Cheng Sheng didn't answer and just focused his gaze on the crowd. "Do you have a spell caster on your team?" he asked and finally turned to xiao San.
Xiao San nodded. "We do." He answered. Then, he realized something. His face turned red in shame. "xiao Huan's skill is average in casting spells." He explained.
This is the reason why they didn't realize that the Drunken Moon City has been put under a spell. Fortunately, the spell casted isn't harmful to everyone and only just messed with their perception.
Cheng Sheng's words surprisingly isn't biting. "One of the reasons why a spell caster dominates another spell caster is because of their casting time." He said.
Xiao San stared at him.
"There are two key points in casting time." Cheng Sheng continued. "One, the duration of the spell. Two, the time the spell was casted." He looked at xiao San. "Of course, if the first spell caster casted the spell first – whether he is fast or slow, then, naturally, the other spell caster would be dominated by him and fall into a passive state." He explained.
Xiao San's eyes widened and he gaped at Cheng Sheng. His eyes are filled with awe. "I'll go immediately call xiao Huan!" he said. He didn't wait for them to answer as he instantly left.
"You are going to teach a demonic cultivator?" Wu Yuan asked. He didn't mean to criticize. Just purely asking.
"On the surface, we are 'allied' with them." Cheng Sheng shrugged.
Fei Yin and Wu Yuan looked at each other and didn't speak again. Not long later and xiao San returned with a young man with an average look but clear eyes.
"This is xiao Huan." xiao San introduced the shy young man.
"Too timid." Cheng Sheng spoke.
Xiao San and xiao Huan. "…"
Xiao San coughed. "His hometown is near the Ni Lai Gate and he almost died because of the demonic energy spilling from the Gate." He explained. In short, xiao Huan wouldn't have become a demonic cultivator if it wasn't for the demonic qi plaguing the Heilong Realm.
This is the typical situation in the Heilong Realm. Most of the demonic cultivators looked ordinary and doesn't fit being a demonic cultivator because they were originally just ordinary people. Yet, after the demonic qi broke out in the Wuran Kingdom because of Wu Ran, the ordinary people were poisoned by the demonic qi. Those who are weaker died, while those who are stronger survived and became demonic cultivators.
Now, they can't live without the demonic qi. If they can't inhale demonic qi, they would later die. The demonic qi, that poisoned them, became a drug to them.
Cheng Sheng decided to stop nitpicking on them. He turned to xiao Huan. "The spell caster on Ma Wen's side has enveloped the whole city in a spell. Even though the spell isn't harmful, and you can continue drinking Spirit to remove the effect of the spell on your people, but, what about the citizens?" he asked.
Xiao Huan opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"We are also worried for the citizens." xiao San said. He looked at Fei Yin and Wu Yuan before he turned back to Cheng Sheng. "Please teach xiao Huan on how to remove the spell in the city." He said.
"There are two ways to do this." Cheng Sheng spoke.
Fei Yin and Wu Yuan suddenly realized something. Wait. Isn't this Cheng Sheng's 'Two's again?! They thought.
"One way of removing the spell is to cast a stronger spell that would negative, or destroy, the spell casted." Cheng Sheng spoke. "The other way is… to defeat, or kill, the spell caster." He told them.
Xiao Huan's eyes became round while xiao San's expression immediately changed. He held xiao Huan's shoulder and looked at Cheng Sheng. "Can I talk to you all, alone?" he asked, then turned to the stunned xiao Huan. "Go back to xiao Ming." He told him.
Xiao Huan distractedly nodded and mechanically walked away. Xiao San watched him left before he turned to Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan whose expressions say that they have already guessed what's 'wrong' with xiao Huan.
Xiao San sighed. "Let's go someplace to talk." He said.
"En." They answered and followed him.
Meanwhile, the Hongmen Banquet… ehem, breakfast was finished. Everyone stayed because they wanted to know what had just happened earlier. Of course, the ones who wanted to know the most about this are Ma Wen's people that are hiding, especially the spell caster.
Earlier, when they ate the food, they suddenly felt a burning heat on the pit of their stomach and the heat travelled to their chest, then spread all over their body before it shot straight towards their head. They thought they were gonna die, but in the end, they were able to bear the almost unbearable heat. They thought they were poisoned. Then, they thought that Meng Gui would sacrifice all of the people of the Drunken Moon City.
How wrong they were. Meng Gui isn't that ruthless. He isn't a monster.
They watched their colleagues brought by Meng Gui's and Shang He's people in front of the platform. Because of the unbearable heat on their body, they scratched their skin with their nails, scraping some of their skin until they bled. They almost couldn't walk straight because they were twitching their body, twisting their legs, hoping to find a comfortable position to relieve the heat on their body. Their face and whole body were also soaked with sweat, making the wounds they made on their body sting, more painful.
But, Shang He's and Meng Gu's subordinates didn't care about these people suffering. If these people can't walk, then, they will drag them! So, the crowd saw that some of the criminals' feet were scraping against the ground, leaving a line mark on the soil, and also a trace of blood on that line after the skin on their heels were torn after scraping against the rough surface of the ground.
"Hold them tight." Meng Gui spoke. This isn't Shang He's territory so it was Meng Gui who will be punishing the criminals – albeit they are Ma Wen's people.
Saving face? Ma Wen dared to plant his people on Meng Gui's territory and even dared to stir trouble. Fortunately, no one died. But, how can Meng Gui give him face when in the first place it was him who didn't give him face?
Meng Gui grabbed his whip and raised his hand in a graceful arc. No one knew or has seen what happened, but one of the criminals suddenly collapsed on the ground. Before any of them could react, they saw that there was a thin line on that person's neck. Then, blood seeped out of the thin line. Before their brain could process these two successive acts, they saw that that person's body rolled away from his now headless corpse.
"AAAAH!" such a stimulating sight, who couldn't bear it aside from the faint hearted? They saw a disbelieving expression on that person's face. Like them, he didn't know what had happened. But, unlike them, he is already dead.
Ma Wen's people who were hiding in the crowd suddenly felt something cold on their neck. They nervously gulped and released the breath they didn't realize they have been holding.
"Next." Meng Gui spoke.
Meng Gui's subordinate pushed another person to the front. This person was actually still sane. When he saw what had happened earlier, he shrieked. But, his following shrieks were stuck on his throat since Meng Gui has already raised his whip. Like the first one earlier, a thin line of blood was seen on his neck before his head rolled in the ground.
Everyone who watched the scene suddenly felt their neck became cold before their head ached. Some who can't bear the sight covered their mouth and their faces paled because of the nausea. Then, they vomited on the spot.
Who said this is a wedding feast? This is a public execution!
Shang He has been observing the atmosphere and when he saw the people's ugly expressions, he spoke. "These people have been hiding in our midst. They are better than the rats in hiding and better than the cockroaches who can't be killed since we can't find them." He said. "Today, in order to catch them, we have to lure them. What can be a better lure than food? But, the 'poison' we placed on the food is only for them." He explained. "If you aren't bearing ill intentions, then what are you afraid for to be found?" he smiled.
The faces of Ma Wen's people that survived turned ugly. They originally thought that Shang He and Meng Gui are cowards, afraid of Ma Wen's power that's why they teamed up to fight against Ma Wen! But, they should have known! It wasn't that Shang He and Meng Gui felt inferior towards Ma Wen.
Looking at Shang He's and Meng Gui's grinning faces, they are actually arrogant!