"The contestants are the Xinfaxian Sect, the Youxiwang Sect, the Shanliangde Sect, the Zunjingde Sect, the Qianxu Sect, the Huakai Sect, the Huli Sect, and the rogue cultivators Yu Sheng and Wu Xi." Cheng Sheng said. "The Xinfaxian Sect consists Fei Yin, Li Tian, Feng Mo and I. The Youxiwang Sect consists Chen Han and Sun Yi. The Shanliangde Sect consists Xi Ming, Xi Xing and Gong Xian. The Zunjingde Sect consists Jing Cheng, Jing Bai, Jing Hei and Jing Kang. The Qianxu Sect consists Qian Lin. The Huakai Sect consists Tang Zhe, Tang Yun, Shan Lu and Guo Cheng. The Huli Sect consists Kang Ce. Lastly, there's the two. The contestants are a total of twenty-one people." He said.
"Meanwhile, the elders are Zheng Fu Gong, Pai Lie, Su Yuan, Qi Ling and Jing Xian." Jing Cheng said.
Xi Ming nodded. "Even Zheng Yi isn't present." He added.
"Thus, if there'd be a traitor who could poison us, he's among the twenty-six people present at that time." Chen Han said as they all looked at each other. Wariness is in their eyes.
"No need to be on guard with each other." Cheng Sheng spoke.
"Why?" Li Tian asked.
"I have been with you all through four stages, so I know each of a contestant's equipment with him." Cheng Sheng said.
They all fell silent. He's right. Didn't he discover Jie Mei hiding a demonic poison?
"When I met Shu Mu, I had smelled a strange scent on him. That is the Nuhou Poison." Cheng Sheng said. What he meant is that his noise is sensitive. "What poison you before should be the Nuhou Poison. However, I didn't react to it. Someone who could use the Nuhou Poison before my eyes without my detection…" he looked at them. "… must have a cultivation higher than me." he said.
Their tongue twisted inside their mouth for holding back a curse. What Cheng Sheng is implying is as clear as the day. There are only the Righteous Alliance elders who have higher cultivation than them that are present at that time.
"The Alliance…" they all muttered with a crestfallen look on their face. "Not only the demonic cultivators… but also the Alliance?!" they asked with the face pale in horror.
"Hold it. It's not as if it's the end of the world." Cheng Sheng told them with a sigh. However, when he saw their face when they turned to him, their eyes are filled with hope as they looked at him, he doesn't want to comfort them at all! "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked and frowned at them as he crossed his arms. "What I meant, there might be only one traitor in the Alliance and not all of them." he explained.
Hearing his words, they all breathed a sigh of relief. "With the city under the attack of the demonic cultivators now… if that traitor would add to the trouble…" Jing Cheng said.
"Why didn't you think of the possibility that the two parties might be in cahoots?" Cheng Sheng asked.
"How did you think that?" Jing Bai asked.
Cheng Sheng opened his arms. "Wasn't that how the cliché plot goes?" he asked back.
Everyone. "…" here we go again. We can't understand what he is talking about.
The one who only understands Cheng Sheng as his fellow transmigrator (FY: and lover!), Fei Yin cleared his throat. "What Cheng-shidi meant, villains always come in groups when there's the same objective." Fei Cheng Sheng's translator (FY: and. Lo. Ver!) Yin explained.
Everyone made an enlightened expression as they looked at Fei Yin. As usual, Li Tian and Feng Mo gazed at Fei Yin with their eyes filled with worship while Sun Yi smiled. Chen Han snorted and Yu Sheng has a contemplative expression.
"If both enemies have the same goal, which is to disrupt the Intersect Competition, then they would work together?" Xi Ming asked.
Cheng Sheng nodded. "Exactly." He said. "However… there's also an instance where they would work together, but with different goals." He told them.
"What instance?" Jing Kang asked. He really learns a lot from Cheng Sheng.
"It's when their goals complements each other." Cheng Sheng answered. Seeing their bewildered gaze, he initiated an explanation. "I mean, for example, enemy A just wanted to disrupt the Intersect Competition while enemy B wanted to possess the Cleansing Stone. Both goals are complementary, thus they worked." He said while making gestures with his hands.
They all finally understand, except for… "What are 'A' and 'B'?" they asked.
Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin. "…"
Fei Yin, as the husband, has to explain in behalf of his wife. "They are indicators. They are meant to differentiate the first enemy from the second enemy." He explained.
"Oh…" they all made an enlightened expression once again.
Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin. "..." this is the downside of transmigrating to the past. There's not even a phone and an internet. They both looked at each other before they smiled in tacit understanding.
Everyone who saw their PDA. "…" you're abusing us the single dogs!
Because of Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin's blatant display of affection, Chen Han held the shy Li Tian's hand. Sun Yi missed Wu Yuan. Feng Mo started to yearn for Wu Bai. Yu Sheng thought of Zuo Zhe and tried to contact him with their contract. Jing Bai worried for Zheng Yi's state. Jing Kang, who's trying to concentrate in the competition thus he tries to not think of Lei Ling right now, resumed thinking of Lei Ling. Xi Ming chuckled as he fixed the quilt wrapped around Xi Xing. Gong Xian was snoring, wandering in his dreamland.
Kang Ce who just woke up and saw the atmosphere was filled with pink bubbles. "…" how dare they shot me while (literally) lying down?! He, who has an unrequited love towards Xiao Le, roared in his mind. He went back to sleep with his heart filled with complaints.
Jing Cheng who didn't dare to have fanciful thought of Jing Rui lest he'd aggravate his heart demon. "…" yearning of your lover right in front of me who felt unworthy of my crush?! His eyes narrowed and flashed a killing intent before he withdrew it. He went to a corner to grow mushrooms.
Meanwhile, somewhere, Jing Hei and Qian Lin leaned on the trunk of a tree while sitting on one of its branches while they gazed at the moonless sky.
"I'm sorry." Jing Hei suddenly apologized.
"Hm?" Qian Lin said and turned to Jing Hei
Jing Hei gently raised Qian Lin's arm and felt his heart was torn when he saw the wounds and bruises against the fair skin. "Even if I know it wasn't you, but I still shouldn't have hit it." he said as he caressed the surface of the wound. "That just meant that I can bear to hit you, when in fact I don't." he sighed.
"If you didn't kill it, you would've died." Qian Lin said. "And that I don't want to happen." He smiled at Jing Hei. "Also, I know you don't want to hurt me. You never will, right?" he said.
"… Ah Lin. Don't set up a flag for us." Jing Hei said.
Qian Lin. "… why do you have to ruin the mood – mm!" he exclaimed as his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Jing Hei leaned closer to his face and kissed him. On. The. Lips! "Mmmn…" he moaned when he felt Jing Hei's lips parted his lips using his tongue and plundered inside his mouth. "Ha – " he gasped as his saliva trickled down his chin, then his neck. Only for Jing Hei to leave his lips and licked his saliva from his neck, up to his chin, then went back to kissing him on his lips.
Qian Lin felt his scalp when numb because of the pleasure. His brain functioned slowly before it resumed functioning normally. En – by normally, he meant responding to Jing Hei's kisses.
"Ah Lin – " Jing Hei called between his scalding breath. His eyes are burning as they stared at Qian Lin.
Qian Lin stared back at Jing Hei with a flushed face. His chest is heaving up and down. One reason why he can accurately differentiate Jing Hei from Jing Bai is because of their temperament.
Jing Bai has the scholarly temperament. He looked an outright gentleman, in which Zheng Yi proven to be false. He once said that Jing Bai is a beast wearing a human's clothing.
Meanwhile, Jing Hei has a wild temperament, in which Qian Lin proven to be totally untrue when Jing Hei stared at him like this time. Jing Hei is very sexy and matured, a total opposite of what he is acting during daytime.
"Ah Hei…" he called before he immediately covered his mouth when he realized his voice sounded coquettish like a kitten.
Jing Hei's eyes widened, as he was also taken aback. Then, he chuckled which is filled with meaning before he held Qian Lin's hand which is covering his mouth. Then, he licked Qian Lin's fingers one by one.
Qian Lin's already madly beating heart beat even faster because of Jing Hei's action. Then, they felt their bodies became even hotter amidst the cold, night temperature.