To meet an old friend in the midst of danger is undoubtedly something to be celebrated.
Waves of music from the zither came from all eight cardinal directions, turning into a sound as sharp as a blade when it pierced the ear. Thankfully, due to that old friend protecting him with his inner strength so that he may not be harmed further, it was also something worth being happy about.
Yet, once that person stood behind him and said "Guess who am I?", Cui Buqu felt that he couldn't muster it in himself to be happy.
The zither's music quelled, and his ears obtained their momentary peace.
As if the other thought he wasn't heard clearly, his hands slipped down and covered his eyes.
"Guess who I am?"
Cui Buqu: "…"
What situation is this now? How dare he still find the mood in him to make a joke?
Cui Buqu hit him in the acupoint on his elbow; there was no need for martial arts, for anyone would feel their arm go numb after being hit in said acupoint.
The other gave a light-hearted laugh, conveniently releasing his grip.
Cui Buqu turned around, and as expected, he saw the person he anticipated to see.
Li Shisi.
Or perhaps, Feng Xiao.
Perhaps Li Shisi had been frivolous and unmannerly, avoiding the general courtesy between people, but he came to this county all the way from his hometown to work under his cousin and had even obtained his good graces. It was important that he should know how to behave and read expressions, and not take a fancy on Cui Buqu upon first glance at the banquet, going so far as to disregard Rong Qing's identity and harass them on purpose, drawing trouble to himself. This had not made sense, to begin with.
After the deed has been done, this "Li Shisi" would use all sorts of reasons to avert questioning from members of the Li family. However, to Cui Buqu, he had already exposed the truth of his identity as Feng Xiao.
"I remember you were the one who asked me to meet you at Qixia Villa." Cui Buqu said slowly.
"That is right, but I was being held back during the journey." Feng Xiao smiled.
He had switched back into his original voice.
Cui Buqu: "It would not be an ordinary person if he could withhold you for so long, that you were unable to show yourself."
Feng Xiao: "That is right. His martial arts are impressive that it's rarely ever seen in life. He and I fought for practically half of the night with neither of us gaining the upper hand and only then did I manage to escape."
Cui Buqu: "Before you obtained the other two Śarīra, how were your skills compared to his?"
Feng Xiao pretended to ponder over it: "Before that, although I am a little inferior, I have the virtue of an elegantly dignified aristocratic demeanor with an unbridled and carefree calm command that surpasses the likes of mortals that he would never be able to catch up with even on swift horseback. Hence, even if we encountered him before, there is nothing he could do to me."
Cui Buqu said coldly, "Commander Feng, your first sentence would have been enough. The nonsense that follows afterwards can be discarded. Then who do you think he is?"
Feng Xiao laughed: "If you want me to guess, it should be Xiao Lu."
Cui Buqu suddenly raised his gaze to look at him.
Feng Xiao: "Didn't you also guess the same?"
Cui Buqu did guess the same.
Fan Yun had followed Xiao Lu for quite a number of days. Even if Fan Yun had other goals, upon encountering an extremely gifted and talented young man like Xiao Lu, he would most definitely erupt in joy, passing on a part of his martial arts and unorthodox arrays to him. The regrettable sentiment from Cui Buqu that he had been unable to learn martial arts was not a problem when it came to Xiao Lu. Even if Fan Yun was wary of him, Xiao Lu would have nevertheless learned a lot.
Before this, back in the outskirts and the secret underground room of the Duan manor, Cui Buqu had his first meeting with Xiao Lu. During that time, he was a completely graceful young gentleman, leaving behind a great impression of himself for Cui Buqu. Looking back at it now, the enemy had only shown himself just because he wanted to meet Cui Buqu, feigning being on a quest to save his sister. It was even unknown what identity that woman who was saved by him had.
Cui Buqu thought that he had been careless in the end, and did not investigate Xiao Lu and that woman's background after the incident was through. However, with Xiao Lu's smarts, he should not have left behind any clues.
One can imagine that in those years he built the Thirteen Stories of Yunhai, he would have needed a lot of luck, and would have to learn unique martial art techniques that many would never come across in their lives. With his capabilities, he could build a powerful organization like the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai, who roamed the Northern and Southern Regions freely, from nothing. Naturally, scheming to obtain powerful martial arts for research and study would mean nothing—prodigies were rare, but they certainly exist.
Cui Buqu himself is one. If not for his extraordinary intelligence, he would have long died in the Cui family's manor and would have never lived to adulthood.
Feng Xiao is also considered one, achieving such an extent in the martial arts at such a young age, surpassing all peers his age tremendously. Naturally, he is also a prodigy in martial training.
However, the most terrifying thing about Xiao Lu is not his schemings or martial arts, but his patience. Even with powers like his unsurpassed martial arts and the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai, he could still quietly wait in the dark for a few years until the Jade of Heaven's Lake was delivered to the Central Plains, and only then was the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai exposed by a tip of the iceberg.
Since the City of Six Crafts, Cui Buqu and the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai kept running into each other. Naturally, this didn't mean that Xiao Lu and he were tied by fate, but that Cui Buqu had been looking for traces of this organization. Xiao Lu has also gradually acknowledged that if Cui Buqu was not eliminated, the numerous plans of the Thirteen Pavilions will be perturbed.
When one is a pest as small as a fly, they would still always buzz around someone in annoyance, so nevermind the Zuoyue Bureau who had the Great Sui Empire at their backs and wielded similar power. They cannot be compared to just a fly. After forming an alliance with the Jiejian Bureau, Cui Buqu has become an enemy Xiao Lu wanted to get rid of as quickly as possible.
In this flash of thoughts, Cui Buqu joined many dots together.
He had long since guessed that the Thirteen Stories of Yunhai was behind this during the course of investigating Yang Yun, but he hadn't expected to face Xiao Lu head-on so quickly.
"Just now, I found it strange. Their place of hiding was obviously a secret, and there was also an array situated outside. Even if enemies found their way here, it would be impossible for them to find their way in so quickly and even change my array. It was you all along."
It was Feng Xiao announcing his participation in the game, allowing the enemy to acknowledge Guan Shanhai, the others, and the array's existence, and so conveniently changed it.
If not for Feng Xiao, he would have found Guan Shanhai and Qiao Xian by now.
Feng Xiao did not look apologetical for accidentally luring the mastermind here, he chuckled instead: "Wouldn't that be convenient? Both of you were taught by Fan Yun; with the happy reunion of shixiongs, how do you do justice to this alluring scenery without a spar?"
Happy reunion in your dreams!
Cui Buqu thought in his heart.
He really wanted to take Feng Xiao's head down and kick it around like a ball.
However, there cannot be a civil war between them; everything will be discussed after they have found the others.
Even if Xiao Lu could change the array, he would not be able to locate Guan Shanhai and Qiao Xian's location in a short amount of time. If Cui Buqu was quick enough, perhaps they would be a step ahead and find them first.
Rong Qing and Xiao-Liu lost their way, but they were not Xiao Lu's targets.
Regardless of how talented the array maker is, they cannot deal with all concerned aspects well-rounded; the person Xiao Lu wished to kill the most now is Feng Xiao, and Cui Buqu second.
Rong Qing and Xiao-Liu did not matter, so they were instead safer, at most they would just lose their way in the array.
Cui Buqu sighed: "Does Xiao Lu also know how to attack with the zither? Did he steal that knowledge from the Fajing Sect?"
Feng Xiao also sighed: "What he did isn't the demonic songs; it only has its appearance, but not its abilities. In fact, didn't you hear what he was playing?"
Cui Buqu was taken aback, and for a moment he recalled it.
It was the 'High Mountains and Flowing River'.
Bo Ya had quoted Zhong Ziqi as his Zhiyin, and played the 'High Mountains and Flowing River'; after Ziqi's death, Bo Ya broke his zither and cut its strings, deeming that there is no one else who knows him best like him in this world1.
Feng Xiao plainly said: "He played you such a song on purpose, weren't you even a little bit moved?"
Xiao Lu's standards were high, giving his good graces only to Cui Buqu. Perhaps the reason he showed himself was because his impression of Cui Buqu was very different.
Both of them shared relations with Fan Yun, and both of them were born with defects on their bodies; Cui Buqu was born congenitally deficient, Xiao Lu carried a physical disability on himself, beautiful yet incomplete—having the same life experiences, yet they had a heart as determined as steel, refusing to have their lives decided by fate, not letting go as long their goals have not been achieved.
Cui Buqu being like this would naturally make Xiao Lu feel something in his heart.
Whether it was a long-time friend or foes that felt sympathetic for each other, between the both of them, there was truly something that cannot be drawn with a clear line.
However, why did Feng Xiao's tone sound a little strange?
Cui Buqu frowned slightly: "Let's not talk nonsense; let me see how much he changed the array."
As he spoke, he walked forward a few steps. The fog was dense, and the sound of women laughing came rolling back once again.
Taking a few steps backwards, those voices were gone, and what replaced them was loud bustling sounds of a city—of hawkers crying out loud, streams of pedestrians coming and going—coming through life through voices alone, as if one saw it with their own two eyes.
However, following these voices that came from all eight cardinal directions, the fog grew denser. Cui Buqu had originally found the exit, but when a horrendous wind swept past, the road ahead changed again and turned into forests and boulders before his eyes.
A hand held his wrist.
Feng Xiao had been by his side all this time.
"These voices are disrupting me from succeeding in lifting the array; could you return a tooth for a tooth?" Cui Buqu asked in a soft voice.
Feng Xiao's teeth parted vaguely, looking as if soundless, but in reality, the secret message had already been transmitted and only Cui Buqu could hear.
"Sure, but I have no zither on me."
The zither Yu Yin that Feng Xiao had "blackmailed" from Cui Yong was declared by him as too glaring when carried upon the back, and so he took apart its strings and used it as a weapon. The zither's body, according to hearsays, was brought back to the capital by him. Presently, they didn't have it when they needed it. Without the body, how can one play music of a zither?
"Give me your hand." He heard Feng Xiao speak again.
Cui Buqu paused for a moment as if he could guess what the other was thinking of.
After a while, he reached out with his hand.
Feng Xiao tied five strings of the zither to Cui Buqu's forearm and held the other end in his own hand.
Using their bodies as the zither, their hearts as the music.
Feng Xiao raised his right hand slightly, plucking the string.
Zing!
The sound of the zither is clear, its music gathering in bundles, taking shape from quietness like an arrow leaving its bow, shooting at the direction in front.
Cui Buqu felt a sharp pain on his arm, lowering his head, the strings of the zither had cut through his clothes and skin, causing red lines to show themselves.
However, Feng Xiao didn't stop as he flung wave after wave.
Zither music filled with qi surged forward, carrying an arrogance similar to Feng Xiao. The fog scattered, and those voices perished.
Cui Buqu twitched the corner of his lips.
He suddenly realized that Feng Xiao wasn't playing recklessly, but he was truly playing a song.
"Feng Qiu Huang2".
A very chaotic version of "Feng Qiu Huang".
It's feared that even the phoenix would be so terrified all its feathers would fall off.
Unexpectedly, Cui Buqu exclaimed a sound of realization.
He realized that the misty barrier in front of him had disappeared.
All the voices causing distress had quelled, and the world had returned back into a time immemorial, where there was only Yu Yin and Rao Liang.
The array was completely destroyed.
Just now, although Feng Xiao reciprocated it with music waves, those were just to stop Xiao Lu's attacks; it had done nothing to the array.
However, the array was destroyed just now. The fog was completely gone, losing its effect completely.
This is definitely not the doing of Xiao Lu.
Feng Xiao stopped what he was doing.
"He left."
Xiao Lu knew that showing himself now would not warrant a victory, and so he left.
He would live another day to meet his match.
He knew very clearly that as long as he is in the dark, Cui Buqu will never be at peace.
With the enemy in the dark and themselves in the light, regardless of how skilled the party in the light is, every move they make would be watched by the enemy, losing their advantage.
At this moment, Cui Buqu also had no intention to fight Xiao Lu head-on. He exhaled a breath inwardly.
Feng Xiao kept the zither strings, and on it was Cui Buqu's blood.
Conveniently, he took Cui Buqu's sleeve and wiped the zither's strings clean.
Cui Buqu: "…"
Before he could respond to it, his wrist was also caught.
Feng Xiao drew back his sleeve, exposing his forearm where the zither's string had created five bloody streaks.
In the next moment, Cui Buqu felt his body go stiff.
Holding his hand, Feng Xiao lowered his head, and little by little, he licked the blood cleanly off.
When the tongue brushed across the itching wound, Cui Buqu wanted to draw his hand back, but his wrist was held very tightly, causing his attempt to be in vain.
Cui Buqu raised his leg, wanting to kick the other in his vital spot, yet as if Feng Xiao had expected this, his other hand tapped the meridians on his thigh lightly. Cui Buqu felt his strength leave him as numbness followed, his knees falling limp on their own accord against his will as the other man conveniently caught him by his waist; his pale-white face blushed in lumps of red.
Feng Xiao thought that when Cui Buqu behaved in such a way, he looked quite vivid like he was shy on the surface. However, whether or not this was the case, only Cui Buqu himself knew. He would never ask about it on his own accord.
"Master Cui!" From afar, Rong Qing shouted.
Before Cui Buqu could unleash his fury, Feng Xiao laughed and released him.
Rong Qing sprinted over with Xiao-Liu behind him.
"Master Cui, are you alright?!" The colour on Cui Buqu's face didn't look too well to him.
"I feel fine." Cui Buqu has rolled his sleeve back down, "How did you people find us?"
Rong Qing: "Just now, I was walking in the array for a long time and met Xiao-Liu. We searched everywhere for you to no avail. Xiao-Liu was driven into fury by this array, so he plucked a bush and kicked the little stones around us to send them flying. All of a sudden, the fog was gone and we found you very quickly afterwards!"
Cui Buqu: "…" what you destroyed turns out to be the array's core."
He didn't really know whether it was blind luck, or that fortune favours fools.
"What a coincidence!" Rong Qing was shocked, yet Xiao-Liu laughed silly and turned around.
Cui Buqu didn't stall time anymore. Very quickly, he found Guan Shanhai and Qiao Xian who were hidden in the cave.
The cave was very small, enough for only two of them to sit inside with their waists bent, not even able to lift their heads. The forest outside the cave was dense, and because of this, it was easier to lay in hiding.
Guan Shanhai is keeping himself in closed-eye meditation, but Qiao Xian was awake. Seeing Cui Buqu, her eyes sparkled.
"Commander!"
Cui Buqu gave Rong Qing and Xiao-Liu orders: "Both of you, one each, carry them back."
Rong Qing points to himself: "Am I supposed to carry?"
Cui Buqu: "Should it be me, otherwise?"
Rong Qing turned his head around to look at Feng Xiao; the latter was adorned in fine spotless white robes, waving his fan as if he had come here for a saunter.
"Imperial Censor Rong, allow me to introduce myself: Second Commander of the Jiejian Bureau, Feng Xiao. You must have most certainly heard of me. If not, then from today onwards, you have." Feng Xiao snickered.
Rong Qing: "…"
He looked like he had eaten stale pork yet he was unable to spit it out, putting his hands together he bowed to Feng Xiao: "This humble subject is Rong Qing, it is an honour to meet Second Commander Feng."
Brilliant. Who could have guessed that among all those present, other than Xiao-Liu, they were all officials whose ranks are superior to himself? Rong Qing finally succumbed to fate and walked over, carrying Guan Shanhai on his back.
Following afterwards, one sentence from Cui Buqu was enough to cause all his fatigue to evaporate, all his spirits multiplied by a hundred.
"Now, we only have two and a half days left."
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[1] Story of Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi exemplifies the Chinese ideal of friendship with the word 知音 (Zhiyin). Here's their story.
[2] "凤求凰"(lit. Male Phoenix begs for the courtship of a Female Phoenix), a love story between Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun.