The Scum Is A ***

CLUNK! CLANG! A gold coin fell on the tin can and made the tin can rattle in the ground before it stopped. The beggar who is tapping the top of the tin can using his walking stick stopped and placed his walking stick to the side. 

"Excuse me." Cheng Sheng called as he squatted before the beggar wearing a conical hat. "Can I ask a few questions from you?" he said as he looked at the beggar whose conical hat is too low, hiding his face. 

The beggar didn't answer, but Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan saw the beggar held his walking stick and tapped the top of the tin can twice. Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan looked at each other before they decided that the beggar must meant 'you may' by that gesture. 

Cheng Sheng turned to the beggar and spoke. "Do you know where is the Shashan Pass?" he asked. 

The beggar tapped the top of the tin can twice again. Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan decided that the beggar must meant 'I do' by his gesture. 

Cheng Sheng asked again. "How about the Wu Ran Kingdom?" 

Tap, tap. The beggar tapped the top of the tin can twice, again. 

Their eyes lit up. "Where is the Shashan Pass?" Cheng Sheng asked. 

The beggar held his walking stick with both hands before he wrote something on the ground beside him. Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan looked at each other before they looked at what the beggar written in the ground. 

Ni Lai. "'Ni Lai'?" Fei Yin spoke. "… 'ni lai'… 'you come'?!" he exclaimed and looked at the beggar. "Is he kidding?! What's with these words?! Does it mean, 'we came'?! 'we arrived'?!" he said and looked at Cheng Sheng and Wu Yuan. "Or we come closer to him? Maybe he has something to say?" he asked before he looked at the beggar. 

Cheng Sheng and Wu Yuan also looked at the beggar, but they didn't hear the beggar speak, nor see the beggar made a gesture again. "…" wait a minute. The beggar is serious by 'Ni Lai'?! They looked at each other, their gazes talking. They decided to look for what 'Ni Lai' mean later. 

Cheng Sheng cleared his throat before speaking. "Where is the Wu Ran Kingdom located?" he asked. 

The beggar has stopped writing on the ground. This time, he started writing again. Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan closely watched the beggar writing on the ground using his walking stick. 

Sand Sea Mountain. 

"'Sand Sea Mountain'…" they muttered. 

"Ah. Was it that mountain we went to yesterday?" Fei Yin asked. "However, there isn't anything strange with it." He said. 

"Nan Pingan said, my father and uncle Jing said that the Wu Ran Kingdom is in another realm." Wu Yuan spoke. "Maybe there is a secret portal in the mountain. We have to find it." He said. 

Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin nodded. Cheng Sheng turned to the beggar before he added another gold coin. "Thank you for answering my question – " he said and was about to leave when the beggar suddenly moved and grabbed his arm. His eyes widened. 

Fei Yin and Wu Yuan immediately reached for their sword when Cheng Sheng raised his hand. They stopped. Then, they looked at Cheng Sheng's arm that the beggar is holding and saw that something is moving under the sleeves. 

It's the Shapeshifting Blanket! "I'm fine." Cheng Sheng said before he turned to the beggar. "Speak." He said. 

The conical hat moved, indicating that the beggar nodded. "'heart'…" the beggar spoke in a low and hoarse voice that is almost inaudible. "'heart'…" he repeated before he let go of Cheng Sheng. 

Cheng Sheng immediately moved away from the beggar and fixed his sleeve which was pulled and the Shapeshifting Blanket was exposed. "'heart'… what does it mean…?" he muttered as he stared at the beggar. However, the beggar didn't speak again, nor did he tap the tin can. 

His behavior is obvious. He wanted them to leave. Fei Yin's brows raised while Wu Yuan's expression didn't change. "Let's go." Wu Yuan said. 

"Yes." Fei Yin spoke and pulled Cheng Sheng who took out two more gold coins. When they were already far, they turned back and looked at the beggar. 

They saw a man placed a paper bill on the tin can and spoke to the beggar. However, the beggar remained still. The man was angered and spoke again, but the beggar is unmoved. He took back his money and then left huffing in anger. 

Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan looked at each other. There must be other people trying to fish information, and beggars are a good choice to ask from since they roam and stay on the streets, so they must have seen a lot of things and know many things. This is the reason why the three of them chose a beggar to ask, and they didn't make the wrong choice. 

However, what had they just seen? The beggar refused to answer the man's question. The three of them are puzzled, but they aren't impatient. Maybe the beggar doesn't know the answer to the man's question. They decided to wait for a little longer. 

But, two, three, four or five more people have passed by the beggar and tried to sound him out to gather some information, but the beggar just shook his head. 

"What's going on?" Fei Yin frowned as he narrowed his eyes and looked at the beggar. Then, he felt Cheng Sheng's gaze on him. He turned to him and shook his head, indicating that he doesn't know the beggar, and Jing Xian also doesn't know. 

Then, this means that the beggar is a side character in the story. It may be that the beggar just suddenly appeared. An inconsistency in the story due to the changes in the story because of the external factors? 

Fei Yin held Cheng Sheng's hand and squeezed it to assure him. Cheng Sheng really had calmed down. "Let's find what 'Ni Lai' mean first, then look for an inn where we can see the beggar through the window so we can see his behavior." He said. 

"Yes." Wu Yuan said. "Let's split up, then go back here after an hour." He suggested. 

"Okay." Cheng Sheng and Fei Yin answered. Then, the three of them went to different directions. 

As soon as the three's presence disappeared, Xi Tong raised his head and grabbed his walking stick before he rose from the ground using it. He beckoned his finger, and the tin can with money inside flew inside his patched sleeve. 

He has to go somewhere to prepare before Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and Wu Yuan arrive. 

"'Ni Lai'?" a stall owner said after Cheng Sheng asked. He scratched his chin as he ponders. "I don't think I've heard of it." He told him. 

Cheng Sheng smiled as he cupped his fists. "Thank you. Sorry to trouble you, boss." He said and then turned. 

"Hey, hey!" the stall owner called. "Won't you continue asking me? Maybe I'm hiding the information?" he asked and flatteringly smiled at Cheng Sheng. 

Cheng Sheng's lips curled up before he slowly turned. "Your acting sucks. And, no one would ask that question if they really know the answer." He told him. "Have a nice day!" he added before he left. 

The stall owner sighed and scratched his head. "Then, why still ask me if you already know the answer?" he muttered before he resumed selling his handicrafts. "Or not?" he muttered as he lowered his head to hide his grin, unaware that, on his collar that was exposed after he bent his head, there was a white stain. 

Cheng Sheng stopped and grinned as he raised his index finger that has a white powder on it. "Let me teach you something, boss." He muttered as he turned and looked at the crafty stall owner from afar as he busied himself arranging his handicrafts. "If you wanted to gather information, ask two people: the beggars on the street, and the people selling wares." In short, merchants. "Also, you didn't let me finish my sentences earlier." He said as he narrowed his eyes while looking at the back of the stall owner. "'No one would ask that question if they really know the answer… unless they deliberately did it." He smiled and then took out a Voice Transmitting Talisman. "I've found a mouse. It is waiting for you to deliver the cheese for it." He said. 

After a while, he heard Fei Yin's voice. "Sheng…" he called. "People in this time still doesn't know what a cheese is." He told him, helplessness in his voice. 

A second after and Wu Yuan's voice was heard from the talisman. "… what's 'cheese'?" he asked. 

Cheng Sheng. "…" my bad, I am too modern for this era. His cheeks flushed. 

For the first time, the scum felt ashamed.