WHILE CUI BUQU chatted with Bing Xian, the figures of Feng Xiao and Yan Xuexing parted, alighting on the eaves at opposite ends of the courtyard.
To a layperson, they looked evenly matched. But Yan Xuexing knew: though he was the standout among Linchuan Academy's younger generation, he was a notch below the person before him. When had such a powerful female expert appeared in the jianghu?
"May I ask the lady's esteemed name?"
"My surname is Cui. I don't use my maiden name."
Cui Buqu was speechless. Bing Xian snickered.
"Which sect is Cui-niangzi from?" Yan Xuexing asked. "Who is your master?"
Feng Xiao smiled. "Why should I tell you?"
Yan Xuexing released a slow breath, as if trying to control his temper. He'd encountered more than one troublesome woman on this trip. Though things had improved in recent years, the world remained dominated by men, and so did the jianghu. Women wandered the jianghu, but very few were outstanding talents. Yet it seemed today they had planned their appearances so Yan Xuexing could meet them all.
For example, Bing Xian, and this Cui-niangzi before him now.
Yan Xuexing had no time to waste on this woman. His goal tonight was to torment the Duan family and kill Duan Qihu, to make Duan Qihu suffer as much as possible before dying. Feng Xiao stood in his way.
"Duan Qihu slaughtered my family; he defiled and killed my sister," he spat. "If I don't take revenge, I'd be unfit to call myself a man. If Cui-niangzi shares no friendship with Duan Qihu, please stand aside. I will owe you a debt, and make sure to repay you."
Feng Xiao arched one brow. "Repay me how?"
Yan Xuexing suppressed his anger. "As long as what you ask is not immoral, I will do all I can."
Duan Qihu had dominated Qiemo for decades, surrounded by the flattery and praise of others. Even Gao Yi, sent by the Sui dynasty itself, showed him the utmost courtesy. He'd never been so powerless as he was now, lying like meat on a chopping board.
In his bandit days, he hadn't feared death. He'd sustained plenty of grave injuries and spent days licking blood from his wounds, all to earn this wealthy, comfortable life. But the more he possessed, the more he desired to live. When he saw Feng Xiao apparently swayed by Yan Xuexing's words, he shouted, "Didn't you want to know my secrets? I'll tell you! So help me! I'll tell you all my secrets!"
"So you really do know Yuxiu?" asked Cui Buqu.
"I do!" he cried.
Cui Buqu snorted. "Duan Qihu, I may not know martial arts, but my skills are unmatched when it comes to reading people's words and expressions. You previously said you'd never heard of Yuxiu—that was the truth. Now you're claiming to know him. It seems to me you're trying to deceive us to save your own skin! Do you actually know anything that makes you worth saving?"
"I do!" roared Duan Qihu. "I know something! Have you heard of the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai?! I know their secrets, so save me! I'll tell you everything!"
"The Thirteen Floors of Yunhai?" Cui Buqu looked pensive. "It's true I'm curious about them—but not curious enough to save your life. Prove what you know is worth the exchange."
Duan Qihu's eyes were bloodshot. He was bent on preserving his life; he had no thought for anything else: "The Thirteen Floors of Yunhai isn't just an organization that trades money for lives! The 'thirteen floors' represent thirteen people and thirteen sections. I'm ranked twelfth among them, so I'm known as Shi'er-xiansheng! Is that valuable enough for you?!"
Cui Buqu frowned. He suddenly remembered something.
During the case of the murdered Khotanese envoy, one of the perpetrators, Su Xing, had confessed to being a disciple of the Buyeo Sect in Goguryeo. The person who'd sent him and Qin Miaoyu to the Central Plains was a high-ranking member of the Buyeo Sect they called "Yi-xiansheng"—One. The name was all they knew of him.
At the time, Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao had speculated that someone using "One" as an alias must be an extraordinary person with lofty aspirations. Since there was a One, why shouldn't there be a Two, Three, Four, or even Eleven and Twelve?
Could this Yi-xiansheng be related to the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai? If so, the scale and foresight of the organization was astonishing. Not only did they have roots in Goguryeo, they'd recruited Duan Qihu out in the western borderlands. Their influence was vast, from north to south and east to west, throughout Northern Sui and Southern Chen, even reaching into the major sects of the jianghu. It was likely they had even more allies Cui Buqu had yet to discover.
Cui Buqu's thoughts flashed like sparks; he instantly made the decision to save Duan Qihu's life.
They'd previously suspected Duan Qihu and Yuxiu had some grudge between them, and had hoped uncovering it would reveal the reason for Yuxiu's presence in Qiemo. They hadn't imagined they'd stumble over an astonishing secret about the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai.
Though Feng Xiao exchanged no word or glance with Cui Buqu, he'd come to the exact same conclusion. He shrugged at Yan Xuexing. "You heard him. He's offering to purchase his life with a secret, and it's one I'm quite interested to hear. Why don't you do me a favor and return in a few days to kill him?"
Yan Xuexing's reply was ground between his teeth. "Impossible. I've waited more than ten years for this day. Now that it's finally here, I won't just kill him. I'll kill every member of the Duan family in front of him, then carve him to pieces. I'll give him a taste of what it's like to watch your family die in front of you!"
Feng Xiao raised a brow. "A debt is a debt. But no matter how pompous Duan Qihu's wives and children are, they didn't kill your family. Don't the disciples of Linchuan Academy claim to be students of Confucius? They love talking about morality, benevolence, and righteousness—did your master condone this?"
"Morality, benevolence, and righteousness—can these bring my family back to life? Can they go back and stop those demons from violating my sister?" Yan Xuexing laughed, then scanned the quivering members of the Duan family with mocking eyes. "They've enjoyed the glory and wealth Duan Qihu brought them; it's only right they die with him too. If he were a man of courage and integrity, he would have exiled himself in atonement long ago. He'd have refused to spend wealth tainted with human blood! I killed his daughter with a single slash. I didn't recruit anyone to follow his example and humiliate his daughter in front of him. That alone was an enormous act of benevolence!"
Before he'd finished speaking, he sprang into action.
Yan Xuexing knew he wasn't Feng Xiao's equal. If he wanted to kill Duan Qihu, he needed an opportunity. He'd spoken partly to vent his misery, but more so to mask his intentions. With Feng Xiao here, Yan Xuexing's plan to torture and kill the Duan family wouldn't work. He chose to strike Duan Qihu with a single killing blow. Any hesitation would wreck his chances.
The night was dark, and in the dim light of the distant lanterns, Yan Xuexing looked like a lone and ethereal swan. He was so fast even Bing Xian could hardly see him, never mind Cui Buqu.
But no matter how fast he moved, his goal could only be Duan Qihu.
Feng Xiao also moved.
He took an ordinary step, his footwork unremarkable. Absent was his signature peacock-like style, where he aimed to intentionally dazzle onlookers. This move was completely straightforward: he dropped down from the eaves, sleeves raised like a legendary bird in flight, and landed right on top of Yan Xuexing.
The maneuver appeared basic, but Yan Xuexing felt an immense pressure bearing down on his head, like his entire body was about to be crushed. He blanched and quickly gave up offense for defense. Bending at the waist, he swept forward and slammed his palms into the ground, flying right back into Feng Xiao.
In a flash, they'd exchanged over a dozen blows. A confrontation between two such experts was a rare sight. In other circumstances, Cui Buqu might have sat down to savor the experience.
But Bing Xian couldn't simply watch Yan Xuexing fall in defeat; she was trying to recruit him into the Hehuan Sect. She darted forward as well.
As soon as she joined the fray, the fight seemed to tilt in their favor—but only for a moment. In the face of greater adversity, Feng Xiao grew even stronger; he didn't lose the upper hand at all. Yan Xuexing saw that Feng Xiao had been holding back before, merely toying with him.
Duan Qihu was seriously injured, but he'd never relinquished his desire to escape. Seeing the three of them occupied fighting each other, he edged toward a dark corner. Yet he suddenly found someone standing in front of him.
Cui Buqu.
Duan Qihu thought very little of this man who knew no martial arts. But right then, he himself wasn't much better off. He lowered his voice. "I've hidden many treasures over the years. Let me go and I'll tell you where to find them!"
"I'm not interested in treasure," said Cui Buqu. "But if you tell me about the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai, I'll spare your life. My wife will also shield you from them; once this is over, you can escape."
Duan Qihu smiled bitterly. "Members of the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai must abide by its rules. We're forbidden from leaking even a single word. If I talk, death awaits me."
"But you talked just now," said Cui Buqu. He looked over at Feng Xiao and shouted, "Wife of mine, Duan Qihu refuses to cooperate. No need to exhaust yourself; let Yan Xuexing kill him!"
Feng Xiao was fighting two on one, yet he still had the breath to say, "Of course, dear. I always listen to my husband!"
"I'll talk!" Duan Qihu cried. "I'll talk! What do you want to know?"
"Do you know Yuxiu or not? Is Yuxiu a member of the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai?"
"I don't know him! I've never heard of such a person! The Thirteen Floors of Yunhai are composed of thirteen directors, each in charge of a section. Though I'm a director, I only know of the two before and after me. I don't know anything about the others!"
Out of a total of thirteen members, Duan Qihu was the twelfth, Shi'er-xiansheng. Before him must be the eleventh, Shiyi-xiansheng, and after him had to be the thirteenth, Shisan-xiansheng.
"Who are they?" asked Cui Buqu.
"Shiyi is a monk named Yuheng. Shisan is a woman named Feng Xiaolian!"
Setting aside whether this Yuheng the monk was actually Yuxiu, Cui Buqu was astonished to hear the second name. "Gao Wei's favored concubine, Feng Xiaolian?"
"That's right!" cried Duan Qihu.
Feng Xiaolian, a woman so beautiful her lord could charge a thousand gold pieces per glance? Anyone with the slightest understanding of world affairs knew the fame of this bewitching concubine. After the emperor of Sui usurped the Zhou dynasty, Feng Xiaolian was given to a Sui official as a reward. As far as Cui Buqu knew, she'd perished in some harem infighting. A peerless beauty of her generation had died too young, and many lovers of women had mourned her passing.
If this woman was really Shisan-xiansheng of the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai, she must have faked her own death.