ONE'S DIGNITY or one's life—which was more important? Perhaps some would cling to their dignity even in the face of hellish torture, but that was certainly not Feng Xiao's style. He chose the second option without hesitation.
"Daddy…" he said. His voice was feeble, carried away by the wind and snow. It sounded more like a moan.
"I can't hear you."
"Pull me up. I don't have the strength."
Cui Buqu sneered. "You can say all that when you have no strength, yet you can't manage a single 'Daddy?'"
Thanks to Tang Li's earlier shoulder massage, Cui Buqu had regained some function in both arms. Feng Xiao must also have found some foothold among the rocks; otherwise, after Cui Buqu had almost lost his arm earlier that night, there was no way he'd have been able to support Feng Xiao's weight.
"Daddy! Daddy…"
The first daddy was inflected upward, the second down. These lilting syllables weren't from the strain of yelling over the wail of the blizzard, but the product of Feng Xiao's boundless chagrin. If a delicate woman had cried out like that, it might have been pitiful. But Feng Xiao calling out in falsetto only made Cui Buqu break out in gooseflesh, and he almost lost his grip and dropped him.
At that moment, Feng Xiao suddenly plummeted downward, dragging Cui Buqu with him. The gale tore past, and sand blinded his eyes. He'd fallen without even time to grab at the stones on the cliff's edge.
There were many situations in this world that no amount of wisdom could anticipate, and this was one of them. Cui Buqu had never expected Feng Xiao would really fall. Feng Xiao had his martial arts, so the fall wouldn't necessarily kill him. But at this height it would undoubtedly be fatal for an ordinary man like Cui Buqu. The instant he was yanked down, Cui Buqu resigned himself to death.
He quickly realized, however, that Feng Xiao wasn't actually plummeting. After a quick drop, he'd found his footing and pulled Cui Buqu into a recess in the rocks—a narrow cave.
They stared blankly at each other across the darkness, panting harshly. Outside, the blizzard screamed, and the moon hid behind the clouds; no trace of light filtered into their hideout.
Over the sound of the wind, Cui Buqu gasped, "You—"
A hand was clapped over his mouth, and Feng Xiao pressed against him, pinning him to the cave wall so he could no longer move. The cave was halfway down the steep side of the plateau, likely carved out by years of wind erosion. There was little space, and it grew only more cramped with two people squeezed together inside.
Cui Buqu was fairly confident Feng Xiao wasn't doing this just to mess with him; he remained motionless and didn't struggle. Sure enough, there was a lull in the wind and snow, and a black shadow swept past outside. Cui Buqu's eyes were sharp. He recognized the shadow as one of the assassins who'd jumped down to find Feng Xiao.
In Feng Xiao's current condition, there was no question of him fighting one against two. If he and Cui Buqu had remained on the cliff's edge, they'd have doubtless been discovered.
The figure suddenly stopped and hooked their feet around the stones jutting out over the crevice, hanging upside down to peer inside. The interior was narrow and black as pitch; it was impossible to make out anything within. Feng Xiao didn't need to speak. Cui Buqu was already holding his breath, perfectly focused. The only thing he didn't do was slow his heartbeat.
The assassin hesitated a moment, as if considering whether to search inside. Cui Buqu, pressed against him, felt Feng Xiao shift and heard a brief rustling. Then something seemed to explode overhead, bursting outward with the sound of wings flapping.
The unsuspecting assassin reeled back as the flock of bats burst from the crevice. They struck out with a palm but only drew a denser mass of bats. Caught entirely off guard, the assassin's face was scratched bloody. They lost their balance and tumbled down the cliff.
Cui Buqu never imagined there could be so many slumbering bats hidden in this small crevice. The feeling of the massive flock sweeping down past his head wasn't much better than the feeling of staring death in the face. It was worse still for the fastidious Feng Xiao. All the washing and changing he'd done before they left was completely in vain. If they made it back, the man would probably have to scrub off a layer or two of skin. The thought gave Cui Buqu a fierce pleasure, and his current treacherous circumstances no longer felt so unbearable.
Feng Xiao finally moved his hand away from Cui Buqu's mouth. But before Cui Buqu could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard him say, "There's still one more."
Almost as he spoke, a shadow flew in from outside, swift and violent, a sword glinting coldly in their hand as they thrust straight toward Feng Xiao.
Feng Xiao had long lost his zither. Sleeve flying, he met his opponent's blade with a palm. Just as the point of the sword was about to pierce his shoulder through, he angled his body and let the blade slice through his clothes and flesh as his palm slammed into his assailant's neck.
Cui Buqu heard the crack of bones breaking, and the person was sent flying out of the cave.
"Shall we go?" said Cui Buqu.
This was their moment to escape. Go Nyeong and Fo'er were long gone, unlikely to return. As for the two assassins from the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai, Feng Xiao had killed one, and the other had plummeted down the slope and was probably more dead than alive. Even if they survived, they'd be unconscious for a while yet.
"I can't walk," said Feng Xiao feebly.
"This cave isn't far from the top. I'll climb up and go get help."
"Oh," said Feng Xiao. "Then go."
Cui Buqu's mouth twitched. "Let go of me."
Feng Xiao was clutching his wrist in an iron grip. "I really do want to let go," said Feng Xiao innocently. "But my hand won't obey me; there's nothing I can do."
He was sure that if Cui Buqu left, he would never return. Even if Pei Jingzhe could find him here, he likely wouldn't make it until daybreak. The night was young; much could happen.
"We can work together," said Cui Buqu.
"Explain," said Feng Xiao.
"You're investigating a case right now. I happen to have a lead that will help you crack it. I can tell you what I know."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I was only recently informed."
"So you've been passing secret messages behind my back."
Cui Buqu was unmoved. "Do you want to know or not?"
Realizing he would be stuck here for a while, Feng Xiao decided to put the danger of his current predicament out of his mind. He relaxed, leaning back against the rocks to rest. However, he still refused to release Cui Buqu's wrist. "Why should I believe you?"
"Didn't you guess my identity long ago?"
"Oho?" Feng Xiao's tone pitched upward. "So Daoist Master Cui is finally willing to confess?"
"That's right," said Cui Buqu. "The Zuoyue Bureau has no connection to the Jiejian Bureau, but we are both subjects of the throne. And right now, we are both in Liugong City, so we're all in the same boat. Even if you resent me, we must deal with our common enemy before our private grievance."
"What was your objective in coming here?" asked Feng Xiao. "The Jade of Heaven Lake?"
Cui Buqu paused. "No. I arrived in Liugong City two months ago. How could I have known the jade would be stolen? The Zuoyue Bureau is executing another important mission."
Feng Xiao sighed. "We've come so far, but Ququ, you still won't be honest with me. How am I supposed to believe you?"
Cui Buqu rolled his eyes. "Ishbara is restless, ready to invade the Central Plains. However, the Göktürks have many tribes, and though Ishbara Khagan's authority is far-reaching, he doesn't hold supreme power. I came here to spearhead the court's move against the Khaganate. This is a matter of utmost secrecy; no unrelated persons are permitted to know of it. That's as much as I can tell you. With your smarts you can easily guess the truth, so surely I needn't say more."
Feng Xiao pondered this. Cui Buqu couldn't make out his features in the darkness, but he guessed he was mulling over the trustworthiness of this information. Feng Xiao abruptly asked, "In that case, was Wen Liang a fake lead you left on purpose?"
Cui Buqu said nothing—but his silence was tacit confirmation.
Feng Xiao swiftly linked together a winding string of cause and effect and realized something. Although Cui Buqu had been at his side all this time, drugged with incense of helplessness, sickly and feeble, he'd somehow managed to lead Feng Xiao by the nose throughout the entire case. Feng Xiao's fingers itched, and he longed to yank Cui Buqu's head off and kick it around like a ball.
Feng Xiao should have had victory within his grasp, looking down on Cui Buqu from on high. Yet for the first time in his life, this man had completely jerked him around.
After he finally, and with much difficulty, managed to curb his more violent impulses, Feng Xiao flashed Cui Buqu a fake smile. "Could I trouble Daoist Master Cui to explain more clearly? When we went to capture Wen Liang, people plotting against him suddenly emerged. You incited them to action in order to mislead me, right?"