The Scum Is A ***

Everyone saw Cheng Sheng's smile and they suddenly felt a chill.

"'Blood is paid with blood. A life in exchange for a life.'" Cheng Sheng spoke and turned to look at xiao Huan whose body is twitching on the ground, as if responding to Cheng Sheng's words. "'No enmity after vengeance.'" He finished.

As if an invisible string pulled his body up, xiao Huan suddenly rose from the ground and faced Cheng Sheng.

"Xiao Huan!" Meng Gui and xiao San cried when they saw xiao Huan was 'awake'.

"Ah Yan, look out!" Shang He cried and immediately pulled Meng Gui with him and fell to the ground together after they avoided a black mass that shot towards Cheng Sheng, who was standing near to Meng Gui.

Cheng Sheng's expression didn't even change when he saw he was being attacked. A white, spotlessly clean cloth slipped out of his sleeve and enlarged to form a wall in front of Cheng Sheng and it blocked the attack!

"Ugh!" xiao San grunted after he was thrown away by the impact. "Xiao Huan…?" he called.

But, xiao Huan didn't answer.

"I know you mean no harm to Meng Gui nor anyone in his faction. Since they aren't your enemies." They heard Cheng Sheng spoke. "Instead, you are frustrated because you couldn't stop the spell that surrounded the Drunken Moon City, because your strength is insufficient to fight against that spell caster." He explained.

Everyone looked at Cheng Sheng before they turned to xiao Huan. "Xiao Huan…?" Meng Gui called as he moved off on top of Shang He.

"That day… those bastards escaped." xiao Huan spoke. "Grandma wanted to kill them herself, but then leader's group suddenly came. Grandma isn't afraid to die, but she is worried about me, so she asked leader to take me in. Originally, she wanted leader to kill those thieves, seeing that leader looked strong. But, she doesn't want to inconvenience leader more since leader has already agreed to take me in. So, she was prepared to leave and find those thieves to kill them by herself." He explained. "But, she didn't expect that leader would also take her away with me, too." He said.

Everyone held their breath when they heard what xiao Huan said.

"Grandma has learned a spell or two after meeting so many people that came in and out of the Ni Lai Gate." xiao Huan spoke. "She wanted to teach my father, but father doesn't want to take care of grandma so he separated from her together with his family. He didn't expect that would be our family's demise!" he bitterly laughed. "I am really thankful for that 'neighbor' who reunited me with grandma, whom they thought is just a weak old woman. In the Heilong Realm, who can live until they were old while alone?" he asked.

"Then, why did your grandma come with us?" Meng Gui asked.

"For information." xiao Huan answered. "And, she's hoping I could learn more about spells from you since her knowledge about spells is just limited." He explained.

"I'm sorry." Meng Gui apologized.

"It's fine, leader." xiao Huan smiled. "Didn't I meet Shen-daozhang?" he asked and turned to Cheng Sheng who was playing with the Shapeshifting Blanket that shrank and is snaking in between his fingers.

"Yes. I already accepted you as my student, so I won't take back my words just because you turned different from what I initially thought of you." Cheng Sheng said.

Xiao Huan laughed. "Shen-daozhang jests. Didn't you already sensed what I really am?" he asked.

Cheng Sheng just smiled, declining to answer. Meng Gui and Shang He looked back and forth at them two. Fei Yin and Wu Yuan are just silently standing on the side. What a joke! This is the Heilong Realm. Is there still someone who is living here that is innocent? If there is, then, they are just pretending as innocent and are actually black-hearted! Just look at this xiao Huan!

Cheng Sheng decided to break the deadlock. "You have already learned how to gather the demonic qi in the surroundings to increase your cultivation. It's just that using the demonic qi with this spell you only have, it not only harms you, but it harms you more since you are the spell caster and hasn't fully mastered the casting." He explained.

Xiao Huan didn't answer.

"Wait… what do you mean, harms him?" xiao San acts as he weakly rose from the ground.

Xiao Huan remained silent. Seeing that they won't get any answer from him, they all turned to Cheng Sheng.

"Didn't you listen to me earlier?" Cheng Sheng asked. "It's his spell." He told them.

The demonic cultivators. "…" there he goes again, so hostile towards us… they thought. Then, they recalled the spell Cheng Sheng spoke earlier.

"'Blood is paid with blood. A life in exchange for a life. No enmity after vengeance.'" xiao Huan spoke for them.

They turned to him.

"Every time I use the spell, I bleed. My life also decreases." xiao Huan spoke.

Xiao San was about to speak when xiao Huan spoke.

"It actually shouldn't harm me. But, the third line of the spell… I can't do it." xiao Huan said.

'No enmity after vengeance'. Xiao Huan shouldn't hate after he has avenged his family. But, he didn't do it.

"No solace after distress." Cheng Sheng spoke. "One can't even find peace after the misery has passed." He lowered his gaze.

Silence. They don't know how to comfort xiao Huan, since they also have been in the same situation as him. What use is there after you killed those who killed your family? Although they really have paid their crime with their lives, but does killing them can make your family return?

Xiao Huan's tears fell. He knows the pain the most. "I can't…" he muttered before he fell on his knees. His cries resounded in the walls of the canyon.

What has done been done. You can never go back to the past like you can't fix your mistakes.

"Demonic cultivation is called demonic because it harms one's life." Cheng Sheng silently spoke. "Opposite of the qi we righteous cultivators use that nourishes one's life, demonic qi eats the demonic cultivator's life away. That's why xiao Huan looked weak, even though his power is strong. Instead, the stronger his power, the weaker he will be." He explained.

Meng Gui sighed in pity and leaned his head on Shang He's shoulder. Meanwhile, xiao San looked at xiao Huan who was crying. His heart twinged because of pain.

"This is just my guess, but I think the reason why xiao Huan's father separated from his grandma is because of this." Cheng Sheng continued. "Xiao Huan's grandma shouldn't look this old." He said when he remembered that vigorous old woman.

The others also have finally noticed. Although xiao Huan's grandma looked like skin and bones, but she still is filled with vigor.

"I think what she exchanged is her youth." Cheng Sheng spoke with a sigh. "As for xiao Huan… what he is exchanging is his life span." He added.

An Exchange Spell is a spell that requires you to give something in order to cast it. The greater the thing you are exchanging it with, the stronger the spell you will cast.

"Then, earlier…!" xiao San spoke, alarmed.

"Don't worry. I already said it earlier, okay? Xiao Huan hasn't mastered the Exchange Spell yet." Cheng Sheng spoke.

Xiao San sighed in relief.

"Also… an Exchange Spell only counts if your target was hit." Cheng Sheng added.

"So…" xiao San's eyes widened when he realized something. He looked at Cheng Sheng, stupefied.

Cheng Sheng wasn't hit earlier, so the Exchange Spell doesn't count!

"Xiao Huan!" xiao San called as he ran towards xiao Huan. He had never been this relieved before. Fortunately, they didn't let xiao Huan join the battles thinking he is weak and that he never had the chance to learn spells and spell casting.

"Junior Cheng is really magnanimous." Wu Yuan spoke.

Cheng Sheng's face flushed when he heard it. "I'm not!" he said. Fei Yin just chuckled, which made his face became redder. "Xiao Huan! You come here!" he called in anger and embarrassment.

Xiao Huan wiped his tears while xiao San helped him up. "Shen-daozhang…?" he called, puzzled.

"I already accepted you as my student, so I will do all that I can to help you." Cheng Sheng spoke. Although his words sound warm, but his face is frosty.

"You mean to say is…?" xiao San asked.

"A weapon is a double-edged sword. It can protect you, but it can also harm you. And spell is a weapon." Cheng Sheng said as he looked at xiao Huan. "You only remembered the 'harm' part, and forgot the part that you should remember the most, the reason why one takes up his weapon – to protect." He told him and flicked his forehead. Before anyone could react to what he did, he continued. "If not accepting the third line of your spell harms you, then how about accepting it now? I guarantee that it not only will protect you, but it will also make you become stronger!"