Chapter 258 Sister’s Holiday

Time flies quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the anniversary of the establishment of the Ghost Market has arrived.

When Cen Dongsheng got up today, opened the curtains and looked down at the street, he could feel that the atmosphere of the ghost market today was different from the day before, with lights and decorations everywhere.

It no longer looks like the “ghost market” in rural ghost stories. It is more lively and looks like a market in the human world. The streets that are always shrouded in fog are now bright and transparent under the light of stalactites, and are bustling with people.

He put on his coat and opened the door, and saw Jiang Yunmei and Song Yutang coming down the stairs to greet him.

The three of them greeted each other.

“Good morning, Master.”

“Good morning.”

Jiang Yunmei covered her small mouth with her hands, yawned, and quietly stood on tiptoe, trying to pass over the tall body of the man to secretly observe the situation in the room. Her expression… can only be described as “sly”.

Cen Dongsheng was a little speechless. He reached out and grabbed her head and pushed her back.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking to see if there’s someone hiding in Teacher Cen’s bed.”

You are quite courageous.

“If you’re looking for my girlfriend, I’m sorry, but I usually go directly to her.”

“So, what about Teacher Cen’s sister?”

Since Cen Dongsheng brought his sister back home, he has basically been accompanying her during the daytime in the past two days. Jiang Yunmei and Song Yutang naturally know about this.

“Of course she sleeps alone.”

The young man answered seriously.

Most of the time, Cen Dongsheng was really just accompanying her shopping.

Although the little girl would occasionally find the right opportunity to play a “prank” on him…but it was only occasionally, and there wasn’t much desire involved.

Having said that, he found that he had been living a very fulfilling life during this period.

Although I am mainly accompanying Yi Qingyan, I still have to make sure that my elder sister doesn’t get lonely. It’s daytime;
After returning to the hotel at night, I still have to talk with my two teammates…

Seeing Jiang Yunmei yawning again, Cen Dongsheng asked with concern:
“Did you get up too early today, or did you go to bed too late last night?”

“Hmm? Yes, I do.”

Jiang Yunmei put down her hands and smiled embarrassedly.

Since the last conversation, Cen Dongsheng discovered that this senior sister was really a worrier.

It’s good that she feels a sense of belonging to the team; but if it adds psychological pressure, it would be counterproductive.

Cen Dongsheng recalled the various rumors he had heard about the Secretary-General of the Chinese Forbidden Teachers Association before his rebirth, which showed that this girl was born to have an excessive sense of responsibility.

“It’s Yutang who keeps pestering me, asking me all sorts of questions…”

Jiang Yunmei looked helpless.

“Don’t drag me into this. It’s obviously you who’s just imagining things and worrying about irrelevant issues every day.”

The apprentice next to him snorted and refused to pass the blame.

…It seems like they have some secret topics between girls.

After chatting and laughing for a while, the two girls who came to visit finally brought up the business –

“Master, today is the anniversary, it seems very lively outside.”

Song Yutang put her hands behind her back and stared into the man’s eyes. Her bright eyes reflected an expectant light as she extended an invitation to him.

“So, do you want to hang out with both of us?”

what……

When Cen Dongsheng saw his apprentice’s cute expression, he really wanted to agree immediately.

Unfortunately……

“Sorry, I already have an appointment.”

Cen Dongsheng scratched the back of his head and said apologetically.

“I want to accompany Qingyan all the way shopping.”

“Yeah.”

Song Yutang didn’t seem disappointed, probably because she had gotten used to the fact that Cen Dongsheng’s daytime hours were “monopolized” by the high school girl. She smiled and suggested:
“We can come together. It will be more lively with more people.”

“She originally wanted to invite Mr. Cen’s girlfriend to go out with us.” Senior Jiang added, “But I think that big shot must be very busy and would not have the time to spend shopping with us.”

“Sister Zhizhen is definitely not coming. Are you coming together…”

Cen Dongsheng thought about it and decided to contact Yi Qingyan to ask for her opinion – although he probably had already guessed the answer.

The results were as expected.

“Unfortunately.”

The man put down his phone and sighed.

“My sister…seems reluctant. She’s the shy type.”

“Shy” is of course a euphemism – Qingyan doesn’t care about others at all, she only cares about whether her brother is with her alone.

“I promised her first, so I can’t accompany you.”

“……Oh.”

Song Yutang nodded.

Although she tried her best to conceal her expression, Cen Dongsheng still noticed the disappointment in her pupils.

“Well, how about tomorrow? I’ll go shopping with you guys again…”

“I understand. It’s okay, Master, as long as you and Miss Yi have fun.”

The atmosphere between the master and the disciple seemed a little awkward. At this time, Jiang Yunmei’s muttering broke the atmosphere –

“Miss Yi has a strong desire for exclusivity.”

The girl held her chin, posing like a famous detective thinking, and looked at Cen Dongsheng with suspicion.

“Generally speaking, would a sister cling to her brother so much? Even if she’s a step-sister… Teacher Cen, you’re not two-timing, are you?”

Before Cen Dongsheng could react, the ponytailed girl beside him quickly grabbed the senior’s arm and said angrily:

“what are you talking about?!”

“Hey, I was just joking, why are you so anxious?”

Jiang Yunmei said with a smile.

“But you gossip about people behind their backs, that’s not okay.”

“…That’s right. After all, we haven’t officially met Miss Yi yet. Sorry.”

This statement is not accurate. In fact, when Cen Dongsheng took Yi Qingyan back to the hotel on the first day, he ran into his teammates and met them once.

At that time, they were just surprised at who this strange beautiful girl was, whom they had never seen before but who obviously had a close relationship with Cen Dongsheng.

So the man gave a brief introduction: her name was Yi Qingyan, she was his adopted sister, a curse master, and currently a high school student.

Song Yutang and Jiang Yunmei’s attitudes were normal; but at that time, Yi Qingyan was holding Cen Dongsheng’s arm, like a cat afraid that its owner would run away. She had no intention of paying any attention to the two of them and dragged the man away with a tough attitude.

They didn’t even have time to introduce themselves, which is probably why Jiang Yunmei said “we haven’t met officially yet”.

“Master, then I will play with Senior Sister.”

Song Yutang smiled and waved at him.

“Oh, have fun.”

Having said that, Cen Dongsheng suddenly remembered Yi Qingyan’s keen intuition.

“besides……”

said the man.

“You have to be careful. There have been undercurrents in the Ghost Market recently, and a storm is about to come. In addition, several special curse masters have no intention of restraining their subordinates, so there may be a melee here soon.”

The girls looked at each other.

“Of course we know there is this risk. But… does it have to be today?”

“I’m not sure.” Cen Dongsheng shook his head.

“If there are people who are eager to cause unrest in the world, they might really choose to attack on the anniversary.”

“Because today is the busiest day, it is a good day to attack…”

“Oh, I feel like I’ve lost interest in going out.”

Jiang Yunmei sighed.

“If you notice anything unusual while playing, use ‘clairaudience’ to contact me.”

*
Cen Dongsheng stood at the door of the hotel and waited for a while, then heard the sound of light footsteps behind him.

“let’s go.”

The girl smiled and grabbed his hand from behind.

……

A row of big red lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed gently in the wind, and even the white lanterns used by the ferrymen on the river were replaced with bright red.

The sound of stringed instruments in the background is melodious and pleasant; someone is playing music and singing softly in the fog.

To celebrate the festival, paper carriages driven by paper figures passed through the bustling streets; the carriages were decorated with festive red silk by craftsmen, and bronze puppet arms extended from the windows, scattering copper coins to the passers-by around.

The scene was strange yet festive, quite magical.

Along the way, the brother and sister admired the scenery along the way, and Cen Dongsheng talked about the threshold to become a special spell master.

“Even if you have completely mastered the power of the three kinds of ‘demons’ and comprehended the nine kinds of supernatural powers, there is still a difference between this and the realm I saw in my meditation.”

“There is an ultimate threshold…”

Yi Qingyan lowered her head and thought seriously, then shook her head after a moment.

“I was originally a special-class spell-forbidden master, so I don’t know what that is.”

…It’s really hard to refute.

“However, I believe my brother has already done part of it.”

she said again.

“?”

“That kind of complete resurrection ability is not something that can be achieved by a Grade A curse. It’s more like a part of the real power in my brother’s body has leaked out.”

“Um……”

Cen Dongsheng stroked his chin.

“Just try it a few more times based on your feelings at the time, and maybe you’ll find the ‘boundary’.”

Makes sense.

So what did I do at that time?

Worried about being killed in the “Avici Hell” and worried about being brainwashed by the “Tiankui Quanshou”.

However, when he had established a close relationship with them, Cen Dongsheng had to muster up his courage and step forward to get involved in the fight between the two sisters, just like an ant trying to stop the mutual oppression between giants beyond his ability.

Afterwards, the special forbidden spell responded to his wish in the strongest way possible—

So if you want to copy…

He couldn’t help but turn his head and saw that the girl had a faint smile on her face over the past few days, and she was obviously expecting something to happen.

The corners of her mouth are slightly upturned, and her moist, pink lips are glowing with a light coral luster, reminiscent of flower petals covered with morning dew that are about to fall; judging from her appearance alone, she is so cute that one can’t help but want to kiss her.

But if you know what’s going on in her mind, it would inevitably make people feel psychologically burdened.

Speaking of which, he and Yi Qingyan had an agreement that if the girl couldn’t bear it anymore, she would come to him to “vent”…

Although he knew his sister probably didn’t mean that now, he still smacked his lips.

“elder brother?”

Yi Qingyan noticed the change in his expression and tilted her head in some surprise.

“Where are you going to go next?”

Cen Dongsheng chose to change the subject.

“Well…it seems like my brother has been with me to visit all the places we can these days.”

Yi Qingyan pondered.

Cen Dongsheng also noticed that Sister Qingyan’s interest today had obviously shifted from the city scenery to the people. Her gaze…

“Then let’s go to the theater.”

“Watching a play? Brother, do you have this interest?”

The girl looked towards the source of the chanting that was lingering over the street.

“The Yin Opera Troupe? They sing for the dead, right?”

“I asked, and their business is no longer limited to the dead. I made an appointment with Sister Zhizhen to go and see her last time, and the ticket I booked is still in my hand…”

“Then I have to go.”

Yi Qingyan’s eyebrows curved into crescents, and she reached out and hugged the man’s arm tightly.

“let’s go!”

……

At the entrance of the opera troupe, twenty-four revolving lanterns were hung from the eaves, with scenes from classic dramas such as “The Peony Pavilion” and “The Palace of Eternal Youth” painted on the lanterns; in front of the stage were two stone lions covered in red and decorated with colorful ornaments.

Eight red-lacquered pillars supported the hip roof. On the huge platform in the hall, the seats were filled with the audience before the actors went on stage.

As soon as the brother and sister stepped through the door, someone from the Yin Opera Troupe recognized Cen Dongsheng’s face and invited them to sit in the VIP seats high up.

The auditorium was shrouded in darkness.

Soon, three drum beats sounded like spring thunder, and the curtain slowly opened.

The martial actor somersaults onto the stage to the beat of the drums, his black boots kicking up fine dust, the jade belt around his waist swirling with rainbow light; the female role’s sleeves are a foot long, and the scarlet brocade sweeps across the blue bricks in front of the stage, with the gold thread on the hem shimmering like waves, drawing applause from the audience.

Cen Dongsheng didn’t understand what was being said, so he just followed suit and applauded.

Yi Qingyan had the same reaction as him. Although she couldn’t really say that she appreciated the performance, she was able to sit still because the atmosphere was lively.

“If you’re bored, let’s go.”

Cen Dongsheng whispered to his sister.

In the dim light, the girl shook her head slightly.

“I just find it strange. I thought since it’s called ‘Yin Opera Troupe’, there would be some forbidden elements. Now it seems like a very ordinary drama, just like what I saw on TV…”

She stopped mid-sentence.

The brother and sister looked at the empty seat next to them and saw a woman wearing a white and blue floral dress and heavy makeup slowly appear.

“Because this is a play for curse masters, we can’t include any supernatural powers. Otherwise, it will be easily regarded as a provocation by the audience and cause trouble.”

The woman explained Yi Qingyan’s previous question, then lowered her head towards the two of them and greeted them respectfully.

“Hello, I’m Li Huazhu.”

Li Huazhu.

Cen Dongsheng pondered over this name. He had once met the second owner of the Yin Opera Troupe. That person was called Li Ruizhu. So “Li Huazhu” must be…

“Mr. Cen wants to come and see my sister.”

“So you are the headmaster of the Yin Opera Troupe. I have heard of your name for a long time.”

“How dare I, how dare I,” Li Huazhu said, “I’m really sorry to interrupt your date. I wonder what you think of our play?”

“——very bad.”

Just as Cen Dongsheng was about to answer, he heard the girl next to him respond coldly.

“What are you here for?”

The woman who wanted to get straight to the point by way of small talk shuddered before she could even open her mouth. Cold sweat broke out on her back and her face was filled with fear, as if she was being stared at by a ferocious monster…

(End of this chapter)