The Scum Is Helpful

Since they traveled from the mountainside of the Youxiwang Sect, they haven't seen the residential area. However, seeing how the supposed bright Youxiwang Sect from its radiant red sect color, the atmosphere is gloomy, and they can see how grave the matter is.

"Da shixiong!" the disciples exclaimed when they saw Chen Han's group arrive. "Da shixiong… the disease, you should be careful – " they warned him.

"Da shixiong. You should always carry a Cleansing Talisman with you – " another one told him.

Chen Han nodded, his expression serious. "Mn. Thank you for the reminder. You should also have Cleansing Talisman with you – " he said and turned to the Xinfaxian sect disciples with him.

Only then did the Youxiwang Sect disciples notice the group behind Chen Han. "Xinfaxian…" they said and felt like they had smelled the fresh scent of bamboo. Their foggy mind cleared up. "Da shixiong, the second young master – "

His friend nudged him in the stomach with his elbow. The disciple shut up. Of course, they already heard that 'Chen Sheng' defected from the Youxiwang Sect. They were about to hate him when Chen Han, after his visit from the Xinfaxian Sect ten years ago, brought back the Cleansing Talismans with him, telling them that 'Chen Sheng' didn't forget them but instead remembered them. Then, every month a fraction of Cleansing Talismans was delivered to the Youxiwang Sect.

Feng Mo and Li Tian cleared the way, making Cheng Sheng visible to the Youxiwang sect disciples. "Second young master!" they exclaimed and were about to approach Cheng Sheng when they saw the iceberg Fei Yin. They immediately halted and subconsciously returned to their spot.

Chen Han ignored Fei Yin and pulled Cheng Sheng to stand beside him. "Ah Sheng came here to help the sect." he told them. So be grateful. He thought in his mind.

"Please don't twist your words." Cheng Sheng whispered, itching to shout that he was not his brother. However, he knows when to give Chen Han his face. Thus, he held back the urge to punch Chen Han.

"Second young master!" the Youxiwang sect disciples cried and looked at Cheng Sheng, their gaze filled with worship.

Feng Mo and Li Tian then stepped forward and gave the Youxiwang sect disciples Cleansing Talismans. "Since the situation is dire, it's 5 copper coins each – " Cheng Sheng said but his mouth was covered by Fei Yin, who sighed as he immediately let go of him when he saw him shut up.

"Thank you, second young master!" the disciples said and bowed, their eyes tearful as they thanked Cheng Sheng.

Cheng Sheng nodded as Feng Mo and Li Tian gave all the Youxiwang sect disciples the Cleansing Talisman. He can't help but feel his heart ached as he watches the Cleansing Talismans he made overnight disappear. "I could've at least earned 100 gold ingots…" he muttered and sighed.

"If you suddenly feel unwell, immediately use the talisman." Chen Han said. "Your health is important. However, even if so, use it wisely." He reminded them.

"Yes, da shixiong!" the disciples answered and bowed.

Chen Han bid them farewell and he left with the four Xinfaxian sect disciples in tow. They boarded a boat and went to the Youxiwang Sect's pagoda which is at the heart of the Xiwang Lake. Earlier, they were flying so they hadn't seen that the giant pagoda was actually supported by a massive boat. It was also moving, but at a slow speed because of its weight.

"Da shixiong!" the disciples standing guard exclaimed when they saw Chen Han. They immediately put down the ladder for them to cross.

"Da shixiong." One of the disciples approached Chen Han. "Sect leader Wu, elder Ming, and elder Luo were waiting for you to arrive." He said and looked at the Xinfaxian sect disciples behind Chen Han. He greeted them before turning to Chen Han. "They are now at the Entrance Hall." He said and bowed. Then, they led them inside the pagoda.

When they entered, they saw a wide space before them. There were golden and thick posts supporting the upper floors. The floor was shining and seemed to be endless as they looked further. They climbed down the stairs and walked towards the end of the hall. There, they saw three men in their prime standing in the middle of the hall. The man in the middle is wearing the sect leader's crown. It looked like a fire and was alive, making his head look like it was burning. His robes have phoenixes sewn. He is Wu Fan. The man on the right had a kind face and was wearing a smile. He is Ming Ye, Chen Han's shifu. The third man wearing a rigid face is Luo Shi.

Chen Han bowed before them. "Sect leader. Shifu. Shishu. Chen Han has arrived." He said. "I brought with me the four core disciples of the Xinfaxian Sect – " he said and stood straight as he turned to the four behind him.

Fei Yin bowed and spoke. "Xinfaxian Sect's eldest disciple, Fei Yin." He said.

Li Tian followed. "Xinfaxian Sect's second disciple, Li Tian."

Feng Mo is next. "Xinfaxian Sect's third disciple, Feng Mo!"

Cheng Sheng was the last. "Xinfaxian Sect's fourth disciple – Cheng Sheng." He said.

Hearing the words, the two elders and one sect leader before them had strange expressions. Clearly, he is the Chen's second young master. Yet he introduced himself as another person. They unanimously turned to see Chen Han's grieving expression. If the eldest son of the Chen family already looked like this, they could already see the patriarch, Chen Jing's expression.

Fei Yin spoke. "We apologize if we hadn't brought gifts to present." He said.

Wu Fan nodded. "We understand. Time is pressing on us." He told him and turned to Cheng Sheng. "Sheng-er's Cleansing Talismans is enough." He said and smiled.

The Xinfaxian sect disciples sighed in relief. "Sect leader." Chen Han called. "About the disease…" he said. The last message he received was that the disease is contagious.

Their expressions became heavy. "Thanks to your advice to use the Cleansing Talisman, we found that the disease is actually the negative qi coming from the strange corpses." Wu Fan said, his face serious. "We prevented the spread of the negative qi and the casualties by using the Cleansing Talismans to those that were affected. We have the elders of the Chen and Wu families to purify the land of the negative qi." He explained, referring to the two families supporting the Youxiwang Sect.

The atmosphere lightened. Ming Ye spoke. "For now, we can only use the Cleansing Talismans and other purification devices to cure the people." He said.

"Then, my fellow disciples – " Chen Han said, his face hopeful.

Hearing this, the three men's faces turned gloomy again. Chen Han and the others noticed that something was wrong. "Han-er." It was Luo Shi. "The disciples… they're dead." He told him.

They were stunned. "What?!" Chen Han said, his face paled. "What… what does Luo-shishu mean… they died?" he said. "But, I thought they were purified – " he turned to Wu Fan.

Wu Fan closed his eyes and sighed. "Han-er." Ming Ye called. "The purification didn't work." He said. "They were already contaminated by the negative qi. They… can't be saved." He explained.

Chen Han felt his body gone cold. He collapsed on the floor. "No way…" he said as his tears fell. "Wu Yuan… where are Wu Yuan and Sun Yi?" he asked and looked at the three before him. "What did they say?" he asked.

"Yuan and Yi-er were doing their best to purify the remaining disciples." Wu Fan answered.

Chen Han sighed. Fortunately, there was still hope for his remaining fellow disciples. He turned to Cheng Sheng. Cheng Sheng saw his gaze and he stepped forward. He bowed before he spoke. "Sect leader Wu." He called. "The effect of my current Cleansing Talisman may not be enough to dispel the negative qi…" he said, then paused. His expression changed when he remembered something.

They noticed the change in his expression. "What's wrong?" Luo Shi asked.

Cheng Sheng raised his head and looked at them. Then, he turned to Chen Han. Chen Han immediately woke with a start. His last message sent to the sect only mentioned Dongfang Xiaoyun. He didn't have the time to send about the demonic qi they suspected the strange corpses had. "Sect leader. Shifu. Shishu." He said and bowed. "Chen Han has something to say regarding the strange corpses." He told them.

"What is it?" Ming Ye asked.

Chen Han took a deep breath before he raised his head. "The strange corpse that appeared in Xinfaxian was found by Ah Sheng and Fei-shidi." He said and turned to Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin. "They suspected… it wasn't just negative qi. It is demonic qi the strange corpse has, that is why it is aggressive." He explained.

Their eyes went wide and they looked at each other. Immediately, Ming Ye laid down a barrier around them. "Han-er." Ming Ye called. "Is what you said true?" he asked, then glanced at Fei Yin and Cheng Sheng.

Chen Han nodded and they all turned to Fei Yin and Cheng Sheng. "Elder Fan and sect leader Xie must have already known. That is why they sent Ah Sheng and Fei-shidi." He said.

The Xinfaxian sect disciples' faces were nervous as they looked at Cheng Sheng. "This disciple was the first to find the strange corpse." Cheng Sheng spoke. "The strange corpse attacked the thief and sucked his blood. Then, when I cut off its arm that's sucking the thief's blood, both their bodies rotted." He explained and told them about his conjecture that he told Fan Wen and Xie Lan.