The stone door was opened and Fan Yun walked in.
Cui Buqu laid on the bed, his breathing even as if he had fallen asleep, yet he continued to approach.
"Are you feeling better?"
If Fan Yun had asked in such a manner, it meant he knew that Cui Buqu was awake; even if a person feigned it flawlessly, their breathing would still be different if they're wide awake and would not be able to fool a grandmaster.
He ignored the expression on Cui Buqu that resembled someone who was sending off his guest and sat next to the bed.
"I know you bear resentment for me in your heart. I have truly owed it to you when it came to this matter, but in order to achieve my goal, even if lives must be sacrificed, I will not hesitate. You and I serve masters of our own; since you were unwilling to give in, I am left with no choice but to lure you in using methods like these."
Cui Buqu gave him a cold glare before closing his eyes, "Since the Jin Dynasty, how many heroes had strived to defy the order and have brought upon themselves tragic ends? They were well-equipped and well-trained—all the elements of the weather, terrain, and people were in their favour, more so than that Pavilion Lord of yours by a great many times. With teacher's capabilities, do you truly believe he can achieve great things?"
Fan Yun did not take it to heart, "As the saying goes: Man proposes, God disposes; how many things in this world were attempted despite one knowing succeeding is impossible? Buqu, since you have mentioned the elements of the weather rather than terrain, then you should have known that some of those heroes may have succeeded at the element of the weather, but not the element of the terrain. Just like Yang Jian and his methods of seizing the throne via a consort's kin have proven everything. He's relied on women to achieve his goals. Even if his name was left in history, this imputation will never be removed. More than that, don't you underestimate the Pavilion Lord; he really does bear capabilities beyond your imagination."
Cui Buqu sneered, "To be able to gather so many grandmasters, having chess pieces such as Feng Xiao and Yuan Sansi within the Imperial Court, and a strategist like Master Fan. It seems that there's no doubt about his capabilities."
Fan Yu gave him a look that spoke volumes, "Did you think that was all?"
Cui Buqu squinted his eyes.
The other said nothing. He took out a ceramic bottle from his sleeve.
"This medicine could enrich the blood and nourish your qi. There is no poison, and it's beneficial towards regulating your body. Whether you will take it or not is entirely your decision."
Fan Yun patted his shoulder, told him to rest well, before getting up and left.
The stone door was shut once again.
Feng Xiao leapt down from a corner of the ceiling, patted away the dust and webs from his clothes.
"He sensed me."
The interaction of vital energy between grandmasters had always been the most subtle. Even if Feng Xiao speculated that he did not bust a seam that allowed himself to be caught, even if Fan Yun hadn't looked up at the place where he hid, Feng Xiao could earnestly be certain that Fan Yun knew he was there.
This wasn't strange, however, it was difficult for one to hide in the combat hall to begin with. Feng Xiao had even prepared himself to initiate an assault on Fan Yun.
However, the other hadn't exposed him despite knowing his presence. This doesn't make sense.
Feng Xiao picked up the ceramic bottle that Fan Yun had felt behind and opened it to take a sniff before putting it into his arms.
"It doesn't matter what that old hag is brewing in his head. It's best if you don't eat it."
Cui Buqu did not object to it but muttered, "Just now he said, 'how many things in this world were attempted despite one knowing succeeding is impossible?' That is the people's comment on Confucius. It is a metaphor to indicate that the other is someone of great wisdom and courage. For Fan Yun to compare this to himself meant that he had his own difficulties he found difficult to express. In fact, it was as if he was hinting that this Pavilion Lord had far more people compared to those we know. In fact, it's very possible that he still has a backup that we cannot even begin to imagine."
Feng Xiao ridiculed, "Are you suggesting that Fan Yun is a traitor who seeks out complicated matters for himself so he rises in vigour? He could watch as I stabbed you with a knife, this traitor really did give his all!"
Cui Buqu sighed, "There is another possibility."
Feng Xiao furrowed his brows, "He's not one of the Thirteen Pavilion of Yunhai, but he is also not here to help us."
"That's right. He and I have known each other for years; he should know what sort of a person I am. With the wisdom he bears, he would have known that even if I agreed on the surface, I would be reluctant within and would definitely cause chaos." Cui Buqu said with the utmost seriousness.
Feng Xiao was caught in a delightful surprise, "I have never seen someone who compares himself with a pole that stirs up shit!"
Cui Buqu stopped talking, glaring at him with an expressionless face.
Feng Xiao reached out and flicked his forehead, "If you feel at ease, naturally all your diseases will wane away. I'm just assisting you towards recovery. You should thank me."
A moment of tolerance would bring peace; thus Cui Buqu blinked and continued speaking, "Since Fan Yun didn't react, then he won't expose you in front of Yu Xiu and the others for the time being. This time you've entered deep into the tiger's den, what preparations have you made?"
Feng Xiao asked suspiciously, "What preparations?"
"It can't be that you were thinking of fighting your way out alone?" Cui Buqu raised his voice, but less than half a minute passed before he finished, he had started coughing.
Feng Xiao was surprised, "Why would someone like me of peerless wisdom and courage who could fight a hundred enemies need anyone?"
A moment of tolerance would bring peace… a moment of tolerance would bring what motherfucking peace! Cui Buqu forcibly heaved himself up, reaching out to grab the empty bowl next to him to hit Feng Xiao.
The other received it easily, turning it around instead and placing it back on top of the table before using a voice that was used to coax kittens as he smiled and said, "Look at you, even if you're carrying injuries with you, you're still so violent. Wouldn't it be better if you don't think about it? Before I left the capital I've made some arrangements, asking Lao-san2 to lead some people in person to tail us in secret, waiting in Raoyang next to Anping."
Seeing that he had begun to be serious, Cui Buqu immediately returned to his peaceful state. But because he'd hurt himself just now, he could not stop coughing.
Feng Xiao smiled to himself before pouring another half a bowl of warm water to feed him.
"I hadn't known anything before regarding Tiannan. Once I knew that Yuan Sansi had set out, I sent Lao-san a message. I wager that the moment we acted he would have already been on his way. However, with no one to guide him, he would need a long time before he could find this place, and let alone the Twin Jade Compass Array which only you and Fan Yun knew the way to free yourselves, I fear no one else in this world would know."
"That's right." Cui Buqu said, "Unless we unleash something and guide them here."
Feng Xiao, "Let me do the thinking about that. You, just take care of yourself, Master Daoist Cui. With a fragile body like yours, there's no telling how much longer you will live. Please also trim your temper, to avoid yourself rising to the Heavens before the Thirteen Pavilion of Yunhai has fallen."
Cui Buqu spoke coldly, "All will be well as long as you stop angering me."
Feng Xiao blinked, suddenly lashed out with a hand and tapped Cui Buqu's sleeping meridians in the blink of an eye. He caught the upper half of his body that slumped down and placed him on the bed.
Being forced into slumber, there was a crease between Cui Buqu's brows, as if there were a thousand worries he hadn't yet managed to solve, thus he couldn't sleep peacefully.
Feng Xiao rubbed the crease for a moment, flattening it.
Only at this moment, Cui Buqu looked harmless to human beings and beasts, kind and feeble.
But this was just on the surface.
This person wasn't only poisonous on the mouth, he also had a heart of steel, merciless towards both others and himself, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals. His temper wasn't pleasant to get along with, and his body was like a candle in the wind; there's no telling when it would be blown out.
Even those two words 'Cui Buqu' seemed to carry an air of alarming coldness, warning other people to put distance between themselves; as if he had been a boulder who weathered through wind and snow and it needed nobody to understand or get close to him.
Falling for someone like that was a sin from his previous lives, unfortunate blood that has flown non-stop for eight generations.
He, Feng Xiao, on the contrary, was handsome and wayward who held a graceful bearing. Beautiful people would deliver themselves to his doorstep at a single call. Even a peerless beauty of an entire country like Fong Xiaolian wanted a night with him, so let alone those men and women who wanted his favour, they were everywhere.
The Heavens have not only just given him an extraordinary appearance, for they have even given him extraordinary wisdom and talent. Since he was young, he needn't put in much effort to learn or get whatever he wanted; they were as simple as just reaching out. Even the position of Sect Leader in the Fajing Sect that was coveted and desired by many people in the demonic sects was thrown to him like a hot sweet potato just because the former sect leader wanted him to succeed him.
Feng Xiao was not like those arrogant yet restrained hypocritical people. He felt, in earnest, that the sky and earth was vast, yet people who could run at an equal pace with him were not many in number. Grandmasters from the demonic sects like Cui Youwang and Yan Wushi might have been able to put up a fight with him in combat, but when it came to talent, wisdom, and looks Feng Xiao was certain that those people were not inferior to him by just a little.
Why would such a perfect, peerless, and flawless person like him fall for a sickly invalid who might not even see the sun of tomorrow?
He wasn't the only one who refused to believe it, even if he spread it out no one would believe it.
Feng Xiao looked left and right and reached down to dig a luminous pearl, waving it around Cui Buqu's face but he couldn't put a finger on what's so special about it.
His nose looked mundane, his eyebrows looked mundane, his mouth and lips looked better, but they were only a little bit better; how could they compare to one or two tenth of his?
Feng Xiao suddenly recalled that very long ago, when both of them were like tigers who descended their hills, running for their lives in the deserts next to the city. During that time, both of them still harboured their own nefarious intentions but they were forced to drop their opinions and work together temporarily, sat cooped up inside a cave beneath a cliff to weather through one night of snow.
During that time Cui Buqu even forced him to call him 'Dad' three times, and in his heart, he thought that once he's gotten out of this, he would definitely make this sickly man kneel on the ground while hugging his leg as he called him 'Dad'.
Yet what happened in the end?
In the end, now when he looked at this sickly man's face, he couldn't help feeling a spontaneous rise of joy.
This can't do.
A sudden thought flashed, Feng Xiao reached out with a hand and placed it above Cui Buqu's neck.
His palm was close to the other's skin; other than warmth there was also a weak pulse beating.
Feng Xiao slowly tightened his hand.
Cui Buqu's expression was not one of pain; his injuries added with having his meridians tapped, he had fallen into a deep slumber.
His face, naturally, was peaceful and calm. He had struggled for half his life and wandered from place to place, tasted all the warmth and cruelty in the hearts of people. For him to die in such a way was perhaps a way of liberty.
In this cave before their eyes, grandmasters gathered and an ambush was hidden in all directions. There were incessant dangers everywhere; Fan Yun and Yuan Sansi were already difficult enough to fight against, let alone the Pavilion Lord who hasn't shown himself yet. It was already very difficult for Feng Xiao himself to find a chance to escape completely unscathed, but with a Cui Buqu as well, even if the latter had a hundred tricks up his sleeves, in this kind of situation, no matter how many ideas he had he couldn't avoid becoming a burden.
This sickly man was very skinny, his neck was also long and narrow. Some strength in a single hand would be enough to snap it.
Then the other would no longer breathe, neither could he sneer at Feng Xiao, or speak with the sharpness of knives and pit the Jiejian Bureau whenever he could.
From then on, Feng Xiao would be as free as high mountains and wide rivers, like the cast skies and lands, no longer having a weakness.
There were a thousand benefits and not a single harm.
But, he couldn't do it.
By the end of the day, it was just four words:
He couldn't let go.
He couldn't let go of his frequent ridicules.
He couldn't let go of the twitch of his brows when he sneered.
He couldn't even let go of that calculative and mocking look he gave when he called him "Second Commander Feng".
So, what is so good about this sickly man?!
Feng Xiao let go and sighed.
He lowered his head, pressed his lips on the gentle warmth of the other for a while, before biting on his lips cruelly!
If he had known this earlier, then during that time when they were in the deserts, he would have just stabbed and killed him off. Otherwise, why would it lead to so much trouble today?
[1] The elements of the weather, terrain, and people were in their favour: 天时地利人和 from Mengzi (Mencius) here.
[2] Lao-san: lit 'Old-three' meant to refer to someone who's number third.