The Scum Is A ***

Yunxiao Inn, the next morning.

The birds that are resting on the branches of the tree in the courtyard were suddenly startled and flew away in front when they heard a loud voice yelled very early in the morning, piercing the walls of the building which made the other people in their respective rooms be roused from their sleep.

"WHAT – " the people exclaimed as they turned on their bed and snap their eyes wide open because of shock. "Who the hell is so loud this early in the morning?!" they all shouted as they got off of their beds and walked out of their rooms with a dark expression on their faces that they forgot to wash because of anger.

They all looked at each other as they stood outside their doors before they immediately hurried inside and washed their faces then fixed their hair and clothes when they realized that they have an unkept appearance. After feeling satisfied with their appearance in the mirror, they went outside again with a stiff smile on their faces.

"Who was it?" they asked and looked at each other again.

"W – waaah! Sorry! I\'m really sorry!" a soft voice apologized.

They all turned and saw a pretty woman holding a basket which she is closing the lid walked towards them.

Their eyes widened in shock. " – elder You of the Xinfaxian Sect!" the guests exclaimed and immediately bowed when they recognized You Rou.

You Rou gently smiled and bowed. "I deeply apologize for the disturbance I have caused which inconvenienced you all." She said and apologetically smiled. Then, she took out some vials from her qiankun sleeve. "I hope you can accept these blood nourishing potions I have made." She told them.

The servants who passed by immediately hurried beside her and handed the vials to the guests. "It\'s not a big deal, not a big deal, elder You! We should be thanking you for waking us very early so we won\'t be late in our work!" the guests spoke. "Thank you, elder You, for your gift!" they said and smiled.

You Rou nodded before she left along with the servants who took the basket from her and carefully carried it.

"Ah… elder You is very pretty…" the guests sighed in admiration.

"Elder Lei Qing, her shijie, is also beautiful!" some of the guests spoke.

"Yes! Elder You is the gentle type while elder Lei Qing is the independent type…" they said and continued discussing while they walked towards the dining hall to have their breakfast, forgetting the cause of them waking up earlier.

Meanwhile, You Rou who just turned and out of the sight of the people made a big yawn. "AH! So tired!" she pouted, looking aggrieved, before she turned and glanced at the basket. "But, this mandrake is really good. I should thank elder Qian Tian for this gift!" she said and giggled.

The servants following her also smiled, feeling alleviated seeing You Rou\'s affective smile. Seeing her smile makes their day brighter, and makes them feel more energetic at work despite it\'s very early in the morning.

"Huh? Lei-shixiong!" You Rou called when she saw Lei Ling walking while yawning, just like her earlier.

"Hm? Shimei?" Lei Ling muttered in surprise when he saw her. "What are you doing here? I thought you are still sleeping?" he asked and saw her clothes. "Huh? Could it be, you just returned this morning?" he asked her.

You Rou nodded. "Yes, Lei-shixiong." She answered. "After elder Jing Kang took you away yesterday, elder Qian Tian invited me to dine with his family. Then, this morning, I woke up early to get some dews and he helped me. He even gave me a gift!" she explained and then patted the lid of the basket.

"Elder Qian Tian is really generous!" Lei Ling said before he curiously looked at the basket. "What was the gift did he give you?" he asked.

"A mandrake!" You Rou answered. "I am planning to see Cheng-shixiong today to ask him how to handle the mandrake. I even woke up the guests in the other building earlier because of carelessness…" she heaved a sigh.

Lei Ling smiled. "It\'s not shimei\'s fault. You must have been startled by the mandrake." He comforted her. "But, you are right to seek Cheng-shixiong. Cheng-shixiong knows a lot of creatures!" he said and brightly smiled.

You Rou\'s eyes brightened. "Yes! Cheng-shixiong is very knowledgeable!" she said.

The servants who were listening helplessly smiled because of You Rou\'s and Lei Ling\'s fanaticism towards Cheng Sheng. But, they also know about this fact, and that they also admire Cheng Sheng\'s skills and knowledge so they couldn\'t agree more to what the two said.

"Ah. Speaking about the mandrake… shimei reminded me that I also have something to consult Cheng-shixiong with." Lei Ling spoke as they resumed walking.

"What is it, Lei-shixiong?" You Rou curiously asked.

Lei Ling helplessly smiled when he saw her curious gaze. "It is just that Jing Kang and the other Zunjingde Sect disciples patrolling the Zhongyang found a mysterious talisman in a residence yesterday afternoon when I went with them." He answered.

"A mysterious talisman?" You Rou was surprised.

Lei Ling nodded. "Yes. Even Jing Kang doesn\'t recognize it, so he asked me to consult Cheng Sheng about the talisman." He said. "What made this talisman mysterious is not only because no one recognized what it is, but because the residence where the talisman was found, all their family members were dead." He explained.

You Rou\'s eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed.

Lei Ling nodded. He was about to continue when he suddenly saw Cheng Sheng and he stopped. "Cheng-shixiong!" he called.

Cheng Sheng who wanted to sneak out again froze on his feet and turned with a frown, only to see Lei Ling and You Rou. "Lei-shidi! Shimei!" he was surprised and his frown turned to a smile. "You two came back only today, and is very early in the morning?" he asked as his eyes narrowed.

You Rou chuckled. "I went to catch dew at dawn." She answered. Then, she paused and turned to Lei Ling. "Lei-shixiong. Why did you come back so early in the morning?" she asked him.

"Ah… it\'s because Jing Kang and I tried to see in their library if there is any information regarding the talisman." Lei Ling answered and couldn\'t help but yawn again. "Since this seems to be a pressing matter, I didn\'t dare try to delay and immediately left to find Cheng-shixiong." He explained and then suddenly paused. "Though I made him mad again." He grimaced and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

You Rou helplessly smiled.

Meanwhile, Cheng Sheng\'s brows raised in surprise. "A talisman?" he spoke.

Lei Ling nodded. "Jing Kang didn\'t recognize it, nor anyone in the Zunjingde Sect. Not even the Righteous Alliance." He said and sighed. "Furthermore, that family were all dead… no one even noticed it." He added with a gloomy expression.

Cheng Sheng\'s eyes widened in shock. "There were dead people?" he asked.

Lei Ling nodded and looked at Cheng Sheng. "Cheng-shixiong. Could you help Jing Kang?" he asked.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "Of course." He answered. "Let\'s talk about this more somewhere else." He said and pulled them two to an empty pavilion before he erected a barrier. "How about you, shimei?" he asked as they sat and he took out a tea set and snacks.

You Rou immediately poured their cups with warm tea. "It\'s nothing serious, Cheng-shixiong. Just a mandrake." She said and told him that it was Qian Tian\'s gift, and that she was planning to make a tonic out of it later.

Cheng Sheng nodded in understanding. "I\'ll give you one of my books where the details of about the mandrake was written." He told her.

You Rou\'s eyes brightened. "Many thanks, Cheng-shixiong!" she said and bowed.

Cheng Sheng smiled. "No need for thanks." He told her before he turned to Lei Ling who was drinking tea and eating some snacks. "Lei-shidi. Please tell me more about what you have found yesterday." He told him.

Lei Ling nodded. "It\'s like this, Cheng-shixiong." He said and sipped some tea before he continued. "As Cheng-shixiong and everyone knows, the Zunjingde Sect, along with someone from the Righteous Alliance, is patrolling the Zhongyang, more especially during the Intersect Competition where all kinds of people enter the Zhongyang, so their security is tighter." He spoke. "But, not long ago, a demon was found. Cheng-shixiong should be familiar with it." He looked at him.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "Yes." He answered. His expression is serious.

"And yesterday, Jing Kang\'s group found a strange talisman." Lei Ling spoke as he took out a box and placed it on the table. "Jing Kang nor I recognize it, and not even the disciples of the Zunjingde Sect and the Righteous Alliance. Jing Kang is sensitive to talismans, and is more knowledgeable about it than I, so after he found that the family in that residence was dead, he concluded that – " he looked at Cheng Sheng in the eyes. " – that talisman has the ability to mask death." He told him.