The Scum Is A ***

"Sheng!" Fei Yin called as he kicked the monster that lunged itself at him. He saw a monster creeping behind Cheng Sheng when he turned.

He leapt towards Cheng Sheng and pulled him towards him. They turned, then he stretched out a leg and kicked the cursed creature that creeped behind Cheng Sheng earlier. Not on my watch! He thought and round-kicked another one of them that tried to scratch Cheng Sheng's back with its claws.

"Such pests." Cheng Sheng pressed his lips. A scum is an impatient person, thus his patience towards these creatures is running out.

Fei Yin sensed the change in the mood of Cheng Sheng who was in his arms. He was always indulgent towards his lover, but this time, he tried to reason out with Cheng Sheng. "Sheng. We can't kill these creatures." He reminded him. "We have to find another way on how to deal with them, aside from killing them. Or else, their curse will be passed on to us. And for each one of them we kill, the others that we killed, their curse will be added on our body, until our own body rotted from their curse." He explained.

Cheng Sheng closed his eyes tight, trying to calm the irritation in his heart. "I know." He just said as he left Fei Yin's embrace.

Fei Yin felt a sense of loss, but he didn't push Cheng Sheng. He knew that the other is very anxious since Yu Sheng disappeared. Now, their friends, as well as his elder brother, were also missing. Even if Cheng Sheng was not Chen Han's blood-related brother, and he isn't someone from their world, thus he can't be Li Tian's and Feng Mo's shidi, but Cheng Sheng is very sincere with his feelings towards them. Even though it doesn't show on his face and actions, but deep in his heart, he cared for them.

Even a scum knows how to care for someone since he still has a heart. It can never be as hard as a stone, nor be cold like an ice. The heart is the softest, and always the warmest.

Fei Yin could feel Cheng Sheng's fear and panic. "Sheng." He called as he held Cheng Sheng's hand tight, wanting to comfort him. Reassure him. He will always be there for him, no matter what. "We will definitely find them. And to do that – " he turned and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the countless cursed creatures surrounding them. " – we have to overcome this obstacle. So – " he turned to Cheng Sheng who finally calmed himself. " – let's think together, since two heads are better than one." He told him.

Cheng Sheng could feel the warmth emanating from Fei Yin's hand and coursed through his skin, aking his heart warmer. "En." He answered.

…

"Oh, my god!" Li Tian's face paled in horror as he took a step back towards Chen Han who was standing just behind him. "Chen Han!" he cried and turned to bury his face on Chen Han's chest. His body is trembling in fear.

"Ah Tian!" Chen Han called as he held Li Tian tight and looked ahead of them. The path is littered with bones and skulls. Some were buried in the ceiling and the walls, and there were some that are hanging from the ceiling and the walls.

His eyes widened in shock. This is –

"Catacomb… catacombs – " the trembling Li Tian murmured in Chen Han's chest. "Chen Han… Chen Han! I'm scared – " he said and hugged Chen Han tight, wanting to bury himself in Chen Han's body.

Chen Han immediately came back to his senses and patted Li Tian's back to comfort him. "It's alright. It's alright." He whispered. "I'm here. I'll protect you. Close your eyes – " he told him and covered Li Tian's eyes with his hand. His other arm hugging Li Tian securely in his embrace.

Li Tian knows he looked weak and shameful in front of Chen Han. However, his fear of bones is deeply seated in his heart. He is an orphan, and the first time he gained awareness was him living in a cemetery. He doesn't know how long was he in there, nor where were his parents and who raised him since he was a baby, but the first thing he saw was darkness. It was followed by a light breaking through the darkness.

However, after the light appeared a skeleton. Because of the dim light, it casted shadows inside the skeleton's skull, making the skeleton appear more ghostly than it already was. The light was coming from the lamp the skeleton was holding.

Li Tian was frightened into tears before he fainted after he was scared. He woke up the next morning, and the first thing he did was to leave the cemetery in order not to encounter the frightening skeleton. However, as long as he could see a bone, he would immediately be scared. He tried to become a cultivator in order to face his fear, and he slowly overcomes it after facing ghosts and walking corpses.

But, this time is different. Before them is a sea of bones – a catacomb. They would just see more and more of these bones.

"Chen Han – " he called in a shaking voice as he held Chen Han's hand with his shaking hands.

Chen Han kissed Li Tian in order to pacify his lover. He felt his heart is aching seeing his frightened lover. "Ah Tian…" he called. "I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you." He told him as he took out a ribbon and covered Li Tian's eyes with it. His heart felt like it was stabbed when he felt his palm was damp with Li Tian's tears. "Don't remove it unless I told you to." He told him when he saw a figure flashed at the end of the path.

"Chen Han…?" Li Tian called when he heard something crunched and scraped.

"Don't mind it. It was me. I stepped on something." Chen Han, who never moved from his place, told Li Tian.

The one that moved are the bones that floated and formed a complete skeleton that was now walking towards them.

…

"Ugh…" Qian Lin groaned when he suddenly became dizzy. He raised his hand and held his head, his body leaning forward –

Jing Hei's eyes became wide. "AH LIN!!!" he cried and immediately pulled Qian Lin back, away from the abyss.

Qian Lin has an acrophobia. He felt vertigo hit him when he saw the abyss. His hand that was holding the night pearl loosened after he felt his body weakened. The night pearl fell and dropped to the abyss, illuminating the places it passed by.

Jing Hei gulped when he saw there was only darkness. The light of the night pearl can't reach the walls of the abyss. The night pearl already disappeared from his sight, as if swallowed by the darkness, even before it could reach the bottom of the abyss. He moved his gaze away from the abyss and turned to Qian Lin. "Ah Lin, are you alright?" he asked, his voice and gaze filled with concern as he took out another night pearl to illuminate their surroundings.

"Ah… Hei…" Qian Lin called as he covered his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting because of nausea. His face and lips are pale. His forehead and his back are soaked with sweat.

"Ah Lin, it's fine. It's fine. We're already far from there now – " Jing Hei told him as he rubbed Qian Lin's back to comfort him.

"Mn." Qian Lin nodded as he leaned his head on Jing Hei's shoulder and he closed his eyes, trying to erase the image of the abyss from his mind. "What do you think is this place?" he asked.

"I don't know." Jing Hei honestly answered. "But this isn't anything good." He said.

"That bridge." Qian Lin said as he looked at the hanging bridge. It was obviously dilapidated. "Do you think it'll lead us to our death?" he asked, his voice quiet and calm.

Jing Hei closed his eyes and shook his head. "Don't think negatively." He told him. "We have to go back to our family. Your father, your mother, your elder brother… think of them." he said and hugged Qian Lin tight. "I'll protect you, Ah Lin. I promise you. I will definitely protect you." He told him as he cupped Qian Lin's face and kissed him deeply.

Qian Lin's eyes widened before he wrapped his arms around Jing Hei's neck and kissed him back, with the same ferocity as Jing Hei's lips rubbing, gnawing, licking against his lips. Ah Lin… he thought as he closed his eyes and focused all of his attention to their kiss. They don't know where they will reach to next, nor what they will see and in what situation will they be in.

So, right now, they will indulge themselves, even just for a moment, since their future that seems so bright before was now eclipsed by what they call 'uncertainties'.