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

The car drove for another ten minutes or so before finally stopping in a courtyard.

Lin Fan looked out the car window and saw a wooden sign next to him with the words "San Gui Homestay" written in large characters, with a few smaller characters below it. It was a bit dark, so he couldn't see them clearly.

Su Wanqing got out of the car first and greeted the others, "Get out of the car, we'll stay here tonight."

Upon hearing Su Wanqing's voice, a middle-aged woman poked her head out from the second floor and called out to the group of people getting out of the car in the courtyard, "Are you staying here?"

Su Wanqing looked up in the direction of the voice, "Seven rooms, one night!"

Seeing a big business opportunity coming her way, the middle-aged woman ran all the way from the second floor to the courtyard.

"Let me make this clear beforehand, it's not cheap, a thousand per room." She paused and continued, "There's a five hundred deposit for each room, and all of that has to be paid in advance."

"Okay." Su Wanqing glanced at the darkening sky and decided to pay.

Lin Fan clearly saw a hint of pain on Su Wanqing's face, and looking at the decorations, he knew that the rooms here were not worth that much money.

"Don't worry about the money. I have card masters here. This area has been unsettled lately. You should be grateful that you found this place."

The middle-aged woman smiled as she looked at the transfer message on her phone and spoke to the group, then led them towards the guest rooms at the back.

Lin Fan was assigned to a room in the courtyard on the first floor, and Da Niu was assigned to the room next to him, so that he could provide timely assistance if anything happened.

Lin Fan walked into the room, his wheelchair being pushed by Da Niu, with a black bag on it.

"Mr. Lin, should I bring dinner over later, or will you take it with you to the restaurant?"

"I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay, I'll come and call you when it's time to eat!"

Da Niu turned to leave, but as soon as he opened the door, he seemed to remember something and turned back: "Oh, right, Mr. Lin, these are the change of clothes Miss Su prepared for you."

"She prepared clothes for me?" Lin Fan asked incredulously.

"Yes, Miss Su said that your current identity is an explorer for the 'New World' team, and you are considered a member of the team. She doesn't want a sloppy person in the team."

Da Niu said with a straightforward expression.

"Did Miss Su ask you to convey this message?" Lin Fan asked.

"No, Miss Su told me that."

"..."

"Mr. Lin, if there's nothing else, I'll head out now."

"good!"

After Da Niu left, Lin Fan looked around at the layout of the room.

The room was simply furnished, with nothing much besides the essential bed and table and chairs, but it was clean enough.

Lin Fan slowly walked to the bedside and sat down, picked up his phone, and dialed Zhou Chen's number again.

The phone rang a few times, and just as Lin Fan was about to hang up, the other end answered.

"Brother Fan!" Zhou Chen said in a hoarse voice. If he hadn't often heard this kid talking about it at work, he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

"What's wrong with you? Your voice sounds completely different."

"I caught a cold!" Zhou Chen said calmly.

"I heard from the supervisor that you volunteered to assist Master Xiang? Did you see Master Xiang?" Lin Fan asked directly, voicing his doubts.

"Yes, that's right," Zhou Chen replied succinctly.

This was completely different from his usual talkative persona, so Lin Fan assumed he had just lost his beloved and wasn't in the mood to talk about these things.

"Why did you suddenly decide to go find Master Xiang? It can't be to learn card making, can it? Didn't you say before that you were going to learn card making from me?" Lin Fan continued to ask.

There was a moment of silence on the other end before someone slowly said, "Brother Fan, I have to go now. I have something to do. I'll contact you later."

Before Lin Fan could even speak, Zhou Chen unilaterally hung up the phone.

Lin Fan put his phone on the bed, leaned back, looked at the light above him, and pondered.

Zhou Chen's last words seemed to be an attempt to escape something! Was there some unspeakable secret he was hiding?

Lin Fan touched his phone, his finger hovering above the screen. After hesitating for a few seconds, he dialed the number again, but this time he heard a "not in service area" message.

"Is it off again, or...?"

"Knock knock knock".

"Mr. Lin, dinner is ready." Da Niu's voice easily came through the wooden door.

"Okay, coming!"

Lin Fan responded, put his phone in his pocket, and slowly walked to the door.

"Mr. Lin, shall I push you over there?"

"No need, it's just a few steps." Lin Fan waved his hand and slowly walked towards the restaurant under Da Niu's watchful gaze.

at the same time.

Zhou Chen, who had just hung up the call, was hiding in a dense forest, his gaze fixed on the two people walking on the gravel path not far away.

"It's quite a coincidence that this secret realm opened; we've really run into each other."

"Is it definitely a D-rank secret realm? The Card Association hasn't given a clear rating, has it?"

"Based on the energy fluctuations, the Card Association's initial assessment is only a D-level. Once the Card Association's personnel officially enter to explore and grade the area, there will be a fee for entry."

"Will it be alright if we go in now?"

"It's nothing. The Card Association hasn't officially assessed and rated it yet. This secret realm is public. Besides, I heard that many card masters have already gone in. It won't make a difference if there are two more of us."

The two walked and talked, completely unaware that a pair of eyes were watching them from the woods.

"The secret realm they mentioned seems to have many card masters inside!" Zhou Chen watched the two leave, put down the long scythe he was holding tightly, and muttered to himself.

A strange figure detached from Zhou Chen's body, licking its tongue with a bloodthirsty excitement. "Card Master, there's another group! ...They're much tastier than those ordinary people."

"Let's follow those two to find the secret realm first!" Zhou Chen said in a hoarse voice.

The eerie silence lasted for a moment, then it let out an uncontrollable laugh: "Kid, you've changed. You weren't like this before."

Zhou Chen did not answer. He turned around and looked at the coffin standing to the side. On the coffin lid was a character "敏" (Min), which looked as if it had been carved several times with a knife.

He opened the coffin lid, and a stench of blood wafted out. Inside stood a woman in a blood-red wedding dress. Her skin was deathly pale, but she had a smile on her lips, as if something happy had happened.

Zhou Chen reached out and touched the woman's cheek in the coffin. It was completely cold, like touching a block of ice.

"Xiaomin, don't worry, we'll see each other again soon. Don't be afraid, I'll always be by your side!"

He took the woman's hand, and the softness in it made his gaze even more resolute.

"We're leaving! Be good in there by yourself!" Zhou Chen said softly to the woman.

He picked up his long scythe and followed the two card masters onto the gravel road.

The hem of the blood-red wedding dress fluttered gently in the wind, but as the coffin lid fell, the hem came to a standstill once more.

The strange creature, carrying a coffin on its back, followed Zhou Chen's steps.