The servant of the First Prince came here to convey orders, but he could not have dreamed that he would see something like this, so he immediately falls to his knees as he stares dumbfounded, until Cui Buqu speaks only did he regains his consciousness.
He stutters, "Prince Eden ordered me to bring these fruits, and to ask if both guests of honour needed anything."
Feng Xiao did not turn back. He waves his hand as if he's trying to make a fly leave him alone.
"There is no need. Put them down and you can leave."
As he says, he grabs Cui Buqu's collar and gives him a naught little laugh, "You have made me held back for so long. Today, you will not be allowed to escape!"
Cui Buqu suspects that Feng Xiao is using this chance to avenge himself since the other man isn't using much strength on him. However, he could feel his own shoulders and neck ache as they slumps.
He bites his teeth and says in a low voice, "That man doesn't know how to speak Han!"
Feng Xiao replies, "O, then quickly use your Göktürk and say 'No, no please! Ah!'"
Cui Buqu: "..."
He musters his strength to kick Feng Xiao under the belt, but his knees were lightly held by the other man and spread apart. Both of their upper bodies were pressed against each other's now. Now this is looking really sensual.
Feng Xiao blinks his eyes, "How is it? It looks enough realistic now doesn't it?"
This is directly going over the expectation, turning an act into reality.
Cui Buqu silently holds back as he remains silent, trying his best to make his own face flush with shades of pink, then trying to use a calm voice to tell the servant, "P-Please tell your prince that tonight I will go to his place to thank him myself."
It is unknown whether the servant heard his words, but he simply nods his head and turns around to leave.
Once he leaves, Cui Buqu pushes Feng Xiao away.
"That will do."
Feng Xiao, "You did it incorrectly."
Cui Buqu raises his eyebrows in question.
Feng Xiao, "When it comes to martial arts, between you and I, if I wanted to make a move on you, there is a thousand ways I can make you submit to me without your knowledge of it ever happening. It is only when you lust after my looks, and when I am in a decisive moment of accepting your intentions, only we would engage in such a sensual manner. So it should be you on top of me, and I who is being the one who says 'no, not here please!'."
Cui Buqu replies him expressionlessly, "There is no next time. After that servant saw that happened just now, the first thing he will do is report back to his prince."
Feng Xiao, "You want him to mistake us for being cut-sleeves. Why?"
Cui Buqu says each word carefully, "Because that First Prince is a cut-sleeve himself."
"Oh?" Feng Xiao gives a very surprised look.
Just now there were too many people in the yurt and most of Feng Xiao's attention were given to Fo Er and other martial artists present. From his perspective, other than Fo Er, there are two others who can be considered top martial artists.
But Cui Buqu's focuses were completely different from his own. He takes note of everyone's expressions and responses, because with his photographic memory, a lot of faint and easily missed details would be noticed by him.
"That First Prince was first completely taken by your looks. From the beginning to the end of the incident, most of the times his eyes were on you, but the servant who stood behind him, which is the one that came in just now, could not stop glaring between the prince and yourself with a jealous expression."
The servant just now is considered to be quite a handsome Göktürk, but for the First Prince, even if he is only just a little older than thirty, his eyes were already wrinkled added with a beard, making him look older than he is.
This is not a man and a woman but two men with quite an age gap between each other. If Cui Buqu has never highlighted this point, Feng Xiao's thoughts would not have drifted to that area.
But it is quite ordinary when one thinks about it. Perverts have existed for a long time. There are people who lust after women, and naturally there are those who lust after men. There were even some who lust after both genders, especially people of higher society were all over the Central Plains. Göktürks are people as well, so for them to have a cut-sleeve prince is nothing too strange.
Cui Buqu says, "But just when the banquet is dismissed, the First Prince leave first. That servant followed closely behind. He thought no one would notice it, but he grabbed the First Prince's hand which the latter did not even shove his hand away. Because I've noticed them in prior, I looked more closely, only did I manage to come to this conclusion."
Feng Xiao, "It is not strange to have a cut-sleeve, but in Göktürk, the one with the strongest combat skills takes the lead, it is not a kingdom that appreciates academics. The First Prince possesses a very inward, introverted, and silent demeanor. His potential to rule a country is not strong, and his combat skills are not comparable to his little brother. If his liking to men is discovered by others, then this First Prince of ours is not too much of a hope."
Cui Buqu, "That is correct. This might even be the reason why Khan Apa neglects this son of his."
Feng Xiao suddenly understands, "What you mean is that just now, all your doing is to ensure that the servant would bring this news to the prince, so that it will give us an opportunity to get close to him?"
Cui Buqu, "Although he is a Göktürk and his authority is only beneath one person, but because of his liking of men, these are things he cannot discuss with others who sits on the same level with him. It is similar to mixing into a pack of wolves, your heart cannot help but feel like it is burning. But what do you think he will think of when he finds that he isn't the only one with a strange habit, but that there are two other people who is similar to himself?"
Feng Xiao smiles, "Naturally, it is something to be happy about, and to recruit them under his wing to be a confidant."
Cui Buqu also smiles a little, "With this in place, it would make our advancement towards the First Prince run more smoothly. Tonight, let me find a chance to speak with him alone and tell him a few tales so that he believes us to be more trustworthy. Although Eden is not ideal, but he can still provide us a lot of conveniences. It is better to have a friend than an enemy."
Very quickly, Qiao Xian who was sent to scout for information returns with Jin Lian's maidservant.
After her return to Göktürk this time, Jin Lian finds her authority and power of influence facing threat, so to avoid damaging it further, there are certain things she cannot stand out for them. Therefore, she sends her trusted maidservants to send word instead. The person's name is Muge and she is a Göktürk with quite dark and tanned skin.
However, Muge brings a grim news.
The HeiYue Shaman is a figure that communicates with god, so when he feels certain kind of feelings, he would go into secluded meditation.
However, it also means that Jin Lian would not be able to visit said person for quite a while.
Jin Lian has also managed to investigate something else and entrusts the information to Muge to bring to them.
Pertaining to the assassination of Khan Apa by those female bodyguards, after the assassination failed, the Khan fell severely ill. During that time, the HeiYue Shaman brought the Khan into his medical yurt to treat him. After the HeiYue Shaman healed Khan Apa, he himself fell severely ill, so he announced to the open that he will be in healing himself during his secluded mediation, with no information of when he can be fully healed and come out to roam again.
Shaman and physicians are the same thing during these times. It is only after medicine evolved, and physicians emerges as doctors, only did both of these positions starts to divert, and that necromancy gradually starts to be perceived as something harmful to humanity. But in Göktürk, the Shaman is regarded as the best physician within the clan.
Feng Xiao snicker, "How convenient."
Jin Lian falling from power within a single night, Khan Apa's massive change of attitude, refusing to even see people who he would usually wishes to see. This has indeed made their objective in Göktürk difficult to achieve, now it is difficult for them to do anything at all.
"Ask her to draw me a map leading from this place to the residence of the HeiYue Shaman." Feng Xiao tells Cui Buqu.
Cui Buqu asks curiously, "You do not know Göktürk, even if you go to his residence, there is no way for you both to talk. Instead, it would expose ourselves."
Feng Xiao, "I just want to take a look whether he is truly in secluded meditation to heal, or is he faking it. If he is avoiding us on purpose, then it is better to just kill him on the spot."
Cui Buqu knows Feng Xiao knows his limits, so he nods his head and entrusts it to him, not questioning him more. Just now he has spoken too much and feels a little thirsty, so he simply takes a piece of melon that was sent by the First Prince's servant just now to eat.
The melon is as sweet as honey, and his hand is like jade.
No one is unhappy when they are able to watch someone beautiful, even if this is Feng Xiao, who ranks number one in elegance and beauty beneath the Heavens. He could not help watching the scene of Cui Buqu as it pauses in his eyes, but before the other can notice his stare, Feng Xiao quickly turns his gaze back onto Muge and says abruptly, "But in front of her we should also put on some of the act, to make our relationship look more convincing?"
Cui Buqu shoots him a glare, looking befuddled, "What use is there in making her misunderstand? Jin Lian is not a cut-sleeve."
Feng Xiao laughs as he waves his fan, "Then I am relieved. Otherwise, I would think that Master Daoist Cui is lusting after my beauty and could not hold himself back seeking for another attempt."
Cui Buqu: "...."
Although Qiao Xian could not understand this, her worrisome nature tells her that once again, Feng Xiao was bullying Cui Buqu when she wasn't there. So she casts Cui Buqu a glance and notices that Cui Buqu's hair and clothes were a little messy, and that there are even some reddened marks on his neck and shoulders that looked really suspicious. She immediately flies into a temper.
"Commander, what did this bastard do to you this time?!"
Feng Xiao finds it hilarious, "What can I do to him? It is obvious your Commander is the one who did something to me, alright?"
Qiao Xian retorts, "Commander is a man akin to a god, he is unmatched and unparalleled in this world. There are only people in this world who faced his rejection. How can there be anyone in this world who rejects him? You...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Feng Xiao looks at her from head to toe for a long time and says curiously, "You are a good maiden, but why are you behaving like your eyes are blind? How would you know that I was the one who did something to him? It is obvious that he is the one who lusted after me and has already succeeded in his attempt. That is why he is giving that kind of look."
When Qiao Xian gives him a cold laugh, sounding that she is about to bicker again, Cui Buqu chooses the right moment to break the conversation. "Someone is here."
This time it is a man sent by Khan Apa.
The servant came here on orders to inform Cui Buqu that the banquet is about to begin and hopes to be sending him on his way.
Qiao Xian is not only a great physician, but she is also a master in the using of poison. With her present, they can avoid Fo Er's assassination of them via food. However, it is quite safe to determine that Fo Er would not use such a trick on Cui Buqu under the eyes of public. Cui Buqu then brings Qiao Xian to the banquet, wanting that chance to get closer to the First Prince. As for Feng Xiao, taking advantage of the night, he sets out to venture alone to the residence of the HeiYue Shaman.
A clear moon, and a dazzling array of stars.
Mountains afar are undulating, and the grasses lulls one to sleep.
The waters rushes down the mountain sides, a lone stone hut stands alone. Gentle moonlight surrounds and bathes it in its light, but there is something lonely about it.
The HeiYue Shaman possesses quite a powerful authority over Western Göktürk, so his resident is practically as big as the entire Clan itself. He lives on a plateau even higher than Khan Apa himself, because he needs to communicate with god, with heaven, so the closer he is to the sky, the better.
All the lights and laughter of the banquet were all quickly abandoned behind him.
Feng Xiao leaps from summit to summit and arrives near the stone hut without much effort.
However, he did not move closer but stands and watch from afar, observing from where he stand.
The Royal Court is near the river, so over there it is undoubtedly sandy and bare. Here, however, is all grasses and flowers. This place is the true world beyond the walls of the Central Plains, a heaven for people.
Although the Göktürks did not build buildings and manors to live in like people of the Central Plains, but when the sun shines upon these wet grasses and trees, aided with the beautiful scenery of mountains and yurts, one cannot help but feels it beautiful.
Feng Xiao does not feel impatient.
So he stands there for half a day and after he determines that there is no danger present only did he walks slowly towards the stone hut.
The HeiYue Shaman lives away from the main camp. According to what he knows, there are only two servants with him, however, Feng Xiao could not locate where they are at this moment.
Perhaps because the HeiYue Shaman is in secluded mediation, they are using this chance to slack off, or perhaps because there is a banquet tonight, they could not stop themselves but has gone to watch the crowd. After all, Feng Xiao thinks, they were still children.
It also means that only the HeiYue Shaman alone is in the hut right now.
Feng Xiao's footsteps are slow.
He could feel an energy radiating from the hut.
When practitioners of the martial arts achieves a certain standard like himself, they are extremely sensitive to situations that would place them in danger. If there is a skilled martial art hiding himself in the hut, with Feng Xiao's abilities, he would definitely feel it, thus he would stop walking here and wait for his opponent to come out themselves.
But there is none. The stone hut is very peaceful. He could even feel a soft breathing coming from inside, sometimes it is strong, sometimes it is faint, as if there is an old man with a weak body napping inside.
The wooden door is closed. Feng Xiao pushes it with little force and it opens.
Inside is a sea of pitch black that greets him. A space where all the stars and moon goes to. Silhouettes of bottles and cans lines the shelves.
In front, in a place where even the moonlight is unable to discover it, there is a long curtain hanging down, and behind it look as if there is the body of someone sleeping.
There is a strange fragrance in this room. Feng Xiao sniffs it and manages to determine that there are medical herbs among them, including ligusticum, cabardine, and ginger.
This isn't poison, but it is the formula of a concoction that would help the Shaman regain his inner strength. This does not seem like a lie.
However, Feng Xiao could not help but feels like something is not right.
Sound!
He suddenly remembers.
Just now outside the hut, although the banquet is some distance away, but the faint sound of its dance and music can still be heard. Yet at this moment, he hears nothing at all.
At the same time, a low, mocking laugh fills the hut.
"You… finally came!"
It sounded near, as if it is in front of him, yet at the same time it also sounded far, as if it came from the horizon.
With each word it speaks, its voice comes from a different direction. In front of him, from his back, from his left and right infinitely.