Chapter 101: 101 Song Family’s Twins_1
"Is it really done so quickly?" Tang Qian was still shocked by the four Spirit Cards.
Her previous order was purely out of desperation, hoping against hope. The Mo Liqing card was explosive enough, and in just a few months, Wen Jiang not only made the Moon Palace Card Set but also created four additional cards.
Tang Qian was not dull; she knew Wen Jiang couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards, so she simply ignored his excessive talent.
She didn’t say much, only asking, "Hasn’t the card department contacted you?"
Recently, there had been a disturbance with Jade Rabbit Pestle Medicine. She guessed the Empire must have intervened or already contacted Wen Jiang. Otherwise, considering the quality of the Moon Palace Card Set, the Empire wouldn’t have released it to the public.
Wen Jiang simply nodded. "It’s inconvenient to say more."
Knowing this meant he had seen the higher-ups, Tang Qian didn’t pursue it further.
She received the new card data from Wen Jiang but would Copy it after a while. For the time being, she didn’t plan to let Chen Runyu and the others use it; they would have to wait a few days. It was all too coincidental that Wen Jiang’s card combination appeared just as he joined the company.
"Your timing is spot on," Tang Qian said, turning to another matter. "The selection competition is about to start. Before that, the Guiqing Association’s first team has challenged us to a training match tomorrow. I’ve agreed."
"If you hadn’t come today, I would have called you tonight anyway."
Training matches are private contests between major associations where new strategies might be deployed. Mount Flower had regular training matches with the major associations, and this year it was Guiqing’s turn.
Tang Qian speculated, "Your Moon Palace Card Set has caused chaos among the major associations. Most likely, everyone will use Moon Palace Card Sets in the training match, so let’s hold off on releasing Mo Liqing. I always thought the Mountain Ghost Association would challenge us first, not Guiqing."
Wen Jiang, not knowing much about the A-Level players of the major associations, casually asked, "What’s the strength of the Guiqing Association’s first team like?"
"Six of one, half a dozen of the other," Tang Qian gave a rare, honest assessment. "Guiqing is a contender at S Rank, but their strength below S Rank is generally not great. However... Guiqing is very strong at card making."
Tang Qian continued, "When Guiqing was founded, they offered attractive conditions and attracted many Card Makers. They excel at surprising other associations with new cards before competitions. That’s why they’ve performed well previously, though their team members are average."
Frowning, she said, "Guiqing recruits team members impulsively, and their players are all quite high-profile. This year, there’s Chen Yunbai. I’m not sure if you’ve seen him; he’s Chen Runyu’s cousin and has visited our association before."
That time, pressured and with no options left, she had turned to the Guiqing Association to buy Spirit Cards. Though she bought the cards, it didn’t spare her from fury, and now the cards weren’t even needed, resulting in a financial loss. But Tang Qian had no regrets. If those events hadn’t transpired, perhaps their association would never have encountered someone like Wen Jiang. That would have been the greatest loss.
"Chen Yunbai?" Wen Jiang had some recollection of him. "The one with dyed red hair? I saw him in the lobby once, arguing with Chen Runyu."
Indeed, Wen Jiang had witnessed the altercation between Chen Yunbai and Chen Runyu that day.
Tang Qian paused for a moment, then agreed, "Right, that’s him. Although they’re cousins, their families don’t get along at all. After Runyu joined our association, Chen Yunbai joined Guiqing. I was initially waiting for Mountain Ghost. When Guiqing came calling, I agreed. I’m guessing Chen Yunbai probably wants to show up Chen Runyu."
In terms of card power alone, Chen Yunbai might be on par with Chen Runyu. But with a weak link like Chen Shaoning previously on the team, Guiqing was looking to exploit what they believed to be an easy target. Although they had now switched to Wen Jiang, the Guiqing Association didn’t know Wen Jiang’s true strength. They only knew he had recently been promoted from B-Level and likely didn’t take him very seriously. For a team that had only been working together for two months, they definitely wouldn’t believe Wen Jiang could have great synergy with the first team. The idea that Wen Jiang seldom participated in training wasn’t something they had considered at all.
Primarily because Tang Qian, the coach, didn’t involve herself, and everyone usually drilled in silence, it was hard for anyone to notice these matters.
Tang Qian didn’t have a good impression of Chen Yunbai and just scoffed, "He probably won’t get his way this time."
Never mind using different cards; with Wen Jiang around, Tang Qian didn’t think Chen Yunbai and his team could win.
Wen Jiang nodded. "I’ll arrive on time for the practice match tomorrow."
After chatting with Tang Qian, just as he was about to leave the card room, Tang Qian suddenly spoke up again, "Oh, by the way..."
Wen Jiang looked back at her. Tang Qian seemed to be struggling with something difficult to say, then after a long pause, she added, "Never mind, it’s nothing."
Wen Jiang didn’t press further.
What concerned Tang Qian were some secretive bits of information related to Wen Jiang. Seeing he was about to leave, she suddenly said, "Hongying’s new teammate is Song Zhi’s twin brother. Sheng Hongying kicked out four teammates earlier. Aside from Du Zhaiyue, three spots remained. One was taken by a Spirit Card Master from another association, and the other two were filled by Song Zhi’s brothers. After all, being the sons of Song Ji, the twins have considerable strength, which is why Song Zhi recommended them. Apart from the illegitimate child Song Yingchen, the Song Family has twin sons borne by Madam Song, who are two years younger than Song Yingchen. Mount Flower was worrying about finding S-level Players just a while ago, and now they suddenly have a conflux of strong candidates—something no one anticipated."
Wen Jiang seemed amused by the news, a quiet smile gracing his face. "I don’t know any of them."
With that, he closed the door and walked away.
Tang Qian’s heart skipped a beat. She had only incidentally heard that the bullying Wen Jiang experienced might involve the newly returned young master of the Song Family. However, as it touched upon the Nobility’s secrets, it remained a mystery to outsiders. That’s why she had suddenly asked that question earlier.
Tang Qian smacked her forehead. "I shouldn’t have spoken out of turn."
Seeing Wen Jiang’s expression, she couldn’t figure out his relationship with the Song Family.
After Wen Jiang stepped out, Zero Egg suddenly commented, "The eldest grandson has joined the Guiqing Association."
Wen Jiang was completely unfazed. "It has nothing to do with me."
"No connection, sure. I wonder if he’ll use the excuse to come see the practice match," Zero Egg said, his tone laced with excitement. "What would happen if he really showed up? Would it be a complete battleground?"
The thrill for drama was evident in his voice.
After finishing his conversation with Tang Qian, Wen Jiang expected Chen Runyu and the others would have already come down. But upon his arrival, he saw there were more than just them.
Behind the nervous Chen Runyu and the others, two identical and strikingly handsome boys were smiling at Wen Jiang.