Chapter 254 - The Scum Is An Acquaintance

"Feng-shidi!" Li Tian called as jumped off of their sword and ran towards where Feng Mo fell. 

"Caught him!" Feng Mo exclaimed and proudly presented to them the beggar who he tied up. 

Li Tian sighed in relief before he smiled. "Huh?" he said when he noticed the beggar's face. 

Chen Han and Sun Yi also noticed it. "Feng-shidi, get away from him! He's poisoned with demonic poison!" they said. 

Feng Mo reacted fast and leapt away from the beggar whose eyes are bloodshot and his pupils are blood-red. His veins are also bulging, and they are black. "Demonic poison…" they muttered under their breath. They have seen it happened to Qie Shi. 

"Was he spared by the demonic cultivators and then poisoned after to torture him?" Li Tian asked as he looked at the beggar in pity. 

"That can't be." Chen Han said. "They spare no life. You've seen it." He told them. 

They all silently nodded in agreement. "What do we do with him?" Sun Yi asked. 

"Bring him with us. If Ah Sheng returns, maybe he can cure him." Chen Han said. A life is still a life. If they can save a life, then they would do it. 

"Yes!" they all answered. Feng Mo and Li Tian pulled the rope to carefully lead the beggar. Then, they resumed their journey. 

Central Region. 

"No. I don't believe this coincidence." Cheng Sheng said with a blank expression on his face as he, Fei Yin and Yu Sheng looked at the travel-worn and badly injured Huakai Sect. He believed the Huakai Sect has always been very unlucky, so he can't believe how could they encounter him. 

Has their bad luck been overturned? In this calamity?

However, the Huakai Sect disciples ignored him. Our bad luck has finally overturned! They cried in their mind as they ate the magic pills given to them by Yu Sheng and Fei Yin. They were so overwhelmed their tears can't stop falling. 

"Cheng Sheng. Thank you." Tang Teng said and bowed before he rested on the side. 

Cheng Sheng's expression remained passive. "Your group is travelling straight from the West. You didn't meet my brother, Sun-shixiong, Li-shixiong and Feng-shixiong?" he asked. 

Tang Zhe shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We are also trying to find some survivors on the way despite the interference of the demonic cultivators." He explained. 

"Wu Xi." Yu Sheng called and smiled. 

Wu Xi nodded at Yu Sheng. Cheng Sheng smiled at Wu Xi before he turned to Tang Zhe. "I'll draw an array for you to Xinfaxian and seek refuge." He said. 

Tang Zhe was surprise, although he felt ashamed. "Won't that be too much for you?" he asked. 

"No need being polite." Cheng Sheng said as he walked to the middle of the ship. Everyone immediately gave him space and watched with excitement to bear witness Cheng Sheng draw an array before them. 

Fei Yin and Yu Sheng flew to the sky to guard Cheng Sheng drawing an array. Drawing an array would consume the qi around them, so the movement of qi would draw the cultivators, and even the demonic cultivators. Then, it'd expose their location. No one can interrupt the array drawing. Not only a large amount of qi is needed, but also the cultivator's full concentration is required. If interrupted, the cultivator would receive a backlash. The incomplete array would also take one's life if used. 

However, Cheng Sheng isn't worried, since Fei Yin and Yu Sheng are there. Thus, he can fully concentrate making an array. 

Tang Zhe couldn't be any more grateful to them. His eyes are red, and Tang Yun was crying. Guo Cheng was unconscious, while Shan Lu is heavily injured. With all their sect elders present, no one died, but everyone is badly injured. 

Although he felt ashamed for asking Cheng Sheng, but earlier, he is prepared to owe Cheng Sheng, even his life, just for Cheng Sheng to make his fellow disciples, the elders, Tang Teng, Shan Lu, Guo Cheng and Tang Yun, everyone's trip shortened. Yet, Cheng Sheng didn't ask him for an exchange. 

Tang Zhe closed his eyes, and his tears fell to the array. The moment it touched the array, his tears turned to qi. "Ge…" Tang Yun called as he lowered his head and watched Cheng Sheng create an array specifically for them. His hate, that stemmed from envy, towards Cheng Sheng before now turned to awe and respect. 

Suddenly, they heard noises from the sky. It's the demonic cultivators! Everyone's eyes showed fear, and also weariness. Tang Teng was about to go but Tang Zhe and Tang Yun stopped him. Tang Zhe was about to go and help Fei Yin and Yu Sheng when they heard Cheng Sheng's voice. 

"Don't bother. Those two will finish them off by the time I finish the array. Stop creating more unnecessary ruckus." Cheng Sheng spoke in an irritated voice despite his eyes are closed. 

Tang Zhe is unwilling, but Tang Yun pulled his sleeve and pointed Cheng Sheng. "He's confident." Tang Yun whispered. He meant that what Cheng Sheng said is true. 

Tang Zhe looked up at the sky, but he really didn't hear Fei Yin's and Yu Sheng's voices. However, they could see that amidst the red streaks of lights that belonged to the demonic cultivators, the green and blue streaks of light are the brightest. They also could see the black-clothed people falling from the sky while screaming. 

Fei Yin and Yu Sheng are fine. They really could handle the demonic cultivators. Tang Zhe sighed in relief before he backed down. "Thanks." He told Cheng Sheng. 

"You're welcome." Cheng Sheng perfunctorily said as he continued creating the array. 

Everyone watched with bated breath as the array slowly formed to completion. 

Ji County. 

"Don't you think he needs to wash himself? He stinks?" Feng Mo asked after they left the village and now are walking up the valley. Among them, Li Tian is polite, Sun Yi is carefree and Chen Han is also polite. And so, no one spoke and just silently endured the smell coming from the beggar. 

Only Feng Mo dared to voice his misgivings. No one blamed him. The beggar really stinks too much. 

"Will the Cleaning Talisman work?" Li Tian asked as he took out some Cleaning Talismans. 

"It should work." Chen Han answered. 

Li Tian nodded and threw the Cleaning Talismans on the beggar's clothes, hair and face. The beggar has no shoes, so he walks barefooted. They waited for a few minutes until the dirt and grime all over the beggar's body was removed. 

"Finally." They breathed in relief when they finally smelled fresh air. They stretched heir limbs before they turned to the beggar, only to be shocked. 

It wasn't because the beggar looked like a young man with a handsome face. It was because of Li Tian's and Feng Mo's reaction. "Ruo-shixiong?!" they exclaimed. 

"'Ruo-shixiong'?" both Chen Han and Sun Yi said as they looked at the flabbergasted expression on Li Tian's and Feng Mo's face. 

"He's our shixiong, Ruo She." Li Tian said before he paused. "Well, our former shixiong." He corrected himself. 

"'Ruo She'… why is the name familiar…?" Chen Han muttered.

"I remember now." Sun Yi said. "It was during the second stage of the Intersect Competition where Cheng-shidi got mad and…" he muttered as he tried to remember the details. "… we all eavesdropped on him. Cheng-shidi got into a fight with Ruo She before when they were young in the Xinfaxian Sect because of Lei Ling. Cheng-shidi wanted to help Lei Ling who was berated by Ruo She, but things suddenly got heated and they fought." He explained. "Aia. This felt like it was ages ago, but such a fate to meet him here!" he exclaimed as he looked at Ruo She. 

Li Tian and Feng Mo suddenly felt there's something wrong with what Sun Yi said, but they don't know what it is. However, they don't need to think hard since Sun Yi spelled it out for them. 

"Do you really think this is fate?" Sun Yi asked as he turned to Li Tian and Feng Mo with a smile. Li Tian and Feng Mo felt frightened by his smile. "He has been missing for a long time. No news of him reached you. Yet, when the demonic cultivators emerged, he reappeared. It really must be just a coincidence, but would you still think it is a coincidence for him to appear before you two, his former shidis?" he asked. 

Li Tian and Feng Mo fell silent and, after Sun Yi's words dawned on them, they took a step back from Ruo She who started to regain consciousness. Yet, his pupils still are red. 

"Let me add something – " Sun Yi said. " – because I have lots of free time that time, after I heard Cheng-shidi's story, I had someone check on this shixiong of yours. Guess what I found?" he asked as he looked at Li Tian and Feng Mo whose expression turned ugly after they saw Ruo She smiled at them when he saw them. 

That gentle smile of their shixiong, yet paired with red eyes of the demonic cultivator, it smears their memories of their shixiong. 

"After Ruo She left your sect, later he became the second disciple of the Fengshen Sect."