The feet that hung themselves on the branch loosened, yet the person didn't fall down. Feng Xiao skilfully did a flip and landed upright and once again he was that wayward graceful Commander Feng, as if everything that was seen just now was just an illusion to Cui Buqu.
"I never knew that Commander Feng has the habit of eavesdropping. In the future, if you no longer wish to remain in the Jiejian Bureau, you can consider becoming a little thief who runs along the walls, surely, that could also earn you a comfortable and luxurious living." Cui Buqu told him coldly.
Feng Xiao was shocked, "I am listening proudly and upright in broad daylight, it's just that you both failed to notice me, so how can this be called eavesdropping? I couldn't have thought that you were so concerned over me, to think that you have even prepared arrangements for my future livelihood. How about this: once that treasure stove is found, it can be divided between us, then I will pretend nothing ever happened."
Cui Buqu coughed, "After the treasure is found, I will report its finding to the Imperial Court and return it to the national treasury. You can ask the Emperor for it."
Feng Xiao hit his fan against his palm, and said suddenly, "Now I understand; before this, you told me your past by initiative to bring up Yuan Sansi's identity, and the goal was to make me let my guard down so I wouldn't be suspicious when you two will acknowledge your past relationship, and that was to conceal the truth of the treasure stove?"
Cui Buqu was expressionless, "Yes."
"Outrageous duplicity!" Feng Xiao laughed and seized his shoulder, ignoring the other's cold and declining face, "You were obviously just looking for someone to talk to. When one is atop a high mountain, they cannot bear the loneliness alone; in your eyes, I am the only one who is worthy to converse such things with you. Alright, you needn't say more, I understand everything!"
Cui Buqu looked up at the sky wordlessly, and in his heart, he questioned; was it because his voice wasn't loud enough and the other had allowed it to get over his head, or that Feng-er's ears were faulty and he could only hear what he wanted to hear?
Just now he had said a bunch of things to Yuan Sansi, and his head began to hurt. Cui Buqu was too drawled to speak more, preparing to lie down for a good while in the horse carriage. Who could have known that once he got up the carriage, a shadow flew in faster than himself, and in the blink of an eye, it is already sitting upright in the carriage.
Cui Buqu's expression darkened a little more.
Feng Xiao thumped his leg as he sighed, "Both of you were talking for so long, my legs hurt when I was on the tree. What are you standing there stunned for? Come up quickly, don't let the driver wait too long! They have also waited here for a similar amount of time and had waited painfully, Master Taoist Cui, please spare him a thought!"
Watching the driver's carefully and slight fearful expression, Cui Buqu twitched the corner of his lips before getting up the carriage slowly.
Feng Xiao smiled as he reached out to pull him in, but instead, he was cruelly hit on the back of his hand. He even exclaimed in an over-exaggerated way, "Taking my kindness and feeding it to the dogs, aren't I just afraid that you will trip and fall?"
It was fine if he had remained silent, but once he opened his mouth it was like the beak of a crow. Yesterday it rained, and the soil was slippery. As he got up the carriage, Cui Buqu felt his foot slipping and thankfully he managed to grab the side of the carriage, avoiding falling head-on.
Feng Xiao couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
Cui Buqu felt even more inclined to remain silent.
However, if he said nothing, it didn't mean that Feng Xiao would say nothing as well. As long as his mouth wasn't stitched up, Feng Xiao could keep making annoying noises.
"Look at you. You said that you wanted to come to Boling, and it's because I saw how heavily wouned was Qiao Xian while Zhangsun needed to serve as the mainstay in the capital, no one reliable was accompanying you, thus I came myself to guarantee your safety…"
Cui Buqu might as well interrupt, "Did you manage to get your hands on Yu Yin?"
Feng Xiao spoke in high spirits, "How could it be only just that? Your grandfather even wanted to offer his granddaughter to me as my concubine!"
Cui Buqu replied sorrowfully, "Then congratulations are in order for Commander Feng, for good news to come in pairs!"
Feng Xiao moved closer, "I feel that, with Cui Yong's look at that time, looking entirely like he was grasping at straws, let alone giving me his granddaughter for a concubine, even if I wanted to marry his very own wife, eight out of ten he would have agreed to it."
Cui Buqu did not bulge. His lips crooked a little, and immediately this gesture was caught by Feng Xiao. He even pointed it out slyly, "If you wanted to laugh, then just laugh. No one is here to stop you, so why are you suffocating yourself?"
"Cui Da Lang colluded with the Southern Dynasty and committed a grave offence, but the Emperor will take into his consideration the Boling Cui clan and will not bestow a death penalty upon him. He will not be able to succeed the patriarch of the collateral branch of the Cui family, and he needed to make a quick decision in order to save himself. Although Ninth Lady Cui is a daughter of the third son, she still belongs to the collateral branch. Thus let alone Cui San who had harmed the life of an innocent, he would not be able to escape the penalty of a murderer. The people of this family were unfortunate through and through. How much on earth did Cui Yong put into consideration before he made you this offer to buy your interference?" Cui Buqu smiled in contempt.
"When someone had been on a high plateau for too long, watching over that three mu of land, and there was no one around to stand against him. In time, their worldview on the horizon would narrow. Cui Da's ambitions were loftier than the skies, and he wished to ravish another path for the collateral branch of the Cui family so they may live in luxury for a few more centuries, it was a pity that he had allowed it to go to his head."
Feng Xiao chuckled and changed the topic, "I knew that Master Taoist Cui's setup was not so shallow, to come from a thousand miles to the Cui family just to take revenge. Your goals were to bring Cui Da's crimes to light for public eyes while contacting Yuan Sansi in the dark and make him confess the locations of the treasure stove himself. You even used the zither Yu Yin to distract me. With all that meticulous plotting, had I been just a little bit uncareful, I really would have let you lead me on like a fool."
Master Taoist Cui did not smile on the surface, "Didn't you find another path to walk in the end? You even found one on the tree!"
With Feng Xiao's shamelessness, his face would not redden from just a mere sentence like this, "See, you know me so well, we could just make shift with what is on hand."
Cui Buqu raised an eyebrow, "Make shift of what?"
Feng Xiao, "Make shift of an alliance together again. That treasure stove will certainly contain many trap mechanisms engineered. Even if you are the number one most intelligent man beneath the Heavens, it would still have been very difficult for you to manage your way through, but with me, things will be different."
Cui Buqu replied with a "Mhm," and continued, "Originally, I might have died in the trap mechanisms, but if I brought you along, it's estimated that I might be pushed into the trap mechanisms instead."
Feng Xiao laughed, "How would I be willing to part with you? Days without you would have been lonely!"
Cui Buqu gave a cold laugh, "Before getting to know me, how did all your subordinates manage to stand you?"
Feng Xiao waved a hand, "Are you referring to Pei Jingzhe? The one who often travels with me is him. This child is slow in his head, eight out of ten times I ridiculed him, he would not be able to get it in time. It was no fun at all."
So the reason behind gluing himself to him was because he was more fun?
Cui Buqu felt his head hurt even more now. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "We can no longer stay in the Cui manor. I have ordered someone to search for an inn. In two more days, once the cases regarding the Cui family have been settled and handed over to people sent by the capital, we will move to seek out the treasure stove."
Feng Xiao was surprised, "Cui Da fell under suspicion for treason, Cui San has committed murder, Cui Er has long been dead. Three out of the four sons of Cui Yong fell into unfortunate states; only the fourth one Cui Pei remained, though an orphan was entrusted to him by Maiden Yu before her death, he dared not act against the orders of his father, he was indirectly the reason you were harmed each time following the last, and you're just letting him go like that?"
Cui Buqu propped his head, "Every injustice has its perpetrator; although he had not done his best, he never harboured the intention to harm, and to me, if I never obtained even that little bit of kindness, I would have died more than once twenty years ago. This time, consider the favour a means to sever our ties. This carriage's wobbling is making it uncomfortable for me. I will lie down for a while, call me when we've arrived."
As he finished speaking, he laid down with his back facing towards Feng Xiao, yet the jade ornament on his head was jerked off by surprise, his raven-black hair scattering all over his shoulder.
Cui Buqu wanted to turn around and glare at the other, but a hand had already placed itself on the meridians of his head and began massaging tenderly.
The degree of force it infused was controlled. Inner strength turned into warmth and flowed into his veins from his head. He squinted his eyes and for a moment, he had forgotten to denounce the culprit for his crimes.
These had always been done by Qiao Xian, and now that Qiao Xian wasn't here when Cui Buqu's headaches triggered, he could only endure them in silence.
At the same time, Feng Xiao's voice that was filled with disgust sounded from behind him, "Was your hair not washed yesterday? Ah, right. The cushions of this carriage were taken by me the day before to use at the posthouse outside the city. Once we return to the city, remember to order them to change these into a new set. I do not wish to use the same set when we leave the city. Best buy an entirely new set…"
Forget it. Taking into consideration that his head was being massaged comfortably, he could stand the noisiness for a while. Cui Buqu recited a few sentences of 'Unlimited Blessings of the Buddha' and pretended that Feng Xiao's voice was the chirping of birds that came from the outside of the carriage, and felt a lot more satisfied.
Not long after, Feng Xiao could feel that the muscles in Cui Buqu's shoulders and eyes had loosened, and his breathing was deep and slow as if he had already fallen into slumber.
He retreated his hand and watched as the other's back gradually curved with a lack of guard and he thought: This person's body is cold from top to bottom, even his bones are especially colder than others, but he's forgotten that he has a soft and warm heart.
Cui Buqu felt that it's been a long time since he had been able to sleep peacefully like this. When he woke up, his headache was completely gone, even all the discomfort he felt these days turned for the better. His mind was confused, wondering if he had lost track of time. He sat up and was greeted by the furnished displays around him, but then he suddenly remembered—
"What time is it? Is this place the inn?"
"What else could it be? You slept like a pig, so in the end, I was the one who carried you in."
Feng Xiao was sitting at the table in his room munching in delight. The table was filled with steamy dishes, their fragrance filling the entire room. Cui Buqu believed that he was woken up by their delicious smell.
"Why aren't you eating in your own room?" Cui Buqu stared at him.
Feng Xiao did not raise his head, "The smell would latch itself onto my blankets and pillows, and if I spilt anything, it would draw the mice at night. However, to eat at your place would be no big deal at all."
Cui Buqu: "…"
"What are you staring at for? Come and eat. If you're not hungry, I can take care of them all at once."
Feng Xiao urged him with a strange look when he realized he was staring off. Cui Buqu sighed, bent over to put on his shoes, and sat down opposite of Feng Xiao.
"Cui Pei came looking for you." Feng Xiao said, his tone bringing a hint of ridicule, "Even at present, the Cui family still covets unrealistic hopes."
Cui Buqu, "Did he come to beg mercy on Cui Da's behalf?"
Feng Xiao, "No. They are now a little smarter, knowing that Cui Da committed a grave offence and is bearing unforgivable crimes, they no longer dare to beg for mercy on his behalf. However, he hoped you could lift your hand high in mercy, and spare Cui Fei."
Cui Buqu raised an eyebrow, "Oh? The most outstanding eldest grandson that Cui Yong spoke of?"
Feng Xiao smiled, "Perhaps he is the eldest, but if you wanted to acknowledge your ancestors, the most outstanding one is you."
Cui Buqu gave a forced smile, "So they're still harbouring this idea."
Feng Xiao, "Right now, let alone if you wanted to move Maiden Yu next to Cui Er's tomb. Even if you wanted to become an elder of the Cui clan, they would agree to it."
Cui Buqu gave a cold laugh but did not answer him.
Just by listening to this laugh, Feng Xiao knew that Cui Buqu held not even a tiny bit of interest in the Boling Cui clan. Not only that, but he might have even thought of more ways to pit them.
"This laugh of yours is terrifying me." Feng Xiao rolled his eyes and smiled cheekily as he grabbed a mushroom with his chopsticks, "After listening to the Zuoyue Bureau Commander's past, should I offer up my own past to you so that you will not harbour bitter resentment for me?"
"I have no interest in it." Cui Buqu buried his head eating.
Feng Xiao, "Don't be like that. I really want to say it. Only that when I was young, I really do not have any stories of being bullied then taking revenge. I am from a wealthy family, never having to worry about clothes or shelter, and because I was devastatingly adorable, I was incredibly likeable by everyone. Even as I walk on the streets, countless young ladies would turn around and give their attention. Once…"
Cui Buqu, "Silence. I don't want to hear it."
Feng Xiao pretended that he had heard nothing, "Once, those kidnappers specialized in abducting children set their target on me. Taking advantage of the Lantern Festival, they drugged and kidnapped me in the midst of the crowd. That time I was only pretending to pass out, wanting to penetrate deep into the kidnapper's den. Yet in the end, when onlookers saw us, they all rushed forward. Those little ladies even boxed the kidnappers to death. Sigh, you see, when someone is so pretty to this degree where he astounds the Heavens and earth and causes gods and demons to cry, it really is difficult for a hundred evils to take advantage of me. There is another time…"
Cui Buqu found it difficult to swallow in his mouth, his heart was in despair.
He really wished for the Heavens to send a thunder down and strike this oleander fairy to death once and for all!
Author's Note:
PS, yesterday someone asked about QuQu's identity as a disciple of the Liuli Palace. QuQu is not a disciple of the Liuli Palace. He is a rogue. It was only mentioned before that his teacher Fan Yun was a guest of the Liuli Palace, he is not a member of the Liuli Palace either. A guest would be like an honourable tutor, and that is all there about his origins linked with the Liuli Palace.
Beak of a crow: Crows are believed to be bad-omens, so when someone said something bad and it came true, it's usually viewed as them having the beak of a crow.
mu: Chinese unit of measurement. One 'English mu' (acre) is equal to 6.0702846 Chinese mu.