ONLY WHEN Cui Buqu's warm body was in Feng Xiao's embrace did Feng Xiao truly believe it was him.
Then he remembered he'd struck him. Cui Buqu suffered from all sorts of ailments at the best of times, and he'd been stabbed in the chest not long ago. Though his organs, muscles, and bones were unharmed, he'd lost a large quantity of blood, and his vitality was greatly affected. In his current state, he'd never live long enough to die of old age. Despite Feng Xiao's natural belligerence, he was forced to admit that most of Cui Buqu's injuries were more or less his fault.
"Are you all right?" The moment it was out, he realized it was a stupid thing to ask. Even so, he couldn't stop himself from voicing another foolish question: "Why did you come into the array?"
He already knew the answer and was even secretly pleased about it, yet he still wanted to hear it from Cui Buqu's own mouth. Feng Xiao mused that he'd never acted so brainless before. His soul seemed to have split into two—one half watched his idiocy coolly from the sidelines, while the other couldn't stop the words from tumbling out.
He grabbed Cui Buqu's wrist and channeled internal energy into him. Cui Buqu finally shifted and spoke, his voice so hoarse it was nearly inaudible. "Don't ask stupid questions."
He was already here. What was the point of asking if he was all right, or why he'd come? It was a waste of time, an indisputably idiotic thing to say.
Deputy Chief Feng was never happy to lose a spat; normally he'd have already fired back a teasing retort. Cui Buqu had been ready to be interrogated over why he'd overestimated his abilities and gone running into the thick of battle to rescue him. But to his surprise, Feng Xiao answered with a low hum and said nothing more.
The arms around Cui Buqu tightened as internal energy continued to pour into his body in an almost reckless flood. Cui Buqu was a little disturbed. Privately, he wondered if Feng-er had suffered brain damage from wandering in the array too long. No matter how abundant his internal energy, he couldn't sustain this level of output.
Cui Buqu's chilled body slowly thawed in Feng Xiao's arms. The pain in his shoulder from Feng Xiao's palm strike faded as well. It was so comfortable he didn't want to move, yet he struggled to grab Feng Xiao's wrists. "That's enough. Let's get out of here."
Feng Xiao ignored him. Only when he was satisfied that he'd given enough energy did he stop. "Your teacher's array seems a bit more complex than what you described."
"Obviously. He's the original designer; it's hardly surprising it's evolved over the years." Cui Buqu coughed twice. The congestion in his throat seemed to have eased a little—by sheer coincidence, Feng Xiao's palm strike must have cleared the blood pooling in his chest. "Where is Yuxiu?"
"He's in the array too, and equally confounded I imagine. If you can hold on a little longer, I want to finish him off before we leave."
Every additional moment Cui Buqu spent in the array would do him harm. Most people would leave as quickly as possible after finding the person they were seeking. But Cui Buqu nodded without protest.
The feeling of being so helplessly held in another person's embrace was not one he liked; he was unused to it. He steadied himself within Feng Xiao's arms and stood up straight, then pushed Feng Xiao away.
Feng Xiao grabbed his wrist. "You came here to look for me, right?" Feng Xiao's tone was a little strange, neither teasing nor sarcastic.
Unable to read him, Cui Buqu frowned. "No," he said tartly, then shook off Feng Xiao's grip. But he heard Feng-er chuckle, as if amused by the insincerity of his answer.
Cui Buqu was baffled. He looked at Feng Xiao like he was a fool, then turned around and began walking.
True to its name, the Ursa Major Twin Jade Array contained two arrays, one large and one small, with the latter nestled within the former. With Cui Buqu as their guide, they walked toward the heart of the array as freezing winds wailed and sent powerful gusts funneling between the boulders. They were chilled to the bone, yet they could see lights and shadows dancing before them like flickering mirages. The clang of armor and weapons rang endlessly in their ears, confusing their senses. Even a powerful martial artist like Feng Xiao felt his heart pound and his vision swim. Yet following Cui Buqu, they avoided the sinister winds and never stepped into another trap. Still, he didn't know the array inside out. He walked a few paces then stopped, every step seemingly taken only after great thought.
As they reached the edge of the stone forest, a bright light shone before them—it seemed the exit was in sight. Outside the cave, rain fell in a drizzling curtain, and in the sliver of sky above, they could make out a dense shroud of dark clouds. To anyone who'd been trapped in the array, this dreary scene meant freedom.
This so-called exit was almost guaranteed to be a trap. Yet after a brief hesitation, Cui Buqu stepped through it.
Cold air brimming with murderous intent rushed toward him from both sides. A hand yanked his collar just in time, sending him staggering backward as several steel arrows missed him by a hair's breadth. The arrowheads clanged as they collided.
Feng Xiao tossed Cui Buqu behind him one-handed, the other reaching for his zither strings. Buzzing with true qi, the strings pulled taut in midair and blocked the next wave of ferocious arrows. It was just enough. Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu spun aside, and the iron arrows flew impotently forward to clatter on the ground.
"Fan Yun, that old bastard," Feng Xiao said in displeasure. "He had bad intentions from the start!"
"He wants to use us to vanquish the Thirteen Floors. If we die in the process, he'll have killed two birds with one stone." Cui Buqu's expression was placid; he wasn't remotely surprised. "Even if this isn't the real exit, we're not far. Let's find it and wait there. If Yuxiu wants to leave, he'll have to pass through."
With that, he pushed Feng Xiao away—yet to his surprise, Feng Xiao offered no resistance. He stepped back and slumped against a boulder, then slowly sat down. Cui Buqu looked at him, confused.
Feng Xiao sighed. "I can't walk any farther. Let's rest a bit. Why push ourselves? Maybe Yuxiu sat down to have a snack too."
Cui Buqu's first thought was that Feng Xiao was up to some new mischief. Still, he crouched down and touched his forehead. No fever.
Feng Xiao grabbed his hand. "Stop feeling me up, Daoist Master Cui," he drawled.
The corners of Cui Buqu's mouth twitched as he tried to gently yank his hand back and failed. "Now you're the one feeling me up."
"How many times were you going to cop a feel if I hadn't grabbed your hand?" asked Feng Xiao. "Don't tell me you wouldn't have touched me again. There are so many who lust after my venerable self; how could I fail to see your ulterior motives? If you've taken a fancy to me, just say so. I might even consider accepting your feelings."
What the hell was he on about now?
Cui Buqu was used to the casual vulgarities that spilled out whenever Feng-er ran his mouth, but it wasn't like him to fool around at such a critical moment. A thought occurred to him. "Are you injured?"
"Nonsense." Feng Xiao spoke in the same lazy tone. "How could I be, unparalleled martial artist that I am? Don't think you can take advantage of me just because it's dark in here. I won't let you have your way."
He yanked the crouching Cui Buqu toward him and grabbed the back of his head to keep him from standing. A palm blast from behind blew past Cui Buqu. It'd narrowly missed him, thanks to Feng Xiao.
Foiled, Yuxiu had no choice but to step out from his hiding place and face Feng Xiao head-on. Cui Buqu was shoved aside as Feng Xiao and Yuxiu fell straight into battle.
Yuxiu must have been there for some time, spying on them and waiting for an opportunity to strike. He'd been out for blood from the moment he heard Cui Buqu say they weren't far from the exit. His presence hadn't escaped Feng Xiao's notice; he'd merely been waiting for Yuxiu to show his face.
True qi rose in towering waves between the two combatants, answering the yin energy within the array like a war trumpet and drawing in the cold, dark air all around them. Yuxiu and Feng Xiao were unaffected, protected by their internal energy, but Cui Buqu felt a freezing wind buffet his face. The air streamed in through his nose, and a tightness seized his chest. He instantly became nauseous and started coughing with discomfort.
The sound of his wheezing seemed to remind Yuxiu of something. "Deputy Chief Feng," he sneered. "Did you not discover the needle inside your body?"
He wove through the fog, as quick as a shadow melding into the gray mists. As he circled, he moved with the flow of yin energy, seeking out his chance to attack. He obviously hadn't wasted his time while trapped but had discovered some of the rules of the Twin Jade Array.
Yuxiu's words confirmed Cui Buqu's guess. His heart sank, and he strained to make out Feng Xiao's figure within the fog. His attacks remained fierce and decisive. But the more fierce and decisive he was, the more certain Cui Buqu felt that something was wrong. It was Feng Xiao's style to nettle his opponents—he never let up until they were hopping with rage. Yet now he was silent. Perhaps Yuxiu hadn't noticed, but Cui Buqu saw it instantly—Feng Xiao had no energy to spare for chatter.
What can I do? Cui Buqu thought. He looked around, frowning.
Yuxiu remained on the defensive, patiently parrying Feng Xiao's strikes. He was in no hurry to end this. Feng Xiao's approach appeared to be the opposite: The winds from his palm strikes were more cutting than the yin-infused gales within the array. His every move brimmed with bloodlust as he flashed between forms, too quick to see. Yuxiu dodged an attack to his front, only for Feng Xiao to vanish into thin air. A moment later he reappeared at Yuxiu's side and slammed a palm toward his chest, shattering the protective barrier of true qi around him.
Yuxiu spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes wide with alarm. But Feng Xiao didn't take the chance to press him. Instead, he paused.
At once, Yuxiu understood. Rather than fleeing to nurse his injury, he stepped forward, laughing. A small dagger shot from his billowing sleeves, and he grasped the hilt. Focusing all his energy into the blade, he slashed at Feng Xiao's head.
A fight between master martial artists never lasted long. The first glimpse of the enemy's weakness spelled life or death. A moment ago Yuxiu had been fearful; now, he advanced full of confidence, unwilling to retreat. The tables had turned in a split second. He was sure of his judgment and grateful to the pavilion leader. If not for his gift of the needle, Yuxiu might never have gained the upper hand over Feng Xiao.
True qi surged into the blade. At that moment, even the yin-infused winds shied away from its edge. One slash cleaved them in two, and they wrapped around the dagger as it whistled toward Feng Xiao.
Feng Xiao leapt back, but his movements were slower than before. If the blade connected, it might not behead him, but it would slice his chest open at the least. Wherever it fell, it would put him half in his grave.
But the blade whizzed past. Feng Xiao's figure vanished into the mists as the dagger struck stone instead of flesh. The blade's qi splashed out on either side, shattering the floor of the tunnel with a resounding rumble—yet Feng Xiao was nowhere in sight.
Yuxiu stood stunned. He swept his furious gaze to the side. Sure enough, Cui Buqu had disappeared as well.
***
Cui Buqu dragged Feng Xiao through the array, swerving and dodging far too nimbly for an ailing, injured man. In contrast, Feng Xiao staggered as he walked, then went limp without warning. He slumped against Cui Buqu, almost knocking them both to the ground.
"I need to remove the needle first. I can't move even half my body anymore," Feng Xiao said through gritted teeth.
He'd never imagined Yuxiu's hidden weapon was so powerful; he'd thought he could suppress it until they escaped. But the moment he'd drawn on his internal energy during the fight, the silver needle had begun to weave through his body with his qi, and he'd almost collapsed on the spot.
Cui Buqu didn't say much either. He tugged Feng Xiao over to the stone wall and forced him to sit. "I used some of the stones to mimic the Twin Jade Array and made a smaller array, so now it's a Triple Jade Array. But a little trick like that won't buy us much time. Yuxiu will be able to break out with brute force. Hurry up!" he urged.
"You, help me." Feng Xiao grabbed Cui Buqu's shoulder and pulled him down, little by little, to sit beside him. He balled his other hand into a loose fist. "Press on my Guanyuan acupoint. Use moderate force."
The Guanyuan acupoint lay three inches below the navel. Cui Buqu had some medical knowledge, but he lacked practical experience. He felt his way toward Feng Xiao's navel and carefully measured out a distance of three inches. Feng Xiao couldn't take his dallying—he grabbed Cui Buqu's hand and tugged it downward. "Right here. Press on it with one hand and don't let go. Move your other hand up along the Renmai meridian, just above it. Don't stop until I say so!"
Cui Buqu didn't think twice. He quietly did as he was told.
With Cui Buqu closing off the Ren meridian for him and stopping the needle from moving around, Feng Xiao gathered his energy to expel it from his body. But it was as if the needle realized it was under threat. It buzzed restlessly and tried to flee into the blood pumping through his veins. Feng Xiao's face paled. He pursed his lips and squeezed his eyes shut, his usual teasing smile replaced with cold severity.
Cui Buqu's eyes were trained on Feng Xiao, watching for any change in his expression. In a sense, he and Feng Xiao were birds of a feather. Both of them were enormously determined, willing to do whatever it took to reach their goals. Feng Xiao normally concealed that determination beneath a veneer of carelessness. Yet right now, Cui Buqu felt that the grave look on Feng Xiao's face was much more pleasing to the eye than his usual blithe smiles.
Feng Xiao shuddered. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he slumped forward.
"How is it?" Cui Buqu caught him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, guiding him down to lean his forehead against the crook of Cui Buqu's neck.
"Not so good…I'm afraid…" said Feng Xiao weakly.
"Hold on just a little longer. The exit is right in front of us."
Cui Buqu didn't waste any time. He was tugging Feng Xiao's arm over his own shoulders to pull him up when Feng Xiao stopped him. "Even if we get out, we don't know if the Jiejian Bureau will find us before the Thirteen Floors do. If we run into the pavilion leader, I don't like our chances."
"What's the point of saying all this now? Save your breath and escape first!" Cui Buqu admonished him hoarsely. Yet before he could move, he heard a soft sigh in the darkness, and something warm pressed against his lips.