The Card Apprentice

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

The second young master, Tai-shu Shen, had a thin-looking face and eyes that were slightly sunken in, which was unsettling. His eyes were keen and sharp, though. Beside him stood a man who looked like a tower. Chen Mu guessed it was Ba Luojia, whose body was huge and strong. His eyes seemed to always be half-shut, and he was wearing simple clothes with his feet bare. No wonder someone would guess he had come from the Bitter Solitude Temple.

The Bitter Solitude Temple was known for its harshness when it came to card artisan training. They trained really hard in secret and favored clothes that weren't flashy. Among the Big Six, they were the most low-profile and secretive group.

Ba Luojia opened his eyes abruptly and stared at Chen Mu. The white mask on Chen Mu's face stood out among the group of people. Tai-shu Shen snorted coldly. "Such arrogance from third brother's White Commander. We are not at a masquerade ball, so is there really a need to hide your appearance?"

Tai-shu Cheng pretended to be startled. "Oh, was tonight's party hosted by second brother? I thought big brother was the host!"

A slight unpleasantness flashed through Tai-shu Zheng's eyes, but he smiled as he spoke. "Ha ha. Could it be that third brother is dissatisfied with me? Come; why are we standing here? Let's go get a drink!"

Tai-shu Shen's face turned expressionless, and his eyes bared incredible atrocity. He put on a false smile and said, "It seems our third brother has improved a lot. Ha ha!"

Tai-shu Cheng was not irritated by that. He said calmly, "Jia Jia, this is the White Commander's first time here. Please accompany him."

"Okay," Xu Jia answered softly as she bowed to Tai-shu Zheng and Tai-shu Shen. She then took Chen Mu by his arm and left. Huo Jiang kept staring at Xu Jia's back with a fiery gaze until the both of them were gone.

Xu Jia leaned her body really close to Chen Mu's arm in such a way that strangers would definitely believe they were a couple. Xu Jia, who was in her evening dress, looked absolutely gorgeous. Chen Mu, however, had not changed his clothes. The ordinary cloth he wore was especially garish at that high-class evening party. It didn't help that he also wore a pure-white mask and that the two black lines zigzagging vertically across it were soul-stirring.

They were an extremely contrasting group of two. By right, Chen Mu's attire was nondescript, yet there was no feeling of discomfort from him. He was happy and contented, which made Xu Jia admire him.

"How is it?" Xu Jia asked softly, moving her red lips while smiling and nodding to the people she knew.

"Very boring." Chen Mu gave an objective evaluation. Actually, he wanted to add that his arm was rather tired. Xu Jia leaned herself so close to Chen Mu and held his arm so tightly that it made him uncomfortable. With his already-sharp six sensory inputs, the warmth and softness he felt on his arm and the light, elegant smell of the perfume the beauty was wearing had him extraordinarily nervous!

His mind was blank. He had no idea what to do with the situation he was in, so he could only pretend to look calm. He didn't dare to even slightly move the arm held by Xu Jia but instead decided to control his muscle, so his left arm could constantly be in a bent shape. However, to maintain such a precise position for a long time could consume a lot of his stamina. Chen Mu felt grateful that he had trained with Wei-ah. Otherwise, wouldn't his arm have been gone by now?

Xu Jia smiled softly. "This is indeed boring. That's why I don't attend this kind of dinner party often. Moreover, look at those men's eyes; they want a piece of me so desperately."

Upon seeing the beautiful smile on her face, he felt a little scared. A woman could smile so beautifully at you but could be so scornful of others around her at the same time. Chen Mu rationally refrained from replying.

Xu Jia glanced at Chen Mu with a faint smile. Suddenly, she leaned herself toward Chen Mu's ear and said, "You are a very honorable man. You took no advantage of me. But you can relax a little. Ha ha! No need to be this nervous."

Her warm breath blew into Chen Mu's ear and made him blush instantly. She had actually noticed his anxiousness. But he was not an inexperienced man, so he immediately relaxed after what she said. He smiled and said, "Okay. Can you not hold my hand so tightly? That way, I won't be as tired."

From an outsider's perspective, those two were as close as a flirting couple.

Xu Jia's attractiveness was similar to that of a shining pearl. Unlike the other girls, who were just beautiful on the outside, what she had was the skillful knowledge of a professional female and the calm demeanor of a mature woman. Those traits attracted a lot of attention to her wherever she walked.

Luo De and Jiang Yu were talking to one another by themselves. "These people are so annoying. They keep coming like a bunch of flies, and I can't keep them away," Luo De said in disdain. He was the eldest son of the second generation of the Luo family and also the heir to be the next generation's head of the household. As for Jiang Yu, he was the heir of Jiang family. They were undoubtedly the greatest influencers and had the most charisma among the second generation of Dongrui.

Jiang Yu shook his wine gently and said casually, "You're the one who dragged me to this sh***y dinner party. I don't understand; what benefit did the useless Tai-shu Zheng give you that you would so eagerly attend this kind of rubbish event?"

Luo De answered with smile, "No way. Isn't the relationship between the Jiang family and the Tai-shu family quite good? Isn't your younger sister good friends with the young girl from the Tai-shu family?"

"What has it got to do with me?" Jiang Yu snorted coldly and said, "I don't know what's going through my dad's mind to treat Tai-shu Cheng so well. To me, there's no need to acknowledge any of the three guys in the Tai-shu family. The Tai-shu family must be dreaming if they are relying on these three to restore their heyday."

"Ha ha. Indeed. What's it got to do with us?" Luo De said. "Hey, I heard Tai-shu Cheng's secretary, Xu Jia, might be here as well."

"Xu Jia?" Jiang Yu looked at Luo De in suspicion. "Are you trying to nail her? I would advise you not to! Even Tai-shu Cheng didn't nail her but instead treats her like a precious gem. You should stop thinking of even touching her."

Luo De stared at Jiang Yu in dissatisfaction. "Am I that useless to you? I'm just here to see the Xu Jia who was said to be extremely gorgeous and elegant. By the way, you definitely won't believe whom else Tai-shu Zheng invited! That guy must have cried and begged to come!"

"Whom else did he invite?" Jiang Yu was intrigued by Luo De's words.

"Ha ha! I won't say it. You will find out when the time comes." Luo De kept laughing at Jiang Yu.

"This laughter of yours disgusts me!" Jiang Yu said with contempt.

An energetic voice suddenly intervened. "What are you two talking about?"

They were shocked. Who had dared to disturb them again? Just when they were about to get angry, they turned and saw who was standing in front of them and shoved their swear words immediately back into their throats.

Luo De's face was filled with smiles. "Uncle Rong, why are you here?"

Jiang Yu also reacted and said respectfully, "Uncle Rong, you scared me."

The two fearless fellows were scared when they saw Rong Ming. Actually, it was not just them; Tiger Rong was undoubtedly infamous among the second generation of Dongrui!

There were so many naughty and stubborn people in the second generation of Dongrui that even their parents had constant migraines over them. One day, with someone's suggestion, those heads of households had hired Rong Ming to discipline them. Rong Ming had simply agreed and had immediately enrolled them into the guards division. He trained them personally every day.

Almost all of the kids of the second generation had suffered in the hands of Rong Ming. They hated that guards division chief as much as they were scared of him. Some of those who held grudges against him had gathered the card artisan guards in their houses, wanting to teach Rong Ming a lesson.

Rong Ming had displayed his level-seven perception in that occasion. He had unsurprisingly given all of the card artisans hell and had sent them to jail for a few months. Even the second-generation kids who had gathered them had been brutally tortured for a few months. Their agonizing looks had made everyone in the second generation suck in a breath of cold air.

Since then, these arrogant second-generation kids had started to obey Rong Ming wholeheartedly. The crime rate of Dongrui had also plummeted.

Rong Ming's attire was that of the guards division. He held a glass of red wine and smiled at those two. When Luo De and Jiang Yu saw his smile, they shuddered.

"I saw you guys chatting happily, so I came here to join the fun."

As the three gathered, the guests around them could not stop looking their way. Their gazes were filled with ferocity. Those three crucial people were actually attending that dinner party! Everyone was figuring out how to befriend them. If they could at least get to know one of them, they would have gained a lot tonight!

Luo De's reaction was quick as he answered, "Oh. We were wondering who was going to come tonight."

"Yes! Yes!" Jiang Yu furiously nodded in agreement.

A hint of suspicion flashed across Rong Ming's eyes. He smiled as he said, "Oh. Tell me, then; who will be coming tonight?"

Jiang Yu threw Luo De a look, to which the latter understood and said in a mysterious manner, "Uncle Rong, I made a great effort to find out this news. That old guy Tai-shu Zheng…" Realizing he was not supposed to say that, he glanced at Rong Ming, only relieved upon noticing how he did not seem to mind. "Tai-shu Zheng has made a lot of effort for tonight's party!"

Seeing how he was still keeping people guessing, Jiang Yu wanted so badly to slam his shoe into Luo De's face. He scolded in his mind, You are playing with fire in front of Tiger Rong! Do you want to f****ng die?

Rong Ming, however, didn't seem to mind. Instead, he pretended to be interested and asked, "Whom did Tai-shu Zheng invite with his great effort?"

Luo De smiled at Jiang Yu, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, and almost made him faint. Only then did Luo De lower his voice. "Ha ha! You won't be able to guess! Tan Yumin! Tai-shu Zheng invited Tan Yumin!"

"Oh…" Rong Ming was disappointed. He knew Tan Yumin; she was a famous celebrity. But why would a card artisan like him be interested in a small celebrity?

Jiang Yu appeared sluggish with both of his eyes fixed. Luo De looked at Jiang Yu and couldn't stop laughing at him. He had already known that would be Jiang Yu's expression because Jiang Yu was Tan Yumin's most hardcore fan!

Jiang Yu then screeched in anger and grabbed Luo De by his collar. "Luo De, you pig! Why didn't you tell me about such an important matter until now?" In his anger, Jiang Yu actually forgot Rong Ming was standing right there.

"Ha ha! I just knew you couldn't handle the overwhelming news!" Luo De said in a proud manner.

While Luo De was busy flattering himself, he looked behind the shoulders of Jiang Yu. His expression then froze, and his whole body was rooted to the ground as if his soul had suddenly been taken out of him.