The King of Curses

Chapter 13: Saint? Dictator?
Deng Rong and Kong Yinlian...these two uninvited guests were surprisingly tolerant.

After they arrived at the haunted house, two full days and nights had passed, and there were only two days left before the "one-week appointment" set by Cen Dongsheng and An Zhizhen.

During these two days and nights, this mysterious male and female spell-binding duo chose a tent in the camp to live in.

The women hardly communicated with the residents, but the men would occasionally ask for information and join in the fun. Most of the time, like Cen Dongsheng, they began to explore in a certain direction, looking for the core ghosts...

Or in other words, what they really want.

After seeing the photo and linking the two men's companion to Grandma Lin's grandson, Cen Dongsheng had already guessed the reason for the birth of the haunted house:

For unknown reasons, the curse master Yu Wentao brought an unrefined forbidden object to this building, which attracted a large amount of Yin Qi in a short period of time, causing the "haunted house" phenomenon. Deng Rong and Kong Yinlian probably came here to retrieve this forbidden object.

Cen Dongsheng was naturally very interested in what this "forbidden item" was.

The strength of a forbidden master is divided into three parts: Qi forbidden, spell forbidden, and object forbidden. The first one is the basis, and everyone has the second one, so the forbidden master is also called "spell forbidden master"; but the third one - forbidden object, is relatively rare.

However, high-level forbidden items were also within the limits of the "Three Elements", meaning that a forbidden master could not use more than "3" forbidden spells or objects at the same time, so although he was interested, he didn't particularly care.

He was just curious about the background of this group of people.

In the era when this wave has just emerged, the number of forbidden masters is not too many, but not too few either, but most of them are a group of people who hide their identities and act in secret.

Cen Dongsheng knew very well that while he was observing the other person, the two people were also observing him. For the two people, staying in the same place with a strange forbidden master who wanted to obtain the forbidden object was undoubtedly an unknown risk.

He had met the two men several times, and they had greeted each other in a friendly manner. He also had a few verbal probing words with the man named Deng Rong.

The opponent was an experienced veteran, and neither side showed any flaws.

Cen Dongsheng had an advantage, that was he was a reborn person. Although he could not be omniscient and omnipotent, he still had some impressions of those powerful people; anyway, the good news was that these two were not among them.

His disadvantage is...

"'Superpowers'. Still not working?"

Cen Dongsheng felt the flow of true energy in his body and sighed slightly.

The so-called "superpowers" are the special abilities unique to each curse. Compared to the passive physical enhancement brought to him by the "Tiger Demon Cloak", each superpower is a true "divine power" and the trump card of the curse masters.

The number of superpowers also follows the "number of three talents". Once you have learned the triple superpowers, it means you have completely mastered this spell and reached the level of mastery.

The young man walked slowly in the deep and deserted corridor. Just then he saw a white ghost floating in front of him. He stretched out his iron-like palm to grab the body of the floating ghost, and with the surging of his true energy, he crushed the opponent directly.

After the floating spirit dissipated, it turned into a flowing white mist and was absorbed into Cen Dongsheng's body. Once the Yin Qi was refined, the flow of the True Qi in the body became stronger.

"It still doesn't work. I can't see the end."

According to Cen Dongsheng's personal experience, awakening the "first level of superpowers" is relatively easy, so he is a little confused now.

In the past few days, he has almost refined all the Yin Qi in the entire haunted house, and the amount of True Qi in his body has actually increased a lot, but he is still nowhere near awakening his superpowers.

Is it because the "Tiger Demon Cloak", as one of the components of the special forbidden spell, has too high a requirement for the amount of true Qi; or is there some special triggering condition?
Before confirming this, Cen Dongsheng did not want to start a war easily.

*
On the morning of the sixth day, something happened in the temporary camp of Xiaokang Building that changed Cen Dongsheng's mind.

“Ah…ah…it hurts…!”

The painful groans attracted everyone's attention, and the residents came out of their tents and gathered around.

They saw a pregnant woman curled up in pain, apparently about to give birth. Her husband stood helplessly beside them, looking for help from everyone.

A figure walked out from the crowd and everyone's eyes were focused on her.

"Doctor An, Doctor An, please... please save my wife..."

"I know."

An Zhizhen looked calm. The more critical the moment, the more important the leader's mentality is to whether a team can maintain stability. Her performance in this regard was impeccable.

"The situation is urgent and I need to take action immediately. But I don't have the tools at hand, so I can only deliver the baby this way... There will be certain risks, but I will do my best."

"I...I understand. Please, Dr. An."

The man bowed his head deeply.

The woman nodded slightly.

"Come on, everyone, help her lift her onto the table and lay her flat. If anyone is free, please prepare hot water, clean towels and scissors."

Then, An Zhizhen walked into the tent. The people waiting outside were turning around anxiously and heard her voice coming from inside.

"Follow my rhythm, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, yes, slowly, breathe deeply... How is it? Is the pain relieved? Don't worry, your body is ready for the arrival of the baby."

Without proper anesthesia, proper breathing techniques are key to helping make labor less painful.

"Give me the flashlight."

An Zhizhen used a flashlight to carefully observe the dilation of the pregnant woman's cervix. After confirming that it was fully dilated, she carefully guided the pregnant woman to push.

"Can you feel the contraction here? Yes, follow my rhythm, slowly..."

Little by little, the baby was slowly taken out, and she sterilized a pair of clean, sharp scissors in hot water and carefully handled the umbilical cord.

She checked the baby's airway to see if it was clear, patted the baby's back gently to make sure the baby could cry out, and checked the pregnant woman for any subsequent bleeding or other complications to ensure that the mother's condition was stable. After completing all the necessary preliminary checks and confirming that both mother and child were safe, she took another clean, warm towel and wrapped the baby...

Not to mention delivering babies, An Zhizhen, who usually spends most of her time in the laboratory, doesn't even have the opportunity to perform clinical surgery, relying entirely on knowledge from textbooks.

However, her movements were decisive, without any trace of the nervousness of a novice.

……

Dozens of minutes later, An Zhizhen walked out of the tent and handed the baby in his arms to his father.

Cheers were heard from the camp, and the new father thanked her profusely and almost kowtowed to her. An Zhizhen smiled, shook his head gently, and explained to him the precautions on how to take care of his wife and children next.

Her forehead was covered with crystal sweat and there was fatigue in her eyes, but more of it was joy and satisfaction.

Cen Dongsheng stood not far away, watching everything quietly. He did not leave from the beginning to the end of the operation.

When An Zhizhen came out holding the child, the sky was still pitch black.

But when the dim lights around him fell on her, he seemed to see some kind of sacred light.

At this moment, a stone in Cen Dongsheng's heart loosened.

Even though he had been with An Zhizhen for two months, and even though their relationship was close enough to be like "sister and brother", he still had doubts.

He didn't believe that the gentle and amiable sister he saw was An Zhizhen's true face. He thought she must be hiding something. Perhaps it was because the image of the former high and mighty ruler An Zhizhen had such a strong influence on him...

But when he saw her walk out of the tent holding the baby, he felt a complex but powerful emotion, just like a saint depicted in a religious painting.

He believed it. He believed that the current An Zhizhen was really different from the future her in his impression.

It is hard to imagine that a good person like this, who respects others, loves life, and is trusted and loved by those around her, would become a ruthless dictator in the future.

All kinds of thoughts came to Cen Dongsheng's mind, "the An Zhizhen of the past" and "the An Zhizhen he knew", two completely different impressions intertwined with each other; "eight years of memories" and "two months of getting along", one picture after another flashed back in his mind.

Like the sea surface with countless bubbles before the coming waves, for a moment, his mind was so confused and complicated that he felt that words were poor and difficult to describe.

*
Leaving the gathered crowd, An Zhizhen breathed a sigh of relief, sat down alone on a chair next to him, and rubbed his temples tiredly.

"Thanks for your hard work."

A voice came from the side, and a hand holding a hot towel was handed to her.

An Zhizhen turned around and smiled happily when she saw the familiar face of the young man.

"Thank you, Dongsheng."

She took the towel and wiped the sweat from her face.

"At a time like this, you're the only one paying attention to me."

"Well, because I've been watching you." "..."

Sister Zhizhen blushed. She simply covered her face with a towel to prevent him from seeing it, and muttered something softly that only she could hear.

"Same thing again, a surprise attack...so cunning."

"Hmm? Did you say anything?"

"I did not say anything."

An Zhizhen's hands dropped down, and her back leaning against the back of the chair moved down half an inch. She usually had an elegant posture, but at this moment she looked lazy and a little unpresentable, probably because she was really tired.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Cen Dongsheng sat down beside her, hugged his knees with his hands, and looked at the direction where the sun rose. Six days ago, it set and never rose again.

The dawn hasn't appeared for almost a week. I miss it a little bit when I think about it.

"Eh... why am I so tired?" An Zhizhen's voice came out from under the towel. "You are the one who is tired, right? You have been busy dealing with the ghosts in the building and trying to find a way to get everyone out together."

It’s not “everyone”, it’s “you and me”.

But at this point, there was no need to repeat such words, as they both knew what was going on. He just said it calmly.

"Are you impatient? My luck is really bad. I haven't found the location of the 'core' yet. However, there are only a few unexplored areas left. I think I can find it tomorrow..."

"I am not in a hurry."

An Zhizhen took off the towel and looked at him seriously.

"It doesn't matter if it takes more than a week. I will explain it to everyone. But the person who is really in danger is you. Although I am reluctant, I can't help you in this matter... You must be careful on your own and don't try too hard."

Cen Dongsheng was silent for a moment and nodded slightly.

"Ok, I know."

*
It was late at night.

An Zhizhen raised her hand and looked at her watch, her expression full of worry.

According to the practice of the previous few days, by this point, Dongsheng would have returned to the camp and prepared to rest.

But today, he was several hours late and still hadn't come back...

The conversation between the two of them in the morning once again came to her mind.

"There are very few unexplored areas left. I think we will be able to explore tomorrow..." is what he said.

Could it be that because the seventh day is approaching, in order to fulfill the "one-week agreement", Dongsheng decided not to rest and planned to complete the remaining areas in one go?
"Really? Didn't I tell him to 'don't try too hard and be careful'...?"

An Zhizhen muttered to himself.

But no matter how anxious or worried she was, there was only one thing she could not help with.

It was even more impossible for her to go back to the building to find him. If she encountered a ghost, she, as an "ordinary person", would only become a burden to Dongsheng.

The woman paced around the camp for several circles, then sighed and returned to her tent helplessly.

……

This scene happened to fall into the eyes of someone who was paying attention.

Deng Rong, who was squatting in the corner, flicked the cigarette butt in his hand, a happy smile appeared on his face, he stood up, stretched, and walked towards the camp.

"what are you going to do?"

Kong Yinlian on the side asked indifferently.

"Have you found the 'core'?" he asked with a smile.

"Found it. I'm 90% sure that the 'core' is 'the thing' we're looking for."

"That's good. It seems we should still be one step ahead. After all, we have your 'Flying Gu'."

Deng Rong said.

"However, now that we have found something, we have to find a way to solve the problem of Cen Dongsheng. We can't just ignore the risk."

"so?"

"So, I'm going to add a chip to the mix - let's say, 'a hostage'."

The man grinned, and for a moment his mouth became sharp and protruding, like a bird's beak.

……

"Doctor An, Doctor An, I'm here to see you."

Standing outside the tent, Deng Rong said with a smile.

Not surprisingly, he heard a surprised exclamation and the woman's vigilant response.

"It's too late, Mr. Deng. Let's talk about it tomorrow morning."

"Oh, no, that won't work. I have something urgent to deal with..."

When Deng Rong was about to draw open the curtain, someone's voice suddenly came from the side.

"What do you want to do? That's Dr. An's tent!"

Someone noticed the situation here, approached him and tried to stop him.

Deng Rong's expression suddenly turned cold.

"Shut up." He shook his hands. "What I do has nothing to do with you guys?"

The man's actions seemed casual, but the moment he swung his hand, an astonishing airflow whistled into shape and flew towards a distance.

The resident who came to stop them screamed and fell backwards, with blood splattering on his chest.

The invisible and intangible air became as sharp as a blade in his hands!
At this time, the other people in the camp who were alarmed also came out. After seeing this scene, they were all frightened and froze in place, not daring to move.

Deng Rong snorted. His smile returned to his face, and he turned his head towards the tent and said:
"Doctor An, Miss An, your little brother is not here right now, right? That's great. I'm afraid he might misunderstand. Let's have a good chat first."

For a moment, no one dared to step forward to stop it. After all, the previous person who tried to be a hero had met his end.

……

Deng Rong tore open the curtain of the tent.

But what came into view was not the frightened woman as imagined, but——

A whistling fist.

The incredibly large fist, packed with terrifying force, was reflected in Deng Rong's pupils, like a train speeding towards him.

His smile froze on his face.

This powerful punch was like a cannonball, ruthlessly hitting the man's chest.

"Click."

The time around him seemed to slow down, and he could clearly hear the crisp sound of bones breaking in his body.

The young man who was lying in ambush in the tent slowly stood up.

A dim light shone from behind the other person, and the tall and strong body cast a shadow on Deng Rong's face, forcing him to look up.

At that moment, what Deng Rong saw were the cold and iron eyes under the young man's black hair.

(End of this chapter)