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

When Lin Fan returned to his room, the first thing he did was turn on his phone and open the company's leave application.

A few words were quickly typed on the screen: "Feeling unwell, requesting a day off!"

Almost simultaneously, I received the supervisor's approval reply.

Take care of yourself and get some rest!

Lin Fan was taken aback at first. Although his supervisor would usually approve his leave requests as an intern, the speed of the response and the unwarranted concern made him feel that something was off.

"Never mind!" Lin Fan tossed his phone aside and took out the three cards that had just arrived that day from his bag.

[Hanged Corpse] (Green)

【Soul-Hooking Chains】(Blue)

Blank card

Then he took out the [White Paper Hat] and the [Mourning Bone Stick].

He took a deep breath and laid out the four cards one by one in front of him.

White Impermanence - Xie Bi'an

The name had been echoing in his mind all day. Now that the gates of hell were open, all that was missing was a soul-reaper to lead the "person who should come in" through the door.

The underworld is unpredictable, with one in black and one in white, locking away souls and hooking spirits—this is the true face of the underworld.

And Bai Wuchang is one of them.

He closed his eyes, and a figure slowly emerged in his mind.

The white top hat, which read "Instant Wealth," and the white robe beneath which an iron chain hung from the sleeve, dragging on the ground with a clattering sound.

At the other end of the chain, countless souls were bound by the chain, struggling behind him incessantly, trying to break free of their restraints.

The white-robed figure swung the mourning staff in his hand, and the struggling souls behind him vanished instantly without a trace, not even having time to let out a scream.

Lin Fan opened his eyes, placed his finger on the blank card, and poured his mental energy into it.

The card lit up slightly before going dark again, as if waiting for something.

Without pausing, Lin Fan immersed his consciousness into the card, etching the image that appeared in his mind into it. With each stroke, the image that appeared in his mind was vividly presented on the card.

Then they began to weave the story of that figure:

He was originally a soul-collecting messenger of the underworld, known as "Black and White Impermanence" along with Black Impermanence. His name was Xie Bi'an, and he was responsible for capturing the souls of the dead and bringing them back to the underworld for trial.

Any creature he targets has nowhere to escape or avoid; with a flick of the chains, its soul leaves its body, and there is no chance of survival.

Lin Fan raised his hand, picked up the [White Paper Hat] and put it into it. The figure of Bai Wuchang on the card became solid.

Lin Fan didn't stop, picking up the [Soul-Hooking Iron Chain] and the [Mourning Bone Club] and throwing them into the machine one by one.

This time, he didn't put all the cards into the production process at once like before. Although that would make the cards faster, it would consume too much of his mental energy.

This time, Lin Fan wanted to take a steady, long-term approach, prioritizing stability. After each card was played, he would take a breath to allow the water level in his mind to return to normal before continuing.

He didn't want the card-making failure that happened with Yang Jian to happen again.

After all, every penny he spends on cards now is his hard-earned money!

He raised his hand again and picked up the last card, [Hanged Corpse].

The hanged ghost, the vengeful spirit of someone who died by hanging, the lingering obsession in the corpse, perfectly matches the legend of Bai Wuchang hanging himself before his death.

"Go in."

He flipped his wrist, inserting the last card into the blank card slot, and simultaneously poured all his remaining mental energy into it.

It's like a key, inserted into a lock, and twisted hard.

"Click"

A blinding light exploded on the card, and clusters of ghostly flames appeared out of thin air. The flames were so cold that Lin Fan couldn't help but shiver, and his breath turned into a cloud of white mist.

The light slowly coalesced into a blurry outline in front of Lin Fan.

Top hat, white robe, iron chains, mourning staff

The moment that figure appeared, the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Lin Fan stared at the figure, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"It's done!"

Lin Fan leaned back in his chair, beads of sweat slowly trickling down his forehead.

The phantom of Bai Wuchang (White Impermanence) drifted in front of the table, as if he had not yet fully adapted to this world. He looked down at the iron chain in his hand, and when he saw that the end was empty, he seemed a little puzzled.

"Alright, come back now." Lin Fan waved his hand and said, "Rest for now, you'll have plenty of opportunities to shine later."

The phantom of Bai Wuchang transformed into a card and returned to Lin Fan's hand.

He looked down at the card, and the words on it slowly began to appear.

Card Name: [Soul Reaper - White Impermanence]

Type: Summoning Card

Quality: Blue Domain 6-star

Characteristics: Soul Reaper (Cannot be revived or have their life extended within ten meters; after death, the soul will be transformed into a 'Soul Guide' by the White Impermanence).

Skill: [Mourning Staff - Summoning Souls] Swing the mourning staff to consume 'Soul Summoning' to summon 'Hanging Ghost' (a small, agile soul). When the Hanging Ghost appears, it will emit a shriek, causing surrounding units to be briefly stunned.

【Iron Chain - Soul Suppression】Swing out a heavy iron chain that pierces through living beings. It can pursue multiple targets at the same time, but the effect will be reduced.

Overview: To fulfill his promise at the bridgehead, Xie Bi'an hanged himself. After his death, he became the White Impermanence, responsible for guiding souls who die peacefully.

He put the cards away, looked up at the ceiling, his mind preoccupied with his meeting with the New World Foundation the next day.

"The New World Foundation, Zhang Li, Zhao Zhong, the All Souls Society, and the Human-Ghost Symbiosis—why are they looking for the 'Lord of the Underworld'? Do they know something, or is it all just a coincidence?"

He shook his head. With the clues he had, he couldn't be sure of anything, especially since he was all alone.

All we can do is follow the rope down and see what's tied to the other end.

The next day, Lin Fan was awakened by knocking on the door.

Lin Fan opened the door and saw Qin Muyao wrapped in a coat, her face completely covered by a mask and sunglasses. Anyone who didn't know her would think she was a big star having a secret rendezvous.

Before Lin Fan could open the door fully, Qin Muyao squeezed in by sidestepping.

He tossed the canvas bag he was carrying aside and turned to close the door.

"What's in your bag?" Lin Fan asked, glancing at the bulging canvas bag.

"Clothes, masks, and the like." Qin Muyao saw his puzzled look and continued, "Change into them when we get close to our destination, so we don't get chased by people asking for autographs on the way."

In reality, Qin Muyao's worries were unnecessary. In this era of highly developed information technology, the masks on their faces are no longer a unique symbol.

Those manufacturers who adhere to the principle of "not making money even if it's a turtle egg" have already replicated their masks.

Although there are still some flaws, from a distance it is already so realistic that it can be mistaken for the real thing.

"Then I'll take them too." Lin Fan stuffed everything into his bag and followed Qin Muyao out the door.

The two left the residential compound, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Jiang City Card Trading Center.

Throughout the journey, Qin Muyao kept her head down, looking at her phone and swiping away every now and then, her expression as serious as if she were going to attend some important meeting.

"Nervous?" Lin Fan asked.

"A little." Qin Muyao turned her phone over and placed it face down on her lap. "What about you?"

"It's alright." Lin Fan leaned back in his seat, looking at the scenery outside the window. "Anyway, it's just a test. If we can reach an agreement, we'll continue; if not, we'll leave."

Qin Muyao didn't say anything more, and unconsciously tapped her fingers on the phone case a few times.