Chapter 29: Coming and Going Without a Trace

Chapter 29: Coming and Going Without a Trace

Chapter 29: Coming and Going Without a Trace
The strong wind blew the catkins all over the sky, and when they fell, they condensed into tiny ice crystals.

Zhang Yu changed into the robe that was pressed under the stone, took out a pot of osmanthus wine, and the roast chicken that was half wrapped in oil paper, which was now frozen into an ice stick. He placed the wine and roast chicken by the fire to thaw slowly.

He tore off a chicken leg and handed it over: "Here, Brother Lan."

Lan Hao did not take it, but smiled softly: "Such a beautiful view should be paired with fine wine and delicious food, why not leave the good ingredients unused?"

"Brother Lan knows how to cook. I know a little about cooking, so I'll use this old turtle and water snake to stew a pot of turtle and snake soup."

Lan Hao shook his head and said, "The turtle and snake soup is indeed delicious, but it's not worth eating today."

He looked at the splash of water from the barrel.

Zhang Yu did not hesitate: "Then let's eat this blue-scaled carp."

Lan Hao asked: "Aren't you sad?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It's painful to eat alone, but I'm lucky enough to meet Brother Lan today, so I won't be reluctant to eat anymore. Besides, I also want to try what this priceless blue-scaled carp tastes like."

Lan Hao raised his head and took a sip of the wine in the jade gourd, chuckled and said, "I heard that Tong Baixiong of the Sun Moon Divine Sect is celebrating his 60th birthday, and half of the martial arts world has come to congratulate him. If you offer this blue scale to him, it will be a very good omen, and maybe wealth and glory will be within your reach."

"To be honest with you, Brother Lan, I did have this idea originally, but now it's gone."

"Why?"

"Wealth and honor are good, but they are not as good as my life. I almost lost half my life to catch this fish. If I don't eat it this time, I don't know if I will have another chance. Wealth and honor can be earned with a knife or a gun. Life is boring if I leave such regrets behind."

Zhang Yu drew out his black sword and was ready to kill.

"and many more."

Lan Hao called him, took off something from his waist and threw it over.

"Use this from me."

A short sword with a sharkskin sheath.

It was slightly heavy in the hand, and Zhang Yu pulled it out and saw that it was flashing with cold light and extremely sharp. The word "Hanyuan" was engraved on the wooden handle.

"Han Yuan? What a nice sword."

He removed all the blue scales, the gills and the gallbladder, then put the fish meat into a large cauldron, poured in half a jar of osmanthus wine, and then added clean ice and snow, without adding any other seasonings. Of course, at this time and place, he had no oil, salt, sauce or vinegar to use.

Add firewood and start cooking.

After a while, the sweet fish aroma gradually wafted out.

The best ingredients often only require the simplest cooking because the original taste of the food is already amazing enough.

"Where did you get this black sword?"

"In the hands of an assassin, Brother Lan knows about this sword?"

"I've seen you from a distance a few times. It seems you've offended those henchmen of the Imperial Guards."

"Is this the sword of the Jinyiwei? Don't the Jinyiwei all wear Feiyufu and Xiuchundao?"

"There is a group of people in the Jinyiwei, known as the Blood Shadow Assassins. They are divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. Their martial arts skills may not be high, but they are extremely loyal and proficient in various assassination techniques."

"There was once a top-level blood shadow who sealed himself in a wall, leaving only a small hole. He waited for three days, and when the target passed by, he used the receiver to shoot out poison needles. That master who had achieved perfection in the acquired realm did not even know where his opponent was when he died."

"What you encountered should be an ordinary Blood Shadow Assassin."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It seems I am lucky."

"In Pingding Prefecture, the Jinyiwei dare not do anything. They just act in secret. You don't need to worry too much. But outside, they are very powerful and act quite domineeringly. After all, the court stands behind them. They are the emperor's eyes that monitor the world."

"The imperial court actually has such a powerful force, it seems..."

"It seems like you don't have much presence in the world, right?"

"Firstly, although the Jianghu is in turmoil, it will not shake the Han family's Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, infighting will be conducive to stability. Secondly, whether it is border troubles, succession disputes, factional disputes, vassal kings, land annexation, pirates and Japanese pirates, the old emperor will find it difficult to deal with them. Compared with the Jianghu, those are the things that endanger the foundation."

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Brother Lan is very insightful."

Zhang Yu looked at the black sword and felt a little scared. He originally thought that the assassin in Taiping Inn was sent by Yang Lianting, and somehow he was related to the Jinyiwei.

"The fish is ready. Brother Lan, please go first."

Lan Hao picked up the most delicious piece of meat from the belly of the fish, and commented with a chuckle, "It's tender and sweet when you put it in your mouth. It doesn't have the fishy smell of river fish, nor the salty and astringent smell of sea fish. It has a slight aroma of wine, but it doesn't dominate the main flavor. There is also a hint of osmanthus fragrance, which is looming and very layered. It seems that your talent in cooking is stronger than your talent in martial arts." Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Brother Lan, are you praising me or scolding me?"

"Of course it's a compliment! There are 360 ​​professions in the world, and to achieve perfection is a blessing."

The two men broke reeds into chopsticks, ate a big meal, and drank up the osmanthus wine.

Afterwards, they talked about some interesting stories in the underworld, but did not ask too much about the other party's identity.

"The excitement of wine and meat is over."

Lan Hao smiled and stood up, handing the 'Hanyuan' dagger to Zhang Yu: "This dagger has been in my hand for many years and has never been used. It can only be used to kill fish. This should not be its fate. I hope you can make its name known to the world."

Zhang Yu took the dagger and said with a smile, "I hope that as Brother Lan said, I will not let the sword be covered in dust."

Lan Hao smiled indifferently, said goodbye, turned around, stood up, lightly stepped on a reed, and leaped two or three feet high. Only the sound of sharp breaking wind was heard in mid-air, and he had disappeared without a trace.

"What an amazing light skill."

"Brother Lan, who are you exactly? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone named Lan Hao in the martial arts world."

Zhang Yu looked at the pile of scales on the snow and secretly smacked his lips: "Could he be a blue-scaled carp that has turned into a spirit?"

........................

Two quarters after the pm, at the city gate.

There is no curfew in Pingding City, and most of the people coming and going are martial arts masters, so they cannot be stopped.

Several old soldiers who nominally belonged to the Jinyiwei Qianhu Division were sleeping in the city gate, holding their rusty spears.

For merchants and horse-drawn carts carrying goods, a symbolic few copper coins were charged for wine, which was considered some extra income.

Of course, the unlucky guys who work the night shift usually don’t have this luck.

But tonight, three carriages arrived at the city gate, followed by five or six men on horseback dressed in shorts.

"stop."

When the gatekeeper saw that they looked like outsiders, he became frightened like a cat that smelled fish.

"Where did it come from?"

"From Fujian Province."

"What's on the cart?"

"We are here to celebrate Master Tong's birthday. There are gifts in the car."

"Birthday celebration? According to the rules, you should also check it."

A man stepped forward and stuffed three coins into the old soldier's hand, saying with a smile, "Sir, please be kind enough to buy tea for the brothers."

The old soldier weighed the cargo and immediately smiled broadly. He immediately asked people to open the half-open city gate and let the convoy enter the city.

The curtain of one of the carriages was lifted, revealing a handsome young man in brocade clothes, about fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Old Shi, we are here to celebrate your birthday, so we should just enter the city in an upright manner. Why do we have to wait until midnight? It's like being a thief."

The man on horseback stood straight with an iron knife hanging from his waist, exuding a spirit of bravery.

He smiled at the young man and said, "My master told me when I came here that Tong Baixiong is an elder of the Demon Cult, so I should keep a low profile as much as possible."

"Since we have different philosophies, then why are you here?"

"Young escort leader, you don't know that the chief escort leader had an accident in the north in his early years. Although Tong Baixiong was a member of the Demon Cult, he was still righteous and helped him. Besides, we work for the escort agency, so we should make friends with the righteous and the underworld friends."

After the carriage went away, another voice came from outside the city.

"Stop, where are you from?"

"Pingding City."

Zhang Yu took out the wooden token and flashed it.

The old soldiers opened the city gate without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)