The man in grey swore that he had never done anything to the jade,
and definitely did not intentionally destroy it.
But as to why the jade turned to dust in his hands, he really had no
explanation behind it.
The other two suddenly got in sync, surrounding him, killing off any
path he could run away from.
Bing Xuan smiled, "Sir, you have such a temper. If you cannot obtain
it, you have decided to destroy it, so others cannot have it as well."
The man in the bamboo hat said nothing, but his body language
plainly showed that he would not let the man in grey get away easily.
"I did not do anything to it. It crumbled to dust on its own." The man
in grey said coldly.
"We are two people with four eyes, and we have seen it ourselves,
could there be any misunderstanding?" Bing Xuan twitched her
brows.
Cui Buqu leaned against the door and coughed in a low voice. Just
now, when the grey man took his first move, he immediately knew
who he was. However, it was not wise to show-off at this moment.
His body was riddled with illness, and everyone present did not think
of him as a threat. He would not do anything that might put himself in
danger.
Additionally, he might not be the only one among these people who
saw who he was.
As he expected, the man with the bamboo hat said suddenly, "Your
sword style heavily resembled the katana technique, passed down
by the Wajin people to the Suwo Clan, yet it is also modified in a
way. I heard that Goguryeo welcomed a new martial artist after Gao
Ning. The martial artist claimed to have a Japanese as his tutor and
is innovative. If I am not wrong, you are him."
The way he spoke was alluring, almost gentle. If this was any usual
day, it would surely make one feel as if the spring wind had just
washed over them. However, with the situation now, it was absurd to
assume it that way.
Bing Xuan could not help but glare at the man in white.
She felt that since the other man could tell the background of the
man in grey at the blink of an eye, he was certainly not a nobody.
However, when she pondered over it, she could not figure out who
among the famed Jianghu figures could have been him.
Unless he was not from Jianghu?
Bing Xuan twitched her eyebrow. Although she came for the jade
tonight, she did not have the intention of taking it. She knew that the
Jiejian Bureau was no mere fool, so she could not have taken it with
ease.
Needless to say, there were so many skilled martial artists here
today. The Göktürk was already a handful.
As she thought, Bing Xuan smiled and combed the strands of her
hair that had fallen loose.
"Lord Feng, there are too many honoured guests at your place. I
wager you would not have time to entertain me, so this is goodbye. I
will come another day."
Without waiting for Feng Xiao to respond, she kicked herself into the
air, as light as a feather, and leapt onto the roof, disappearing into
the darkness.
The Göktürk that was branded by Bing Xuan as her number one
enemy, at this moment, was taken by surprise.
The reason was none other than the fact that Feng Xiao's looks did
not match his combat abilities. Since he looked handsomely pretty
and delicate on the outside, when he fought, it caused one to be
even more shocked.
The Göktürk had never stepped into the Central Plains before, yet he
had come here carrying an ample amount of confidence. For even if
he demonstrated his skills in the Wulin of the Central Plains, there
were very few who could match his skills. He was enough to surpass
an entire generation of top martial artists.
Until he met Feng Xiao.
Feng Xiao's moves were not bombastic like Fo Er, but it was swift
and light, fluttering loose sleeves, extending like a blanket of snow.
From the sidelines, he looked like a flower that was smiling. Every
move drew imagery of beautiful aesthetic from the heart.
However, to the Göktürkish man, in those aesthetically beautiful
views, they were concealing the intention to kill. Every move of his
was light, but each held a trap.
He had already recoiled his initial moves that were slow and light,
taking his current opponent now seriously. Even if the jade had
crumbled into dust, it was unable to distract him.
As two masters of the martial arts faced-off, it was indeed a rare
sight to see. Even the man in white and the Goguryeoian stopped to
watch them.
Cui Buqu coughed twice and said in a low voice, "This man did not
come for the jade. He wanted to kill Feng Xiao."
These words, naturally, were meant for Pei Jingzhe.
Pei Jingzhe was taken by surprise, "Why do you say that?"
Cui Buqu laughed, "Did you not notice? From the moment he
appeared, he only looked at Feng Xiao, he did not even spare a
glance at the jade, and he did not participate in the fight for it."
Pei Jingzhe, "Do you know who he is?"
Cui Buqu, "I have never seen him in my life, but if I am not wrong,
this man is Fo Er, the number one martial artist under Khan Ishbara's
banner. He was the disciple of a great master and gathered the pros
of all techniques. Since he stepped into the Central Plains, he has
never lost a fight, so he had been proclaimed a master of his
generation."
Pei Jingzhe took in a breath of fresh air. He had never thought that a
quiet night such as this would attract such a martial artist.
"Between him and my Lord, who is stronger?"
Cui Buqu, "I do not even know how to fight, and you are asking me?"
Pei Jingzhe, "..."
He observed for a while but realized that as those two flew into the
air, their shadows were impossible to see because their speed was too fast. Even Pei Jingzhe could not see who was currently at an
advantage.
Pei Jingzhe feeling a little nervous turned around to rush back into
the manor.
After a short while, he carried something heavy and ran out, shouting
towards Feng Xiao, "My Lord! Your zither!"
"Bring it."
Feng Xiao's voice came like the wind, without any hint of
unsteadiness or anxiousness. Pei Jingzhe's eyes shone brightly as
he tossed the thing in his hand into the air.
A sound could be heard, like the sound of a golden mount, like the
sound of a hundred thousand soldiers being killed. It made one feel
as though the hairs on their hands were standing in a cold, eerie
feeling.
The men of Jianghu held many weapons, some had knives, and
some had guns, but this was the first time Fo Er saw someone using
a zither as a weapon. The zither that looked ashen and heavy, but
Feng Xiao managed to make it look as if it was weightless, like the
fragile toy of a child. It could be used for offensive measures, as well
as defensive measures, leaving one unable to predict his moves.
"Such excellent craftsmanship!" The man in white could not help
himself but exclaim.
But Gao Ning was not as free as the other. His eyebrows tightened
and turned away from Feng Xiao and Fo Er's battle, instead, he
turned his attention towards Pei Jingzhe and Cui Buqu.
In the blink of an eye, he lunged himself towards Pei Jingzhe and
Cui Buqu, knives as sharp as the breath of the sea swept towards both of them. As Pei Jingzhe pulled Cui Buqu backwards, he
suddenly changed his moves, using one hand in the form of a claw;
he reached out to Pei Jingzhe.
Pei Jingzhe had initially thought that he was after Cui Buqu,
intending to make him a hostage, so he had pushed Cui Buqu away
and drew his sword to face off with the enemy. Who knew that Gao
Ning was never interested in Cui Buqu; instead, he had been after
Pei Jingzhe all along. As the sword fell onto Pei Jingzhe, he could
feel only a numbing pain, his sword almost falling out of his grasp.
Gao Ning held on to him, posing his knife on the side of his neck.
"Surrender the jade, or I'll kill you!" Gao Ning said in a low voice.
"The jade was destroyed by you just now!" Pei Jingzhe said bitterly.
Gao Ning laughed, "Spare your breath; it was unmistakably a fake!"
He then turned towards Feng Xiao, "If that jade was authentic, how
would you people give it out so easily? If you refuse to bring out the
real jade, I will kill him here and now!"
Although he was now between life and death, Pei Jingzhe still could
not help asking, "Why did you choose me?"
In normal circumstances, why did he not choose Cui Buqu who did
not possess any fighting skills?
Gao Ning said coldly, "Do not even think of fooling me. Since Feng
Xiao's lover travels with him often throughout Jianghu, he is sure to
harbour some secret techniques himself. You, on the other hand, are
dispensable, and your skills are only mediocre. If not you, then
who?"
Pei Jingzhe, "???"
Currently, Gao Ning's words did serious damage to his pride. But
what hurt him the most was Feng Xiao's voice that came floating
from above.
"Since you know that he is dispensable, why did you take him? Why
not take my lover, perhaps I will feel threatened!"
As the voice dissipated, the man in white laughed, "Is that so? Then
let me try."
He moved and immediately went to Cui Buqu's side.
Cui Buqu felt a sharp pain, finding himself unable to move.
=======================
[1] Wajin: An ethnic group that was mainly active at sea between
Mainland China, the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese
archipelago.