The Mysterious Card Maker: Starting with Zhang Jiao's Deification

The door opened, and several people strode in, led by a middle-aged man in a dark uniform.

Behind him were two young men in the same uniform, their hands warily placed on their wallets at their waists, ready to deal with any emergencies.

The middle-aged man stood at the doorway, looking at the scene inside, which was now a mess, with traces of battle everywhere. Several dark red fragments, resembling armor, remained on the ground, rapidly dissipating at a visible speed.

"The Card Masters Association!" He glanced around, seemingly searching for something.

"Team Leader Wei, what brings you here?" Lin Fan recognized the man as Wei Mingyao from the Card Association's Inspection Team Two, whom he had met in the card-making room before.

When Wei Ming saw Qin Muyao and Lin Fan, he was visibly taken aback. "What are you two doing here?"

"My surname is Qin, isn't it normal for me to appear in the Qin Group?" Qin Muyao said.

"So you're Miss Qin!" Wei Ming realized, and then said, "Miss Qin, have you ever met a card maker named Zhang Li?"

"Zhang Li! Do you know that card maker from the All Souls Society?" Qin Muyao frowned slightly, her tone becoming somewhat subtle.

"You've all seen him. We've been looking for him for three months."

Hearing this, Qin Muyao breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to the dissipating dark red light, and slowly said, "You're too late. He's already dead."

Wei Ming looked at the dark red dot of light, then at Zhang Fei behind Qin Muyao. "This is the Zhang Fei we created earlier, right? You relied on him to kill Zhang Liyao?"

Before Qin Muyao could speak, Zhang Fei slung the spear over his shoulder and spoke first, "I'm not greedy for credit. If it weren't for the old Taoist priest, I wouldn't have been able to deal with those five unkillable devils."

"Old Taoist? What old Taoist is there?" Wei Ming looked around in confusion.

Zhang Fei was about to speak when Qin Muyao glared at him, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth.

Seeing this, Lin Fan took out the [Great Teacher Zhang Jiao] from his pocket and waved it in front of Wei Ming. The phantom of the yellow-robed Taoist flashed across the card.

Wei Ming's gaze lingered on the card for a moment, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glint in his eyes, before he resumed his businesslike demeanor. He sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "All for nothing. The trail has gone completely cold now."

"Team Leader Wei, what's going on?" Lin Fan asked upon seeing the situation.

Wei Ming was silent for a moment, then took out a small notebook from his pocket, flipped through a few pages, and handed it to Lin Fan. The notebook was filled with names and numbers, with dates marked next to them.

"Zhang Li, real name unknown, started operating in Jiang City three months ago. On the surface, he is an independent card maker, specializing in custom-made cards for wealthy businessmen and celebrities." Wei Ming pointed to the records in the notebook, "But in reality, he is a 'guide' for the All Souls Society."

"The guide?" Lin Fan asked.

"He's in charge of recruiting people to join." Wei Ming glanced at him. "According to our investigation, at least seven wealthy businessmen in Jiang City have contacted Zhang Li in the past three months, and his appearance here today is probably also an attempt to get the Qin Group involved."

Qin Muyao's face turned even uglier. If she hadn't been scared by the card maker the old man had found, she wouldn't have sought out Lin Fan to make cards in advance. She would have really been attracted to Zhang Li's cards, since the card spirit looked quite human.

"So his appearance was a setup from the very beginning!"

"Yes." Wei Ming nodded. "It's a pity he's dead. We couldn't uncover the All Souls Society hiding behind him."

Wei Ming seemed to have thought of something, his eyes lighting up. "Miss Qin, how did you get in touch with Zhang Li? Maybe this is a clue."

Qin Muyao pouted, "Yes, it was Grandpa who introduced us."

Wei Ming looked in the direction Qin was walking slowly toward him.

"Old Master Qin, Second Master Qin," Wei Ming said first.

Old Master Qin nodded: "You're here to see Zhang Li, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Qin, Miss Qin said that you brought Zhang Li here. How did you meet him?" Wei Ming asked directly.

After a few seconds of silence, Old Master Qin slowly spoke: "He was the one who approached me."

"He came to see you?"

"About two weeks ago, someone contacted me and said there was a card maker who could make a humanoid card that met Mu Yao's needs. I inquired about it and found that Zhang Li is indeed quite famous in the industry."

He paused and continued, "Just then, this girl escaped from the monster tide, almost losing her life in there. I thought I'd help her get some cards for self-defense."

"Old Qin, who is the person you mentioned who delivered the message to you?" Wei Ming pressed.

Old Master Qin pondered for a moment, then looked at Qin Chuan: "Do you remember that person from last time? The chairman of that foundation."

Qin Chuan thought for a moment: "It seems to be called Zhao Zhong."

"Zhao Zhong?" Wei Ming's pupils contracted. "Zhao Zhongyao, chairman of the New World Foundation?"

"Yes, it's him." Qin Chuan nodded. "He contacted me before, saying he knew a very skilled card maker. I didn't pay much attention at the time, since it was always Grandpa who was in charge of finding cards for Mu Yao."

Wei Ming's expression turned serious. He quickly flipped through the small notebook in his hand, finally stopping at one page where a name was written: Zhao Zhong!

He read it aloud, as if digesting the information, "Three months ago, Zhang Li first appeared in Jiang City to attend a dinner hosted by the New World Foundation."

Old Master Qin's gaze darkened: "You mean, there's something wrong with this foundation?"

"It's not certain yet." Wei Ming closed his notebook, his tone cautious. "But at least it shows that he has a connection with Zhang Li. As for the extent of their familiarity, we'll have to wait for further investigation. Either he's also a member of the All Souls Society, or he's being used."

Old Master Qin waved his hand: "Whether you investigate or not is your Card Association's business. I only care about one thing: are there any other 'recruiters' like this?"

Wei Ming paused for a moment before answering truthfully: "It's hard to say. Zhang Li has been active in Jiang City for three months and has come into contact with far more people than just these few. The list we have so far is probably just the tip of the iceberg."

Old Master Qin's expression turned even uglier.

"But don't worry," Wei Ming added, "we will strengthen the protection of the Qin Group. With Zhang Li dead, the Wanling Society should not take any further action in the short term."

"should?"

Wei Ming smiled wryly: "Elder Qin, the people of the All Souls Society act in a secretive manner, and I..."

"Alright." Old Master Qin raised his hand to interrupt him. "If there's any news, let me know in advance."

Wei Ming nodded, put away his notebook, and said, "Then, Elder Qin, I'll go and handle the aftermath first."

Old Master Qin waved his hand.

Wei Ming turned around and led two members of the Card Association out of the testing area. Their footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor and eventually disappeared.

Old Master Qin stood there, staring at the closed door, remaining silent for a long while before slowly speaking: "The All-Spirit Society... what exactly are these lunatics trying to do?"

Qin Chuan stepped forward and asked softly, "Dad, that Zhao Zhong... should we send someone to keep an eye on him?"

After pondering for a moment, Old Master Qin shook his head: "No need. The Card Association will investigate. Our involvement would only get in the way."

Qin Chuan nodded: "Understood."

Grandpa Qin then turned around and looked at Lin Fan and Qin Muyao.

"Xiao Fan," Old Master Qin said, his tone much gentler, "thank you for saving Mu Yao twice today. The Qin family will remember this favor."

He took a card from his pocket and handed it to Lin Fan: "This is a small token of my appreciation."

It was a blank card.

But Lin Fan could tell at a glance that this blank card was different from those sold on the market. A faint silver light flowed across the surface of the card, like some kind of ancient sealing rune.

Lin Fan's hand trembled slightly as he took the card. It was a blank domain card, one he had seen in the Card Makers Association's journal. It was a card specifically designed to carry architectural elements, and it was a rare and valuable item.

"Grandpa, you're so stingy!" Qin Muyao leaned closer, pouting. "Just a blank card?"

"What do you know?" Old Master Qin glared at her, then looked at Lin Fan, his gaze becoming deep. "Xiao Fan, there's something I want to ask you."

"Please speak!"

Old Master Qin didn't speak immediately. He turned around and beckoned to Qin Chuan: "Go to my office and bring me that wooden box from the bookshelf."