu with a grin.

Chen Mu handed him the invitation and said with a calm expression, “Miss Tan invited us to the major evaluation of the Yuzi Military Force. It’s three days from now.”

Jie Yanbai’s expression changed as his two dark brows furrowed slightly.