The King of Curses

Chapter 80 "Cover Girl"

Cen Dongsheng sat in the driver's seat, concentrating on driving.

An Zhizhen was in the passenger seat and Yi Qingyan was in the back seat.

The girl seemed a little dissatisfied with the seating arrangement at first. She would rather sit in the passenger seat closer to Cen Dongsheng.

Cen Dongsheng thought it was quite natural. The two adults sat in the front and the minors sat in the back, just like a family traveling together... He had this idea vaguely in his mind and had no intention of giving up. He hoped that they could live together peacefully and harmoniously.

On the contrary, An Zhizhen, as the other party involved, seemed to have never expressed her own opinion, and watched the brother and sister arguing with a smile.

Until the SUV drives onto the city roads, onto the highway, out of the city and into the suburbs.

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Yi Qingyan initially stared at the scenery passing by the window with great interest. Although it was ordinary, for her who rarely went out, everything was new.

After a while, the little girl, who was soon tired of watching, began to doze off. Her head swayed and she was about to lie down.

An Zhizhen had remained quiet since she got on the car, flipping through some material that might have been a book or a file.

Cen Dongsheng was quietly working as a driver, with a lyrical song that sounded familiar but he couldn't name playing on the car stereo.

The atmosphere in the car was very peaceful. The wind flowing in from the window gaps was slightly warm, blowing on people's faces, giving a sense of leisurely comfort.

At this moment, a sigh came from beside me.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw An Zhizhen put down the materials in his hand. He seemed to feel a little satisfied and his eyes fell on his face.

"...? Sister Zhizhen?"

There was a heavy weight on my shoulder and the woman suddenly leaned her head over.

"I'm tired of reading. Let me take a rest for a while."

“…I’m driving.”

"Yeah, I know."

When Cen Dongsheng was about to say something, he felt an itchy feeling on his thigh. He looked down and found that Sister Zhizhen's fingers were gently stroking his pants.

"It's not good for you to do this..."

"It doesn't matter. We won't die even if there's a car accident."

The woman blew into his ears, and the wet air ruffled his hair.

"..."

Cen Dongsheng seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

Is this a question of whether or not you will die?

The woman's fingers were playing on his thigh, which made him feel a little itchy, but luckily he could bear it.

He had no choice but to grab the soft hand that was doing the evil, put it aside, and hold it directly in his palm.

At this time, the little girl's confused voice came from behind.

She seemed to be waking up.

"Brother...are we almost there?"

"Well, we're almost there."

He subconsciously let go of his hand.

When passing a crossroads, Cen Dongsheng looked up at the traffic sign.
"Shilou Mountain...Shigou Village...We are almost at the designated location."

There was no good map navigation software back then, and even civilian mobile Internet was just beginning to emerge, so if you wanted to find a remote place, in addition to finding someone to lead the way and looking at signs, you had to rely on physical maps.

As the car passed the gas station, Cen Dongsheng slowly slowed down.

"Wait, I'll go get some gas."

……

The place was remote and sparsely populated, and his was the only car parked in the gas station.

While the staff was refueling, Cen Dongsheng walked into a nearby convenience store, looked around the shelves, and casually bought a few loaves of bread and two bottles of mineral water.

When he went to the counter to check out, he noticed a banner hanging on the wall that read "Professional and efficient service, enthusiastic, sincere and trustworthy", and was signed by the Mountain Rescue Team.

He observed the salesperson in front of him again. The man was about 40 years old and was wearing camouflage clothes. Because there were not many people coming, he had been sitting at the cash register and lazily reading a newspaper.

"Uncle, were you in the rescue team before?"

Cen Dongsheng took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Ah."

The man never put down the newspaper in his hand and replied casually.

"Have you heard about Shilou Mountain?"

The silent man put down the newspaper and did not answer immediately. He just narrowed his eyes and looked at the young man in front of him.

"Are you going mountain climbing?"

The middle-aged man had a serious expression.

"I advise you not to go there. It's not a good place."

"very dangerous?"

The other person stretched his head and looked out the window. There was only an SUV parked there, and he couldn't see who was sitting inside.

"Are you alone? Are you here with your family?"

"Correct."

Cen Dongsheng nodded.

After hearing this, the other party's expression became more relaxed.

"You guys are probably just going out for a walk, right? That's fine, just remember to stay on the main road."

"Well, just climb for a while and then you can get down."

"It's not some mountaineering team, just someone from the university mountaineering club. People like that are worrisome."

"Really? They should have more experience than ordinary people and know how to climb mountains better."

"Humph, it's because they understand that they don't like to take the right path. They like excitement and adventure. They walk faster and go deeper, so they are more likely to get into trouble. Our rescue team has received several particularly difficult missions nearby, and they were almost all because of them."

Cen Dongsheng nodded, it was the truth that “a good swimmer often drowns in water”.

But that wasn't what he wanted to know.

The young man lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously.

"But I heard that Shilou Mountain... has ghosts?"

"Oh, you're not here to climb the mountain, you're here to write news?"

"Yes, if you are willing to talk to me, I have an interview fee..."

"That's not necessary."

The man waved his hand. He looked thoughtful, as if he was reminiscing.

"Actually, I haven't encountered any 'ghosts'. I just heard about it from the people I rescued before... He said that he met a man while climbing the mountain. He was deceived by this man and took the wrong path. He got lost and almost died in the wilderness."

Cen Dongsheng had seen this case in the materials.

"Later, we searched the area several times according to his description, but we couldn't find the liar he mentioned. We also found the tent and camp where he had stayed before, and judging from the traces inside, he was the only one who had lived there."

"But seeing how confident he was, the doctor said it was very likely that he was alone for too long and had hallucinations. According to him, although he had never seen that person before, he felt like an old acquaintance he had met before. They suddenly became friends and had a good chat, so he trusted the other person so much. But once he recalled carefully, he felt that everything about that person was very vague."

"...I see. That was a few years ago?" "Let me think, maybe two or three years ago?"

"Thank you."

Although no new information was obtained, it was almost certain that there was something strange on the Shilou Mountain.

He left the gas station and returned to the car. After that, Cen Dongsheng continued driving, leading the three people to the foot of the mountain.

*
After the car reached the foot of the mountain and found a parking lot, Cen Dongsheng brought Sister Zhizhen and Sister Qingyan to the destination.

“There are quite a lot of people who are surprised.”

Although there have been paranormal rumors about this mountain, there are fewer climbers who used to flock here as a popular area, but there are still ordinary hikers.

I asked a few old ladies passing by and heard that there is a temple on the mountain. Although it is not a big temple, it is still quite popular. In addition, there are villagers from Shigou Village halfway up the mountain who need to go up and down the mountain.

"Well, it seems that the mandrills have never threatened people on the roads and in the villages... At least they haven't appeared in public so frequently, otherwise the news would have been exposed long ago."

If you want to find the whereabouts of the mandrill, you have to stay away from the crowd and go to the deep mountains and forests where few people go. If you don't have any clues, you will be like a headless fly wandering around, which will be a huge project.

Fortunately, he has a good attitude and is not in a hurry.

"Then let's go up the mountain."

Cen Dongsheng said to the female companions beside him.

"Oh!"

Yi Qingyan raised her hand. She had already put on her sun hat and had taken a nap in the car. She felt very refreshed when she woke up.

"We all listen to you."

Before An Zhizhen came, she said, "This trip will be entirely up to you." It seems that she really intends to be a hands-off boss.

……

The sunlight pouring down from overhead gradually grew stronger, with a hint of scorching heat.

The lush leaves blocked the sunlight as much as possible, but they could not block the gradually rising temperature. Therefore, people climbing the mountain path could not avoid sweating and panting.

However, Cen Dongsheng and others naturally do not have this worry.

Not to mention Cen Dongsheng who possesses the power of the tiger demon, An Zhizhen and Yi Qingyan are special-class spell masters with true Qi in their bodies as deep as the ocean. Even if they do not use spells, their physiques have already been transformed and become extraordinary.

...To be honest, he was quite curious about the body structure of the "Special Class Curse Masters". Some people said that they were no longer human, but more like a kind of sublimated supernatural life, just similar to humans in appearance.

It's a pity that I can't start researching.

Never mind, if I want to satisfy my curiosity, I can study my own later, or...

Strange thoughts were running through Cen Dongsheng's mind, and before they knew it, the three of them had reached the halfway point of the mountain.

There is a relatively flat platform here, and a pavilion is built for climbers to rest. Fruit peels and garbage bags discarded by people can be seen everywhere on the ground.

People gathered here in twos and threes to rest. Some sat down to chat and eat and drink, some continued to climb up after resting for a while, and some turned around and went down.

He glanced at the road sign and saw that he was not far from Shigou Village.

"Brother, look! That's..."

Yi Qingyan patted his shoulder, seeming to be curious about something in the distance.

Cen Dongsheng looked in the direction of her finger and saw a rock wall whose color was different from the surrounding areas and showed obvious signs of human carving.

He and Yi Qingyan walked towards the rock wall.

What comes into view is a huge stone mural. The carved content seems to be a pavilion. The building stands on the top of the mountain, surrounded by white clouds. The lines are complex and spectacular.

Although you can see the traces of erosion by time, you can still see the meticulous work of the skilled craftsman.

Cen Dongsheng found another stone tablet nearby, which recorded the origin of the mural. It said that there had been a stone building on the mountain since ancient times, but it was unknown when and by whom the building was built. The mural was asked by monks from a nearby temple to record this wonderful building that seemed to have come from outer space.

Shilou Mountain, Shilou Mountain.

So that’s why it got the name?

Is this mysterious stone building still on the mountain?

While he was thinking, a chirping sound came from the side, attracting Cen Dongsheng's attention.

There were young couples, couples with children, and old men and women. He glanced at the group of people casually, and then...

Suddenly it stopped on someone's face.

It was a familiar face.

The girl with a neat ponytail is a college student, with a healthy complexion, beautiful facial features, and a tall figure. She is wearing a white shirt and sweatpants that are convenient for movement, giving people a feeling of vitality.

She was carrying a large bag, standing alone on the edge of a cliff not far away, setting up the tent with her hands and looking into the distance.

“Isn’t this Cover Girl?”

Cen Dongsheng felt happy and surprised as if he had met an acquaintance from his previous life, although they did not actually know each other.

The face was naturally younger than he remembered, but he recognized it at a glance because he had seen it so often.

Song Yutang, a third-level A-class spell master. She may be the most famous A-class spell master in the future society.

This is not to say that she is very strong, but because quite a number of curse-binding masters can see her face on TV and in magazines on a regular basis.

"Comprehensive Reference", a weekly magazine published by the Chinese Association of Curse Masters, and an online TV program of the same name, is one of the most authoritative media in the Curse Master community.

Although truly valuable confidential information is unlikely to be seen in this kind of public media, news about major events will not be missed. In addition, the magazine has a wide distribution range, and the curse masters are not short of money, so most of them will subscribe.

The future world is composed of city unions ruled by major forces, and people live within high walls to protect against demons and monsters. For those who are not high-level, the association's programs are their main channel for accessing information from other forces.

In addition to the news section, magazines and programs also have entertainment and leisure content, and even activities such as the "Most Beautiful Curse Master in the Country" selection event.

Song Yutang was the champion of a certain selection event. She was later hired by the Banned Teachers Association to promote "Comprehensive Reference", so her face can often be seen on TV commercials and magazine posters.

This is the reason why Cen Dongsheng called her "Cover Girl" in his heart.

Of course, everyone knows whether this so-called "most beautiful female spell-binding master" is unworthy of the title, mainly because there are two other top female spell-binding masters in the world who are also stunningly beautiful...

The question is, who dares? Who dares to treat Zu as an entertainment figure and comment on him?

This is not a question of whether the Philosopher King or the Equal King would allow it. Even if they themselves don't care, others may not think so. The best thing to do is not to touch it at all.

In fact, let alone the "ancestor", these contents involving public opinion and gossip do not dare to involve the special forbidden spell master...

This is also related to the status of the Curse Masters Association. Although it is nominally the official management organization for all the Curse Masters in the Chinese region, its actual status is somewhat embarrassing.

...Of course, this topic has gone a bit off topic.

Cen Dongsheng's eyes moved away from the girl's face silently, as if he didn't know this person at all.

"Let's continue."

He said to Yi Qingyan.

"Ah."

The little girl nodded slightly.

……

After resting for a while, the three headed towards the top of the mountain.

During this process, Cen Dongsheng looked behind him and found that Song Yutang was following him not far behind.

It seemed that her destination was the same as theirs.

(End of this chapter)