"We are now down to the last match!" the host spoke and forced a laugh. He had done his all to buy more time. "The last disciple for this single battle, Fei Yinzi, and the remaining participant – Ho Ting!" he announced.
Fei Yinzi and Ho Ting, a rogue cultivator, were greeted with cheers. "Hey… why is that rogue cultivator familiar…?" someone asked.
"He is one of the winners in the elimination stage, in the desert arena." Someone answered when he recalled.
"Goodness! Where is xiao Sheng?!" Fan Wen asked, about to go crazy. "Er Zi… it's now Er Zi's match!" he said.
The other elders also are worried. Although Fan Wen said as such, but everyone knows they are more worried for Cheng Sheng's safety right now rather than Fei Yinzi's match.. Cheng Sheng can't still be found! Which hole did he go into?! They know that if he was caught by the enemies, he would have already sent them a message. They believe in his skills albeit his low cultivation.
So, Cheng Sheng wasn't caught by the enemies. Something has come up instead and he had to resolve it.
Meanwhile, Fei Yinzi, already comforted earlier by his fellow sect disciples, walked up the stage and Ho Ting went up on the other side. "Er Zi, good luck!" the disciples of the Xinfaxian Sect and the other sects cheered.
"Your master... is Cheng Sheng?" Ho Ting asked as he faced Fei Yinzi on the stage.
"Yes." Fei Yinzi nodded. "Although this disciple's master is he, I admit that I am still lacking due to my inept aptitude. Please, give me some advice." he spoke as he cupped his fists.
"Well, then... consider it your misfortune to be inept, and also his disciple!" Ho Ting said as he raised his sword. But, before it could descend, everyone saw he threw his sword before he switched to another one.
"This sword... looked strange..." the audience spoke and watched as Fei Yinzi's sword met Ho Ting's sword.
But, the edge of the blade of Fei Yinzi's sword suddenly slid due to the form of his opponent's sword, making Ho Ting's sword slip towards Fei Yinzi's neck!
Fei Yinzi's pupils shrank and he immediately kicked the blade of Ho Ting's sword and, using the momentum from the force he exerted, leapt to the other side of the stage. He felt something wet trickled down his neck and he wiped it with his hand, only to see the red liquid on his fingers.
It's his blood.
"Fck! He wanted to kill that disciple!" the audience exclaimed.
How can the sect leaders, sect elders and the Righteous Alliance not know it? But, the enemy is very fast and he is already lunging towards Fei Yinzi! The audience closed their eyes, afraid that Fei Yinzi might die! But, only for them to suddenly hear a loud ringing sound by their ears, making their hearing become dull.
"AH!" they all cried when they heard a loud collision on stage! They all turned and saw a fan blocking the enemy's sword coming for Fei Yinzi. "That fan!" they all exclaimed when they recognized the familiar fan.
It was Cheng Sheng's fan! As soon as this thought appeared in their minds, they saw a lithe figure descended on the stage. He was wearing a uniform of refreshing color. His long and white hair fanning his back.
"Cheng Sheng!" Ho Ting yelled as he turned behind him when he heard someone stepped on the stage.
"Hello? You know me, but do I know you?" Cheng Sheng asked and tilted his head. "Looks like I am so famous!" he exclaimed as he snapped his fingers.
Ho Ting didn't speak and he turned his target to Cheng Sheng.
"Shizun!" Fei Yinzi worriedly cried. "Ugh!" he grunted when the fan moved but pushed him off the stage instead! His body flew and hit the ground.
"A disciple should be self-aware of their skills lest their master gets killed." Cheng Sheng spoke as his jade pendant turned into a sword and he blocked Ho Ting's attack.
Fei Yinzi coughed and held his chest because of the impact when the fan hit him. His internal injury isn't from Ho Ting, but from Cheng Sheng instead! How unlucky!
"Er Zi!" the other disciples called and helped him up and then they all retreated to the side, to where their elders and sect leaders are.
"Cheng Sheng! You have thwarted Wu Ran's plan before and now your cultivation was lost, turning you to a waste! Yet you still want to thwart our plans!" Ho Ting said as he viciously attacked Cheng Sheng who continued to dodge.
"Should I have not?" Cheng Sheng asked. "From your perspective, I shouldn't have. But unfortunately, we aren't on the same side." he shook his head and sighed in pity before he somersaulted in the air and kicked Ho Ting's head before he leapt on the other side of the stage.
But, Ho Ting was infuriated by his words and disregarded the pain. His figure shot towards Cheng Sheng!
"Shizun!" Fei Yinzi cried.
But, light flashed and the fan blocked Ho Ting's attack that is coming towards Cheng Sheng!
"You've already become a waste yet you still didn't act dead. Instead, you wanted to continue intervening in the matters of the cultivation world!" Ho Ting said.
"I am not dead, so why should I act dead?" Cheng Sheng asked and waved his hand.
The fan moved and hit Ho Ting back!
"Ugh!" Ho Ting grunted.
"Participant Ho Ting... ai. That's not even your real name, right?" Cheng Sheng asked as he slapped his head.
"That's my real name!" Ho Ting yelled.
"Oh, my apologies. You are actually an honest man, using your real name but doing dishonest deeds. I admire you." Cheng Sheng smiled as he fanned himself.
Ho Ting gnashed his teeth and was about to attack when he suddenly felt his body couldn't move. "What... did you do?!" he asked.
"Oh? Why are you looking at me like that? It's not as if I am the one who did it? Wasn't I talking to you right now and you can see my movements? Did I do anything that warrants your suspicion?" Cheng Sheng asked.
"Shut up!" Ho Ting snapped.
"Oh." Cheng Sheng closed his lips and turned.
Ho Ting also turned and his eyes widened when the audience disappeared, only an array remained on where they have seated. But, that's not the only thing that surprised him. The bells that have been hanging around the venue are ringing without even wind!
"ARH!" Ho Ting cried as he covered his ears.
"Oh? You're actually a spirit servant?" Cheng Sheng's eyes slightly widened in surprise. "Well, I should've expected. Your master is a coward so why should he fight in your, his servant, place?" he asked.
"SHUT UP!" Ho Ting roared.
"Ai. I will, I will." Cheng Sheng obediently nodded as he walked off the stage. Actually, he has ran out of steam and so he used his words to divert the enemy's attention from his condition.
But, who would know that Ho Ting was hell-bent on killing Cheng Sheng, disregarding his own body's condition?
"DIE!" Ho Ting shouted as he picked up his sword and lunged at Cheng Sheng.
Everyone was shocked when they saw that a spirit servant could still move despite all the Spirit Tracing Bells ringing around him?! But, Cheng Sheng's eyes just narrowed despite death before him.
This spirit servant... is so strong so its master... should be stronger!
"CHENG SHENG!!!" Everyone screamed when they saw the tip of the enemy's sword about to touch Cheng Sheng's body.
That was when everything seemed to stop. The only thing that everyone saw was a flash of white – the Shapeshifting Blanket, Bai Tan, appearing behind Cheng Sheng.
A figure came out of it, standing behind Cheng Sheng but both his arms wrapped around Cheng Sheng, as if hugging him, while one of his hands caught the enemy's sword and his other hand touching the side of Cheng Sheng's waist.
"To bet even your life just to move me... you win – " Fei Yin spoke as he tilted his head and planted a kiss on Cheng Sheng's cheek with a smile on his face. " – Sheng. You've become so beautiful." he told him before his fingers pinched the enemy's sword and broke it.
The force that came out of Fei Yin's fingers made the enemy's body flew off the stage and hit a pillar.
"What..." everyone's eyes widened in shock as they stared at the man standing behind Cheng Sheng.
They blinked multiple times, as if afraid that they have mistaken seeing –
"Fei Yin...?" they muttered under their breaths.
"Yin-er..." Fei Lin called with tears in his eyes. Xi Ling gasped in shock.
"Xiao Yin..." Xie Lan and Fan Wen called softly the name of the disciple they missed for five years.
"Da shixiong..." Li Tian, Feng Mo, Lei Ling and You Rou called as their tears fell.
"Fei... shibo...?" Wen Wen and the others called in surprise.
"Fei..." Fei Yinzi stammered as he stared at Fei Yin in shock.
Fei Yin finally reacted and he turned. His gaze squarely landed on Fei Yinzi. "Call me 'uncle'." he told him before he turned back to Cheng Sheng, cupped Cheng Sheng's face, kissed his forehead before he returned inside the Shapeshifting Blanket.
"... stupid." Cheng Sheng sighed as his sword turned to a jade pendant. "You should've told him to call you 'master's husband'." he helplessly smiled.