YUHENG'S GAZE flickered as he looked at Feng Xiao. "The mighty lord chief of the Zuoyue Bureau is in my hands. Let Xing Mao go, or I'll snap his neck. Then we'll see who suffers the greater loss!"
Feng Xiao arched a brow. "If you know his identity, you must know mine as well."
"The deputy chief of the Jiejian Bureau," Yuheng sneered. "Together with the Zuoyue Bureau, you form the left and right hands of the emperor of Great Sui. You've come to patrol and set up watchmen on his behalf in order to eliminate evil. What capable men you are!"
Finally Yan Xuexing and the rest discovered the true identities of this mysterious couple. Their eyes widened in astonishment.
"You're quite knowledgeable," said Feng Xiao. "And where did you hear this?"
"I have my sources. You two ought to learn—plenty of things in this world lie beyond your understanding," Yuheng said. "Not all will bow to your might. Qiemo is not Great Sui's territory. If you wish to come here and sow chaos, you must first show yourself to be worthy opponents!"
Over the course of this conversation, the martial artists Xing Mao had brought with him recovered. The archers stood steady, ready to shoot. The Duan family was surrounded by three rows of men. Although Feng Xiao was an exceptional martial artist and could have easily escaped unscathed, he couldn't do so while guaranteeing the safety of Cui Buqu and Duan Qihu.
Now that his identity had been exposed, Feng Xiao relaxed back into his natural voice. He remained carefree as ever, without any trace of anger or panic. "Since you know who we are, you should know the Jiejian and Zuoyue Bureaus have never been friends. I'm only cooperating with him because our goals temporarily align. Kill him, and I'll thank you for removing a roadblock for me. What a relief not to worry about battling my nemesis ever again!"
"You make it sound simple," Yuheng mocked. "If I kill him, how will you explain to your emperor when you return to the capital?" He tightened his grip on Cui Buqu's neck. The color of Cui Buqu's face wasn't visible in the darkness, but it must have been alarming.
"Wait!" Surprisingly, it was Bing Xian who spoke. "What do you want to set him free?"
"Make the deputy chief release Xing Mao first!"
"Whether or not he lets Xing Mao go isn't up to me," said Bing Xian. "But I do know the location of Duan Qihu's private storeroom. Why not exchange this for Daoist Master Cui's life? Duan Qihu has dominated Qiemo for years and accumulated wealth nearly equal to Xing Mao's. Surely this will do?"
Yuheng's lip curled. "How fortunate this invalid is—he's even got a lady to come to his rescue. Tell me, have you fallen for him?"
This question removed any doubts Feng Xiao might have had over whether Yuheng was the monk Yuxiu. A strategist capable of winning the trust of the Prince of Jin could never be so shallow. But if Yuheng wasn't Yuxiu, what explained the similarities between them? And how did Yuheng know their true identities? Feng Xiao felt inexplicably restless. Yuheng was no more than a capering clown, but Feng Xiao's perfect control over the situation had been destroyed by the sudden intervention of Bing Xian.
"Daoist Master Cui just reminded me I still owe him a favor," Bing Xian said coolly. "Why shouldn't I repay him now?"
"Your offer is tempting. But if I want to find Duan Qihu's private storehouse, I can just ask him. I don't need you to tell me. However…" Yuheng's eyes raked up and down her figure. "You're not so bad yourself. If you'd like to take his place, I might give it some consideration."
"You've been running your mouth for a while now," Feng Xiao said, impatient. "Are you going to kill him or not?"
Bing Xian's brow furrowed slightly. Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu were traveling disguised as husband and wife; she'd assumed the two must be close. But it seemed that wasn't the case. Cui Buqu knew no martial arts. How did he feel, having followed Feng Xiao into danger only to be abandoned in his hour of need?
She couldn't help but glance over at him.
Cui Buqu had remained quiet throughout; his lashes downcast, as if it wasn't his fate the others were deciding. Even compared to martial experts, his reaction was unusually calm—so calm she itched to peer into his inner thoughts.
Bing Xian took a small step forward, then stopped, bewildered. She'd planned to stand on the sidelines and see what windfalls she could reap. Now she wanted to wade into trouble herself?
At the other end of the courtyard, Feng Xiao laughed and tightened his grip on Xing Mao. "If you won't make a move, I will!"
A dagger appeared in his free hand; he stabbed the blade straight into his captive's shoulder. Blood spattered, and Xing Mao screamed in agony.
"Yu-xiansheng, help me!"
Feng Xiao twisted the handle. Crimson soaked Xing Mao's robes as he wailed, eyes rolling back in his head, but Feng Xiao still wasn't satisfied. He yanked the dagger out and plunged it into Xing Mao's opposite shoulder.
Yuheng was stunned. He hadn't expected Feng Xiao to follow through, nor to be so cruel. The deputy chief of the Jiejian Bureau really was completely unconcerned about Cui Buqu's safety.
Should Yuheng do the same to Cui Buqu? But even if he killed him, Feng Xiao mightn't let Xing Mao go. Xing Mao already had one foot in the grave—if this continued, he might really die and no longer be of use.
Yuheng was disoriented; as he struggled to decide, his hand around Cui Buqu's throat unconsciously loosened.
No! Something was wrong!
From the depths of his mind came a spark of awareness, pulling him back from the brink of confusion. No one else around them had reacted to their confrontation—it was completely bizarre. And it wasn't only Yue Xiafeng and the other experts: Xing Mao's screams echoed unceasingly, oscillating between loud and soft. As for Feng Xiao, the smug curve at the corner of his mouth never changed.
It was an illusion—an incredibly brilliant one.
The Cui Buqu before him had been motionless, like a puppet. At that point, if he'd still failed to realize he'd fallen prey to an illusory technique, he wouldn't have deserved to call himself a martial artist.
Yuheng bit down hard on his tongue. Blood filled his mouth, but the pain brought clarity. The puppet-like figures around him returned to life. His hands were empty, and Cui Buqu was nowhere to be seen. In the same instant, someone rushed toward him, sleeves billowing like the wings of a great eagle as their internal energy surged over him in waves. Yuheng had no time to spare searching for Cui Buqu or Xing Mao.
When the fighting began, Duan Qihu had crawled behind the colonnade, hoping to sneak off quietly. The Duan family was still in the courtyard awaiting slaughter, yet at that moment, Duan Qihu could think only of saving his own skin.
Yan Xuexing had kept Duan Qihu in view the entire time, unwilling to let him go. Upon seeing Duan Qihu's attempt to flee, he made a grab for him.
Duan Qihu chuckled coldly. There was no fear in his eyes, only malicious mockery. As if he'd finally found his chance to escape, and Yan Xuexing was powerless to stop it.
Yan Xuexing was still trying to make sense of it when Duan Qihu disappeared.
Taken aback, Yan Xuexing dashed over, disregarding all else—yet as he took his next step forward, the ground beneath his feet vanished. Before he could make a sound, he was plummeting into darkness.
Bing Xian had taken advantage of Feng Xiao's illusion to pierce the hand of the confused Yuheng with one of her silver needles, breaking Cui Buqu free. "Are you all right, Daoist Master Cui?" She stepped up to support him.
Cui Buqu shook his head and looked around. "Where's Duan Qihu?"
"I saw him disappear behind a pillar just now," she said. "But I was worried about you, so I didn't follow him to look. Yan-gongzi has gone after him."
"We must find him!" If Yan Xuexing caught Duan Qihu first, he'd kill him. Cui Buqu would never get any of the answers he sought. He didn't want Duan Qihu to die just yet.
Meanwhile, Feng Xiao was facing not only Yuheng, but Yue Xiafeng and the others as well. Seeing Cui Buqu leave with Bing Xian, he couldn't help shouting, "Hey! I'm dealing with our enemies for your sake, and you run off with a new lover?"
Cui Buqu didn't turn. "Those who are capable should work harder. I've utmost confidence in you."
Xing Mao crawled upright. "No—none of you will escape. Archers, on my word!" he ground out through clenched teeth.
"Because the tiger has yet to show his claws, you've taken him for a sick cat?" Feng Xiao loosed a peal of laughter as his palm collided with Yuheng's. The monk flew backward, slamming heavily into a pillar.
Yue Xiafeng and Hu Yun's weapons cut toward Feng Xiao from both sides. Under the scouring true qi, Feng Xiao's delicate bun unraveled, and his long hair fluttered and danced in the wind. Though he was still dressed as a woman, his expression was unbridled, his movements bold, with a dashing elegance; it was impossible to mistake his gender. This was the true form of the deputy chief of the Jiejian Bureau. His previous frivolous manner was merely his way of relieving boredom. Any who underestimated him on its account would bring down their own destruction.
Just as Yuheng had.
Feng Xiao didn't dodge. Faced with this pincer attack, he shook out his sleeves and poured true qi through his meridians and into his palms, transforming it into an explosive palm technique. He grabbed both the iron-boned fan and Hu Yun's golden saber with bare hands.
A dull ringing sounded. Instead of feeling his sword bite into flesh, Hu Yun's wrist tingled, and the golden saber snapped cleanly in two. On the other side, Yue Xiafeng's fan had met the same fate.
Feng Xiao gave them no chance to react. He whirled and flung out his hands; the broken saber and fan turned sharply in midair, then swept back toward their masters. Yue Xiafeng and Hu Yun cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground.
A wise man understood when to retreat. Observing all this, the Nameless Sword Wang Hong took two quick steps back, turned, and fled.
Xing Mao's fury was turning into desperation. If not for Feng Xiao and Yan Xuexing, the Duan family would be in his grasp tonight. By dawn, there would be no one in Qiemo who could rival him. Yet somehow the situation had turned sour, his victory crumbling into defeat.
"Shoot! Kill them!" He no longer cared whether his guards' arrows might wound Yuheng and the others.
He yelled and yelled, but no arrows came.
Xing Mao looked up. The archers standing motionless on the eaves wore clothes he didn't recognize—they were no longer the men he'd brought from his manor.
"Your men have been defeated. Who are you calling for?"
A new figure strode through the gates—Qiao Xian, who'd taken the commander's tally to Liugong City and summoned an army.
Xing Mao had thought himself the oriole behind the mantis catching the cicada; it had never occurred to him that behind the oriole was a falcon.
Feng Xiao pursed his lips and shook out slightly numb hands. Acting so high and mighty while using his tally! The Zuoyue Bureau was certainly good at making the most of other people's privileges.
Unfortunately, Cui Buqu had missed the sight of his dashing figure as he fought four on one. Otherwise, Cui Buqu would've had to personally admit he owed Feng Xiao a great favor.
With this in mind, Feng Xiao looked around, only to discover that Cui Buqu and Bing Xian had vanished completely from sight.