Chapter 259: Stealing a Little Brother

Li Huazhu, who had put on heavy makeup and gorgeous costumes specifically for the reception of distinguished guests and usually looked dignified and graceful in the eyes of her troupe members and outsiders, now curled up involuntarily and knelt on the chair, with tears glistening in her pupils.

She looked like an elderly woman who was around 30 years old but actually over 60 years old. However, she acted as weak as a child in front of a high school girl who was in her prime.

What does this feel like?
Just by being “looked at” once, Li Huazhu felt as if she had fallen into an abyss. Her mental defenses were instantly broken, her will was mired in the quagmire, and it was almost impossible for her to form complete thoughts.

In the corner of the woman’s brain, the little bit of rationality left was screaming:
Is this some kind of spell? Did this girl cast some kind of mind interference spell on herself? !
But she didn’t notice the other person’s actions at all… She was a top-class spell-forbidden master after all, but this person could make her unable to think just by looking at him…

……

Cen Dongsheng saw that the other party’s face turned pale in an instant before he could speak, and he was terrified and embarrassed. He immediately realized what had happened and sighed in his heart.

The supernatural powers derived from “Infernal Hell” have nothing to do with “spirituality”, but a certain special curse can make a certain area of ​​a person produce an extraordinary “sublimation” –

Cen Dongsheng’s problem was obviously physical, while An Zhizhen and Yi Qingyan seemed to have undergone changes in their spirit and will, to the point where Qingyan could relatively easily resist the mental interference of “Tian Kui Quan Shou” and… release tangible murderous aura towards those who made her unhappy.

Compared to the operation mode of ordinary spells, it is more like the natural pressure of hunters on prey in nature.

Having been with Qingyan for a long time, the man naturally knew how to solve this situation. He reached out and grabbed the girl’s hand, making her subconsciously look at him.

After getting rid of the murderous gaze, the other party slowly regained control of his body.

“No… I’m sorry… I was the one who disturbed you first. I won’t do it again next time…”

Li Huazhu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and showed a stiff and humble smile. If there were no one watching her, she would only think about escaping and would have forgotten the purpose she had when she came here.

“This is the first time I’ve met this lady.” Cen Dongsheng said to Yi Qingyan, and then confirmed with the woman, “Right?”

“It’s the first time…”

“do you understand?”

Cen Dongsheng gave her an indulgent smile and reached out to touch her hair.

“Oh.”

Yi Qingyan replied briefly, she hugged her brother’s arms tightly, put her little head on his broad shoulders, and yawned.

In other words, it’s not a wild fox that suddenly appeared, but an insignificant guy…

The girl’s gaze returned to the stage.

She no longer had any hostility towards Li Huazhu; nor did she change her attitude, but simply treated her as air.

Despite this, the other person still had the thought that he was “saved”, touched his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Miss Li Huazhu, do you have something to talk to me about?”

After comforting his sister, Cen Dongsheng said.

The headmaster of the Yin Opera Troupe came to his door on his own initiative, which was an unexpected event and made him curious.

“……Yes.”

Li Huazhu was in a state of hesitation. The woman wanted to leave, but when she saw the people on the stage and her subordinates trying their best to perform, the sense of responsibility in her heart diluted her fear;
And when she realized that the scary girl really seemed to no longer focus on her, she finally made up her mind and did not leave.

But compared to when she came here, the woman no longer had any confidence at all.

Whether it is negotiation or transaction, it is necessary to collect intelligence in advance in order to prepare the appropriate bargaining chips; and the appearance of this extremely dangerous target disrupted her calculations from the very beginning, causing Li Huazhu to be full of doubts about the man’s identity.

When Cen Dongsheng entered the theater, she had already noticed that there was a strange girl with whom he was close, but she didn’t take it seriously.

Cen Dongsheng, a man who has demonstrated strong fighting ability and has an unclear and ambiguous relationship with the leader of the Super Working Committee, is the top priority.

Now she realized that she was wrong. This girl was a monster of the same level as the big boss, and was even more dangerous. The dragon slayer was indeed powerful, but he behaved normally when he invited them, and his attitude now was contempt rather than threat.

But here comes the question. Since the strange girl is at the same level as the big boss, and also at the same level as the consultant of the Super Working Committee… then, what is the identity of Cen Dongsheng, who is between the two and has a close relationship with both women?
——Once you make the wrong choice, the consequences can be fatal.

Thinking of the purpose of her trip, Li Huazhu felt her breathing become heavy.

“What is the purpose of your silence?”

The man’s smile and tone were gentle, but to the woman it sounded like impatient urging.

She didn’t dare to speculate for too long, nor did she dare to observe the girl who was watching the show quietly with her chin in her hand, looking bored, for fear of angering her again and going through another round of mental torture.
“Yes, it is……”

I had originally wanted to use a roundabout approach, but now I no longer have the energy to do so.

“I want to represent the entire Yin Opera Troupe and join you.”

“‘Take refuge’?”

Cen Dongsheng smiled.

“Who do you mean by ‘we’?”

“It’s the Super Working Committee.”

“Let me not ask you why you came to see me…”

said the man.

“Your actions may offend the Dragon Slayer and cause the operation of the Ghost Market to fall into disarray.”

“It has already begun to split.”

Li Huazhu gave a wry smile.

“You must have seen the current situation in the Ghost Market clearly. I won’t elaborate on it. The Geomancer Association only follows the boss’ lead, the Tianbao Pavilion is hesitant and has not made any plans yet, and the paper craftsmen have chosen to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Court, not hesitating to let the wolf into the house…”

“Because there is a precedent, you have become bolder and want to join another master?”

“No, right now, all forces are eyeing the Ghost Market, and the big boss who is supposed to protect this city has no eyes for us. If someone invades, the consequences will be unimaginable… Please understand that we, the Yin Opera Troupe, only want to protect ourselves in the upcoming chaos, and nothing else.”

Cen Dongsheng did not respond immediately. He touched his chin and asked another question.

“I remember that the paper-making craftsmen originally came from the north. Their ancestors had connections with the Ten Thousand Immortals Dynasty, so they were able to connect with Zhang Shidao.”

“You are very clear.”

Li Huazhu lowered her head and complimented.

“So, what is your reason for choosing the Super Working Committee?”

“…Although the Yin Opera Troupe is a member of the Ghost City, unlike other forces, we do not regard this city as our base, but only as the most important foothold. The curses we practice need to be performed in various places, so a widely recognized official organization is more suitable for us.”

The woman answered sincerely.

“I heard that the current Super Working Committee is promoting ‘clearing mountains and destroying temples’ across the country. Wherever the Yin Opera Troupe goes on tour, they will deal with local forces of all sizes. The connections and experience accumulated over the past 30 years will probably be of help. As for why I came to you…”

She paused for a moment.

“I think, over the past few days, everyone has seen clearly that compared to the reclusive Advisor An, you are the key figure.”

So that’s how it is. Cen Dongsheng thought, maybe they thought that he and Sister Zhizhen were separated on purpose to handle affairs as external windows of different levels.

But the fact is that although he was nominally a member of the advisory group, he almost never took the initiative to participate in specific affairs, let alone accept orders from her personally.

Fortunately, it is not difficult to ask for advice. Just when he was about to listen to Sister Zhizhen’s opinion…

“and many more.”

At this moment, the high school girl who was watching the show suddenly turned her head.

The pure and beautiful face like an angel and the clear and pleasant voice frightened Li Huazhu so much that her whole body froze, as if a timid audience had encountered a “jump kill” scene in a horror movie.

Cen Dongsheng couldn’t help showing his surprise.

“what happened?”

“Brother, do you think that woman will agree to her request?”

Yi Qingyan ignored the person’s reaction and asked the man for advice in a low voice.

“Hmm…” Cen Dongsheng thought for a moment, “It’s very likely that he will.”

The elder sister’s goal is the whole world. She is open-minded and will not specifically reject the curse-forbidden master organization that actively comes to her for shelter, not to mention that it is just a piece of cake…

In addition, the conditions proposed by the head of the Yin Opera Troupe were just right and had a certain appeal to the current Super Working Committee.

After integrating the support of many local forces and official resources, and with the foresight to establish a research base in advance, the Super Working Committee, as an organization of curse-binding masters, is more than capable of combat. On the contrary, the penetration in various regions that have not yet formally established branches is a bit lacking.

“Really? That won’t do.”

But Sister Qingyan quickly expressed her objection.

“I can run into a fool just by walking around the street, and this is when my brother and I are together. Isn’t this another time when she gets the benefit for nothing?”

“Uh……”

Cen Dongsheng felt a little helpless.

“You don’t want to ruin this conversation just because of this, do you?”

“Yes, that’s why. I can’t stand anything related to her.”

Listening to what the brother and sister said, Li Huazhu on the side was already sweating profusely, fearing that she would be killed in the next second… No, if this monster in the appearance of a delicate girl really started to attack, the people who would die would not be just her and the people in the theater, but the whole city might be turned upside down!

The worst premonition came true at this moment——

Judging from the tone, the Dangerous Girl and the Super Working Committee’s Advisor An are really in an antagonistic relationship!
But…if this is really the case, there is one question she really can’t figure out: What exactly is this man in front of her?
Being able to get along well with monsters with opposing positions and having a pleasant chat with any of them is not “strange” but “weird”.

And in this strange scene, the conversation between the two continued——

“Now that I have come across it, I naturally cannot miss it.”

Yi Qingyan turned her head, and this time, she truly saw Li Huazhu’s presence in her eyes and took the boss seriously.

“From what I hear from you, you just want to find a capable boss to protect you, so that your foundation won’t be destroyed. Am I right?”

“what?”

The woman froze for a moment.

“No? Is there anything hidden in what you just said?”

“No, no no no… I, that’s what I mean…”

“That’s no problem.”

The girl raised her chin and spoke with a little reserve.

“——Why don’t you come and join me?”

“……what?”

“You are afraid of that Zhang Shidao, right? Don’t worry, just join my organization. If he dares to attack you, I will stand up for you.”

“…”

Li Huazhu’s face was dull and she couldn’t keep up with the pace at all.

Yi Qingyan continued to make arrangements on her own:
“I’ll make a phone call and have an Impermanence messenger come over to talk to you. You guys are the type that move around a lot, that’s good, keep going. I don’t plan on expanding my influence at the moment, so I’ll let you be my ‘eyes and ears’, and I’ll prepare bodyguards for you.”

The boss subconsciously looked at Cen Dongsheng, trying to find the answer from his face.

It was indeed an unexpected development, but Cen Dongsheng had no intention of stopping it.

“You don’t answer, do you have any opinion?”

“…No, I haven’t…”

The woman was very scared.

But it was this fear from her heart that made her realize more clearly that she couldn’t refuse, and she had no reason to refuse.

Isn’t this kind of almost terrifying power exactly what she wants to pursue?

The other side of it is the “sense of security” that the Yin Opera Troupe needs most.

……

So, that’s how it was settled.

Although it seemed like forced buying and selling to others, and no different from gangsters robbing their younger brothers, Li Huazhu did achieve the goal of her trip by accident.

Yi Qingyan went out first. Before leaving the theater, Cen Dongsheng suddenly remembered something.

“Speaking of which, is this Yin Opera Troupe composed only of women?”

“No, the troupe is naturally composed of both men and women, but it is currently managed by me and my sister…”

Li Huazhu answered cautiously.

“Maybe there is some ‘more yin than yang’? If you have any suggestions, you can send someone over…”

“I don’t have any opinions. I’m just giving you a reminder. Last time, there was a group of curse masters who were all women and claimed to fight for the rights of the female group, but ended up abusing men in private. They were all killed by her own hands.”

“She, she hates women?”

Li Huazhu felt like her breathing was almost stagnant.

“That’s not the case. She hates men just as much. Just keep your mouth shut and the mouths of the people around you, don’t say nonsense in front of her, and don’t do anything too bad, then my sister is still easy to get along with.”

Cen Dongsheng smiled and waved goodbye to her, leaving Li Huazhu alone, shivering…

(End of this chapter)