The Card Apprentice

Chen Mu’s gaze fell onto the three of them. He recognized Dang Han, of course, but Chen Mu was rather surprised when he saw him so respectfully following the woman wearing the veil. It looked like Dang Han was that mysterious woman’s valet, and even the bronze-masked man’s position seemed higher than his. What was most inconceivable to Chen Mu was that he kept feeling like that woman was familiar. Was it someone he knew?

Chen Mu was inwardly shaking his head since he knew no one in the Heavenly Drum Village District. But why did she look so familiar? When he looked at the veil on the woman’s face, he found it strange that several women seemed to like to wear veils.

But he didn’t want to complicate matters just then, wanting only to take the opportunity to leave. Even Chen Mu himself was a little surprised at what a great impact his words had had on Jin Yin. He didn’t know the dazzling beauty of the Go Cage of One Thousand Cuts kept reappearing in Jin Yin’s dreams and that it had planted a seed of terror in his heart without his knowing it.

Jin Yin wasn’t normally aware of that seed’s existence. When he faced Chen Mu again, though, the seed of terror that had been lurking deep in his heart suddenly burst out and attacked his every nerve.

By comparison, although Dang Han had also been defeated at Chen Mu’s hands, his gaze toward Chen Mu was still powerfully provocative and showed an urge to fight.

The Madam laughed lightly. “This is Mr. Qiao Yuan. You’ve just heard what Mr. Qiao had to say. Mr. Jin Yin lost to him and doesn’t have standing to make a challenge. That’s reasonable; when does a loser ever talk so boldly? I’m sure it would be beneath Mr. Qiao to be without any challenge or difficulty.”

The Madam’s wonderful eyes were smiling and fluid. When she saw Qiao Yuan remaining there expressionlessly like a rock, she couldn’t help but wonder. Judging from his recent performance, Qiao Yuan wasn’t that sort of dullard with words, so why wasn’t he saying anything?

But, since her counterpart didn’t retort, why would that keep her from her own free play? She smiled charmingly and said, “Might this little woman be so bold as to make a proposal? It so happens that among those under me is also a gentleman who was defeated at your hands. Among those two, neither would be the gentleman’s equal, of course. If two of them were to unite, I do believe they might still have the power to fight against one. This little woman feels that a one-on-two battle would suit Mr Qiao’s status and power. I wonder how Mr. Qiao might feel about that.” She didn’t wait for Chen Mu to respond but suddenly turned around and loudly asked the crowd of onlookers, “What does everyone think?”

The crowd was surprised when she said Qiao Yuan should be one against two. Although Qiao Yuan had defeated Jin Yin and Dang Han, he had only beaten Dang Han by a nose. The two were both among the top 100 aces from the Black-Line Star Listing, and to join forces to challenge another ace among the top 100 was quite an unexpected proposal.

But when that mysterious woman suddenly asked them about it, the guys who wished for the entire world to be in chaos were all yelling at the top of their lungs, “Do it!”

The people in front of their fantasy card viewers were unexpectedly pleased. When had there ever been a challenge like that? It was simply like an entertainment program. But the aces who were watching weren’t smiling.

The mysterious woman’s light few words put Chen Mu in the embarrassing position of not being able to get off the tiger he’d started to ride. If he were to retreat, his prestige would plunge, and he would be left with a timid and cowardly reputation. Many of them were wondering what they would do if it were them.

Qiao Yuan kept standing there as though he hadn’t heard. His strange manner quickly drew everyone’s attention. They slowly quieted down, watching him with a lot of curiosity about what he was thinking.

Chen Mu didn’t hear a word of the noise from beyond him. His state of mind was as though he’d been pounded by thunder at the first thing that mysterious woman said. He could never forget that voice for his whole life!

No wonder he felt that woman was a little familiar! He hadn’t thought he would actually know her. It was the mysterious Madam from Faya! Yang An had died at her hands, and she was the first woman Chen Mu had actively wanted to kill! He never thought that when he had deliberately led Qiao Yuan to Faya that time, he actually wouldn’t have killed her!

Everything that woman said was clearly transmitted into Chen Mu’s ears. It was then like his consciousness had been set free, and he had no further reaction. He only felt his mind blowing apart and his blood surging. The qi he was holding back in his chest was becoming more and more powerful—so powerful that every pore in his whole body seemed to be about to explode.

Chen Mu didn’t have many friends, but Yang An had been one of them. Starting from the beginning of their partnership, they had become true friends. Yang An even wanted to give Chen Mu his own son to protect. That was some kind of trust!

Looking at the woman standing in front of him, Chen Mu had a powerful urge to blow her to bits! But he was well-aware that he couldn’t! Right! He couldn’t! Dang Han’s power wasn’t far from his, and the bronze-masked man was certainly not inferior to President Jiao Si among the true top-notch aces of the federation!

He didn’t have the opportunity, and he didn’t wait for him to approach since the first to be blown to bits would be him. He might have a chance if he were to unite with Wei-ah. But Jin Yin was there, along with other people from Constellation, who were certainly hiding in the dark. If Yuchi Bai and Wen were to unite along with the bronze-masked man, probably even Tang Hanpei wouldn’t dare to lightly face their vanguard. Moreover, Bu Mo was still in the training room. In a contest at that level, his own opportunities for survival were pitifully few, but Bu Mo basically couldn’t survive.

On the one side were the lives of himself and his comrades, while on the other, he was determined to avenge his friend. Those two things were contesting like some venomous snake gnawing on Chen Mu’s heart. He felt more oppressed than he ever had, as though some fire in his chest was burning more and more fiercely! The temperature of his blood kept surging higher until it was boiling! His bones were already cherry-red! Every nerve was scorched, and his body was trembling out of control.

But his expression remained strangely calm—so calm that there was no fluctuation, like a pool of dead water. With no spark and no focus, his pupils were vacant!

If Copper were there, he would certainly understand that Chen Mu was enraged! Utterly enraged! The more enraged he got, the calmer his face became. It was almost scary. Too bad the mysterious Madam, Dang Han, and Jin Yin didn’t know. Even Lin Yao and Ah Sang, who were standing beside Chen Mu, didn’t know.

Chen Mu didn’t dare to move. His reason told him that the slightest movement could possibly cause that ball of anger, which had already swelled to the limit, to detonate, and he might lose his sanity and recklessly launch an attack at that damned woman!

Behind those vacant eyes was hidden a rage to fill the skies and an incredibly intense desire to kill.

Right! I can’t kill you! But I still want you to taste humiliation and hatred!

The crowd, which had been silent for so long, then finally heard Qiao Yuan say something. His deep voice stirred up a kind of heart-pounding power. “Your proposal is fine. But for me to fight one against two, how could there not be some kind of incentive?”

“Incentive?” The mysterious Madam was taken aback but immediately laughed to say, “Interesting. Let’s hear what sort of incentive you’d like.”

“I’d like you to do something.”

“Oh, what? It won’t do if it’s too outrageous.” The mysterious Madam smiled charmingly, which caused a ripple in everyone’s state of mind. “If you want someone to take off her clothes in front of everyone, wouldn’t they have suffered a great loss? Or, if you want someone to sleep with you, that would also be a great loss.”

“A kiss in front of everyone. That’s not so outrageous.” Chen Mu’s tone was increasingly calm, as though he were describing a totally unrelated matter.

“How bold!” The bronze-masked man was enraged and took a step forward. A bout of terrifying power flooded the field. It felt like a bitingly cold wintery wave had suddenly descended.

All of the card artisans’ faces changed dramatically. Under such terrifying pressure, the ordinary people went soft in the legs and fell, ashen-faced, to sit on the ground. Things got chaotic on the field with the sounds of screaming and crying mixed together. Then, the card artisans who had been rather close to the three of them desperately moved back as though jolted. In the blink of an eye, it was empty around them.

The bronze-masked man was staring ferociously at Chen Mu, full of desire to kill. Right in the middle of the storm, Chen Mu was as calm as ever.

“What? You don’t dare?” His voice was indifferent and had no hint of emotional color. But it was just that emotionless and colorless voice that made the mysterious Madam feel that Qiao Yuan was being strongly sarcastic.

She raised her hand to block the bronze-masked man, who nearly stormed off, keeping her tone cool. “Fine. But if you lose, you will be my slave from now on!”

“Fine.” Still that indifferent voice. The woman behind the veil was seeming to hear a sense of resolve, and she suddenly had some regret. But the matter just then had already gone beyond turning around, and she had no way to retreat under the gaze of the crowd. Moreover, she didn’t believe Qiao Yuan could truly go one against two!

The bronze-masked man didn’t believe it either, and he said with a cold smile, “He will lose!”

The mysterious Madam called Dang Han over and stared at him coldly. “There will be a big reward if you win this battle. If you lose, you die!”

Dang Han trembled. “Don’t fret, Madam!”

The chaotic crowd then resumed their calm, though no one dared to say anything else, and no one was having fun. Everyone knew the battle to come would be an extremely cruel battle to the death!

Everyone in front of the fantasy card viewers was also holding their breath, not wanting to blink for fear of missing a single detail.

Chen Mu stood there expressionlessly. The anger he was so strongly repressing left his brain oddly relaxed. That was an incredibly strange kind of attitude. His body was extremely hot, which even made him feel as though he were burning up. All of his blood was nearly boiling, and every bone and every nerve was so full of desire for release that he was shaking with the urge to fight!

He could clearly feel his own craze. His brain was a ball of ice wrapped up in flames, very calm and very clearly reflecting the burning heat!

The woman behind the veil suddenly discovered that Qiao Yuan’s empty eyes had undergone a shocking transformation. They were like a thatch of incredibly dry grass where a match had been dropped.

They were burning!