The King of Curses

Chapter 230 Midnight Subway
Inside the deserted and dilapidated station, the moonlight was bleak, and the rusty building structure was covered in dirt and dust.

The train crouched on the track like a monster, with two strong beams of light shooting out from the front, shooting into the deep darkness that could not be dispelled; white paper lanterns emitting a faint green light hung in the sky; and the faint sound of a woman singing an opera, coming from the carriage...

All of this was frozen in the eyes of the guests, like a strange and terrifying painting under the moon, deliberately leading people to imagine the misfortune they would encounter after boarding this train.

"It looks creepy."

Jiang Yunmei frowned, feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah, why would they do that? Aren't they afraid of driving people away?"

Song Yutang crossed his arms and stared at the car in confusion.

"Didn't Master say that this is a market? It doesn't feel like it welcomes outsiders at all."

“I think it’s quite interesting…”

Cen Dongsheng's aesthetic taste has become that of a "curse master." Of course, this may also be his own problem. In short, he appreciates the shape of this car, including the entire decoration of the old Yongning Station, entirely from the perspective of art.

How should I put it? It feels like a very sophisticated cosplay.

We are all curse masters. Unless you can really bring out a ghost of sufficient weight, this kind of behavior alone will not scare people, but this is called "atmosphere".

"It looks very realistic, which shows that the people in the Ghost Market set it up very seriously. It's like a large amusement park... a large haunted house."

Cen Dongsheng commented with interest.

"There are also talismans, ghost money, and train tickets. They are all made very delicately."

He carried with him a token to enter the gate, as well as approximately 100,000 shares of "New Ghost Money" - the latter being a currency used for transactions in the Shanyin Ghost Market.

The method to get it is very simple. With the support of the Chaogong Committee and the Yama Association, it is not difficult for him to get anything he wants in this world. After knowing that he had to go to the Shanyin Ghost Market, the elder sister arranged everything for him.

"...Master is really amazing to have such an idea."

"This is called 'not showing emotions on one's face'. Teacher Cen has the bearing of a great man."

The girls gave completely different comments. The former seemed sincere, but sounded like sarcasm to others; while the latter was simply sarcasm.

Cen Dongsheng shrugged indifferently.

"You'd better get used to it. Most of the Curse Masters have some personality problems. I think those who like to do 'haunted house cosplay' are already mild."

……

They finished chatting and were about to get on the bus when Jiang Yunmei heard a sound coming from a distance and looked towards the direction of the station entrance.

"Anyone else?"

"Ah."

"Is it another spell-binding master?"

"Not quite like it."

A strange luster appeared in Jiang Yunmei's pupils - those dark eyes turned into a clear blue like the clear sky at this moment, which was breathtakingly beautiful.

This was a sign that she was activating her second supernatural power, "No Barriers," clairvoyance.

Different from the first superpower, Clairaudience, perhaps because it has just been awakened, Jiang Yunmei is currently unable to keep it turned on for a long time. She must actively use her consciousness to control the switch, and the rate at which her true Qi is consumed will be very fast in the process.

In contrast, "Clairvoyance" is nearly omnipotent in reconnaissance and perception. She can see through sleight of hand, illusion or concealment at a glance, and can quickly find weaknesses in barriers or material obstacles, even ghosts and curse-casters are no exception.

However, Jiang Yunmei quickly stopped the attack at this time.

She shook her head, turned to her companion and said:

“They are just a group of ordinary people.”

……

Less than a minute later, ripples appeared on the transparent wall. As if to verify Jiang Yunmei's statement, they soon heard a group of people shouting and making noise.

"What the hell is this place?!"

"Where are we?"

"There really is a ghost... There really is a ghost..."

A group of young people were shouting and looking around at the deserted station. They looked incredulous, with shock and fear mixed in their eyes.

One of them was so brave that he couldn't help but take out a camera from his backpack. He pressed the button with trembling fingers and started recording the surrounding scenes.

Cen Dong and his teammates looked at each other in surprise. At this point in time, a group of ordinary people would accidentally enter the old Yongning Station.

How could this happen when there is a barrier blocking it?

"Hey, look, there's someone else over there...!"

"real……"

"There's another subway? The legend of the 'midnight subway' is actually true..."

"Wow, did you see that? There are ghost lights floating on that train..."

Cen Dongsheng heard the girl next to him sigh, as if she was annoyed.

"So, are we going to care about their life or death from now on?"

"I'll ask."

……

The appearance of the tall young man made the group of people subconsciously lower their voices.

There were six of them in total, and they were very young. They looked like a group of spirited young men and women who liked to walk on the streets at night and fly will-o'-the-wisp.

Compared to this group of ordinary people, Cen Dongsheng and others had an inexplicable sense of oppression in both appearance and temperament. They were simply people from two different worlds, so no one dared to talk to him for a while.

Cen Dongsheng didn't hesitate and used his special powers to get the answers from them.

As expected, this group of young people came out to test their courage. They heard a rumor from somewhere that if they passed Yongning Station at midnight, they could reach the old station that had long been out of service and board a train to the underworld.

"This rumor is basically correct..."

"Well, it should be that other curse masters wanted to enter the Ghost Market through the Old Yongning Station before, and were noticed by ordinary people." While they were communicating, Jiang Yunmei's voice rang in the ears of their companions.

"This time a spell-binding master has arrived."

The other party had no intention of hiding or concealing his whereabouts, so Cen Dongsheng just adopted a basic defensive attitude and faced the person who got off the train.

It was a white-haired old man, wearing a blue uniform similar to the ticket seller's, walking towards them with a unsteady gait.

The most eye-catching feature of the old man is his left leg - a bronze prosthesis is connected from the thigh, with complex patterns embossed on the surface, which look like stars in the sky upon closer inspection; nails are embedded in the joints, and faded red ropes are wrapped around the nail caps. The knots are soaked with old blood and make tiny noises when he walks.

The remaining part of the prosthesis was shriveled like a dead branch, and the trouser legs were hanging empty. The hunchback made the uniform look deformed, and there were bright red spiral cloud marks on the skin of the back of the neck. Half of the broken horn was faintly visible among the gray and messy hair. It didn't look like a human. The right hand was tucked into the sleeve, revealing only half of the fingers, and the fingertips were as black as charcoal.

The old man's left eye was a cloudy grayish-white color, and his pupil was dilated like a dead fish; his right eye was embedded with an amber artificial eye, and when he stared at someone, his right eye would rotate unnaturally clockwise, looking extremely inflexible.

This face was unusual, and it was obvious that he had been seriously injured in the past, and was still bound by a strong force. It was like an old devil who had just escaped from prison after being imprisoned for countless years.

"Good evening, distinguished sirs and ladies. Can I take care of this matter?"

The lame old man's voice sounded like a rusty gear rolling over sandpaper, and every word was accompanied by a hissing sound.

However, in sharp contrast to his wild appearance and hoarse voice, the old man spoke respectfully and politely, and his attitude was gentle, just like an old gentleman.

"who are you?"

"I am 'Lame Old Seven' from the 'Shanyin Ghost Market Joint Operations', and I am honored to be the driver of the 'Netherworld Train'. Dear distinguished guests, please just call me 'Old Seven'."

"An ordinary person has mistakenly come here. It seems that your defense measures are not adequate."

"Yes, you are right to criticize."

Lame Old Seven smiled. A scar ran from the corner of his mouth to the base of his ear. When he spoke, the wound squirmed like a centipede.

"I am here to solve this problem. You all don't need to worry about these trivial matters. I will take care of these unfortunate mortals. Please get in the car, distinguished guests."

"What about you?"

"It will take some time to deal with the loopholes in the barrier."

"The driver is not in the car, so this car..."

Cen Dongsheng took a look at the imposing train.

Lame Old Seven chuckled.

"The Nether Train was designed to run autonomously from the beginning, and does not require a driver. My position is more like dealing with some accidents that the machine cannot control and filling in the gaps outside the process."

"I see." The man nodded slightly. "Since the ticket has been paid, I have to get on this bus. It would be a waste if I don't. But before I leave, I have a question for you."

He pointed at the group of young people whose minds were still blank after being shocked by the "Tiger Soul".

"Is this a common occurrence?"

"Since it is a 'loophole', it is naturally not very common."

"We are from other places and don't know the current situation of this city. But today alone, I have encountered two cases of 'ordinary people being involved in urban legends'. This seems very unusual to me. If you are a local, can you tell me the truth: Sanyin City seems to be a little unstable recently?"

"Yes, I'm a local." Lame Old Seven narrowed his half fake eye, "As for your question, I think the reason is nothing more than 'great changes in the world, the revival of spiritual energy', the huge wave that everyone knows about, Shanyin City has not been spared, and..."

"besides?"

"Also, Shanyin City is the place where dragon veins gather, so it is more sensitive to the changes in the world."

"Dragon Vein"...

This was the first time Cen Dongsheng had heard of this statement.

But he knew that the dragon vein was real, he just didn't know it was related to Shanyin City.

"Been taught a lesson."

"...Also, although you have a token of honor only for distinguished guests, the lady next to you still chose to use her own method to open the barrier, which also became the cause of the loophole in the program."

After Lame Old Seven answered, he patted the shoulder of one of the young men in the group. They began to move like puppets, following the old man's leisurely pace and walking slowly towards the exit.

*
Cen Dongsheng and his companions got on the bus.

Another paper man in uniform came to greet them. His face was pale, with blush on his cheeks. Bamboo bones could be seen under his "skin", but there was no sign of stiffness in his movements.

Compared to the tattered paper figures in the ticket office, the waiters on the train were obviously more refined, and their behavior and words were very close to those of humans, but precisely because they were so similar, it made people feel even more uncomfortable.

Under the guidance of the waiter, they sat down in the most distinguished "A" compartment in the center of the carriage. They did not meet any other living guests during the journey, but only saw a group of paper people moving between the corridors and rooms.

……

This Type A compartment is indeed a room for entertaining distinguished guests. It is spacious inside and can easily accommodate ten people, let alone three. It is more like a hotel suite. The interior decoration is luxurious and elegant, and it is magnificent. Traces of ancient traditional art carvings can be seen everywhere. It is no longer as gloomy and terrifying as the exterior of this underworld train.

But compared to the inside of the carriage, what Cen Dongsheng and his friends wanted to see with their own eyes was the scenery outside the window——

It was truly an impressive fantasy picture.

Soon after they boarded the train, the Netherworld Train began to slowly accelerate, and the scenery outside the window flew backwards at an accelerated speed.

After leaving the station, the train passed through a dark and cramped tunnel. The scene in front of us suddenly changed from narrow to wide, and we drove into a vast underground space. Cracks in the ground could be seen everywhere, like the fangs of giant beasts, extending downward into inverted cone-shaped abysses, and there were underground rivers flowing.

At first, what they saw was the natural landscape of the underground world, which was quite ordinary; but when traces of human activities began to appear, the appearance of the entire underground world changed dramatically.

It is as if an earthquake thousands of years ago swallowed the entire ancient city into the earth. The flying eaves and brackets that have been abandoned for who knows how many years are slanted among the stalactite forests, and mosses emitting a faint fluorescence grow out of the cracks in the blue bricks. Looking up at the sky, one can see the strange sight of iron cable suspension bridges crossing the void through the vague fog.

The train continued to move forward. The nearby caves were filled with dark blue fireflies and dim oil lamps. The underground river was flowing in a copper-green color. Paper money and offerings that came from nowhere were floating on the water, flowing down the slope.

On the gentle and wide underground river, you can see ferrymen paddling rafts, one, two, three... They are like lonely shadows in the hazy fog, with faint flames burning in the lanterns held on the tip of the poles.

In the cave, the flapping sounds of bats flying by were like tearing silk, which could be heard even through the glass. Occasionally, the sound of iron chains being dragged came from the depths of the underground river, as if a huge monster was locked at the bottom of the abyss.

The magnificent wonders of the underground world can be seen everywhere, forming a vast underworld kingdom that can only be found in myths and legends. Ordinary people can hardly imagine such a magnificent scene even in their dreams.

"I suddenly understand what Teacher Cen said."

Jiang Yunmei, lying on the window, took in the scenery along the way. She turned around with a look of amazement on her face, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

"It really does look like a theme park here... a large, man-made haunted house."

(End of this chapter)