Xiao-Liu had seen, with his very own two eyes, Feng Xiao walking out of the posthouse and knew that he would not be returning so soon. Even if the other man was informed now and hurried back, he could not save Cui Buqu in time.
At this moment, Cui Buqu's back was facing him, and he was lowering his head, preparing to drink the soup.
A sharp dagger coated with poison revealed itself. Xiao-Liu's hand was very steady, moving like a flashing light, without hesitance.
From Rong Qing's angle, all he could see was blocked by Cui Buqu's back. He was still ignorant of what was happening.
Xiao-Liu knew Cui Buqu had some luck.
Naturally, other than luck, his brain was the key to what kept him alive. A few times he had escaped death, turning every calamity into blessings, and most of them were because Cui Buqu himself had anticipated danger beforehand, manipulating the entire situation.
Yet this time, all his subordinates were lying in the adjacent house, and all that was left with him was a useless Rong Qing. Who could he ask to save him?
Just as the dagger was about to pierce into Cui Buqu's back, Xiao-Liu's smile froze all of a sudden.
A sudden wind attacked; Xiao-Liu gritted his teeth as he was forced to abandon that impending success, turning around to attack the incoming intruder instead.
He couldn't understand; how did this person appear all of a sudden?
Unless, he had been hiding there all this time, observing from the dark.
Rong Qing's face blanked out.
He didn't understand. He had just only yawned once, yet a sharp turn of events had taken place all of a sudden?!
Even if Xiao-Liu refuses to let Master Cui drink his soup, surely there was no need to take a dagger out?
Something wasn't right. Since when has Xiao-Liu's skill turned so incredible?!
And who was that person who engaged in a fight with him?!
Xiao-Liu realized that he was being withheld everywhere. In such a huge courtyard, he was very quickly forced to a corner.
His enemy's attacks were swift and brutal, but his skills in martial arts weren't extraordinary. Xiao-Liu was an excellent assassin, but he wasn't a top-tier martial artist. So his enemy's martial arts were enough to keep him in place.
Since he had lost his advantage, it would be difficult to assassinate his target. However, if he failed to accomplish this task today, death would similarly await him once he returned.
As his thoughts progressed to this point, Xiao-Liu gritted his teeth, leaping high into the air, falling midair to lunge himself at Cui Buqu, paying completely no heed to the enemy behind him!
He was taking a gamble.
A gamble that his enemy was not as quick as himself, a gamble that before he was taken down, he could kill Cui Buqu first!
Xiao-Liu pushed his qinggong to his limit.
Between himself and Cui Buqu, only another zhang1 was left!
So he stuck his dagger out.
The dagger was quick, practically touching Cui Buqu's elbow. Although the latter had already realized it and took a step back, he would not be on time.
A wave of strong wind swept past, knocking that dagger out from his hand and sending it rolling to the ground. There was a loud jingling sound, followed by a few moments of silence.
The hot stew was spilt on the ground, its container hitting the floor the same moment the dagger did, shattering into a few pieces.
Xiao-Liu looked up at Rong Qing's innocent gaze, almost spitting out blood.
In the blink of an eye, everything changed. Before he could take his next step, the enemy behind him arrived. Xiao-Liu felt a striking pain from his back, forcing him down to the ground. It was dyed red with the blood he had spitted out. Xiao-Liu was in such pain that he almost passed out. Both his shoulders were jerked backwards, making him unable to move.
"Break his jaw!" Cui Buqu said.
Xiao-Liu hadn't expected the other to be so familiar with his intentions. He was unable to bite the poison pill in his mouth. Saliva trailed down from his broken jaw; was not for both his eyes glaring in pure hatred, he would have looked silly.
Rong Qing had a look of disbelief: "This is not Xiao-Liu! Where is the real Xiao-Liu? Where is he?!"
Regardless of how wildly he used his strength to shake him, the assassin refused to speak, responding with simply cold laughter.
Pei Jingzhe let out a long breath of relief, couldn't help leaning back straight and feeling a sharp pain on his back that made him grit his teeth. He practically brought shame to the Jiejian Bureau's image.
When Feng Xiao came to Guangqian Prefecture, he had brought Pei Jingzhe along with him. He hadn't the chance to put himself to use, because, in places where martial arts were needed, Feng Xiao could handle it himself and do a better job of it. However, after Feng Xiao's identity was exposed, Pei Jingzhe became a chess piece that remained in the dark. So he had been laying in hiding all this time, waiting for the chance to show himself.
Before leaving, Feng Xiao left Pei Jingzhe behind and Cui Buqu had let Pei Jingzhe follow him in the dark. And so Pei Jingzhe had hidden in the closet, the beams, the trees, all sorts of hiding places, feeling his back could practically snap. Thankfully, Cui Buqu did not have the intention to play around with him. Xiao-Liu very quickly exposed himself, and Pei Jingzhe could finally escape from the fate of feeding himself to the mosquitoes.
That wasn't all. Cui Buqu's predictions were quite accurate. Xiao-Liu's martial arts weren't excellent; he would only use them to take care of Cui Buqu, so one Pei Jingzhe would be enough to overpower him.
Rong Qing had shaken Xiao-Liu so much that the latter spat out a mouthful of blood.
He refused to reveal the location of the real Xiao-Liu, or perhaps, he couldn't in the first place.
Cui Buqu said: "The real Xiao-Liu was most likely already switched out before you people came into the array."
"He had been with me for a whole six years, from my old hometown to the capital." Rong Qing let go of the assassin and with his eyes brimming red, he turned his head around. "He is honest. A man of few words. With excellent culinary skills."
Pei Jingzhe felt some sympathy, and so patted his shoulder: "We will avenge him."
Rong Qing understood now why Cui Buqu ordered everyone around him away from himself on purpose, so it would be convenient for Xiao-Liu to attack. A suspicion was only a suspicion; he cannot lock Xiao-Liu up and question him just because of that.
"Master Cui, after this matter was through, I wish to return to look for Xiao-Liu. I want to see him, dead or alive, even if… I would like to bury him back home." He begged.
"It can be done." Cui Buqu wasn't heartless, as long as Rong Qing's request did not affect the big picture.
Pei Jingzhe stepped forward, using a wet cloth to rub the assassin's face. Finally, he managed to rub off a thin layer of transparent skin. One side of Xiao-Liu's face was rubbed away, revealing a skinny complexion.
"Should we question him?" Pei Jingzhe asked, then something came to his mind, "Or I could ask Maiden Qiao to disguise me as Xiao-Liu, so they would think that Xiao-Liu hasn't made his move yet, and wait for them to contact me? This way, he will have another lead!"
Cui Buqu shook his head and said: "It wouldn't be of much use. First of all, he is a suicide warrior. Other than his assassination target, he wouldn't know much. Secondly, this type of suicide warriors will be discarded once their purpose was served. If you don't make your move over a long period of time, they will notice that something is wrong, and that is all the more reason not to contact you."
"Then, what should we do now?" Rong Qing asked Pei Jingzhe's concern.
They were like soft-shelled turtles being locked in their nest, and everywhere were walls. They couldn't see the scenery outside and could only run about and be led by instinctive judgements. Even if this difficult trial was braved through, there was another one waiting for them. They cannot guarantee that every time, they would come out safe.
The most worrisome fact was that not much time was left for them. Yang Yun had proposed war, and after two days he would make his move. However, before that time came, he had already taken the first step. Huang Lue was dead; Qixia Villa was burned; the refugees' locations were unknown, whether they were dead or alive. From their side, the leads were broken, the evidence was gone, yet on the enemy's side, their standings were as solid as gold, their secrets tightly capped.
The endgame was clear.
Rong Qing was depleted of ideas that could turn the tides.
He looked at Cui Buqu eagerly with hope: "Master Cui, when will your Zuoyuar guards arrive?"
Who could have guessed that Cui Buqu glared at him, and gave an earth-shaking, sky-shattering answer: "I am just threatening Yang Yun with a paper tiger. There is no way to mobilize people here."
Rong Qing stiffened.
Truth to be told, one cannot blame Rong Qing for being startled.
After all, he hadn't become an Imperial Censor for long. Guanqian Prefecture had been his first task. Originally, it should have been an ordinary task, but who could have guessed that he'd run into such a difficult enemy. Let alone Rong Qing, even the present Zuoyue Bureau Commander and Second Commander Feng were also trapped here. If they failed to find a clear answer to this, neither of them would end up well.
Rong Qing didn't know these treacherous waves hiding behind the case, the way the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai shifted the clouds. He only knew that Yang Yun was alarmingly bold, daring to not even take an Imperial Envoy seriously. However, with just him alone, how would he come out with such an earth-shaking scheme, concealing all his deeds with a single palm? Until layer by layer the mystery is lifted, and little by little the truth was revealed. Only then, he realised, the depths of these waters were no longer something he could play in.
Pei Jingzhe also felt a little stunned. He asked Cui Buqu: "If the Zuoyue guards can't arrive here, with just a few of us and Maiden Qiao wounded, if Yang Yun possesses the urge to eradicate us all, even if I could escape here alive, there's no guarantee you would be completely unharmed!"
Cui Buqu remained calm, sticking out a finger at him.
Pei Jingzhe opened his eyes wide, fixing his gaze on this finger, trying his best to understand what the other meant.
Yet Cui Buqu shakes his finger: "You are wrong."
Pei Jingzhe: "…"
Perhaps he'd gotten used to the way Cui Buqu spared Feng Xiao in a battle of words with a cold face, for a moment he found it very difficult to imagine that even Commander Cui could be quite childish.
However, the words that left Cui Buqu's mouth were very dull: "The Zuoyue Bureau no longer has people to spare."
Pei Jingzhe was tongue-tied: "This, how could this be possible?"
The Zuoyue Bureau was a very secretive existence.
However, Pei Jingzhe knew that although the Zuoyue Bureau did not have as many people as the Jiejian Bureau, they had sentries everywhere in the North Dynasty as well as the Southern Dynasty.
Leaving everything else out, in just the capital alone, there were already a few hundred Zuoyue guards.
A few hundred common citizens, of course, would be simply a gathering of motley crews, but these people were trained, they were Zuoyue guards equipped with a standard of skills. These were elites.
If one were to gather people like them, whatever Yang Yun wanted to do, he would still have concerns, wouldn't he?
Cui Buqu watched the concern on his face and said slowly: "Now the waters have not receded, the news will spread very slowly. The people I have sent took a detour in the North of the city the same way we came. Even on a swift horse, they would only arrive after a few days. When that time comes, Yang Yun would already have made his move. It would be too late."
Pei Jingzhe thought that this reason was very far-fetched, so far-fetched that it wasn't like Cui Buqu.
Aren't you the Cui Buqu who can always guess the enemy's move beforehand, creating victory from miracles? Why all of a sudden, you're behaving like your ears and eyes are closed, doing nothing?
However, Cui Buqu's following words disrupted his thoughts.
"In the few sentences you said just now, you mentioned Qiao Xian twice." Cui Buqu gave him a half-smile, "Do you miss her so?"
"How—how can that be?!" Pei Jingzhe didn't know how hard he was stammering when he spoke, let alone knowing where to put his hands and legs.
Cui Buqu said: "She also misses you."
Pei Jingzhe's eyes brightened for a moment.
Cui Buqu: "Just pulling your leg."
Pei Jingzhe: "…"
Cui Buqu: "She can walk now. If you have the heart, there's no harm in paying her a visit and convincing her to let go."
Pei Jingzhe felt his face flush red, his gaze flickering. Originally, he wanted to be careful of what he said, yet now he couldn't stop himself from wanting to know more.
Upon their first meeting in the outskirts of the city, the white-robed immortal had left a deep impression on him. It's a pity that when the Xiang King dreams, the goddess is unwilling2; Little Lord Pei was thin-skinned, dared not bother her too much. After returning to the capital, when the Jiejian Bureau and the Zuoyue Bureau had dealings, Pei Jingzhe would offer himself out, just so that he could speak more frequently with Qiao Xian, and that was all.
Without someone to give him a push, he would have beat around the bush for eternity.
Listening to Cui Buqu putting it in this way, Pei Jingzhe was really moved.
"Go." Cui Buqu simply said.
Pei Jingzhe's face was beet red, behaving like a rascal at his first awakening of love yet didn't know how to express it. He nervously excused himself and marched his leave.
Rong Qing asked curiously: "What does Maiden Qiao have to let go of?"
Ever since she and Guan Shanhai returned, Rong Qing hadn't seen them. At that moment, he couldn't help feeling strange that Cui Buqu's sudden decision to bring Pei Jingzhe and Qiao Xian together was a little strange, yet he couldn't quite lay his finger on it.
Cui Buqu smiled vaguely: "Why, does Rong Qing also have the dream of a Xiang King?"
"It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!" Rong Qing waved his hand. He was just conveniently asking; after that, he pointed to the suicide warrior, "How will this person be taken care of?"
"Cold with dressing. Steamed. Grilled. Whichever you like on the menu!"
He who answered laughed aloud; Feng Xiao returned, striding inside with wide steps.
In a flash, it was as if the ghastly courtyard had brightened up.
Cui Buqu blinked.
He couldn't refrain from admitting that this fellow's exterior truly was the best from the edge of Heaven and Earth. There was no need to speak, he could just stand there and that was enough for him to look like a deity.
Naturally, it was the best if he didn't open his mouth.
"Master Cui, I realize that your gaze on me just now lingered a breath longer than usual."
That voice that was begging for ill-will suddenly rang; Feng Xiao remained at the gate of the courtyard, refusing to move. He's certainly skilled in choosing the angle — the look of osmanthus flowers fluttering down onto his shoulders above his head and the sway of his fan that remained in a state of inert, in a moment of romantic elegance, where its wind was just at the right range and wouldn't send the osmanthus petals flying.
"Should I stand here longer and let you enjoy the sight to your heart's desire?"
"There is no need." Cui Buqu answered coldly.
He thought in his heart: next time, he will never look at him more than necessary.
As if Feng Xiao could read his thoughts, the corner of his lips curled like he was laughing at his ability to concentrate.
Cui Buqu's gaze had fallen down, impatiently he said: "I'm guessing that Second Commander Feng's return will certainly bring good news."
"I do have something." Feng Xiao smiled, "I've gone and done a philanthropic deed, obtaining the immense gratitude of Li Yan's wife. To think that your charity was rewarded is actually true."
He conveniently tossed the baggage in his hand onto the stone table.
Rong Qing listened until his head was clouded with confusion.
Cui Buqu sighed, not looking forward to talking civilly with this Peacock Feng who's train and feathers were already pointing into the sky.
He told Rong Qing from the beginning.
It would be impossible to pocket grains for three subsequent years in Guangqian Prefecture without leaving any traces behind. The reason Huang Lue was eliminated was because he knew too much, and what's more, was that there would have been a lot of evidence in his hands. Although he's dead, these accounts cannot vanish into thin air, and so they could only be entrusted to someone else. For example, Li Yan or Wu Yi.
One can guess the hearts of people, just like how Yang Yun makes use of Huang Lue but also guards himself around him. Huang Lue's death was similar to ringing an alarm for Li Yan and the others; they would certainly need to hold on to the evidence, whether it was to hold it against Yang Yun or turn it into something of use themselves.
Even the most perfect plans would have a weakness. The more intelligent a person was, the more they would overthink; Cui Buqu wasn't afraid that they thought too much, he was only afraid if they stopped thinking.
As long as the enemy made a mistake, there was a chance to turn the tides.
Prior to this, it's said that Li Yan had a mistress outside and his wife was a tigress, so he dared not bring the matter back home, forcibly keeping it a secret.
But since Feng Xiao knew about it, there was no reason for him to not turn the world upside down. Otherwise, wouldn't he feel sorry for himself? And so, he took evidence of Li Yan's mistress, including the address of the manor that Li Yan had given her, and passed it on to the servants of the Li family, bringing it to his wife, Madam He.
Madam He had also been suppressing her fury. Although she was furious, it didn't immediately erupt. She had instead looked for an opportunity when Li Yan paid a visit, bringing people in a ferocious commotion, to catch him red-handed, beating the mistress and Li Yan with a stick as they ran around the manor in person. The neighbours left and right were all alerted, and it's been rowdy for some time.
Li Yan knew he was in the wrong, as well as he was guilty at heart. So with an ashen face, he begged pitifully, yet Madam He refused to forgive him, ordering people to smash the manor into a ruin. Li Yan was driven into so much fury he almost fainted, and so he mustered his strength to reason with his wife, yet he was hit on the head with a pole by Madam He, and thus fell unconscious.
Madam He discovered that Li Yan not only had a mistress all these years, but he had even given her quite a lot of valuables. In a fit of rage, she confiscated all of them, allowing her servants to go through everything inside out, gold and silver and pearls, everything was taken.
When it happened, Second Commander Feng had been sitting on the beam watching the crowd. When the servants of the Li family were confiscating all those items, he had watched clearly from above. Whether or not Li Yan has hidden rations related to the calamity's case, he could make use of this chance to find out.
From the way Li Yan did things prior to this, he loved his mistress, yet both feared and respected his wife.
Humans, when keeping secrets, would unconsciously make the decision to keep it in a place where they feel most comfortable. Because they think that only in this way, it would be the safest.
Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao understood this, so they came to the same conclusion without prior planning to set Li Yan's mistress' manor as their prime target.
However, there was no such thing as absolutely. If it cannot be found at the mistress' place, then they would turn their gazes on Wu Yi.
Thankfully, everything goes to those who wait, for their guesses were proven right.
The strings came undone on the baggage. A few scrolls rolled out.
In a blue sky on a bright day, those scrolls unfolded slowly, showing themselves before the half-dead suicide warrior.
The suicide warrior's eyes opened wide, finding it difficult to believe.
Two streams of blood flow down slowly from his nose.
Who could have guessed this was a very innocent suicide warrior?
What was drawn on these scrolls, were fine elegant lines and well-balanced colours, from behind the screens and in the rooms inside, to under the grape hedges in the courtyard, from the inside of horse carriages in the wilds to taverns where thousands of people were looking. All sorts of scenery and all sorts of men and women copulating, shy and reserved, open and unrestrained, solicited and unsolicited, or aggressively rejecting. Only those that cannot be imagined weren't drawn.
Rong Qing starred in a daze like a wooden chicken, pointing at those drawings repeating, "this, this, this" non-stop.
Cui Buqu: "…"
For the first time in his life, he felt clueless.
Feng Xiao even laughed, cockily claiming his credit as he said: "Hm? Even you are baffled?"
Cui Buqu was expressionless: "Is this all the clues you've managed to get after squatting for half a day on the beam?"
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[1] 一丈: Chinese unit of measurement that equates to around 10 foot.
[2] 襄王有意神女无心: refers to people with unrequited love.