On Pei Jingzhe's side, once he arrived outside the Lu manor, he
encountered a problem.
He could not supervise the entire Lu manor on his own. Even if
someone sneaked inside, as long as he was familiar with the place,
it would not be difficult for him to use a false identity. The only thing
Pei Jingzhe could do was to announce his identity to the Lu manor's
owner, then mobilize some eagleriders from the Jiejian Bureau to
surround the place, ensuring that not even a fly could sneak inside.
However, this would undoubtedly alert the culprit and ruin a crucial
lead.
Pei Jingzhe had become trapped between a rock and a hard place.
He had always thought of himself as immature, unlike Second
Commander Feng, who smiled as his mind worked quicker than
anyone, solving every issue they came across. Even the Third
Commander who was unsurpassed in martial arts would not have
stood here not knowing what to do. At the very least, when the
person left the Qiushan manor, he would have already had him
captured.
As Pei Jingzhe decided to sneak in, a sharp voice came from the Lu
manor and pierced the night, sending twitching anxiety down his
heart.
After that splitting sound, the Lu manor lit the candles and lanterns
as people rose from their sleep from room to room. Pei Jingzhe
could also feel a ruckus rising.
It was impossible for him to sneak into the manor now, Pei Jingzhe's
forehead wrinkled.
The sound of horse hooves sounded in the distance. Pei Jingzhe
turned his head around to see six eagleriders from the Jiejian
Bureau riding near.
Pei Jingzhe, "Were you not supposed to remain at the Qiushan
manor?"
The leader among then clasped his fists together and bowed, "By
orders of the Second Commander, we are here to assist Master Pei!"
It took Pei Jingzhe a while to come back to his senses. Feng Xiao
knew that this would happen — that he would be standing here,
hesitating, and not knowing what to do — so he sent people to aid
him, giving him the boost of confidence to make a decision.
He said, "Spilt yourselves up and have the Lu manor surrounded.
Without my orders, do not let anyone out!"
The eagleriders obeyed.
Although the Lu manor was huge, the members of the Jiejian Bureau
were all exemplary fighters, so six of them were more than enough.
Pei Jingzhe approached the door and knocked before feeling a
sudden wind rushing against his back. He instinctively avoided it,
glaring from the corner of his eyes, a white light whirled past him —
immediately piercing a hole in the wooden door in front of him!
If the enemy was so ruthless, Pei Jingzhe needed to use even more
precaution. He took a step back and drew his sword before
immediately engaging in a fight with the person who came to attack
him.
As both of them faced off, only then did he realize that his opponent
was wearing long white flowing robes, as if they were a goddess
from the Moon Palace.
Pei Jingzhe, "Who goes there?!"
Qiao Xian laughed coldly, "You took one of our people, and you
dared to ask who we are? Give Cui Buqu back to us!"
Pei Jingzhe, taken aback, "You?!"
As his voice spreads into the night, he saw another person emerging
slowly from the darkness, wearing a bamboo hat and bluish-green
robes, holding Buddha beads in his hands. He was certainly a sight.
"Vice-Commander Zhangsun?"
Qian Xian asked again, her attacks getting fiercer, "Where is he?!"
Pei Jingzhe calmed himself down, "I do not know what you are
talking about!"
Although chaos was happening within the Lu manor, the people in
the manor were nowhere near deaf. The noise at the door brought
them up, running in a hurry immediately to open the door only to see
Pei Jingzhe and Qiao Xian fighting right at their doorstep. They did
not interfere but urged them, "Stop this nonsense quickly! Who in the
world are you people? How dare you fight in front of the Lu manor?
Quick, get the people here!"
Not far away, the men from the Jiejian Bureau heard the commotion
and rushed here immediately, surrounding Zhangsun and Qiao Xian.
All of a sudden, it turned into a deadly scene.
Pei Jingzhe, left with no choice, shouted, "Everyone stop!"
He took a step back first to imply his intentions, and after he saw that
no one was trying anything, he let out a sigh in relief.
The people from the Lu manor did not utter a word upon seeing such
a strange scene.
Pei Jingzhe was the one who broke the silence, "Vice-Commander
Zhangsun, may I ask why you are here in the City of Six Crafts?"
It was impossible that Jiejian Bureau and the Zuoyue Bureau had
never met. At the very least, Pei Jingzhe had seen the two Vice-
Commanders before. Although now is not an appropriate time to talk
about the old days, he could not pretend that he did not recognize
Zhangsun.
Zhangsun Bodhi, "To find someone."
Pei Jingzhe smiled, "I am bounded by duty as of now, once I am
done with this and organized a banquet for both of you, I will search
with you; how does that sound?"
Qiao Xian said coldly, "Give him back."
Pei Jingzhe knew what she meant, but still feigned ignorance, "Who
am I supposed to give back?"
Qiao Xian, "Cui Buqu!"
Pei Jingzhe coughed lightly, stomping his guilt down, "I apologize, I
have not heard of such a person."
As Qiao Xian's face brimmed with anger, she took a step forward
and wanted to attack again, but was held back by Zhangsun Bodhi.
"Give him back or do not even think of leaving tonight."
Pei Jingzhe was not angered, instead, he smiled, "Vice-Commander
Zhangsun, you make such a threat! But even if you are
undefeatable, surely you cannot win against the seven of us!"
Zhangsun Bodhi, "I can try."
As the last word left his mouth, his body moved swiftly and lunged at
Pei Jingzhe at the speed of lighting!
The six eagleriders that surrounded them were not quick enough.
Zhangsun was already at Pei Jingzhe's side and held his shoulder.
Pei Jingzhe managed to avoid the attack, but he only managed to
draw his sword halfway out of its sheath before it was pushed back
into its sheath by Zhangsun.
Even after three times, the same thing happened thrice!
Pei Jingzhe's face reddened.
When it came to martial arts, he knew he was no match for the Vice-
Commander of the Zuoyue Bureau; but he did not expect himself to
lose every shred of dignity at this moment that he could not even
draw his sword.
It was the utmost shame for someone who practised martial arts.
But strictly speaking, Zhangsun Bodhi was already showing mercy.
Otherwise, even with six other eagleriders present, he could have
easily killed Pei Jingzhe on the spot.
"Hand him over!" Zhangsun Bodhi slammed his palm on his head.
Pei Jingzhe, ultimately cornered, could only close his eyes as he
gave in, "Qiushan manor!"
The men all around him gasped before swooping in, but they were
already a step too late.
An immense rush of wind swept past them, yet but was gone an
instant. Pei Jingzhe opened his eyes wide and realized that the other
man had already stopped, his palm freezing in the air.
Having just climbed back from the gates of Hell, he had yet to
recover from his earlier shock, but Zhangsun Bodhi had already
flipped his robes, leaping into the air, pushing the eagleriders aside
with both his palms.
None of the eagleriders from the Jiejian Bureau were amateurs,
even if released into the Jianghu, they were easily top-tier martial
artists; yet, they were so easily pushed aside by Zhangsun without
any opportunity of retaliating.
Watching this scene unfold before him, Pei Jingzhe could see that
even though Zhangsun's martial arts were still behind Feng Xiao, the
difference would not be vast. Attempting to fight him just now
showed how ignorant he was.
Qiao Xian shot him a cold glare, "Minutes before, were you saying
you had heard of no such person?"
Pei Jingzhe laughed bitterly, "I did not know your intentions before.
It's better for me to be wary, surely?"
Qiao Xian, "You already knew that Cui Buqu belonged to our Zuoyue
Bureau, yet you still withheld him and made it difficult for him. The
Zuoyue Bureau will, no doubt, remember this debt. Once we take
him back, we will be coming back for you.
Pei Jingzhe felt a headache coming up, "Although we have held
Master Daoist Cui under our custody, we did not do much to him. My
Lord practically brought him along with him no matter where he..."
When he spoke up until that point, he could not help feeling guilty. Of
course, he could not tell them that they used the Naihexiang on Cui
Buqu and that it would take effect every three to five days. He had
felt ill this morning and yet was taken by their lord to the crime scene
before he even recovered!
Qiao Xian glared at him, promptly noticing that he was hesitating.
She took a step forward and grabbed him by the collar, "What did
you do to him?!"
Pei Jingzhe could not believe that someone like her, who looked like
an angel, would grab him like that. He nearly could not breathe.
"Truly, he is fine. If you do not believe me, I can take you to him. But
for now, we need to take care of the matters here…"
"Who are you people, and why are you behaving like brats in front of
the Lu manor? Leave this place instantly!" An angry voice interfered
Pei Jingzhe's conversation.
The master of the Lu manor fumed at them angrily, both his eyes red
and puffy, but it was not out of anger that someone had disturbed
them in the middle of the night; it looked more like something huge
had happened within the household
Remembering the sharp scream he had heard earlier, Pei Jingzhe
set aside Zhangsun and Qiao Xian temporarily and ordered his
eagleriders, "Surround the Lu manor immediately, and do not let
anyone leave!"
Then he turned towards the master of the manor, "I, from the Jiejian
Bureau, came forth by orders to investigate the murder of the Khotan
ambassador, a suspicious figure has been reported to be hiding
within the Lu manor, please bear with it and allow us entry to search
your place!"
Lu Ti's expression rapidly changed as if injured by his words, but
after listening to Pei Jingzhe's words, a nerve in his brain popped.
"This is the Lu manor; it is not some place you can enter as per your
will! The Lu family have always been honest businessmen who abide
by the law. So what if you are the Jiejian Bureau? Does that give you
the privilege to do whatever you please? I heard that you people
even arrested men from the Linlang Guild's place. Today, as long as
I, Lu Ti, am here, do not even think of stepping into my manor!"
He spoke like a wounded lion, guarding his den with all the strength
he has left, refusing to let the enemy into his home. Pei Jingzhe
could take his men and force his way in, but if he did that, the Lu
manor would descend into chaos, allowing the culprit to escape.
"Everyone, tonight our Lord has suffered enough. An unfortunate
incident transpired our Lady, for she had drowned. As of now, the
physician is still trying his best to save her, please grant us this
favour, show some mercy, and come back in a few days!"
The one who spoke was someone who stood next to Lu Ti, who
looked just as miserable, judging by the looks of it, he must be the
manager.
Pei Jingzhe's heart pitied them.
They had just managed to follow their lead here, and immediately
something happened within the Lu manor. It was too much of a
coincidence.
Now, there was no need for him to barge in, the Lu manor was
undoubtedly already in chaos.
But that also meant he could not leave now.
He struggled a little, but as he recalled Zhangsun Bodhi, he dared
not move. Qiao Xian glared at him coldly before finally releasing his
collar.
Pei Jingzhe let out a breath and told Lu Ti, "Host Lu, I am sorry to
hear of your daughter, but tonight we have just discovered a lead,
and in the blink of an eye, something happened to your daughter.
The sheer coincidence is far too suspicious, so please let us
investigate everything."
Lu Ti, "There is no need! Right now, I simply desire peace!"
Pei Jingzhe did not heed him. He turned around and ordered his
eagleriders to look for County Magistrate Zhao so that he could allow
him to send more people to surround the Lu manor. He insisted that
no one should leave the mansion tonight.
Lu Ti roared in rage, "You indeed want to make an enemy of me
tonight!"
Pei Jingzhe, "I fear it is you who is unwilling to cooperate. The Jiejian
Bureau is doing its duty; anyone irrelevant who interferes will face
the consequences accordingly!"
He waved a hand; the eagleriders rushed forth. The people of the Lu
manor were not able to stop them as they watched their master held
down.
Watching the Lu manor's servants wanting to fight his eagleriders for
Lu Ti, Pei Jingzhe shouted again, "Who else dares to rebel? I shall
kill Lu Ti on the spot!"
This shot made everyone froze in their places, no longer dared to
move recklessly.
Lu Ti's face switched in between different shades of green; he
bellowed, "You people are lawless! Do you not know what
relationship I share with the Fanyang Lu Clan? I want to sue you for
mistreating an aristocratic family!"
Qiao Xian laughed coldly, "Nevermind the many generations that are
between your Lu family in the city and the Fanyang Lu Clan, even if
you were a direct relative of the Fanyang Lu Clan, in the "Kaihuang
Law" there is no such crime as mistreating a family of aristocracy.
After all, all the wealthy and royalty think too highly of themselves;
otherwise, how would they die just because of offending someone
they shouldn't?"
Pei Jingzhe did not expect Qiao Xian to speak up for him like that.
He could not help but glance at her.
Lu Ti, angered, rolled his eyes and did not utter a word.
Tonight, something was bound to happen.
As Pei Jingzhe prepared to bring the men inside, something indeed
ensued.
"Young Master Pei! Why are you here? Dread has befallen us!"
A man flew to his side, panting heavily; Pei Jingzhe recognized him
as a servant from the Qiushan manor.
When County Magistrate Zhao offered the Qiushan manor for Feng
Xiao to be his residence in the City of Six Crafts, he had also brought
a few servants to attend to the guests. These people were quite
intelligent. They would not pry into things they should not be
concerned. Even Feng Xiao who had always been incredibly picky
was unable to find fault with the servants.
But as of now, the servant had practically lost his breath; with a look
of panic, he told Pei Jingzhe, "Lord Feng received a letter that said
you were a hostage, the other person wanted him to meet them in
the Huyang forest. He allowed me to come here to pass message to
the eagleriders so they may seek out County Magistrate Zhao to
surround the Lu manor and not let anyone out, so he can deal with it
when he comes back. But you — why are you here? Unless… they
deceived Lord Feng?!"
Pei Jingzhe, taken aback, said, "Did he go on his own?"
The servant shook his head, "He brought… he brought Master
Daoist Cui!"
At that moment, even Qiao Xian and Zhangsun Bodhi's faces turned
white.
Pei Jingzhe, "How long has it been since they were gone?"
The servant, "From the moment I left the manor, they have been
gone for around an hour!"
"If he wants to die himself, it is fine, but he wants to take one of us
with him. If anything happened to Cui Buqu, I won't let any of you
off!" Qiao Xian and Zhangsun could not care more and immediately
headed to the outside of the city, not forgetting to give a threat.
Pei Jingzhe watched them leave; finally experiencing what Lu Ti felt
a moment ago. Thankfully, County Magistrate Zhao did not
procrastinate, for immediately both men and horses arrived. They
were dressed untidily; even their hair ornaments hastily were worn. It
was evident that they came in a hurry, but Pei Jingzhe was in no
mood to praise them, so he merely gave an order, immediately
brought two eagleriders and headed towards Huyang forest.
...
The snowstorm had quietened down, but the cave was already
freezing for quite a while. Feng Xiao used his inner strength to expel
most of the poison from his body, but there was still some amount of
poison left in him, so he felt all four of his limbs go numb, even his
body felt a little cold.
But more shockingly, Cui Buqu's body was radiating so much heat; it
was a little worrisome. Holding him in his arms, Feng Xiao felt like he
was holding a hot iron, although it was great to warm him up, Feng
Xiao suspected that if he continued to stay in his condition with no
backup, he might indeed die.
It was not easy to meet a soul mate, but it was even more difficult to
meet a nemesis that rivalled yourself, the latter was rarer and more
precious than the former. Naturally, Feng Xiao did not hope for Cui
Buqu to die, he could imagine that if this person died, he would not
just go like that, but he would leave a bunch of traps and pits waiting
for Feng Xiao to fall into them.
So Feng Xiao thought that no matter what, he would not let Cui Buqu
die.
"Hey, say something." He patted the other's face lightly — not too
lightly — but Cui Buqu did not open his eyes.
"Don't sleep. You won't be able to wake up." Feng Xiao said, holding
his hand as he transferred some energy to him.
Perhaps transferring energy did help, because, after a while, Cui
Buqu stirred slightly from his slumber, wrinkles appearing on his
forehead.
Giving a response was a good thing, Feng Xiao continued, "QuQu,
what do you think of my looks?"
Cui Buqu's lips quivered, but he did not yield any sound.
Feng Xiao, "I know, my looks are unparalleled, you do not need to
praise me. I am long used to these sorts of praises I have gotten
bored of them, but it appears you are no different from the other
mortal people. However, today what I wanted to tell you, is a story
that happened when I was young."
Cui Buqu closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh as if responding to
his words.
"When I was young, I went to explore the Southwest and heard a
story. It was about a man who came from the local tribe and a
woman who was beautiful but was from an underprivileged family.
The man fell in love with her at first sight and wanted to marry her
regardless of what. The maiden originally didn't believe that the man
was genuine to her and she only wanted to marry someone suitable
for herself in life. However, after that, she was moved by the man's
sincerity, seeing how he did many things for her, even convincing the
elders in his tribe and ironing out all the obstructions. She too was
moved." The more Feng Xiao spoke, the more excited he sounded,
"By chance, I met that woman, and because she saw how beautiful,
elegant, and peerless I am, she begged me to do something for her.
Could you guess what it is?"
Cui Buqu looked tired, but he wrinkled his eyebrows and finally
opened his eyes.
Feng Xiao, feeling him move in his arms as if wanting to leave his
hold, laughed, "I bet you are also curious, why don't you guess what
she begged me to do. If you guess correctly, I will let you stay with
me for a few days, giving you more opportunities to admire my
looks."
Cui Buqu, "…"
Even a dead man would have twitched hearing that sentence, and to
think that Cui Buqu was not even dead yet.
"Can you…"
"Hm?"
His voice was weak, and even in such a close distance, Feng Xiao
had to lower his head and bring his ear close to Cui Buqu's lips to
hear what he wanted to say.
Cui Buqu seethed with mild strength, "Shut up your dog mouth!"
At first, he was only half awake, his consciousness hanging by a
thread. He did not want to think about anything but simply desired to
sleep for long stretches of hours; but, who knew, there was someone
rambling nonsense in his ear like a fly buzzing around, refusing to
leave him alone whether he swatted it or smacked it. Cui Buqu truly
wanted to grab this 'fly' and to wrench his head and bury it
somewhere where it would never be found, letting him reincarnate
into a muted fly for the next eighteen generations.
Feng Xiao raised his eyebrows, "How could you say that? My mouth
cannot be called a 'dog mouth'; it should be 'jade mouth'. Everything
I say is elegant and pleasant to the ear, others only want to hear me
say one sentence, but here you sit in my arms wrapped around you
in a hug, a privilege only granted by three lifecycles of doing kind
deeds. It is something to be cherished."
Cui Buqu, "…"
He admitted that Feng Xiao's face was enough to capture anyone in
the world and make them fall to their knees. No matter men or
women, they would be seduced by it, but it the most important thing
was: if he refrained from opening his mouth, it would be for the best.
The other man refused to give up without finishing his story; Cui
Buqu sighed and struggled to open his eyes, but all he saw was
darkness. He felt that he needed to muster all his strength and the
consciousness he had left, to fight against this sickening feeling.
"…She wanted you to seduce her fiancé, to see that whether he
would be seduced by someone with your looks."
Feng Xiao, "As expected of someone who interests me, I suppose
you can also guess the result."
Cui Buqu answered passively, "With someone of your looks, even if
you masqueraded as a woman, you would, no doubt, look attractive.
Who of this world would not allow their heart to be moved by seeing
such a beauty? Those who would not are few. Nevertheless, your
target is merely an ordinary person; how could he resist your
persistent and perpetual seduction? Originally, the woman only
wanted to test his faithfulness, but in the end, she shot herself in the
foot."
"Then, what about you? Has your heart been moved?" Feng Xiao
lowered his head; his breath brushed against Cui Buqu's cheek.
If it had been before, Cui Buqu would have raised a hand to push
him again or leave on his own; but at this moment, there was no
strength left in him, so let alone raising an arm, he could not even
move his head.
"My heart is moved, although it does not mean my feelings are also
moved." Cui Buqu said, his voice soft, "Feng-er, with a face like
yours, anyone — anyone at all — would find their hearts moving, but
not everyone's heart would allow themselves to be played by you."
Feng Xiao replied innocently, "I was begged by someone else to test
another person's faithfulness. That man could not resist my
seduction; how could that be a fault of mine? The hearts of people withstand being tested. If they could, then it means the tests have
not reached their limits. Whether as husband and wife or as parents
and child, it is all the same concept. That woman was unable to
understand this, and in the end, she was unable to accept the truth,
thinking that she would be an exception, is that not hilarious?"
Cui Buqu, "What happened to that woman in the end?"
Feng Xiao, "Guess."
Cui Buqu, "At the last moment, the man had a change of heart, and
fell in love with someone else. The woman refused to believe the
truth, other than leaving the place for good, she could only take her
own life; aside from these options, the world would not give her a
third option."
Feng Xiao, "Clever. That woman leapt into the well and committed
suicide. The man was sad for a while, but after another two years
has passed, he married someone else. From then on, they lived
happily forever. Honestly say, isn't this story of mine fun?"
Cui Buqu did not utter a word.
Feng Xiao felt this was a little unexpected, "I did not believe
someone cold-hearted like Master Daoist Cui would believe that true
love existed in this world."
Cui Buqu replied coldly, "If the world is heartless, that has nothing to
do with me. I am only interested to know when you can shut your
mouth and let me have a good sleep."
Feng Xiao, "Then, you are bound to be awake for the entire night;
because I want to tell you a new story."
Cui Buqu, "…"
Feng Xiao did not stop talking for the entire night, but later on, no
matter how loud his voice was, Cui Buqu could not help drifting into
slumber.
He was formerly half-unconscious because of the Naihexiang taking
effect; but right now, his body temperature had already dropped a
considerable amount, his body was no longer hot in the way that
made Feng Xiao worried.
Feng Xiao felt that his capability had also reached its limit, for he had
talked until his throat and tongue was dry, and he no longer wanted
to move even an inch.
The snowstorm outside had already stopped, and clouds filled the
sky. From inside the cave, layers of clouds were seen. It seemed
that a new dawn was awaiting them.
Feng Xiao sighed and muttered to himself, "One night has gone by.
Pei Jingzhe's salary for the next three years will be decreased by
half."
He got up slowly and put Cui Buqu's arm around his neck, half
carried and half dragged him out of the cave, his fingers pinching the
other's waist, wanting to wake him up.
"I want to carry you up, move a little on your own. At the very least,
don't fall off when I carry you on my back."
Through the haze of his sleep, Cui Buqu responded with a soft 'En'
and listened to Feng Xiao's orders, both hands reaching up to his
neck as he heaved himself onto the other's back, obeying the entire
process obediently.
This also meant that he had lost all judgement of his own.
Feng Xiao sighed again. He quite liked the Cui Buqu that was
conscious — the way he could weave all sorts of schemes the
moment his brain was free to think — that Cui Buqu was more fun
than the one now.
But the most important thing was that he needed to carry a grown
man and climb back to up the cliff.
As he thought of this, Feng Xiao muttered to himself again, "Pei
Jingzhe's salary for the next three years are all waived, this can save
the Jiejian Bureau some expenses."
Author's Notes:
Feng Xiao: The wind rose again, Pei Jingzhe's monthly salary is
decreased by ten per cent.
Pei Jingzhe: ??
Feng Xiao: It is now raining, Pei Jingzhe's monthly salary is
decreased by twenty per cent.
Pei Jingzhe: ?????