There is a lot of people who liked Cui Buqu, but there is also a lot of people who hated him.
Although the Zuoyue Bureau's name is not prominent, but the authority they wield is tremendous with Empress Dugu supporting them from behind. The people who fell into his hands are uncountable, and those who curse him behind his back are nigh unimaginable. Cui Buqu possesses a heart of steel, for he has never allowed these things to bother him. So now, even if Feng Xiao praised him, he hardly felt it was something to be happy about.
"Commander Feng, with each time you compliment me, a string of words comes to mind."
Feng Xiao, "Only CaoCao and Liu Bei can be considered heroes of the world?"
Cui Buqu, "The weasel paying a new year visit to the chicken."
Feng Xiao laughs, "Haha! Am I the weasel and you are the chicken? From my perspective, why do I feel like Master Daoist Cui is not the sort of chicken who would let people skin you alive while doing nothing about it?"
More like an old, sly, calculative fox that refuses to let others of ever having their own way.
Cui Buqu, "Is that so? From what I see, Commander Feng does certainly look like a weasel."
A beautiful weasel who behaves bombastically no matter where he goes.
Feng Xiao's demeanors aren't bad. Even though he bickers with Cui Buqu practically every day, they have never truly been mad at each other. Instead, he leans over with his handsome face and speaks with extreme familiarity, "We dealt with the Khotan Ambassador's case back in the City of Six Crafts, and here we dealt with Xing Mao and Duan Qigu. Even if this isn't going through life and death together, it can still be considered going through thick and thin with each other. Need you still be so defensive, cold, and distant with me? Is Bolin Cui really your home?"
Cui Buqu takes the brush and paper and writes something on it. He did not even raise his head as he says, "So what if it is? And so what if it isn't?"
Feng Xiao, "Look at the way you behave. Even if it is your home, I am certain you have already disowned them. Otherwise why would you say you have neither sire or mother, and no name or titles?"
Cui Buqu dips his brush and raises an eyebrow, smiling faintly, "It seems like yesterday when I was speaking to Xiao Lu, you've hidden somewhere to eavesdrop on us. Are you not the great Commander Feng of the Jiejian Bureau? Where is your pride?"
Feng Xiao twitches his lips, "There isn't a single moment where Master Daoist Cui isn't thinking about pitting me in all ways possible. If I wasn't careful myself, I fear that sooner or later I would not even have my pants left on me."
As lowers his head to look at what Cui Buqu has written on the paper. The words that are written on it are the very same words from the letter that was found on Duan Qigu's corpse.
Feng Xiao nods his head, "Not a word missing."
Cui Buqu, "Where is that letter?"
Feng Xiao, "Thrown away."
Cui Buqu stares at him coldly.
Feng Xiao inhales and straightens his back, "It's stained by the blood of the dead, do you not mind its filth?"
Cui Buqu sighs.
He feels that there is a very obvious advantage in working together with Feng Xiao, because when two intelligent people come together, there is no need to explain too much to the other. They would be able to understand each other naturally without needing to exchange too much words. Additionally, Feng Xiao's martial arts are unparalleled that even the number one fighter of Göktürk is unable to defeat him. However, there are also disadvantages working with him: Feng Xiao is not his subordinate, therefore it is impossible for Feng Xiao to obey his every command. The Jiejian Bureau is not beneath the Zuoyue Bureau either, and with Feng Xiao's nature, even if his adversary is the ruler of Heaven, Feng Xiao would not even be afraid of them, therefore let alone the Zuoyue Bureau. Feng Xiao is impulsive, even sometimes having the intention to pit someone. Cui Buqu not only needed to do proper work, but he also needed to pick some time to fight with Feng Xiao from time to time to prevent each other from falling into each other's pits. With one brain working on two aspects like this, no wonder his rhonchi that hasn't been triggered for over two years had started to come back recently.
Feng Xiao smiles, "Don't you sigh like that. Otherwise if Qiao Xian heard it, she would think that I am bullying you again. I have read that letter, and I have verified that it does not hold anything special, even if there is, it could only be the riddle on the letter. Did you not say that you have some leads in prior? Tell me about them."
Cui Buqu, "Commander Feng is a clever person, I am certain you can guess it yourself."
Feng Xiao, "How about this. Let us both write whatever we've guessed on a piece of paper and exchange them. This is considered fair, wouldn't it?"
Cui Buqu, "Deal."
Both of them take a piece of paper and brush.
After a while, both parties give each other their own pieces of paper.
Cui Buqu, "The first sentence: I come to view the boundless ocean, from Stony Hill on eastern shore. In my opinion, is pointing to a location."
Feng Xiao, "When CaoCao wrote this poem, he is in a place called Jieshi in Beiping Jun. However, if it was so easy to guess, then it would have been easy for anyone to decrypt this poem, so what I am guessing is that it is actually another place: take the first and last character of the sentence, it would be Donghai Jun."
Cui Buqu nods his head, "This letter is extremely secretive, so I am certain it is related to the Yunhai Thirteen Stories. Before this, I have been thinking, that since the Yunhai Thirteen Stories is an extremely secretive agency that they even refuse to expose their own identities to each other. Although being secretive in this way is beneficial, but in the long run, it is very easy for others to become suspicious. Take Duan Qigu for example, if he knew who the other members were other than Yu Heng and Fong Xiaolian, he could have took the risk. However, with only a woman and a monk, this has indeed made him suspicious and wasn't willing to bet all his wealth and fame into the organization and trust them unconditionally."
Feng Xiao, "That is correct. The founder of the Yunhai Thirteen Stories would have most likely thought of this point already, so they would definitely find an opportune moment to let everyone meet all at once to satiate the suspicions in people like Duan Qigu. It is a pity that before Duan Qigu could attend it, he is already dead."
Cui Buqu, "The third line is a poem from Mister Xie: Before the disdain of younger days, all youth has left. The wilted crops prompts me to weep, hairs on both sides turn old and white. This is the poem he wrote when he was demoted to a remote area in Yongjia."
Feng Xiao raises an eyebrow, "A lot can come from this: Yongjia, Nanting, even Xie Lingyun's cenotaph, they could all be answers."
Cui Buqu, "None of them. The answer is Zhu Ming."
Feng Xiao, "Why?"
Cui Buqu smiles faintly, "Because the next sentence: 'Clear and shallow is the Milky Way.' This is a Han poem from the collection of 'Zhaoming Taizi': 'Afar is Niu Lang's constellation, and luminous is the weaving maiden's river. Lithe fingers weave snowy cloth. Yearning for his company, her heart is elsewhere. The Milky Way seems clear and shallow, yet how isolated they are. Between them lies but a silvery river, yet words of love cannot be exchanged.' Now, let us look at the sentence before these: 'Before the disdain of younger days, departed is the spring of youth. Summer called Zhu Ming, Autumn called Jin Su.' Coupling both these sentences is approximately the seventh of July where Nu Liang and Zhi Nu meets."
(Translator's Note: I did not manage to find a translated poem of this online, so these are my own words with the help of @/gonedolin from Tumblr with the flow and English! The poem cannot make much sense in English, so all the information you need to know is that it's mostly describing the legend and love story of the Cowherd and Weaving Goddess, Niu Liang and Zhi Nu, whose story can be found here. Long story short, a Cowherd and a Weaving Goddess fell in love, but love between man and goddess was forbidden. However, in the end, they were accepted and are allowed to meet every year on the 7th of July through a bridge made of bird that connects Heaven to Earth.
As for the last sentence of the poem (those in italics are the poem), in that time, Summer isn't called Summer, but 'Zhu Ming', and Autumn is not called Autumn, but 'Jin Su'.)
During the daily interactions between Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu, there are lots of mocking and sarcasms, it is difficult to have a conversation like this that brings no tone of mockery, instead, a gentle conversation that soothes the smile and heart. For one second, he could even see a smile on the corner of the other's eyes. Feng Xiao suddenly discovers that Cui Buqu grew up to be quite handsome looking, although his face brings evident looks of being frequently sick, but his eyebrows are clear-cut and sharp, his eyes are naturally born with a glow in them. Sparks flew from them when he stares at someone, but when his face is cold they pin themselves on their target. When he smiles it is like the spring mountains and cherry blossoms blooming all at once. It is difficult to say that Bing Xuan isn't attracted to it.
Feng Xiao smiles, "Master Daoist Cui, you really should smile more often. Perhaps I might even grow soft-hearted and could not bear to squabble with you?"
Cui Buqu, "Then I rather you continue squabbling with me. If Commander Feng listens to everything I say and obey every command of mine, I might even grow suspicious of your motives."
Feng Xiao sighs, "Really, you take my kindness and throw it to the dogs!"
Cui Buqu is too lazy to continue dawdling with him so he says impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense. What are Commander Feng's opinions?"
Look at this man! Although his looks aren't bad, but why is his temper so terrible? Getting angry so easily just like that. No wonder he is born sickly and ill. Whoever falls for this sickly man would have definitely be chased away by him not after three days.
Feng Xiao slanders but for the sake of his face, he keeps a gentle and kind expression, "I completely agree with your hypothesis."
Cui Buqu frowns, "Don't you have anything to say?"
Feng Xiao, "We have the time, but there is more to say about the location. I think that the second line: But if, alas! the Fates should death decree, my spirit will for ever live with thee. Could be related to the location. Whether it is indeed in the area of the Donghai Jun, perhaps we can find the answer in this sentence. However, right now, we do not have anything."
Cui Buqu lowers his head in deep thought, his eyebrows knotting over each other, "With a complicated and secretive poem like this, even if Duan Qigu breaks his brain thinking on it, he could not have found the answer. Within the thirteen pavilions in the Yunhai Thirteen Stories, there should be a code to decrypt something like this. It is a pity we cannot get our hands on other equipment, otherwise if they are all put together, I might be able to decrypt it."
The difference between Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu is that Cui Buqu loves to decrypt riddles, but Feng Xiao would never treat himself so badly. If he encounters something he couldn't solve, he would set it aside first and once the time is right, he believes he will obtain the answer he needs. Wherever the Yunhai Thirteen Stories are, they would not run away, in the end, they would eventually blow their own covers.
Once he catches Cui Buqu deep in thought, he says a quick, "Let me go out and take a walk first." Cui Buqu did not even respond to him and continues to talk to himself.
Outside, Feng Xiao runs into Jin Lian.
As for this small Kedun of Khan Apa, ever since they arrive in Qiemo, she has been quietly hiding herself. Originally, she isn't someone with a tame temper, but she knows that Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu were incredibly busy and might not come to her rescue if anything happens, so to avoid herself being attacked by Fo Er, she has never left her room within this month. She could only allow those maidservants from the City of Six Crafts to go out and bring news to her.
On the other hand, she also holds the intention of watching from the side lines. She wants to see to what extend Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao's abilities could reach to.
Once she sees that these two people could overturn the Heavens, immediately pushing over the two pillars that held Qiemo: one dead and the other fallen from power—for in the end, Xing Mao is a little bit smarter than Duan Qigu. Once he sees that his reign is over, very quickly he surrenders all his wealth and only begs for the safety of his family. Since, according to the rumours, the Emperor of Sui is quite generous, Xing Mao has already been knighted the Marquis of Shanshan and given a big manor, allowing him and his family to live peacefully in the capital.
In silence, Jin Lian is secretly glad that she has chosen to ally with them earlier. With the abilities of these two people, they could even move Qiemo, it is granted that it would not take much for them to convince Khan Apa to ally with the Sui Empire. So her trust towards them grows.
"Lord Feng, I ask for your wellness." Jin Lian courtesies at Feng Xiao.
Travelling away from home, she masquerades as a woman of the Central Plains, but although her accent is still stiff, she has learned most of their cultures.
From the way Feng Xiao sees it, he considers Jin Lian to be an intelligent woman, for when most of the Göktürks only know how to fool around and play games, her wisdom makes her put her focus upon the Central Plains.
She seeks after an alliance with the Sui Empire, and not to let Khan Ishbara swallow them whole.
"Does Lady Jin need something?" Feng Xiao calls the alias she uses.
Jin Lian, "May I know how is Master Cui? The eight ministries will be having a gathering in the Sanmi Mountains. I fear that if we arrive a few days later, we would not be able to make it."
Feng Xiao, "We will be setting out tomorrow."
Jin Lian says, "That is too wonderful! After leaving home for so long, I could not wait to see the familiar grasslands of my home. With both of you returning with me, I feel the Khan would be extremely happy."
After Duan Qigu's incident, Jin Lian's perspective of them has certainly change a great degree. If what she used to behave is politely distant, then now she is behaving familiarly and close with them. However, Feng Xiao does not expose her, "We still have a huge gift for the Khan, on this trip to the Sanmi Mountains, I guarantee Lady Jin would not be disappointed."
Jin Lian tries to guess the meaning in his words as if there is a lot of undertone beneath it. She is busying herself with packing her luggage before bidding Feng Xiao farewell to return back.
Feng Xiao immediately returns to the house, in his heart he says: With Cui Buqu's intelligence, it could even be possible that he could eventually decrypt the secret behind the poem. So Feng Xiao is currently thinking of a way to trick the other into spilling it at him, but who could have guess that when he enters, the sight of a person sprawling across the ground soundly in slumber greets him.
Back then Feng Xiao hasn't yet discovered Cui Buqu's identity and drugged him with the Naihe Xiang drug, he has already familiarized himself with Cui Buqu's condition when he checked his pulse. They had been incredibly weak. There is no need for the Xinling famed physicians to speak, even for Feng Xiao, he could tell that this is someone who will most likely have a short lifespan.
During these days, even if the times Cui Buqu spends burning his brain over strategizing did not count, he has even been through some hardship in the secret tunnel for some time. His body is already weak to begin with, and he starts thinking immediately after he wakes up. Wouldn't it be curious if he did not faint over it?
The sunlight outside the house is beautiful.
A few warm sunrays reaches out to Cui Buqu's face, forming a glistening rainbow.
Feng Xiao stares at it again and again, and he couldn't help but reaches his own face out towards Cui Buqu's.
Long fingers cover his face without even pausing for a second as they pinches Cui Buqu's nose.
This time, Cui Buqu is sleeping incredibly soundly, even this action did not manage to wake him. However, he finds it difficult to breathe and in the midst of his dream, his eyebrows furrow as his lips part to breathe.
Heh.
Feng Xiao exposes a naughty smile, using his other hand, he covers the other's mouth.
Let's see how you can breath now.
"What are you doing?!" Qiao Xian's angry voice came from the door.
Ah, he is discovered in such a brief time. Feng Xiao sighs regrettably and removes his hand.
Cui Buqu isn't awaken by Feng Xiao's playfulness, but he is definitely woken up by Qiao Xian's shout.
He rubs with his eyes and sits up. One of side of his face is a reddened mark of Feng Xiao's hand. For half a minute, he had lost the authoritative atmosphere of the Commander of the Zuoyue Bureau.
Although this person knew nothing of the martial arts, he knew innumerous fatal and undefeatable strategies. Added with an intelligent and meticulous heart, it is impossible for him to have the upper hand no matter where he went. The other two people present dare not belittle him as they knew of this fact, but seeing his look right now, they could not refrain themselves from bursting out laughing in their hearts.
Feng Xiao casts him side a glance. Qiao Xian is already rushing forward and standing between himself and Cui Buqu like a mother hen protecting her chick, as if Feng Xiao is a man-eater.
This Qiao person is making everything a little bit difficult. Should he find an opportunity to pit her as well? Feng Xiao thinks to himself.
But in the end, he just waves his fan and smiles as he ponders over it.
Only CaoCao and Liu Bei can be considered heroes of the world (天下英雄,唯使君与操耳): The original phrase translates literally to "Heroes beneath heaven, only CaoCao and Liu Bei. It is a sentence said by CaoCao to Liu Bei to test him, which ultimately lead to Liu Bei quickly leaving on horse back that night, since it basically means that in CaoCao's eyes, no one in the world nearly matches his skills, except for Liu Bei, which also meant that CaoCao has his eyes set on Liu Bei, and might consider eliminating this nemesis.
In this context, (a personal opinion of mind) to aid the understanding of readers, I think what Feng Xiao is trying to say is that he considers himself Liu Bei, and Cui Buqu being CaoCao. Aka, both of them are the only ones that are considered worthy.
The weasel paying a new year visit to the chicken (黄鼠狼给鸡拜年): This means that bad intentions are coming from someone when they're doing something good for once. The weasel is a natural predator of the chicken, so if the weasel suddenly wants to pay the chicken a new year visit, it's most likely an excuse to eat it.
In this case, Cui Buqu meant that he expects nothing good when Feng Xiao compliments him. *FengCui roasting resumes*.
Xinling famed physicians: Just an address to describe the best doctors in the world.