Peerless ( Meng Xi Shi )

The new bowl arrived, and Feng Xiao finally stopped making a fuss.

To avoid the other finding excuses, Qiao Xian did not only bought a spoon and a pair of chopsticks, she even bought a bundle of linen rope.

She threw the linen rope down at Feng Xiao's feet.

Feng Xiao said lazily, "What's this? Do you want me to hang myself? My apologies, but the Heavens would never permit someone of peerless grace and beauty like myself to die."

Qiao Xian said coldly, "Aren't you incredibly fussy about hygiene? This inn don't change their mattresses often, whoever came, then who will sleep on them, so you can forget sleeping with Brother Ye, you can just hang this rope up on two sides of the room, then you can sleep on top of it, it will be absolutely clean."

Since four of them used the identity of two couples, then Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu naturally would share a room.

What Qiao Xian meant was that Feng Xiao should sleep on the linen, then Cui Buqu would finally have some peace.

Cui Buqu lowered his head and took a bite at the lamb meat pastry, thinking, that Qiao Xian was still too young to think that these sort of small tricks could hinder that bastard Feng. If could even go a second without creating a scene, then his name isn't Feng Xiao.

He didn't know what the person put in the lamb meat pastry, for the meat is tender and it did not smell, sandwiched between the pastries were layers of fat and meat, they melted in one's mouth and was incredibly juicy, and for a moment it soothed his heart for having to endure dry spring food during the long journey here.

As expected, once Feng Xiao heard Qiao Xian's words, he smiled, "You are right, just now I have already went and inquired, this inn said that if you pay a little more, then they will change the mattress to a clean one."

Qiao Xian laughed coldly, "You utterly disgraceful woman, not only you refuse to save money for your husband, you even squander them like water!"

There was no need for Feng Xiao to bicker with her, he simply turned around and tugged at the corner of Cui Buqu's shirt, tuning his voice into a high-pitched tone, "Husband, look—"

"Add it, change." Cui Buqu said quickly and abruptly to prevent Feng Xiao from going further.

Qiao Xian: "…."

This time, Qiao Xian has lost the upper hand.

After the meal, all four of them returned to their rooms, those three horse carriages drivers were in normal economic rooms.

Of course, neither the Zuoyue Bureau or the Jiejian Bureau were short of money, it's simply because that they were our travelling, everything must be kept at a low profile, if they gave premium rooms to the drivers, then it would have indeed looked quite odd.

The premium rooms here were incomparable to the capital, but it was still considered spacious. Once the employees took the money, very quickly they brought a new mattress and some pillows. The mattress seemed to have been in the sun during the day, for the scent of sunlight still lingered on it. Cui Buqu immediately fell asleep once his back touched the sheets.

Cui Buqu could not compared to the other three who knew martial arts, he could not even compare to the three horse carriage drivers who often travelled. Not only is he sick often, but sometimes he even need to sustain the pain when his illness took effect. Such as long journeys like these, if he hadn't constantly took medicine on the road, he definitely could not stand until now.

Even so, the number of times Cui Buqu fell ill on the road weren't little. Once he got up the carriage, he felt dizzy, but his consciousness and alertness were incredible, even if he had just woken up, Qian Xian only needed to ask and he could give her an answer within a short amount of time.

Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu had always been rivals and took pleasure when the other fell into the pit they'd dug for each other, however, he had never made a joke, or laugh, about his illness. This is because Feng Xiao knew very well that to Cui Buqu, this is simply something physical on his body, but it wasn't one his weakness.

Instead, there were many times Cui Buqu used his illness to his advantage, lowering the enemy's guard. Before this, in the Qiushan manor, after Feng Xiao poisoned him with the Naihe drug and felt that everything was definitely within his control, he did not realize that he had lowered his guard. Of course, Feng Xiao knew this in his heart, but he would never admit it out loud.

Once Cui Buqu slept, it was as if he had fainted, until Qiao Xian knocked on the door a few times and no one answered, she pushed her way in and woke him up. It was only then he opened his eyes, his entire face looking tired and worn out.

"Just now you only ate one pastry, I was afraid you would choke, so I brought you some hot soup."

Once Cui Buqu smelled the soup, he knew that it was made from the bones of goats. The layer of oil on top of it had been removed, so it was clean, added with a few spring onions.

Qiao Xian looked around, "Where is Feng Xiao?"

Cui Buqu drank the soup slowly, "The Zuoyue Bureau has a stronghold here, naturally, the Jiejian Bureau also has one."

Feng Xiao wasn't like Cui Buqu, who had Qiao Xian with him, so when it came to these secretive meetings, he had no choice but to go himself.

"What did you managed to gather?" Cui Buqu asked.

Qiao Xian, "The reputation of this inn is definitely not good, but from the way I see it, those people who died weren't linked to this place, those were just rumours that the locals made and spread them so they turned as real as solid gold, the more it was spread the more exaggerated it became. That tour guide refused to bring us here earlier, it is because this place is in the territory of Xing Mao. Xing Mao and Duan Qigu were not in good terms from the beginning, so he simply repeated the rumours to us."

Cui Buqu, "Has Xing Mao and Duan Qigu's relationship achieved a point where there's no hope to reconcile?"

Qiao Xian, "They were originally the two powers that ruled over Qiemo, in order to claim more territory for themselves, their relationship is terrible, but after the Magistrate Gao Yi's arrival, they had become a lot more tame."

Cui Buqu, "The three powers are the pillars, balancing out one another."

Qiao Xian, "That is correct, according to the rumours, during this year's Lantern Festival, Gao Yi organized a party and invited both Duan Qigu and Xing Mao, and both of them attended. Outside, rumours soared that both parties came to peace under Gao Yi's persuasion. This month, Xing Mao's mother is to celebrate her sixtieth birthday, it was said that a grand party will take place, the entire city is wondering if he would invite Duan Qigu."

Cui Buqu, "When is the birthday party?"

Qiao Xian, "In five days."

As both of them spoke, Feng Xiao finally came back.

At that moment it was late in the night, and the sounds outside had begun to quieten down, yet the city was not completely quiet yet, they have only closed the gates that linked the city to the outside. In the inn, civilians continued to rest as they blew out the candles, and those in the food street continued to chat and drink.

Feng Xiao walked in leisurely and gave Cui Buqu a sexy wink, "Husband, your wife is home, have you missed me until you fell ill?"

Cui Buqu put down his bowl and said simply, "Of course. My organs are burning, my chest is suffocating, my mind missed you so much that everything is fuming in my head."

Feng Xiao pretended to be shocked, "Really that serious?"

Cui Buqu, "Definitely. Everything is going to spill out soon."

Feng Xiao laughed, "Haha! QuQu, it is fun talking to you."

Qiao Xian snorted but didn't say a word.

But there was no need for her to speak, Feng Xiao knew that she was cursing him under her breathe, but he pretended that she didn't exist, so she couldn't help fuming in a corner with nowhere to vent her anger, yet she refused to leave the room as well and simply sat down to keep an eye on Feng Xiao.

Of all living things under the Heavens, when it came to being thick-faced, even if Feng Xiao wasn't number one, he would have no trouble making it to the top three. How would he mind whatever happened at this moment and put it to heart? He simply sat down and opened up the bundle he had brought back along with him. The smell of roasted chicken filled the room immediately.

Originally, Cui Buqu had just ate, but as he smelt it, he felt hungry again, so he reached out and tore a drumstick down.

Feng Xiao smiled, "On my way back, I met an old friend. Want to guess who?"

Cui Buqu bit the drumstick slowly, "Yu Xiu."

Feng Xiao raised an eyebrow in surprised, "How did you guess?"

Cui Buqu, "Why, do you feel that I'm a legendary fortune teller now? Since you asked me in that way, then it is definitely someone that both of us knew, in fact it's not very long since we've last seen each other. Yu Xiu's background is strange, and he is also someone from Prince Jin's house. The fact that he wasn't by his liege's side being a good strategist, and instead came to the City of Six Crafts, his goal definitely wouldn't have been simply the Jade of Heaven's Lake. He would still have some sort of motive on him, I wager he wants to smuggle himself out of the city, so he would have needed to pass by Qiemo."

Feng Xiao, "Then why don't you guess Gao Ning or Fo Er?"

Cui Buqu, "Those two have been defeated by you, if it hadn't been for last time, they joined hands and took advantage of your handicap, they would have even died under your hands. So if you were referring to them, you would not have yielded that sort of response."

Towards Yu Xiu, Feng Xiao still held an immense interest.

"Where would you think he is going this time?"

Cui Buqu remained silent for a moment, then shook his head, "I cannot think of one place he would go to right now."

Feng Xiao, "How surprising that you would admit to being oblivious."

Cui Buqu snickered, "I am not a god, even if I am more intelligent than I am now, I only possessed the wisdom of a mortal. But I know that he definitely would not go looking for Khan Ishbara, or else he would have met Fo Er already in the City of Six Crafts."

Feng Xiao, "This time he changed his looks, he even wore a wig, no longer the shiny baldy we saw last time. In fact he also lives in this inn, on the same floor as us, three rooms away."

Originally, Qiao Xian wanted to leave, but as she heard Feng Xiao speaking of Yu Xiu, she decided to stay and interrupted, "Could he be tailing us?"

The four of them had changed their looks entirely, even if they met each other face to face, Yu Xiu would not have recognized them so easily. But one must always be safe better than sorry.

Cui Buqu, "He wouldn't. If he knew we were here, he would have avoided this place and went somewhere else to live."

This also meant that Yu Xiu wanted to go somewhere, meet someone, and do something.

Qiao Xian furrowed her brows, "Perhaps he is also on his way to meet with Khan Apa, just like us?"

But that isn't correct either.

There were a few Göktürkish Khans, and Khan Apa was not the one with the largest power among them. Yu Xiu is the strategist of Prince Jin, so there was no benefits for him to ally with Khan Apa.

Cui Buqu placed down the drumstick that he had finished eating, then he plucked a chicken wing.

"We can think of nothing, so there's no need to think at all, all will be well when the time comes. If he is on the same road as us, then we will know his intentions soon."

Feng Xiao laughed, "You ate the chicken, yet you've forgotten who had bought it. My husband, you ate my chicken, so shouldn't you express your gratitude in some way?"

Cui Buqu looked at him curiously, "How much of my money have you wasted on the way? The new bowl, new chopsticks, I even bought you a mattress, yet I've only ate one chicken wing, and you still want a payback? Return me my money first."

Feng Xiao almost choked, but he smiled mischeviously and said nothing more.

After he finished the roasted chicken, Qiao Xian rose to her feet and left, Cui Buqu went to wash his hands and got prepared to sleep.

Feng Xiao looked at him impossibly, "You slept all the way here in the carriage, just now when I went out, you were sleeping as well, and now you are going to sleep again?"

He was practically describing Cui Buqu with reference to a certain animal.

Cui Buqu answered him naturally, "My body is unwell, so sleep is my tonic."

After he spoke, he didn't pay Feng Xiao any attention and simply pulled the blankets, turned around, and slept.

These days when he was on the carriage, even though he looked as if he was sleeping all the way, in reality, the road was bumpy, and even if the drivers were careful as they travelled, it was impossible to be as comfortable as a bed could offer. So Cui Buqu did not have a good rest at all, once his head hit the pillow, tiredness seeped in, and after a while he went to see the Duke of Zhou.

There was only one bed in the room. Feng Xiao refused to sleep on the linen rope, so he could only share a bed with Cui Buqu. Originally, there was no issue with this, no matter how beautiful Feng Xiao's disguise as a woman is, he was still a man in reality, so there was no such thing as who taking advantage of who, but Cui Buqu didn't expect that not long after he slept, he was woken up again.

He rubbed his eyes and blinked and heard Feng Xiao said, "Roll inside a little bit, I don't have any space."

Cui Buqu thought that, the wooden bed definitely wasn't big, so he moved in a little, only to watch as Feng Xiao took two pillows and tuck it between them.

"The way you sleep don't look nice, so don't cross the line."

Cui Buqu couldn't help but mocked him, "Are you really a woman?"

Feng Xiao raised an eyebrow, "After you returned you didn't even take a shower and change your clothes, if you go take a shower now, I can get rid of these two things."

Taking a shower at this time of the night isn't an easy feat, one needed to start up the furnace and heat up the water, then bring bucket by bucket up. Everyone is asleep now, who would be willing to carry buckets of water?

Cui Buqu said in his heart: I'll tolerate. I'll tolerate you. Then he continued to turn his back on him, "Whatever you wish."

He thought that he could finally sleep soundly, but after not long, he was shaken awake again.

Feng Xiao, "You snored too loudly, it woke me."

Cui Buqu bit down in his teeth, "I never snored in my sleep, only because my blood don't flow well, when I lie down it's difficult for my nose to breathe, so the sound then I inhale is loud. If you cannot sleep, then go to the roof and look at the moon! Commander Feng, whoever disrupt my sleep, I would want them to beg for death in the morning, do you really want to battle me with wits and intelligent along this journey?"

Although he did not know how to fight, his eyes radiated a killing intent that was no different from top martial artists.

Feng Xiao would not admit that he was feeling a little mischevious, he said innocently, "I am a light sleeper, once something moves, I would get up immediately. You really did woke me up, but since I am such a good person, I won't be calculative with you about this."

Cui Buqu exhaled a long breathe, fell back down and slept.

Everything is against him tonight.

But not long after, he was woken up again.

Feng Xiao did not wait for him to throw his temper before telling him, "Something outside caught fire."

Cui Buqu also smelt the scent of burning wood coming in from the window. Feng Xiao walked over to open the window and from the third floor, he looked out and saw a huge fire practically burning an entire house.

Slowly, one by one the civilians were woken up, a lot of people were taking water to save the fire. As they worked, an entire night passed by and it was time to rise. Although Cui Buqu didn't need to help with the fire, since he was continuously woken up for a few times, he found it difficult to fall asleep again, so when the sun finally rose, two faint dark circles were under his eyes.

When Qiao Xian saw him, she asked worriedly, "Brother Ye, didn't you sleep well?"

Feng Xiao made a shy face, "I told my husband that since we are outside, we should act appropriately, yet naughty husband he refused to listen and did me all night, how could I say anything about it!"

Qiao Xian "….."

She felt her hand itchy again.

Normal married women, of course, wouldn't speak such nonsense in public, but the problem lies in Feng Xiao wasn't a normal woman, in fact he wasn't a woman at all, so he did not care for any reputation.

Qiao Xian knew that the other enjoyed seeing all sorts of reactions from Cui Buqu on a daily basis.

Cui Buqu who could not stand him yesterday, now, he seemed to have gotten used to it.

He snorted coldly and said, "Yesterday you had your eyes on Zhang San who bathe the horses, and yesterday you even flirted with the chef Li Si, when we were in the City of Six Crafts, how many green hats have you let me wear? I have tolerated them all, yet now you refused to repent, why don't we just see whose bed is cold at night in this place, then you can have your fun every day!"

With just a few words, everyone in the inn, even those coming down the stairs, couldn't help turning to look at a show that was about to begin. Those people who looked at Feng Xiao, some were curious, and some looked at him with lust. They guess that this woman was simply lonely and could not stand it, wondering if they were lucky enough to get a night with her.

Qiao Xian twitched her lips, feeling that these two were indeed going out of hand. Didn't they agreed to keep a low profile? Isn't this being the centre of attention now? What sort of wife kept giving her husband green hats to wear when they were out travelling? And which husband would admit so loud that his wife was sleeping with other men?

Jin Lian told Qiao Xian, "Let us change a table."

"We should." Qiao Xian admitted and both of them rose to their feet and slipped away from the 'battlefield'.

At that moment, two guards came in, looked around and told the employee, "Is there a merchant called Ye Yong in this place?"

Ye Yong is the fake name of Cui Buqu.

The employee nodded his head and told him that he will check for that person, but Cui Buqu has already said, "I am Ye Yong, may I know what is the matter?"

The guard in charge looked at him and waved his hand, "Take him."

"Hold it right there."

Feng Xiao rose to his feet and stood in front of Cui Buqu, "Wouldn't you need a reason to take someone?"

The guard said coldly, "Yesterday where was a fire that erupted suddenly at a house. Chen Cheng was burned to death inside. Someone reported that he was last seen with you people, and said you were all suspects of murder!"

Chen Cheng was the tour guide that took them here from the City of Six Crafts.

Duke of Zhou: A sage that was alive during the Zhou Dynasty. He established the institutions, laws and charter. This became an idiom when Confucian said, "I am old and weak now and can no longer see the Duke of Zhou in my dreams." It turned into an idiom to mock or describe someone who is sleeping.

Green hats: Used to describe a man whose wife slept with someone else without his knowledge. If a man's wife slept with another man, then he is 'wearing a green hat'.

Chen Cheng: The right pinyin in Han should be Cheng Cheng, but these two are not the same characters. To avoid the name sounding like a pet name, I used Chen Cheng so it sounds more like a real name.