The Scum Is A

"… what are you looking at me for with that gaze?" Cheng Sheng asked as his face turned dark when he saw Jing Kang was glaring at him with an accusing gaze. "I wasn't the one who bullied your Ling Ling!" he told him.

Jing Kang removed his gaze from Cheng Sheng and turned to You Rou.

You Rou gasped, startled. She raised her hands and waved while her head is shaking. "I didn't! It wasn't me!" she told him.

Jing Kang stopped looking at them and then turned to Lei Ling. His Ling Ling is more important. "Ling Ling. Why did you cry?" he asked. "Who made you cry? Tell me." He said as he wiped Lei Ling's tears.

But, his voice filled with concern and his worried gaze along with his gentle touch just made Lei Ling's heart become more bitter. "I – " he spoke and hiccupped. "I want to go to a closed-door cultivation!" he announced.

Cheng Sheng and You Rou. "…" how did it come to this?! They thought.

Jing Kang. "!!!" Ling Ling was bullied! He thought as his eyes widened in shock. "Ling Ling…" he called.

Cheng Sheng coughed. "Lei-shidi. Calm yourself down first." He told him.

Lei Ling turned and obediently nodded. He took deep breaths as he wiped his tears. "Cheng-shixiong, I…" he spoke.

Cheng Sheng sighed. "Lei-shidi. You are doing fine, so there's no need for a closed-door cultivation." He told him.

"What happened to Ling Ling?" Jing Kang asked, still confused.

"Lei-shid felt insecure because he felt that he was inferior." Cheng Sheng answered.

Jing Kang was stunned and he looked at Lei Ling. "Ling Ling…" he called. "But, you're the best for me. You are already the best." He told him.

Lei Ling's face flushed red and he looked at Jing Kang. "R – really?" he asked. His voice is filled with doubt.

"Really." Jing Kang nodded and smiled. "If Ling Ling would doubt himself again, then Ling Ling doubts my affection towards you." He said. "I will feel sad and hurt." He told him as he lowered his head.

Lei Ling's eyes widened and he looked at Jing Kang in panic. "No! Don't!" he said as he held Jing Kang's face. "Jing Kang… I didn't mean to…" he said.

Jing Kang raised his head and hugged Lei Ling tight.

Cheng Sheng and You Rou who was forcefully fed dog food. "…"

After a few minutes, Lei Ling finally calmed down.

"So, Jing Kang… what did you find?" Lei Ling asked after he told everything that Cheng Sheng said to Jing Kang.

Jing Kang handed a cup of tea to Lei Ling for him to moisten his throat before he spoke. "Indeed… we found this morning that the victims' brains, eyes, tongue… what's inside their head was empty." He spoke. "We found that there were insects inside their skull… they are carnivorous worms." He told them.

You Rou covered her mouth and her face turned green. Fortunately, she hasn't eaten anything this morning except some snacks so she didn't vomit in disgust.

"So those worms hatched earlier than I thought…" Cheng Sheng muttered.

"How did you found out about this?" Jing Kang asked as he looked at Cheng Sheng.

Cheng Sheng smiled. "It's normal that you would be suspicious of me." He spoke. "But, I really just came across of this case when I wandered around many places with my disciple." He answered and took out a bottle.

Under their doubtful gazes, he opened the lid. They were all shocked when they saw a round head appeared on the mouth of the bottle. Cheng Sheng immediately blew and the head disappeared. That was a worm. The worm fell back on the bottle. Cheng Sheng then closed the lid.

"You…" Jing Kang looked at Cheng Sheng in shock.

Cheng Sheng smiled. "There are many wonders that you will see beyond your comfort space." He said.

Jing Kang shut up.

Lei Ling coughed. "Cheng-shixiong… could that worm be…?" he asked.

"It should be a similar worm." Cheng Sheng spoke.

"Then, did you find out who owned that worm that you caught before?" You Rou curiously asked.

"They are dead." Cheng Sheng answered.

"'dead'?!" they were shocked.

"… what are you looking at me with those gazes for?!" Cheng Sheng asked. His face is covered with dark lines. "It's not me who killed him!" he told them.

"Then…" they muttered as they stared at Cheng Sheng, waiting for him to continue.

"He was already dead when I found him." Cheng Sheng spoke and looked at the shaking box on the table. "His eye sockets are hollow… his skull is hollow, because everything inside it was gone." He looked at them.

Their eyes widened in shock when they realized something. "Could it be…?!" they sharply inhaled.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "There was also that carnivorous worm inside his head." He spoke. "Also… his victims are all alive." He told them.

"WHAT?!" they exclaimed.

Cheng Sheng covered his ears and frowned. "It's because I found the carnivorous worm earlier." He told them. "You should know that my eyes are better than yours!" he frowned.

They nodded in agreement despite Cheng Sheng spoke it in half-bragging way.

Cheng Sheng exasperatedly sighed. They now don't react as much as they did before… he thought and shook his head. "I saw it and thought that it was just a normal worm. But, when I was about to remove it from the doorframe, I suddenly heard Er Zi spoke that the residence has a 'talisman' while the other residences have not. He thought it was strange, and I thought that it was strange, too." He grinned and looked at them. "By what I meant strange, is because that Er Zi referred the carnivorous worm as a talisman." He chuckled.

Jing Kang, Lei Ling and You Rou. "…" was it worth bragging? It was actually just a stroke of luck! Should we praise you or should we laugh along with you? They thought with their faces covered in dark lines.

Seeing their expressions, Cheng Sheng felt good and he sipped his tea before he continued. "So, sensing that something is off, I sealed the carnivorous worm in a container. That was when – " he looked at them. " – I saw a string tied on its end." He told them.

"A string?" they asked.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "It was a silvery string." He spoke as his expression now turned serious. "I thought that it has an owner so I followed where the string leads. But, what I saw shocked me." The smile in his eyes disappeared.

They all nervously gulped. It is rare for Cheng Sheng to be shocked, since he usually looked calm no matter the situation he is facing. "What did you see?" they asked.

"A man with sunken eyes and empty mouth… also balding hair." Cheng Sheng answered as he looked at them. "I sensed that something was wrong, so I began observing him. Meanwhile, I sent my timid disciple somewhere to not scare him." He said.

They grimaced and have no choice but to agree. Fei Yinzi indeed was timid before. But now, he is different.

"The longer I observe him, the more I felt that something was wrong." Cheng Sheng continued. "Finally, when he collapsed, unconscious, I checked his condition. It was then that I found – " he took a deep breath. " – he is half-dead." He told them.

"'half-dead'?" they said.

"Half-alive, half-dead." Cheng Sheng shook his head. "His heart was still beating but his brain… it's no longer there." He said. "I also saw that his eyes have finally disappeared." He added.

A long silence fell.

"So, here's the thing – " Cheng Sheng spoke and smiled.

Jing Kang, Lei Ling and You Rou suddenly noticed the change in Cheng Sheng's mood. They saw him even smile. They then felt that there is definitely something bad that is going to happen. Or else, why would Cheng Sheng look excited?

"What is it, Cheng-shixiong?" Lei Ling asked.

"I told you that I saw a silvery string at the end of the carnivorous worm that I caught, right?" Cheng Sheng asked.

They nodded. "Yes." They answered.

"But… I am seeing a red string from this carnivorous worm." Cheng Sheng told them with a bright smile.

"… what?!" they exclaimed.

"What does this mean?" Jing Kang asked.

Cheng Sheng tapped the box with his index finger. "The man who is the owner of the carnivorous worm with a silver string died. Meanwhile, the victims of this carnivorous worm with a red string died." He slowly spoke. "So, what can you infer from this?" he asked them with a playful smile on his lips.

"Could it be…" Lei Ling spoke. "The silver string signifies that the owner is dead, but the victims are alive. It's because…" his expression turned grave.

"It's because the victims are alive, so the carnivorous worm hasn't eaten anything from its victims, which would make its string turn red." Jing Kang spoke.

"Bingo!" Cheng Sheng grinned as he clapped his hands.