CUI BUQU HAD WEATHERED many dangers in life and crawled back from the gates of hell more than once. He was neither god nor immortal; it was impossible for him to foresee everything. Even so, he'd never been like this: struck dumb and stunned, as rigid as a block of wood.
Within the darkness of the array, the mist had yet to disperse. The winds wailed and the cold fog drifted thick around them. Perhaps there were eyes out in the dark, watching and waiting for the perfect chance to strike.
Yet Feng Xiao paid none of it any heed. He took advantage of Cui Buqu's sluggish reaction and grew more forward, catching Cui Buqu's wrists and twisting them behind his spine, pushing their torsos flush together.
Cold stone was at Cui Buqu's back, yet the unmistakable heat of a blazing body was pressed to his front, searing even through his clothes. The contrast was like the stark line separating yin from yang, or the heavens from the earth.
For several moments, Cui Buqu was frozen stiff. A look of shocked disbelief was etched into his habitually inscrutable features. He'd even forgotten to moderate his gaze, and his eyes bored into Feng Xiao. His mind roiled with chaos and confusion as his thoughts cycled between This man has gone mad and This Feng bastard has gone into qi deviation after failing to expel the poison. Which it was, he had no idea.
Displeased with his distraction, Feng Xiao bit down hard on his lip.
It was a new injury on top of old. Cui Buqu's thoughts were dragged back to the pain he'd been in when he'd woken up, and his eyes narrowed.
So it was you!
Feng Xiao had anticipated Cui Buqu would struggle and easily subdued him. Last time he hadn't had the chance to explore, but now he could finally indulge to his heart's content. Finding the taste enjoyable, he transformed into a beast that had snared its prey—first trapping it in his arms, then luxuriating in the satisfaction of his catch. He wasn't surprised when his prey resisted. He grabbed Cui Buqu's hand and wrote one character on his palm: Endure.
Cui Buqu abruptly fell still.
Feng Xiao knew he must be remembering one of the last times they'd kissed like this. Back in the Western Khaganate, Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao had pretended to be cut-sleeves to mislead and win over the first prince. They'd pawed and groped each other right in front of Prince Yixun's servant.
Cui Buqu almost certainly thought the same thing was happening now—that Feng Xiao hoped to trick Yuxiu into dropping his guard, proverbially luring the snake from his hole.
Feng Xiao laughed to himself.
It was true he wanted to lure out Yuxiu. But more than that, he wanted to make up for his own regrets. He'd missed his chance to go farther last time, so this time he wouldn't stop halfway. If Feng Xiao could profit at someone else's expense, he would—that had always been his style.
Cui Buqu had stopped struggling, but his body remained as stiff as a wooden puppet as Feng Xiao kissed him over and over. Feng Xiao's breath came in waves, crashing over him like seawater as they slowly eroded his boundaries. Eyes stubbornly open, Cui Buqu glared. In his heart, he'd already cursed Feng Xiao's ancestors back to the beginning of time. Part of his frustration came from the way his body responded to Feng Xiao's, impossible to control. Part of it was that he refused to be the submissive one. Only his rational mind stopped him from slapping Feng Xiao away.
Yuxiu still hadn't appeared. What was he doing—hadn't it been long enough?! And why was this Feng bastard's tongue so long? What was he, some demon from hell? It was practically lodged in his throat. Wasn't this a show they were putting on for Yuxiu? Did he need to go this far?!
Feng Xiao was almost shaking with laughter, his body trembling as he tried to hold it back. He'd never imagined Cui Buqu could be so cute—he'd told him not to move, and he really wasn't moving. But he couldn't laugh. He'd picked up an enormous windfall, and if he smiled, all his efforts would go to waste. Considering Cui Buqu's tendency to hold grudges, he'd remember this for the rest of his life.
Behind them, there was indeed an eye watching this scene unfold.
The owner of the eye was a handsome man. If he wished, he could fill his smile with enough love and compassion to wipe all the cruelty from the world. But since the loss of his eye, the bloodlust in his heart had broken through the prison of his neat facade; like a wild beast set free in the mountains, it could no longer be tamed. Instead it rampaged through him, unleashing all the savagery, hypocrisy, and ruthlessness within.
He loathed those who'd driven him to this point. He hated powerful people, and he hated people who sat at the top luxuriating in their glory even more. The two men in front of him just happened to be both.
Cautiously, Yuxiu quieted his breathing. He watched from a distance as Feng Xiao attempted to heal himself, waiting for the opportune moment. It wasn't time yet. If he was patient just a little longer—if he could wait until the moment the needle was about to be expelled—then Feng Xiao would be at his most vulnerable. Only by striking at precisely the right moment could he be certain of killing Feng Xiao.
With Feng Xiao dead, it didn't matter how cunning Cui Buqu was. He would meet the same fate.
Suddenly Yuxiu's eyes widened, and he almost gasped aloud. At first he thought he was seeing things. But as he watched, those two figures pressed together; Feng Xiao's movements were unmistakable.
Yuxiu and Princess Qianjin had also once embraced with only the moon and flowers as their witness. They'd sworn vows to each other, and he had promised to rescue her from a political marriage. Only then could she be truly free.
He looked back at Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu. Their great enemy was here, yet those two were—
Weren't they at all concerned for their lives? How could they still be in the mood for a tryst?! Yuxiu almost burst out laughing. So that's how it is. That's how it is!
The Jiejian and Zuoyue Bureaus, two pillars of the power of the imperial court. To think their leaders shared such a filthy and shameful relationship! Despite their pretense of being at each other's throats, the Feng-Cui pair were in secret collusion. If Yang Jian and Dugu Qieluo knew, would they still be happy to listen to their advice—to trust them?
Had Yuxiu still been the Prince of Jin's counselor, he'd have turned and left without a word. He'd have gone straight to the Prince of Jin and told him this secret, grasped their weakness tightly in his hands and used it as blackmail. But he had nothing left. Cui Buqu had exposed his identity, and the Prince of Jin had cast him out. Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao had even managed to ruin the Thirteen Floors' secret gathering.
Yuxiu's fingers tightened around the dagger in his hand.
When he moved, it was so fast he seemed to become one with the mists. The dagger slid from his sleeve as he charged, piercing toward them like light on rippling water, like an arcing rainbow.
His mind entered a state of perfect clarity—in that moment, he understood everything. He broke through the bottleneck that had kept him from advancing in his martial arts.
Even if I stand at the edge of a cliff, I will look ahead without fear. My blade follows my lead, traveling where my heart demands.
This was a speed no mortal could match.
If only…if only he'd grasped this move ten years earlier. Then even a thousand-strong army couldn't have stopped him from stealing the princess away to a place where no one could find her. No matter what her wishes were, he could have spent a lifetime waiting for her to understand. If only he'd grasped it back in the royal yurt during his decisive battle with Feng Xiao—then he could have at least felled his enemy.
But he only grasped it now.
Why now! Resentment blazed within his heart, disrupting the rhythm of his breathing.
The rest happened in an instant. The dagger pierced Feng Xiao's back. Yuxiu felt his true qi split open Feng Xiao's flesh, felt the blood spurt from the wound to spray over the upper half of his face.
No!
Yuxiu stopped. It wasn't blood that had struck his forehead. It was the needle, Liaoyan Shuipo! Was that why Feng Xiao hadn't moved until now? Had he been waiting for him to strike the entire time?
Without thinking, Yuxiu's hand rose to his brow to check. In the twinkling of an eye, Feng Xiao leaned forward and smoothly flicked a hand behind him. A zither string infused with dark wind shot at Yuxiu. Yuxiu still had his dagger in hand, flying forward. It was certain to pierce Feng Xiao's back, but at the same moment, the zither string would slit Yuxiu's throat.
Should he perish with Feng Xiao, or step back and preserve his life?
Hindered by his distraction, the blade lost its momentum. Morale was a tricky thing. It might be high at the decisive moment, but it would collapse the minute one's passions waned. The instant Yuxiu lost the all-consuming desire to kill Feng Xiao, he was destined to fail.
He reeled back, and the dagger retreated with him.
Feng Xiao took the chance to turn, his billowing sleeves raised like a great roc spreading its wings as he swooped down from above. Yuxiu turned on his heel and fled, but it was too late. The zither string was shooting forward like an arrow springing from its bow. Brimming with qi and cloaked in the yin-infused wind, it streaked through the air with a mournful whistle.
A scarlet line materialized on the back of Yuxiu's neck. The crimson thread spread rapidly, until it was a necklace of blood carved deep into his flesh. Yuxiu's legs sprinted onward, but his head had already parted from his body. It tumbled to the ground, frozen in an expression of shock and anger, as if unable to believe his death had come.
The bloody string fell beside his head, just like its victim: crashing down from soaring heights.
When Yuxiu had first appeared in service of the Prince of Jin, he'd possessed the aura of an enlightened monk—handsome, gentle, and full of silent compassion. He'd drawn the admiration of many ladies in the capital. Yet today, Buddhist Master Yuxiu and all his bright prospects had died in this dark and sunless cave. It was a miserable end.
Feng Xiao heaved a long sigh of relief.
He reserved no sympathy for his enemy—but as a fellow warrior, he'd sensed Yuxiu's breakthrough at the end. He hadn't had time to consider it at such a critical moment; he'd had to trust his intuition and strike. If he'd been a fraction slower or more careless, the man lying dead on the ground would be him.
A cough came from behind him as Cui Buqu rose. "You seem quite well now, Deputy Chief Feng."
Shit, thought Feng Xiao. He coughed twice, then clutched his chest and fell forward. He intended to slump against Cui Buqu again, or for Cui Buqu to reach out and support him.
Instead, Cui Buqu stepped aside.
This man was unbelievable. Feng Xiao couldn't actually throw himself on the ground, so he smoothly caught himself on the nearby stone wall to save himself from embarrassment.
"I think Yuxiu's dagger nicked me; I'm a bit dizzy. Please check if it was poisoned," he said feebly.
Cui Buqu hummed. "Let me take a look." He stepped behind Feng Xiao and slapped him hard on the back.
Feng Xiao almost hacked up a lungful of blood. He coughed violently and without pause. This time, it wasn't faked. Vexed, he said, "Is this how you treat your savior?"
"It looks to me like you've been suffering from excessive internal heat lately, Deputy Chief Feng," said Cui Buqu tonelessly. "You've probably gone without the attentions of a woman for too long. I was simply trying to dispel some of the heat for you. It's really too intense. How about I give you another slap?"
Feng Xiao sputtered a laugh. His anger dissipated like smoke, and he sighed. "I fear this heat will be hard to cure. Look at the mediocre masses out there. Who could be worthy of my esteemed gaze? Forget women. To me, even Feng Xiaolian, a ruinous beauty capable of toppling nations, is merely another woman whose looks will fade with time. Form is emptiness, as they say; all things are void."
He paused deliberately and looked Cui Buqu up and down. "Only a certain sickly invalid…is barely passable," he said pointedly.
Another man might have been moved, but Cui Buqu's expression remained blank. He stared at Feng Xiao for a long time, then said coolly, "Back in the Western Khaganate, it was necessary to win the first prince's trust; I had no choice. Today, you used me as bait for Yuxiu. Consider us even. There won't be a next time."
His brow was heavy with fatigue, but his gaze was as sharp and clear as ever, as if it could pierce all the schemes of the world while standing detached and unaffected, beyond the red dust of the mortal realm. He said no more after that, but turned and left, looking for the way out.
Feng Xiao followed a few paces behind. There wouldn't just be a next time, he thought. There'd be a time after that, and a time after that one too.
You wish to remain a bystander, aloof and unmoored, but I wish to drag you into that red dust, send you tumbling until you're feathered in phoenix down. I want you unable to detach yourself ever again.