Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Sang Hanshui gave a cold grunt of confidence in his status, but he didn't feel good making a move on a little girl. But he wasn't going to be so polite toward those card artisans. His triangular eyes glinted with unspeakably ruthless gloom. His terrifying perception was still the deadliest thing. It came on like wave after wave of breakers, bombarding the fragile psychic defenses of that gang of card artisans!

Chen Mu was shaking his head to himself. While those card artisans' power wouldn't be considered weak, they lacked spirit, and they were deficient compared to the card artisans under him. The card artisans cultivated by Bogner and Jiang Liang, one in charge and the other his lieutenant, were full of fighting spirit. Even if they were to face a card artisan more powerful than themselves, they would still restrain their fear.

The card artisans in front of him were nothing more than a mob. Chen Mu could lead 100 card artisans with confidence that they could prevail against 300 like that gang of card artisans. Having gone through an awful lot of battles, he was no longer the rookie he had been. Since he had aces in strategy like Bogner beside him, his insights were beyond compare with the old days.

In any battle at scale, while the power of a single soldier was definitely important, discipline, obedience, and the will to fight were still more basic.

He had kept in contact with the base during that time, and he understood the situation there pretty well. The promulgation of the snow pit method had enabled all of the card artisans' perceptual abilities to rise by a level; some of the card artisans could be described as having advanced by leaps and bounds. That was especially true of those who had been with Chen Mu the longest. Those who had survived had surged in power.

Among them all, Lu Xiaoru and the bar-browed man were the most striking. The crazy upward trend of their perception was really giving Bogner a headache. He'd had to develop a special training plan specifically for them. Xiaobo, on the other hand, remained closed-off. He was the number-three ace on the base, but even Bogner wasn't so clear about where his power had gotten to in the end.

The card artisans Bogner had selected were stoic and were the types to take suffering as they trained like crazy. According to what Bogner said, he was planning to lead them out to partic.i.p.ate in a real battle to increase their actual battle experience.

Xi Ping kept complaining about how huge the overhead had gotten. Burning Oudi didn't begin to describe it, though it was just like burning money, after all. He had also told Chen Mu that little Yang Bo had started to study the card artisan curriculum; his tone had seemed full of extreme gratification.

During that brief time just then, who knew where Chen Mu's thoughts had drifted off to? By the time he'd returned to his senses, those card artisans were staggering around, and their faces had turned white.

Chen Mu couldn't avoid feeling some contempt. Those guys had just been so arrogant and domineering, and they had now become soft-legged shrimp. Not only did none of them open their mouths, but they didn't even pay attention to their own master. If those under him had been like that, he supposed he would have gotten rid of them immediately.

Instead, it was that middle-aged man who still tightly protected the little girl behind him, though he looked pretty nervous.

“My little lady is naughty by nature. We have been blind to it and didn't intend any offense to any of you. We beg you all to forgive us!” Although the middle-aged man had some fear in his expression, he still spoke in an orderly fas.h.i.+on. The little girl also knew the trouble she had caused, and she must have been scared. Her timid little face was hard to take.

That little chick was so bizarre that Chen Mu had to smile to himself. Although the girl was really trying hard to present an expression of fear, the curiosity in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts. That was one really clever little girl!

“What family are you?” Sang Hanshui was a wily old fox and knew it was no good to bother with that little la.s.s. He pulled in his perception and said in a cold voice, “To be so young and so defiant, what will that get you when you grow up?”

The middle-aged man was extremely observant and took the initiative to humble himself. “The little one is from the Tai-shu family! Our offense this time is really on us. I still haven't asked for the great names of each of you. Hearing you speak, you've just arrived in Dongrui. Where are you staying? We've made an unintentional offense today, and I'm asking you each to be magnanimous. A little later, the elder of the Tai-shu household will make amends to each of you personally!”

The Tai-shu family? Sang Hanshui had never heard of it, and he was about to turn him down. He never thought the ever-silent Chen Mu would suddenly open his mouth. “You are the Tai-shu family?”

A look of surprise flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes. “Whom does this gentleman know in my family?” The Tai-shu family included a lot of people, with quite a few ancillary lines scattered all over. If that person was friends with the Tai-shus, that day's business would be easily handled.

Chen Mu didn't answer but instead asked, “Is the head of your household Tai-shu Yong?”

The middle-aged man looked overjoyed. “Indeed; he is! Are you an acquaintance of our patriarch?” In Dongrui, a lot of people would easily say the name of the head of the Tai-shu household. However, for an outsider who had just arrived at Dongrui to be able to so smoothly say that name wouldn't be so easy.

He didn't think his counterpart would shake his head. The middle-aged man's heart abruptly sank, and a bad notion popped into his head. Could he be an enemy?

The little girl then stuck her head out and spoke timidly. “Why don't you uncles come to my house to drink a cup of tea? Little Ying was wrong today and wants to apologize to each of you! Grandfather says that when you do something wrong, you should apologize.”

Chen Mu sighed to himself about how the girls from those aristocratic families would have so many thoughts by the time they got a little older. Sang Hanshui was a wily old fox, but he was still tricked by that little la.s.s. She seemed very clear, but her adorable tenderness was her most powerful weapon. So, the expression on her face was extremely endearing. If it weren't for Chen Mu just happening to catch that hint of crafty cunning that showed midstream, he would most likely also have been moved by that exceptional expression of hers.

Chen Mu took a look at Bu Mo and did a little comparison. The two of them were about the same age, but Bu Mo was absolutely no match for her. Their abilities in that regard were really too far apart!

Chen Mu had never imagined he would run into someone from the Tai-shu family upon entering the city only to have a conflict with them. So, when the girl brought up the invitation, Chen Mu was a little hesitant, not having been prepared for it. Still, he only hesitated for a moment before nodding and responding, “Sure.”

He wanted to go to the Tai-shu household anyway. Although the affair had been unexpected, he didn't get fl.u.s.tered. He had plenty of self-confidence. His power had risen greatly from before, and he still had Wei-ah by his side. Sang Hanshui was also a pro. Although little Bu Mo was a bit weaker, if there were any problem Chen Mu and Wei-ah couldn't resolve, any additional ability wasn't going to hurt.

Moreover, Qiao Yuan's reputation at that time was like the sun in the sky. To say it as Bogner would, if he were to go right up to the door and ask Tai-shu Yong for some gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus, Tai-shu Yong would consider it.

Their four masks were quite interesting. Chen Mu's was a bright silver mask on which there were only two simple, wavy black lines winding down his cheek. Sang Hanshui's mask was the most exaggerated, its hideous lines painting a murderous-looking ancient general. Wei-ah's mask was carved from pure black wood and was simple and crude. It went along with his indifferent eyes to give a really chilling feeling. Little Bu Mo's mask was the most interesting among the four. It was a cartoon monkey.

Following the little girl and the middle-aged man, Chen Mu and his party were rather leisurely. Behind them followed a gang of guards with pallid faces and dazed expressions. Even the middle-aged man couldn't abide those guards' miserable expressions, and the little la.s.s gazed toward them with extreme discontent.

The middle-aged man felt a bout of retrospective fear. That card artisan wearing the mask of an ancient general really had terrifying power! He was skeptical that even the household's chief military instructor would be his equal. That overwhelming perception had been so oppressive that he almost hadn't been able to breathe.

But that wasn't the thing he found the strangest. Up until the man wearing the silver mask had nodded in response to the young lady's invitation, he had thought the one with the general's mask was the leader of the party; the strength he had displayed was so powerful! He had never guessed the one in the lead was actually the man wearing the silver mask. When he had nodded in response to the young lady's invitation, the other three hadn't made any response. Not only that, but they hadn't even questioned it.

It could be seen from that what his position among the four was. To be able to get such a powerful card artisan to listen to him wasn't something just anyone could do.

The middle-aged man felt extremely glad as he took a look at the little miss beside him. Their luck that day had been really good. Who knew which muscle had flinched wrong on that little miss? By her acting before thinking that time, though, they had actually gotten the best result.

“I am called Tai-shu Ying, uncles! It's written with a combination of the character ‘w.a.n.g' and the ‘ying' from ‘baby.' What are your names, uncles?” the little miss asked in all innocence.

The middle-aged man's ears p.r.i.c.ked up.

Chen Mu glanced at the innocent-looking Tai-shu Ying and smiled before saying, “Oh, you can just call me uncle.”

The girl hadn't thought her tried-and-true trick would actually fail, which made her feel abruptly dejected. But she then discovered the smallest among the four of them, little Bu Mo, and she rolled her eyes and turned to him. “Are you my little brother or my little big brother?”

Bu Mo was a bit dejected. Girls developed a lot earlier than boys; although he was older than she was, judging from his frame, the two of them were about the same.

“As you please.” His response was much in the style of Wei-ah. His thinking was simple; the girl's domineering appearance had given him a bad impression.

Tai-shu Ying's little mouth flattened, and she was about to cry. “Are you still mad at Little Ying? Little Ying has already apologized…”

Bu Mo kept very proper. Never having had such an argument, it made him abruptly fl.u.s.tered.

Just then, Wei-ah's voice sounded up. “Jump like a frog, Bu Mo.”

Little Bu Mo's spirits were jolted, and he loudly responded, “Yes, sir.” He then put both hands behind his back, bent his knees into a squat, and hopped along with everyone.

Tai-shu Ying was stunned to see that little guy wearing a cartoon monkey mask hopping along like a frog, which looked unspeakably comical. The pedestrians along the way also had rather strange expressions when they saw that scene.

But Tai-shu Ying didn't smile. Her little eyes were suddenly blinking as she blankly watched that ridiculous comedy being carried out in total ignorance of her. She became rather distracted as that little boy concentrated on every jump.