For a very long time, Cui Buqu said nothing.
He came in too much of a hurry, his breath hadn't stabilized, and at this moment, he was half-hidden in the shadows. Warm blood surged up his chest, practically turning into the turbid breaths that left him as he exhaled.
He had thought that he could keep his breaths concealed, but how could he ever hope to successfully hide the truth from Feng Xiao?
Feng-er snickered twice, then he sighed, "Look at you, once I'm not there, you torture yourself into such a state. Give me your hand."
"Do you know how grave a situation you are in right now…" Before Cui Buqu could angrily finish his words, he could no longer suppress his coughs. Subsequently, they resounded within the cold and sinister prison like wandering spirits too pitiful to describe in words.
A hand reached out from between the prison bars to take his wrist and pull it in.
Streams of qi flowed into his meridians through his fingertips, soothing the toiling waves of blood that caused his anxiety and pain. Cui Buqu could only feel the choking breath that was stuck in his throat loosening, and his breath slowly returned to normal.
He smelled blood.
Amid the sinister cold air around them, the lingering and persistent scent of blood prickled his nose.
"Are you wounded?" Cui Buqu looked at the other.
The torches by the walls were faint, only vaguely shedding light on the blurry figures. It was impossible to tell clearly, let alone the wound hidden beneath layers of fabric.
Feng-er withdrew his hand and stood up beneath the light before he slowly undid his clothes.
Cui Buqu knew that he would not have the indecency to joke at a time like this.
But upon seeing what had come into his sight, Cui Buqu's expression turned bitter and cold, as sharp as a dagger and so cold that it could have frozen anyone to death.
Because on Feng Xiao's chest, near where his heart was located, there was a bloody hole as thick as a finger.
One couldn't see how deep the hole was but it had blackish purple-coloured dried blood surrounding it. It was obviously the first time the owner of the body was poisoned, and how ferocious the poison had been.
Cui Buqu's heart sank abruptly.
"Gu poison?"
"On my way to Prince Qin's manor, I met a person called Tuan Qinghe."
"This person's martial techniques were foreign. If I am not wrong, he should be the heir or disciple of the number one fighter of Göktürk from back then, Hulugu."
"Although Fo Er too once bore the name of the number one fighter of Göktürk, he and this Tuan Qinghe's skills are a world apart."
"I have never fought with Hulugu before, but Tuan Qinghe's martial arts were practically similar to Hulugu from back then. They shouldn't be very far apart."
"This gu was probably placed on me when I wasn't paying attention when we were fighting."
Cui Buqu asked, "I have never seen Hulugu before. Compared to Xiao Lu, how are Tuan Qinghe's martial arts?"
Feng Xiao, "He's slightly better."
Cui Buqu, "With your full strength, what would be the results?"
Feng Xiao, "Fifty-fifty."
Although Feng-er was usually very indifferent to his skills, his martial arts are strangely superior, and there was no room to doubt that there were not many people in this world who could fight "fifty-fifty" with him.
Cui Buqu had always been familiar towards all the Sects in the Jianghu, but before this, he had never heard of the name Tuan Qinghe before.
But Feng Xiao would indeed need his full strength to fight a battle with such a top martial artist, and he couldn't have anticipated that the other would use this opportunity to plant a gu in his body.
This type of gu had once destroyed the entire Yandang Estate.
Pei Jingzhe had also nearly fallen victim to it, but he was discovered in time and it was forcibly dug out with a knife.
The moment he manipulated his qi, the gu would squirm even deeper, draining all his strength.
Cui Buqu took a step closer.
But this place was far too deep in the shadows. He couldn't see whether that gu was still inside Feng Xiao's body.
Was this the reason why Feng-er had unleashed a massacre in Prince Qin's manor in a sudden frenzy?
"Have you forced the gu out?"
Feng Xiao remained silent for a while.
"While fighting against him, his martial arts required all of my attention, so only when I was on the way to Prince Qin's manor did I realize that the back of my hand itches, as if there was something alive in it. During that time I had already made use of my qi. As blood circulated all over my body, the gu moved along the blood veins from the back of my hand until my chest."
"Just now, I used my qi for a long period of time, and that gu kept moving. From atop of my skin to the inside of my flesh. I inflicted this wound of mine myself."
His voice had become very calm, it felt like he was enduring pain, yet he was unable to voice it out loud.
Does it mean that the gu worm hasd't been forced out until now?
Slowly, Cui Buqu frowned.
His throat began to itch again, but as he lowered his eyelids, he forcibly suppressed it.
A very rough, hoarse-sounding voice replaced it. "Is there no other way?"
He could not bear to imagine proud Feng Xiao allowing the gu to drill into his vessels and bones like those people from the Yandang Estate, like that scout from the Zuoyue Bureau, turning into frenzied people with dispaired senses of consciousness, killing others or themselves and dying in the most gruesome and most pitiful ways possible.
Just like how he couldn't imagine a dazzling-eyed phoenix losing both of its wings, falling from grace as he descended the skies and getting dirt all over itself, turning into an unsightly mortal object.
Feng Xiao sighed again and didn't answer this question.
But his lack of an answer had proven everything.
Cui Buqu closed his eyes.
His mind was in primal chaos, unable to quietly think. This was something he had never experienced before in this life.
Even in a more chaotic situation, he could find a way.
This time, he definitely could.
"I will go look for Qiao Xian now, let her suppress your injuries, then I will seek out Fan Yun. When he was in the Liuli Palace at that time, he brought quite a few rare remedies out with him, so regardless of what conditions he requests—"
Cui Buqu paused briefly, "I will let him make you well."
"Then, the case of Prince Qin's manor, as well as Xiao Lu, are you going to give up on them all?"
Feng Xiao looked at him.
In the darkness, a pair of eyes were burning brightly.
Cui Buqu passively said, "The case of Prince Qin's manor has already reached most of the people. The Ministry of Justice has taken it. The Zuoyue Bureau will only assist in the investigation. The Great Sui has plenty of talented people; it does not matter whether I am involved or not."
Feng Xiao sighed and said, "Cui Buqu, you rather say so many words, but why are you refusing to just say a simple "Your safety matters the most"?"
Cui Buqu, "Does it matter whether I say it or not?"
Feng Xiao, "Naturally, there is a difference. If you said those words, I will tell you something important."
Cui Buqu glared at him for a while, his voice suddenly turning cold.
"Are you lying to me?"
"You motherfucker, is this it, there is no gu to begin with?" Word by word Cui Buqu spurts out, his voice gentle, but one could tell very clearly that he was truly furious.
"I did fall into the trap. Why would I make a wound on myself for no reason?" Feng Xiao innocently said, "However, due to my brilliance, I managed to discover it on time. Although it was quite tedious, I've finally managed to force the gu out. Just now you did ask me, but I haven't lied to you."
Cui Buqu coldly said, "I'm giving you the time of half an incense, to speak everything from the start to finish."
Feng Xiao felt a little regrettable. He almost succeeded in forcing this person to spill the truth just now. Although he was beating around the bush, the meaning was there. It's a pity that it lacked a romantic air.
However, if he really made the other vomit blood, then it would be him who would have to transfer qi to Cui Buqu in the end.
"I did not kill anyone."
Feng Xiao was an incredibly steadfast person with great determination.
After having such a gu planted into him, catalyzed by the fragrance and music, only then could it cast his mind into disarray and make him fall into a delusion.
But it was only for a brief moment.
When he came to his senses, there was a sword in his hand.
That sword belonged to a guard who served the Crown Prince. That guard was already on the ground, and the sword was in Feng Xiao's hand.
Feng Xiao said, "I've seen before that guard's injuries. It's on his back. During that time, there were still three to four people between him and I. Among them was the Crown Prince. Since the Crown Prince wasn't dead, I could not have detoured past the Crown Prince and killed that guard from his back."