Following

Lin Qi carried the heavy wooden box home from the Ten Thousand Cards Pavilion.

He planned to fuse some of the Iron Sword Cards when he got back to replenish the shop's stock, then work out how to use his newly acquired Skeleton Cards to improve his Natal Card.

When he was still two streets away from the Wonderful Tales Shop, Lin Qi suddenly stopped.

The Wind Chime Cat following at his feet was the first to sense something amiss. Its drooping triangular ears shot upright, and a low whine rumbled in its throat.

Its sapphire-blue pupils narrowed sharply, fixed on the street corner to the right.

"What is it, Wind Chime?"

Lin Qi followed the Wind Chime Cat's gaze. In the shadows at the corner, he could just make out part of a black garment and a blurry figure. Someone was clearly hiding there, spying on him.

"Someone from the Ten Thousand Cards Pavilion? Or another mercenary corps?"

Lin Qi wondered to himself, quietly concealing the Sword-Wielding Skeleton card in his palm.

He had expected people with ill intentions to come investigating his background, or even looking for trouble.

After all, the Wonderful Tales Shop had only sold one-star Implement Cards today and hadn't advertised any high-star cards. That also meant no one could confirm whether Lin Feng really was a card maker.

If he had been lucky enough to find those cards, might there be more?

Or perhaps he really had obtained a card maker's inheritance.

After all, there were card secret realms on the Source Card Continent.

Rare cards could be found inside, so Card Masters were always entering those secret realms, one after another.

Plenty died inside as well. As a result, some card makers sealed their inheritances into cards before they died, waiting for someone destined to inherit them.

If Lin Feng had merely been lucky enough to inherit a card maker's legacy, he would be in danger. The major mercenary corps and nobles would do everything they could to seize him.

And if they couldn't get him, they would very likely make a move to destroy him.

After all, this was Stone Iron City, a remote place.

For Lin Feng to register as a card maker, he would have to travel all the way to the duchy, and that was a long way off...

But if the rumors were true and Lin Feng had been taken as a disciple by a master card maker ten years ago, then a card maker with a master like that was not someone they could afford to offend.

After all, card makers held an exceptionally exalted position in this world.

The power behind every master card maker was enough to make the duchy tremble. If anything happened to a master's disciple, there would be no need to find the culprit; Stone Iron City was just a small third-tier town, so everyone in it could simply be buried with the disciple.

Lin Qi patted the Wind Chime Cat on the head and pointed to the roof beside them.

"Wind Chime, go around over the roofs and see who that is."

The Wind Chime Cat understood at once. With a light push of its hind legs, it leaped onto the tiles of the low building like a feather caught by the wind, without making a sound.

It crouched on the roof ridge and made its way toward the street corner.

"I'd like to see who's set their sights on the shop so quickly."

Lin Qi casually edged two steps toward the corner, Source Power already charged in the card between his fingers.

Before long, a piercing cat's cry suddenly erupted from the corner. "Mreow!"

A man's furious, startled curse followed. "Damn cat!"

The Wind Chime Cat leaped down, jumping straight into the alley.

Lin Qi hesitated no longer and ran toward the corner, his boots clacking against the stone pavement.

As soon as he rounded the corner into the alley, he saw a man in a short black shirt scrambling to his feet, trying to run toward the dead end at the other end of the alley.

Hearing the footsteps, the man turned and viciously kicked the Wind Chime Cat as it caught up to him, cursing, "Get away from me!"

Lin Qi had intended to give chase, but the man had already disappeared around the corner.

"Why does that voice sound so familiar? And I recognize him from behind, too..."

But the next second, the Wind Chime Cat's whimper snapped him back to his senses.

The little creature was curled up on the ground, its left forepaw drawn in slightly. A glaring bead of blood stained its pink pad. It had clearly been injured by the kick.

"Damn it!"

Lin Qi's face darkened instantly. "That guy must be Lei De!"

He had thought it was Wang Meng and his gang.

After all, Wang Meng had picked a fight with him a few days ago and had his face scratched up by the Wind Chime Cat. He might have come back for revenge, but Lin Qi had now ruled that out.

The Wind Chime Cat was a two-star Card Beast. Even if its physical strength was average, it was far faster than an ordinary Card Apprentice. Anyone who could injure it had to be at least a Three-Star Card Master, while Wang Meng was only a Card Apprentice and couldn't possibly have done it.

In all of Stone Iron City, what other Card Master had a grudge against his family and looked familiar to him?

Lin Qi carefully picked up the Wind Chime Cat. When his fingertips touched its injured paw, the little creature flinched in pain, but still rubbed its head against his chin and gave a gentle "meow," as if to say it was all right.

"Don't worry. I'll take you home first."

Lin Qi's voice softened, but the coldness in his eyes grew even deeper.

"Once this batch of cards sells, I'll find a way to make you stronger. Then we'll get revenge on Lei De!"

Lin Qi's expression was icy. He had originally planned to expand the card business first, but now it seemed safest to improve his own strength first.

"A Card Master's strength has a lot to do with the star level and quality of their cards.

"A Three-Star Card Master only has three Secondary Cards, but if all three are green quality, they have a seventy percent chance of beating a Four-Star Card Master with four white Secondary Cards.

"If Dad could get a blue-quality Skill Card, he could sweep through every Five-Star Card Master in Stone Iron City."

Lin Qi carried the Wind Chime Cat home, quickly turning things over in his mind.

He knew Stone Iron City's balance of power well. Five-Star Card Master was the highest rank a commoner Card Master could reach, and there were only a few in the entire city.

Grand Card Masters were even rarer, with only five in total. One was the current city lord, Alicia's father, though he had gone to the duchy on business and wouldn't be back for at least half a year.

Another was Xiaoduo, the bishop of the Lava Church, whose status was even a little higher than the city lord's.

Besides the city lord, there was reportedly another Grand Card Master in the city lord's manor, but no one had seen him fight. He counted as one, too.

The other two were the leaders of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps and the Black Wind Mercenary Corps.

He had also heard Ruilian say that only those five Grand Card Masters in all of Stone Iron City had blue-quality cards.

As soon as Lin Qi got home, Lin Feng saw his son come back carrying the Wind Chime Cat, with bloodstains on his clothes.

"Son, did you get into a fight?"

He hurriedly fetched some clotting salve.

Lin Qi took the medicine and applied it to the Wind Chime Cat as he said, "It was Lei De!"

"Lei De?! That bastard dared to lay a hand on you?"

Lin Feng's face darkened instantly. He slammed a hand on the table and furiously made for the door.

"I'll go kill him right now!"

"Come back!"

Lin Qi snapped his head up and shouted coldly, stopping Lin Feng's foot in midair as he stepped through the doorway.

Lin Qi took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions.

"Dad, it's not that I won't let you go. You just can't go now."

"You only have two green Secondary Cards right now. The rest are white quality. You're no match for Lei De. He's a Five-Star Card Master. Even if his Secondary Cards are only average quality, they're far better than what you have now. Wait until I improve the quality of your Secondary Cards, then go after him."

Though Lin Feng was still furious, he knew Lin Qi was telling the truth.

If he went to fight Lei De head-on now, it certainly wouldn't end well for him. And if he got hurt, he would make Lin Qi worry.

"All right, I'll listen to you."

He reluctantly drew his foot back and walked over to Lin Qi, silently helping him apply medicine to the Wind Chime Cat, though his expression was still grim.