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Only cultivators could grow wings. That was a fact widely known, because even if cultivators often preferred to stay in their sects and had a habit to wander in hard to reach places to cultivate in peace, it was impossible to miss a person with wings appearing among the common people. The common folk had grown accustomed to these strange features quite quickly, after all being a cultivator also included several other perks that for normal civilians felt like something mythical and mysterious. At least wings made it easy to spot the cultivators so the poor, innocent bystanders could avoid the places where the cultivators gathered and thus escape from being hurt or killed in some kind of bloody incident between sects.
There were, however, some things related to the wings that were not part of the common knowledge. Some of it made sense. After all, why would common people have any need to know how the meridians in wings worked or exactly when it was time to start to grow wings. Some of the secrets were tightly protected by sects, but those mostly had something to do with their own techniques that they wouldn’t share with other cultivators either and had no value for common people. And lastly, some things were simply just never mentioned, either because they were not significant enough to be discussed about or nobody had thought there was need to explain anything because those things were long ago established norms that every cultivator should be aware of.
Feng Xiao assumed, and correctly so, that the chief of the Zuoyue Bureau was aware of the traditions and customs connected to the cultivator’s wings. It was his duty and responsibility to be aware of everything related to the cultivation world and therefore it made sense that he would have heard about even the smallest thing despite not being a cultivator himself. He was very capable and intelligent after all. Feng Xiao himself had several times experienced lord chief Cui’s wide knowledge and the many ways how it could be used to either bring down his enemies or aid his allies. There was no question; Cui Buqu knew what it meant when a cultivator allowed somebody else to touch their wings.
So Feng Xiao did not offer any explanation when he all of sudden stretched out his wings and let the right one lay on Cui Buqu’s lap, the pure white feathers creating a contrast against the man’s dark coloured robes. Feng Xiao’s wings, just like the man himself, were an object of deep admiration and rumours of many types. His wings were pure white, a colour that made some wonder if it was really true that he was a demonic cultivator. Shouldn’t that kind of cultivators have wings of a darker colour? Or was the mourning colour actually suitable for a man like him? However, people thinking that were not familiar with the cultivation world and had no idea that white was the most fitting colour for Feng Xiao. It added some ethereal beauty to his appearance and, most importantly, dirt was more visible on white. Somebody else would have thought that as a bad thing, but for Feng Xiao it was a blessing because he would always know just by a quick glance if his feathers were clean or not.. He naturally believed that his wings were a sight to behold, a heavenly gift, and a peerless treasure. Just like he was.
Many people agreed with him, either out of honest admiration or in order to try to get in his good graces. Some were even captivated by his beauty, willing to do anything for just a small touch of feather’s tip. However, the bureau chief Cui seemed to not share those ideas. He looked down at the wing neatly placed on his lap, his expression remaining bored without even a hint of appreciation for this rare honour. Many of the ladies and young masters in the capital would have fainted if the wonderful master Feng Xiao rested his wing upon their lap, but Cui Buqu looked more like he was going to be horribly sick.
“Deputy chief Feng must be weaker than I believed”, Cui Buqu noted and looked like he would have gladly moved away if there was any place to go in that carriage they were driving in, “if the latest fight really exhausted you so much you can’t keep your wings folded.”
“Ah, Ququ, are you concerned?”
“No.”
“There is no need to worry”, Feng Xiao continued, ignoring the reply, “I merely thought I should offer you something you have never had before.” Cui Buqu still did not look impressed and not even slightly affected by Feng Xiao’s teasing tone, but at least he did not turn away. That could be counted as a clear sign of interest.
“What is it?”
“This”, Fenx Xiao smiled and moved his wing, stroking Cui Buqu with his feathers. He was not hiding his intentions and he knew Cui Buqu had to realise what he truly meant. He did feel a rare kind of excitement when he waited for a reaction, a feeling he had long ago thought that he was above since nobody could ever be worthy enough of his attention. It was only now that he knew he had been wrong and that it was not the looks he was after. Cui Buqu’s intelligence had captured him and the sharpness of his tongue was something that excited him.
Cui Buqu remained unimpressed as he looked at the white feathers, “I have seen chickens before.”
“Ah, Ququ, how could you compare this to a chicken?” Fenx Xiao asked, “has your illness messed up your head?”
“It was not difficult at all”, Cui Buqu said and looked at the offending wing that was still laid on his lap, “what am I supposed to do with this? A chicken wing would be more useful. That one I could at least eat.”
“I am granting you a favor”, Feng Xiao said, “a grand favor. No one else has been allowed to touch my wings.” Cui Buqu’s expression did not change at all and he remained utterly unimpressed, but after a moment of quiet staring he did touch the white feathers. It couldn’t be called a proper petting, because he was only using one fingertip which made the whole act look more like he was poking the wing, but Feng Xiao had correctly guessed that would be the most he would get this time. Such a stubborn man. It would take time to win him over, but Feng Xiao was eager and excited to play this game.
“Certainly you have never touched anything finer than this”, he said without really making that as a question because he already knew the truth. There was nothing more pleasant and magnificent than his wings. Soft, but strong. Beautiful, but useful. Heavenly, but still touchable.
“Hm”, Cui Buqu nodded barely noticeably, “slightly more pleasant than the last thing I touched with this hand.” Somebody else could have assumed that Cui Buqu’s comment was barely an idly statement that wouldn’t need to be taken seriously, but Feng Xiao knew better. Cui Buqu’s words always came with a price and the more agreeing the words were, the higher the price would be.
He frowned slightly, his beautiful face showing a moment of doubt when he mulled over those words, “and what did the lord chief touch last?”
“That corpse we found a moment ago”, Cui Buqu replied. The wing disappeared from his reach, quickly folded back in safety. The brief doubt in Feng Xiao’s eyes changed into a displeased look, but it had no effect on Cui Buqu. Calmly the bureau chief placed his hand back on his lap and acted like nothing was out of ordinary.
“Ququ”, Feng Xiao scolded him, “how can you compare my wings to things like that? A dead body is nowhere near the comfort of my feathers, no matter whose corpse it was. Your sickness must really have messed up your head if you can think so.”
“You have misunderstood me”, Cui Buqu said, “I am not claiming that touching a corpse is pleasant in any way. I am letting you know that touching you is just as disgusting as touching dead things.”
Feng Xiao probably should have been highly offended after hearing that or at least realised that his pursuit was not going well at all, but he did not waste his time to think about such gloomy things. He had decided that Cui Buqu would be his and the first step was to get that man to touch his wings. Still, dealing with the lord chief of the Zuoyue Bureau demanded sacrifices that were hard to accept no matter how determined the pursuer was. Irritated and feeling disgusted, Feng Xiao pulled out a scented handkerchief and started to clean the spot Cui Buqu had touched. Although the man’s touch was welcomed and sought after, Feng Xiao did not trust on Cui Buqu’s hand cleaning routines. He should have thought about that before he made his move, but he had stayed far away from that corpse and had forgotten that Cui Buqu had personally inspected it. Even worse, he had not actually seen Cui Buqu washing his hands after that inspection.
“Oh, Ququ…”, Feng Xiao sighed and clicked his tongue. Cui Buqu had turned away and ignored him in favor of aimlessly watching outside the carriage’s window.
The calming sound of a writing brush moving across paper was interrupted by a loud thud caused by a wingbrush being dropped on the desk. A normal wingbrush shouldn’t have produced such a loud noise, but this one was not made of wood or bone like those the most of cultivators used. It was much finer, so beautifully crafted with silver and jade that it was a mystery if it was supposed to be used as a brush or kept on shelf as something to admire. Whatever the master crafter had intended, Feng Xiao’s choice was to use it to annoy Cui Buqu.
The brush was dropped again.
Picked up.
Dropped again.
Picked up.
“Is the deputy chief Feng truly so useless he has not been given any duties to attend to?” Cui Buqu finally asked, throwing a sharp look at the man sitting leisurely on his desk. Feng Xiao smirked and dropped the wingbrush again.
“I have already finished my duties for the day”, he replied, “it is time for leisure and entertainment.”
“Great”, Cui Buqu said, “get out of my bureau then.”
“But Ququ”, Feng Xiao said in a sweet tone that made Cui Buqu’s teeth ache, “you are my entertainment.”
“The only entertainment you will get from me is your slow and painful demise, if you do not stop bothering me”, Cui Buqu replied, but as usual, the deputy chief of Jiejian Bureau was not threatened at all. If anything, he looked even more excited, but at least he stopped dropping the brush on the desk. Instead he moved it closer until it nudged Cui Buqu’s arm. His intentions were clear but he received no response.
They watched each other, Feng Xiao smiling while Cui Buqu glared. Neither was going to back down, but it did not take long for Cui Buqu to realise that he had more to lose if they kept this game up. Feng Xiao truly had nothing more important to do and he was perfectly fine with bothering Cui Buqu all day. Cui Buqu, however, had plenty of things to do and the more time he spent near Feng Xiao, the more annoyed he became. If he wanted to have some peace, he would have to get rid of this irritating deputy chief.
“What do you want?” he asked, finally deciding that it was not worth the effort to play more games this time.
Feng Xiao smiled and pushed the hairbrush again. He stretched out his wings, surprisingly mindful about the limited space he had, and even allowed the tips of white feathers to touch Cui Buqu’s cheek. “Brush my wings.”
“You will leave after that?” Cui Buqu asked, “and stay away?”
“I will leave”, Feng Xiao said, but did not mention anything about staying away. Cui Buqu did not miss that, and he used a moment to think about his choices. Although Feng Xiao was not supposed to be casually visiting the chief of his rival bureau, trying to kick him out by force was not a good idea and neither would it work. Cui Buqu had already seen enough to know that the manpower he had wouldn’t be enough against Feng Xiao. Additionally, using aggressive methods would only cause too much unwanted attention and Cui Buqu had to admit that sometimes he needed Feng Xiao. It was only a shame that the man couldn’t shut up. It would have been fine to have him sneaking around if he just did not speak or produce any other annoying noises.
“That doesn’t not sound like a beneficial deal for me”, he noted drily.
“Ah, but Ququ”, Feng Xiao said and leaned closer, his raised wings creating a shade over them, “haven’t you heard? Touching soft and beautiful things is very beneficial. You look stressed out, my dear, let me help you to relax.”
“If you want to help me to relax, jump back out from that window you climbed in through”, Cui Buqu said, “I will feel much better immediately. Even more so if you fall on your face on your way down.”
“But Ququ…” The sound of the door opening interrupted them. There was a divider between Cui Buqu’s work space and the door that blocked the view, but the person arriving knew to announce her presence as she was aware where her chief was.
“Sir, Pei Jingzhe is here. He seems to think that his…”, Qiao Xian said, stopping abruptly as she walked around the divider and saw the intruder. Her wings raised immediately in a threatening manner, voice turning much harsher as it lost all the politeness, “you! What are you doing here! Get out!”
“Sir! The emperor is calling for you to come to the palace immediately”, Pei Jingzhe quickly called from behind Qiao Xian, looking both awkward and relieved that he had found Feng Xiao exactly where he had guessed the man would be. Qiao Xian threw an angry look at him over her shoulder, making the poor youth awkwardly look away as his wings lowered even lower from the already nearly submissive position he had been holding them in. Cui Buqu merely nodded, but Feng Xiao looked briefly disappointed before he flashed a smile that didn’t really look real.
“I see, I am still useful”, he said and shook his head before moving back, folding his wings and skilfully pretending that he had not been acting improper at all, “pity… Well, next time then, lord chief Cui.”
“There will be no next time”, Cui Buqu replied, knowing well that there would be a next time, “don’t forget your brush.”
“You keep it”, Feng Xiao said as he walked past fuming Qiao Xian and gestured to Pei Jingzhe follow, “you will need it.” Cui Buqu did not bother to say anything. He glanced at the brush left on the table. Although it was pretty, it was still useless for him who had no wings. The thought of giving it away to somebody else crossed his mind, but at the end he let it stay on the table.
“Qiao Xian”, Cui Buqu said, “have the window frames smeared with a mix of resin, oil and ashes… Anything dirty and sticky that is hard to wash off. That should keep him out.” Qiao Xian accepted the order with a nod, her expression still angry and she went to personally search for something that would ruin Feng Xiao’s week the next time he tried to get into their bureau through a window.
Cui Buqu was only mildly annoyed by the failed mission. He knew well enough that it was impossible for one to be always successful and failing a mission of this small was not something that would bother Cui Buqu in the long run. They would just try again and carefully inspect where things went wrong so they could avoid mistakes like this later.
Because they had already been seated at the teahouse when Cui Buqu realised that their target was not going to show up, he thought they could as well enjoy the tea they had already paid for. The teahouse was a decent one with the customer base mostly consisting of scholars and idle children of lower nobility. The tea options were limited, but the quality was good enough and there were singers and musicians offering entertainment. Most of the customers seemed to appreciate that, but Qiao Xian was fuming. She was holding her tea cup too hard and her wings were shaking lightly as she desperately tried to control her anger.
Cui Buqu calmly drank his tea and glanced at the young woman, “it is just a song.”
“It is disgusting”, Qiao Xian replied. She had wanted to ask the singer to select another song. Literally any other song than the one she was singing right then would have been accepted, but unfortunately this specific song had become very popular soon after it had been first sung to the public about a month ago. Not only had it spread across the capital and even reached many outer towns in record time, it was still enjoying popularity as a novelty and therefore often requested by the audience. They had been sitting in this teahouse only for a moment and already the singer had been asked to perform the song twice.
“It is also a disgrace and an insult”, Qiao Xian continued, “it is obviously about that man.”
Cui Buqu did not need to ask who that man was. He had figured out the origins and the inspiration for this song already a long ago. “It is still just a song.”
“How dare he”, Qiao Xian hissed, unwilling to adopt her chief’s calmness, “writing a song about his wings just to get you… get you…”
“Calm down”, Cui Buqu ordered and Qiao Xian reluctantly nodded as he continued to speak, “he is not the one who wrote this song.” The song they were talking about, and that had become the newest favorite, was a ballad of a powerful and peerless cultivator who fell in love with a weaker man doomed to die young. Although the main theme was their bittersweet love, the ballad gave noticeably a lot of focus on wings. The common people probably were not aware of what touching somebody else’s wings meant to the cultivators, but the ballad was beautifully made and the beautiful cultivator’s persistent attempts to lure his coldhearted beloved to touch his wings seemed to be understood as a romantic gesture of the highest level.
“Even worse”, Qiao Xian muttered, “he paid somebody else to write this insult…”
“Incorrect”, Cui Buqu said and explained, “this song uses too many words to describe the cultivator’s appearance and how others view it. Only insecure people would write or commission songs that praise their beauty so overly. Although Feng Xiao is a beautiful man, he is, unfortunately, fully aware of his captivating appearance and not insecure about that. If this song was written or commissioned by him, just a description and a few praises would have been enough.”
“But it is still clearly about you… And him, sir”, Qiao Xian argued, “can it even be possible that he has nothing to do with this?”
“I didn’t say he has nothing to do with this. Only that he did not write or commission it himself”, Cui Buqu said, “my guess is that he intentionally mentioned certain things while attending a banquet or other kind of gathering, and some of his rich admirers decided to take a chance to gain something.”
Although Qiao Xian had been working for Cui Buqu for a long time now and should have known that a guess from Cui Buqu could be considered as the truth itself, she still couldn’t drop her doubts. “How could just a mention be enough to create something this detailed?”
“A skillful man only needs a few words”, Cui Buqu replied calmly and sipped his tea as he indirectly praised his rival.
“Why are you so indifferent about this?” Qiao Xian continued, her anger and frustration still showing no signs of disappearing, “this song is about you and him, and he is using this pitiful tactic to get your attention. Why, sir, are you not going to do anything about this?”
“What else could I do but ignore him? He is looking for a reaction so naturally the best response is to not respond at all”, Cui Buqu noted and looked sharply at Qiao Xian, who finally schooled her expression, realising that she was not acting up to the expectations placed upon her. Still, she couldn’t let go yet.
“Sir”, she said, keeping her voice lower, “don’t touch his wings.”
“Hm, why?”
“You know what it means having somebody else to touch the cultivator's wings…”, she muttered.
“I have touched your wings before.”
“That is different! It is also different if it is family or friends, but… But…”, she breathed in sharply, making a noise of displeasement, “that man has improper thoughts about you! Touch his wings today and tomorrow he will claim that you have promised to marry him!”
“You are exaggerating”, Cui Buqu said with a hint of amusement in his voice. He was indeed aware of the customs of the cultivators and knew that touching somebody’s wings was widely accepted as a first step of courtship. It wouldn’t, however, lead straight to marriage. Not even if one of the persons participating was the most shameless and determined man ever walked on the earth.
Qiao Xian nodded, accepting Cui Buqu’s words as a kind of agreement. It was only much later that she realised Cui Buqu had intentionally not made any promises about touching or not touching Feng Xiao’s wings.
Pei Jingzhe was feeling quite anxious when he stood in the study, waiting for the deputy chief to announce his orders. It had been already a while since Feng Xiao called for him, but he was still not paying any attention to Pei Jingzhe and Pei Jingzhe did not dare to say anything in fear that unwanted curiosity would inspire Feng Xiao to give him unpleasant tasks. He knew that the situation was already dire, because the chief of Zuoyue Bureau still had not been as easy to persuade as Feng Xiao had thought. Pei Jingzhe, who was a witness of both Feng Xiao’s attempts and Qiao Xian’s complaints after those attempts, unfortunately was way too involved in this all.
He had seen Feng Xiao try to lure Cui Buqu in, only to back away after Cui Buqu intentionally made his hands dirty. The song did not cause any reaction and neither did the countless other tricks aimed to catch attention. Even asking for Cui Buqu to touch the white wings as a reward for helping him with a mission resulted in the cold-hearted man poking Feng Xiao with a chopstick, claiming that there had never been any discussion about what kind of touch Feng Xiao meant. Even carefully arranged accidents that should have led to Cui Buqu to touch his wings had failed and in some cases backfired at him. After several failures, Feng Xiao even briefly amused himself with an idea of forcing Cui Buqu. After all, that sickly man wouldn’t be able to fight if he just grabbed his wrist and held him as a captive until he did as he was told. But no matter how determined Feng Xiao was, he was not looking for an easy, unsatisfying and empty win. He wanted Cui Buqu to touch his wings willingly and accept the courtship.
But that man… He was so stubborn.
“Pei Jingzhe, I have a new plan”, Feng Xiao finally announced and explained the latest idea that somehow should make the chief of Zuoyue Bureau give him more tender attention. Pei Jingzhe did listen carefully, but he still failed to see any reason for why this new plan would work any better than the others. In fact, it sounded very ineffective already before they had even started.
“Sir, I don’t think…”
“Of course you don’t”, Feng Xiao replied, knowing that the plan was too simple and too obvious for Cui Buqu to be fooled, “the goal is to gain his attention.”
“Uh… I guess that should work then”, Pei Jingzhe muttered and decided that it really was not his business to be part of this. He would just do what he was told and then pretend that he had not done anything.
“Make sure to find beautiful feathers.”
“What if we…”
“Don’t even dare to suggest that we use my feathers”, Feng Xiao said, “only me and Cui Buqu are allowed to touch these.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good”, Feng Xiao nodded, “go then.”
Feng Xiao had been right about this little plot of his being too simple for Cui Buqu but it did grant him a chance to act. It only took a few days until he was invited to come to see the bureau chief and was met with Cui Buqu looking at him over a small pile of feathers on his desk.
“Stop flooding the black market with counterfeits of your feathers”, the man said right away, skipping over the normal polite greetings. The sudden overflowing amount of cultivator feathers available on the black market had already given him too much to do and then the rumors of those feathers belonging to Feng Xiao had started to spread like a forest fire, giving Cui Buqu a headache and even more troubles to solve as the black markets had fell into a chaos. After he had sent somebody to go to invite Feng Xiao for a meeting, he had spent a good moment cursing that man’s name and trying to think of any reason for why he had decided to conquer the black market with counterfeit feathers. A reason that made sense.
“Ah, so Ququ figured out everything”, Feng Xiao said and picked one of the feathers from the pile, “how did you realise these are fake? Has lord chief been looking at this humble deputy chief’s wings more than usual lately? Has he finally fallen for my charms?”
“I told you already once, I have seen chickens before”, Cui Buqu replied, “and these are clearly swan’s feathers.”
“The chickens you have been looking at must have been extraordinarily fine ones.”
“Extraordinarily annoying, I would say”, Cui Buqu replied and held back a sigh. “Feng Xiao, just tell me… Why?”
“Hm, no reason”, Feng Xiao smirked and then did something not even he himself had never thought would happen someday. He plucked out one of his own feathers.
That alone was already shocking enough, but he even selected one of the finest ones. Missing that long and pristine feather wouldn’t be visible for others, because Feng Xiao’s wings were healthy with plenty of feathers to cover for the missing one, but he would still know it was gone. That should have bothered him greatly, which was one of the reasons for why he had never before plucked out a healthy feather from his wings. The other reason being that he had never before thought that he would one day meet somebody worthy enough to give a feather to. Still, he did not hesitate and he was even feeling excited when he held the feather.
“For you”, Feng Xiao said, handing over the feather by tucking it in Cui Buqu’s hair.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Cui Buqu asked.
“Oh, I don’t know”, Feng Xiao smiled, “just something for you to look at. Maybe a reference to make it easier to find the rest of the counterfeits. You will figure it out, Ququ.” After saying that, he left the room with graceful strides.
Cui Buqu sighed deeply, but the feather in his hair remained where Feng Xiao had placed it.
It took quite a long time but eventually Feng Xiao had a chance to inquire what Cui Buqu had done with his feather. They were sitting in a small alcove formed by the mountain cliff, taking shelter from both the unfriendly people searching for them and the pouring rain. The alcove was not big enough and the wind threw the cold rain on them, making Cui Buqu shiver and seek warmth from the man beside him. Feng Xiao allowed him to be stubborn for a moment until he got enough and pulled the man closer, covering him with his wings.
“So fragile…”, he sighed and channeled a spark of qi to that weak body to give him some comfort.
“Shut up.”
“Ququ”, Feng Xiao called, ignoring the request because he knew it was important to keep talking so the sickly man wouldn’t fall asleep in cold, “Ququ, what did you do with my feather?”
“...I burnt it.”
“You are lying”, Feng Xiao said with a smug tone, “you kept it as a token of affection, didn’t you?”
“Token of your idiocy, more like”, Cui Buqu replied, “do you have any idea how much trouble that little idea of yours caused? I had to call back three of my subordinates from their missions because the chaos at the black markets compromised their positions, and it took nearly a whole year to get the situation back in control.”
“Hm, and how much did you gain?” Feng Xiao asked. Cui Buqu did not say anything which alone was an answer enough. Naturally a man like Cui Buqu could turn any situation around and get back his losses tenfold. Feng Xiao had had no doubts about that and he was just disappointed that he had been busy with his own duties and had not got a chance to witness how Cui Buqu handled the chaos he had caused. After all, it was Cui Buqu’s mind that attracted him. Missing the show like that was a great loss.
The rain and wind were harsh, but weather did not affect a cultivator of Feng Xiao’s level and Cui Buqu was safely tucked under his wings. Although Cui Buqu was sickly and weak, the white feathers, other man’s warmth, and shared qi could keep him at least somewhat comfortable until they could move again. Feng Xiao was quiet for once, no doubt keeping watch, but his presence was louder than ever. With one arm wrapped around Cui Buqu’s waist, pulling him closer to the warmth, and powerful wings shielding him Feng Xiao was all around him.
Cui Buqu was annoyed.
But was he annoyed because of Feng Xiao or his own feelings? That Cui Buqu didn’t bother to think about.
“...Did you even have a reason?” he asked quietly.
“Don’t I always?”
“Your reasons are idiotic”, Cui Buqu noted, “but why drive the black markets into chaos and spread rumors of your feathers being stolen and put on sale? Wouldn’t that hurt your own reputation?”
“Hm?” Feng Xiao hummed with amusement, “surely you already know why I did that?”
“...I regret ever meeting you.”
Feng Xiao laughed, shameless and having no regrets at all. Was it too much to cause chaos just to get attention of his temperamental beloved and to have a chance to give him a feather as a token? Feng Xiao did not think so.
“Ququ?” the annoying voice whispered to Cui Buqu’s ear, “Ququ… Ququ…”
“What?” he asked and regretted his decision to attend this banquet. He had been certain that Feng Xiao was not going to be there, but of course that man just had to change his mind at the last moment and make a grand entrance when Cui Buqu was already seated and unable to leave. Not only that, Feng Xiao had no shame at all and happily wandered around, eventually finding the bureau chief sitting in the farthest corner. Fortunately he had at least understood that Cui Buqu’s reasons for joining this gathering had nothing to do with actually socialising and enjoying the evening. He was clearly here for work and so Feng Xiao had got rid of the group of admirers following him and stealthily joined Cui Buqu without attracting any attention to him.
“Did you hear the rumors?” Feng Xiao asked, his lips turned into a smirk and fingers playing with Cui Buqu’s hair.
“I have heard many rumours”, Cui Buqu replied, watching the crowd with a bored expression, "deputy chief will have to be more precise.”
“The one about me”, Feng Xiao said. White feathers touched Cui Buqu’s back, resting a moment before slowly moving down. A movement so seductive that it would have been impossible to see it as anything else.
“Many of the rumours I have heard are about you”, Cui Buqu replied, “half are lies, the other half barely true. Which one do you mean?”
“Ah, so Ququ had been interested enough to investigate…”, Feng Xiao replied in a satisfied tone, “naturally I mean the newest one. The one about me granting some esteemed ladies the right to touch my wings”, he leaned even closer, his lips nearly touching Cui Buqu’s ear, “are you jealous?”
“There are a lot of chickens in this country, why would I be jealous if one goes around and is petted by others?”
“Hm, why… That is what I wonder.” Feng Xiao was in good spirits and willing to spend the whole evening teasing and playing, but his intended playmate had other things to do. They exchanged a few words more, but Cui Buqu’s attention was divided and the more time passed, the more he focused on his actual work. Finally, after half of the evening had already passed and some of the guests were starting to leave, Cui Buqu saw the target slipping away from the banquet. He got up and followed, Feng Xiao coming after him without asking anything.
At the end, it turned out to be for the best that Feng Xiao had followed him because the target suddenly decided to return to the banquet. Although they were still in areas that could be considered accessible for guests, seeing Cui Buqu there would only alert the target and make her realise that something was going on. In order to save the mission, Cui Buqu grabbed one of the white wings, raising it so he could hide behind the white feathers.
“Cover me”, he whispered and Feng Xiao, who remembered the last time they had used this tactic, eagerly responded. He pushed Cui Buqu against the wall, sealing his lips with his own for an intensive but also gentle kiss. The white wings raised to hide them and, although it was not hard to guess who the cultivator was, Cui Buqu remained completely hidden. His hand slipped lower, fingers briefly holding on the feathers while he was kissed breathless.
“Ququ could have just asked”, Feng Xiao whispered after a moment, staying still so close his breath tickled Cui Buqu’s cheek.
“I did. It was you who decided to take this farther than necessary”, Cui Buqu replied, but they both knew he had not been refusing the kiss.
“Hm, but was not me who pretended to be almost caught”, Feng Xiao said with an excited glint in his eyes, “don’t think I didn’t notice the sign you gave to that bureau member in disguise or that the footsteps returning did not match the footsteps of the one you were following. Such a silly mistake would be impossible for the lord chief of the Zuoyue Bureau to make… Could it be that he wanted to be kissed right here? Perhaps he was jealous…”
“Your imagination is running wild. Please, do rein it in.”
“But was it not you who touched my wings?” Feng Xiao asked, gladly continuing the teasing when he noticed the subtle signs of willingness from his partner, “so you have accepted?”
“Do you count even a touch like this as a sign of acceptance?” Cui Buqu asked and grabbed the wing again to demonstrate how casual and completely unromantic the act had been, “Feng Xiao, are you that desperate that even this could be enough?”
“What can I say?” Feng Xiao said and faked a deep sigh of despair, “my fickle lover is cold hearted. This poor man has to accept whatever he is given.”
“What lover?” Cui Buqu asked. That ended their well-going banter as the Zuoyue Bureau members returned to report the results of their mission, but Feng Xiao was still satisfied. He had gotten both a kiss and a touch, and he had also seen Cui Buqu jealous. Although the man had not yet accepted the courtship, the game would continue and the odds were on Feng Xiao’s side. The very next day he made sure that those annoying rumors died off and even went as far as causing a public humiliation to some people who had first started to spread the lies of the deputy chief of Jiejian Bureau allowing all kinds of people to touch his wings of peerless beauty.
The game between Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu continued for a while longer with Feng Xiao trying every single trick to lure and tempt Cui Buqu to touch his wings while Cui Buqu dodged those attempts, only granting a kiss or two now and then. Although they both enjoyed the game that had become a part of the courtship instead of a mere invitation to it, eventually it was time to end it.
Feng Xiao was exhausted and injured, but he still had enough strength to carry Cui Buqu so he declined the offers of help, refusing to let go of the man hanging from his back. It wasn’t the most comfortable for him to carry another man like that. He had to keep his wings folded forward, awkwardly forcing them in an uncomfortable position, but he ignored his own discomfort in order to provide a bit of rest to the man he was carrying. He knew they were both dirty and injured, some of the wounds still bleeding despite the hastily given medical attention, but for once he did not care. He focused only on Cui Buqu’s breathing on his neck and the faint rhythm of heart he could feel from the chest pressed against his back. The worst had already passed. He would only have to get them to a safe place where they could rest and heal.
Cui Buqu stirred, slowly taking in everything and staying completely calm when he saw who was carrying him. He was tired, his eyes barely open but he did not want to go back to sleep yet. Although he did not dare to move his head because every movement took energy that he had not much left, his gaze slowly moved around as he noted everything worth to be noticed.
He knew Feng Xiao was exhausted too, but Cui Buqu had witnessed his strength numerous times and did not worry. So long that man could rise up on his feet, they would be fine. Just some rest and cultivation in silence would bring him right back to bother and tease Cui Buqu, that was sure.
But even the strongest man had weakness and could be hurt. Cui Buqu observed quietly, making sure nothing was amiss. His eyes wound the splashes of drying blood, the smears of dirt, and teared cloth. It was almost fascinating to finally see that man dirty and completely spent, but it also felt wrong. Feng Xiao had always been beautiful, and he still was, but the dirt shouldn't cling on him like this.
Softly and slowly the hand reached forward, caressing the feathers that were covered in mud and blood. Some of the dirt had already dried and even the weak touch was enough to make the small pieces fall off, revealing the white hidden under there. Cui Buqu couldn’t do much, after all his fingers were dirty too and he did not have much energy left, but he still did what he could. Moving his hand along the feathers like he was possessed and nothing else mattered. His full focus was on that task and he did not even notice when Feng Xiao stopped walking and looked at him.
“...Have you accepted?”
“Have I?” Cui Buqu asked, but the poor attempt to joke ended with coughing. He grimaced and waited for a moment, his hand never moving away from the white feathers. “I guess I do accept.”
“Finally”, Feng Xiao said, a glint of joy showing in his exhausted look, “why am I not surprised at all that it would take until we both nearly died before you accepted my courtship? I should have guessed…”
“And I can’t believe it took you still haven’t realised I accepted long ago”, Cui Buqu noted, making Feng Xiao laugh softly. He turned his head and met Cui Buqu halfway, their kiss soft and innocent but still filled with lovely emotions.
“So, when shall we be married?” Feng Xiao asked and started to walk again, “tomorrow?”
“Am I not getting the full courtship?”
“Was it not you who decided to make the first step the most complicated part?” Feng Xiao asked, “had it been up to me, we would have finished the whole process long ago.”
“I am sure it was your idea”, Cui Buqu replied, “you never asked. What was I supposed to do but to play along?”
“But Ququ, you know what it means when a cultivator offers another their wing…”
“Knewing that the other knows does not mean that the other needs to meet those unsaid expectations”, Cui Buqu noted, making Feng Xiao laugh out loud and shake his head. This man… Oh, how deep he had fallen for him and how willing he was to fall even deeper.
“Very well”, he replied, “let’s continue our courtship then. Ququ, will you lay next to me tonight and brush my wings tomorrow morning.”
“Depends.”
“Huh?”
“If we are still alive tomorrow morning”, Cui Buqu said, “I can’t give any promises on what happens in the afterlife, but if we are alive tomorrow I will brush your wings.”
“...Always so pessimistic.”
“Realistic”, Cui Buqu corrected him, but his fingers still slowly and softly caressed the white, dirty feathers, “but… I am looking forward to waking up next to you tomorrow.”