The Scum Is A

Night. 

"Strange. I still didn't taste anything weird that was mixed with the food earlier." Ma Qiu spoke after they returned to the shack where they currently are staying in. 

Of course, Ma Kan thoroughly disdains this shack. When they were in the Heavenly Eye City, they are living in the mansion and there were numerous servants for them to order upon. These servants dutifully fix their beds and see to it that their quilts and pillows are newly washed and smells fragrant. 

But, when they arrived in the Drunken Moon City, not only they stayed in an empty and dilapidated shack which Ma Si found only available, but there is also only one bed, where the quilt and pillow have a musty smell on it. They don't dare touch it. 

As expected, as soon as Ma Kan saw the shack, his expression fell. "Not only do I have to place a spell on those guards for us to enter the city, but I have to suffer sleeping on the ground!" he said and kicked the wall of the shack, which in turn cracked and a piece immediately fell. 

Ma Kan's face darkened. Ma Liu, who is holding Ma Kan's thigh, immediately comforted Ma Kan. "It is us who is incompetent. Forgive us!" he said and knelt before Ma Kan's feet. 

As soon as he saw someone prostate before him, Ma Kan's expression immediately eased. "Take off your outer robe and place it on the ground for me to sleep on!" he said, his chin raised as he looked down on Ma Liu. 

"Yes, yes, yes!" Ma Liu immediately answered and hurried inside. Ma Kan wouldn't imagine that the person who prostate before him just now has his face darkened when he went inside the shack. His eyes are filled with hatred and his fists clenched on his sides. As soon as he took off his outer robe, bluish and greenish marks can be seen on his back. It was because of him sleeping directly on the ground which have sharp stones buried underneath the soil. 

Ma Si cowered after hearing what Ma Kan said. Fearing that it'll be his turn next for Ma Kan to pick on, he hurried to follow Ma Liu inside the shack, leaving Ma Qiu with Ma Kan outside. He isn't worried with Ma Qiu being picked on by Ma Kan. Because in the Heavenly Eye City, Ma Qiu has a higher status than Ma Kan. 

Ma Qiu is Ma Wen's biological nephew. Ma Qiu's parents died after Ma Wen plotted against them, leaving the teenager Ma Qiu. Ma Wen then brainwashed Ma Qiu that it was Ma Qiu's parents who wanted to kill Ma Wen, making Ma Qiu feel guilt and indebted to him for being adopted by Ma Wen. On the other hand, Ma Kan was picked up by Ma Wen from the streets. Both were adopted by Ma Wen and seemed to be of equal status, but Ma Qiu is of higher status than Ma Kan because Ma Qiu is the blood-related one. 

This made Ma Kan hate Ma Qiu, and also hate Ma Wen since Ma Wen, although harsh on Ma Qiu, but obviously favors Ma Qiu more than him. Ma Kan started to compete against Ma Qiu while Ma Wen just watched on the sidelines, enjoying the two youths' rivalry. But, Ma Qiu never competed against Ma Kan, which made Ma Kan seethed more in anger since whatever Ma Qiu did, he is just better than him! 

Knowing his defeat, he gets along with Ma Qiu in the surface. But, just because he knows he is defeated doesn't mean he will accept it! So, secretly, he hates Ma Qiu. 

"You go to sleep first so you could preserve your strength for your tomorrow's performance. I'll go cultivate outside." Ma Qiu spoke. Before Ma Kan could respond, he left. It's as if he is giving orders and not just informing them. 

How can Ma Kan bear it? If he just doesn't keep his plan in mind to kill Ma Qiu tomorrow along with the people of the Drunken Moon City, and Meng Gui and Shang He and his people, he would've already made a move before they can even enter the Drunken Moon City. But, he didn't because there's Ma Liu and Ma Si. 

It's not that he is afraid of the two. Ma Liu is his follower while Ma Si is a coward. It's just that, after being raised by Ma Wen and growing up in the Heavenly Eye City, even if Ma Liu wanted to curry favor with him, and Ma Si is a coward, but these two, after finding out that he killed Ma Qiu, they will doubt his intentions and would be on guard against him. Worse, they'll kill him together! He already killed one of them, so what can he not do? It's better to kill him before he can kill them! 

This is the scenario that Ma Kan doesn't want to happen, so he is very cautious. On the surface, he is cooperating with Ma Qiu. But, after he finishes the task given by Ma Wen, he will kill Ma Qiu. If Ma Liu and Ma Si would resist, he will also kill them! 

Thinking this, he felt comforted. He saw Ma Liu's robe on the ground and he kicked it. "Disgusting!" he muttered before he took out a chair from his qiankun pouch. It was his favorite chair from his mansion in the Heavenly Eye City. Sitting on the chair, he fell asleep. 

After Ma Liu placed a dirty robe, which he picked up somewhere on their way here, in the ground he went outside. He didn't need to watch Ma Kan to know that Ma Kan kicked the dirty robe. He was about to leave when he saw Ma Si was hiding at the back of the shack, shivering. From either the cold or fear towards Ma Kan, he doesn't know. 

"What?" he asked. 

"I don't dare to sleep." Ma Si answered. 

"Why?" he asked again. 

"Ma Kan is a bad sleeper. And, he might stun me later with a spell if he wakes up in the wee hours. Worse, he will kill me!" Ma Si answered with eyes widened in fear. "I didn't sense it wrong… he really wants to kill me!" he added. 

Ma Liu declined to speak. If this waste Ma Si has felt Ma Kan's killing intent, how can he not also sense it? And – he turned to look at Ma Qiu sitting underneath a tree, cultivating. Ma Qiu, the strongest of them four, must have already sensed it before they could even leave the Heavenly Eye City. No – after Ma Wen has given them the order to infiltrate the Drunken Moon City. 

Ma Liu looked around before he looked up at the sky. Compared with the glamourous Heavenly Eye City built by Ma Wen, a vile businessman, the Drunken Moon City looked very poor. But, for him, he preferred this seemingly poor but simple Drunken Moon City than the rich but creepy Heavenly Eye City where every person is watching your every move. 

He took a deep breath before he sat on the grass and leaned on the tree. The three of them prefers to sleep under the sky than sleep under a roof but with a snake inside. This isn't new to them, though, since before Ma Wen picked them up, they were sleeping beside the pigs, enduring not only the biting cold night wind, but also the foul smell in the pigsty. 

He looked at Ma Si who has fallen asleep on the ground. He looked at him for a while before he picked him up and placed him behind the bushes. Feeling the tickling sensation of the leaves against his skin, Ma Si giggled before he fell into a deep sleep. 

Ma Liu can't help but heave a sigh. Even if they have lived in riches after Ma Wen took them in, but their current situation isn't any different than before Ma Wen appeared in their life. Ma Liu couldn't help but think as he watched Ma Si sleep. 

"Earlier." Ma Qiu spoke as he opened his eyes. 

Ma Liu turned to him. 

"Did you notice?" Ma Qiu asked as he turned to him. "The righteous cultivators." He said. 

…

Cheng Sheng moaned in comfort as Fei Yin brushed his hair. His eyes fluttered, feeling sleepy. 

"Tired?" Fei Yin asked. 

"Mn." Cheng Sheng hummed. 

Fei Yin just chuckled. He saw that Cheng Sheng really was serious when he fought against xiao Huan earlier. Their fight lasted from noon until before midnight. 

"Meng Gui lied to us before." Cheng Sheng spoke. 

Fei Yin nodded. When they met Meng Gui, Meng Gui told them that he, along with his brothers, were saved by the Heilong emperor. But, later, they found out that it was the opposite – that Meng Gui, or Qingbai Yan, is actually given a test to gather his own people. This was given by his uncle, Qingbai Yun, who is working for the Heilong emperor.