EVIDENCE OF the fire was everywhere in the empty stone hut.
The bed and cabinets had been made of wood, and most of the shaman's possessions had been ceramic or cloth. Almost nothing remained of them. Even the shards were blackened, and a charred smell lingered in the air.
The shaman's body had long since been removed. There were no clues to be found here. Jinlian watched Feng Xiao pace around the hut with mounting unease.
"Did you find anything?" she asked, unable to stop herself.
Feng Xiao had been crouched on the floor scrutinizing it for a long while. He rose and dusted off his hands. "Have someone fetch a pail of water."
Jinlian's heart leapt into her throat. "What is it? Have you noticed something?"
"No, I need to wash my hands."
Jinlian was speechless. She had the powerful urge to pick up the ceramic jug and bring it down over Feng Xiao's head—but she didn't dare. She took a deep breath and exhaled, but couldn't expel her anxiety. "Feng-langjun, this is a matter of life or death. The khagan is truly furious. If we don't find the murderer in time, he might really have Cui-xiansheng killed."
Feng Xiao hummed carelessly. "I'm here, aren't I? If things go south, I'll just grab him and leave."
This was the attitude Jinlian feared most: his apparent belief that everyone was beneath his consideration due to his martial arts. Perhaps these Sui envoys could depart without a backward look, but Jinlian could not do the same. After this incident, the chance of forming an alliance was slim to none. Jinlian could only hope the khagan wouldn't take his fury out on her, but it was a slim hope indeed.
She couldn't force Feng Xiao to take action; her only option was to appeal to him through logic and sentiment. She gave him a strained smile. "Feng-gongzi is a peerless martial artist—a talent that is one in a million. Naturally, you fear nothing. But consider Cui-xiansheng. He came here on the court's orders. If he fails, what will he do when he returns to your capital? An investigation and dismissal may be the best he can hope for."
Feng Xiao looked at her strangely. "Why should I consider him? I saved his life once already; I can't do him any greater favor than that. As for the emperor's investigation, I can't wait. The Jiejian Bureau will have one less rival, no?"
Jinlian felt she was losing her mind. She'd never met anyone so difficult. She'd thought Cui Buqu was bad enough, but Feng Xiao was, if anything, more stubborn. At this very moment, Cui Buqu was imprisoned in the second prince's yurt. Even if he were the wisest man in the land, he'd have a hard time putting that intelligence to use in his current circumstances. Feng Xiao's role was vital, but he refused to be rational. On top of that, he didn't seem remotely distressed.
Maybe she should try begging the greater khatun and the first prince for help. The Sui envoys had made a favorable impression on them, and Prince Yixun got along well with Cui Buqu. Perhaps they could be convinced to plead for mercy on his behalf. With this in mind, she turned to leave.
"It's useless going to the first prince." Feng Xiao had seen right through her. "He and the greater khatun are well-disposed toward an alliance with Sui, but if the prince speaks up for Cui Buqu now, he'll be suspected of colluding with our party and murdering Prince Ade himself. The greater khatun will never allow it."
Jinlian slowed to a stop. Feng Xiao was right. But she was desperate to save Cui Buqu—what other option did she have? "When Cui-xiansheng gave himself up so Feng-gongzi could go free, I'm sure he never thought Feng-gongzi wouldn't so much as glance back at him."
Feng Xiao was unruffled. "I'm waiting."
"Waiting for what?" she asked suspiciously.
"For Cui Buqu. He volunteered to remain behind, yet told me nothing. There must have been something he was still unsure of. The moment he figures it out, he's certain to send word to us."
At that moment, they heard the sound of swift footfalls outside.
Jinlian and Feng Xiao stepped out of the stone hut to see Qiao Xian sweeping toward them. With her fluttering white clothes and graceful figure, she truly lived up to the promise of her name—Xian, celestial. Her expression, however, was nowhere near as serene as the smooth leaps of her qinggong.
"The lord chief told me to relay a message," she said the moment she was within earshot of Feng Xiao. "He said you must run as far away as possible. You mustn't go back for him no matter what, nor take revenge on Apa Khagan. He said the khagan has countless capable men with him, and that you and I aren't his match."
"Cui-xiansheng really said that?" Jinlian felt herself begin to panic again at this news. Feng Xiao was already disinclined to save Cui Buqu. This message would only give him more reason to leave.
Qiao Xian sighed. "Yes. The lord chief said I must relay this message to Deputy Chief Feng if I wish to rescue him."
She'd mulled over his words the whole way here but gleaned nothing. All she could do was place her hopes in Feng Xiao.
"Look at you." Feng Xiao heaved a sigh. "He told you to relay these words without giving you time to consider them. He knew you'd never understand. In the end, it's all up to me."
Qiao Xian suppressed the urge to explode at him. "Tell us then, what does the message mean?"
Feng Xiao laughed contemptuously. "Do you see your lord chief as the type to willingly sacrifice himself for others?"
"You're not making sense!" snapped Qiao Xian. "Can't you get to the point?"
"Of course he's not," Feng Xiao said solemnly. "He's a trap-setting fox who digs pitfalls for others to tumble into again and again. Even if he jumps into his own pit, he makes sure to drag someone down with him to cushion his fall. You've worked under him so long and you don't understand this much?"
A vein throbbed in Qiao Xian's forehead.
"He means the opposite of what he says," Feng Xiao pronounced.
"What do you mean?" Jinlian asked.
"Asking us to run as far away as possible, to never come back for him. He's saying we must go find him. Telling us not to take revenge on Apa Khagan—the khagan himself is the key."
The longer Jinlian listened, the more confused she became. "So he's telling us to plead with the khagan on his behalf?"
"No," said Feng Xiao. "He's probably realized there's something strange about Apa Khagan. I'll look for the khagan; you two look for Cui Buqu. Stay with him no matter what happens."
His expression abruptly turned serious. He bent and picked up a stone, then spun and threw it hard. Under Jinlian and Qiao Xian's astonished eyes, a man leapt out from the forest behind the stone hut and pounced toward Feng Xiao, quick as lightning.
Yet Feng Xiao seemed to have expected this. Without seeming to move, he had already drifted backward several paces to evade the newcomer's thunderous strike. Before the man could react, he struck out with his palm.
Qiao Xian and Jinlian watched the two figures engage in battle, attacks raining down like shooting stars. There was no opportunity for them to intervene, even to support Feng Xiao. They were stunned. Fo'er was dead, yet here was a second martial artist of comparable skill and power. Where had he come from? Not only had this man appeared out of nowhere, his techniques were uncanny. He used neither blade nor spear; rather, an iridescent light flashed from his raised sleeves. Closer inspection revealed a thin metal chain, neither silver nor gold. It evaded Feng Xiao's true qi as if it had a mind of its own, and in a flash had wrapped itself around his wrist.
Feng Xiao sneered and gave his arm a small shake, using his qi to break the chain's hold. But the chain was persistent. At the command of its master, it swept toward Feng Xiao's vital acupoints. Such weapons weren't rare, but neither were they common. Had Cui Buqu been here, he would surely have pinpointed this opponent's identity. Unfortunately, he was not; Feng Xiao had no one to rely on but himself.
His opponent's attacks were vicious. He gave Feng Xiao no respite but attacked again and again, surprising Feng Xiao with bizarre techniques. He was obviously determined to kill Feng Xiao then and there.
Feng Xiao's martial arts were unparalleled, but he'd fought the mystery person in the stone hut just two days ago and been wounded. He'd then fought and killed Fo'er, which could only have worsened his injuries. After such a string of battles, even the best martial artist in the world would be pushed to the brink.
Though Feng Xiao moved with an assuredness that seemed to indicate he had everything under control, his opponent was certain his strength must be flagging. Feng Xiao would die here today. The unknown man laughed, his heart filling with hatred as his strikes grew increasingly ferocious.
Even Qiao Xian and Jinlian were given no chance to retreat. Several men in black had appeared out of thin air, sweeping toward them and blocking their escape.
Jinlian had never seen them before, but their attacks and movements were too similar—they were either from the same sect or had trained under the same master. Why would such a group suddenly come to the Khaganate?
Could they be behind the murder of the shaman and the second prince?
All these thoughts flashed through Jinlian's mind as a blade bit into her waist. She endured the pain and leapt back.
***
"Deputy Chief Feng will never make it in time. I don't recommend pinning your hopes on him." Yuxiu smiled faintly.
He watched as Cui Buqu's coughs became increasingly violent, even reaching out to pat him on the back a couple of times as if he felt a scrap of pity.
Cui Buqu didn't shrink from Yuxiu's hand. He didn't have the strength. His head felt heavy with fatigue, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open. Once his coughing subsided, he again began to speak. "There's something I've always wondered about you. No matter how I thought, I couldn't make sense of it."
Yuxiu smiled faintly again. "Did you wonder why I became the advisor of the Prince of Jin and gained his favor and respect? Though I lack the immense authority of you and Deputy Chief Feng, my future is bright and boundless. I'm from a prestigious sect—even if I left the court tomorrow and chose to roam the jianghu, I could still make a name for myself. Why, then, do I keep choosing to pit myself against the two of you?"
"That's right." Cui Buqu furrowed his brow. "Unless of course you bear a grudge against the Prince of Jin. Perhaps you deliberately remain at his side in the guise of his strategist in order to sabotage the Sui dynasty from within and drag your patron down with you?"
Yuxiu shook his head. "I do not and have never had a grudge against the Prince of Jin."
"Then does the Prince of Jin scheme for his own ambition? Did he secretly create the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai and command you to recruit talent so he might overthrow the crown prince and usurp the throne?"
His questions were dangerously blunt, as if Cui Buqu was completely unafraid of suggesting something so taboo. Yuxiu was momentarily stunned. He burst out laughing. "You're really… I've always been reluctant to kill you. If you hadn't repeatedly gotten in my way, you'd never have ended up in your current predicament."
Cui Buqu merely closed his eyes and continued. "The Thirteen Floors of Yunhai are led by thirteen directors, each operating independently. Feng Xiaolian ranks last at thirteen; Duan Qihu was twelfth; Yuheng was eleventh. Given your abilities, you must be far higher up. Could you be the first director—the Yi-xiansheng they spoke of?"
Yuxiu shook his head. "I'm not." At Cui Buqu's doubtful expression, he smiled. "I know you don't believe me, but it's the truth."
He'd remained relaxed and carefree the entire time. As far as Yuxiu was concerned, he had everything within his grasp; any tricks Cui Buqu might try didn't concern him. As long as Feng Xiao was taken care of, Cui Buqu could be as brilliant as the great strategist Zhuge Liang and there would still be nothing he could do.
Yet in the next moment, his smile froze on his lips. Yuxiu rose to his feet and paced around the room. Finally, in a dark corner behind a cabinet, he found the incense burner.
The moment he sniffed it, the color drained from his face. He flung the burner to the ground and grabbed some bedding to throw over it. Striding forward, he grabbed Cui Buqu by the throat and slammed him to the floor, snarling into Cui Buqu's graying face. "What did you put in the incense?!"
Cui Buqu strained to move his lips. Slowly, he mouthed the words: Incense…of…helplessness.
Yuxiu's bloodlust surged, a force almost as physical as the hand around Cui Buqu's throat, ready to ferry him straight to the underworld. Blood trickled slowly from the corner of Cui Buqu's mouth.