The Scum Is A ***

Cheng Sheng\'s eyes widened in surprise. "It can mask death?" he asked.

Lei Ling nodded. "Yes. That\'s all what Jing Kang could discern." He spoke.

Cheng Sheng fell silent. "Lei-shidi." He called as his gaze fell on the box that is obviously containing the talisman. "Before I open the box, can you tell me what you felt when he saw that talisman?" he asked as he looked at Lei Ling.

Lei Ling solemnly nodded while You Rou remained silent since she could clearly feel the tense atmosphere.

"Before I could see the talisman, I didn\'t feel anything. It was Jing Kang who noticed it first." Lei Ling started. "When I saw the talisman, I suddenly felt that it should be there." He said.

Cheng Sheng\'s brows knitted. "\'it should be there\'?" he muttered.

Lei Ling nodded. "Yes. That\'s what I felt. That it should be there." He spoke and took a deep breath. "I also felt it strange, especially when we found out that the whole family in the residence was dead." He said.

Cheng Sheng fell silent as he pondered. "Where was the talisman placed when you saw it?" he asked. "Was it… on the top of the door frame?" he looked at Lei Ling.

Lei Ling\'s eyes widened in surprise as his pupil shrink. "Cheng-shixiong… how did you know?" he muttered under his breath. Then, suddenly, he shook his head. "No, no! It\'s not that I suspect Cheng-shixiong that\'s why I asked it!" he said and waved his hands as his face paled in horror. "Please don\'t be angry, Cheng-shixiong!" he cried.

Cheng Sheng frowned. "Idiot. Of course I won\'t be angry. Why should I?" he asked. "My conscience is clear and I know that you only said it subconsciously, without ill intention." He explained.

Lei Ling nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that\'s right. Cheng-shixiong is right!" he said.

You Rou chuckled on the side and resumed eating some snacks.

"So, it was really on top of the doorframe?" Cheng Sheng resumed the topic.

"Yes!" Lei Ling answered. "How did… Cheng-shixiong know?" he asked in a small voice.

"There are two reasons." Cheng Sheng answered.

Lei Ling and You Rou who weren\'t surprised. "…" here are Cheng-shixiong\'s \'Two\'s\' again… they thought and smiled.

Cheng Sheng raised his index finger as he placed his elbow on the table while he rested his chin on his palm. "One, because all things above are easily overlooked, unless one would intentionally look." he spoke as he looked at Lei Ling\'s face. "You said that Jing Kang is sensitive to the talismans, and it was him who found it. It should be him who removed it from there, right?" he asked.

Lei Ling\'s jaw dropped in shock. "That\'s right!" he answered.

"So, the one who placed the talisman there knows this principle that things above are easily overlooked, so he intentionally placed it there." Cheng Sheng spoke. "But, they must have not expected that Jing Kang would discover it, and is sensitive to the talismans since he is also a master talisman maker. Thus, the talisman was found out." He explained as he sipped his tea.

"Cheng-shixiong is right!" Lei Ling nodded. "Cheng-shixiong… what\'s the second reason, then?" he asked.

"The second reason is that the head is the most important part of the body." Cheng Sheng answered.

"… huh?" Lei Ling and You Rou muttered at this unexpected response. They thought that it must be a shocking truth.

Cheng Sheng picked up a snack and bit it. He chewed it before he spoke. "The talisman was placed on top of the doorframe. So, it must be overhead." He said.

"Yes." Lei Ling nodded.

"So – " Cheng Sheng gulped before he elegantly wiped his lips with his napkin before he continued. " – people pass by it directly." He spoke. "It is on purpose." He said.

Lei Ling and You Rou felt that they recognize the words that Cheng Sheng spoke, but they can\'t understand what he is saying when all those words were combined.

Cheng Sheng saw their confusion and then sipped his tea to moisten his lips. "That talisman\'s purpose is the head of the people that will pass by it." He spoke.

"\'the head\'?" they asked.

"As I\'ve said, the head is the most important part of our body." Cheng Sheng looked at the surface of his tea. "Our head controls our body. Our emotions, our knowledge, our speech, everything that we see… it was controlled by our mind, which is inside our head." He raised his head to look at them. "Thus, our head is the most important part of our body. And that\'s why it was placed on top of our body." He told them. "And this talisman\'s connection to its location, and its purpose, is regarding our head." He added.

Lei Ling\'s eyes widened in shock.

"Lei-shidi." Cheng Sheng called as he looked at Lei Ling. "When you saw the family that died… there was no blood, nor there were any injuries in their body. Am I right?" he asked.

Lei Ling abruptly rose from his seat as he looked at Cheng Sheng, stunned. "Cheng-shixiong… you are right." He answered as his body trembled.

You Rou gasped and felt that goosebumps appeared on her skin.

"Jing Kang and the disciples confirmed that they were death after they checked their pulse." Lei Ling continued. "There were no heartbeat. No breath left on them." He said.

Cheng Sheng nodded. "If their bodies still haven\'t been buried, then you should check their brains." He spoke.

"Why?" Lei Ling asked in a daze.

"Because I think – " Cheng Sheng lowered his gaze and looked at the box. " – there should be insects inside their heads right now." He answered.

Lei Ling and You Rou were shocked. "What?!" they exclaimed.

"Wait… \'right now\'?" Lei Ling muttered and stared at Cheng Sheng.

"Yes." Cheng Sheng removed his gaze from the box. "I am guessing that some eggs were planted inside the family\'s brains. And now, those eggs should\'ve hatched." He explained.

"Why eggs? Insects? How can it be?" Lei Ling asked. "Aren\'t we talking about the talis… man…" his voice trailed off when he saw that the box suddenly moved.

You Rou\'s eyes widened in shock and she immediately left her seat to retreat. "What… what\'s inside the box?" she asked and looked at Cheng Sheng. "Cheng-shixiong… it\'s a talisman, right?" she asked.

Suddenly, they saw Cheng Sheng\'s lips curled up. "Not really." he answered.

"\'not really\'?" they asked.

Cheng Sheng stared at the box and suddenly, they saw the box stopped moving. "The reason why Jing Kang noticed the talisman… it\'s because it isn\'t really a talisman." He spoke. "The talisman is just a disguise. The talisman should be an insect." He told them.

"What…?!" Lei Ling exclaimed as he sucked in a sharp breath.

Cheng Sheng raised his head and looked at Lei Ling. "This insect should have a concealment ability. It makes one see what one wanted to see. But, since it is an insect, the things that the one can see should be the same size as it, and that it should be an inanimate object, and that illusory object should not look strange to the location it chose." He explained. "So that it wouldn\'t look suspicious." He finished.

"Oh, gosh…" You Rou covered her mouth in shock.

"So, that\'s why I felt that the \'talisman\' should be there…" Lei Ling muttered in shock. "Because it made me think that way." He said.

Cheng Sheng smiled. "Well, the cause why it made you think that way… did you smell something before you found it?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh…" Lei Ling muttered when he remembered something. "Yes, there is. It was faint." He spoke. "There were many smell in the surroundings, but I still remembered that there was a strange smell. I thought that it was due to flowers, so I didn\'t think much about it." He explained. "So, that\'s why it looked strange." He muttered.

"Yes. Its smell is its attack ability to confuse your mind." Cheng Sheng said. "Right now, Jing Kang should have noticed that the eyes, tongue and teeth of those family should be missing right now." He spoke as he looked at the box that moved again.

Lei Ling\'s eyes widened and he immediately took out a talisman before he sent it out. "Cheng-shixiong…" he called. "How… who could do this?" he asked as he bit his lower lip.

Cheng Sheng looked at him before he sadly smiled and shook his head. "Lei-shidi. Although I know many things, but I don\'t know everything." He told him.

Lei Ling\'s mouth opened, but he doesn\'t know what to say. His eyes reddened and his face flushed in shame. "I\'m sorry, Cheng-shixiong." He said and lowered his head as his tears fell.

"Ling Ling?" Jing Kang\'s voice called. "Ling Ling! Why are you crying?" he asked as he easily entered the pavilion.

Lei Ling turned and his gaze turned bitter when he saw Jing Kang. Unlike him, Jing Kang has been independent since young. "Waaaah!" he cried.