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

It was already dark when Lin Fan got back to his rented room. Only then did he realize that he hadn't eaten anything all day, and his stomach was rumbling in protest.

After searching the room, he found nothing to eat. Hungry and sleepy, he could only pick up the water bottle and drink a few mouthfuls.

"I won't be hungry when I'm asleep." He went back to bed, but his stomach's protests couldn't overcome his sleepiness.

The hard, uncomfortable bed board became the most comfortable place at this moment.

He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes, he saw dragon-carved pillars and a screen with gold thread. Looking down, he saw a group of beautiful women kneeling under the gauze curtains that fluttered in the wind.

He sat on a spacious dragon throne, his body tightly wrapped in a black dragon robe, giving people a sense of inexplicable peace.

"Your Majesty~" a charming voice came from below.

The one in the lead, dressed in a pale yellow palace gown, with spring-like eyes, was looking up at him.

Behind her were a dozen other stunningly beautiful faces, some shy, some alluring, some secretly glancing at him, their eyes quickly looking away the moment they met.

Lin Fan was stunned.

"Your Majesty~" The beautiful woman in yellow rose gently, took small steps up the steps, and knelt at his feet. "Your Majesty, I will pour you some wine."

She raised her hand and tilted the jade-colored wine pot over. Gazing at the stunning beauty of the woman in yellow, she was momentarily stunned, letting the wine in the pot overflow the wine cup and drip onto the ground with a pattering sound.

"Your Majesty, are you tired?" Another beauty approached, kneeling beside him and gently pressing on his calves. "This concubine will give you a massage."

"Your Majesty, let me fan you."

"Your Majesty, I have learned a new dance. Would you like to see it?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Beautiful women, beautiful women, all of them are beautiful women.

Lin Fan leaned back on the dragon throne, holding a glass of wine in his hand, watching the person in front of him dance gracefully, her gauze skirt swirling, revealing her slender and long legs.

"Your Majesty~" the beautiful woman in yellow beside him said coquettishly, her eyes filled with aggrieved tears, "Why are you ignoring me? Am I not pretty enough?"

Lin Fan reached out and pinched the beauty's chin. His fingertips felt a delicate, smooth touch. The beauty's cheeks flushed slightly, and she tilted her head back, revealing her snow-white neck as he manipulated her.

"What's your name?"

"Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Fan's entire body turned bright red, as if he were being roasted by flames.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the dragon robe was gone, the beauty was gone, and even the dragon throne he was sitting on had vanished without a trace.

Only the cracked ceiling of the rented room hung above his head.

"Dream on!" he muttered, but then he noticed something else: there was a burnt smell in the air.

"Hot, hot, hot!" The burning sensation from his pocket made him immediately take out the card. At that moment, the card [Great Teacher Zhang Jiao] was as hot as metal that had just been pulled out of the fire.

He tossed the cards aside on the bedside and sat down on the bed, clutching his head.

"What's going on?!"

Just as he finished speaking, Lin Fan clearly heard a "click... creak~" sound, the unique sound of his dilapidated door that hadn't been repaired in a long time.

Lin Fan felt a chill run down his spine and looked toward the door.

The door was closed, and the doorknob lay there quietly, showing no sign of turning.

Just when I thought I was hallucinating, a fleeting dark shadow was shone through the crack in the door from the light in the hallway.

He was so fast that he wondered if he was seeing things, but the lights in the hallway didn't lie.

I took out my phone and checked the time: 1:27 AM.

This doesn't seem like the time when people are out and about.

Lin Fan immediately summoned Zhang Jiao, whose figure gradually solidified beside him, looking solemnly toward the door. The room was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Zhang Jiao closed his eyes and sensed for a few seconds before withdrawing his gaze, his expression softening slightly.

"Old Zhang, what's going on?" Lin Fan asked in a low voice.

Something is approaching.

"What is it?"

Zhang Jiao shook his head, his brows furrowing slightly. "I can't sense it; it's very blurry."

Lin Fan was stunned for a moment. He couldn't sense anything? Could it be that some strange thing had followed him back?

"Were you reminding me just now?" Lin Fan asked, remembering the hot card.

Zhang Jiao glanced at him and said calmly, "If I hadn't just happened to sense the direction, that thing might have already come in."

"This world is not safe at all." Lin Fan felt a chill down his spine and subconsciously glanced at the door.

"Old Zhang, thank you for staying out all night!"

"That will keep draining your mental energy," Zhang Jiao added.

Lin Fan muttered, "Mental strength and all that is irrelevant; my life is more important! I don't want to lose my life while I'm having a dream."

Zhang Jiao didn't say anything more. He swayed and sat cross-legged on the ground, closing his eyes to meditate.

Lin Fan lay back on the bed, muttering before closing his eyes, "Let's have some normal dreams..."

He fell asleep again under Zhang Jiao's watchful eye.

"Ding ding ding".

The familiar alarm clock rang, and Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes.

Zhang Jiao remained seated on the ground, eyes closed, seemingly a statue.

"Ouch! My head hurts." Lin Fan sat up, clutching his head. His temples throbbed, and the pain made him close his eyes. With a thought, Zhang Jiao transformed into a card and returned to his hand.

I visualized my mental sea, and after a night of rest, it hadn't recovered much. This was most likely a consequence of leaving Zhang Jiao outside.

He quickly washed up and dragged his tired body to the company.

As soon as Lin Fan arrived at his workstation, Zhou Chen came over and looked him up and down: "Wow, Brother Fan, you survived a strange tide and came back without a scratch."

Lin Fan, clutching his throbbing head, said weakly, "Did you all already know where the strange tides would be?!"

"Yeah, I was trying to persuade you yesterday, but you were so determined. I thought you already knew." He patted Lin Fan on the shoulder. "But it's good that you're back. You're definitely going to get a permanent position. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you've got that secure job in your hands."

Lin Fan was too lazy to reply; his head was throbbing so badly he just wanted to lie down on the spot.

"I'm going to lie down for a bit, my head hurts. You keep an eye on me."

"Okay, Brother Fan, by the way, have you had breakfast yet?" He held a hot steamed bun in his hand and put a bite into his mouth.

Lin Fan's mouth watered at the sight.

"I haven't eaten yet, but I can have some!"

Zhou Chen pushed an exquisite lunchbox in front of Lin Fan.

"Hey, my girlfriend made breakfast, I haven't eaten it yet, don't waste it."

Lin Fan opened the lunchbox, his expression freezing for a moment.

A lump of unidentified paste was spread on a slice of bread, next to which lay a burnt egg.

"Is this... breakfast?"

Under Zhou Chen's expectant gaze, Lin Fan tore off a piece of bread and took a bite.

The next second, his face scrunched up, and he pushed the lunchbox back.

"Ugh... You should eat it yourself. It's your girlfriend's gift, so you should enjoy it yourself."

The phone suddenly vibrated as soon as he finished speaking.

Lin Fan took it out and looked at it.

Qin Muyao!