The assassin was determined to achieve what he came to do.
Before the sword pierced between his target's eyebrows, he was already imagining the victory of having the other's head in his hands.
This sword could shatter gold and slice jade. Even if the bones were strong, they were nothing in comparison to the sword's unyielding steel.
The assassin formerly did not want to deal with this individual personally: a vulnerable and fragile ailing life. However, he could not refuse the orders of his superiors. If this sickly man does not die, then it would be him who does.
If nothing went wrong, then in the next moment, the sword would pierce the spot between that person's eyebrows with fresh blood rolling down the wound, trickling like a little river down his nose. This person's face was as pale as a ghost. No doubt, he had been ill for many years. But as the colour of blood and his pale skin would contrast each other, it would unquestionably be a view to admire.
The assassin thought secretly to himself: He had seen these types of scenes far too many times. It was only because this Cui person's looks weren't bad, that it made him eager for the aftermath of finishing his job.
Yet, all his plans failed in the next second.
The assassin's eyes widened as he glared at the hand that came out of nowhere.
This was an undoubtedly resolute hand - its nails clean and elegant, the bones flawless and healthy. The colour of the skin was even and fair. Had it been any other day, the assassin would have severed such a hand and admire it for a few days before throwing it away.
But as of now, he did not have the desire to admire the hand because it had become a curse to him. With a twitch of two fingers, it split his sword in half! The assassin gaped in disbelief, but he was swift in his actions. Trusting their instincts was innate for those whose life hanged by a thread. And so, he managed to avoid a fist aimed towards him.
Furthermore, this was only the beginning. His adversary was clad in white, pursuing him relentlessly. With only his hands, he could spar with the assassin on equal grounds, despite the later holding a sword. As both of them engaged in a fight, their moves were too swift for the commoners to follow with their eyes. Nevertheless, as their conflict intensified, it threw many people to the ground.
Initially, people had crowded the temple, but presently everyone had run away. The only few people left were the junior Daoists, but even they had to run to hide behind a pillar. Master Daoist Cui was scared stiff, sitting where he was, unable to move.
With only one look, the assassin knew that he would not win against the man before his eyes.
With this thought in mind, the assassin gritted his teeth and made a decision.
He used the broken sword and tossed it against the man using one-tenth of his strength. At least, he could delay his adversary and buy time for himself.
But this time was not enough for him to escape, so the assassin lunged himself at the person sitting on the ground.
He was as swift as a shadow. Master Daoist Cui widened his eyes, pressing both hands on the ground. He wanted to get up, but due to his body not responding after the shock, he could not avoid the assassin in time.
"You traitor! Today, you will certainly die!"
He was not sure whether it was his actions or those words, but Master Daoist Cui's face turned pale all the more, even letting out a few coughs.
Suddenly, the assassin could no longer move. Turning his gaze downwards, he saw that a broken sword has pierced through his chest. Blood trickled down, and in that drop of blood, were words of ridicule said against him, not allowing him to die in peace.
Using a foot, Feng Xiao rolled the assassin's corpse to the side. Glaring at the bloodstain on the ground, he took a detour around it and appeared before Master Daoist Cui who had yet to recover from his shock.
"Are you Cui Buqu?"
He stood, tall and mighty, his back against the light, looking as if he was questioning a prisoner.
The junior Daoists finally returned to their senses and ran out of their hiding place.
Cui Buqu coughed for a few times and stood as the juniors helped him up. He wore a simple robe, his gaze levelling with the adversary.
"Yes, I am Cui Buqu. Much obliged for saving me. Pray tell me, may I ask for your name?"
Feng Xiao walked a few steps forward, walking up the dais. The sun shone atop his head, bringing out his handsome features.
Cui Buqu had travelled everywhere. He had met more people than the number of grains he ate, but Feng Xiao managed to make him lose his focus for a second.
The other had sharp eyes as if they could materialize themselves in front of him and burn two holes into his body. Cui Buqu could feel that very feeling on him.
"May I ask if anything I've spoken was out of place? If that is the case, I am still grateful for your timely rescue."
Feng Xiao, "Why did he desire to kill you?"
Cui Buqu shook his head, "I have no idea who he is."
Feng Xiao, "Before he died, he claimed that you were a traitor."
Cui Buqu, "I have undoubtedly never met him. I do not know why he said that either, perhaps he mistook me for someone else."
Feng Xiao smiled faintly, "Zixia Temple is not the only temple in the city, and you are neither the only Daoist. Why did he not mistake others, but you?"
Cui Buqu's complexion paled, "Then you should ask him. How would I know?"
Feng Xiao replied coldly, "It's absurd to ask a dead person. Therefore, I can only ask those who are still alive. Guards!"
As soon as he spoke, seven to eight men surrounded the entire courtyard.
Two men walked forth and captured Cui Buqu, as well as all the juniors present in the area.
There was no resistance. It was futile.
Cui Buqu said sharply, "Who are you people; how can you naturally capture anyone you wish?! Has the Sui Empire become so anarchic?"
"You are correct. As long as I suspect anyone, I can capture them. Do you not want to know who I am?"
Feng Xiao took a step forward, holding Cui Buqu's chin before lifting it upwards to look at him in the eye.
"I will only say this once, so remember it well. My name is Feng Xiao. I hail from the Jiejian Bureau."
…..
When the Sui Emperor ascended the throne, he created the Three Departments and the Six Ministries.
Other than that, he felt that the Central Plains and the Göktürks were in a state of chaos. So to secure his power, he established the Jiejian Bureau, together with the six ministries; they would only answer to him. Even though their tasks were highly confidential, and few people knew of them, the Jiejian Bureau held immense power to the degree that they were allowed to take action first before seeking approval from the emperor.
Within the Jiejian Bureau, there was a Blade Stone gifted by the Sui Emperor himself. Those who held no position in court — sometimes, even the princes themselves — were not allowed to enter the Jiejian Bureau without first relieving themselves of their swords. Such was the significance of the Jiejian Bureau.
The incident of the Khotan ambassador's murder in the Central Plain held a special priority. They feared that people at court would conspire among themselves, so they assigned a special ambassador from the Jiejian Bureau to retrieve the Khotan royalty. Because of this, Feng Xiao was sent here, but he hadn't expected to be one step too late—the Khotan royalty was murdered outside the City of the Six Crafts; a woman with him went missing, and so did a tribute list.
The culprit had stolen the tribute list; the person must have also taken one item recorded on it.
Khotan possessed many beautiful jades and rare jewels. Whatever that valuable item was, it had something to do with jade. Feng Xiao operated within the Jiejian Bureau and knew of many strange worldly matters. He knew of the Jade of Heaven's Lake of the Khotan Kingdom. He suspected that was the missing tribute they were after.
However, this only made the case more complicated.
The culprit had plotted this for quite some time. Perhaps it could have been the Göktürks, but it could also be someone getting the Göktürks mixed up solely to create a smokescreen.
A response was yet to be sent by the man sent to Khotan, so Feng Xiao directed his attention to the City of Six Crafts, on the Daoist who became famed within two months of moving here.
"May I ask what alliance is the Jiejian Bureau in the Jianghu province? I am a man with no power or money, and I seldom interact with people from the Jianghu world. What have I done to offend you?"
Cui Buqu had been taken to Qiushan Manor. The other man did not interrogate him harshly, and he did not lock him up — of course, he didn't need to. Cui Buqu was just an ordinary person with no martial art skills.
He sat opposite to Feng Xiao, face to face. Between them, there was even a pot of hot tea, almost as if two friends were catching up on old times. Cui Buqu was shocked just moments ago, the fact that he was almost killed felt like a dream.
Feng Xiao told him lazily, "As a disciple of the Liuli Academy Palace in Fangzhangzhou, you have no idea what the Jiejian Bureau is?"
He took out a jade pendant as big as two fingers and tossed it before Cui Buqu.
"This was found under your pillow. I imagine, Master Daoist Cui, you can cut out the feigned innocence?"
The Liuli Academy Palace in Fangzhangzhou was an independent alliance. Its disciples did not engage in Jianghu worldly matters. A few of them had also taken their place in the Central Plains, living as a vagabond among common men. The most important thing was that the Liuli Academy Palace's disciples knew practically everything beneath the skies. Since Cui Buqu was a disciple of the Liuli Academy Place, even if the Jiejian Bureau was a secretive agency, it was impossible that he hadn't heard anything about it.
Cui Buqu sighed. "To be honest, I have heard of the Jiejian Bureau, but I am a simple man, and I do not deal with imperial officials. I feign ignorance to save me a lot of trouble. Furthermore, you are mistaken. I am not a disciple of the Liuli Academy Palace. I have a senior who is, though. He was formerly a tutor of mine. He gave me the jade pendant for the sake of practicality, so I could visit him freely.
Feng Xiao raised his eyebrows. "In that case, from which alliance do you hail? You are a Daoist, learning how to play as such with words, do you not feel that you've shamed your ancestors?"
Cui Buqu replied honestly. "What choice do I have? Daoists also need food to survive. If my speech isn't convincing enough, how would Zixia Daoist Temple have the glory it has today?"
Feng Xiao, "Who is Qin Miaoyu to you?"
Cui Buqu, "Who is that?"
Feng Xiao, "The Khotan ambassador was murdered. His concubine—Qin Miaoyu is now missing. Before she was wedded, she was a citizen of the City of the Six Crafts. She loved to visit the Jade Buddha Temple and the Zixia Daoist Temple. Two months ago, you came to Zixia Daoist Temple and brought it back to its glory. Judging by your abilities, you could've gone to any temple you wanted to, but why Zixia Daoist Temple?"
He was forceful as he spoke, and his body kept moving forward, getting closer and closer to Cui Buqu. Cui Buqu wanted to move backwards, but he was held down on his shoulder.
"The scent of Plum Blossoms." Feng Xiao's nose was near the other man's neck. He spoke in a low voice, "This was the same scent in Yuchi Jinwu's carriage. What is your relationship with his concubine? Or let's say, you masqueraded as a woman, and murdered him?"
Cui Buqu laughed, "Look at me. Even if I masqueraded as a woman, no one would believe it, would they? If you wear a woman's outfit, it might suit you more than it does me. As to your plum blossom scent, today, there were a lot of people at the temple. I don't even recall how many people I've spoken to, so how should I know if their scent lingered on me?"
Feng Xiao glared at him.
Although the other man pushed all his responsibilities away cleanly, and feigned innocence, Feng Xiao currently did not have any evidence against him. The way Cui Buqu reacted was too calm. It was a bit suspicious.
What did Cui Buqu do before he came to Zixia Daoist Temple, and where did he come from? How does he share a relationship with a member of the Liuli Academy Palace from Fangzhangzhou? Everything was blurry and made little sense.
"I see that Master Daoist Cui, you've decided not to be frank?"
Feng Xiao pushed him away, allowing the other man to be caught off guard, before turning around.
He brushed his clothes as if he was afraid that the dust on Cui Buqu's body would stain his clothes.
"Do you know why I brought you to this manor?"