He hadn't thought he would run into Cleo, the second son of the Lewin family—yet another person he knew . Cleo's att.i.tude was entirely different from before .

The fatty wasn't interested in Cleo but just raised the juice gla.s.s in his hand to say, "Young Lord Cleo," and said nothing else . Chen Mu also nodded to him . "Young Lord Cleo . "

Cleo didn't seem to mind such treatment and faced the two eagerly . "I never thought I would see Mr . Cao here, which is quite a surprise . It will be Cleo's coming of age ceremony in a few days . Would Mr . Yang An and Mr . Cao be able to come?"

Coming of age ceremony? Chen Mu wasn't sure what that meant, but he wasn't much interested in the Lewin family . The eagerness in Cleo's eyes also made him feel a little uncomfortable, so he shook his head . "I'm very sorry, but I'm busy . " Then, he closed his mouth . The fatty's response was still more direct . "I'm busy as well; sorry, Young Lord Cleo . "

It was hard for Cleo to hide his disappointment, and after saying a few more things, he hurried off .

The fatty watched Cleo's back as he left and said contemptuously, "The Lewin family is heading backward more and more . The two sons are obsessed with intrigue and pay no attention to the family properties . He's really a stupid fellow!"

When he saw Chen Mu's expression of not understanding, he explained . "An aristocratic family like the Lewins will put on a banquet when the family heirs come of age . They would also invite some people to look on, and their powerful friends would cheer them on . Well, there aren't so many families who still keep that tradition . I never would have thought the Lewins would keep it up . "

Between the lines of what the fatty said, there seemed to be some disdain for the tradition .

Chen Mu understood a little of that . But, he didn't have any good feelings about Cleo himself, so he didn't much care . Even after he had rescued Cleo, not only had Cleo not treated him sincerely, he was always scheming . Chen Mu respected such a person by keeping him at a distance .

Seeing Chen Mu's expression, the fatty's expression showed that he understood . He lowered his voice to say, "The two sons of the Lewin family don't have a grasp on their affairs, and their decline is a foregone conclusion . Doing business with them is ok for the short term, but it isn't worth it in the long term . "

"What do you mean by that?" Chen Mu was suddenly a little curious .

With a mild expression, the fatty said, "To get to where we are in business, work it isn't only a matter of dealing with things . Most of it is networking and channels . If one isn't doing good business now and is expecting to grow because of one's current strength, that would be as hard as climbing to heaven . The important trend is to cooperate with people . No matter what kinds of windfalls you make in the short term, those are very limited . Stable, long-term income is more important . A partner who will stay with you for the long term is worth spending a lot of money on . A talent such as young brother Cao is worth spending money on!"

Chen Mu was taken aback by what the fatty was saying . He didn't have much experience with business, but what he was saying seemed rather enlightening .

Chen Mu smiled . "You regard me too highly . "

"No, no, no!" The fatty shook his head like a drum rattle, making it look like he might fall over . "There's no need for young brother Cao to be so modest . Although this fatty doesn't bat a thousand judging people, he's not so far off . Young brother Cao has a calm demeanor with a steady gaze . One look can tell a lot; I see your tough temper and authoritative character . "

Chen Mu was taken aback again . He had never heard anyone so full of praise for him before . Just then, someone not far away greeted the fatty . His eyes sharpened as he rushed to apologize to Chen Mu and got up to give his greetings . It was hard to believe such a fat guy could move with such agility .

After the fatty left, Chen Mu was once again alone in the corner . There was beautiful music playing in the hall, and the waiters would come around carrying red wine and juices and sweets among all the guests . All of the people from Pomelo who had any gravitas were networking there, gathered in groups of three or five . They would sometimes talk and laugh or turn their gazes toward the center of the hall . Those upper-cla.s.s women wearing beautiful evening gowns would be kibitzing in whispers while their gazes were always hotly cast right toward the middle, where Zu Ning and Jie Yanbai were . The young men had hot, greedy eyes as they stared at Butchie in their midst .

The stars of the banquet were those two men and that one woman .

When it came to Chen Mu, who was nothing more than a small character, it saved him trouble that no one knew him . He didn't pay any attention to those who would sometimes walk past looking at him with gazes that were just as full of surprise .

Such a banquet didn't include many high-grade card artisans . While high-grade card artisans were certainly the object of every power's wooing, it would be difficult for them to enter high society . Of course, that was apart from students who graduated from the Big Six . Once admitted to the Big Six, that would mean you had already started to step into high society .

People like Zu Ning and Jie Yanbai always maintained their even and reserved expressions . That was a kind of condescension, though no one found it strange . On the contrary, they felt it was perfectly normal . Even Ren Wenzhou took it quite naturally .

The was a saying in the federation that only the five flouris.h.i.+ng districts and the capital would have any true n.o.bility . In the eyes of many of the citizens of those districts, a regional despot like Ren Wenzhou was nothing more than a wealthy provincial . They were born with a sense of superiority, and that sense of superiority was still more obvious with those who came from the Big Six .

By comparison, Butchie looked a lot more pleasing . Clearly, however, she wasn't the equal of those two; whether in power or in strength, she wouldn't be any rival to the two of them . If it were that man with the half mask, then he might have given them a fight .

But, what did that have to do with him? Chen Mu kept comfortably drinking his juice, finis.h.i.+ng off seven or eight gla.s.ses in a breath . The taste of each one was different—quite a bit better than the Sapphire Cloud Running Water he used to drink .

As soon as he thought about Sapphire Cloud Running Water, Chen Mu thought about Copper . He didn't know where he was by then, which turned him melancholy .

He remained in the corner that way without anyone to disturb him . Quite a few who had wanted to make friends with Chen Mu left discreetly when they saw Chen Mu's look of not wanting any strangers .

After the banquet was over, Chen Mu quietly left, not even seeing those he had spoken with again .

When he returned home and opened the door, Chen Mu was taken aback . Wei-ah was sitting imposingly on the floor .

"When did you get back?" Chen Mu went over to Wei-ah's side and sat on the floor . Seeing Chen Mu had gotten back, Lu Xiaoru rushed to prepare the tea and something to eat .

"Just now . " Wei-ah didn't raise his eyelids . Chen Mu had just noticed the plain brown-colored little animal he was holding . Wei-ah was teasing him in a desultory fas.h.i.+on .

"What is that?" Chen Mu asked in curiosity . The small animal was covered in dense brown fur and looked a little bit like a dog, though its body was a lot fatter, which made it look like a brown ball of flesh .

Wei-ah shook his head . "I don't know . "

"You don't know?" Chen Mu's expression went strange . "Where did you get it from?" Given Wei-ah's temperament, Chen Mu couldn't quite believe he would buy a small pet . The only time he could have bought one was when he was hungry .

"I stole it . " Wei-ah still hadn't lifted his eyelids as he quietly enjoyed himself, teasing the little guy . That little guy was slow enough; he curled up on Wei-ah's leg, sleeping soundly .

"You stole it?" Chen Mu became suddenly interested . "Where did you steal it from?"

"Amedal . "

"Where is that?" Chen Mu was at a loss . Lu Xiaoru rushed to connect from the side . "Amedal is another business center in the Ming Zheng District . It's about as bustling as Pomelo . It's quite a ways from here . "

"What were you doing going to Amedal?" Chen Mu asked in curiosity . He had thought it was incredible when Wei-ah had asked him for money . Wei-ah must have had something to do for him to run over to Amedal . Chen Mu believed it certainly wasn't because of that brown dog-like ball of flesh .

"To steal it . " Wei-ah's response made Chen Mu's face turn to stone .

"It?" Chen Mu's mouth was hanging open as he pointed at the chubby brown dog with a shocked expression . Lu Xiaoru, who was just about to pour the tea, nearly spilled the tea water .

"Mmmm . "

"You ran off to Amedal just to steal it?" Chen Mu wasn't quite sure whether he was hearing things .

"Right . "

"Why did you steal it?"

Wei-ah tilted his head to think for a bit . "He looked familiar . "

Black lines popped up straight across Chen Mu's forehead . "So you just stole it? And, you specifically ran over to Amedal to steal it . "

"Right . " Wei-ah then pulled out a money card and gave it to Chen Mu . "This thing is useless . "

"Useless?" Chen Mu went blank . A money card, useless? There were four million Oudi on that money card, and Wei-ah actually said it was useless! He was suspicious . "So, how did you get to Amedal?

"On the shuttle train . "

"You need to buy a ticket for the shuttle train . Didn't they check your ticket?" Chen Mu asked .

"What kind of thing is that?" Wei-ah asked back .

Lu Xiaoru's hand shook again, and the tea water splashed onto the table .

Chen Mu was using hand gestures to describe it . "It's something like a card, called a train ticket . You can only get on the train with a ticket . Didn't you buy one?"

"No . " Wei-ah shook his head .

"Then, how did you get on?" Chen Mu asked with a lot of curiosity . "If you don't have a ticket at the gate, then you can't get in . "

"Oh, you're talking about that talking machine? I gave it a tap, and it didn't say anything more . " Wei-ah's expression was very natural .

Chen Mu felt a sudden chill . Gave it a tap? He glanced at Wei-ah's hand and couldn't help an image of that scene floating up in his mind . Given Wei-ah's strength, for him to give the ticket machine a tap, never mind that machine; even hardened instruments would be turned to sc.r.a.p .

Swallowing hard, Chen Mu kept asking, "Didn't you eat?"

"I ate . "

"How did you eat?" Chen Mu was curious .

"I saw many places where cooked meat was hanging, and I took it down to eat . " Wei-ah sucked his mouth . "The taste was a little mild, but it was still better than what you make . "

A scene immediately surfaced in Chen Mu's mind where Wei-ah was walking into a cooked meat shop and saw a row of cooked meat hanging above, and with a stunning flash of speed he simply picked a few strings down and walked off .

"Did you come back the same way?" Chen Mu's looked dumbstruck, though he still asked .

"Right . "

His glance fell again to the soundly sleeping, plump dog Wei-ah was holding . Could there be some relations.h.i.+p between the dog and Wei-ah? If there were no relation, then why would Wei-ah go so far? But, Wei-ah says he doesn't know, which means he probably can't quite remember . Chen Mu suddenly thought about a different issue . "How did you know this dog was in Amedal?"

"I saw it on the fantasy card receiver . "

Chen Mu then suddenly realized what Wei-ah had said earlier . "It was also stolen?"

"It had been locked in a cage, and I broke the cage . There were six people after me, whom I killed . " Wei-ah didn't change his expression . As cool as ever, he described a rather b.l.o.o.d.y affair with a natural voice .

Lu Xiaoru turned white, and her hands shook so much she spilled a lot of the tea water .

No matter what had happened, Wei-ah had returned, which finally allowed Chen Mu to relax . Given Wei-ah's strength, he didn't really need to worry, but Wei-ah was a complete stranger to the world beyond the jungle . Doing things like what he had just done were actually quite dangerous . If the other party was powerful, or if he ran into some real power, or if he'd been attacked by an angry mob, even given Wei-ah's valiance, Chen Mu couldn't be sure he could survive .

Perhaps some ace like the president of one of the Big Six Academies could survive against bombardment from several hundred or even more card artisans . But, any other card artisan, even though they might be some famous ace, wouldn't be able to escape from hundreds of card artisans .

But, Wei-ah wasn't versed in worldly affairs and was p.r.o.ne to get in trouble . Chen Mu wasn't afraid of things, but meaningless trouble didn't seem necessary to him .

Lu Xiaoru's face had remained white as though she had received a powerful shock . Even up until Wei-ah praised her cooking, her expression was extremely unnatural . That pudgy dog seemed rather clever and woke up as soon as it heard about eating .

Wei-ah was the same after eating as he'd been before, watching his fantasy card receiver by himself . This time, however, there was a brown ball of flesh at his feet .

He hadnt thought he would run into Cleo, the second son of the Lewin family—yet another person he knew . Cleos att.i.tude was entirely different from before . The fatty wasnt interested in Cleo but just raised the juice gla.s.s in his hand to say, Young Lord Cleo, and said nothing else . Chen Mu also nodded to him . Young Lord Cleo . Cleo didnt seem to mind such treatment and faced the two eagerly . I never thought I would see Mr . Cao here, which is quite a surprise . It will be Cleos coming of age ceremony in a few days . Would Mr . Yang An and Mr . Cao be able to come? Coming of age ceremony? Chen Mu wasnt sure what that meant, but he wasnt much interested in the Lewin family . The eagerness in Cleos eyes also made him feel a little uncomfortable, so he shook his head . Im very sorry, but Im busy . Then, he closed his mouth . The fattys response was still more direct . Im busy as well; sorry, Young Lord Cleo . It was hard for Cleo to hide his disappointment, and after saying a few more things, he hurried off . The fatty watched Cleos back as he left and said contemptuously, The Lewin family is heading backward more and more . The two sons are obsessed with intrigue and pay no attention to the family properties . Hes really a stupid fellow! When he saw Chen Mus expression of not understanding, he explained . An aristocratic family like the Lewins will put on a banquet when the family heirs come of age . They would also invite some people to look on, and their powerful friends would cheer them on . Well, there arent so many families who still keep that tradition . I never would have thought the Lewins would keep it up . Between the lines of what the fatty said, there seemed to be some disdain for the tradition . Chen Mu understood a little of that . But, he didnt have any good feelings about Cleo himself, so he didnt much care . Even after he had rescued Cleo, not only had Cleo not treated him sincerely, he was always scheming . Chen Mu respected such a person by keeping him at a distance . Seeing Chen Mus expression, the fattys expression showed that he understood . He lowered his voice to say, The two sons of the Lewin family dont have a grasp on their affairs, and their decline is a foregone conclusion . Doing business with them is ok for the short term, but it isnt worth it in the long term . What do you mean by that? Chen Mu was suddenly a little curious . With a mild expression, the fatty said, To get to where we are in business, work it isnt only a matter of dealing with things . Most of it is networking and channels . If one isnt doing good business now and is expecting to grow because of ones current strength, that would be as hard as climbing to heaven . The important trend is to cooperate with people . No matter what kinds of windfalls you make in the short term, those are very limited . Stable, long-term income is more important . A partner who will stay with you for the long term is worth spending a lot of money on . A talent such as young brother Cao is worth spending money on! Chen Mu was taken aback by what the fatty was saying . He didnt have much experience with business, but what he was saying seemed rather enlightening . Chen Mu smiled . You regard me too highly . No, no, no! The fatty shook his head like a drum rattle, making it look like he might fall over . Theres no need for young brother Cao to be so modest . Although this fatty doesnt bat a thousand judging people, hes not so far off . Young brother Cao has a calm demeanor with a steady gaze . One look can tell a lot; I see your tough temper and authoritative character . Chen Mu was taken aback again . He had never heard anyone so full of praise for him before . Just then, someone not far away greeted the fatty . His eyes sharpened as he rushed to apologize to Chen Mu and got up to give his greetings . It was hard to believe such a fat guy could move with such agility . After the fatty left, Chen Mu was once again alone in the corner . There was beautiful music playing in the hall, and the waiters would come around carrying red wine and juices and sweets among all the guests . All of the people from Pomelo who had any gravitas were networking there, gathered in groups of three or five . They would sometimes talk and laugh or turn their gazes toward the center of the hall . Those upper-cla.s.s women wearing beautiful evening gowns would be kibitzing in whispers while their gazes were always hotly cast right toward the middle, where Zu Ning and Jie Yanbai were . The young men had hot, greedy eyes as they stared at Butchie in their midst . The stars of the banquet were those two men and that one woman . When it came to Chen Mu, who was nothing more than a small character, it saved him trouble that no one knew him . He didnt pay any attention to those who would sometimes walk past looking at him with gazes that were just as full of surprise . Such a banquet didnt include many high-grade card artisans . While high-grade card artisans were certainly the object of every powers wooing, it would be difficult for them to enter high society . Of course, that was apart from students who graduated from the Big Six . Once admitted to the Big Six, that would mean you had already started to step into high society . People like Zu Ning and Jie Yanbai always maintained their even and reserved expressions . That was a kind of condescension, though no one found it strange . On the contrary, they felt it was perfectly normal . Even Ren Wenzhou took it quite naturally . The was a saying in the federation that only the five flouris.h.i.+ng districts and the capital would have any true n.o.bility . In the eyes of many of the citizens of those districts, a regional despot like Ren Wenzhou was nothing more than a wealthy provincial . They were born with a sense of superiority, and that sense of superiority was still more obvious with those who came from the Big Six . By comparison, Butchie looked a lot more pleasing . Clearly, however, she wasnt the equal of those two; whether in power or in strength, she wouldnt be any rival to the two of them . If it were that man with the half mask, then he might have given them a fight . But, what did that have to do with him? Chen Mu kept comfortably drinking his juice, finis.h.i.+ng off seven or eight gla.s.ses in a breath . The taste of each one was different—quite a bit better than the Sapphire Cloud Running Water he used to drink . As soon as he thought about Sapphire Cloud Running Water, Chen Mu thought about Copper . He didnt know where he was by then, which turned him melancholy . He remained in the corner that way without anyone to disturb him . Quite a few who had wanted to make friends with Chen Mu left discreetly when they saw Chen Mus look of not wanting any strangers . After the banquet was over, Chen Mu quietly left, not even seeing those he had spoken with again . When he returned home and opened the door, Chen Mu was taken aback . Wei-ah was sitting imposingly on the floor . When did you get back? Chen Mu went over to Wei-ahs side and sat on the floor . Seeing Chen Mu had gotten back, Lu Xiaoru rushed to prepare the tea and something to eat . Just now . Wei-ah didnt raise his eyelids . Chen Mu had just noticed the plain brown-colored little animal he was holding . Wei-ah was teasing him in a desultory fas.h.i.+on . What is that? Chen Mu asked in curiosity . The small animal was covered in dense brown fur and looked a little bit like a dog, though its body was a lot fatter, which made it look like a brown ball of flesh . Wei-ah shook his head . I dont know . You dont know? Chen Mus expression went strange . Where did you get it from? Given Wei-ahs temperament, Chen Mu couldnt quite believe he would buy a small pet . The only time he could have bought one was when he was hungry . I stole it . Wei-ah still hadnt lifted his eyelids as he quietly enjoyed himself, teasing the little guy . That little guy was slow enough; he curled up on Wei-ahs leg, sleeping soundly . You stole it? Chen Mu became suddenly interested . Where did you steal it from? Amedal . Where is that? Chen Mu was at a loss . Lu Xiaoru rushed to connect from the side . Amedal is another business center in the Ming Zheng District . Its about as bustling as Pomelo . Its quite a ways from here . What were you doing going to Amedal? Chen Mu asked in curiosity . He had thought it was incredible when Wei-ah had asked him for money . Wei-ah must have had something to do for him to run over to Amedal . Chen Mu believed it certainly wasnt because of that brown dog-like ball of flesh . To steal it . Wei-ahs response made Chen Mus face turn to stone . It? Chen Mus mouth was hanging open as he pointed at the chubby brown dog with a shocked expression . Lu Xiaoru, who was just about to pour the tea, nearly spilled the tea water . Mmmm . You ran off to Amedal just to steal it? Chen Mu wasnt quite sure whether he was hearing things . Right . Why did you steal it? Wei-ah tilted his head to think for a bit . He looked familiar . Black lines popped up straight across Chen Mus forehead . So you just stole it? And, you specifically ran over to Amedal to steal it . Right . Wei-ah then pulled out a money card and gave it to Chen Mu . This thing is useless . Useless? Chen Mu went blank . A money card, useless? There were four million Oudi on that money card, and Wei-ah actually said it was useless! He was suspicious . So, how did you get to Amedal? On the shuttle train . You need to buy a ticket for the shuttle train . Didnt they check your ticket? Chen Mu asked . What kind of thing is that? Wei-ah asked back . Lu Xiaorus hand shook again, and the tea water splashed onto the table . Chen Mu was using hand gestures to describe it . Its something like a card, called a train ticket . You can only get on the train with a ticket . Didnt you buy one? No . Wei-ah shook his head . Then, how did you get on? Chen Mu asked with a lot of curiosity . If you dont have a ticket at the gate, then you cant get in . Oh, youre talking about that talking machine? I gave it a tap, and it didnt say anything more . Wei-ahs expression was very natural . Chen Mu felt a sudden chill . Gave it a tap? He glanced at Wei-ahs hand and couldnt help an image of that scene floating up in his mind . Given Wei-ahs strength, for him to give the ticket machine a tap, never mind that machine; even hardened instruments would be turned to sc.r.a.p . Swallowing hard, Chen Mu kept asking, Didnt you eat? I ate . How did you eat? Chen Mu was curious . I saw many places where cooked meat was hanging, and I took it down to eat . Wei-ah sucked his mouth . The taste was a little mild, but it was still better than what you make . A scene immediately surfaced in Chen Mus mind where Wei-ah was walking into a cooked meat shop and saw a row of cooked meat hanging above, and with a stunning flash of speed he simply picked a few strings down and walked off . Did you come back the same way? Chen Mus looked dumbstruck, though he still asked . Right . His glance fell again to the soundly sleeping, plump dog Wei-ah was holding . Could there be some relations.h.i.+p between the dog and Wei-ah? If there were no relation, then why would Wei-ah go so far? But, Wei-ah says he doesnt know, which means he probably cant quite remember . Chen Mu suddenly thought about a different issue . How did you know this dog was in Amedal? I saw it on the fantasy card receiver . Chen Mu then suddenly realized what Wei-ah had said earlier . It was also stolen? It had been locked in a cage, and I broke the cage . There were six people after me, whom I killed . Wei-ah didnt change his expression . As cool as ever, he described a rather b.l.o.o.d.y affair with a natural voice . Lu Xiaoru turned white, and her hands shook so much she spilled a lot of the tea water . No matter what had happened, Wei-ah had returned, which finally allowed Chen Mu to relax . Given Wei-ahs strength, he didnt really need to worry, but Wei-ah was a complete stranger to the world beyond the jungle . Doing things like what he had just done were actually quite dangerous . If the other party was powerful, or if he ran into some real power, or if hed been attacked by an angry mob, even given Wei-ahs valiance, Chen Mu couldnt be sure he could survive . Perhaps some ace like the president of one of the Big Six Academies could survive against bombardment from several hundred or even more card artisans . But, any other card artisan, even though they might be some famous ace, wouldnt be able to escape from hundreds of card artisans . But, Wei-ah wasnt versed in worldly affairs and was p.r.o.ne to get in trouble . Chen Mu wasnt afraid of things, but meaningless trouble didnt seem necessary to him . Lu Xiaorus face had remained white as though she had received a powerful shock . Even up until Wei-ah praised her cooking, her expression was extremely unnatural . That pudgy dog seemed rather clever and woke up as soon as it heard about eating . Wei-ah was the same after eating as hed been before, watching his fantasy card receiver by himself . This time, however, there was a brown ball of flesh at his feet .