Translator's Notes: After this chapter, every subsequent chapter for this arc would come a little slower, as they're all long chapters until the end of the arc. But for now, please enjoy the first glance of FengCui's potentially domestic life =)
Feng Xiao couldn't stop himself from bursting out in laughter when he heard his words.
"QuQu, you really do know how to joke. Of all the top ten martial artists under the Heavens, at a glance, have you seen any of them that was as graceful as a jade trees swaying in the wind like me?"
Cui Buqu replied expressionlessly, "I do not know whether they are jade trees or not, but of all the top ten martial artists under the Heavens—"
He pointed at the mattress that was now squashed now under Feng Xiao's body, "When it comes to the thickness of one's face, I fear no one can be on par with you."
Feng Xiao snorted, "I haven't even begun to be calculative about the fact that you're using my name yet, at the very most I will just let you sleep on this very spot tonight."
Cui Buqu as a person was not as fastidious as Feng Xiao, but it really had been too long since the mattress in this inn was exposed to the sun; there was even a rotten, decaying smell radiating from it. As for the blankets, other than tea stains, there were even some mucus and yellow spots of unknown origin. Even Cui Buqu found it difficult to pretend as if nothing was out of the ordinary and lie on it. Perhaps even the floor was cleaner.
As he contemplated between sleeping on the ground and sharing a bed with Feng Xiao, he chose the latter in the end.
After all, no one would make an enemy of themselves; the ground was hard and cold. Perhaps nothing would happen if other people slept on it, but Cui Buqu would definitely get a cold.
Feng Xiao waved his hand and tossed a few coins to the employee. The latter left holding the money in delight, not neglecting to close the door behind him.
Cui Buqu's body was not in a prime condition and it was easy for him to tire out. If he did not have a good night's sleep, then he would experience even more fatigue the next day. Therefore, he had no interest in bickering with Feng Xiao. As he put on his robes and lay down, very quickly everything fell into silence.
However, Feng Xiao was excited and wide awake, so he tossed and turned restlessly.
The bed of this inn was not very sturdy to begin with, so once he started turning around, sounds of squeaking could be heard. Moreover, Feng Xiao did not only turn once, he slept on his left for a while, then on his right, then on his back, then on his left yet again…
Cui Buqu could no longer tolerate it and sat up, "Do you want to sleep or not?!"
"I have a question on my mind, if I do not have the answer to it, I fear I would not be able to sleep." Feng Xiao said innocently.
Cui Buqu spoke coldly, "I only agreed to bring you the zither Yu Yin. Tomorrow, Ninth Lady Cui will take us to see Cui Yong, the patriarch of the Cui family. This is your chance. After that, how you will get your hands on the zither would be up to you completely."
He turned around and pulled the blankets up, no longer paying the other any attention.
Feng Xiao giggled and said, "QuQu ah, since you already spoke in such a heartless manner, you should have just sent someone to come with me, or simply point the direction to me, why would you come yourself and embark on such a long, winding journey? Could it be—"
Both of them were sleeping close to each other to begin with. He moved forward a little until he could practically smell the scent of shampoo on the other man's hair.
Cui Buqu's hair definitely smelled differently compared to his temper; it was soft and smooth, but because of the condition of his body, he had thinner hair compared to others.
"Could it be that, Master Taoist Cui, you came for a completely different reason?" Feng Xiao dragged his voice as he finished his sentence.
Cui Buqu's back was faced to him as he slept on his side. He did not even move.
Feng Xiao laughed in a noncommittal way, "When we met Ninth Lady Cui just now, your face obviously changed. When I looked closely at her, I realized her eyes resembled yours a little. This proves that your relationship with the Cui family is not so simple. I suppose you might even be the older brother of Ninth Lady Cui. However, after so many years, they never knew of your existence and this again proves that you never wanted to share any relationship with them. So this time, you came for something else. Is it the Yunhai Thirteen Stories?"
"Last time, when you told me that the Jinhuan group leader, Ning Shewo, went north, I also told you that I received some news, do you remember? I was not pulling your leg at that time, the news I received could really be of use to you. If you really want to know, it's not impossible for me to tell you."
He rambled on non-stop for practically an entire night, only then did he realize that Cui Buqu still did not move.
Feng Xiao found it very hard to believe that the other man could still sleep in such a situation, so he couldn't help but stretch out his neck to look, only to realize that Cui Buqu's ears were stuffed with…
Lumps and lumps of fluffy white cotton.
Feng Xiao: "…"
Cui Buqu's lips were curved into a smile. He was dreaming of pushing Feng Xiao into a very deep pit, watching the other jumping about in the pit as he screamed. As for himself, he stuck out his torso as he stood on the edge, brimming with satisfaction.
Ever since he stuffed cotton in his ears, he was finally at peace. After a pleasant dream, another good night's sleep went by. All those disturbing noises of various people shouting were all abandoned outside until the next dawn, when his eyes opened naturally.
When he turned his body, he realized Feng Xiao was missing, and outside the door sounded a conversation between two people.
Ninth Lady Cui had just woken up to wash herself. She was standing in a strange posture in the residence, but once she saw Feng Xiao walking out, she couldn't help but smile.
"Young Master Pei!"
Feng Xiao walked over, "Ninth Lady Cui, are you practicing the Five-Animal Exercise?"
Ninth Lady Cui responded shyly, "Yes, Doctor Sun was the one who taught me. I've just begun learning, so this must seem like a joke to you."
Feng Xiao said, "There is no need to be humble. I have also once learned the Five-Animal Exercise. You're considered quite a fast learner with this set of formation that you're practicing. The Cui family was always known to have a famed and prestigious reputation. All these years many talented folks have emerged from your house. Since Ninth Lady Cui is one of the Cui family, it's your right to be smart and intelligent by nature as well, able to grasp the full concept with only a bit of a hint."
Ninth Lady Cui was praised until her face turned red all over, "Young Master Pei, you've overestimated me. Actually, if we were to speak of intelligence in the Cui family, the name itself should belong to my eldest cousin brother, Cui Fei. Wisdom came to him early, and by the time he was fifteen, he had already proven himself to be extraordinarily gifted. Right now he is compiling the county records with a few people. The former prefecture's magistrate even wished to recommend him into the Imperial Court."
There was no shortage of pride in her words. Feng Xiao smiled as he listened and picked the right moment to interfere, "What about the other brothers of yours? Surely they are all extraordinary as well?"
Ninth Lady Cui shook her head, "No. Other than my eldest cousin, some of my other brothers and cousins died early and some others already have families of their own. The only one who is more or less my age and is still in his studies would be my fifth brother."
Ninth Lady Cui's grandfather, Cui Yong, had four sons.
The eldest son was over fifty years old, he had enough gentleness to spare and wasn't exceptionally talented, but if everything went well, then he would be the future successor of the Cui family's business.
The second son passed away thirty years ago.
The third son, Cui Lin, was mediocre. He has a pair of son and daughter; the daughter was Ninth Lady Cui, and the son was the fifth brother she spoke of, Cui Bin.
The fourth son was Cui Pei. He was talented in literature writing and enjoyed traveling to gain worldly experiences. His friend circle was vast, and he was the most well-loved son of Cui Yong.
In the county of Boling, the Cui family had always been eminent. They were the most distinguished family so, even every new Garrison Commander was obligated to pay them a visit.
At present, aristocratic families was in quite a prestigious position, even the Emperor who was above all had to treat them with courtesy and respect. Even the Imperial Family of Yang came from an illustrious family of the Guanzhong plains themselves. and these members of powerful families were often closely related to each other, so the way they behaved in front of the Emperor was unlike how common citizens looked up to him. The difference was massive.
So it was quite easy to scout for information regarding the Cui family. Before he arrived here, Feng Xiao already knew most of them.
Even if there were shady secrets hidden within their façade, these were not things people like Ninth Lady Cui would have known anyway.
Cui Buqu pushed the door as he walked out and was greeted by the sight of Feng Xiao and Ninth Lady Cui conversing with familiarity and full of laughter.
When Ninth Lady Cui saw Cui Buqu, she smiled and waved at him, "Young Master Feng! You've woken up. There is breakfast in the front hall, so please help yourself. After that, we can enter the city to visit my grandfather."
Cui Buqu replied in a dull tone, "Your grandfather must be a busy man. I fear he does not have the time to see people like us. Why don't we just leave it? During the Literary Festival, we should still meet."
Ninth Lady Cui perceived that as him being shy, so she quickly said, "My grandfather is usually very friendly and kind. He is easy to get along with. Please rest assured! He likes talking to young people and he definitely wouldn't make it difficult for you."
Cui Buqu gave an empty laugh, "I couldn't have guessed that your grandfather is a perfect person in your eyes."
Ninth Lady Cui couldn't hear the other meaning between his words, but Feng Xiao could see it clear as day. When a tinge of mockery surfaced in Cui Buqu's eyes, it never meant that he was giving honest praise, in fact, what he said usually had the opposite meaning of it.
"Ninth Lady, we will be enjoying breakfast first, then we will see you again later."
Feng Xiao cast a smile at Ninth Lady Cui and made use of the chance while the other was still mesmerized by him; he tugged Cui Buqu's sleeve before quickly leaving. They did not stop until they arrived in the front hall, only then did they slow down, "You've already held so much hatred for them, yet you still came because of me. A-Qu, I am really touched."
Cui Buqu rolled his eyes, "Commander Feng's narcissism really is something else; I would not be surprised if you are ranked number one under the Heavens!"
Feng Xiao replied angrily, "The Ninth Lady was well-loved, adored, and well-fed since she was born, while you ran away from home since you were little and had to endure the weight of the world, grinding away your life. Had it been me, I would have been angered to the bone. However, Ninth Lady Cui is not a fool. If you continue to mock with stoicism, she will notice it sooner or later. I was wondering if this time you came here, surely, wouldn't it be just to tell her that you are her brother by birth?"
Cui Buqu's footsteps slowed down.
Feng Xiao laughed, "Haha. Originally I wasn't so sure myself, but when I see your reaction now, I know that I have guessed correctly."
Cui Buqu, "Commander Feng, are you truly that bored?"
Feng Xiao, "Cui Buqu, there are countless mysteries on you. If I could undo the knots one by one, wouldn't that be very interesting?"
Cui Buqu replied to him coldly, "You were wrong about two points. First, I did not suffer because I left the Cui family; it was because I'm riddled with illnesses and it left me with no option but to leave the Cui family. Secondly, hate is born out of love. I hold no hatred towards the Cui family because to me, they are simply strangers that came into my life and left. Even if you knew my background and my birth, they can never be valuable to you to use against me in order to get the zither Yu Yin, so you can kill that thought!"
As he finished, he left in quick steps, no longer paying Feng Xiao any attention and left him with only the sight of his forlorn shadow and suppressed noises of coughing.
Feng Xiao twitched his lips and leaped into the air, before very quickly landing on the ground with an innocent sparrow in his hand that just happened to pass by.
"How many times do you need me to repeat myself so you can understand that I have no interest in the zither Yu Yin! Do you really want to keep struggling, to close your eyes and ears, and allow yourself to be misguided by your own intelligence?!"
The little sparrow's head was tapped a few times, so it chirped loudly and noisily, even pecking his finger a few times in fury.
He released his hand and allowed that fat little bird to escape from the devil's grasp and fly back into the broad sky, afraid of being caught again.
Feng Xiao suddenly smiled.
Naturally, had it been Cui Buqu, he wouldn't have run away so quickly like the sparrow.
He wasn't a sparrow, neither was he a sickly eagle. He wasn't like anything in this world that was ordinary and bland, he wasn't born well-protected under the shade of a large tree, like treasured plant that grew up guided by the wooden poles.
He was Cui Buqu, the one and only Cui Buqu, the Cui Buqu who could still manage to chisel a path out even if he was cornered on the very edge of a cliff.
"It's fine. After all, who made you Cui Buqu?"
Feng Xiao rubbed his hands together, flicking away the dust that clung to his sleeves before walking to the front hall.
It was no longer early in the morning, so not much breakfast was left. People who planned to enter the city had already left. Both of the Zuoyue guards had already finished their breakfast and were currently waiting outside.
Cui Buqu sat alone on a table, all prim and proper as he dined on a mantou.
In front of him, there was a bowl, and next to it was another bowl.
Both of those bowls were filled with congee.
Although the adjacent bowl did not have as much congee as Cui Buqu's own bowl, it was still considered a bowl of congee, not at all an empty bowl.
Feng Xiao suddenly felt his mood lifting up once again for no reason.