Chapter Text
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the ship tipped forward with a gut-heaving lurch as the huge wave it was riding crested and fell. The men scrambled to keep the ship steady, cursing bitterly about being ordered to sail in this weather and for no good reason that they could tell, although they were careful to keep their voices down.
In the captain's cabin, protected from the elements, Di Feisheng poured himself another measure of warmed wine, but just enough to wet his lips — he wanted to keep his head clear for when Li Xiangyi finally arrived. These were not the circumstances under which he'd been expecting to have his long-awaited duel with Li Xiangyi, although he had suspected that a confrontation would be inevitable once Sigu Sect had accused the Three Kings of the murder of Shan Gudao. So much for the peace treaty that Li Xiangyi had convinced him to agree to less than a week ago, against his better judgment.
Di Feisheng had learnt early on after his escape from Di Fortress that the so-called orthodox sects were no better than the unorthodox ones. There was only one language that everyone in the jianghu spoke with fluency, and that was that the strongest survived and the weak were left at the mercy of those who had managed to claw their way to the top. It was every person for themselves, even for those who claimed to be serving lofty ideals like justice and honour — people like Li Xiangyi.
When Li Xiangyi had deflected his relentless attempts to challenge him to a duel over the space of a few months, wanting to talk instead, Di Feisheng had made the mistake of thinking that despite his reckless arrogance, Li Xiangyi was different from the rest of them. He genuinely seemed to believe his grand speech about upholding justice in the jianghu and treating everyone fairly, no matter what kind of background they were from. He had shown respect for Di Feisheng as an equal despite the notorious reputation of Jinyuan Alliance, offering a logical argument about the benefits of a peaceful truce for everyone rather than attempting to get his way by might of his sword. Di Feisheng didn't pretend to have any noble aspirations or charitable inclinations, but he had formed the Jinyuan Alliance with the Three Kings and Wuyan because he knew that those who were different would have no other place in the world, and there was power in numbers. But Li Xiangyi had promised that he planned to recognise Jinyuan Alliance as worthy of equal standing with any other sect, using the truce to buy them time to change the minds of the rest of the martial world.
Of course Di Feisheng had known that it was foolishly idealistic. He wasn't sure of his own exact age but he was probably only a few years older than Li Xiangyi. The difference was that Li Xiangyi had grown up safe and loved, the golden boy of the martial arts world. He hadn't had to face the reality that sometimes it came down to a choice between killing or being killed, or that when things went wrong, certain types of people were always the first to be accused.
And so in the end, it had still come to this. Somewhere on the shore, Di Feisheng knew that a contingent from Sigu Sect was heading to the stronghold of the Jinyuan Alliance. Somewhere over the dark water, Li Xiangyi was making his way to him. In their version of this story, they were confident of their victory because this was good triumphing over evil, and Di Feisheng's lips curled up in a mirthless smile just to think of it. If Di Feisheng was disappointed that Li Xiangyi had turned out to be like the rest of them, he only had himself to blame for falling for the lies Li Xiangyi had told himself as well.
He was just about to pour himself another measure of wine when he heard a commotion outside on the deck.
"Is there someone out there?"
"It's a boat! But there's nobody on it!"
Di Feisheng frowned. Trickery and assassination wasn't Li Xiangyi's style. He opened the door just a crack — the moon was only a thin sliver in the sky, on the verge of being swallowed by the storm clouds that were closing in, but by the light of the lanterns on the ship he could see that his men were trying to haul a small boat on board, and it did appear to be unmanned. It was too much of a coincidence for an abandoned boat to be drifting into the path of his ship, which meant that the person who had been on that boat…
He became aware of someone behind him a split second before they stumbled into him. Di Feisheng hadn't even had the chance to draw his sabre but some subconscious part of him must have recognised the intruder and he found himself reaching forward to catch him instead, lowering him carefully to the ground.
"Li Xiangyi, what happened to you?" Di Feisheng demanded in a low voice so that nobody outside would hear, already reaching for his supposed opponent's wrist.
His pulse was erratic and weak under Di Feisheng's fingertips, and the black lines of poison creeping up the veins in Li Xiangyi's neck made the cause clear. With a jab at his bailao meridian at the back of his neck and danzhong meridian that was right over his heart to stop the progress of the poison, Di Feisheng then forced a jolt of his internal energy into him. Li Xiangyi coughed out a mouthful of black blood and his eyes fluttered open, though his gaze was still a little unfocused.
"Who did this to you?" Di Feisheng growled, trying to offer Li Xiangyi a sip of warmed wine.
"We've both been tricked. My shixiong was murdered so we would break our treaty," Li Xiangyi gasped out instead. "You have to stop them… stop the battle."
"You are the one who ordered your subordinates to attack my stronghold. Poisoned or not, surely they would listen to the orders of their exalted hero Li Xiangyi and stop. Why come to me?" Di Feisheng bit out.
"By the time I realised, someone had made sure that I would be cut off from them. I'm too late… and I don't know who else I can trust." Li Xiangyi was seized by another coughing fit but he clutched Di Feisheng's arm in a death grip, fighting for the breath to continue speaking. "You're in danger as well, I had to make sure you knew. Someone close to you had a hand in this."
That was unfortunate if it was true, but not a surprise. He was their leader because they feared him, and he expected no loyalty from them. If any of them had thought that they could strike when he was distracted by Li Xiangyi, he would simply have to make an example of them. Perhaps Li Xiangyi had foolishly taken fewer precautions because he assumed that the people around him would not stoop to such low methods to incapacitate him. But if they had sent Li Xiangyi to Di Feisheng like this hoping that Di Feisheng would take advantage of his weakened state and kill him off for them, they were sorely mistaken.
"It looks like Li Xiangyi has decided not to show up after all. Let us return to shore, Wuyan," Di Feisheng said, raising his voice so that he could be heard above the thunder rumbling outside.
As the ship changed its course, Di Feisheng manoeuvred Li Xiangyi into a sitting position in front of him, making sure that only one silhouette would be visible from the outside, and pushed more of his internal energy into Li Xiangyi. He wasn't going to let Li Xiangyi die, not like this.
--
The people from Sigu Sect did not want to believe that their esteemed sect leader had not turned up for the promised duel against the great evil who had murdered his shixiong. But Di Feisheng had no reason to lie if he had won or killed Li Xiangyi and should have been gloating about becoming number one, and could not have duelled Li Xiangyi and emerged completely unscathed. Without Li Xiangyi at the helm, Sigu Sect retreated in confusion, probably to start looking for their leader who had suddenly vanished into thin air, so at least Di Feisheng did not have to deal with them at the moment.
Because he had a much more pressing matter at hand — despite his best efforts to purge the poison from his body, Li Xiangyi was dying.
It shouldn't have been the case. Li Xiangyi's Yangzhou Man was famed for its healing abilities, but most of Li Xiangyi's internal energy seemed to have been suppressed or sealed. As a result, the poison that Di Feisheng couldn't force out even with his Beifeng Baiyang was wracking damage that Di Feisheng feared would be irreversible to Li Xiangyi's martial prowess, even before Di Feisheng had the opportunity to properly duel with him.
Di Feisheng had brought Li Xiangyi to the secluded hut in the forest where Yao Mo did most of his experiments since he was also less likely to be discovered there, and his suspicions were confirmed — Li Xiangyi had been poisoned by two different parties.
"He was probably exposed to a drugged incense first, and it suppressed his internal energy so that when he was given the second poison, he had no defence against it. I suspect the incense is a rare herb from Nanyin, known as wuxinhuai, but I recognise the second poison as my own humble creation — the bicha poison," Yao Mo reported, unable to hide the pride in his voice.
Di Feisheng frowned. A poison that had been created by Yao Mo? Then the culprit was someone from Jinyuan Alliance. "If you have the antidote to it, what are you waiting for?"
"Um… I'm afraid there is no antidote to the bicha poison, zunshang," Yao Mo replied haltingly, finally starting to realise that he was in trouble.
"You made a poison that you don't have a cure for?" Di Feisheng growled.
Yao Mo bowed low, his voice trembling as he replied, "Your worthless subordinate begs your forgiveness. I did not think that it would ever be necessary to cure someone who had been deemed deserving of execution by bicha poison."
"I did not order for this person to be poisoned. Who was the one who asked for the poison in my name?" Di Feisheng demanded.
"Jiao Liqiao did, zunshang."
When Li Xiangyi had warned him of the traitor close to him, had he meant Jiao Liqiao? Di Feisheng was aware of her interest in him, probably a misplaced gratitude for saving her life several times, including from Li Xiangyi himself. He had not paid her much attention, but perhaps she had thought she was being helpful by poisoning Li Xiangyi. This was a transgression that would not go unpunished, but Li Xiangyi's warning had suggested something more serious than a foolish girl's presumption. Unfortunately, Li Xiangyi had been drifting in and out of consciousness, and if he knew more he was not capable of telling anyone about it.
"You made this poison. Think of a cure," Di Feisheng commanded Yao Mo.
"Of course, of course. I will work day and night to make an antidote. But it took me years to develop the bicha poison, and it will probably take me as long to make the antidote — but the poison has already spread throughout his body. Within a month, his bones and joints will disintegrate and his skin and flesh will fall off, but before that, he will have lost all his five senses and probably gone mad. If this person is someone important to you…"
Di Feisheng had made sure that Yao Mo could not see Li Xiangyi's face, having placed a curtain around the bed where Li Xiangyi lay. Even though Yao Mo was mostly interested in his potions and poisons and had little interest in the politics within the alliance, he knew the value of information and was clearly trying to figure out the identity of his mysterious patient.
"He is important to me. And if he dies, you had a part to play in it," Di Feisheng pointed out.
"In that case, to prolong his life while I find a way to cure him, could I suggest asking Wuliao-dashi from Pudu Temple for his help? He has a close relationship with Sigu Sect, of course, especially Li Xiangyi, but as a monk he might be willing to make an exception for someone in need," Yao Mo suggested quickly.
That was not a bad idea, even if Yao Mo was just casting around for someone else that Di Feisheng might direct his anger to. Di Feisheng had heard of the monk's unique skills, learnt during his travels in foreign lands. The only problem was that Pudu Temple was built on the same mountain as a side branch of Sigu Sect, and Di Feisheng would not risk bringing Li Xiangyi there. Di Feisheng glanced towards the doorway where Wuyan was watching and listening. Wuyan nodded in understanding and slipped away.
--
By the following evening, Wuyan had retrieved the monk from his temple. Wuyan had been careful with their guest and he was unharmed but was understandably wary, then shocked when he saw who his patient was. Still, he understood that time was of the essence and didn't ask for further explanations before immediately focusing on treating Li Xiangyi.
Di Feisheng spent the next two hours pacing outside the room, but the door eventually opened, and to his great relief, Li Xiangyi was sitting up in bed sipping some medicine that the monk had instructed them to brew, awake but exhausted and far too pale for his liking. Di Feisheng stepped into the room quickly, closing the door behind him, and seized Li Xiangyi's wrist to check his pulse.
"I have managed to use my fanshu and golden needles to reconnect Li-menzhu's meridian channels and purge what I could of the poisons from his body, but there is only so much I could do. Fortunately, with the help of Di-mengzhu's quick thinking and generous input of internal energy, it was possible to maintain Li-menzhu's clarity of mind and recover a third of his martial strength," the monk said.
Only a third? Di Feisheng's frown deepened and Li Xiangyi laughed softly.
"Di-mengzhu, when you said that I'm important to you, is it only because you want to fight me?"
Di Feisheng scowled at him. He was too cheerful for someone who had lost two-thirds of his martial strength. "You and I had an agreement to duel. When all of this is settled, I expect you to honour your promise."
Li Xiangyi's smile widened infuriatingly. "A promise is a promise."
Wuliao-dashi shook his head at them, clearly exasperated that anyone would think of duelling the patient he had barely snatched back from the jaws of death. "Some of the bicha poison remains in Li-menzhu's body, and it will continue to torment him periodically. I understand that you believe someone in Sigu Sect has betrayed you, but if more people were looking for a cure, there would be a better chance of treating him completely."
"How long does he have?" Di Feisheng asked.
"Fifteen years, at least. More if he is careful with how he uses his zhenqi," Wuliao-dashi said with a warning look at Li Xiangyi, "and if Di-mengzhu is willing to impart more of his internal energy when needed."
Di Feisheng nodded without hesitation, which seemed to surprise and please the monk.
"I assumed that I was going to die, and that I had sent the people who believed in me to their deaths. But the battle was averted and you brought me back from the dead — so fifteen years is a good bargain, even if I can't find a cure," Li Xiangyi said quietly. "Thank you, both of you."
"You're not going to tell your friends and sect followers that you are still alive? Not even Qiao-guniang?" Wuliao-dashi pressed.
Li Xiangyi hesitated. "I trust A-Mian without a doubt. But I don't want to put her in harm's way and anyone who is targeting me will be watching her extra closely. Someone who is capable of killing my shixiong to get to me will have no reservations about hurting A-Mian. Better for her not to know, and for everyone else to assume that I'm dead."
"Anyway, there is no need for Sigu Sect to get involved. Jinyuan Alliance is just as capable of looking for a cure," Di Feisheng cut in.
"But I told you, there is someone in Jinyuan Alliance who wants you dead as well so that they can take over as leader," Li Xiangyi protested. "They intended for us to kill each other and reap the spoils."
"If you mean Jiao Liqiao, I think she is less interested in controlling Jinyuan Alliance than she is in controlling me," Di Feisheng replied evenly.
"Ah, is that really all it is?" Li Xiangyi said with amusement. "And what are you going to do about that?"
"Why should I bother? If she refuses to wake up from her delusion, she is merely wasting her own time. What can she do to me, at her level of martial skill? Maybe you should worry about finding the traitor in your own Sigu Sect first," Di Feisheng said.
"I will, after I have retrieved my shixiong's remains for a proper burial — remains that were stolen on your orders, even if you didn't kill him," Li Xiangyi said pointedly. Di Feisheng did not bother explaining himself.
"Li-menzhu needs rest. Leave tomorrow's worries for tomorrow," Wuliao-dashi chided them both as he got up from his seat. "I should take my leave as well — I trust Di-mengzhu has no objections?"
Di Feisheng escorted Wuliao-dashi from the room himself, but on the way to the horse carriage that Wuyan had procured, the monk cleared his throat to get his attention.
"You have kindness in your heart and a generosity of spirit. Why persist in letting the world think otherwise of you?"
"I've left behind an ocean of blood and a mountain of corpses, and have no use for kindness or heroism. I think you are only seeing what you hope to see, Dashi," Di Feisheng replied evenly.
Wuliao-dashi shook his head, but did not push. "Your internal energy is surprisingly compatible with Li-menzhu's Yangzhou Man. If it had been anyone else helping him, the results might not have been as effective. Do you intend to let him stay here until the traitor is found?"
"It is not a long-term solution," Di Feisheng agreed. Yao Mo was already far too curious about Li Xiangyi, and he would arouse suspicion if he stayed here.
The sooner they got to the bottom of this the better, and perhaps progress would be a little faster now that Li Xiangyi was conscious. It would probably be a good idea to have Wuyan sneak in and retrieve all the things that had been in Li Xiangyi's living quarters so they could examine them for clues, and Li Xiangyi had conveniently been living in the side branch of Sigu Sect in the days following his shixiong's death.
"If Li-menzhu wants some of his own things while he is forced to stay away, there are tunnels just outside the temple that lead to Li-menzhu's rooms, tunnels that Li-menzhu dug a few years ago. If you use those, you should be able to go in and out of Sigu Sect's quarters undetected," Wuliao-dashi said.
"Sigu Sect will not appreciate you telling me this. Aren't you worried that I might misuse that information and ask my subordinates to slaughter all the Sigu Sect people there in their sleep?" Di Feisheng asked.
Wuliao-dashi simply smiled. "Perhaps, like Li-menzhu, I have decided to trust my own judgement of someone's character, rather than what other people might say of him," he said, bowing with one hand held upright in front of his chest before getting into the carriage.
Di Feisheng frowned and shook his head. Trust? That was a dangerous game to play, he thought as he headed back to guard Li Xiangyi while he slept.