FENG XIAO WAS PAINTING when Qiao Xian arrived.
He was entirely focused, smiling faintly as he moved the brush across the paper. It seemed he was in high spirits.
Qiao Xian grudgingly bowed in greeting. "Qiao Xian of the Zuoyue guard greets the deputy chief."
Feng Xiao didn't raise his head nor pause in his strokes. Although Qiao Xian didn't have a clear view of the painting, she saw that Feng Xiao's smile seemed to flow through the brush tip and onto the rattan paper on the desk, a beauty painting beneath the balmy autumn sun. Qiao Xiao found this man irritating beyond measure, but she had to admit it was a stunning scene.
All that loveliness was shattered the moment Feng Xiao spoke. "It appears Cui Buqu still refuses to come himself."
"This humble subordinate has come on the chief's order to pick up something owed to the Zuoyue Bureau. I ask the deputy chief to please accept his loss."
Feng Xiao ignored her icy gaze. "The bet was between me and Cui Buqu," he said, all smiles. "If he wants the list of names, he may pick them up himself. I won't acknowledge anyone else. Besides—" He paused a moment, setting down the brush and studying the completed painting before looking back up at Qiao Xian. "Cui Buqu alone is qualified to call himself my equal. You call yourself humble, but your tone suggests otherwise—you don't sound like a subordinate in the slightest. Does Cui Buqu keep you around under the delusion that your attitude will help relieve his burdens?"
At Qiao Xian's stunned expression, Feng Xiao's lips curled in a faintly malicious smile. "You know your way around disguises, and you know some medicine as well. But in the Jiejian Bureau, people like you are replaceable. If I offered one of my people to Cui Buqu, would he accept them? Would they take your place?"
Anger surged in Qiao Xian's heart. She wanted to retort, but by the time the words were on her tongue, she'd decided there was no point arguing. In the end, she merely said coldly: "I'm afraid I must disappoint you. The palace has already sent us an attendant to serve as the lord chief's new bodyguard."
"Then you've been set aside?" asked Feng Xiao in surprise.
Qiao Xian pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Moments later, Pei Jingzhe watched Qiao Xian's back as she furiously stalked out. He couldn't stop himself from asking, "Sir, if Cui Buqu really comes, do we give him the list?"
Feng Xiao arched a brow. "If he's willing to yield, why shouldn't we give it to him?"
"That list contains secret information on officials of all ranks. How much time and effort did it take the Jiejian Bureau to create that list in the first place? And you're willing to just give it away?"
Feng Xiao smiled. "You don't understand Cui Buqu. If he chooses to appear in person, he'll come prepared to make a trade. You know that list is worth far more than a game of shupu, so how could Cui Buqu not? He never expected me to hand it over without a fight. If he hasn't come, it's only because he doesn't think the Zuoyue Bureau has anything that will impress me."
Pei Jingzhe's confusion multiplied. "Then are you hoping he comes, or that he doesn't?"
Instead of answering his question, Feng Xiao said, "Go find out who the empress assigned to him."
She hadn't done it secretly, so finding out should be a simple matter. Pei Jingzhe acknowledged the order and left.
He returned within the hour. "Sir. It's the Sima General of the Right Guard, Guan Shanhai. Three generations of his family have served in the army, and Guan Shanhai has proven himself a skilled wielder of the spear on the battlefield. He's expected to succeed the commanding general of the Right Guard within the capital in the future. That the empress assigned him to the Zuoyue Bureau shows how much she values them."
Feng Xiao sneered. "On the battlefield, a soldier is up against thousands of opponents. His strength lies in breaking through enemy lines—these aren't the skills of a bodyguard. Guan Shanhai has enjoyed a steady stream of promotions; his career has been smooth sailing, and his skills are the real thing. He must be an arrogant man. I imagine he's unhappy at having been reassigned to the Zuoyue Bureau."
With that, he stood to head out. Pei Jingzhe hurried after him. "Where are you going?"
Feng Xiao folded his hands behind his back. "To the Zuoyue Bureau, to watch the show," he said languidly.
He made it sound like he was stepping out to visit a neighbor, but the Jiejian and Zuoyue Bureaus were nowhere near each other.
"But sir, you just said you'd wait for Cui Buqu to yield."
"When the terrain won't change for you, you must adapt to the terrain. The empress would never do such a thing without a reason. If she sent someone like Guan Shanhai, she must have some new task for Cui Buqu. Besides, showing up at his door and making him yield will have the same result."
You call this making him yield? It's clear you're the one who can't wait anymore! You're going there to provoke him yourself, aren't you?
Pei Jingzhe had interacted with Cui Buqu on several occasions. Though Cui Buqu knew no martial arts, his gaze always made Pei Jingzhe feel as if he was being stripped bare. He'd start feeling guilty even if he hadn't done anything.
"Is the Zuoyue Bureau the reason you're trying to get close to Cui Buqu?" he asked.
Feng Xiao chuckled. "What good is the Zuoyue Bureau without Cui Buqu?"
"But then, what's so special about Cui Buqu?" Pei Jingzhe asked, puzzled.
Fanning himself, Feng Xiao strolled along, in no hurry. "That Cui fellow… His appearance is unremarkable. He's moody, stingy, and vindictive, with a tongue as sharp as a knife. He takes a mile when you give him an inch, hides his cunning beneath a harmless facade, and his mind is bursting with schemes. He's perpetually ill yet never wallows in self-pity, and he spends his days darting about trying to claim the credit for other people's work. If not for me, he'd have met his end a hundred times over in Boling Commandery and Mount Tiannan. So if you're asking what makes him special…I suppose he has a special love of courting death."
Pei Jingzhe was dumbfounded. He'd asked the question offhand, yet Feng Xiao had immediately started rambling. According to him, there was nothing good about Cui Buqu. But if that was so, why couldn't Deputy Chief Feng leave well enough alone?
When Cui Buqu was quiet, his lordship Feng-er made sure to send him a reminder. And when Cui Buqu did send someone, Feng-er kept him hanging, insisting he come himself.
Pei Jingzhe had no idea how the two of them had made it through their time in Boling without incident. Two tigers couldn't share a mountain. Logically, either Feng Xiao should have died of rage, or Cui Buqu should have perished from a beating—yet both had returned unscathed. Pei Jingzhe felt that something was odd here, but he was at a loss as to what it could be.
The Zuoyue Bureau was indeed much livelier with the addition of Guan Shanhai.
Everyone in the Zuoyue Bureau—especially those capable enough to work closely with Cui Buqu—had been with him for a long time. In turn, Cui Buqu placed great trust in them. Yet Guan Shanhai had practically fallen from the sky. Without doing anything to earn it, he was suddenly second only to Zhangsun and Song Liangchen. He outranked everyone else—including Qiao Xian. What was more, the empress herself had ordered it. Naturally, all eyes were on him, and whispers swirled through the bureau.
Qiao Xian stewed in unhappiness. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. She gathered herself and publicly asked Guan Shanhai to spar. She had no idea that Guan Shanhai found this new arrangement demeaning. Though he hadn't voiced it, he, too, was dissatisfied; he readily agreed to Qiao Xian's request.
They agreed to spar on the Zuoyue Bureau's training grounds. The news spread like wildfire through the bureau, and soon, the field was packed full. Even Cui Buqu came to watch, looking on in astonishment.
Qiao Xian specialized in graceful swordplay, while Guan Shanhai's spear techniques were bold and powerful. From their martial arts to their experience, they were utterly incompatible, yet they had been thrown together by the Zuoyue Bureau.
The match began. Both combatants possessed strong wills, and their attacks were merciless. Qiao Xian floated over the training grounds in her white clothes, practically adrift on the breeze as her sword danced toward her opponent. Only the sharp-eyed noticed her toes tapping the ground as she landed and took off again. Her qinggong was stunning.
Qiao Xian didn't care what the spectators thought; she merely wanted to prove that she was more qualified to accompany Cui Buqu than the interloper Guan Shanhai.
Her sword qi sliced toward Guan Shanhai's face. With a flick of his wrist, his spear point jabbed out in a series of tight circles that surged forth one after the other to block Qiao Xian's offensive. His gaze was harsh and cold.
Sweep, jab, tap, pull—these were the four fundamental movements of the spear, and Guan Shanhai moved through them like breathing. His spear, Wenyue, transformed into a living thing as it punched toward his enemy with crushing force. The spearhead streaked through the air, leaving icy sparks in its wake. While the onlookers were still dazzled, it painted a second silvery arc that connected with the first to form the bright outline of the yin-yang symbol.
The first jab neutralized Qiao Xian's attack; the second drew in qi to cloak himself. The final jab switched from defense to offense—the spear stabbed toward Qiao Xian.
Beneath the blazing sun, Guan Shanhai's chiseled, bronzed features were intent, as if he were facing not Qiao Xian, but an army of thousands. He wove through the battlefield disregarding his enemies, his surroundings, his very life and death. Mountains toppled, seas overturned; the sun and moon rose and fell, the trees and bushes splintered. Spring bled into autumn. Against a host of a thousand, he alone was enough.
Qiao Xian realized his spear had caught her sword. The dazzling glare was inches from her, piercing toward her face. Bloodlust filled the air as she felt a sharp pain between her brows. Alarmed, Qiao Xian attempted to leap back in retreat. But her sword was trapped; she couldn't pull away. Even if she let go, the bloodlust was already upon her. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
In the next instant, twin blasts of air funneled toward them from opposite directions, each carrying a stone that targeted Guan Shanhai's left and right shoulders. Guan Shanhai sprang up, avoiding the stones, then landed smoothly on the ground. With a twirl of his wrist, he drew back his spear.
Qiao Xian's nerves were still singing. She fell to one knee, too ashamed to look at Cui Buqu. "This subordinate is incompetent. Please forgive me, Lord Chief!"
"All warriors experience both victory and defeat. But you should know where to draw the line when it comes to one of your own."
The first sentence was meant for Qiao Xian, but the second was aimed at Guan Shanhai.
Guan Shanhai pursed his lips and cupped his hands. "This subordinate understands his wrongdoings."
Cui Buqu turned to the two men who'd just walked in. "Deputy Chief Feng, what ill wind has blown you here?"
There'd been two stones just now: one thrown by Zhangsun Bodhi, and the other by Feng Xiao.
"Ever since Mount Tiannan, Cui-langjun has shut himself away and refused all guests. Of course, I missed you dearly. We shared both joy and sorrow, life and death on that journey—how could I live with myself if I didn't come see you?"
Cui Buqu sneered. "And here I wondered if Deputy Chief Feng finally remembered the bet he lost. Has your guilty conscience brought you here to pay your debt?"
The autumn wind churned up the sand of the training grounds and tossed the hems of their robes. Qiao Xian watched their confrontation. How had Feng Xiao walked into the Zuoyue Bureau with such ease? The Zuoyue guard should have done everything in their power to bar him entry; even if he overpowered them, they should have sprinted here to make their report.
But the guards had clearly done nothing of the sort; Feng Xiao had strolled onto the training grounds without any obstruction. She could only guess that Cui Buqu must have given the instruction in advance: As long as Feng Xiao came himself, there was no need to stop him.
These two had started off as bitter enemies. When had this begun, that the master of the Jiejian Bureau could saunter into the Zuoyue Bureau as if it was his own home?
Perhaps Feng Xiao guessed her thoughts because his smile widened.
Cui Buqu waved a hand, dispersing the crowd. He led Feng Xiao toward the pavilion in the middle of the bureau's pond. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Deputy Chief Feng?"
He was bored and ran over to watch the excitement, Pei Jingzhe scoffed silently.
"I came to give you the list you asked for," said Feng Xiao.
Cui Buqu halted in his steps and frowned. "Since when did you become so generous?"
Feng Xiao sighed. "I know the list is of great importance to you. You hope to use it to unearth all the spies the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai have planted within the imperial court. But how could I hand over something so valuable to just anyone? I waited for you to come to my doors and claim it, but you refused. What choice did I have except to make the trip myself? But if you doubt my sincerity, I'll be on my way."
He turned to leave. Without thinking, Cui Buqu reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
Instantly, Cui Buqu realized he'd revealed his eagerness and let go. But it was too late—a gleeful smile spread across Feng Xiao's face. "If you want it so much, why don't we sit and have a nice chat?"
Cui Buqu couldn't relax for a second around this man. He blew out a slow breath. "What do you want?"
Feng Xiao reached out and brushed his fingers across Cui Buqu's cheek. Cui Buqu tried to evade, but that hand swiftly grazed past his temple, reaching for the topknot on the back of his head and plucking the jade hairpin free. He waved the hairpin in front of Cui Buqu. "To stop you from defaulting on your debt," he said. "I have no choice but to take this hairpin as collateral."
He still remembered the way Cui Buqu had looked leaving the cave, his hair loose and his lips pale. There'd been a harsh coldness to him, like a lone pine growing at a cliff's edge.
Some other fastener was holding Cui Buqu's hair in place, because it didn't come loose upon losing the hairpin. A pity, Feng Xiao thought.
"I'm afraid Deputy Chief Feng's request will be too hard to fulfill," Cui Buqu said tonelessly.
"I haven't even said it yet. How do you know it'll be hard to fulfill?"
Cui Buqu's eyes lingered briefly on the jade hairpin in Feng Xiao's hand. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Clearly Cui Buqu was the one who wanted something from him, yet he refused to speak a single cajoling word. Feng Xiao considered this for a moment, running his fingers over the hairpin as if it was the bony knuckles of Cui Buqu's own hand.
"I want you." Under Cui Buqu's stunned gaze, he slowly finished his sentence. "To do me a favor. The list, in exchange for a gargantuan favor. Remember, Cui Buqu. You owe me."
Since the moment they'd met in Liugong City, they'd entangled ever tighter, neither enemies nor friends, impossible to separate for the rest of their lives.