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

Su Wanqing closed the car door and said to the Lamborghini in the driver's seat, "Let's go."

The car slowly drove out of the guesthouse courtyard, swaying and bumping along the gravel road.

Su Wanqing sat in the back seat, a thin blanket draped over her, her head resting against the back of the chair. She soon fell into a deep sleep.

Lin Fan sat to her right, watching the scenery flash by outside the window, and muttered the name "Naihe Pond" in his mind.

What could be hidden in this place that differs from the Bridge of Helplessness by only one character?

"Bang, creak."

The wheels seemed to have hit something, and the car suddenly jolted. Su Wanqing's body tilted towards Lin Fan, her face turned towards him.

She still didn't wake up, only her brows furrowed slightly and her lips pursed, as if the dream she had wasn't a pleasant one.

The thin blanket that had been on her shoulders slipped to the ground, revealing a deep cleavage beneath her black leather jacket.

Lin Fan reached out and put the thin blanket back over her shoulders. As the blanket fell, he noticed that her eyelashes fluttered, as if she sensed something, but she quickly quieted down again.

After finishing all this, Lin Fan leaned back in his seat and looked out the window again.

The car drove for about twenty minutes before finally stopping in a designated open area. Da Niu turned to Lin Fan and said, "Mr. Lin, there's no road ahead. We have to walk up."

"You guys stay in the car, I'll go up and check it myself," Lin Fan said to Da Niu, pointing to Su Wanqing who was still asleep.

He then opened the car door, and a gust of damp, cold wind immediately rushed into the car, causing Su Wanqing to wrap the blanket tighter around herself.

He got out of the car and moved his ankle. His leg was completely fine, and the wound on his right shoulder didn't hurt much anymore.

When Da Niu saw Lin Fan get out of the car, he quickly followed and walked to Lin Fan's side, ready to help him at any time.

"Mr. Lin, I'll go up with you. My instructions are to protect your safety," Da Niu said earnestly.

"What could possibly happen in broad daylight?" Lin Fan pointed to the crooked road sign by the roadside.

Most of the paint on the road sign has peeled off, but you can still vaguely see the words "Naihechi Scenic Area → 200m".

Next to the sign was a sheet of metal that read "Visitor Notice," but it was corroded and illegible, clearly indicating that it hadn't been maintained for a long time.

"What if something happens?" Da Niu continued.

"It's not that far. If anything happens, you'll hear me if I call out. Besides, I'm a card master; nothing will happen to me!" Lin Fan continued, "You should stay and watch over Miss Su!"

Da Niu glanced at the sleeping Su Wanqing, then saw Lin Fan take out a card and wave it in front of him. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to listen to Lin Fan and returned to the car.

He had his reasons for not wanting Da Niu to come along, but if there really was something related to the underworld hidden in Chishang, he would have to go to great lengths to cover it up if Da Niu was there. It would be easier for him if he didn't go.

Lin Fan followed the signs and walked forward alone. He passed through a small path and when he reached the end of the path, the view suddenly opened up before him.

A wide expanse of water appeared before him; this Naihe Pond, though called a pond, was more like a lake in size.

In the center of the Naihe Pond, there is a cluster of old buildings, which must be the ruins we are looking for.

Lin Fan stood on the shore, squinting at the building in the center of the pool, but it was too far away to see clearly.

"Are you here for tourism?" a voice asked from behind Lin Fan.

Lin Fan turned his head and saw a middle-aged man carrying a small bundle of wood and holding a machete walking from a side path.

"Hmm, I heard there's a scenic spot here, so I came to check it out."

The uncle walked to the shore, put the firewood on his shoulder on the ground, pulled off the towel draped around his neck, and wiped his face haphazardly.

"There's nothing to see here. You city folks have so much free time," the uncle said casually.

"It's just a lousy pond with nothing in it. Besides, you've come at the wrong time. It's nice to come here to escape the heat in the summer, but coming here in this weather is just torture."

The uncle spoke as if he had lost interest in the scenery he had seen countless times.

Lin Fan pointed to the ruins in the middle of the water: "Uncle, what's that place in the middle of that pool?"

The uncle turned his head to look at the water: "There's nothing there, just the ruins of a dilapidated temple. I heard that there isn't even a complete Buddha statue there, just some broken stones."

The uncle continued talking, "Over the years, almost every now and then a group of people would come and swim to the center of that pool. I don't know what they're after."

"Isn't there a boat to get across? You have to swim?" Lin Fan was also puzzled when he heard that someone had swum across.

The middle-aged man draped the towel over his shoulder, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, put it in his mouth, and took a few puffs.

"Boats? I've handled them before." The middle-aged man gestured towards the pool with his cigarette between his fingers. "Someone used a kayak before, and it started leaking air halfway through."

He continued, "A few years ago, the village pooled their money to buy two small boats and placed them on the shore, hoping to develop tourism. But after only one day on the water, the boats were gone."

Lin Fan's brow twitched slightly: "Gone? Stolen?"

"Who would come here to steal a boat? That thing is heavy and worthless. I wouldn't even use it as firewood." The uncle chuckled.

"But the villagers all say that something in the water dragged the boat away, and they don't like the sight of boats on the pond." He took a few puffs before reluctantly stubbing out his cigarette.

"Something strange is happening underwater!"

Upon hearing Lin Fan's words, the uncle immediately coughed twice. "Young man, watch your words. It wouldn't be good if you got into trouble if someone heard you."

The middle-aged man seemed afraid of something, so he stopped chatting with Lin Fan and put the firewood back on his shoulder. He dusted off his trousers and turned to leave.

He stopped after taking only a few steps, turned around and reminded Lin Fan again, "Young man, don't stay out too late by yourself. It's not safe around here at night."

He didn't explain what he meant; after saying that, he hummed a little tune and continued walking down the path.

"Could there be something different here at night?" Lin Fan shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He looked at the buildings in the Naihe Pool and took out two cards from his pocket.

【灞波儿奔】and 【奔波儿灞】

A flash of green light appeared, and two fish monsters appeared in front of Lin Fan.

"Big brother, you've finally let us out! We were suffocating inside."

"That's right, but I didn't mean to blame you, big brother."

As soon as the two fish monsters appeared, they couldn't stop talking.

"Big brother, what do you want? Who do you want us to do?" Ba Bo'er looked around and saw that there was no one else besides Lin Fan.

"Nobody's here! Big Brother specially sent us out for some fresh air!" Benboerba said happily.

"It's nothing, I just want you to take me over there." Lin Fan pointed to the buildings in the Naihe Pool.

The two fish monsters were stunned for a moment, their four bulging eyes rolled around, and then they looked at Lin Fan.

"Big brother, how do we get you there?" Babo'er scratched his head, the fish fins scraping against his head with a rustling sound.

"That's right, brother," Benboerba chimed in, "We can't let you step over us to get there, can we?"

Lin Fan nodded: "Yes, that's what I think too."