Card Room

Chapter 144 - Calligraphy Master Gui Yuanzhang

Yu Hanjiang slept until it was daytime. Once it was morning, he felt refreshed and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Then he happened to encounter Xiao Lou coming out from the next room.

Xiao Lou had just woken up and was bleary-eyed. He rubbed his eyes as he walked, looking confused and his hair a bit messy. Compared to the usual elegant and gentle Professor Xiao, such a Xiao Lou had more of an atmosphere of loss. This made Yu Hanjiang feel extraordinarily kind.

He couldn’t help smiling as he asked, “You woke up?”

Hearing the man’s low voice, Xiao Lou finally completely woke up. He saw Yu Hanjiang and smiled, “Group Leader Yu, why are you up so early?”

Facing such a smile early in the morning, Yu Hanjiang’s mood instantly became happy. It was as if his heart was wrapped in a cloud of soft feathers. His eyes couldn’t help becoming gentle. He wiped his hands clean and walked to Xiao Lou, asking in a voice filled with concern. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Xiao Lou nodded. “Maybe seven days at sea is too tiring. I slept very hard last night and didn’t wake up until dawn.”

Seeing his rosy cheeks and how he was full of energy, Yu Hanjiang put down his worries. “We will continuously break through in the future and everyone’s energy won’t keep up. This time, take advantage of the opportunity to rest for a few days and prepare for the future.”

Xiao Lou said, “I think so too.”

Next door, Ye Qi suddenly opened the door and saw the two people talking in the bathroom. He hurriedly said, “Professor Xiao, are you going to use the bathroom? Then I’ll go to the fourth floor. I’m in a hurry!”

Before Xiao Lou could answer, he ran away and his movement speed was so fast that it was like he used the teleportation card. Xiao Lou helplessly looked at Ye Qi’s back, quickly washed his face and came downstairs.

At 8:39, the teammates on the third floor also got up and gathered downstairs. Yu Hanjiang told them, “Get ready to go and eat breakfast. I checked online and there is a breakfast store nearby.”

Ye Qi’s eyes moved around. “It seems that a person is missing!”

Everyone glanced at each other and soon found that Shao Qingge hadn’t come down. Xiao Lou went up to the second floor and knocked on the door. “Chief Shao? You haven’t woken up yet?”

There was no sound from the room and Xiao Lou had to push the door in. He saw Shao Qingge lying in bed like a cat, spreading out limbs and snoring. Xiao Lou couldn’t bear to wake him up but today’s schedule was hectic. Without Chief Shao, their main financial manager, they wouldn’t be able to implement the plan of buying cards and clothes.

Xiao Lou had to come forward and call him. “Chief Shao, get up.”

Shao Qingge hummed and turned over, continuing to sleep on his back.

Xiao Lou felt helpless. “Chief Shao, don’t you want to get up and eat breakfast?”

Shao Qingge turned over his body and continued to sleep. Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, “Your gentle calling will never wake him up. Why don’t I get a glass of ice water and pour it onto the quilt?”

The moment he spoke, Shao Qingge sat upright from the bed.

Xiao Lou didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. “In fact, you woke up a long time ago and just wanted to stay in bed, right?”

Shao Qingge squinted, voice filled with a trace of dissatisfaction. “Today we don’t have to break through the instances. Can’t I stay in bed?”

Since his hair was usually up in a ponytail, this outlined his entire face and made Shao Qingge look extremely handsome. At this time, his hair was messed up by sleeping. His scattered hair made him look a bit lazy like he was a cat spreading out his belly to bask in the sun.

Xiao Lou had to resist the urge to rub his hair and smiled. “Okay, tomorrow you can sleep. There are too many things to do today so I have to wrong you. Please wash your face and go to eat with us.”

Shao Qingge yawned and turned around to wash his face before going down to meet with everyone.

***

Today’s weather was very good. Warm sunshine shone on the avenue and the entire community was like a huge garden. The air was full of the scent of flowers. Everyone moved through the forest while sighing over the beauty of the environment here.

It was a high-end villa area and in the early morning, there weren’t many pedestrians on the road. Xiao Lou took everyone to the gate of the community and found a breakfast store to have a simple meal. Then they followed Old Mo to buy a vehicle in the suburbs.

There were many 4S stores here and Xiao Lou didn’t know the brands. He hadn’t got his driving license in the real world and didn’t know much about cars. He stared blankly at Old Mo. “Which brand should we buy?”

Old Mo scratched his head. “I don’t understand this world’s car brand. In any case, the performance of the car should be similar and it depends on the appropriate price.”

Shao Qingge looked at the car exhibition hall with wide eyes and proposed, “Buy a small tour bus and let Old Mo drive it when the team acts together. In addition, we can buy another car so it can be more flexible when moving in teams.

Xiao Lou looked back at him. “Do we have enough money for two cars?”

Shao Qingge smiled. “Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t matter if we spend it all. Don’t forget that we have the chrysoberyl bracelets. We can see if there are any jewellery actions to sell them. We can make a fortune.”

Hearing this, Xiao Lou completely put down his worries In any case, there were always many ways to make money even if they spent all the money.

He bargained with the boss to buy a small tour bus for 16 people. Then immediately afterward, they went to the store next door and bought a five seater.

The world’s 4S sore reserves and they could get the car directly in two hours after paying money and doing the on-site procedures. There was a parking lot at the villa and the two vehicles meant it would be very convenient to travel in the future.

Old Mo drove the white bus while Shao Qingge drove the black car back to the villa. Then they headed together to the city’s largest shopping mall.

They parked their vehicles in the underground garage and went to the mall, each person buying several sets of summer clothes and winter clothes. They put the big and small bags in the trunk and drove home.

After arriving at home, the group went to organize their wardrobes. Meanwhile, Xiao Lou took out his phone and called Xue Mingyue.

Previously, Gui Yuanzhang had invited them to join the Distant Guild. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang didn’t immediately agree. They said they ‘needed to consider’ and left Xue Mingyue’s contact information.

Once the call was connected, Xue Mingyue heard Xiao Lou’s voice and smiled. “Professor Xiao, have you considered it clearly? Our president has been waiting for a reply from the two of you.”

Xiao Lou replied, “I want to meet Old Gui. Do you know if he has time to meet today?”

Xue Mingyue said, “Wait a minute, I’ll ask him...”

A moment later, Xue Mingyue’s voice came through the receiver. “Mr Gui said that he has time at noon today and is waiting in the villa for your visit.” She paused before asking, “Where are you? Do you need someone to pick you up?”

Xiao Lou smiled and said, “No thank you, we’ll drive there.”

The original plan was to go to the market in the afternoon and to meet Old Gui in the evening. However, noon was the only time Old Gui was available. Xiao Lou adjusted the schedule and went to the Distant Guild with Old Gui.

At 12 noon, Old Mo drove the bus and brought everyone to the headquarters of the Distant Guild.

This was a single villa located between the mountains and forests. In order to arrive here, they had to go through a long mountain road, heavily guarded along the way. If it wasn’t for Xue Mingyue giving them the location, it would be hard for outsiders to find it. It was said that the house was bought by the boss of the Distant Guild himself and that it was very hidden.

Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou had been to the old villa once before and soon found it. The villa in the mountain was extraordinarily quiet. The midday sun was obscured by trees and the light that shone through the gaps was extremely soft.

Last time, they had come late at night and didn’t pay attention to the surrounding scenery. This time, they got a closer look. Xiao Lou found that the back of the villa had a large bamboo forest. The green bamboo forest surrounded by streams made people mistakenly think that they had come to a high seclusion area in a martial arts novel.

Xue Mingyue was waiting for them at the door. She saw Xiao Lou and greeted him before bringing everyone into the house.

The old gentleman with grey hair was making tea. The fragrance of tea spread throughout the room. Once he heard the footsteps, he looked up slowly with gentle eyes. “The guests are here. Please sit down and have a cup of tea first. Then we’ll have lunch together later.”

Seeing Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang sitting by the side of Old Gui, the others also quickly found a seat.

This was the first time they met the president of the legendary Distant Guild and couldn’t believe it. Old Gui was 60 years old, right? How did he live in this cruel Card World?

Gui Yuanzhang might be old but he wasn’t hunched over or look old. Sitting there, he was as upright as the bamboo planted at the villa. The skin of his hand had lost moisture and the wrinkles were obvious. However, his fingers were very stable when he lifted the teapot and not the slightest tremor could be seen.

He handed the teacups to the group and spoke while pouring tea.”This is the new tea this year, green bamboo leaf. The people of this world don’t like to drink tea and I used a lot of effort to have people buy it.”

Xiao Lou knew more about this old man than any of his teammates.

Gui Yuanzhang was a famous master of calligraphy in reality. He was the vice president of the National Painting and Calligraphy Association. He could write well and copy the handwriting of many ancient celebrities. Xiao Lou’s father was a calligrapher and had some friendship with Old Gui. He also had a collection of Old Gui’s calligraphy.

It was said that Old Gui was proficient in tea ceremony and his students gave him tea every time he visited. The rumours were true. Old Gui was very particular with his tea making. Xiao Lou politely took a sip from the cup. The fragrance was particularly refreshing. He seldom drank tea normally but the tea made by Mr Gui was really special.

Gui Yuanzhang poured tea for everyone before asking, “Did the first World Weekly go smoothly?”

Xiao Lou replied, “Overall it was smooth.”

Then Gui Yuanzhang glanced at Yu Hanjiang. “I heard you killed 56 sharks?”

Everyone was surprised he knew about it. Then Xiao Lou soon asked, “Did the Intelligence Bureau tell you?”

Gui Yuanzhang smiled. “Yes, you are newcomers yet brave. My eyes weren’t wrong.”

Yu Hanjiang directly spoke. “Senior, what do you want to tell us?”

Since his brother had him come to Old Gui, there must be something to explain. Sure enough, Gui Yuanzhang didn’t beat around the bush. He simply said, “You need to clear the B-grade secret rooms as soon as possible. I have prepared some cards here to help you.”

He glanced at Xue Mingyue and the long-haired beauty immediately brought out a card pack.

She handed the card pack to Yu Hanjiang and smiled. “These are material cards prepared by our guild.”

Gui Yuanzhang nodded. “There is no life-threatening danger in the low grade Hearts room. You can clear the instance if you solve the mystery in time. There are no hunters in the low grade Diamonds room. You just need to find a way out of the maze and break the mechanism. Clubs is just a lottery. The most dangerous one is Spades.”

Old Mo had met hunters in the Diamonds room because it was a World Weekly. However, there would be no hunters in the fixed secret rooms below J of Diamonds.

Xiao Lou wondered, “Senior, can I ask what level the elite team of the Distant Guild reached?”

Gui Yuanzhang replied, “The elite teams of the Distant Guild, Fallen Court and Luoying Pavilion have reached the S-grade secret rooms. There are no more than 50 people. However, we had to stop and didn’t dare continue moving on because the difficulty of the S-grade rooms will increase one level from the A-grade rooms. I had told you before that there was a very powerful team who was wiped out in the S-grade secret room.”

Lu Jiuchuan had apparently made a good call with the old man. Old Gui deliberately concealed about the team. In fact, the team led by Lu Jiuchuan wasn’t destroyed and Old Gui was one of the surviving members.

Xiao Lou didn’t pierce his words and picked up the card pack to take a look. The card pack sent was quite rich.

Eight of the B-grade ‘Wash Bag’ was given directly. It could be opened for a towel, toothbrush, cup, shampoo and shower gel.

There were the B-grade Laundry Liquid and Dryer that the girl had lent them in the previous World Weekly.

There was the B-grade Double Tent that was a waterproof tent useful in the wilderness. It held up to two people and came with pillows and blankets. Four copies of this card were given.

The B-grade card Travel Backpack could accommodate a large number of materials and there were also four copies. In addition, there were some Needles, Iron Pot, Chopsticks and other daily necessities.

The group was stunned. Old Gui was like an NPC who gave rewards. He gave so many supplies at once! Xiao Lou originally intended to go to the card market to buy some material cards. He hadn’t expected Old Gui to prepare all of them.

He looked at Old Gui in a grateful manner. “Senior, thank you. These cards are very practical.”

Gui Yuanzhang smiled. “You’re welcome. Most of these material cards come from the rewards for the World Weekly and the draw in the Clubs room. They will be more useful in the Spades survival room. In addition to Spades and Hearts, the later Diamonds and Clubs room will be harder. Material cards in those two rooms are fine. If you want to enhance your strength, you need to gain more control and combat cards.”

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were very clear about this. The S-grade Clubs room was no longer playing cards or drawing cards. It was direct PK against hunters. In the case when there was 10 times the number of people, wouldn’t it be impossible to smash an iron pot with chopsticks? These pots, pans and shampoo would make the conditions of the survival rooms better.

The key to survival depended on combat cards. For example, the four weapon cards that Yu Hanjiang drew were very strong, such as the Night Devil Saber, Bloodthirsty Golden Shark, Silver Moon and Star Blade. However, It wasn’t enough of Yu Hanjiang was the only output in the team!

Just then, Gui Yuanzhang suddenly took out a pen and smiled. “Are you confused about how I managed to live in the Card World when I’m an old man?”

In front of everyone’s curious eyes, he stood up and gently waved the brush in his hand.

They saw the air in front of them form dramatic fluctuations, like there was a gust of wind. Everyone’s teacups were blown into the air by this air flow! Then his strokes slowed down and he drew a beautiful arc. The teacups quickly lined up in a circle. Finally, his brush moved down and all the teacups returned to their original positions in an instant!

Throughout the process, not a single bit of liquid in the cup had poured out!

The jaws of Ye Qi, Liu Qiao and the others almost fell off while Xiao Lou’s face was full of shock. It was like watching a martial arts blockbuster on the spot. The white-haired Old Gui was like a martial artist who held a brush and killed enemies with it.

Old Gui took back the brush and spoke calmly. “I can survive by relying on this brush in my hand.”

The group was full of admiration.

Old Gui actually had a very strong card in his hand. He could use the brush to make the target float in the air as well as control the trajectory of the target in the air! In contrast, Xiao Lou’s floating Compass was simply child-like.

Old Gui’s eyes slowly swept across the group. “In the Card World, the real essence is the cards. As long as you have good cards and use them flexibly, you will have a frightening combat power no matter how old, weak or sick.”

He paused and lowered his voice before speaking earnestly. “This is why I called you here today. I wanted to tell you to never underestimate your strength. This is a magical world. Believe in yourself and you can create miracles.”