As Feng Xiao listened, the corner of his eyes turned upwards as if he
was smiling yet it also looked like he wasn't.
"How inconvenient. I happen to have seen the Zuoyue Bureau's
Vice-Commanders before — a man and a woman — do not tell me
you are one of them."
His tone was filled with the meaning of "Go on, keep lying, let's see
how your story goes."
Cui Buqu, "How do you know that the Zhangsun Bodhi you saw was
the real Zhangsun Bodhi?"
Feng Xiao, "Oh?"
Cui Buqu's expression did not change, he continued to say
nonsense, "A cunning rabbit would have three burrows, so let along
the Zuoyue Bureau; we often have to hide our identities. It is very
normal to use one or two doubles. After all, I only have my brain to
earn myself a living, unlike Second Commander Feng who excels in
martial arts and can do whatever he pleases."
Feng Xiao suspected that Cui Buqu was mocking him for being a
simple-minded bloke despite having well-built limbs, but Cui Buqu's
tone was very natural and calm, it was impossible to see what he
was thinking.
"Then who is the Commander of the Zuoyue Bureau? What is his
surname, and name?"
"Even I have not seen him. He has never shown himself. Every time,
he stands behind a screen when he speaks to us. He sounds elderly;
perhaps he is already an old man." Cui Buqu babbled on, speaking
as if what he was saying was indeed true.
Feng Xiao's forehead wrinkled as he pondered; in his heart, he said,
Could it be that General Zheng who always stood by the Empress
and carried her trust?
"Is his voice gentle and dark?"
Cui Buqu, "Other than sounding old, there was nothing special about
his voice."
Feng Xiao sighed, "Master Daoist Cui, you are such an elegant and
promising man with peerless intelligence. It is such a pity that you
are beneath another and had to be controlled, in the end, it wouldn't
it be better if you were the one in charge?"
Despite being in such a situation, they couldn't help jabbing at each
other with words.
Cui Buqu, "Is it not? Just like Lord Feng yourself, with the Minister of
Justice above you."
Feng Xiao smiled, "The Minister of Justice is simply for show. In the
end, the Jiejian Bureau is different from the Zuoyue Bureau.
Although, the Emperor and Empress are praised as Twin Holiness;
in the end, this country belongs to the Emperor. Between taking
orders from the Emperor or the Emperor's wife, there is still a stark
difference. Listen to me; that Vice-Commander of yours is nothing.
Come to the Jiejian Bureau and I will let you be the Fourth
Commander, granting you the authority to take action before an
imperial decree. The Jiejian Bureau can give you anything the
Zuoyue Bureau could give you, as well as those the Zuoyue Bureau
could not."
Cui Buqu asked curiously, "If I defected to the Jiejian Bureau, then I
would still be under you the same way I am under the Commander in
the Zuoyue Bureau, so what is so different about it?"
Feng Xiao, "Of course that is different. How could an old man
compare to an elegant, beautiful, unsurpassed talent like myself that
gladdens the heart?"
Cui Buqu, "..."
Feng Xiao, "Looking at me every day, your mood will turn good.
When your mood turns good, your health would improve without the
aid of medicine. Isn't that the greatest benefit?"
After a moment of silence, Cui Buqu suddenly spoke, "Second
Commander Feng, you truly are the most good-looking man I have
ever seen."
Feng Xiao raised an eyebrow, "That goes without saying, did you
only acknowledge this today?"
Cui Buqu then added honestly, "You are also the most thick-skinned
man I have ever seen."
Feng Xiao laughed, "Hahaha! Of those who can achieve great
conquests in this world, who would be thin-skinned? Pride is only
something that restrains you and thwarts you from moving forward.
Just look at that Fo Er. He clearly lost to me, but he insists that I
wasn't paying attention so he could save his pride. This is someone
who loves reputation too much; so, be it on powers or abilities, he
will never be able to achieve his full potential. For the Khan Ishbara
to have someone like him to do his bidding, I fear it would be difficult
for him to achieve anything as well."
Cui Buqu, "From what I know of, although Fo Er is the number one
fighter of Göktürk, these years Göktürk has also nurtured many
highly skilled fighters that we have lost count. Putting Hulugu, who
has passed, aside. The Khan Bagha from Eastern Göktürk is one
himself. Even Khan Apa has someone by the name of Yelouhe who
looks delicate and pretty, but moves extremely deadly. These are not
people to be belittled…."
Feng Xiao was listening very intently, but before the other could
finish his sentence, he had already begun coughing.
Although Cui Buqu covered his mouth, the sound of his coughs still
seeped between his fingers, and soon he was unable to suppress it.
His coughing became more and more violent. If the assassins from
the Yunhai Thirteen Stories were not taken out by Feng Xiao earlier,
they would have discovered them.
Following his coughs, mild soreness and pain began to radiate from
his bones, rapidly spreading to the rest of his body, the tips of his
fingers and all of his organs. Even his temples were beginning to
hurt. These were the symptoms of the Naihexiang drug taking effect
within him. And since his body was already ill, the pain he
experienced was a hundred more times more painful felt than
healthy people.
Yet, even if this is the case, Cui Buqu never said anything else other
than pained groans.
The Jiejian Bureau had used the Naihexiang drug on others before.
Feng Xiao once saw, with his own eyes, a supremely skilled martial
artist pushed to tears by the drug. Whatever someone asked him, he
answered. Even after the poison was neutralized, half of his will was
grinded away. His body has also slowly come to worsen. He's not
handicapped yet, but he looked like one.
Yet, Cui Buqu who had no martial arts on him had travelled half the
City of Six Crafts carrying the poison, withstanding it until now.
In the end, Cui Buqu was from the Zuoyue Bureau; they were not
mortal enemies, wasn't it too much for them to use the drug on Cui
Buqu?
For the first time in his life, Second Commander Feng reflected on
himself over the period of a few breaths.
But very quickly he pacified these useless sentiments, convincing
himself that it was also because he was wounded and poisoned, that
he pitied the other man.
"There is some Naihexiang on me." He told Cui Buqu.
"…Don't need it." Cui Buqu curled up into a ball to minimize the cold
and at the same time, gathered more heat.
There was no remedy for the Naihexiang drug. The only antidote
was to endure it throughout the process and allow the poison to
neutralize itself, expelling itself out of the body. People who trained in
the martial arts could use their inner strength to suppress the poison,
and another way was to battle poison with poison, using more
Naihexiang to suppress itself; but after suppressing it once, the next
time it took effect would be even more painful. However, the
poisoned person would drink the Naihexiang to quench their pain.
They would preferably seek temporary, short-term comfort, and risk
more in the long-term.
Feng Xiao, "The cave is cold and damp. Your body is already weak,
to begin with; it will be even more painful when it takes effect. Take
this opportunity now. The next time the poison takes effect, you may
rest in a more comfortable place. At least, you would be more
comfortable than now."
Cui Buqu only felt himself heating up. His consciousness was
already beginning to slip; even Feng Xiao's voice was nearly out of
reach.
"If I allow this first exception, there would be a second time. If I want
to end this, the best way is to refuse even the first exception to take
place." He closed his eyes shut, knitting his brows tightly together to
balance out the persistent aching pain. He laughed, "I have endured
things more painful than this… this is nothing."
Feng Xiao brows twitched. Just as he wants to ask for details, the
sound of howls ran outside. The wind that was mild some time ago
picked up once more, sweeping into the cave with snow and rain.
Suddenly, there was a piercing chill. Upon opening the mouth, one
would feel as if a gust of cold air poured into their body. Added with
the poisoned wound on his shoulder, Feng Xiao also found that he
himself had begun coughing.
Once he started coughing, it was as though he could not stop. The
night was long, and both of them were stuck against each other;
coughing in unison as if they were singing some kind of song.
Once the tiger leaves the mountains, even dogs could bully it in its
terrible situation. All they lack now is the sound of wolves outside.
As he thought of this, as if his voices were heard, Feng Xiao truly did
hear the sound of wolves coming from the snowy cliffs in the
distance.
He twitched his lips and looked at Cui Buqu who sat a little distance
away.
Feng Xiao, "Hey."
Cui Buqu was fighting the poison with all the consciousness left in
his body, so he did not pay him any attention.
Feng Xiao coughed twice, "I am also injured. Do you want to come
closer? We can sit together and give each other warmth."
Cui Buqu barely opened his eyes and thought for a moment; only
then did his brain register his words.
"Scram over here." He said.
Feng Xiao, "???"
He saw that Cui Buqu wasn't moving at all, so he could guess that
the other did not have much strength left, so putting down his dignity
for a split moment, he pulled the other into his arms. In his heart he
cursed, How did I end up in such a situation?
As he thought, it was all because of one person.
Pei. Jing. Zhe.
...
Pei Jingzhe stood at the gate of the Lu manor and sneezed thrice in
one go.
He could not figure out whether he had caught a cold, or someone
was cursing him because he also encountered an incident.