The Card Apprentice

Stunned to see the excited Chen Mu, Copper poked some fun, “I hardly see you so positive as this,” then clucking his cheek, “Is it a girl?” although he immediately felt the absurdity of talking like that, “You blockhead, I guess there isn’t any girl who would look at you.”

The ridiculous smile that Chen Mu gave Copper showed that he didn’t mind. Girls? He had never considered it. He knew that he and Copper had the same attitude on that point. How would a couple of poor kids like them ever attract any girls’ favor?

Although Chen Mu was anxious to be able to sell the play right away, he still hadn’t gotten into the situation with Copper, and Copper could handle those things himself.

After not more than a half hour, Copper returned and before he even entered the door was heard to excitedly shout, “Blockhead, Blockhead! Get to work! Get to work! Ha! We’ve hit it again!”

As soon as Copper got to those small shops, he was surrounded by the shopkeepers who had been anxiously waiting for him.

Card plays, they need the card play! They were waving money at him, all of them hoarse!

Chen Mu already knew the ropes when it came to making “Chance Encounter,” and he very deftly picked up some materials and immediately went to work.

He brought some special energy to the card making that time, since in his eyes, those unfinished card plays all looked like heaps upon heaps of raw materials ready to go. Hey, this pen stroke would mean a chunk of chen stone, and with a little more, haha, some yellow worm meal . . .

Under the light, Chen Mu’s two eyes were really dazed, struggling to finish the cards in front of him. Behind him, Copper was drinking Blue Cloud Flowing Water, and languidly humming a folk tune, dignified as a supervisor.

They had ordered a large quantity of materials that time, and from all those one hundred sets, their profits would be a full 750,000, which worked out to each of them splitting out over 350,000.

Oh happy life! Copper raised a bottle of Blue Cloud Flowing Water, and sipped a mouthful with satisfaction, glancing at Chen Mu bent over his scribbling with his heart swelled in happiness.

Selling two hundred sets to one school far surpassed his estimates. The world sure is full of rich people! But he also knew that kind of volume would soon peak, and so he decided that after selling off those hundred sets, they wouldn’t make any more of “Chance Encounter.”

As long as they could maintain the high demand for “Chance Encounter” by limiting the supply, and as long as they kept up the quality, when the next installment came out, they won’t have any trouble with sales.

It looked as though the time had come to prepare the next episode, Copper pensively contemplated as he drank the Blue Cloud Flowing Water.

* * *

Zuo Tingyi was watching yet another smoking apparatus and card play, and could only sigh. He had just bought the current test sample of “Chance Encounter.” As of then, the price for a set had gone up to 25,000, and based on what some shopkeepers were saying, the producers had already announced that it would be the final release. The prices would skyrocket from the stimulus of that announcement.

As far as the fanatical female students were concerned, one hundred sets were too few to even mention, and the price that Zuo Tingyi would now pay for the “Chance Encounter” that he had acquired was already 30,000 Oudi. Although as far as he was concerned, that was still small change not even worth mentioning. Never mind 30,000, even if it were 300,000 he would buy it without any hesitation. He had also bought an extra copy for his younger sister, to make up for the “Chance Encounter” of hers that he had destroyed.

Due to the timely appearance of those 100 sets of “Chance Encounter,” on top of the matter of that destruction of the school’s equipment, the school’s crestfallen cracking group dissolved. The affair had become the most sensational piece of news of the year at Eastern Wei Academy.

But Zuo Tingyi hadn’t given up.

He couldn’t believe that he could be stumped by a trifling one-star fantasy card. Although that last incident when his equipment was destroyed left him feeling helpless, he was evidently not planning to let it go for that. It was humiliating that someone who could make a three-star fantasy card couldn’t decipher a one-star fantasy card.

He would have dropped it if his adversary were some respected master, but he hadn’t even heard of this insignificant adversary’s vulgar name. “Blockhead!”

Zuo Tingyi’s face which had always been handsome and bright was now furrowed like a prune.

Was this really a one-star fantasy card? He couldn’t make any sense of how this little one-star fantasy card could have such destructive power. He had already written off eleven pieces of equipment from his lab, bringing his losses beyond one hundred and fifty million Oudi. Those one-star fantasy cards were like a crack troop of hyper sensitive creatures who would fight to the death when they felt threatened.

That really was a diabolical fantasy card!

It had already exceeded anything that he could understand, and he had gotten to the place where he deemed it necessary to look for help. There were still quite a few outstanding card masters in his household, and they must be able to give him some help deciphering its profound secrets.

Zuo Tingyi took the remaining few one-star fantasy cards and made ready to go in search of some top card master. Still, while his card making skills weren’t the most fabulous, he was without a doubt the most learned and erudite in the household.

As he was leaving the lab, a servant who had promptly run over was already waiting outside.

“Young master, the master would like to see you in his library.”

Zuo Tingyi was surprised. The library? That was where his father received important people, and Zuo Tingyi had rarely been allowed inside. It seemed that it must be some very important matter for his father to seek him out like that.

Zuo Tingyi arranged his clothes and drew a breath outside the library, before knocking on its door.

“Come in.” came the deep voice from within.

Pushing open the door, Zuo Tingyi entered the library.

“You’ve come.” Zuo Tianlin didn’t change his expression, with only a slight lift to the furrows on his brow to show some fleeting tender feelings. Zuo Tianlin had a grave look and imposing bearing, sitting there as staid as a small mountain, with an imperturbable manner.

“Yes, father.” Zuo Tingyi dipped his head in respect. Although he only had a glimpse, his father’s greying temples caught his attention, and for no reason, his heart soured a bit.

Zuo Tianlin was sitting in front of the library desk, and sizing up his son, and only opened his mouth after a while. “Star Academy has begun an exchange with your school.”

“Yes, it’s already been two months since their arrival.” Zuo Tingyi answered factually, thinking it a little strange, while knowing that his father would have more to say.

Zuo Tianlin seemed to be pondering some issue. After a few minutes, he lifted his head and asked, “What do you think about this matter?”

Although Zuo Tingyi was still inexperienced, he was quite intelligent, and his father’s manner of questioning got his attention.

Zuo Tianlin’s gaze remained brightly on his son.

Zuo Tingyi then understood that there was must be some sort of story there, and after consideration said, “Given the strength of Star Academy’s position, it is certainly somewhat unusual for them to initiate an exchange with our school.” He snapped his head up showing some apprehension on his face. “What father is saying . . . they have an agenda? But . . . what does Eastern Wei Academy have that would merit such a plot?”