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

The servant stopped at the door and gently knocked three times.

"Come in." A middle-aged man's voice came from inside, his tone carrying a gentle quality that was hard to refuse.

The attendant pushed the door open, stepped aside to make room for Lin Fan, and let him turn his wheelchair in himself. After he entered, the attendant closed the door.

As soon as Lin Fan entered the room, he smelled a familiar fragrance, exactly the same as the one Su Wanqing had smelled earlier.

Lin Fan looked around, but Zhao Zhong was nowhere to be seen.

The room's furnishings were different from what he had imagined. There were no walls covered with banners and trophies, nor were there any opulent decorations. The room was more like a Western classical-style residence.

The floor was covered with intricately patterned Persian carpets, and several oil paintings of figures, depicting scenes from Western religions, hung on the walls.

On the fireplace to the side, there was a bronze sculpture of a general on horseback, pointing his sword to the sky, which exuded a sense of solemnity.

"You're Lin Fan?"

Just as Lin Fan was wondering, a voice came from the partition of the room.

Lin Fan turned his head and saw Zhao Zhong carrying a tray with two steaming cups of coffee on it, slowly walking towards Lin Fan.

"Yes, are you Mr. Zhao Zhong?"

The visitor nodded, placed the tray on the coffee table, and then pushed Lin Fan into the reception area, behaving without the slightest airs.

"I never expected that the card maker who created the 'Zhang Fei' Purple Domain Card would be so young. Young people these days are truly remarkable."

"It's all just a coincidence!" Lin Fan replied.

"I don't know if you'll like it, but this is freshly ground. You can try it."

Zhao Zhong didn't continue with the pleasantries. He picked up a cup of coffee, pushed the tray in front of Lin Fan, took a sip himself, and looked at Lin Fan with gentle eyes.

"Mr. Zhao, you're too kind." Lin Fan picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. The unsweetened coffee was bitter, and he didn't like it.

"How is it?" Zhao Zhong asked.

"Not bad." Lin Fan put down his cup and didn't drink any more; taking another sip would be torture for him.

Seeing Lin Fan put down his cup, Zhao Zhong smiled and said, "If you don't like it, there's sugar over there!"

"No need. My supervisor told me that Mr. Zhao specifically requested me, an intern card maker, to make the cards. Aren't you afraid I'll mess it up?"

Zhao Zhong's hand holding the coffee cup didn't pause. He took a sip, slowly put the cup down, and then spoke:

"You're being modest. There are indeed many people who can create purple cards, but very few card makers can create humanoid figures with self-awareness. And you are one of them."

Zhao Zhong continued, "I heard from your supervisor that the eldest daughter of the Qin family is very satisfied with the 'Zhang Fei' card you made, so..."

"So, Mr. Zhao, you also want to make a card just like Zhang Fei's?"

Zhao Zhong nodded and continued, "However, the cards I want also have requirements; it's not just about having a human appearance and possessing self-awareness."

He then got up, took out a wooden box from his desk drawer, and handed it to Lin Fan.

"Mr. Lin, take a look at these. There's a character named 'He Jin' in them, and that's the card I want to make."

Upon hearing the name "He Jin," Lin Fan paused in his touch of the wooden box, a subtle gesture that Zhao Zhong noticed.

Lin Fan's fingers touched the edge of the wooden box, and just as he was about to lift it, Zhao Zhong's hand naturally pressed down on the lid, the force just enough to prevent Lin Fan from opening it.

Zhao Zhong's smile remained unchanged, his demeanor gentle. "Mr. Lin, have you heard of the name 'He Jin'?"

Lin Fan didn't answer immediately. He withdrew his fingers from the lid of the coffee box, naturally picked up the coffee cup, and took another sip, using this action to buy himself a few seconds to think.

Has he heard of him? Of course he has. He Jin was a great general in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He tried to kill the Ten Attendants but was killed instead, which later directly led to Dong Zhuo's entry into the capital and the ensuing chaos.

But this kind of history doesn't exist in this world.

If they were to say that they have a friend also named He Jin, it would seem too deliberate, and given their power, they would probably have already thoroughly investigated the people around them.

"'He Jin'? I've never heard of him before, but this is the first time I've encountered a specific name like Mr. Zhao. Making a card like this would require relevant information."

Lin Fan added, "After all, when creating cards, you need to build a card story and find suitable material cards based on the cards, all of which need to be based on something."

Zhao Zhong removed his hand from the box lid, opened it himself, took out the contents, and carefully laid them out on the coffee table.

This is a rubbing of a mural. Most of the colors have faded, but the general content can still be discerned.

A group of people surround a bound man, with several soldiers holding weapons standing nearby. Although the composition is rough, the tense atmosphere of confrontation is still palpable.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Zhong took out another tattered page from the wooden box, on which was drawn a rough sketch of a figure: a general in armor and helmet, holding a long sword.

Below the sketch was written a line of text: He Jin, General.

"This person," Zhao Zhong pointed to the name, "according to the information I've gathered, should be someone who can rival someone called 'Ten Attendants'."

The Ten Attendants!

Lin Fan froze, this was the first time he had ever heard the words "Ten Attendants" from someone else.

At this moment, many things flashed through his mind: the Western Garden Army, the Bronze Ring Attendants, the Ten Attendants, He Jin, and that name "Zhao Zhong." This was no coincidence.

He looked up at the middle-aged man with a gentle smile in front of him, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart. This man was no ordinary person!

"The Ten Attendants?" Lin Fan feigned ignorance. "What are these?"

"A bunch of eunuchs, all rootless people!"

As Zhao Zhong spoke, his tone became noticeably more forceful. If it weren't for his tightly clenched and even slightly white fingers, Lin Fan would have been fooled by the smile on his face.

As Zhao Zhong spoke, he took out several more items: bronze fragments, jade fragments, and a small fragment of a silk scroll. Each item was wrapped in soft cloth, as if to prevent any damage.

"I collected these things from various places. See if these can be used as the basis for card production."

Lin Fan now understood why the foundation was using the slogan of cultural promotion; it turned out that Zhao Zhong was collecting items related to "He Jin".

"I'll provide the materials, you name the price." He placed his hands on his knees, "I only need one picture of 'He Jin'."

"I need time to study these materials," Lin Fan said, pointing to the items on the coffee table. "Can I take these with me?"

Zhao Zhong looked troubled: "Collecting these things took me more than ten years..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "If possible, I would like Mr. Lin to stay with me to conduct research and make cards. I can also provide timely assistance."

Lin Fan lowered his eyes, looking at the fragments wrapped in soft cloth on the coffee table, and remained silent for a few seconds.

Why did he create the card? Was it to deal with the Ten Attendants? Was he not one of them, or were they fighting amongst themselves?

Should we stay here to find out the reason, or leave this place of trouble?