Fog-like mist of the night illustrated the outline of that person.
Feng Xiao did not even need to look to imagine it.
A skinny frame lifting wide sleeves, robes rustling in the Autumn wind.
Feng Xiao would not even doubt that if the wind was stronger, or if perhaps a continuous snowstorm began now, it would be enough for this ailing invalid to stay in bed for at least ten days or half a month. If he lacked medicinal treatment, it was even possible for him to be snuffed out like a blown-out candle. Perhaps the world of mortals would have one calamity less.
This ailing man's lips were thin, pursuing them tight at this moment in the midst of chilled winds. Similar to his character, it spoke vicious words with disregard to other people's feelings, sharper than even a sword's blade. It could choke the life out of a living person.
The hand grabbing those reins was glimmering with white and bluish-green. It wasn't because it was grabbing on too tightly, but because it was cold. This weather that signalled the arrival of Autumn wasn't anything much to a normal person, but to Cui Buqu, it was extremely hard to bear.
The chaos from Yang Yun's side had already been mostly taken care of, and to others perhaps, that might be a test during their ups and downs in life. However, Cui Buqu has long since experienced it. He read the feelings of people to the extreme, and appearing here in person meant that Yang Yun was never his match.
So, this person should have been sitting in the safety of the Governor's Residence, holding a brazier in his hand and giving commands as he waited for the report of success. But he had instead ridden all the way here on a horse, sending himself once more into a dangerous situation.
The corner of Feng Xiao's lips curled, yet when he spoke, his words were like the wind that cuts like a knife that pierces the flesh, bitingly cold.
"You would what? Fall for my grace? Cui Buqu, you think too highly of yourself. You brag about being clever, but in my eyes, you have fallen so far from grace that you are beyond saving on the verge of annihilation. If not for the Zuoyue Bureau's name, would I have humoured you? Why don't you take a mirror and look at your own reflection, and see from which part of your body would Ι have taken a fancy on you?"
In the midst of darkness, there was silence from all directions; Feng Xiao's disgusted voice being the only thing that echoed.
"Seeing your face alone would make me lose half my appetite. Scram before I find the time to get rid of you."
"Did you hear that or not? Scram!"
Cui Buqu didn't bulge, neither did he get down his horse. He didn't even talk back, as if he was hurt by these words and for a moment, he couldn't pull his focus back.
Ming Yue gave a blank look. He stole a glance at Feng Xiao, parted his lips as if he wanted to advise him, but said nothing in the end.
Qin Miaoyu sighed.
Who said only women don't speak their hearts? When men do the same, they are not beneath women.
"Brother Cui, you heard Commander Feng's words." Xiao Lu gentle said, not a lick of anger. "I obviously left you a message to wait at the Zhao Family's Teahouse."
"It was exactly because you asked me to go to the Zhao Family's Teahouse, I knew you would come to the Stormy Tavern looking for Feng Xiao." Cui Buqu calmly said. Nobody was able to hear if he was affected by the words Feng Xiao said just now.
Xiao Lu also sighed. "I am not willing to kill you and thus have misled you. Since you knew, why tread into muddy waters?"
Cui Buqu: "Although Yang Yun has been captured, he hasn't surrendered the whereabouts of most of those rations. So, I could only ask Pavillion Lord Xiao for them."
As expected, Xiao Lu straightaway replied: "I've had them delivered away."
Cui Buqu: "Everything?"
Xiao Lu smiled and said: "I offered you Yang Yun in exchange for those rations, isn't that a fair deal? The one who embezzled those rations has been caught, and you have something to hand over to your Emperor. Those rations, I take them as my contribution."
Cui Buqu nodded his head. "It is very fair."
Xiao Lu politely said: "Brother Cui, although Fan Yun has betrayed me, I have always admired you. I know that you and I are the same kind of person. With your pride, it would be impossible for you to surrender to me. This time, I will first take care of Feng Xiao. With the Jiejian Bureau gone, you get rid of a competitor in the future. It's the best of both worlds, isn't that good?"
At a glance among everyone present, other than Feng Xiao, no one was his match. He could kill Cui Buqu as easily as lifting a finger, but Xiao Lu has chosen to patiently explain to him.
Feng Xiao snorted coldly, giving a pissed look.
Cui Buqu looked at Xiao Lu's right hand. It was covered by his sleeve, but Xiao Lu hadn't hidden it on purpose. His right and left sleeves had the same length, but the reason one couldn't see his right hand was because that hand has wilted and shrank, and it wasn't as long as his left hand.
If not for being taken for a joke due to his defectives, he would have already occupied a high position in the Chen Imperial Court. Even so, if he was willing to curry favours, lower his pride, and show submission to the ones above, with his capabilities, being conferred a title of nobility was only a foregone conclusion.
But Cui Buqu knew that Xiao Lu was far too proud, just like Cui Buqu himself. He would rather take his chances in the wild and die in a desolate place than remain in the Cui family living on reluctant handouts.
In the midst of a turbulent world, anyone could say that a life of luxury was given at birth, anyone could become a hero. Xiao Lu's pride forbade him to lower his pride, and so he picked the most difficult path.
The most chaotic times of the Central Plains had gone. Presently, although they were yet to be united, there were only the Northern and Southern Dynasties, unlike two hundred years ago when Huaxia was split into sixteen little kingdoms.
Xiao Lu waited for Cui Buqu's answer patiently. Even if he knew that Cui Buqu was perhaps just trying to stall for time.
Just as Cui Buqu and Yang Yun fought each other, Xiao Lu has already allowed a batch of people to deliver those rations from the county town. During that time, the incident at Qixia Villa took place, and Yang Yun was worried that Cui Buqu and the others would find those rations, so he agreed to Xiao Lu's request.
Killing Feng Xiao was simply spoils of war in passing. In reality, Xiao Lu knew he had already won the game and returned to the city.
"There is something I have forgotten to tell you." Cui Buqu suddenly said.
"Were you surprised when this time I came, I had only brought a few people and hadn't even moved a group of Zuoyue guards to stand guard nearby, making it look like we were manipulated by Yang Yun from the beginning?"
"Because I have moved them to someplace else to accomplish a far more important task."
"Fan Yun knew the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai like the back of his hand. Owing to his helpful participation, as well as a common enemy like Pavilion Lord Xiao, both of us worked together and destroyed another villa by the name of Lingbo. Perhaps Pavilion Lord Xiao is familiar with the name."
"I heard Linbo Villa housed most of the powers Pavilion Lord Xiao had gathered during his many years in the Southern Dynasty. Although the thirty-three Pavilion Lords inside could not compare to the Thirteen Pavilion Lords, they were also elites among elites. Among them were also quite many who knew the arts of astrology, geography, the bagua, mathematics, and other miscellaneous. I received a letter before this that eighty to ninety percent of these people have been eliminated, and the ones remaining escaped through the chaos, but they probably shouldn't have gone far."
"Pavilion Lord Xiao must have spent a lot of effort gathering these people, but it's a pity that while you busied yourself fighting with me here, your rear has already caught fire."
"Using those rations in exchange for the destruction of one of your strongholds, speak for yourself, was it worth it or not?"
Xiao Lu squinted his eyes, his smile gradually fading.
When Xiao Lu wasn't smiling, the corners of his mouth fell flat, giving off a lingering coldness and cruelness.
"Cui Buqu, you really can surprise me each time. Had I found you earlier and pulled you to the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai's side, the one acknowledging defeat now would have been the Sui Empire. After Fan Yun betrayed me, I switched out all the powers I had of the Southern Dynasty. I could not have guessed that he could still find his way there."
Cui Buqu said: "Pavilion Lord Xiao, don't forget, Fan Yun and the Chen Emperor shared a past. Although he wasn't willing to see the Sui Empire grow strong, he wouldn't wish to see the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai becoming a threat to the Southern Dynasty. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, how much would it cost to work together once?"
"If your goal is to provoke me, then you have succeeded."
Xiao Lu ran towards his direction. It looked like nothing had moved just now, but in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Cui Buqu. With a flourish of his hand, Cui Buqu had already fallen off his horse unwillingly, being held on the shoulder by Xiao Lu. Cui Buqu couldn't move, and when Guan Shanhai who stood next to him attacked, he was already a step too late. Xiao Lu flung him away with his sleeve, and he immediately flew a few zhang away.
The sound of his body falling heavily made everyone grit their teeth.
"To you, I am the greater enemy, not Feng Xiao. I am the Empress' trusted aide; the Zuoyue Bureau has always kept many secrets and leads through solving cases. Don't you want to bring me away, to be tortured and questioned, in order to obtain more secrets of the Northern Dynasty?"
Cui Buqu guessed that his shoulder blades had been crushed. The pain made him unable to form fully coherent sentences, but the pain cleared his consciousness instead. He was certain that Xiao Lu would not kill him, otherwise, it wouldn't have been his shoulder blades that shattered, but his throat.
"It doesn't matter when Feng Xiao dies, but having one Cui Buqu alive should be worth a lot more than Feng Xiao, isn't that right?"
Xiao Lu gently said: "You don't have the desire to surrender to the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai. Why would I want a Cui Buqu who refuses to bend the knee?"
Cui Buqu closed his eyes, trying his best not to allow the pain to affect his breathing.
"I can join the cause if Pavilion Lord Xiao accepts me."
Xiao Lu smiled. "Then what? Become the next Fan Yun and betray me?"
"Within three years, I will aid you in destroying the Southern Dynasty." Cui Buqu coughed a few times, his face as pale as a ghost, "The requirement is that you cannot harm one soul present here."
Xiao Lu inwardly sighed and said: "Is everything worth it? All for just one Feng Xiao?"
Cui Buqu's lips moved, but there was no sound.
Xiao Lu, however, saw it.
He saw the other saying: Yes, worth it.
Feng Xiao moved.
He shouldn't have moved at this time to begin with.
With his injuries, he should rest for at least half a day, and only then he could muster enough strength to fight a battle.
But he suddenly launched an attack, dashing towards Xiao Lu at the speed of a thunder that lightened, fluttering in the clouds.
When faced with a top-tier martial artist like Feng Xiao, even if Xiao Lu had chances of winning, it was impossible for him to hold Cui Buqu and fight with a single hand.
So he naturally let him go.
The battle tonight was necessary because Feng Xiao started it.
Cui Buqu fell to the ground, his shoulder shattering. He couldn't move on one side of his body and could only lie on the ground.
Qin Miaoyu knew what she had to do and went over to help him. She gently touched the other's wounds, wanting to see they were severe. In the end, she found her hands coated in blood and couldn't help but inhale sharply.
"I have some medicine with me, for both internal and external wounds." Cui Buqu said, "One person each, give one to Guan Shanhai and Ming Yue."
Prolonged illnesses make a good doctor; this Zuoyue Commander knew he was often hurt, and so brought medicine with him everywhere.
Qin Miaoyu didn't dare delay. She quickly fished out the bottle and poured a pellet out for Cui Buqu.
"Should this humble one go to the tavern to get you some water?"
"There is no need."
Seeing Feng Xiao's face calling himself a 'humble one', Cui Buqu felt that his shoulder hurt more, so he quickly sent her away to bring medicine to the others.
Feng Xiao and Xiao Lu's battle had just begun.
From an onlooker's perspective, both of their figures resembled flying shadows that never stopped. Sometimes they were fighting in midair, and sometimes they appeared on the roof of the tavern.
To counter speed with speed, and strength with strength.
Whenever the tips of their toes passed, the roof cracked and shattered. In the midst of the thundering noise, the entire roof collapsed.
The walls split open and broken bits flew everywhere, turning into a wasteland along with the rest of the tavern that was basically destroyed.
Both of them hadn't realized that from the time they fought at the tavern to the Long Street of Peach Blossoms, the green bricks beneath their feet cracked open and flew up inch by inch, suspending in midair due to the manipulation of their real qi. Acting like their weapons, they formed a wall, keeping Cui Buqu and the others outside.
But Feng Xiao and Xiao Lu's speed had slowed down.
Just like a stretch of unbroken mountains and rivers spreading onto a paper by a brush of black ink gradually fading out, it turned into two dangerous rocks standing on the cliff. Their situation precarious as they drew near, and a second of carelessness could send them falling into a thousand zhang into the abyss.
Feng Xiao's martial arts were already extremely powerful.
After making use of those two Śarīras, his martial arts improved further, achieving the true extent of a grandmaster.
But Xiao Lu was getting there as well. Not only hasn't he shown a bit of weakness, but he was also exactly the way he claimed himself to be: having enough energy to spare that it was unimaginable.
Although Ming Yue and Guan Shanhai's martial arts were excellent, their sight could not tell how strong Xiao Lu's true ability really was.
But a top-tier martial artist like him, unexpectedly, had no interest in pursuing higher extents of the martial arts, he had instead set his heart in usurping the throne. It was impossible for anyone to not feel preposterous about this.
However, top-tier martial artists in the Jianghu were unnumbered. How many of them were only strong for a moment, then fell in the battlefield while on their path to the peak of martial arts? Who could say that Xiao Lu's choice would definitely be wrong?
It's just that everyone had different ambitions.
"He— Xiao Lu used the Jade of Heaven's Lake!" Qin Miaoyu shouted after staring at him for half a day, her expression couldn't help but change.
As Ming Yue listened to this, his expression changed as well.
Last time, in order to prove his sincerity in joining the Thirteen Pavilions of Yunhai, Feng Xiao had taken the Jade of Heaven's Lake from the palace and gave it to Fan Yun.
After that, in the midst of the chaos, Fan Yun busied himself with fighting against others, and the jade was lost. Presently, it must have fallen into XiaoLu's hands and used.
When Qin Miaoyu was in the City of Six Crafts, she once had the Jade of Heaven's Lake for a period of time. During that time, she secretly used the jade to train herself and knew what the best parts of it were. If not for this, her prior level in the martial arts could have never allowed her to pass off as Feng Xiao and cheat the enemy for a long time.
But if the Jade of Heaven's Lake could abruptly improve a poorly informed Qin Miaoyu's martial arts, then with Xiao Lu, he should have known how to utilize it further. He might have even absorbed the entire jade already.
It was no wonder Xiao Lu had such confidence.
And so, today and presently, his inner strength was strong. At a glance the whole of Jianghu, it was difficult for him to ever meet another match.
Although Feng Xiao had the help of the Śarīra, could he be Xiao Lu's match?
Qin Miaoyu no longer dared to speak. She was afraid that if Feng Xiao heard it, it would distract him. Anything could end up in defeat when one is fighting such a terrible enemy.
As her thoughts wandered, Feng Xiao and Xiao Lu attacked at the same time!
But quicker than their responses were the broken bits of green bricks that surrounded them.
Like an invisible arm holding them in their grasp, it suddenly contracts!
Boom!
Those broken pieces exploded towards all directions.