Gone Without a Trace

The strong wind whipped reeds and catkins, scattering them everywhere, and as they fell, they condensed into tiny ice crystals.

Zhang Yu changed into the robes he had hidden under a rock, took out a pot of osmanthus wine and half a roasted chicken wrapped in oiled paper. Both were now frozen solid. He set them by the campfire to slowly thaw.

He tore off a chicken leg and offered it, "Here, Brother Lan."

Lan Hao didn't take it, chuckling softly, "Such beautiful scenery deserves fine wine and food to accompany it. Why waste good ingredients?"

"Brother Lan certainly knows how to eat. I have some skill in cooking, so I'll use this old turtle and water snake to make a pot of turtle and snake restorative soup."

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

His gaze fell upon the splashing water from the wooden bucket.

Zhang Yu said without hesitation, "Then let's eat this Blue Scale Carp."

Lan Hao asked, "Aren't you heartbroken?"

Zhang Yu laughed, "It would be heartbreaking to eat it alone, but meeting Brother Lan today, I have no regrets. Besides, I've been wanting to taste what this thousand-gold Blue Scale Carp is like."

Lan Hao tilted his head and took a drink from the jade gourd, chuckling, "I heard that Tong Baixiong of the Sun Moon Divine Cult is celebrating his sixtieth birthday, and half the martial world is coming to offer congratulations. If you offer this Blue Scale Carp, it would be an excellent omen, and perhaps wealth and status will be within your grasp."

"To be honest, Brother Lan, I did have that idea originally, but not anymore."

"Why?"

"Wealth and status are good, but they're not worth my life. I almost lost half my life trying to catch this fish. If I don't eat it now, who knows if I'll ever have the chance again. Wealth and status can be earned with a blade and a spear. Leaving such a regret would make life rather dull."

Zhang Yu drew his black sword, ready to butcher it.

"Wait."

Lan Hao called out, unfastened something from his waist, and tossed it over.

"Use this."

A short sword with a sharkskin sheath.

It felt slightly heavy in his hand. Zhang Yu drew it, and a cold light flashed, its sharpness extreme. The wooden hilt was inscribed with the characters 'Hanyuan'.

"Hanyuan? A fine sword."

He removed all the scales from the Blue Scale Carp, gutted it, removed the gall bladder, and placed the fish meat into the large pot. He poured in half a jar of osmanthus wine, added clean ice and snow, and no other seasonings. Of course, at this time and place, he had no oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar to use.

He added firewood and began to simmer it.

A moment later, a sweet, fishy aroma gradually wafted out.

The finest ingredients often require the simplest preparation, as their original flavors are already astonishing.

"Where did you get this black sword?"

"From an assassin. Brother Lan, do you know this sword?"

"I've seen it from afar a few times. It seems you've provoked those hounds of the Imperial Guards."

"This is an Imperial Guard sword? Aren't the Imperial Guards all in Flying Fish Robes with Spring Embroidered Sabers?"

"There is a group within the Imperial Guards called the Blood Shadow Assassins, divided into four ranks: A, B, C, and D. Their martial arts might not be top-tier, but they are extremely loyal and proficient in various assassination techniques."

"There was once a Rank A Blood Shadow who sealed himself inside a wall, leaving only a small opening. He waited for three days, and when the target passed by, he used a mechanism to fire a poisoned needle. That expert, who had reached Houtian perfection, died without ever knowing who his opponent was."

"The one you encountered was likely an ordinary Blood Shadow Assassin."

Zhang Yu chuckled, "Then it seems my luck was good."

"In Pingding Prefecture, the Imperial Guards wouldn't dare to do too much. They would act in secret, so you don't need to worry too much. But outside, their influence is vast, and they act quite domineeringly, as they have the court behind them. They are the emperor's eyes, monitoring the martial world."

"The court has such powerful forces... it's like..."

"It seems to have little presence in the martial world, right?"

"Firstly, although the martial world is chaotic, it doesn't threaten the Great Ming empire of the Han family. Instead, their infighting is beneficial for stability. Secondly, whether it's border threats, succession disputes, factional struggles, feudal lords, land annexation, or pirates and Japanese pirates, the old emperor has his hands full. Compared to these, those are the fundamental threats."

Zhang Yu nodded, "Brother Lan has great insight."

Zhang Yu looked at the black sword, feeling a sense of lingering fear. He had initially thought the assassin at the Taiping Inn was sent by Yang Lianting, but he hadn't expected them to be connected to the Imperial Guards.

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

Lan Hao picked up the most tender and flavorful piece from the belly of the fish, and commented with a light smile, "Tender in the mouth, incredibly sweet, without any of the fishiness of river fish, nor the saltiness of sea fish. It has a faint aroma of wine, but it doesn't overpower, and there's a hint of osmanthus fragrance, subtly present, very layered. It seems your talent in cooking is greater than in martial arts."

Zhang Yu laughed, "Brother Lan, are you praising me or scolding me?"

"Of course, it's praise! In any of the three hundred and sixty professions, when one achieves mastery, there is destiny."

The two used reeds as chopsticks, ate heartily, and finished the osmanthus wine.

Afterward, they chatted about various interesting anecdotes from the martial world, but neither inquired too deeply about the other's identity.

"The joy of wine and food has ended."

Lan Hao smiled and stood up, handing the 'Hanyuan' short sword to Zhang Yu. "This dagger has not been unsheathed to draw blood in many years by my side, only to be reduced to a tool for gutting fish. This should not be its destiny. I hope you can make its name known throughout the martial world."

Zhang Yu took the short sword and smiled, "May it be as Brother Lan wishes, and the precious sword not be tarnished."

Lan Hao smiled faintly, bid farewell, turned, and leaped. He lightly touched a reed, his body soaring several feet into the air. A sharp whistling sound echoed in the sky, and he had already vanished.

"Such formidable Qinggong."

"Brother Lan, what exactly is your identity? I've never heard of anyone named Lan Hao in the martial arts world."

Zhang Yu looked at the pile of scales on the snow, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Could he be a Blue Scale Carp spirit?"

Second quarter of the戌 hour, at the city gate.

Pingding City had no curfew. Most of the people coming and going were martial arts experts, so they couldn't enforce one.

A few old soldiers, nominally belonging to the Imperial Guards' chiliarchy, slept leaning against the city gate archway, holding rusty spears.

They symbolically collected a few copper coins for wine money from passing merchants and their laden carts, considering it a bit of extra income.

Of course, the unlucky ones on night duty usually didn't have such good fortune.

However, tonight, three carriages arrived at the city gate, accompanied by five or six horsemen dressed in short jackets.

"Halt."

The old soldier at the gate saw they were outsiders and immediately perked up like a cat smelling fish.

"Where are you from?"

"Fujian Prefecture."

"What are you carrying on the carriages?"

"We're here to celebrate Hall Master Tong's birthday. The carriages are filled with gifts."

"Birthday celebration? According to regulations, we need to inspect them."

A man quickly stepped forward, slipped three taels of silver into the old soldier's hand, and said with a smile, "Officer, please be accommodating. This is just a small token of our appreciation for the brothers to buy some tea."

The old soldier weighed the silver and immediately broke into a wide smile. He quickly beckoned his men to open the half-closed city gate and let the convoy enter.

The curtain of one of the carriages was lifted, revealing a handsome young man in his mid-teens, about fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Old Shi, we're here to pay our respects for the birthday. Why did we have to wait until midnight to enter openly? It's like we're thieves."

The horseman stood ramrod straight, an iron saber hanging at his waist, exuding a fierce aura.

He smiled at the young man. "The master instructed us when we left. Tong Baixiong is an elder of the Demonic Cult, so it's best to keep a low profile."

"Since our paths are different, why come at all?"

"Young caravan leader, you may not know, but the head caravan leader had an accident in the northern regions years ago. Although Tong Baixiong is under the Demonic Cult, he was still righteous and offered assistance. Besides, we eat the caravan agency's food. We need to make friends with those on the Righteous Path, and even more so with those on the dark side."

After the carriages had gone further, another voice came from outside the city.

"Halt, where are you from?"

"Pingding City."

Zhang Yu took out a wooden token and flashed it.

The old soldiers said nothing more and immediately opened the city gate.