SU XING HAD NO INTEREST in chatting with Feng Xiao and even less in testing his abilities. Right then his most important goal was to escape. Anything else could wait.
He'd lain low in the Lu family for many years, but his skills hadn't declined in the least. On the contrary, he was better now than when he'd left Goguryeo. Only death awaited him if he was caught; he ignored defense in favor of an all-out offense, every strike a killing blow as he beat Feng Xiao back.
Pei Jingzhe tossed his longsword to Feng Xiao, who caught it without looking. He thrust it forward to meet the whip sword Su Xing was slashing toward him and twisted. The blades vibrated with the internal energy of their wielders—Su Xing's slightly weaker. His wrist went numb as the whip sword shuddered and went flying, flung away by his opponent's blade.
Seeing things going south, he turned and gathered his qi to escape. His figure was like a soaring crane, bold and graceful. Even Qiao Xian exclaimed in surprise, "The foundations of his qinggong are solid; that doesn't look like the Goguryeon style."
"How do Goguryeons approach qinggong?" Pei Jingzhe asked.
Qiao Xian's face may as well have been covered in a layer of frost; she made no reply.
Pei Jingzhe's mouth twitched at the corner. He felt rather aggrieved. I didn't poison your chief, and I didn't drag him all over the place either. I'm just a subordinate following orders. Give me a break!
It was Cui Buqu who answered. "The Goguryeon and Fusang people are close, and their martial arts are similar. They emphasize stealth and cunning—hiding in the dark to seek a fatal strike, or defeating the enemy with lightning speed. They rarely employ this kind of light and agile style; among Goguryeons, such qinggong is usually practiced only by women."
"Did Qin Miaoyu teach it to him?" Pei Jingzhe guessed. "Yet he betrayed her too!"
Qiao Xian mouth twisted with cold disdain. It was rare for her to hold her tongue, but Pei Jingzhe didn't need her to speak to know her thoughts: all men in this world were callous creatures. He couldn't resist saying, "They were originally allies, but Qin Miaoyu turned her back on Su Xing and stole the jade for herself. Now Su Xing has betrayed her in turn. They're merely two dogs biting at each other."
"Perhaps Qin Miaoyu is no paragon of virtue," Qiao Xian said coldly, "but you have only to look at Lu Youniang to know what Su Xing is capable of. Compared to that, what's selling out Qin Miaoyu?"
Pei Jingzhe instinctively glanced toward the coffin and clammed up.
Within the space of that exchange, Su Xing's soaring figure had almost overleapt the bounds of Lu Manor. He was briefly surprised to find no one pursuing him—then his vision blurred, and agony tore through his shoulder. He collapsed to the ground. Even if he'd held onto his sword, brimming with power, it would have made no difference in his defeat.
The instant he hit the ground, a hand sealed his acupoints. Su Xing stared up at Feng Xiao, then closed his eyes in frustration. "Kill me, then! I only ask that it be quick!"
"The seal."
Pei Jingzhe understood. He came forward to search Su Xing's lapels for the seal he'd taken earlier, then presented it to Feng Xiao.
"Daoist Master Cui's words are my words," said Feng Xiao. "If the information you provided allows us to find Qin Miaoyu, the Jiejian Bureau will honor our promise and show you leniency."
Su Xing raised his head in disbelief. He'd never expected Feng Xiao would keep his word. From the other side, Lu Ti rushed at him, ignoring his own bleeding neck as he slapped Su Xing hard across the face. Su Xing was caught off guard. His head wrenched to the side, his cheek swelling instantly.
"Give me my daughter back!" Lu Ti said through gritted teeth, his expression ferocious. He would have choked Su Xing to death on the spot if Pei Jingzhe didn't reach out to pull him off. "Get out of my way!"
"See to Lady Lu's funeral first. The Jiejian Bureau will take care of this man." Without waiting for a reply, Pei Jingzhe struck Lu Ti on the back of the neck and knocked him unconscious. He gestured for the servants of the Lu family to take him inside.
Though the matter of Lady Lu was over, the case was not yet concluded.
"I've helped Deputy Chief Feng resolve things with the Lu family, and I've also helped you capture Su Xing. When will Deputy Chief Feng fulfill his promise to bring me Fo'er's head, I wonder?" Cui Buqu didn't bother being polite.
Feng Xiao slapped his forehead like he'd just remembered. "I forgot to tell you. On my way over here, I happened to see Fo'er in the distance heading toward the manor where you live. If I remember correctly, the envoy sent by Apa Khagan is also there, right?"
Qiao Xian's face paled. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
Eyes wide and innocent, Feng Xiao said, "You didn't ask me earlier. I was busy arresting Su Xing; I didn't have time to think. I only remembered just now. You should hurry, maybe you can still make it!"
Cui Buqu glanced at Qiao Xian, who sped off without another word.
"Is this how Deputy Chief Feng fulfills his promises?" Cui Buqu scoffed.
Feng Xiao smiled brightly, "I said I'd kill Fo'er, I didn't say when. Killing him now, killing him in the future—what difference does it make? Blame yourself for not being more specific. If you want to change the terms now, we'll have to renegotiate."
"State your conditions," said Cui Buqu.
"I want half the credit for the negotiations with Apa's envoy."
"Absolutely not," said Cui Buqu automatically.
"Then there's nothing to be done." Feng Xiao sighed regretfully. "You heard it too. Cui Buqu is the one you want. Don't kill the wrong person this time."
As the last words dropped from Feng Xiao's lips, a figure appeared on the rooftop above them. The newcomer jumped down, his saber slashing like the wind, straight for Cui Buqu.
Zhangsun Bodhi was long gone, and Qiao Xian had just left to pursue Fo'er. Suddenly there was no one to protect him. All he could hear was Feng Xiao saying coolly, "This person is a disciple of Fo'er, Songji. He's not a particularly skilled martial artist—but he's more than capable of killing you."
The saber was coming straight at him; in a moment, he'd lose his head. Pei Jingzhe's face paled in horror. He didn't have a heart of stone like Feng Xiao, yet there was no way he could dash over and rescue Cui Buqu in time. The only one who could save him was Feng Xiao.
In the face of death, Cui Buqu yelled, "I'll give you half the credit for the negotiations!"
"Wouldn't it have been better to agree earlier?" Feng Xiao said with a smile. He flew as fast as his words; in an instant, he was at Cui Buqu's side.
He waved his sleeve but made no other movement. Songji felt a powerful force surging toward him; he stumbled backward and fell. Pei Jingzhe ran up and seized him immediately.
Songji was Fo'er's youngest disciple. He'd become an apprentice late, and though he was the weakest of all of Fo'er's disciples, Fo'er loved him the most. When Fo'er came to the Central Plains to disrupt negotiations with Apa Khagan, he'd brought this youngest disciple with him. He'd intended Songji to gain some experience in the Central Plains but had initially permitted him only to track Apa Khagan's envoy, thinking to keep him out of danger. But Songji was young, and he yearned to perform great feats. Though his shifu had ordered him to keep back, when he'd heard Feng Xiao talking to Cui Buqu, he'd leapt out without thinking.
Who knew Feng Xiao would keep switching sides like this? One moment he stood coldly by, not caring a whit whether Cui Buqu lived or died; the next, he'd swept in to save him. Songji gnashed his teeth in frustration. But he'd already exposed himself and lost his opportunity to capture Cui Buqu—instead, he'd ended up captured himself.
Feng Xiao paid no heed to Songji. He laughed and said, "A gentleman's words are like swift horses. Ququ, you're the esteemed leader of the Zuoyue Bureau. You must not go back on your word."
The implication was clear: Two can play at this game. You cheat me and I'll cheat you. We can drag each other down, and no one will come out the winner.
"I'm no gentleman," Cui Buqu said, "but I will honor my promises. However, you must escort the buddha the entire journey west—if you help someone, you must finish what you start. Qiao Xian is no match for Fo'er, so you'll have to come back with me and kill him."
Feng Xiao smiled. "Actually, I lied. I didn't see Fo'er on the way here. If you want to find him, you should ask his disciple. His shifu will definitely come looking now that we've caught him."
Cui Buqu eyed him.
"You cheated me several times, so we'll call it even. Why don't we bury the hatchet and make peace?" said Feng Xiao.
Cui Buqu thought, The fuck we're even, but nodded agreeably. The two of them stared at each other, mouths curved in identical fake smiles.
Pei Jingzhe's lips twitched. This really is too much!
"We're done here," said Feng Xiao. "I'm going to find Qin Miaoyu first. Ququ, do you wish to come?"
"I will be negotiating with Apa Khagan's envoy tonight. If Deputy Chief Feng is interested, he is welcome to come and listen."
Feng Xiao was rather shocked to find Cui Buqu so cooperative. "I thought you'd try another scheme or two before letting me join," he said.
Cui Buqu sneered. "Do I look like that kind of indecisive, sloppy person?"
Feng Xiao cupped his hands and smiled. "Not at all. I was judging a gentleman's heart through a scoundrel's eyes."
The truth about Lu Youniang's death had been revealed. But for Lu Ti and his wife, it meant a Goguryeon had deceived them, living in their house for years under the name of their relative, and ultimately cost their precious daughter her life. They felt no more comfort now than they had when they'd believed Lu Youniang had drowned herself. When Madam Li came to, she wailed and cried, undone by regret. But Lu Youniang was already dead in her coffin. There was no way back.
When she walked in the underworld, would Lu Youniang rue that she'd misjudged that man so gravely?
The irreversible passage of time was the most agonizing thing in the world. A broken mirror could never be made whole; spilled water never recovered.
Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu didn't linger; they left the Lu family to their grief. When they reached the gates, they made to go their separate ways.
Cui Buqu suddenly paused in his step and turned to Feng Xiao. "I just remembered something. It's related to you, but I don't know if I should tell you."
Feng Xiao saw the affected concern etched on Cui Buqu's face and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. "Then don't tell me."
"When I examined the corpse earlier, I put my hand in Lu Youniang's mouth. Some of the green bean pastry she'd eaten got on my hand, and I forgot to wash it after. I used that same hand to take your seal from Pei Jingzhe. I remember that you love cleanliness? I can't tell you how sorry I am."
Feng Xiao had no words.
Pei Jingzhe saw not a hint of guilt on Cui Buqu's face, but did observe that Feng Xiao's had turned rather green.
Cui Buqu wasn't foolish enough to wait around for Feng Xiao to come to his senses and take revenge. He disappeared in a flash, moving with tremendous speed and agility. It was night and day from his manner previously, frail and plagued with illness, coughing every second step.
Pei Jingzhe peered at Feng Xiao's face and said cautiously, "Sir, should we first go look for Qin Miaoyu, or…go back to bathe and change?"
"Find. Her." Feng Xiao squeezed those two words out between gritted teeth.
Pei Jingzhe was certain Qin Miaoyu would soon be finding herself in deep misfortune.