Just as Cui Buqu is speaking to Bing Xuan, Feng Xiao and Yan Xueying were battling in the air. Both of them spilt up and fly on to two separate roofs, before turning around to face each other.
People who are ignorant to martial arts would only think that their martial arts are levelled with each other and that it was difficult to tell who would have the upper hand, but Yan Xuexing knows that even though he is the exemplary disciple of the Linchuan Palace Academy, yet when he compares himself to this person before him, he still falls far behind.
As his thoughts travels to and fro, he could not think of a single female martial artist from the Jianghu province that could be the identity of this skilled lady.
"Dare I inquire the name of this maiden?"
Feng Xiao, "My maiden surname is Cui, birth name is Buqu."
Cui Buqu: "….."
Bing Xuan could not stop herself from giggling.
Yan Xuexing, "May I know from which sect Maiden Cui is from, and who is your Master?"
Feng Xiao smiles, "Why should I tell you?"
Yan Xuexing swallows, suppressing his fury, and warning himself not to throw a fit.
Along this road he has met many difficult women. Although these years were quite linear, the world of Jianghu had always belonged to men, and men were the ones that ruled the world of Jianghu. Very few women could waltz through the Jianghu province, and even fewer left their names to the wind and allowed it to carry their fame afar. This time it was as if everything was planned, and Yan Xuexing had met them all at once.
Such as Bing Xuan.
And this Maiden Cui in front of him.
Yan Xuexing did not wish to waste time with other people. His only has one goal: to torture the Duan family, and let Duan Qigu suffer as much as he can until he is finally killed. But with Feng Xiao in his way, he could not achieve that goal.
He says in a low voice, "Duan Qigu murdered my entire family. He raped my sister. If this revenge is not avenged, then I have betrayed my family as a son and a brother. Lady Cui, if you have nothing to do with Duan Qigu, please step aside. Today I, Yan Xuexing, will owe you a favour, and I shall return it another day."
Feng Xiao wriggles his eyebrows, "Return with that?"
Yan Xuexing grits his teeth, "As long as it is not against morals and that it is within my abilities, there is nothing that I would refuse."
Duan Qigu has been ruling for over a decade and he has never went out of this way to gain the favour of others, there were only others who kissed his feet and begged for his favour. Even Gao Yi from the Sui Empire had to be respectful towards him. Since when was there a time in his life that he was like this, sprawled like lump of meat on the chopping board and allow others to skin him as they pleased?
The Duan Qigu who had once been a horse thief was fearless and courageous, he had licked blood off knives and were wounded a few times, only did he managed to exchange for his current life of luxury and prosperity. There was nothing he didn't have, so his will to live was fiercer than before. When he saw that Feng Xiao was honestly considering Yan Xuexing's words, how could he still hold himself back? He immediately shouts, "Don't you want to know the secrets? I will tell you everything! Save me! I will tell all of you people every secret I know!"
Cui Buqu, "In that case, you do indeed know who Yu Xiu is?"
Duan Qigu, "I know!"
Cui Buqu smiles, "Duan Qigu, although I do not know any form of martial arts, but I am skilled in reading expressions—a skill I fear only very few people has—before this you said you have never heard of Yu Xiu, that is the truth, and now you said that you know him, I fear is it only to trick us into saving your life! What do you have that is worth trading for your life?"
Duan Qigu shouts, "Yes! I have! Have you heard of the Yunhai Thirteen Stories? I know their secret! Save me! I will tell you everything!"
"The Yunhai Thirteen Stories?" Cui Buqu yields some amusement, "I am indeed interested in knowing more about them, but I have not gone to the point that I would save your life for it. Unless you can prove that you are worth just as much."
Both of Duan Qigu's eyes turn blood-red. In order to save his own life, he would care less for anything else, "The Yunhai Thirteen Stories, is not simply an organization that takes money and takes lives! There are thirteen pavilions, ruled by thirteen people. Among those thirteen people, I am number twelve, called Master Twelve. Is this secret worthy enough?!"
Cui Buqu raises an eyebrow.
He suddenly recalls something.
In the murder of the Khotan Ambassador, one of the murderers, Su Xing, once said that they were all disciples of the Fuyu Sect from Goguryeo. That year, when they were delivered to the Central Plains, the one who sent them here was someone who had extreme authority in the Fuyu Sect. Su Xing and Qin Miaoyu only knew that they called him 'Master One', but they did not know who he truly is.
During that time, Cui Buqu had once discussed with Feng Xiao, that 'one' is the beginning of all things, and they considered whether there were also two, three, four, and now even eleven and twelve?
So is this Master One related to the Yunhai Thirteen Stories?
If so, then this organization hides a huge scheme behind them; their goals and their aims are definitely vast, it would indeed shock all of mankind.
Thinking of it now, they were not only related to Goguryeo, even Duan Qigu who is situated in a faraway place like Qiemo is involved. It is difficult to guarantee that they did not have people in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and all places across the continent, in the Sui Empire or the Southern Chen Dynasty, in Jianghu or other huge and influential sects.
In a blur of fire that spark from embers, from these thoughts, it immediately convince Cui Buqu to make the decision of retaining Duan Qigu's life.
They originally thought that Duan Qigu and Yu Xiu only shared personal enmities between them, and wanted to use this opportunity to unravel Yu Xiu's motives, who knew that Fate allowed them to come across such an earth-shattering secret pertaining the Yunhai Thirteen Stories.
There was no need for Feng Xiao to exchange glances with Cui Buqu, for practically at the same time, they both reach the same thought. He turns towards Yan Xuexing and waves his hand, "You also heard it. He is using his secrets to exchange for his life. I am interested in this secret of his, so why don't you give me a little bit of face, and come kill him a few days later?"
Yan Xueying utters one word after the other, "Impossible. I have waited for more than a full decade, only have I finally managed to wait until this day. Not only do I wish to kill him, I also want to kill every single one of his family in front of his eyes, then thrust a sword into his heart, to let him have the taste of watching his own family die before his eyes!"
Feng Xiao raises an eyebrow, "Debts are repaid, but even if the Duan family lived a comfortable life of luxury, surely they have never killed your family? Are you not a disciple of the Linchuan Palace Academy who proclaimed themselves to be men of philanthropy? Did your Master allow you to do this?"
"Can philanthropy revive my family, and stop those scums from rapping my sister?!" Yan Xuexing let out a long, cold laugh. His gaze swept across the members of the Duan family who are currently shivering, holding a mocking glare in his eyes, "Since they have used Duan Qigu's money, his wealth, and his glory, then they should accompany him in death. Isn't this the laws of the world? If they are loyal to their moral alignments and moral principles, then they would have left a long time ago and rather not use these tainted money! I only killed his daughter with a single strike. I did not let someone ruin her in front of him, this is already the most merciful treatment!"
Before his voice hits the ground, his shadow is already gone.
Yan Xuexing knows his martial arts were not comparable to Feng Xiao's, so he needed to look for a chance to kill Duan Qigu. With those words just now, he had just poured out all the bitterness in his heart that he kept all these years, but his other intention is to distract him. With Feng Xiao here, it was impossible for him to let Duan Qigu die a slow and painful death, so Yan Xuexing chose to end him with a single blow, to avoid missing this chance.
In the midst of the darkness, Yan Xuexing was like a floating curtain on water, practically weightless and quick. Let alone Cui Buqu, for even Bing Xuan would not see him clearly.
But regardless of how Yan Xuexing moves, his target, from the beginning to the end, is definitely Duan Qigu.
So Feng Xiao also moves.
He takes a slow and steady step.
The step is so ordinary that it would not have worth a mention, his body's movement is also not the usual way he moves that swayed like a peacock.
This movement is definitely undoubtedly ordinary.
Feng Xiao drops from the roof, then rises up into the air again like a bird that opened its wings and landed right above Yan Xuexing.
People who watch from the side line would not be able to tell what is so strange about this, but for Yan Xuexing, he could feel a heavy and thundering pressure on top of his head, as if it could crush his entire being. Thus the colour of his face changed and he immediately changed his stance from the offensive to be on defence, bending his waist to rise up and using a palm to slap it onto the ground before pushing himself against Feng Xiao's direction.
In the blink of an eye, they've crossed moves for another ten rounds.
It is not often one can watch two top martial arts facing off. Had it not been for it being during such an inappropriate time, Cui Buqu would have sat down and admire it from afar.
But it is impossible for Bing Xuan to simply sit down and wait for Yan Xuexing to lose, since he is someone that she wanted to welcome into the Hehuan Sect, so she finally attacks.
With her participation, it was as if the situation took a slight turn, but Yan Xuexing could not have guessed that Feng Xiao's powers were strong until this extent, that he did not even wavered in the action.
Or perhaps, from the beginning, Feng Xiao had never used his full strength at all, and that he was waiting for the right moment.
Duan Qigu's wounds were not light, but he did not give up trying to escape. As he watches the three of them fight and neither of them could pay him any attention, he slowly headed towards a dark corner.
Suddenly, someone else was standing in front of him.
It is Cui Buqu.
Duan Qigu did not put Cui Buqu in his eyes, he knows that the other is not a practitioner of the martial arts.
But now, Duan Qigu was nowhere better than someone who did not practice martial arts either.
He tones his voice low and tells Cui Buqu, "These years I have hid no few treasures. Let me run free, and I will tell you where I hid them!"
Cui Buqu, "I have no interest in treasuries, but if you tell me about the Yunhai Thirteen Stories, I will spare you your life; not only that, but my wife will help you to buy some time. After today, surely you can escape on your own?"
Duan Qigu laughs a bitter laugh, "After joining the Yunhai Thirteen Stories, one must guard all the secrets within it, to not even let a whisper reach a third ear. Even if I told you, I only have one choice, that is death."
Cui Buqu, "But just now you have already told me."
He turns his head and shouts to Feng Xiao, "Dear wife! Duan Qigu refuses to cooperate. So just fight however lazily you wish and pretend to fight seriously, then finally, let Yan Xuexing kill him and be done with it!"
Even with one against two, Feng Xiao still possesses the free time to respond, "No problem ~ I am the most obedient wife to my husband!"
Duan Qigu quickly says, "I'll tell you! I'll tell you! What do you want to know?"
Cui Buqu, "Do you know Yu Xiu or not? And Is Yu Xiu one of the people from the Yunhai Thirteen Stories?"
Duan Qigu, "I really do not know, and neither have I heard of such a person! The Yunhai Thirteen Stories have thirteen people in charge altogether. Every one of them rules a pavilion of their own. Although I am one of them, I only know who is before and after me. As for the others, I have never seen, met, nor even heard of them!"
Altogether, there were thirteen people, Duan Qigu is ranked Master Twelve, so the one before him should be Master Eleven, and the one after him would be Master Thirteen.
Cui Buqu, "Who are they?"
Duan Qigu, "Master Eleven's name is Yu Heng, he is a monk; Master Thirteen is a woman, named Fong Xiaolian!"
Whether Yu Heng and Yu Xiu were the same person or not, Cui Buqu decides to set this aside for the time being, but once he hears of the name Fong Xiaolian, Cui Buqu felt very surprised.
"The most loved devilish concubine of Gao Wei, Fong Xiaolian?"
Duan Qigu, "Yes! Yes!"
Fong Xialian of the jade body. For all who were familiar to the little happenings in the world, who would not have heard of the devilish beloved concubine whose name rings thunder?
It was only because after the Sui Empire was established, Fong Xiaolian was offered to the Sui officers, according to Cui Buqu. This woman should have died in the fight, and for such a beauty to perish, many people had felt pity towards it.
Yet if she really is the Master Thirteen of the Yunhai Thirteen Stories, then her death, perhaps has more than it meets the eye.
Fong Xiaolian: The correct pinyin should be Feng Xiaolian, but it is not the same 'Feng' as Feng Xiao's Feng. So to avoid confusion, it has been changed to 'Fong', which is the Cantonese reading of the surname.