The King of Curses

Chapter 183 The Third Person

As late autumn approaches, there is a slight chill in the air.

The windows of the Oflai Cake Shop, located near Tianhai University, have been decorated for the season: pumpkins, dried flowers and various autumn and winter items fill every corner, and guests can smell the aroma of coffee and freshly baked bread as soon as they open the door.

The afternoon sun makes the windows bright and clean, and the room is decorated particularly warmly by the owner, with fashion magazines and large-format hardcover books neatly arranged.

The environment of this place is really good, and it is close to the school. It has become a regular place for the master and apprentice to talk. In addition to the two of them, there are several young guests drinking coffee and chatting, each speaking in a low voice so as not to disturb others.

"Meet me? That's perfect. I want to see her, too."

Cen Dongsheng smiled.

Song Yutang looked at the young man sitting opposite her with an expectant expression and felt a little complicated.

In fact, she had vaguely guessed the reason why Cen Dongsheng asked her to find someone in the first place - perhaps the master came here for this "mysterious person", and Senior Sister Jiang was the target he wanted to find in the first place; and training her and finally recognizing her as a teammate was the result of her cultivation.

However, as long as she knew that her master would not abandon her, she would feel at ease; no matter what the result was on Jiang Yunmei's side, compared to her, she was the first to arrive -

As soon as this thought came into his mind, Song Yutang had an urge to hold his head and squat down, and quickly stopped thinking further.

What does “I was here first” mean? I feel so humble. Just thinking about it makes me feel ashamed!
The girl's toes in her shoes were curled up together, almost digging cracks in the ground. She pretended not to care and took several deep breaths before she managed to keep her expression straight.

……

Cen Dongsheng naturally had no idea what kind of messy thoughts were running through his apprentice's head all day long. He was just surprised to notice that the girl sitting opposite him had a slight blush on her face, and her feet were moving restlessly under the table, looking like she was sitting on pins and needles.

"What's wrong, Yutang?"

"No, it's nothing!"

Song Yutang took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

Master is looking for a teammate, not a girlfriend, so stop imagining that—

"If you want to go to the bathroom, go ahead."

"no!"

"Yeah……"

Cen Dongsheng nodded and changed the subject considerately.

"Next, do you want to go with me to see her?"

"Well, I'm going."

Song Yutang replied.

"Master, are you planning to invite her to join our team now?"

"No, the most important thing is her own wishes and whether she is compatible with me... before that, I have to confirm whether she is the one I am looking for."

"How to do?"

"Wait and see what happens after a while."

In fact, there is no other way. After locking the target, all that is left is to keep an eye on this person.

According to Song Yutang's observation, the other party is not a curse master yet, so she can only wait for her "No Obstacles" life ban to awaken as soon as possible.

Cen Dongsheng drank coffee and looked out the window.

It must be said that his luck was pretty good. If she had really awakened, she might not be able to find this person now.

"...Oh, there's one more thing."

After he remembered, he turned around and discussed it with Song Yutang again.

"Since we are teammates, shouldn't you change your address?"

"?"

Song Yutang looked at him in confusion.

"Master, I don't understand what you mean..."

"That is to say, you can start your apprenticeship now."

Cen Dongsheng put down the coffee cup and his expression became a little more serious.

"In fact, I should have told you when you defeated the sorcerer."

"...Master, you don't plan to continue teaching me?"

"No, of course I will continue to teach you. If you have any questions, you can ask me first. If I find any problems with you, I will remind you in time. What I mean is that there is a distinction between superiors and subordinates between masters and apprentices, and teammates should be equal. Isn't it better to just call me by my name?"

"Calling my name... that's fine too. But..."

Song Yutang subconsciously grabbed the coffee cup, and her slender fingers stroked the wall of the cup restlessly.

After a while, she answered.

"Master and apprentice... the master-apprentice relationship can also be equal. As the saying goes, 'There is no order of precedence in learning, the one who is more accomplished is the master.'"

It sounds forced.

"So, you don't have this idea for the time being?"

"……Correct."

Cen Dongsheng's gaze was burning, as if he wanted to see through her thoughts.

Song Yutang lowered her head subconsciously. She felt that something was not right with her current state of mind, but before she figured out her real thoughts, she still wanted to maintain the status quo.

"Haha, that's good. I thought you would be disgusted. If you think it's okay, then it doesn't matter if you don't change it. It's just a name."

"It's just a name...that's all."

Song Yutang breathed a sigh of relief. In order to change her mood, she had originally thought of changing the address.

"...Cen Dongsheng."

she says.

"Ok?"

"How about calling me Dongsheng?"

"is acceptable."

"Where's Brother Dongsheng?"

“We are the same age.”

Besides, someone around him has already used this title.

"Yeah, we're the same age. Seniors and seniors can't be used... Wait, are we really the same age? In fact, I'm one year behind in elementary school."

They told each other their birthdays and found out that the year was the same; but in terms of month, Song Yutang was actually older than him.

"I didn't expect that I'm older than Master. Should I call him 'Little Brother Dongsheng'?"

"Then let's not..."

On the contrary, it belongs to Tiangang.

*
After enjoying afternoon tea, Cen Dongsheng and Song Yutang returned to school and went directly to the Student Union office to find Jiang Yunmei.

As the door was pushed open, Jiang Yunmei, who was sitting behind the main table, looked up and saw familiar faces. She stood up with a smile on her face to greet them.

The girl was in her early twenties, which was right between the mature social figure like An Zhizhen and the youthful and energetic college student like him. She had brown pear-shaped hair with slightly curls, and it was obvious at a glance that it was well-groomed.

The last time they met, it was just a quick glimpse. Now, Cen Dongsheng could finally take a good look at her appearance: Jiang Yunmei's facial features were soft and clear, and the thin-framed glasses on her nose matched her calm and introverted temperament.

At first glance, she is not as eye-catching as the energetic Song Yutang, but in terms of appearance, she is not inferior, just not as flamboyant.

"Sure enough, 'Miaoshenzi' is also a great beauty... She was mentioned in the intelligence in my previous life, but no photo of her has ever been leaked to the outside world."

Cen Dongsheng couldn't help but sigh again. There were so many handsome men and beautiful women among the top spell-binding masters. Some of them had outstanding or unique temperaments. In short, they would be recognized at a glance in the crowd.

People who are favored by fate are even born with advantages in appearance. This world is really unreasonable.

Fortunately, I am one of them now.

"You are here."

When Jiang Yunmei came to greet them, there were other students in the office, who were looking at the two visitors hesitantly. "Senior, you..."

"My friend and I have something to talk about, you guys go ahead and get on with your work."

……

The three of them walked to a nearby corridor and looked at the maple trees planted in the courtyard downstairs, whose treetops had been dyed a beautiful golden color.

"Hello again, you two."

Jiang Yunmei turned around with a polite yet warm smile on her face.

"Schoolgirl Song and I are acquaintances. We even chatted recently. As for Mr. Cen, this is the second time we've met, right?"

"good."

Cen Dongsheng nodded.

The first time they met was when the fight was at its most intense, and they didn't get to say a few words to each other; after chatting for a few words, he sent them away.

"No need to call me 'sir'."

"Yeah, that's right. After all, he's younger than me..." Jiang Yunmei raised her small chin, and smiled with a hint of teasing, "To show our intimacy, how about calling me junior brother?"

Cen Dongsheng thought that he had just discussed a similar topic with Yutang.

Why do they care so much about what they are called?

“That’s so disrespectful.”

Song Yutang chimed in, speaking in a slightly reproachful tone.

When communicating with Jiang Yunmei, every time she mentioned anything about Cen Dongsheng, she would always use a very respectful attitude.

"Haha, it's just a joke. Then..."

Jiang Yunmei blinked.

"How about 'Teacher Cen'? It's a respectful title of 'Teacher'. It just so happens that Junior Sister Song has always called you Master."

"It's up to you. I think it's fine to just call him by his first name."

"Then I won't be polite."

……

On an autumn afternoon, they leaned on the corridor railing and chatted together.

Cen Dongsheng asked about her background; Jiang Yunmei had no intention of hiding anything and confessed everything to the master and disciple.

She said that she came from a family of spell casters with a long history; but today, although the tide of spiritual energy revival has arrived, there is no one in her family who can support the family.

The strongest person is the head of the family. Apart from him, no matter whether it is the older generation or the younger generation, even if they have the qualifications to become a curse-master, they are only at a mediocre level.

"Even though he's called the 'strongest', he doesn't seem that strong. He doesn't have much dignity. He can't be compared with Schoolmate Song and you at all. The curse master who is occasionally invited as a guest may be even stronger..."

Having said that, she did not forget to add:
"This is my opinion."

"What about you? Have you ever practiced?"

"Yes. There has always been a rule in the clan that every young person in the family must learn to practice when they are fourteen years old to see if they are qualified to inherit the family's curse. In the feudal era, only men could practice, but since the 1950s, both men and women have to practice."

"The so-called qualifications of a spell-binding master are, first, spiritual perception, which is like the sixth sense, and second, true qi... I believe you two know more about it than I do."

Jiang Yunmei sighed softly.

"According to my elders, I have good aptitude for the former and am quite sensitive. But I am totally not good at the latter, probably because I have been weak and sickly since childhood. In short, I will never be able to become..."

"Not always."

Cen Dongsheng shook his head.

"Not necessarily? But..."

The tradition of ancient spellcasters is nothing. Compared with the "spellcaster development theory" that combines modern scientific methodology, the efficiency and accuracy are not at the same level at all.

Not to mention that this girl is most likely the "Miaoshenzi" himself. Even if she is not, she will most likely become a formal curse master in the future.

According to Cen Dongsheng's experience, as long as one of the "spiritual perception" and "true qi" is mastered, it is equivalent to having one foot halfway in the door, and it will not even affect future development - what a ban master is good at is mainly determined by the future bans.

"Don't believe them. I can teach you."

Cen Dongsheng said straightforwardly.

"With my help, you will most likely become a curse master."

"Hey, really?"

Jiang Yunmei smiled.

"Will I have the chance to use those cool super powers like you guys?"

"of course."

"That's great. What a surprise."

Cen Dongsheng noticed that she was not as happy as she said, and seemed to be concerned about something else. But he didn't care, he just wanted to find an opportunity to get closer to her so that he could observe her better.

……

At this time, Song Yutang, who was watching from the side, had already frowned.

Master... forget it. After all, when he first saved me and later taught her, he was very proactive in bringing it up. He just has a very positive personality.

The main problem still lies with Jiang Yunmei.

After communicating with her during this period, she had a certain understanding of this senior's personality and her daily behavior.

Although she is very capable, she always gives people a sense of laziness, not caring about anything. Even the people around her, whether male or female classmates, keep a distance from her.

But today, it was very obvious that this person was deliberately trying to get closer to the group.

"I heard you need my help with something?"

"Yes, it's a deal... but it hasn't been finalized yet." Jiang Yunmei took out her phone and said, "Let's exchange contact information and arrange another time to talk it over."

"no problem."

Song Yutang watched silently from the side, and suddenly spoke:
"You are looking for him because he has something to do with the Curse Master?"

"Yes."

"Isn't it possible for me?" Song Yutang said seriously, "Although I am still far from Master in terms of ability, if there is really a problem, I think I can still help."

Jiang Yunmei looked at her with some surprise.

"Thank you for your concern……"

"You helped me find Ke Junchen's whereabouts before, and I haven't thanked you properly yet."

"Yes, I know. I was planning to invite you anyway." Jiang Yunmei said with a smile, "It's just that now that we know each other, I hope you two can come together."

……

The master and disciple left.

Jiang Yunmei stopped where she was, quietly watching the two figures disappear at the end of the corridor.

At a certain moment, she suddenly frowned, as if she heard an unbearable noise, and covered one of her ears.

“…So noisy.”

*
After getting the contact information, Cen Dongsheng began to wait patiently.

However, in the week that followed, Jiang Yunmei never contacted him once, and Yutang never saw her again.

He looked at the number on his phone and murmured:

"Did I get stood up?"

He was hugged from behind, and the faint voice of Sister Zhizhen came to his ears.

"Who is so brave? Tell me her name."

(End of this chapter)