Chapter 398 - The Scum Is Insecure

Heilong Realm, Drunken Moon City. 

The sun has just peeked behind the mountains, spreading light from the crown of the trees, to the eaves of the houses, then towards the ground. The mist floated above the streets, making the whole city seemed to be enveloped by a white film. 

Ma Kan, Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si stood atop a cliff, looking over at the Drunken Moon City beneath. 

"I'm going to start." Ma Kan spoke and took out a staff from his qiankun pouch. Then, he raised it high above his head while he closed his eyes. He started to chant a spell. 

Meanwhile, Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si looked at the Drunken Moon City covered in white. The Drunken Moon City got its name because of this sight. 

The Drunken Moon City is a perfect circle shape. When the dawn arrives, the whole city is enveloped in a mist, and the sunlight hitting the mist makes it looked silvery white. The whole city looked like the moon that descended on the ground. And, because the mist appears only at dawn – the time the people wake up from their sleep, their sleepy state made them look like drunk, and the mist was said to be the one that causes them to be drunk – which, of course, is a lie. 

Thinking this, they suddenly felt sleepy. They were about to yawn, but their yawn was suddenly stuck on their throats because they suddenly felt a burning sensation accompanied with pain on the pit of their stomach. They felt that their stomach is about to be torn apart, but realized that it was actually their hands that are clawing at their stomachs, making the skin on their abdomen look like they were about to be torn because of their clawing! 

"AAAAAH!" suddenly, Ma Kan doubled over and fell on his knees. He dropped his staff and his staff rolled on the ground. But, he got no time to worry about his staff since he felt his stomach is churning and burning! 

"AAAARGH!" they all cried as they fell on their hands and knees. 

"We've caught four mice." A voice spoke. 

"They sure think that they can easily mess with the Drunken Moon City." This is xiao San speaking. 

Ma Kan, Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si weakly turned and saw Meng Gui, Shang He, xiao San and two righteous cultivators behind them. 

Then, they suddenly heard a crunching sound. Ma Kan turned and his face paled when he saw a weak-looking young man stepped on his staff and broke it! "NO!" he howled in pain when he felt his stomach is being stabbed by needles. "What… did you do…?" he asked as he bathed in his sweat. "I thought…" he raised his head and looked at Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si are also writhing in pain in the ground. They are clutching their stomach like him. 

"You think there's no more 'poison'?" Cheng Sheng spoke as he looked down at Ma Kan. 

Ma Kan gnashed his teeth. 

"There's no more… for the citizens of Drunken Moon City." Cheng Sheng grinned. "As for you… the poison just increases the more you ate the food we served." He told him. 

Ma Kan's face turned green in regret. "Ma… Qiu…!" he called through his gritted teeth. 

"Oh? Is he your taste tester? Poison detector?" Cheng Sheng asked as he walked towards Ma Qiu. "You shouldn't blame him. Since we are righteous cultivators, so our poison isn't really a poison. Except if it was used on you." He turned back to Ma Kan. "The 'poison' I've placed on the food you ate, one of its ingredients is the Clear Morning Dew produced by the Five Black Petals Flower, in which its stalk called the Origin Bone is another ingredient for this 'poison' I named as 'Form Revealing Powder'." He explained. 

Ma Kan's face is pale. Dunno if he received a fright after knowing about the 'poison', or the 'poison' had been working very fast, as his body turned rigid. 

"Do you know what is the Five Black Petal Flower?" Cheng Sheng asked. "You shouldn't, since it can only be found in the Huilong Continent. Precisely, at the heart of a dead volcano." He sighed in pity. "But, I'll tell you, anyway." He said. 

Ma Kan's face turned green, then red, then white alternatingly. Fei Yin, along with Meng Gui, xiao San, xiao Huan and Shang He just stood on the side, watching. 

"The Five Black Petal Flower is also called the 'Devil's Hand'. Its five petals represent the devil's fingers, and its petals are colored black because it is the flower of the Devil." Cheng Sheng said. "It is said that the Five Black Petals Flower were originally colored white. A gentleman passed by and was fascinated by the beauty of the flower. He gave it to the most beautiful maiden in their town. But, the maiden rejected it because she got insecure of the beauty of the flower. The gentleman realized that it was actually not the beauty that he wanted, but the people's recognition of the beauty of the flower." He explained. "But, soon, he regretted it. He shouldn't have picked the flower. Not only the flower died, but the people, fascinated by the beauty of the flower like him, looked for the flower for them to have one of it. Even the gentleman's flower was stolen by them." He sighed. 

In contrast to Cheng Sheng's solemn expression, Ma Kan's, Ma Qiu's, Ma Liu's and Ma Si's faces looked like they are about to die. 

"So, why did I say it is the Devil's Hand?" Cheng Sheng asked. "It's because the gentleman regretted what he did so much. All the flowers were gone. He took back his flower by killing the one who stole it. Then, he hid the flower in the volcano. Of course, the flower was burned and he also died. But, he lived again, but this time as the devil." He said. "He planted the flowers of the same kind because of guilt. But, when the people saw there were flowers again, they wanted to steal it again. The gentleman that turned to a devil fought them and he died. But, after his blood spilled and dyed the flowers black, the people ran away. The once pure and beautiful flower now turned bewitching and looked malicious. The night of that day, those people dreamt that the white flower turned black, and the five black petals of the flower turned to the devil's fingers and choked them to death after stealing all the once white flowers." he explained. 

Fei Yin, Meng Gui, xiao San, xiao Huan and Shang He were silently listening but also watching Ma Kan, Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si. 

"The Origin Bone is the stalk of the Five Black Petals Flower, which the only one that remained white since its leaves are green." Cheng Sheng spoke when he remembered the ingredients of the Form Revealing Powder. "It is said that the Origin Bone is the fallen bone of the devil when he died. And the leaves are green is because they were the eyes of the devil, that was secretly watching those who have evil intentions from underneath the petals of the flower. As for the Clear Morning Dew, it is the tears of the devil after he killed those people, now assured that no one would covet the flowers again." He finished. 

"Haa… Ha." Ma Kan heavily breathed. His face is red because of asphyxia. 

"The Clear Morning Dew may be the 'devil's tears', but they are made from the purest emotion." Cheng Sheng said as he poked Ma Kan's now stiff arm. "It is the bane of the Heart Blood of the Crow which is the main ingredient of your Shapeshifting Potion." He said. He squatted beside Ma Kan and picked up a vial from Ma Kan's sleeve. Then, he looked at Ma Kan's face, as well as his skin, that is now changing. 

But, unlike Ma Qiu, Ma Liu and Ma Si whose breathing may be heavy, but they looked like are still far from death, Ma Kan's face is purple. Ma Kan is staring hard at the three because of the difference in their condition. 

"You want to know why you're dying faster than them?" Cheng Sheng asked Ma Kan. 

Ma Kan's eyes are filled with unwillingness. 

But, Cheng Sheng said it nonetheless. "How is it to be killed by your own skill?" he asked. 

Ma Kan's eyes are filled with confusion. He… was killed with his spell? He thought. No! He's lying! 

"I'm not lying." Cheng Sheng spoke. "The spell you have casted on the Drunken Moon City is to interfere with the citizens' senses. Their senses. And, this morning, you want to use the mist surrounding the Drunken Moon City and convert it to a poison to kill them all by making their senses more chaotic." He said. 

Ma Kan's bloodshot eyes widened in shock. 

"You don't know that the Clear Morning Dew is also a mist. So – " Cheng Sheng grinned. " – the moment you converted the mist to a poison, you are also poisoning yourself." He told him.