85 Day 84: The Scum Is Unfathomable (1/2)

”Zhe...?” Yu Sheng called that woke ZuZhe up.

He blinked. ”O – oh.” He said, then blinked his eyes again to make sure he's not sleeping while being awake.

”What happened to you?” Fei Yin asked, his forehead knotted.

ZuZhe raised his head and looked at the gentlemen around him. He looked at Chen Sheng, then turned to them. ”I just thought of something...” he answered.

”What is?” Yu Sheng asked.

”... I was the one who bridged Fei Yin and Chen Sheng.” ZuZhe answered, then looked at Fei Yin.

Fei Yin's eyes went wide, then his face went red. Feng Mo looked at Fei Yin, wide-eyed. He then laughed. Wu Bai laughed, patting Fei Yin's shoulder.

That broke the tense atmosphere around them. Travelling for three days isn't enough to make you all close with each other, since all of you are strangers from the start.

But, Yu Sheng's face is serious as he looked at ZuZhe. ”What did you just think?” he asked as he looked at his lover.

ZuZhe forced a smile and looked at Yu Sheng, his eyes held meaning. Later. He thought and glanced at Chen Sheng who's silently looking at them.

Chen Sheng is smiling, as if he's enjoying the sight of his friends who all are bonding. But, his eyes are deep which ZuZhe and Yu Sheng can't read.

Is it because Chen Sheng is levels above them?

”Hey.” he called to them.

They all turned to him.

”I think I saw smoke ahead. Someone must be there.” He told them.

Their eyes went wide and they all looked at each other. Then, they looked at Chen Sheng. Chen Sheng just kept his smile.

They immediately went towards the direction of the smoke.

HuiLong Continent – Upright Sect.

”... can Sect Leader Fei please enlighten this disciple?” Chen Han, who's been itching to speak earlier, asked and respectfully bowed when Fei Huang looked at him.

This broke the dead still silence that's enveloping the palace hall.

But, it was Mu Jun who spoke. ”Hou Sheng's body who's been growing in the cave alone, when it was deprived of qi thus it impended its growth, it started to seek more qi, impure or not, malevolent or not. Since it was only Yu Sheng's parents and Yu Sheng, who's asleep at that time, is around...” he said.

Silence. They could guess what happened. The qi of Yu Sheng's parents was sucked by Hou Sheng's body to continue to grow.

Mu Jun continued. ”This slight change in the qi must've awoken Chen Sheng.” He said. ”Thus, waking Yu Sheng, too, after 100 years of sleeping.” He explained. ”His parents, finally seeing their son awake, immediately gave him to a family before they could die.” He finished.

A long silence filled the hall. Even the sky, though still dark, but finally calmed down.

”So – ” it was Mu Xin. ” – what exactly is Chen Sheng?” he asked, voicing out the unsettling question eating each one of them inside the silent hall.

Mu Jun looked at his 'grandnephew', his eyes held sadness. He felt sorry that his grandnephew met an unfortunate life because of his grandfather, Mu Jun's 'brother', Mu Xie.

”... I am not sure.” He answered.

Their eyes went wide and looked at Mu Jun, expected that the man definitely know what Chen Sheng is.

”What?” Xie Lan said, mad. He gritted his teeth. ”All these... are you lying - ?” he asked and glared at Mu Jun.

He knew that Mu Jun's not lying, since the man has witnessed everything the time they still haven't even born yet. But, his anger right now is clouding his judgement.

It was his 'son', after all, that's talked about here.

”I have no reason to lie.” Mu Jun said. ”I said 'not sure', since I had an idea as to what he is but I can't still prove and clarify it.” he explained.

Xie Lan's eyes went wide and he looked at Mu Jun. ”Then, what do you think Sheng-er is - ?” he immediately asked.

Anything that they might find about Chen Sheng, they'd still welcome him... accept him. They're his family.

Everybody held their breath as they waited.

”Chen Sheng...” Mu Jun said. ”He – ” he said, then sighed. His eyes moved and looked at the sky outside.

Everybody followed his sight.

”What does he mean?” Chen Shen whispered to Mu Xin.

”Han?” Li Tian called when he saw Chen Han's face is serious.

”Brother Wen...?” Lei Ling called as he looked at Wen Yan's serious expression.

Sun Yi and Wu Yuan's face are dead serious. Like everybody, they could clearly guess.

”Jing.” Wu Fan called to Chen Jing. After all, Chen Sheng, aside from the Newfound Sect, his family is the Chen family.

Chen Jing didn't answer. Ming Ye and Luo Shi looked at the Chen Patriarch, worried. They clearly saw how powerful Chen Sheng is since they fought with him against Mu Xie.

”If he's not a god...” Mu Jun said, his voice low. ”... then I don't know anymore what he is.” He said and sighed.

Just like that, the matter of Chen Sheng finally ended in HuiLong. Fei Huang then reminded them again of his wedding with Mu Jun, giving dark lines to everybody's faces.

For now, Fei Huang marrying the Demonic Sect ancestor gives them more worry than Chen Sheng's unclear identity.

BaiLong Continent.

They don't know what to react, except ZuZhe, when they saw a house in the small clearing of the forest. Although small, but the house is full.

Full of corpses.

ZuZhe felt his stomach turned upside down and his insides churned. He immediately ran towards a tree and bent over to puke. He's glad he didn't eat any for the past days.

Yu Sheng went to rub ZuZhe's back, comforting him. Wu Bai covered Feng Mo's eyes while Fei Yin was about to walk towards Chen Sheng when he saw Chen Sheng's serious expression as he looked at the pile of corpses beside the burnt logs that's emitting smoke.

It was the smoke Chen Sheng saw earlier that made them come over.

The corpses are about 10 or so. They don't know if there's other pile of corpses around, but they didn't dare leave since a member of them is still having fits because of the sight.

”Are they entangled with the rebellion?” Wu Bai asked after Feng Mo calmed down because of shock.

Who would've thought they'd see a pile of corpses here instead of a humble abode in the middle of the forest?

Chen Sheng didn't answer as he continued to look around. ZuZhe almost puked again when he heard a crunching sound after Chen Sheng stepped on the leg of a corpse, its bone broke.

Feng Mo's body shook because of horror as he buried his pale face on Wu Bai's chest.

Yu Sheng and Wu Bai appeased their lover, whispering comforting words as they hugged them tight to calm them.

Fei Yin looked at Chen Sheng who's looking around the place. The walls of the house are splattered in blood, outside and inside.

Chen Sheng's about to enter the house, who they guessed must have more corpses inside, when Fei Yin stopped him.

”Sheng.” He called, his voice low.

Even if his face is blank but he, too, is disturbed by the sight. The putrid smell of burning flesh and the fishy and rusty odor of the fresh blood still dripping from the fresh corpses that're piled up on the side...

Fei Yin and ZuZhe only have seen this scene in movies, precisely horror and cannibalistic movies. The only difference of the two, Fei Yin had been to different worlds while ZuZhe only had been sent straight here, which is more peaceful compared to the worlds Fei Yin's been to.

Chen Sheng looked at ZuZhe and Feng Mo who're pale. ”Sorry.” he said as he walked back.

Fei Yin sighed, relieved, as he closed the house. He grimaced when he touched the bloodied doorknob. He immediately went back to the group.

”Sorry.” Chen Sheng told ZuZhe and Feng Mo who're still shaking in fright. ”I led you to this...” he said, didn't continue.

”N – no... you also didn't know that it could be this...” Feng Mo said and looked away as he hugged Wu Bai tightly.

He and Wu Bai, even though deities, but they're sent with a peaceful and safe mission – to protect the royal family and help the BaiLong when it's time of need.

”Let's get out of here first.” Yu Sheng said, his face serious as he buried ZuZhe's face on his shoulder, dragging ZuZhe away.

”Yes.” They answered and went back to where they came from.

Just as they left, two people arrived and looked around the place. Two corpses on their shoulders.

”Huh?” one of them said and walked around. ”Ah.” He said when he heard something snapped. He looked down and saw the leg of the corpse twisting sideways.

”Ai. Don't mind, don't mind.” His fellow said as he walked over the bodies of the corpses on the ground. He even stepped foot on the face of a woman, breaking her nose. ”They're already dead. We'd just burn them up – ” he said, waving his hand dismissively.

”Yeah. But...” the first one said, looking at the leg. ”... the leg has just been broken earlier.” He said, then his eyes fell on the house. ”Just when did we close the door?” he asked and looked at his companion.

Their face serious as they immediately looked around. ”That can't be... we're followed?”