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

"You suspect that all of this is related to your company's money-making scheme?" Qin Muyao also caught the key words in Zhang Jiao's words.

After all, the surname "Master Xiang" is not common, especially at this point when they were planning to investigate Xiang Qian's background.

"I'm not sure, but the man mentioned 'revenge,' so the 'Lord Xiang' he mentioned probably knows his whereabouts, or they have some special tracking methods."

Lin Fan paused for a moment, then continued, "So we should leave quickly and return to Jiang City to make further plans."

"When are you going back?"

Lin Fan didn't hesitate. "Tomorrow, once the doctors are on duty and I've completed the discharge procedures, I'll leave immediately!"

Qin Muyao looked at Lin Fan's bleeding wound, "Then your wound..."

Lin Fan glanced down and hissed, "I won't die."

"I'm not asking if you're going to die or not." Qin Muyao's voice rose slightly, tinged with obvious anxiety.

"What if you get infected and it gets worse on the road like this? Do you still want this arm and leg?"

Lin Fan did not answer immediately. He leaned against the headboard, his left hand on the gauze on his right shoulder, trying to relieve the pain.

"If we stay in the hospital, we'll be sitting ducks, and they're in the shadows while we're in the open."

Lin Fan said in a serious tone, "Let's leave first thing tomorrow morning, before they realize what's happening, and get out of this troublesome place."

Qin Muyao stared at him for a few seconds, her lips moved as if she wanted to refute, but in the end she said nothing.

She turned around, walked to the window, and drew the curtains, trying to block the wind from coming in.

"Okay." Qin Muyao nodded. "We're leaving early tomorrow morning. You should get some rest. I'll take over the night watch."

"No need, isn't there still the Underworld?" Lin Fan said, but quickly realized something was wrong.

"If the doctor comes to check on you and sees that 'doorstep ghost,' something else might happen. I'll take over. You should rest!" Qin Muyao got up and went to the bathroom.

The sound of running water filled the air, and soon she returned to the sofa with water droplets on her face, waiting for dawn.

Lin Fan knew that it was impossible to get this young lady to go to sleep peacefully at this moment, so under Qin Muyao's watchful gaze, he obediently closed his eyes.

But he didn't fall asleep, his mind constantly replaying recent events.

All Souls Society, Lord, New World Foundation! And what other strange things keep popping up from time to time?

Wait a minute! This is weird!

Suddenly, Lin Fan recalled the words the black-faced man had spoken when he entered the room.

"I love this person's smell. Right now, I want to eat him!"

The smell on my body? Do I have a strange, alluring smell about me?

Lin Fan recalled the scenes from before, including how the bizarre Zhang Fei wanted to eat him.

There's also the giant ghoul controlled by the Shadow Devourer, who seems to want to eat me too, and the strange gatherings in the Maple Forest Evening Community after the Ghost Tide.

On the day of the strange tide, the eye pattern covered in thorns that appeared on Zhang Jiao's card was not his own illusion, but rather...

Could it be? Could it be! Could it be that I am the one marked by the Ghost King's mark?!

His left hand gripped the bed sheet tightly, and a cold sweat broke out all over his body, his heartbeat quickening.

At that moment, he felt as if an invisible net was enveloping him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Lin Fan opened his eyes a crack and glanced at Qin Muyao, who was leaning against the sofa. She was wrapped in a blanket, with only her small face showing. Her eyes were closed, as if she were asleep.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the thoughts in his mind, and placed his fingertips on the inscription "Great Teacher Zhang Jiao".

Zhang Jiao's figure appeared at the foot of the bed from time to time. After communicating with Lin Fan for a moment through mental power, he took on the duty of keeping watch.

Lin Fan lay on his back, looking at the ceiling of the ward.

No one marked with the mark of the Demon King has ever survived!

The mark... If it really is on him, then he can't change anything. After all, once the card is used, it's bound to the cardholder. Unless he dies, even if he gives Zhang Jiao to someone else, it won't make a difference.

There's only one thing he can do now: become stronger! Strong enough that those strange creatures dare not provoke him, strong enough that even the King of Ghosts can't do anything to him.

Lin Fan's breathing gradually became heavier.

This time, he was truly asleep.

When Lin Fan woke up, Qin Muyao was no longer in the ward. He turned his head and looked at the sofa. The blanket that had been draped over Qin Muyao was now being sat on by Zhang Jiao.

"Old Zhang?" His voice was still hoarse from just waking up.

Zhang Jiao opened his eyes and looked at him, as if he knew what he was going to ask, and said directly, "Miss Qin went out, saying she went to handle the discharge procedures."

Lin Fan propped himself up and sat up, only then noticing a new set of clothes on the bed. Pointing to the clothes, he asked Zhang Jiao, "What's this?"

"Miss Qin went out to buy it early this morning!" Zhang Jiao replied.

Just as Lin Fan was wondering what to wear, the door to the ward was pushed open, and Qin Muyao pushed a wheelchair in, holding a stack of payment slips.

Seeing that Lin Fan had already sat up, she raised an eyebrow and said, "You're awake? I thought you were going to sleep until noon."

"What time is it?"

"It's almost ten o'clock." Qin Muyao stuffed the form into her bag, tidied up their packages, and put them aside. "You can leave after you get dressed."

Lin Fan glanced at the wheelchair: "It's not like I can't walk."

"Try walking." Qin Muyao crossed her arms and looked at him.

Lin Fan tried to move his legs, but the bite wounds on his legs were still throbbing. With Zhang Jiao's help, he changed his clothes, sighed, and obediently sat in his wheelchair.

Qin Muyao pushed him out of the hospital gate. There was no smell of disinfectant outside the hospital; a gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, feeling much more relaxed.

"Did you buy these clothes?" He looked down and tugged at the collar of the hoodie.

"I went to the mall this morning on purpose," she said casually. "I needed to change my clothes too; I can't exactly run around in a hospital gown, can I? I also picked up a set for you."

"Just a side thing?" Lin Fan smiled. "The sizing is pretty accurate."

Qin Muyao didn't reply, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"When you went shopping for clothes, did people think you were weird?" Lin Fan asked casually.

Qin Muyao, pushing the wheelchair, paused, her expression somewhat unnatural: "How did you know? Or was it posted online?"

"I guessed," Lin Fan said, suppressing a laugh. "You walked into the mall in that hospital gown, no wonder people asked you all sorts of questions!"

Qin Muyao snorted: "The shop assistants did look at me a few more times, but they believed me when I said I had just come from the film set."

"On set?"

"Yes, I told them I'm an actress," Qin Muyao said without changing her expression. "They even asked me which movie I was in and said they wanted to watch it."

Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh, which pulled at his wound, causing him to hiss again.

"Serves you right." Qin Muyao pushed the wheelchair forward. "Let you laugh."

Qin Muyao pushed him along, walking slowly. Someone was selling roasted sweet potatoes by the roadside, and the aroma wafted over.

"Are you hungry?" Qin Muyao asked.

"A little."

"Let's eat something before we go."

"Aren't you catching a train?"

"You're in this state, why bother catching the train? I called a car, let's grab something to eat, the car should be here by now."

Lin Fan closed his eyes, the sunlight shining on him, and let Qin Muyao push him toward the roasted sweet potato stall.

He thoroughly enjoyed this relaxed time, and he even thought how wonderful it would be if he could keep being pushed along like this forever.

But he also knew that this ease was a luxury.

For a long time to come, there may never be another morning like this. Sunshine, roasted sweet potatoes, and the person behind him pushing him around while humming a soft song.

"What are you thinking about?" Qin Muyao's voice came from above.

Lin Fan opened his eyes and smiled: "How much does it cost to roast a sweet potato?"

"It's my treat."

"Then I'll take two."

"Can you finish it?"

"Take what you can't finish with you."

Qin Muyao chuckled and urged him to quicken his pace.