"WHEN DID YOU begin to suspect her?"
"Ever since you told me on Mount Tiannan that there was a traitor close to me."
Feng Xiao arched a brow. "I thought you concluded it was Fan Yun."
"I did at first," said Cui Buqu. "Fan Yun is most familiar with my past, which is why the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai set that trap for me in Boling. But I gradually discovered that they not only knew my past but also my current whereabouts—where I was going and what I was going to do. The Thirteen Floors of Yunhai always seemed able to predict where I'd be and lay traps before I arrived."
"They knew your plans before you went to Qixia Villa."
Cui Buqu nodded. "No matter how clever Xiao Lü is, he's not a god. It's impossible for him to know every detail of my movements. The only explanation is a traitor close to me. And this traitor can't be any ordinary Zuoyue guard because the enemy is practically following my every footstep."
"But that doesn't prove it's Qiao Xian."
"It doesn't," Cui Buqu agreed. "That's why I took her and Guan Shanhai with me on this trip. I came to Guangqian Commandery in secret. Other than my two guards, only Empress Dugu knew; even Rong Qing and his attendant only learned the news just before setting out.
"When Rong Qing arrived in Guangqian County, he encountered obstacles at every turn. He was deceived and ambushed by Huang Lüe and the others, and even accused of murder. His attendant Xiao-Liu also died, which shows Rong Qing cannot be from Xiao Lü's faction.
"Guan Shanhai was handpicked by me. His family has been with the army for three generations; he has little connection to the capital and a clean background. No matter how superhuman Xiao Lü is, his reach can't possibly extend to Guan Shanhai. That leaves only Qiao Xian. It must be her. She's been secretly sending messages to our enemies, passing my whereabouts to them and facilitating their attacks."
Feng Xiao chuckled. "She doesn't know you have a card up your sleeve. She's had countless opportunities to attack you, but she never took them. She's still sentimental about your relationship."
"I was already on guard against her, so I never gave her the chance," Cui Buqu said placidly. "If she wants to kill me, she won't succeed. I never entrust my back to those I suspect."
Feng Xiao clapped his hands. "Now there's the ever-decisive Cui Buqu! But I wonder—" He leaned forward on his elbows and stared at Cui Buqu. "Would you entrust your back to me?"
Their gazes collided; Cui Buqu couldn't avoid it. They were so close he could see his reflection in Feng Xiao's eyes, almost filling them.
There was a moment of silence.
"Cui-xiansheng, did your lordship find…" Rong Qing rushed in, but his voice died as he noticed the strange atmosphere in the room.
They both turned their heads, and Rong Qing forced a stiff smile. "The two gentlemen can…please continue chatting. I'll come back later!"
Without waiting for them to reply, he whirled around and left, fleeing like someone had set fire to his tail.
Feng Xiao reached out and grabbed Cui Buqu's chin, slowly turning his gaze from Rong Qing back to himself. Cui Buqu unceremoniously slapped the back of his hand hard—and missed. Feng Xiao had pulled his hand back faster.
Cui Buqu sneered. Slowly he said, "I will never entrust my back to an arrogant, conceited narcissist."
Feng Xiao laughed aloud. "Cui Buqu, you can list so many of my virtues! Doesn't that prove you care for me, and that I value you?"
"Feng-er, have you ever heard this saying?"
"I'm all ears."
"The first to ask, loses."
Feng Xiao nodded. "You're saying you originally wanted to ask me the same thing. I knew it—even though you're a mean-spirited person who acts aloof and detached and never takes my feelings seriously, you still have to bend in the face of a singularly elegant young master like myself."
Cui Buqu gave him an incredulous look. "How can a person as shameless as you exist?"
Feng Xiao sighed. "You are jealous of my grace, envious of my unfettered freedom."
The "jealous and envious" Cui Buqu looked like he'd been force-fed a rotten egg and made to swallow the foul thing lodged in his throat. The corners of his mouth twitched as he said, sincere, "Feng-er, sometimes there's something I really want to do to you."
"Feel me up?" said Feng Xiao. "Molest me? Degrade me?"
"Turn you mute with poison. Your face by itself is appetizing enough."
Feng Xiao laughed. "That won't work. If I'm mute, who can match you in a battle of wits?"
"Xiao Lü could," said Cui Buqu.
"A scoundrel who skulks about in the dark, refusing to show himself?" Feng Xiao pressed his lips together. "Can a firefly's glow outshine the moon? If you knew Qiao Xian was working for him, why didn't you do something about it? Are you letting out the line to catch the big fish?"
Cui Buqu was silent a moment. "Four years ago, when we met, she was wretched and miserable."
"She might have been pretending," said Feng Xiao.
"She had many opportunities to attack me when we were alone together along the way, but she never did."
"To make it more believable," Feng Xiao said. "If you can't bear to do it, allow me."
"No need. I'll give her a chance and let her choose," Cui Buqu said.
Feng Xiao sighed. "Cui Buqu, a cold man with a warm heart!"
Cui Buqu sneered. "Feng Yuntian, a flower in love with its own petals."
"I'd prefer you to describe me as a dashing man of grace." Feng Xiao snapped open his fan and rose. "I like drinking wine, not tea, so I choose Fengyun Tavern. But what's your next move? They've likely made preparations at these two places. We have no idea if it's truly a new lead or another trap. Cui Buqu, the master strategist—surely you're not sending Guan Shanhai and me into the enemy camp by ourselves, are you?"
Cui Buqu shrugged. "I've no cards left. Xiao Lü has me at the end of my tether. Why else would I ask to borrow Pei Jingzhe? I even hoped to ask you to mobilize some Jiejian Bureau eagle riders to help us get through this."
"I'm sorry, but there's no manpower left at the Jiejian Bureau either. Otherwise why would I, the deputy chief himself, make a personal appearance?" Feng Xiao shot him a penetrating look, as if he wished to pry into Cui Buqu's innermost thoughts. "It's not like you, Cui Buqu, to leave yourself no recourse."
Cui Buqu sighed. "Yang Yun is getting restless. Xiao Lü is worried about dragging things out. They're sure to make a move within the next two days, and it's too late to call the Zuoyue guard from elsewhere. Even the wisest man, considering a thousand possibilities, can still make a mistake. Against this powerful enemy, I might even pay with my poor, insignificant life."
Feng Xiao also sighed, his gaze sympathetic. "Cui-langjun's situation is truly tragic this time."
"No less tragic than yours," Cui Buqu said sorrowfully.
The two sly foxes looked at each other, one sitting, one standing, both wearing the same pained smile.
***
Another room. Another two people.
One wore a blank expression almost identical to Cui Buqu's as she stared at the newcomer. The other shrank further into himself the more she stared, at a loss for what to do.
"You seem unhappy," Pei Jingzhe said carefully.
Qiao Xian finally spoke. "When did you get here?"
Pei Jingzhe breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "I came with my lord; he asked me to assist Cui-xiansheng. Someone tried to assassinate him just now, but I stopped him."
"Who sent them?" she asked, her aloof expression faltering. "Is the lord chief all right?"
"He's fine. But since the enemy didn't succeed, they're certain to try again," he answered honestly. "I'm afraid I can only do so much with my martial arts. Next time, he might not be so lucky."
Without thinking, Qiao Xian rose from the bed and put on her boots. Pei Jingzhe hurried to stop her. "Now that my lord is here, all you need to do is rest and recover!"
"Of course. With Feng Xiao here, why should I worry?" Qiao Xian said with a self-deprecating laugh.
There was obviously another implication beneath her words. Pei Jingzhe couldn't help but observe, "You seem extremely prejudiced against the deputy chief."
Qiao Xian pursed her lips and said nothing, as if this action alone was sufficient to express her endless disgust.
Blinking, Pei Jingzhe cast about for something else to say. "After my last trip with him, he almost docked my pay."
Sure enough, Qiao Xian frowned. "Is the Jiejian Bureau so poor they need to cut their subordinates' pay?"
Pei Jingzhe smiled. "It wasn't a pay cut. It's because I performed poorly, and my lord punished me for it."
"Feng Xiao is so stingy!" Qiao Xian muttered.
Pei Jingzhe smiled again. "He often threatens such things, but he almost never follows through. I consider him a father as much as a master. Without him, there's much I would never have learned—maybe I'd still be a foolish, confused boy who knows nothing about the world. What about you? How did you join the Zuoyue Bureau and start working under Cui-xiansheng? He's never given his trust easily, so those who earn it must be outstanding."
He didn't know which of his words had struck Qiao Xian, but she immediately froze.
***
"So all we can do is sit back and wait for them to make a move?"
Feng Xiao had departed for the tavern, while Pei Jingzhe had disappeared to speak with Qiao Xian. Rong Qing and Cui Buqu sat under a tree playing chess. The former was restless and absent-minded. After a few matches, he couldn't resist asking this question.
The relay station was very quiet. It was the middle of the day, yet the building felt empty of people.
"No." Cui Buqu shook his head.
Rong Qing's hopes rose.
"They're the wolf, and we're the rabbit." As Rong Qing stared, Cui Buqu amended, "Ah, that's not right either. Together, you and I make two rabbits."
Rong Qing smiled bitterly. "I've already written the memorial and sent someone to deliver it with all haste."
"Have you prepared a copy?"
"No, why?" Rong Qing asked in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Your memorial will never arrive," Cui Buqu said sympathetically. "If we're lucky enough to survive the next few days, you'll have to write another one. It would have been easier if you'd made a copy."
Rong Qing was speechless. He stared at Cui Buqu for a long time, then couldn't help saying, "Why are you so sure my memorial won't arrive? I even specially gave the courier an extra letter; once he arrives in the capital, he can go to my residence and collect a bonus. He'll rush there as—"
He never finished the sentence. Rong Qing heard a swift rush of air, and watched in horror as an arrow whistled over the wall and nailed itself into a nearby pillar.
The entire front third of the arrow was buried in the wood, a thick letter attached to the shaft. Rong Qing recognized the memorial he'd sealed and handed to the courier himself. The fletching of the arrow was dull, and the letter was stained with blood. A lock of hair was attached to it.
Rong Qing whipped his head back around to look at Cui Buqu.
"This is just the beginning," Cui Buqu offered.
Rong Qing didn't know what to say.