The Card Apprentice

Chapter 109: Bo Wen

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

Chen Mu shook his head, “I won’t enter.” Perceptual sensitivity training really consumed his spirit, leaving him so utterly exhausted after each practice that he needed to rest. He also knew that if he were too eager with this kind of training, it could influence his progress. His having been able to go from thirty-five to forty-five in such a short time was directly related to his mental state. He put all his energy and concentration into each training, and never just rashly entered into it.

Seeing that his perceptual index hadn’t risen by more than ten points, Chen Mu still felt that there had been a basic change in the nature of his perception. Whether it was in making cards or practicing flight, the change was perfectly clear.

Because of improvements to his perceptual sensitivity, Chen Mu had been able to increase his production of raining shuttles card .II to fifteen a day. His more precise control meant that he was depleting his perception much more slowly, which made him feel that he had been wasting his perception previously with such low efficiency.

Increasing his efficiency also meant that he had more time to increase his strength. He had too many things to practice, and was still at a very deficient level with flying. He wanted to know how card artisans could engage in battle while flying. Chen Mu didn’t think he could do that without a lot more practice.

* * *

Ning Peng stood very respectfully in front of the clan elder, though he couldn’t help taking a glance at the youth beside him all dressed in white. Although he wasn’t too clear, he felt that he knew a little bit about the impressive background of that youth.

The white-dressed youth always had a slight smile on his face and carried himself easily on top of his handsome looks, no doubt a very charming person. Even Ning Peng was enchanted.

The most crucial thing was that he was sitting alongside the clan elder.

The most impressive spot in the clan elder’s house was where those two chairs were arrayed. The clan elder liked to sit to the left when he listened to their reports, and up until then except for his little niece, no one had ever sat in the chair to the right. The young prince in white looked so carefree and unperturbed sitting in that right-hand chair just then.

Lots of things were flashing through Ning Peng’s mind as he stole that look, but he quickly straightened out his thinking to give a concise report about recent events to the best of his ability.

The clan elder of the Ning family was Ning Dong’s father, as well as being Ning Peng’s uncle. He looked very old, likely because he had worked so hard. He said in a deep voice, “Up until now neither Zuo Tingyi or Zuo Tang want anything to do with the affairs of the Zuo family. The Zuo family is no more, and the two of them can’t carry on. Still, for now, it would be better if we didn’t enrage the descendants of the Zuo family.”

“The most critical thing just now is to firmly take the time to stabilize Eastern Shang-Wei City, taking it into our hands in the shortest possible time. In addition, we should be on guard with those who were on the side of the Zuo family, and shouldn’t treat them softly. It wouldn’t be worth getting a knife in our back, so don’t go there.”

“What do you think, Bo Wen?”

The clan elder turned toward the youth dressed in white, which astonished Ning Peng. For him to consult like that with the youth short-circuited his brain.

The youth named Bo Wen hastily bowed, and respectfully said, “You are too polite, uncle. Before I came, father clearly stated that ‘Bo Wen must take his instruction from his uncle.’

The clan elder waved his hand and laughed, “Don’t be polite Bo Wen, you are here as part of this family. It has been evident since you were small how intelligent you are, and that you were bound to help your uncle with advice on everything. Your uncle is old, with a brain that doesn’t work so well. The world now belongs to the young.”

He then pointed smilingly toward Ning Peng, “This is Peng-y. He’s the same generation as Dong-y. You’re all young, and you must tighten your familiarity.” Then he turned toward Ning Peng and bellowed, “Despite his youth, Bo Wen is very sophisticated. You gang of idiots have to learn from others.”

Bo Wen quickly stood to greet Ning Peng. Ning Peng wasn’t angered by what the clan elder had said, and replied merrily, “Bo Wen has a naturally extraordinary bearing, which inevitably causes my envy at first glance. I’m afraid that all the women in the garden will be lining up to knock on his door in the middle of the night.”

The clan elder stared at Ning Peng, and then without any humor said, “There haven’t been any strikes for a few days, and you seem to have adapted.” This scared Ning Peng’s shiny bald head to shrink back, grimacing to himself. Bo Wen was laughing to the side as he watched.

The clan elder restrained his smile, and said in a deep voice, “How many of the raining shuttles card .II have you retrieved?”

There are still three that we haven’t recovered, and those three card artisans have disappeared. We’ve searched all through Amay City and Eastern Shang-Wei City, and found no trace of them.” Ning Peng’s face was bitter, as this was his first time slipping up like that, which he naturally took very badly.

But the clan elder wasn’t blaming him, as he said after consideration, “You shouldn’t hold yourself responsible. With the raining shuttles card .II so squarely hitting the target this time, what person with any mind at all wouldn’t do anything to get one? Who knows how long those missing card artisans had been lurking. It could be a good thing that we found them out.”

Then he smiled coldly, “I don’t believe that their card masters have any more ability than ours. How would it be so easy to copy what the old ones all say can’t be copied? Ha ha, don’t worry, as soon as the raining shuttles card .II is probed, it attacks the equipment and destroys itself. There’s no need to worry about this matter.”

“Ah!” Ning Peng lifted his head in surprise. This was the first he knew of that characteristic of the card. He’d never had any report of that before.

“I only just received the elder’s report. He had gotten one to study, and who would have thought that not only did it destroy his equipment, the raining shuttles card .II was also burned up.” The clan elder spoke casually, glancing at the astonished Ning Peng before commanding, “It looks as though this Chen Mu is certainly a card master from some mysterious school. Find some way to learn his sordid past and see if you can find out where he comes from, and whether there is some master behind him.”

“That guy sure was shrewd, never to have let anyone at the base know that he was the one who had made the raining shuttles card .II, not even showing up for the deals. But you can’t let down your guard. Do everything related to the raining shuttles card .II personally or with Yan-y.

“Once they find out that they can’t crack the card, they won’t give up, but will surely find some way to pin it on Chen Mu. No matter how, you must protect him! You can’t make any mistakes, do you understand?”

“Yes sir!” Ning Peng dipped his head in response.

“Bo Wen then hurriedly said, “Uncle, could I see this card that you are talking about? It’s a pity that I haven’t had the chance to see this card that I had heard so much about. It seems so suited to deployment at scale.”

The clan elder made a sign to Ning Peng with his eyes, and Ning Peng rushed to remove the raining shuttles card .II from his apparatus, and present it to Bo Wen. Not only did Ning Peng have one, but Ning Yan had also gotten one, with not a few of the offspring of the Ning family recently looking for him to get them one.

Bo Wen took the card and put it into the apparatus on his wrist. He lifted his arm and closed his eyes, and the apparatus immediately emitted a misty green light, which gently surrounded it. Bo Wen looked solemn, with a light smile almost visible on his face, which made him look strangely cold, as though his whole body had taken chill.

Ning Peng’s appearance changed. What power!

“It really is a good card! I never knew there were such crouching tigers and hidden dragons in Amay City. I’m afraid that even well-known card masters might not be able to make this card. Six shots a second with an ace able to make seven, and with the power of the green shuttles that it releases pretty good as well. Not hard to handle, and still a three-star card! It really is a good card!” Bo Wen opened his eyes with his face full of praise, while he slowly lowered his right hand with the light glow that had just been there also disappearing. At the same time, the chill also went away.

He pulled the card from his apparatus, and returned it to Ning Peng, and then said to the clan elder with a slight smile, “I have to congratulate my uncle, to have gotten this kind of card which scales so well, I believe that Amay City will grow a level in its power.”

Ning Peng was stupefied when he received the raining shuttles card .II. His mind was a mess, He’d seen everything that Bo Wen had done. Without having to let loose any green shuttles, he could see all its capabilities clearly from his apparatus. What kind of power was that?

His spine had become covered in sweat without his knowing it.

Bo Wen smiled without smiling and looked at Ning Peng deliberately or not.

Having seen it all, the clan elder sighed in relief, and then pushed out a smile, “Don’t make fun of your uncle, Bo Wen, our offspring can’t compare with your father’s.”

“We Ning’s of Amay are basically only a branch of the entire Eastern Ning’s, and we’re all the same family. I’ve gotten a lot of consideration from your father these few years. And nothing has happened all along. We’ll keep only half of these raining shuttles card .IIs, and make a birthday present to your father of the rest, as a gesture of the appreciation of the Amay Ning’s.”

Bo Wen hastily made his thanks, and then said full of gratitude, “My uncle is really too polite now. Father has always said that the only way for us to flourish and be prosperous is that no matter how far flung the Ning family might become we would help one another no matter where we land. Father is familiarly happy that uncle has been able to occupy Eastern Shang-Wei City this time. Uncle should rest assured that if anyone covets Eastern Shang-Wei City or provokes anything, the Eastern Ning’s won’t be standing on the sidelines. We are all one family!”

“Ha Ha, what Bo Wen says is exactly right, we are one family to our roots!” the elder laughed from his resolute old heart, while Bo Wen smiled along with him to his side.

“Bo Wen has a small request, uncle.”

“Bo Wen shouldn’t hesitate to say what is on is mind.”

“Bo Wen would like to see what kind of a person the card master really is who could make this card. And Bo Wen would like to do some research about which school this card master is from, to see if we can help uncle to recognize it.”

The clan elder thought it over for a moment, and very smartly said, “OK! Ah Peng, take Bo Wen for a stroll to the base to see Chen Mu, and join him in feeling out all the details.”

“Yes, sir!” Ning Peng hastily responded, once he had returned to his senses.