Chapter 181: 181 Card has an issue_1
The atmosphere inside the VIP ward of Card City’s major hospital was deathly silent. Smoking wasn’t permitted, so the coach sat in a chair. Stubble had already sprouted on his chin, his exhaustion palpable.
Leaning against the wall, Sheng Hongying flipped through the endless stream of competition comments on her phone, a smile still on her lips as she read the malicious critiques aimed at her. The sight was inevitably unsettling to everyone present.
Du Zhaiyue stood by, filled with concern, primarily worried about Dong Shao’s condition. The Song Family twins also wore grim expressions.
An hour had passed since Dong Shao was brought to the hospital, yet he still hadn’t awakened.
The Sanctuary, Clarence’s organization, had sent representatives to express condolences and offer an apology, but the sincerity of that apology was questionable.
As the current person in charge of Mount Flower, Hua Zhuo had arrived at the hospital immediately and was still inside, monitoring Dong Shao’s condition.
In this silent atmosphere, brisk footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway. Sheng Hongying and the others instinctively looked in that direction. When Wen Jiang’s figure appeared, everyone wore an expression of surprise.
Regarding this ’new owner’ behind Mount Flower, they had yet to have a formal meeting. Although Wen Jiang didn’t hide her identity, she seemed uninterested in managing the association and hadn’t arranged any formal gatherings for everyone to get acquainted.
The Song Family twins wore especially peculiar expressions. Before, they might have treated her with the detached amusement reserved for watching a ’second brother’s’ drama. But now that Wen Jiang had transformed into the Jimo Family heir, such an attitude was no longer polite. However, they couldn’t manage a very warm expression either, making them appear somewhat stiff.
When Wen Jiang arrived, she simply nodded in greeting, bypassed them, and went straight into the ward.
Du Zhaiyue seemed a bit surprised and whispered to Sheng Hongying, "Wen Jiang?"
Sheng Hongying nodded. "You should have seen her a few times already."
Du Zhaiyue was puzzled. "What is she doing here?"
Sheng Hongying replied, "Technically, Mount Flower is her property. She’s visiting the staff."
Du Zhaiyue was left speechless.
Inside the ward, Dong Shao was still unconscious. Seeing Hua Zhuo watching over him, Wen Jiang asked directly, "How is Dong Shao’s condition?"
Hua Zhuo turned around and shook her head. "Hard to say. The doctors claim there’s no major problem, just some instability in his spiritual power. But the fact that he still hasn’t woken up is quite baffling."
Wen Jiang walked straight up and carefully examined Dong Shao, an ordinary-looking young man. She reached out with a fingertip and poked his forehead.
A wisp of dark energy, invisible to others, was deftly extracted by her touch. Hua Zhuo only saw her make a strange motion.
When Wen Jiang saw the dark energy quickly dissipate at her fingertips, her expression instantly turned grim.
It’s resentment again.
Previously, when she examined the Crying Angels’ card, she had seen similar resentment infused into it. However, the cards Divine Punishment had used today showed no such traces. Where did the resentment between Dong Shao’s brows come from?
Resentment is difficult to handle. If it isn’t properly developed, trying to seal and use it can easily cause a backlash. This kind of manipulation didn’t seem like something a Spirit Card Master who creates cards would do.
Even for her, in her current state, obtaining resentment would require creating a card similar to a magical artifact to assist her.
Cards.
Resentment is also a form of emotional energy.
Zero Egg suddenly felt a chill. Even as a System, it couldn’t understand why goosebumps had erupted on its nonexistent skin. It asked subconsciously, "Host, did you sense something?"
Wen Jiang suddenly burst into laughter. Her laughter had an unsettling, enigmatic quality. "Well, well. I didn’t provoke her, yet she dares to stir up trouble. She’s got some damn nerve, meddling like this."
Hua Zhuo subconsciously asked, "Who?"
At that moment, Dong Shao, lying on the bed, let out a cough and slowly began to stir.
Resentment was disrupting his spiritual power, which was why he hadn’t been able to wake up. But looking at his condition, Wen Jiang could see that the disturbance from the resentment would make it very hard for him to concentrate. He definitely wouldn’t be able to continue in the competition.
When Dong Shao opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar girl before him, he was momentarily stunned before slowly turning to the side. "Lady Hua?"
"You’re awake?" Hua Zhuo glanced at Wen Jiang, who had retreated to the side, but still showed concern for Dong Shao first.
Hearing movement inside the room, Sheng Hongying and the others entered one by one. Wen Jiang moved to the farthest corner, not wanting to disturb them as they checked on Dong Shao.
The twins’ gazes kept drifting towards Wen Jiang’s face. The coach’s urgent inquiry brought everyone back to the present. "Dong Shao, how do you feel? Is your spiritual power stable?"
Dong Shao tried to circulate his spiritual power but was hampered by the lingering resentment, feeling a prickling sensation whenever he attempted it. He could only manage a wry smile and say, "Coach, I’m afraid..."
The coach flopped down beside the hospital bed.
Dong Shao’s answer also weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.
The older twin, Song Jue, couldn’t help but speak out, "Is it that serious? What exactly did Clarence do?" His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
They were straightforward about their intentions: they had come to Mount Flower to participate in the world championship. For a teammate to encounter such an incident, even the most patient among them couldn’t help but feel aggrieved. They had thought this team composition could at least make it to the final rounds, but alas, they had the misfortune of encountering Sanctuary’s Divine Punishment in their very first match. It felt as if someone was deliberately sabotaging them.
With a defeat right at the start and Dong Shao facing such a serious issue, they didn’t need to think about the next two matches. Elimination was inevitable.
Being knocked out in the first round of the world championship—they couldn’t imagine how many people would be laughing their heads off when they returned. Coming from the Song Family, the twins absolutely could not accept such an outcome.
Hua Zhuo said in a low, stern voice, "Song Jue, don’t speak nonsense without evidence."
Song Jue fell silent.
The younger ones still held Lady Hua in awe, so they kept quiet.
The coach, growing more agitated, ran a hand through his hair. "It doesn’t make sense. Your match didn’t even reach the halfway point. Even if spiritual power is consumed rapidly, this kind of situation shouldn’t arise. There was a UR-Level Spirit Card Master on site; how could they not know if someone had interfered?"
Now that Mount Flower had been eliminated, it wasn’t just the team members who were devastated, but also him, their coach. He had only been with Mount Flower for a short while when the incident of four teammates ostracizing Sheng Hongying occurred. He considered himself fortunate that Mount Flower had shown leniency by not dismissing him then, as fans had already ripped him to shreds online for it. Now, with this new disaster, he figured he’d practically have to hang himself to atone when they returned.
"There’s something wrong with the cards."
Wen Jiang’s voice suddenly came from behind them. Everyone turned to look. Wen Jiang calmly lifted her eyelids. "The issue may not be with a person. The cards might have been tampered with. As for how, that’s difficult to understand. Don’t participate in the competition this year. Someone is targeting us. Since I’m not S-Rank, I can’t protect you all."