Chapter 493 - The Scum Is Dedicated

"REALLY?!" everyone exclaimed in both shock and excitement when they heard what Sun Rong said.

"Yes, really." Sun Rong nodded, confirming it.

"AMAZING!" Feng Mo exclaimed and they all looked at each other with their faces flushed in excitement.

"How is it?" Jing Cheng asked as they all surrounded Sun Rong.

"The Chen patriarch and former sect leader Wu have just finished testing it." Sun Rong answered before he made a pause. "The Spirit Tracing Bell worked." He said and looked at them.

Suddenly, they all froze. Their expressions suddenly changed. Why? Because the Spirit Tracing Bell works on spirit servants! How will it work if there are no spirit servants around? So, if the Spirit Tracing Bell worked, then there must be a spirit servant!

Jing Kang's eyes narrowed. "Did they catch the spirit servant?" he asked.

"Yes." Sun Rong answered. "But, the spirit servant died." He told them.

Silence fell.

"Why?!" Lei Ling asked, shocked.

"This… it's better if you ask Cheng Sheng." Sun Rong told them. "I don't know much about this stuff." He faintly smiled.

"… sorry." Lei Ling lowered his head.

"It's nothing." Sun Rong waved his hand.

"I'll cast a spell and then we will leave." Li Tian spoke. His expression is solemn.

They all nodded in agreement. Li Tian casted an illusion spell where they are all still watching the competition, and then they left to go to Yunxiao Inn.

…

"Of course father and uncle Wu didn't kill the spirit servant." Cheng Sheng spoke. "Of course, it wasn't done by the Spirit Tracing Bell, either. Have you forgotten its function?" he asked them.

"Trace, lock and trap." Guo Cheng answered and then froze. "Indeed… it isn't used to kill." He said.

They all fell into a daze. That's right… at most, the Spirit Tracing Bell can only trap a spirit servant, since it is only used for catching them and not killing them. Then, how did the spirit servant die? They thought and looked at Cheng Sheng.

But, Cheng Sheng didn't immediately answer. His gaze fell on Jing Kang. They all turned and also looked at Jing Kang.

Jing Kang's expression turned calm. "You can answer." He told Cheng Sheng.

Cheng Sheng nodded before he turned to the others. "There are two ways a spirit servant dies." He told them.

Everyone. "…" here is his Two's again… they thought.

"What are these?" Jing Cheng asked.

"The first way is to kill it." Cheng Sheng answered. "The second way is to kill its master." He spoke.

They all fell silent.

"As I've said before, the spirit servant and its master shares a life." Cheng Sheng spoke. "But, there are still a large difference between them two." He looked at them.

"What is it?" they asked.

"Their status." Cheng Sheng answered.

"'status'?"

"One is a master, and the other is a servant. Although they are different entities, but social status still exists, no matter what race are you – human, demon, or spirit." Cheng Sheng spoke.

"That's right." They agreed.

"So, although both shares a life, there is still a difference between them." Cheng Sheng spoke as he rose from his seat and paced around the room. "Since he is the master, naturally, he is more powerful than his servant. So, even if you kill his servant, although he suffers an injury, and can cause his death, but he can also still be alive." He told them.

"What?!" they exclaimed in shock.

"The status of a master isn't just in name. Naturally, it isn't just for a show, since we're talking about lives here." Cheng Sheng spoke. "After a person makes a contract with a spirit servant, both of them shares one life. But, there is still a disparity in strength between the masters." He looked at them. "If the master is weak, then after his spirit servant dies, he can also directly die as a repercussion." He said. "But, if the master is strong, then, even if you kill one or two, or even three of his spirit servants, he can still be alive even if there are repercussions." He explained.

"So this is how it is…" they all muttered under their breath.

Jing Kang heaved a sigh, admiring Cheng Sheng's vast knowledge. Even he, who owned spirit servants before, doesn't know this much about spirit servants.

"This contract between them is a one-sided contract." Cheng Sheng spoke.

"'one-sided contract'?" they muttered. "There are different kinds of contract between a master and his spirit servant?!" they were shocked.

Cheng Sheng nodded as an answer. "This one-sided contract is the weakest contract, and most disgusting one since the spirit servant is in a disadvantageous position." He spoke. "A one-sided contract, as the name implies, only one side has a full control over the other. There is no need for me to say who is in control and who is the one controlled, right?" he asked.

They all nodded, indicating that they understood.

"In this one-sided contract, the master can directly order its spirit servant to die." Cheng Sheng spoke.

They all sucked in a sharp breath. They subconsciously looked at Jing Kang and Jing Kang's face, as expected, is pale in horror. But, this time, he didn't leave.

Cheng Sheng secretly admires his resolve before he continued. "Since it can order the spirit servants to die, naturally, he can also cut the thread of life between them." He said. "With this, either the spirit servant can live, with its remaining life after bearing the repercussions, which it will receive greater to not harm its master as per their contract. The worst case is it directly dies." He explained.

"So vile!" they can't help but curse.

"There is also an uglier case." Cheng Sheng spoke. "Since the one-sided contract is the cheapest and easiest contract, which makes it the most common contract, many wants to be a master. Do you know why?" he asked.

They all shook their heads, except Jing Kang, whose whole body is shaking. "Since both the master and servant shares a life, but with them in the dominant position, they can take the vitality of the spirit servant and use it at their own cause but the spirit servant can't take its master's life." He said and looked at Cheng Sheng with reddened eyes. "In short, they can use the one-sided contract to take advantage of the spirit servants." He concluded.

Cheng Sheng nodded with a solemn expression, confirming his words.

"WHAT?!" the others exclaimed, stunned. "This can't be…" they muttered.

"Wait." Shu Mu spoke. "How can they take advantage of spirit servants… aren't the spirit servants exclusive?" he asked.

Everyone started and turned to look at Cheng Sheng.

"These spirit servants… they are abandoned." Cheng Sheng answered.

"'abandoned'?" they asked.

"Their master died, but they are still alive. This is related to another type of contract which is a double-sided contract." Cheng Sheng spoke. "In the double-sided contract, both sides have freedom and the 'master' and 'servant' names don't matter. But…" he looked at them. "… this isn't really popular." He said.

"Why?" they asked in surprise.

"Because of each side's freedom, they can betray each other." Cheng Sheng answered.

"HUH?!"

"The master can take the spirit servant's vitality, like in one-sided contract." Cheng Sheng spoke. "But, this time, the spirit servant can resist its master, and it may live if it overpowers its master, turning the tables on him. And when the spirit servant wins, it can flee after defeating its master but didn't take his life, or it can find another master after its master died." He explained. "Of course, these situations can happen again. That's why this kind of contract isn't popular." He told them.

"Oh…" now they understood.

"The last contract is the most lethal." Cheng Sheng spoke. "The blood contract." He said.

Just hearing the name, they all shivered. But, they saw Cheng Sheng smiled. … he smiled?

"Lethal, but in a good way." Cheng Sheng assured them.

"How?" they curiously asked. From the previous two contracts, they heard that both are bad. But, there is actually a good contract?

"The blood contract binds the master and servant where if the master dies, the spirit servant would also die." Cheng Sheng answered.

"Isn't this the same with the one-sided contract?" Kang Ce spoke.

Cheng Sheng shook his head. "This contract… it is invested with feelings." He smiled.

"'feelings'?" their brows raised.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "Because even if the master dies, the spirit servant can live." He said. Before they could say this is like the double-sided contract, he continued. "In this contract, even if the master dies, the spirit servant can't bear the repercussions of its master's death." He told them.

Their eyes widened in surprise. "This is true?!" they exclaimed. "Then, isn't this contract so good with the spirit servant?" they asked.

Cheng Sheng nodded as an answer. "That is why I said that those who have this contract have deep feelings to each other." He told them.

"Oh…" they now fully understood.. "Then, how did that spirit servant that have been caught die?" they asked when they remembered the matter.