Chapter 222: 222 encounters Great Emperor Wen Jiang with a porcelain scam?_1
Wen Jiang returned to the Jimo Family mansion.
After washing up, she changed into a set of comfortable pajamas and had just sat down when Nian Jian bounced in to see her.
Now, taking care of Nian Jian wasn’t troublesome for Wen Jiang, primarily because she was keeping Nian Jian around as a potential weapon against Yu Jian.
Nian Jian was still beautiful. Eating well and sleeping well in the Jimo home had improved her spirits. When she came to see Wen Jiang, she even brewed a cup of tea for her.
Wen Jiang just glanced at it, then said, "Do you need something from me?"
Nian Jian blinked. "Congratulations on winning the match."
Wen Jiang withdrew her gaze. "Thank you."
When Nian Jian didn’t leave after this exchange, Wen Jiang said, "If you have something to say, say it."
After a moment of thought, Nian Jian gathered her courage and said, "You mentioned before that it would be best if I didn’t go out and meet others. However, I’ve been staying here, eating and drinking without contributing, and I feel bad about it. The Card Factory under Mount Flower... are you managing it now?"
Wen Jiang raised an eyebrow. "You could say that. What’s on your mind?"
"I saw that you’re still hiring people, and I want to apply for the card illustrator position. I’m quite good at drawing."
Nian Jian wasn’t really incapable of anything; she had learned a variety of high-society social graces, but her strongest skill was indeed drawing.
Fearing Wen Jiang wouldn’t believe her, she brought a computer displaying her digital artwork.
The card line included merchandise of various styles and also featured different limited editions.
Although Nian Jian wasn’t a Spirit Card Master, she was qualified enough as an ordinary illustrator.
Her drawing style was vivid, characterized by intense colors and a distinct Xi Zhou flair that made it stand out.
Wen Jiang considered that Nian Jian, having stayed in the Jimo home for a long time without company, would naturally feel lonely, as any normal person would.
Wen Jiang said, "Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send you to the Card Factory in Imperial City. You can move around freely in that vicinity."
Nian Jian’s eyes lit up, and she smiled happily. "Thank you so much."
Wen Jiang didn’t really care.
Fundamentally, while rescuing Nian Jian served her own motives, she couldn’t be bothered to manipulate someone else’s life.
With Nian Jian gone, she also needed to get busy with her own matters.
She had to make new Spirit Cards.
She already had an idea. This time, Wen Jiang sent out a message beforehand to avoid being disturbed by visitors. Hua Zhuo knew she was going to continue her seclusion and was somewhat surprised. "You’re starting to make Spirit Cards right after getting back?"
Wen Jiang replied, "I’m bored from being idle."
She didn’t need sleep; how else could she rapidly improve her cultivation without making Spirit Cards?
Hua Zhuo: "..."
If she understood the term, she would know that Wen Jiang’s behavior was the pinnacle of competitiveness.
Feeling helpless, Hua Zhuo shook her head. "You just won the championship, and there are many interview activities. Are you really not going to participate in any? You’re the future Jimo Family Head, after all. You can’t avoid public appearances forever."
"Isn’t that what you’re for?" Wen Jiang was determined to slack off to the end. "We can talk about those things when you can no longer handle them yourself."
Hua Zhuo: "..."
How can you say something so heartless?
"By the way," Hua Zhuo brought up a depressing matter, "we have news on Xie Lingyu. She is indeed in an area where the Fiend Organization is active."
She pursed her lips and, upon seeing Wen Jiang’s indifferent demeanor, still asked, "Should we try to save her?"
Wen Jiang’s smile remained unchanged, and even her gaze was tranquil. "Why do you care about her?"
Hearing such a response, Hua Zhuo fully understood that for Wen Jiang, the familial ties of the Xie Family meant absolutely nothing to her.
She nodded, no longer bothering Wen Jiang with these matters. "I understand. I’ll inform the others about your upcoming seclusion."
"Hmm." Having said that, Wen Jiang returned to the Card Making Pool and continued making Spirit Cards.
Yan Moling knew Wen Jiang was very hardworking but hadn’t expected her to be this extreme. Yunxia had erupted into joyous celebration over her championship, yet the woman of the hour couldn’t care less.
Taking advantage of everyone’s high spirits, Dong Shao of Mount Flower decided to announce his retirement.
Teaming up with four highly individualistic players already put a lot of pressure on him. With Mount Flower winning the championship, his announcement of retirement caught some by surprise. He cited injury as the reason, which couldn’t be helped, so fans reluctantly accepted.
However, after Dong Shao’s retirement, the question of who Mount Flower could recruit to join S Rank became a subject of debate.
The discussion soon devolved into arguments. This was mainly a three-way fan war between the supporters of Sheng Hongying, Du Zhaiyue, and the twins. Sometimes, having too many popular members isn’t a good thing.
Currently, strong S-level Players from other associations were not available. There were no suitable candidates, and those remaining were a bunch of misfits. Although it sounded harsh, it seemed to be the truth: whoever joined would merely be a foil for these four.
As for Wen Jiang being promoted to S Rank? That was still unthinkable!
Currently, the Mount Flower A-Level group was riding high. Tang Qian received congratulations wherever she went. As the coach of the champion team, her value soared, and she received a handsome bonus.
Of course, she was well aware that their success was entirely thanks to Wen Jiang.
With Wen Jiang abstaining from media interviews, they, as coaches, inevitably had to face some pressure, but compared to the honor, this was insignificant!
Wen Jiang had now become the god of the A-Rank Group. Consequently, the number of Spirit Card Masters yearning to join Mount Flower increased significantly. Where Mount Flower was once unpopular, they were now almost spoiled for choice.
Of course, it wasn’t all a bed of roses; there were always those who liked to pour cold water on things.
For instance, the talk about the Great Emperor.
Wen Jiang’s performance reminded many of the Great Emperor, a legend in his own time.
He too was a legend, starting from R-Rank and climbing up step by step, showcasing overwhelming dominance at every level. Although his ascent wasn’t as swift as Wen Jiang’s, he had started much earlier!
Later, he caught the attention of Frost Moon’s legendary UR-Level Spirit Card Master, who took him under their wing. Upon his entry to S Rank, he dominated the competition, powerfully leading Frost Moon to win the world championship three times in a row.
Only the previous year, he had been absent and missed the championship, which Divine Punishment won. But this year he returned, and Frost Moon claimed the world championship once again.
He was a mountain looming over the heads of Spirit Card Masters worldwide; not even Divine Punishment’s chosen one could match him.
The Great Emperor was still young. For a Spirit Card Master, their peak is before thirty, meaning he could compete for at least two more years.
When the Great Emperor was A-Rank, he also played with three Spirit Cards. Now that Wen Jiang played with three Spirit Cards, comparisons were inevitable, but the Great Emperor’s fans were not pleased.
Some people are like that: once someone is deified, they seem intolerant of any perceived desecration.
No matter how exceptional Wen Jiang’s performance was, in the hearts of these fans, she could never match up to the Great Emperor.
So, when Yunxia media outlets began comparing Wen Jiang with the Great Emperor of yesteryear over several days, some fans couldn’t help but speak out.
[Really now, does she have no dignity? Can’t she make it without leeching off the Great Emperor?]
[Without the Great Emperor, can’t she stand on her own two feet?]
[It’s so damn hilarious. If she wants to be on par with the Great Emperor, why doesn’t she climb to S Rank, lead a team, and snag an S Rank world championship? Don’t just ride on his coattails at A-Level and brag. That’s called clout-chasing, get it?]