prynovel Chapter 9. Deck 2? This guy is disgusting!
Chapter 9. Deck 2? This guy is disgusting!
"Ten days from now, on the night of the full moon, the spring will reflect your innermost understanding and belief in the duel," the village chief said, enunciating each word clearly. "If you pass the test, the token will appear. If you fail..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
You Feng took a deep breath: "I'll participate."
"Alright." The village chief stood up, the light from the oil lamp flickering on his deeply lined face. "Prepare well for these ten days. The Mirror Trial tests not only your proficiency with the deck, but also your understanding of the most fundamental aspects of dueling, and... whether your heart can withstand the reflection."
He picked up the oil lamp, and his hunched back slowly disappeared into the night in the forest. His footsteps faded into the distance, until only the gurgling of the spring and the rustling of insects remained.
Da Ri Nu then peeked out from behind You Feng's shoulder, patting her chest with lingering fear: "That old man... for a moment just now, I felt like he glanced at me. The spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from him were as deep and unfathomable as a stone at the bottom of a pool, far stronger than they appeared on the surface!"
"Of course." You Feng gazed thoughtfully in the direction where the village chief had disappeared. "If the old village chief didn't have some real skills, how could Luoshen Village have stood firm in the east of Chinatown for so many years? His story when he was young must be quite interesting."
But those stories, like the old village chief, have now lost their edge and are hidden in wrinkles and silence.
Youfeng withdrew his gaze and turned it back to the Pure Heart Spring under the moonlight. The water was still calm, reflecting the stars and moon, as if none of the conversation had happened.
But he knew that on the night of the full moon ten days later, this would be a hurdle he would have to face.
"The Pact of Flowing Water..." he murmured the name.
……
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
"You bastard—!"
The loud shout broke the tranquility of the backyard of the grocery store, startling two sparrows that were dozing on the eaves.
Inside the room, Qin Jian was startled and almost rolled off the bed.
Qin Jian rubbed his back, grumbling as he put on his coat, pushed open the door, and immediately saw You Feng's energetic face, with his daughter Qin Xue beside him, both of them staring at him expectantly.
"You brat, Youfeng..." Qin Jian's temples throbbed, and he gritted his teeth. "Your coming-of-age ceremony just ended, and instead of consolidating your golden race's understanding, or spending time with Xue'er... cough, instead of properly cultivating, you're here disturbing my peaceful sleep? Do you even know what time it is?"
"The early bird catches the worm, Uncle Jian," Youfeng chuckled innocently. "I want to build a new deck."
"Building a deck?" Qin Jian, half-awake, looked him up and down. "Isn't your Moonlight Fusion deck enough to make you cocky?"
"One deck isn't enough." You Feng walked into the shop with practiced ease, sat down on the bench in the outer room where customers were waiting, and began scanning the cards on the surrounding shelves. "They're easy to counter. And what we're about to play isn't child's play."
Qin Jian followed him in, raising an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Oh? Looks like you know everything. Good, you've got foresight. But—"
He abruptly changed the subject, crossed his arms, and leaned against the counter. "Did you bring any money? This is a small business of mine; I don't offer credit."
You Feng coughed lightly, his expression unchanged: "The old village chief said last night that those who perform exceptionally well in the coming-of-age ceremony will receive resource support from the village as appropriate. I think I did alright, so consider this deck an investment the village made in advance."
Qin Jian: "?"
He rubbed his ear, wondering if he was still half asleep: "The old village chief said that? How come I didn't know? When did he speak to you alone?"
At this moment, Qin Xue, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and stomped her foot: "Dad! The stronger the wind, the better our chances are in the village selection competition, right? It's just a deck. Don't you always say that the village's interests come first? Why are you being stingy now!"
Qin Jian nearly fainted from his daughter's outburst. He pointed at Qin Xue, his finger trembling, "You...you little brat! Nothing's even happened yet, and you're already siding with outsiders? A single card deck in the village costs at least seventy or eighty thousand dragon coins! Do you think it's as cheap as cabbage?"
"So what?" Qin Xue retorted, "If You Feng can win back better resources, wouldn't they be worth more than these tens of thousands of dragon coins?"
Seeing his daughter's unwavering defense of You Feng, Qin Jian finally sighed and rubbed his temples. "Fine, fine, I can't argue with you. Kid, you see? As long as it's not too outrageous, I'll let it slide. But it's settled then! If you want more later, you'll have to pay real money!"
"Of course, thank you." You Feng chuckled and immediately turned around, his gaze sweeping across the card rack in the shop like lightning.
His movements were extremely fast. His fingers swept across rows of cards, and he almost didn't need to pause or think. He accurately picked out the cards one by one and placed them on the wooden table next to him.
Qin Jian was initially indifferent, but as the cards piled up on the table, his gaze gradually shifted from nonchalant to suspicious.
Individually, each of these cards seems outdated or even useless in today's meta that prioritizes high attack, quick summoning, and suppression. They have low attack power, demanding activation conditions, or are simply annoying without providing any direct benefit.
But when they are combined together like this...
Qin Jian's breathing became slightly rapid.
He seemed to see a completely different logic to dueling—not to pursue a direct defeat, but to weave an invisible net to restrict, interfere with, and wear down the opponent, slowly eroding their life points and even causing them to mentally collapse in frustration and irritability.
"You've got something... you've got some skills, kid?" Qin Jian's voice was a little hoarse. "Are you planning to suffocate your opponent on the field with this setup?"
You Feng had already chosen the last card, making it exactly forty. He picked up the entire deck, weighed it in his hand, looked up at the speaker, and gave Qin Jian a smile that seemed a bit irritating: "As long as we can win, isn't that enough?"
Qin Jian opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment. Looking into You Feng's young yet unusually calm eyes, he suddenly realized that this was by no means a teenager's foolishness or whimsy.
He truly understood the strategic value of these card combinations and... calmly viewed them as a viable means of victory.
"Interesting..." Qin Jian stroked his stubble, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "This fighting style is unprecedented in these villages. Where did you learn it?"
"I figured it out myself," Youfeng mumbled, quickly packing up his deck. "Thanks, Uncle Jian. I'll treat you to drinks later."
After saying that, he turned and walked out, his steps light and quick, as if afraid that Qin Jian would change his mind.
"Youfeng, wait for me!" Qin Xue quickly followed.
Qin Jian's eyes narrowed sharply, his fingers tracing the stubble on his chin.
"Well done, kid. You figured that out all by yourself?"
"Duel decks are a complex and profound field; how could a mere child possibly grasp their secrets?"
"Then the other deck masters seem pretty clueless?"
"There's something strange about this kid."