Chapter 63: 063 New A-Rank Card, Healing Card_1
Madam Song was not the legitimate wife of the Song Family.
Although she came from a prestigious family, she had seduced Song Ji and climbed into his bed while the original matriarch of the Song Family was still alive.
The man hadn’t refused her. Leveraging her own family’s influence, she successfully became Madam of the Song Family after the original matriarch passed away. However, everyone knew the only reason she had risen to that position was because the Song Family simply needed *a* madam.
Song Zhi, as the daughter of the original matriarch and the only direct eldest daughter of the Song Family, was personally acknowledged by Song Ji as the next candidate for Family Head.
Even if Madam Song had many more children now, it would be of no use.
And Song Yingchen, this illegitimate son, was her best target for manipulation.
In the past, within the household, aside from her own children, Song Zhi never showed her a pleasant expression. Only Song Yingchen would obediently listen to her commands and satisfy her desire for control, despite her disdain for his previous status. She had not expected that one day, this pushover she never took seriously would precisely hit her where it hurt.
"You—"
Madam Song stood up. Having been pampered for many years and never scolded like this, her temper truly couldn’t be contained. She rose to her feet, looking at Song Yingchen, her tone somewhat sharp, "You actually dare to speak to me like this? I am your mother!"
"Mother?" Song Yingchen’s tone became venomous. "My mother died a long time ago. What kind of mother are you to me?"
The Buddha Beads in Song Ji’s hands stopped rotating.
Madam Song stammered, "You... you, you, you!"
She was furious, and Song Zhi seemed to be enjoying the show. Madam Song’s eyes reddened as she looked towards Song Ji. "A-Ji, are you just going to stand by and watch your son speak to me like this? I’ve been in the Song Family for so many years; if I haven’t earned merit, I’ve at least put in the effort..."
Song Ji’s faint smile remained, his eyes half-closed, looking at Song Yingchen with an air of condescending scrutiny.
Song Yingchen did not flinch, meeting his gaze head-on.
After a long while, Song Ji chuckled softly. "Before you have strength, rashness alone will not lead to success. For talking back to your mother and breaking the Song Family rules, you shall kneel here tonight and reflect."
Having said this, he stood up. No longer paying attention to the drama in the hall, he twirled his Buddha Beads and left.
As soon as his words fell, Song Yingchen knelt without hesitation. His spine, however, was ramrod straight, showing no intention of apologizing.
Madam Song was somewhat dissatisfied. "Just kneeling for one night and that’s it?"
This punishment was obviously lighter than before.
"Know when to stop. He’s not a criminal of the Song Family; there’s no sense in barring him from leaving." Song Zhi stood up and gave Madam Song a cold glance.
Madam Song’s face turned pale.
She stared daggers at Song Zhi, but under Song Zhi’s icy gaze, she was the first to back down and could only leave, full of reluctance. Before departing, she shot a fierce glare at Song Yingchen.
Seeing Song Yingchen kneeling in the hall, Song Zhi sized him up. "Met the person? Got your answer? Looks like you were thoroughly rejected."
Song Yingchen gave her an unfriendly glance, but it didn’t linger.
He and Song Zhi actually didn’t have much interaction; they had spoken fewer words in the past few years than they had recently.
Meng Qi looked at Song Zhi somewhat awkwardly. "Young Miss..." The Young Master is already heartbroken enough, he thought, there’s no need to rub salt in his wounds.
Song Zhi scoffed and left with long strides.
Meng Qi looked cautiously towards Song Yingchen. "Young Master, actually, this time it’s much better than before."
Previously, Song Yingchen would have been made to kneel in the basement. That place was damp, unbearable for ordinary people; only Spirit Card Masters, with their robust constitutions, could endure such harsh treatment. Moreover, he would have to kneel for an entire day and night without food. It wasn’t like now, where Song Yingchen had outright cursed Madam Song, yet the punishment he received was lighter than before. This indicated that the Family Head wasn’t truly blaming him, merely issuing a warning.
Song Yingchen didn’t care about these things. His mind was filled with that photograph, and he murmured, "We’re both in so much pain... we should be the ones relying on each other the most..." It was he who had first lost the person he should have relied on most.
***
CRASH!
The sound of breaking crockery rang out. Wen Jiang, who was sitting in front of her computer looking at Card data, heard the noise and looked up. She saw Nian Jian frantically trying to clean up shattered bowls and chopsticks.
Nian Jian had borrowed the hotel kitchen to practice her cooking, and this was the fifth bowl she had broken in three days. The bowls all belonged to the hotel. The first breakage could be excused, but from the second one onwards, she had to pay for replacements. Wen Jiang remained silent.
Nian Jian looked up at Wen Jiang fearfully, then flinched and looked away when their eyes met. As she continued to clumsily clean up the broken bowl, she managed to cut herself on a shard. "AH!"
The sharp pain in her finger didn’t register until blood began to flow. She instinctively put her finger in her mouth and, raising her head, looked at Wen Jiang with tear-filled eyes.
Wen Jiang: "..."
Zero Egg, its initial sympathy fading, began to criticize from a capitalist’s standpoint, "So clumsy, and doesn’t even contribute any Emotion Points. What’s the use of keeping her? Find a chance to get rid of her."
Wen Jiang also felt like getting rid of her.
Seeing Wen Jiang offer no reaction, Nian Jian pursed her lips, turned around, and got up to rinse her wound under the tap.
Wen Jiang sighed, raised her hand, and summoned the Lantern Demon. A cute girl in a red padded jacket, resembling a round dumpling and holding a large red lantern, appeared. The Lantern Demon instinctively looked at Wen Jiang, who pointed towards Nian Jian. "Go and treat her wound."
The Lantern Demon seemed to understand Wen Jiang’s meaning, nodded, and walked toward Nian Jian. This was the first time a Card Spirit had been summoned in front of Nian Jian, and she was startled, looking at the Lantern Demon with a mixture of shock and curiosity.
Although the Lantern Demon was primarily capable of restoring a Spirit Card Master’s spiritual power, sufficiently strong spiritual power could also affect physical matter. The Lantern Demon went over to Nian Jian, blew on her finger several times, and the bleeding from the wound, which had been spurting moments before, stopped, showing signs of healing.
Nian Jian was stunned. She looked at the Lantern Demon with a mixture of shock and curiosity, tilting her head as she stared. The Lantern Demon, in turn, looked back at Wen Jiang.
Wen Jiang praised her with a smile, "You did very well."
The Lantern Demon’s eyes crinkled as she smiled, clearly pleased by Wen Jiang’s praise.
Nian Jian had never seen a Card Spirit as peculiar as the Lantern Demon. Seeing Nian Jian’s intense curiosity, the Lantern Demon even handed over the lantern for her to play with. Nian Jian took the large red lantern and shook it curiously. Seeing the Lantern Demon’s delight, Nian Jian also began to smile.
Zero Egg suddenly remarked, "Why does it feel like you’re babysitting?"
Wen Jiang: "..."
She abruptly changed the subject. "I know what Card I want to create."
Zero Egg instantly replied, "What Card? Is it related to the Yunxia civilization?"
"Yes, I suppose it is."
The angle proposed by that task was quite tricky. What truly represents the Yunxia civilization isn’t necessarily a representative object from Yunxia, but rather—legends and stories. Moreover, considering the Lantern Demon’s treatment of Nian Jian wasn’t perfect, Wen Jiang suddenly realized that many existing Card Spirits played significant roles in the real world. Healing Cards, though rare, did exist. She decided to create a Healing Card, and this Card had to be A-Level.