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

"Hmm..."

Da Niu woke up first, clutching his head.

He sat bolt upright, his face deathly pale, muttering, "It's over, it's over, it's over! I've become a eunuch?"

He froze, then suddenly covered himself with his hands.

The next second, his expression relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Still...still..."

"That scared me to death..."

Lin Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but ask, "Da Niu, what kind of position are you in?"

Da Niu looked up at Lin Fan, his voice trembling, "I...I remember...I became a eunuch! But thankfully, it's back."

Lin Fan asked with a puzzled look, "Eunuch?"

His lips twitched slightly as he glanced at Da Niu. Wasn't the [Dragon Seal] supposed to plunge people into an emperor's dream? How come it turned into a eunuch's dream in Da Niu's case?

"Your Excellency, I..." Da Niu suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of respect, and even a touch of awe.

"What did you call me?"

Lin Fan was somewhat stunned. Your Excellency? What kind of title is that?

He clutched his head, his brow furrowed, as if desperately trying to recall something. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "Your Excellency... no, Mr. Lin."

"I think I just had a dream. I dreamt that I became a eunuch and was serving you."

Lin Fan: "..."

The air fell silent for a moment.

While the two were talking, Su Wanqing slowly opened her eyes. Her breathing was slightly rapid, her cheeks were flushed, and even her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

The first thing she did when she opened her eyes was to look around, and finally her gaze settled on Lin Fan. There was an indescribable closeness in her eyes, and even... a momentary dependence.

Lin Fan was slightly taken aback by her gaze.

"Could it be that she found out I looked at her phone?" Lin Fan looked at Su Wanqing's dazed expression. "That shouldn't be the case; she didn't even look at her phone. It shouldn't be!"

Su Wanqing felt the strange sensation on her body. Her movements were slightly hesitant. She quickly got up, tied the thin blanket that had fallen to the ground around her waist, and returned to her usual self.

"Yesterday...what happened yesterday?" Su Wanqing looked at Lin Fan.

"Miss Su, you don't remember what happened either?" Da Niu had finally come to his senses and looked at Su Wanqing with a serious expression.

Su Wanqing shook her head, but her gaze did not leave Lin Fan.

"Your Majesty..." Su Wanqing blurted out, but quickly stopped herself. She immediately changed her words, her tone slightly tentative: "Lin...Fan, what happened?"

"You don't remember?" Lin Fan was also stunned. The excuse he had prepared seemed to be useless now.

"Hmm!" Da Niu spoke first: "I only remember helping you distract the strange creature, and then I dreamed that I became a eunuch."

Lin Fan nodded. Could it be that the long-term use of the [Dragon Seal] had allowed it to infiltrate their minds?

"Miss Su, what about you?" Lin Fan turned to look at Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing said, "Me too. When I heard Da Niu shouting, I thought something had happened, but I don't remember anything after that."

"Miss Su, did you also have a dream? Did you also dream about Mr. Lin?" Da Niu said.

"Hmm!" Su Wanqing nodded, then shook her head, leaving people somewhat puzzled.

Seeing Su Wanqing's conflicted expression, and combining it with what had happened before, Lin Fan roughly understood that in their dreams he had become an emperor, and they had become his servants.

"You've been affected by something strange and are hallucinating." As he spoke, he took out the [Shadow Eater's Box] dropped by the [Shadow Eater].

"Is this the strange thing that caused my hallucinations?" Da Niu stepped forward and glanced at the [Shadow-Eating Ghost Box]. "I didn't expect it to be a Purple Domain-level strange thing. No wonder I fell for it!"

Su Wanqing remained silent, but her gaze towards Lin Fan held a hint of indescribable emotion.

Da Niu's eyes lit up, filled with shock. "Mr. Lin, you single-handedly dealt with this Purple Domain-level anomaly?"

"Well, although that monster is at the Purple Domain level, it is more adept at mind control. After I broke its methods, it is actually not difficult to deal with."

Da Niu immediately exclaimed, "As expected of Mr. Lin!"

"It's a good thing you were here, otherwise we would both be in danger," Su Wanqing said.

Lin Fan was somewhat surprised to hear Su Wanqing speak. He had thought that Su Wanqing would at least ask a few more questions, or even doubt him, but she didn't ask anything and even agreed with what he said.

"Could all of this be the effect of the [Dragon Seal]?" Lin Fan's gaze swept back and forth between Su Wanqing and Da Niu.

The way Da Niu and Su Wanqing addressed him, as well as the burning passion and dependence that Su Wanqing tried so hard to conceal in her eyes, all made him suspicious.

"It's not just about influencing emotions... it's more like reshaping cognition." This ability is far more terrifying than direct control.

But he quickly realized a problem: "If this Dragon Seal is so powerful... why didn't it have the same effect when the maid used it before?"

Lin Fan's mind raced, and he quickly came to the conclusion, "It's mental power. Previous mental power simply couldn't unleash its power to this extent."

This time, after coming into contact with the "Ghost Gate," his mental strength was significantly enhanced, and the effects of the [Dragon Seal] truly manifested.

"Since it possesses such power... then what is the price it comes at?"

After all, [Dragon Seal] is only a blue card, so its potential and cost should be strictly limited to this level.

Or, like other cards, you could trade mental energy for abilities of corresponding strength.

However, the power it has displayed seems to have exceeded the boundaries that a blue card should have.

Lin Fan lowered his head and pondered for a moment. A terrifying thought appeared in his mind: "It's changing them... Could it also be changing me, little by little?"

Lin Fan remained silent for a few seconds, his fingertips unconsciously tightening slightly.

It should not be used lightly until its true cost is understood.

Just then, a series of urgent beeping sounds pulled Lin Fan back to reality.

Lin Fan looked in the direction of the sound and saw Su Wanqing take out a device that was flashing red light, her expression becoming serious.

"What is this?" Lin Fan asked.

"These are the distress call devices we gave to Xiao He and the others." Su Wanqing paused, her voice lowering slightly, before continuing, "They...something happened to them!"

Upon hearing this, Da Niu's expression instantly changed: "What? Where are they now? We need to get there right away!"

Su Wanqing quickly operated the instrument and locked her gaze in one direction.

"It's near the entrance to the secret realm where we separated earlier."

"The entrance to the secret realm?" Da Niu was taken aback. "According to the plan, shouldn't they have returned to the inn by now? Why are they still near that secret realm..."

"Besides, it's only a D-level secret realm, so there shouldn't be any changes, unless..." Su Wanqing thought of something and didn't continue.

Lin Fan then said, "Let's not talk about it now, let's go take a look first."