The Card Apprentice

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Thinking about it, Chen Mu was a little entranced. Remembering he had killed a person in broad daylight without hesitating, he felt that his heart was getting harder and harder. Although he'd previously gone through bold and ruthless battles, compared to now, those were just playing around.

He didn't feel the least bit satisfied, and he couldn't hold back an inexplicable sigh. That was left behind from the high-intensity battling of the past few days, where his moves had gone after the greatest lethality! As he thought about it now, it made him rather uncomfortable.

Ah Sang was cautiously attending to him by his side. At the beginning, she had thought that ugly man wasn't more than an ordinary ace. She now knew he was a first-rate ace who could be on the Black-Line Star Listing, so her anxiety was hard to avoid.

When she heard Chen Mu suddenly sigh, it surprised her. Her gaze through her veil fell onto Chen Mu's face. It was still the same strangely ugly face, though it looked a lot more pleasing. His face seemed immersed in emotion. That was an expression that would only be seen on those who had been through a lot of twists and turns in their lives, like her father, who showed it on his face.

Although the ugly man looked like he had gone through some vicissitudes, he still didn't appear older than 30 or so. One of her cousins, who was already 35, had only been eating and drinking merrily until then. What had he really experienced?

Ah Sang was curious. Not wanting to attract the ugly man's attention, however, she was careful with her gaze, presenting a respectful attitude.

Chen Mu's thoughts quickly turned to the most recent action. Before he had left, Bogner had told him over and over that he would have to gain a certain reputation before he got to the Tai-shu household. Otherwise, how could he expose Mo Ta dying by his hand?

From the news Bogner and Xi Ping had revealed, Constellation was already entangled with Moon Frost Island. Bogner and Xi Ping hadn't made any substantial progress about what Constellation's goal was. But, since Constellation's object was Moon Frost Island, it wasn't going to be easy to face their challenge.

Moreover, if the Black-Line Star Listing was really the gold standard Brenton said it was, the reputation to be gotten from killing an ace on the listing would be a lot bigger and more effective than doing anything else. That was Chen Mu's own understanding.

Bogner had also proposed another way: to challenge an established ace to a battle! Maybe he should go ahead and ask how many established aces there were in Zargan. Thinking of that, he raised his head and asked Ah Sang, "Who is the most famous and powerful among the card artisans in Zargan?"

"The most famous and powerful?" Ah Sang's heart skipped a beat, wondering what to do.

"Mmmm." Seeming to have felt Ah Sang's hesitancy, Chen Mu's gaze turned to her veil.

Once she contacted Chen Mu's gaze, Ah Sang's heart skipped another beat. She rushed to say, "There really aren't any awesome card artisans in Zargan—certainly not such a Black-Line Star Listing ace as yourself." Facing the ugly Qiao Yuan's every expressionless look, Ah Sang felt still more flustered, hurriedly saying, "Still, if you want to talk about the most awesome, it should be Yuan Linghai. He's on the executive board of the Zargan Card Artisan Association. He once served as the Southern Star Firm's security officer and is 32 this year, right at his peak. Two years ago, he established a small, private card artisan training camp. His students are fairly powerful and are basically serving in the major firms of Zargan."

"Yuan Linghai!" Chen Mu lightly murmured.

To challenge some unknown card artisan to fight wasn't something he had ever done before. However, it had already been decided; apart from his slightly self-mocking sneer, he felt no hesitancy.

What does he really want to do? Ah Sang suddenly felt an ominous foreboding.

"Give me his address," Chen Mu said bluntly.

"Wha… What are you thinking of doing?" Ah Sang had long since lost her normal, easy-going elegance and stammered her question carefully.

"Have a fight with him." Chen Mu was as expressionless as ever. The disguise on his face could cover his expression to a great degree. As far as any outsider could tell, he was always in an expressionless state. Sue Lochiro had made an elaborate disguise, and Chen Mu's whole body was covered in that disguise to prevent any mistakes.

For the first time, Ah Sang felt as though her brain had short-circuited. "F-f-fight with him? Why do you want to do that?"

"The meaning of life is to fight." Chen Mu tossed the phrase out lightly as his gaze went fervid and far away.

That damned Bogner. The lines he had planned out were so rotten! The worst part had been having to practice them so many times over. Why hadn't he felt it before? Once he said it, he immediately felt goosebumps all over. Then, not only did he have to deadpan, but he had to imagine a plate of extremely fragrant stewed chicken placed in front of him. According to Bogner, that was the sort of gaze that would be sufficiently fervid and would make a suitable image for a card artisan keen to fight.

Ah Sang shivered, but she immediately realized there was still another issue. She asked pitifully, "What about me? What am I to do?" She really wanted to remind Chen Mu that she had to spend 100 million on him each day, but she didn't dare. By then, Chen Mu was the only blade of grass she could hold onto to save her life, and she didn't want to anger him.

Moreover, counting on that evil gang on the Black-Line Star Listing compelled her to comply with its trading rules. It wasn't reliable to count on them having good dispositions. They certainly weren't businesspeople; they were evil people who killed without blinking.

"You?" Chen Mu remembered he was still employed by her and thought it over before saying, "You'll be by my side."

"Oh." Ah Sang obediently nodded, not having the right to discuss terms with him. It was a good thing she wasn't asking for much, other than for him to get her through those ten days.

"Let's go." Chen Mu got up.

"Where to?" Ah Sang was once again flabbergasted.

Chen Mu gave Ah Sang a strange look, finding it odd that she would ask such a simple question. He then said as though it were obvious, "Take me to find Yuan Linghai."

"Now?" Ah Sang wondered if she were hearing things.

Zargan wasn't very big. The news of the second princeling of the Southern Star Firm, Miao Xuan, eating crow that day at the Chichi Trading Firm had quickly spread across the entire city. It became the biggest topic for table-talk.

The several scions of the Miao family had been riding roughshod over Zargan for many years by then, and that was their first time to take a fall. It was said that one of Miao Xuan's guards had died on the field. The most inconceivable thing was that the always-domineering second princeling Miao Xuan didn't even toss off any nasty words, and there was no sign of activity at the Southern Star Firm.

The Chichi Trading Firm would only be considered a mid-level firm in Zargan out of several dozen. Without the assistance of a strongman, the Chichi Trading Firm would have been doomed that time.

Quite a few people were guessing that the one who had been able to make Miao Xuan take a fall must have been some kind of wizard.

* * *

On Bald Mountain Street in Zargan:

Duan Fu had a black eye and a somewhat abstracted facial structure that was hard for people to understand. His back was ramrod-straight, and he was in high spirits. Walking along the road and full of manly vigor, he looked around in a satisfied, proud manner.

Thinking of that battle just then at the firm, he couldn't help but smile in exultation. Man, he really was a great star to have invited some random person on the street who turned out to be an ace from the Black-Line Star Listing! Such legendary personages could normally only be seen on the viewing platforms.

Tsk, tsk. People really couldn't judge others by their looks. That guy was about as old as he was, but how could he be that good? Duan Fu felt happy.

The young master of the firm had just boasted about him, and of course he was rewarded more richly than ever before. Being credited for that, perhaps he could be promoted to security officer by the time the affair had quieted down!

Still, every time his gaze made contact with that body, which wouldn't even be considered sturdy, he would feel an inexplicable chill.

That was one out-and-out killing devil! A piece of flesh had spattered onto his face, and he had nearly vomited on the spot. But he was a quick-witted person and knew he would have to restrain himself no matter what. So, only after everything was settled did he run to the washroom to puke to the point that he was vomiting bile. His mouth still felt bitter from it.

Damn! He ventured to pledge that he had never seen such savagery! He himself hadn't been able to help but shrink back from the danger—no wonder that guy would be able to join the Black-Line Star Listing. Based alone on his imposing manner of killing without blinking, he was no ordinary person.

He then saw Chen Mu walking ahead of him out of the corner of his eye and felt bewildered again. What was he doing running over here now? The young master was anxiously accompanying him. He knew the young master had always been happy-go-lucky. If it weren't for her father having gotten sick, she wouldn't even normally go out.

He suddenly perked up his ears. The young master was saying something to that ugly man.

"It's said that when Yuan Linghai was young, he was ambitious, always wanting to be admitted to Moon Frost Island. You must know Moon Frost Island prefers to admit female students, and they give two out of three places to women each year. Yuan Linghai missed by the slightest weakness. Who would have thought Yuan Linghai would work still harder, shortly thereafter making something of a name for himself around here?

"The thing that really established his name was being recruited by the Southern Star Firm to be their security officer, where he beat all his opponents as a dark horse in the competition for the position. He is a ruthless, fierce person, ungenerous with his feelings, and easily provoked. If anyone were the least bit off to him that year, they would end up miserable. With the Southern Star Firm backing him, he became still more savage. When he went off on a job, he would never leave anyone alive."

Ah Sang gave a full-spirited introduction, obviously having deep attainments in getting news via the grapevine. However, she suddenly thought that, speaking of savage, it seemed like the one beside her could be…

She quickly ended her introduction, stopping at the same time and raising her head. A hint of excitement was faintly revealed from beneath her veil.

"We're here! This is the place!"