The Scum Is A ***

"Ah. He died." Cheng Sheng muttered when he saw Ma Kan stopped breathing. 

"Tch!" xiao Huan clicked his tongue. 

"Now, now." xiao San spoke. "It's enough that he's dead. You have avenged all of us." He told him. 

Xiao Huan didn't answer and just scoffed. He looked at the mist covering the Drunken Moon City, which is actually isn't a mist. It is xiao Huan's illusion spell. This 'mist' is layered on top of the original mist that is covering the Drunken Moon City. This 'mist' is the one that Ma Kan tried to use earlier. But, he didn't know that this 'mist' created by xiao Huan would actually act as a catalyst for the poisonous effect of the Clear Morning Dew that is already in his body. They already have guessed that it is the mist that everyone inhaled was the one Ma Kan used to make their senses sluggish and unable to function properly. 

"What should we do to them?" xiao San asked and looked at Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si still writhing on the ground. 

"Behead them." Meng Gui answered. 

"Yes." xiao San nodded. But, before he could move, they suddenly saw that Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si were surrounded by vines! 

"Blood Sucking Vines." Ma Qiu muttered as the vines wrapped around his arms and waist. 

"Hmm… no wonder you weren't affected by the 'poison'. It's because of these vines!" Cheng Sheng smiled as he looked at Ma Qiu. His eyes are filled with appreciation. 

They all saw that some vines were rotting and is emitting demonic qi which is leaving them because of the Clear Morning Dew that they sucked from Ma Qiu's blood for Ma Qiu to expel the 'poison'. 

"You are praising, I am flattered – " Ma Qiu said. 

Cheng Sheng cut him off. "No. I was about to say, you are very sneaky." He said. 

Ma Qiu chuckled. "As a demonic cultivator, that is a praise – " he looked at Cheng Sheng. " – Cheng-daozhang." He said. 

Cheng Sheng's smile faded while Fei Yin held the hilt of his sword. Meng Gui, Shang He, xiao San and xiao Huan looked at Cheng Sheng. Although they already know that Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin are using aliases, but it is a different feeling when it was pointed at their face. 

"No need to incite discord between us. We won't be provoked by a petty trick like this." Meng Gui spoke. 

Ma Qiu laughed. 

"You aren't Ma Wen's people." Cheng Sheng said as he looked at the Blood Sucking Vines sucking Ma Liu's and Ma Si's blood, expelling the poison from them. 

"I am not, but they are." Ma Qiu said and had the Blood Sucking Vines wrap around Ma Liu's and Ma Si's bodies to secure them. 

"Were you sent by Wu Ran?" Fei Yin asked. 

"That fallen king? He's not worthy of my respect." Ma Qiu sneered. 

"Then, you are the Heilong emperor's people." Meng Gui concluded. 

Ma Qiu neither confirmed nor denied it. "We're all be meeting again, after you have defeated Ma Wen." He said before the Blood Sucking Vines pulled them down the cliff. 

Xiao San and xiao Huan immediately ran after them, but surprisingly, they didn't see them falling below! 

"Let them go." Meng Gui spoke. 

"Yes." xiao San and xiao Huan answered. Then, they looked at Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin who were pondering deeply. 

"What's wrong?" Meng Gui asked. 

"Their identities were exposed by that kid." Shang He spoke. The 'kid' he is referring to is Ma Qiu. 

"Is it that bad?" Meng Gui looked at Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin. 

"We don't know." Cheng Sheng honestly answered. "It depends on who is that Vine kid is working for, for him to know me." He explained. 

Meng Gui and Shang He looked at each other, now worried. 

"Since we're already exposed, let us reintroduce ourselves." Cheng Sheng spoke. "I am Cheng Sheng, and this is my shixiong and lover, Fei Yin." He said. 

Fei Yin nodded. 

Meng Gui and Shang He nodded back. "Nice to meet you." They said. 

"How about that third one? Qiu Yuan?" xiao San asked, referring to Wu Yuan. 

"It's as he said before. He's from another sect, which is a family of our sect." Fei Yin answered. "His name is Wu Yuan." He told them. 

Xiao San nodded. "At least your aliases are close to your real names." He sighed. 

Fei Yin smiled. 

"Leader Meng. You've said that the Vine kid is working for the Heilong emperor." Cheng Sheng looked at Meng Gui. 

"The only factions left in Heilong Realm after Du Xiang died are mine, Shang He's, Ma Wen's, and the Heilong emperor's where my uncle is working for." Meng Gui said. "The Patrician Houses don't count since they only rely on the Demonic Leaders, precisely on Ma Wen and Du Xiang, since I and Shang He are lone wolves. Since Du Xiang was dead, and Ma Qiu isn't working for Ma Wen, nor I and Shang He, then he can only be working for the Heilong emperor." He explained. 

Cheng Sheng nodded, then he looked at Fei Yin. "It seems like this Heilong emperor is our acquaintance." He said. 

Meng Gui and Shang He were also surprised by this. 

"But, I don't remember anyone who is involved with the Heilong Realm aside from Wu Ran, as well as Wu Fan and Chen Jing." Fei Yin frowned. "Wu Fan and Chen Jing won't work with the demonic cultivators, and Wu Ran is still outside your barrier in the Sand Sea Mountain." He said. 

Cheng Sheng nodded in agreement. This is really is a problem. They are in the light while they don't know if the one in the dark is an enemy or a friend. They have to know his intentions. 

"We will ask Ah Yan's uncle after we kill Ma Wen." Shang He said. 

"En." They agreed. 

"But, Ma Wen still isn't surfacing." xiao San said. 

"Yeah." Xiao Huan nodded. "Didn't he have a helper, that's why he went against leader and boss Shang?" he asked. 

"My people have already captured then Heavenly Eye City and expelled his people from the Fire Dragon City." Shang He spoke. "Yet, none of them has seen even just Ma Wen's tail." He frowned. 

Their brows knotted, puzzled by Ma Wen's behavior. 

"Leader. Boss Shang. I have a bold idea." xiao Huan suddenly spoke. 

They all turned to him. 

"Could it be… a diversion?" xiao Huan's face paled from the idea. 

A deafening silence fell as they looked at each other. 

"None of us has seen him before the attack at the Plum Blossom City." Shang He spoke. 

"He must have guessed that we'll definitely go back to our cities." Meng Gui said. "If we were injured, we're going back to recuperate. Even if we're not injured, but we won't stay in the Plum Blossom City after we found out about its secret." He said. "But, the most terrifying of all is that, he has predicted that, since he didn't appear in the Plum Blossom City, we will think he will be attacking our cities, and even sent people to do it, guaranteeing our return to our cities." He took a deep breath. 

"'attack the east and strike the west'." Cheng Sheng muttered. "Ma Wen created smoke bombs to deceive them so he could buy time to go to the Yao City, the farthest city, and attack the Heilong emperor." He said. 

Fei Yin nodded. "The Heavenly Eye City must not be enough for him. He wanted the whole realm." He said. 

Shang He sighed and comforted Meng Gui. "The Heilong emperor isn't that weak, either." He said. "He's the strongest." He told them. 

"That will depend on who is Ma Wen's ace that he found." Meng Gui said. "Ma Wen doesn't hire just anyone." He looked at Ma Kan. 

"En. Such a talented youth. But, it's his misfortune to meet Ma Wen." Shang He said. 

Everyone turned to look at xiao Huan. 

"W-what?" xiao Huan asked, suddenly feeling conscious because of their gazes. 

They all moved their gazes away. They could see the difference on meeting good and bad opportunities. Xiao Huan met Meng Gui, which is a good opportunity for him since he was surrounded by good people. Meanwhile, Ma Kan met a deceptive Ma Wen. It is no surprise that he would be dyed black by them. 

"Very well." Cheng Sheng spoke. "It just so happens that my shixiong and I were going to see the heilong emperor." He said. 

"Why? We thought you are looking for your parents?" Meng Gui asked. 

"That's our main objective. But, since we've already found them… err, not really." Cheng Sheng said when he remembered that this morning, they sent Wu Yuan to the Ni Lai Gate. But, he and Fei Yin still can't leave. 

They had to see the Heilong emperor. 

"What do you want the Heilong emperor for?" Shang He asked. 

"To see who he really is, now that we knew that he is an acquaintance." Cheng Sheng answered. "And the other, is to strike a deal with him." he said.