"Xie Wenyuan…"

 

In the next moment, Chronicle's mind quickly flashed the image of a man who appeared amiable and gentle, but made him feel exceptionally dangerous. He couldn't help but nod slightly.

 

"There's no need to be too vigilant usually. For now, he is still your teacher and the only decent one in the Land of Peach Card Craftsman Association."

 

"If he offers you benefits, just accept them. Listen attentively when he lectures. Just don't be fooled."

 

Uncle Dong advised slowly. Seeing Chronicle's serious expression, he couldn't help but say:

 

"It's good to be an obedient student. If it were Su Wen and his gang of old soldiers, they would have argued with me saying 'impossible' and 'absolutely impossible' and 'how could Xie have any problems', and then I would have slapped them under the tea table."

 

"Alright, that's good."

 

Uncle Dong nodded in satisfaction and gave a few more instructions before disappearing without a trace.

 

The crow perched on the branch of an old locust tree outside the villa turned its head and looked at Chronicle's villa, feeling that something was strange.

 

However, its limited intelligence didn't allow it to think too much.

 

Therefore, it only glanced a few times before shifting its gaze elsewhere.

 

"You've gained quite a lot."

 

In the bedroom, Chronicle looked at the two materials sent by Uncle Dong and couldn't help but feel delighted.

 

"I didn't have to do anything and I already have materials… Is this the daily life of Yao Yuan and his rich second-generation friends?"

 

"No wonder they don't care about the materials provided by the training side… Oh…"

 

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Chronicle's mind: "Could I be the 'poverty alleviation target' selected by the training side? It seems that I'm the one who needs these materials the most among the trainees. The others all have help from their families…"

 

"Wait, Chen Yuan also lives in a happy home. His family situation shouldn't be that good either. He's really a good brother, even accompanying me in being 'poor'."

 

Thinking like this, Chronicle couldn't help but sigh.

 

"The revolution is not yet successful…"

 

"Knock, knock!"

 

Just as Chronicle was motivating himself, a sudden knocking sound interrupted him.

 

"Who is it?"

 

Chronicle put on his slippers and walked downstairs.

 

He heard someone outside the door saying loudly, "Xiao Nian, it's me."

 

"Uncle Yuan?"

 

Chronicle recognized the voice of Xie Wenyuan and instinctively responded.

 

A thought quickly flashed through his mind, the words Wang Jindong had just said, causing his eyes to flicker.

 

But when he arrived at the door, he quickly adjusted his mood. At the moment he opened the door, he revealed a sincere smile, "Uncle Yuan, you're still not resting so late?"

 

"I just finished sending someone back and saw that the lights were still on in your house, so I came to take a look." Xie Wenyuan pushed his glasses and smiled lightly.

 

"I see that you've been listening attentively during the classes recently, and your questions have been on point. Have you already come up with a preliminary idea for the first set of field cards?"

 

As he spoke, he walked towards the sofa.

 

"I have some initial ideas, but whether they can be realized is still uncertain."

 

Chronicle humbly replied and took a paper cup from the coffee table, pouring a glass of water for Xie Wenyuan.

 

"Thank you." Xie Wenyuan still had that gentle and refined demeanor, being polite to the extreme.

 

From the surface, he really was a good person, with a persuasive charm in his speech and temperament.

 

But for some reason, even before Uncle Dong mentioned that he might have a problem, Chronicle felt that something was off about him.

 

But in the end, he hadn't done anything out of line, and he had treated him very well. He still had to maintain the surface respect.

 

"You're always so modest."

 

With one sentence, Xie Wenyuan pulled Chronicle out of his thoughts.

 

"When I was your age, I only created my first card in life. It was just a blank card, but I was already extremely happy. If I were like you, casually creating blue cards, I'm afraid the entire Land of Peach wouldn't be able to contain me, haha."

 

Chronicle listened attentively to the other party's words and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Xie, are you a local of the Land of Peach?"

 

"Yes, born and raised here."

 

Xie Wenyuan sat in the seat where Uncle Dong had just sat, squinting his eyes as his gaze quickly swept across the living room, as if he was capturing something.

 

"Xiao Nian, did someone come to your house just now?" he suddenly asked.

 

"This morning, a classmate came to find me for training…" Chronicle was a bit "puzzled" as he said, "What's wrong, Uncle Yuan?"

 

"It's nothing."

 

Xie Wenyuan smiled and didn't say anything more.

 

He simply reached into his jacket pocket and took out a blue-bordered material card, placing it on the coffee table.

 

"I found it while organizing the material pack last night. I don't know when it was left behind. Xiao Nian, take a look and see if you can use it…"

 

He pushed the material towards Chronicle and said softly, "Although scene-type materials are not necessary for the creation of field cards, they can greatly increase the probability of success and give the cards more outstanding skill characteristics…"

 

"Accept it."

 

After saying this last sentence, Xie Wenyuan finished the water in his cup in one gulp.

 

Without waiting for Chronicle's answer, he turned and left, quickly disappearing into the dark night.

 

"Is it Seven Brothers' 'Fortune at First Sight' showing its power? Why are the gods of wealth coming one after another?"

 

Chronicle sighed and then lowered his head to look at the material Xie Wenyuan had given him.

 

It was a blue-quality scene-type material card named 'Withered Grass and Withered Willow'.

 

On the card face wrapped in a dark blue border, there was a depiction of a dilapidated wall covered in overgrown weeds and moss.

 

Through the broken wood and stone on the ground, one could vaguely see a magnificent hall.

 

But under the ravages and push of the tide of time, this glory and splendor had turned into a scene of 'withered grass and withered willow'.

 

"It's quite interesting."

 

Looking at the four small characters written in iron pen and silver hook above the card, a sense of desolation suddenly flashed through Chronicle's mind:

 

“`"A humble abode, once filled with ivory tablets; withered grass and dying poplars, once a stage for song and dance. Spider webs adorn the carved beams, green gauze now pasted on the thatched windows. What of the rich rouge, the fragrant powder, when frost forms on one's temples? Yesterday, white bones were sent off on the loess ridge, tonight, mandarin ducks lie beneath the red lantern."

 

This verse comes from "Annotation of the Song of It's Over," a classic poem in "Dream of the Red Chamber."

 

In the book, Zhen Shi Yin, having seen the world's warmth and coldness, went out one day to relax. Suddenly, he saw a lame Taoist singing "The Song of It's Over," which led to his enlightenment and the creation of "Annotation of the Song of It's Over."

 

It implies that all past events are but dreams, prosperity is fleeting, and all things are impermanent.

 

Chronicle once watched a video clip of the 1987 version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" on the internet, with a recitation of this excerpt as the background music. The feeling was as profound and solemn as the morning bell of an ancient temple, causing a stir in one's heart.

 

"Better keep this card for now…"

 

"If there really isn't any suitable scene material for the 'Red and White Collision,' then I'll use this card…"

 

Chronicle thought to himself, carefully putting away this material card.

 

Hey, surprise attack!

 

Let's start with one chapter!

 

(End of this chapter)