A fierce wind swept up the reed fluff, sending it dancing through the sky. When it fell, it congealed into tiny ice crystals.
Zhang Yu changed into the robe he had pressed beneath a rock, then took out a jug of osmanthus wine and half a roast chicken wrapped in oil paper. Both had frozen solid, so he set the wine and chicken beside the fire to thaw slowly.
He tore off a chicken leg and held it out. "Here, Brother Lan."
Lan Hao did not take it. He smiled faintly. "With such beautiful scenery, there should be fine wine and good food to accompany it. Why leave such good ingredients unused?"
"Brother Lan certainly knows how to enjoy a meal. I know a little about cooking, so I'll use this softshell turtle and water snake to stew a pot of nourishing turtle-and-snake soup."
Lan Hao shook his head. "Turtle-and-snake soup is indeed delicious, but today it isn't worth eating."
His gaze turned toward the splashing water in the wooden barrel.
Zhang Yu did not hesitate. "Then we'll eat this Blue Scale Carp."
Lan Hao asked, "Won't you regret it?"
Zhang Yu smiled. "I'd regret it if I were eating alone, but today I've had the fortune of meeting Brother Lan, so there's nothing I'm unwilling to give up. Besides, I've been wanting to taste this Blue Scale Carp worth a thousand pieces of gold."
Lan Hao tipped his head back and took a drink from the jade gourd, then chuckled. "I heard Tong Baixiong of the Sun Moon Divine Cult is celebrating his sixtieth birthday. Half the martial world has come to offer congratulations. If you present this Blue Scale Carp, it would be an excellent omen. You might obtain wealth and glory with ease."
"To be honest, Brother Lan, I did originally have that idea. But now I don't."
"Why?"
"Wealth and glory are good, but they can't compare with my life. I nearly lost half my life catching this fish. If I don't eat it this time, I may never get another chance. Wealth and glory can be fought for with a blade and spear. Leaving behind such a regret would make life rather dull."
Zhang Yu drew his black sword and prepared to butcher the fish.
"Wait."
Lan Hao called out to him, untied something from his waist, and tossed it over.
"Use mine."
It was a short sword with a sharkskin sheath.
It felt slightly heavy in Zhang Yu's hand. When he drew it, cold light flashed from the blade, sharp to an extreme. The words 'Hanyuan' were engraved on its wooden hilt.
"Hanyuan? What a fine sword."
He removed all the scales, gills, and gallbladder, then put the fish meat into a large pot. He poured in half a jar of osmanthus wine and added clean ice and snow. He used no other seasoning. Of course, in this place and at this time, he had no oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar available anyway.
He added more firewood and boiled it plainly.
A moment later, the clear, sweet fragrance of fish gradually drifted out.
The finest ingredients often required only the simplest cooking, because the food's original flavor was already astonishing enough.
"Where did you get that black sword?"
"From an assassin. Brother Lan, you know this sword?"
"I've seen it from a distance a few times. It seems you've provoked those hounds of the Imperial Guards."
"This is an Imperial Guards sword? Aren't the Imperial Guards all supposed to wear Flying Fish Robes and carry Spring Embroidered Sabers?"
"There is a group within the Imperial Guards known as the Blood Shadow Assassins. They're divided into four ranks—A, B, C, and D. Their martial skills aren't necessarily high, but they're extremely loyal and proficient in all kinds of assassination techniques."
"There was once a Rank A Blood Shadow who sealed himself inside a wall, leaving only a small hole. He waited for three days, then, when his target passed by, fired poisoned needles from a mechanism. That Houtian Perfection expert died without ever knowing where his opponent was."
"The one you encountered should have been an ordinary Blood Shadow Assassin."
Zhang Yu smiled. "Looks like my luck isn't bad."
"In Pingding Prefecture, even the Imperial Guards wouldn't dare do much. At most, they can act in secret, so you don't need to worry too much. But outside, their influence is immense, and they're quite overbearing in their actions. After all, the imperial court stands behind them. They are the emperor's eyes, watching over the martial world."
"The imperial court actually has such a powerful force. It seems..."
"It seems they have little presence in the martial world, right?"
"First, although the martial world is chaotic, it won't shake the Ming dynasty ruled by the Han Family. On the contrary, its mutual slaughter benefits stability. Second, whether it's border troubles, the struggle for the throne, factional disputes, vassal princes, land annexation, pirates, or Japanese raiders, the old emperor can barely cope with them. Compared with the martial world, those are the matters that threaten the roots of the empire."
Zhang Yu nodded. "Brother Lan is well-informed."
Zhang Yu looked at the black sword and felt a lingering sense of fear. He had originally thought the assassin at Taiping Inn had been sent by Yang Lianting, but somehow, the matter had become connected to the Imperial Guards.
"The fish is ready. Brother Lan, please have some first."
Lan Hao picked up the most tender and delicious piece from the fish's belly and evaluated it with a faint smile. "It's tender and delicate as soon as it enters the mouth, with an incomparably clean sweetness. There isn't the slightest fishy taste of river fish or salty bitterness of sea fish. There's a faint fragrance of wine, but it doesn't overpower the main flavor, along with a trace of osmanthus fragrance that appears and fades, giving it remarkable layers. It seems your talent for cooking is greater than your talent in martial arts."
Zhang Yu smiled. "Is Brother Lan praising me or insulting me?"
"Of course I'm praising you! Of the three hundred and sixty trades in the world, mastery of any one of them brings its own fortune."
The two men broke reeds to use as chopsticks, ate their fill, and drank all the osmanthus wine.
Afterward, they chatted about interesting stories from the martial world, but neither asked too much about the other's identity.
"The enjoyment of wine and meat has come to an end."
Lan Hao rose with a smile and handed the short sword Hanyuan to Zhang Yu. "This dagger has been at my side for many years without ever being drawn or tasting blood. It could only become a tool for killing fish. That shouldn't be its fate. I hope you can make its name known throughout the martial world."
Zhang Yu accepted the short sword and smiled. "I hope to do as Brother Lan says and not let this treasured sword remain covered in dust."
Lan Hao smiled indifferently, said his farewells, and leaped away. He lightly touched the top of a reed, sending his body two or three zhang into the air. A sharp sound of splitting wind rang out overhead, and he had already vanished without a trace.
"What incredible movement skills."
"Brother Lan, just who are you? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone named Lan Hao in the martial world."
Zhang Yu looked at the pile of scales in the snow and clicked his tongue inwardly. "Could he be the Blue Scale Carp come to life?"
The second quarter of the Xu hour, at the city gate.
Pingding City had no curfew, and most of those coming and going were martial artists. Even that could not be prohibited.
Several old soldiers nominally belonging to the Imperial Guards' Thousand Households Office hugged their rusted spears and slept in the gate passage.
For merchants and cargo wagons passing through, they symbolically collected a few copper coins for wine money, treating it as a little extra income.
Of course, the unlucky men assigned to the night shift usually did not have such good fortune.
Tonight, however, three carriages arrived at the city gate, accompanied by five or six short-clad mounted men.
"Stop."
Seeing that they looked like outsiders, the old gatekeeper immediately perked up like a cat that had caught the scent of fish.
"Where are you from?"
"Fujian Prefecture."
"What are you carrying in the carriages?"
"We've come to wish Hall Master Tong a happy birthday. They're gifts."
"Coming to offer birthday congratulations? According to the rules, we should inspect them."
One of the men hurried forward, slipped three qian of silver into the old soldier's hand, and said with a smile, "Officer, please make things convenient for us. It's just a small token to buy tea for the brothers."
The old soldier weighed it in his hand, his face immediately blooming into a smile. He quickly called for someone to open the half-closed city gate and let the convoy in.
The curtain of one carriage was lifted, revealing a handsome young man in fine clothes, no more than fourteen or fifteen years old.
"Old Shi, we're here to offer birthday congratulations. Why do we have to wait until midnight to enter? We look like thieves."
The mounted man had a ramrod-straight back. An iron saber hung at his waist, radiating a fierce, valiant air.
He smiled at the youth. "The master gave instructions before we left. Tong Baixiong is an elder of the Demonic Cult, so we should keep as low-profile as possible."
"Since our paths are different, we shouldn't conspire together. Then why come at all?"
"Young Escort Chief, you don't know the whole story. The Chief Escort Chief ran into trouble in the north years ago. Although Tong Baixiong serves under the Demonic Cult, he's fairly righteous and once lent a hand. Besides, we make our living through the escort agency. We should befriend those on the Righteous Path, but we need to maintain ties with friends on the dark path even more."
After the carriage had gone farther away, another voice came from outside the city.
"Stop. Where are you from?"
"Pingding City."
Zhang Yu took out a wooden token and flashed it briefly.
The old soldiers said nothing and immediately opened the city gate.
Before you continue