The King of Curses

Chapter 30 The Prelude to a New Era
At the same time, in another city hundreds of kilometers away, Tianhai City.

As the most important economic center in the country, a port city and an internationally renowned metropolis, Tianhai City is undoubtedly a city that never sleeps.

Under the cover of night, the artificial lights are bright and prosperous, turning the cold steel forest into a huge bonfire.

The reflection of the city standing by the sea spreads out on the dark water.

As the undertow surged and the waves rippled, the sound of ship whistles could be heard not far from the pier, drifting away in the night.

Cen Dongsheng took the high-speed rail from Jinjiang City to Tianhai City. Instead of taking a taxi directly to his destination, he searched for information online while taking the subway and bus to travel slowly along the way.

His hometown is Jinjiang City, and the place where he has stayed the longest as an adult is Tianhai City. He has the deepest feelings for these two cities.

Cen Dongsheng studied at Tianhai University. Later, at the end of the "First Wave", this place encountered one of the "Eight Great Disasters", "The Yin Soldiers Passing Through", and he had to flee from the city;

After wandering around elsewhere and struggling to survive for a year, when the "Second Wave" was about to end - that is, when the "First Ancestor" was almost born, An Zhizhen had officially stepped onto the stage of history. Under her leadership, the ruling bureau pacified the order of the entire Tiannan region, making it one of the safest places in the world. He was finally able to return to Tianhai City.

After that, he was selected and became a member of the ranks of Curse-Banned Masters. He joined the Exorcism Department and worked on the front line. Until his rebirth, he lived a busy and hard, but relatively stable life.

……

Cen Dongsheng stood at the crowded intersection, looking at the neon lights that were intertwined like an ocean, recalling everything he had experienced before his rebirth, and couldn't help feeling as if he was in another world.

He didn't have much feeling about the prosperity of a city. The economy of coastal cities is generally more developed. To him, Tianhai City might be a larger Jinjiang City.

But looking at it from today's perspective, this city has carried too much and has placed too much hope on it, both in the past and in the future.

"Really? There are people everywhere..."

Just as he was feeling emotional, he suddenly received a call from An Zhizhen.

"…It's time to go see my new home."

Cen Dongsheng thought to himself that after turning on his phone, he was greeted with a barrage of questions.

"Have you arrived yet? Why didn't you call me when you arrived?"

"I just arrived, so I didn't want to disturb you. Sister Zhizhen is still busy with work, right?"

"As long as it's your call, I'm always available...I'm serious!"

Sister Zhizhen on the other end of the phone emphasized.

"You must remember to call me, okay? I'll be worried if I don't hear from you for a while, even though we agreed before..."

"We just agreed to keep in touch regularly, but you don't have to call me every day. Sister Zhizhen, you're worrying too much. Do you really treat me like a child?"

"You are just a child in my eyes."

"That won't work." Cen Dongsheng replied, "We are companions, not mother and son."

"I don't care!... Let's put one thing first. Anyway, I just want to hear your voice every day. We made an agreement, and you are not allowed to regret it."

Sister Zhizhen was rarely upset. It was more like she was a child now.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Cen Dongsheng was a little helpless, "I promise you, okay?"

After he hung up the phone, he couldn't help but sigh.

...What a troublesome woman.

Although he admitted that he was lacking in some aspects, growing up in an orphanage was not without its benefits.

Even in the future, he is still struggling to survive alone, without friends or lovers, a lone wolf - this sounds a bit miserable, but he has the ability to live independently.

He felt that he could take care of himself, but there was a kind of concern in this world called "An Zhizhen felt that you couldn't live alone without her"...

Fortunately, he has a strong ability to accept things and low psychological expectations. This level of "awkward personality" on the future philosopher king can only be said to be harmless, and even a little cute.

After he had to make another promise to "talk to her every day", Sister Zhizhen let him go contentedly, and the two said good night to each other.

After hanging up the phone, Cen Dongsheng didn't feel like continuing sightseeing. He followed the address Sister Zhizhen gave him and took a ride all the way to his new home.

“This is the place…”

Cen Dongsheng stood under the street light, looking at the iron fence in front of him.

Behind the fence is a three-story Western-style house with a pointed arched roof, a water-belt-shaped balcony on the second floor, and several semicircular arches on the third floor. The exterior walls are clad in brown-red bricks, and there is a fairly spacious lawn and fountain. A cobblestone road leads to the inner door. The entire building is in a simple and elegant Art Deco style.

Although it was late at night, you could still tell that it was a beautiful house; I imagine it would look even more beautiful in the sun during the day.

The roadside trees next to the villa were tall and sturdy sycamore trees that looked like they had been planted for a long time. In summer, the trees were lush and leafy, casting a continuous shade like a giant umbrella. The dim light of the street lamps fell through the gaps on the asphalt road, leaving a patch of light on the ground.

"I will live here for some time in the future. Is this my new home? It looks really nice."

The area is obviously not small, which seems a bit luxurious for him alone. At least it can accommodate four or five more people.

Considering that it is near Tianhai University and in the city center, the price of this single-family house is really unthinkable for ordinary citizens... Fortunately, he is kept by a rich woman. Cen Dongsheng has already accepted this fact in his heart. As a curse master, he has a strong ability to accept it, so he doesn't need to do psychological work.

He used the key to open the gate and walked along the cobblestone road. When he pushed the door open, the wind chimes hanging on the eaves rang, making a clear and pleasant sound, as if welcoming the new owner to move in.

He opened the door and walked in. The mahogany floor under his feet was so clean and shiny that it could reflect his face. The carpet extended all the way inside. There was a crystal chandelier hanging in the living room. The furniture was classical and luxurious. There was a spiral staircase going up. The corner wall was covered with scattered classical picture frames, with landscapes, portraits, and a mirror reflecting the chandelier. It seemed as if he could see a cheongsam beauty from a Republic of China movie walking down from upstairs at any time.

"very good……"

When people see good things, they feel happy.

It seems that Sister Zhizhen had already arranged for someone to clean and tidy up the place before he came.

Cen Dongsheng stretched, looked around at the furniture, and nodded with satisfaction.

"My new life is about to begin."

*
At the same time, in Jinjiang City on the other side.

The car slowly arrived at the destination.

Kong Yinlian opened the car door, waited for her boss An Zhizhen to get out of the car, and followed her silently.

"Have you seen the list?"

An Zhizhen said.

"Well, according to what you said, I gathered all the selected people in a hall."

She answered in a low voice.

"very good."

Under the guidance of the hotel waiter, the two went to the banquet hall.

The place is reserved tonight and the first gathering of the members of the Youshan Ghost Talk Forum will be held here.

In terms of the standards of an "offline gathering", it seemed a bit excessive; but both the organizers and the invited guests were well aware that their identities were not ordinary.

……

Before the arrival of An Zhizhen, the host, most of the guests had already arrived and were divided into several halls and seated.

Just as Cen Dongsheng thought, in this era, people who can become spell masters and have this awareness are rare. They often have their own secrets, and their past experiences are not simple, so they can be regarded as the best among them.

Room 1 had the fewest people, only about a dozen. They sat at the table in twos and threes, looking at each other and others with a wary mentality.

Among them were people who knew each other, walking together, talking in low voices and whispering.

They are waiting for the person who organized this offline gathering to appear.

He (she) was most likely the person behind the Tianxia Forum. Everyone was naturally curious about the person who could take the initiative to gather this group of unfamiliar spell masters together.

Tianxia Forum only sent invitations to a group of users who "have something in common" - anyone with a little bit of common sense would have found out this information.

No one knew whether this was a Hongmen Banquet, so those who were willing to participate were all skilled and courageous people who were confident in their abilities.

Judging from the staff arranged on site, they are all capable and do not look like waiters, but more like people working in the security industry. It is obvious that the organizer is also extraordinary...

Then, when the clock hands pointed to nine o'clock, the door of the banquet hall was pushed open.

Surrounded by a group of people, An Zhizhen walked slowly into the hall.

She didn't say anything, but just smiled and looked around. This silent gesture attracted everyone's attention.

This woman was born with a certain overwhelming aura. Her beauty, temperament... were all part of it, but it seemed that none of them were all.

It is a kind of charm that comes from the depths of the soul, attracting people to center around her and get close to her, and it is bewitching.

The eyes of the spell-breakers all fell on her, and the whispers in the hall suddenly stopped, leaving only silence.

"Good evening, everyone."

After confirming the identities and abilities of those present, An Zhizhen's lips curled up slightly in the face of everyone's gaze.

In her pupils, a light as bright as a star slowly rose.

"Nice to meet you. I'm An Zhizhen."

The light shone into the eyes of everyone present, leaving a deep mark of the cross.

"I won't introduce myself any further. Because from now on, you will remember this name for the rest of your lives..."

The prelude to a new era has thus begun.

(End of this chapter)