Chapter 158: An Untransmitted Secret

Outside Beishan County seat, three riders emerged from the city and immediately urged their horses into a gallop.

Fields stretched along both sides of the official road, the green rice seedlings growing well.

After crossing the farmland, the road ran straight into wooded hills.

The three riders had barely entered the hilly country when a sharp whistle sounded.

They turned their heads and saw Lei Zongkang standing atop a nearby hill, waving to them.

Black Peony, Duan Hu, and Wu Sanliang hauled sharply on their reins, wheeled their horses around, and rode back beneath the slope.

Black Peony looked up. “Why did you come here?”

Earlier, Niu Youdao had sent her into Beishan County to find Duan Hu and Wu Sanliang.

Their agreed meeting place had not been here, but farther ahead. Hoofbeats sounded on the hill.

Niu Youdao appeared beside Lei Zongkang, swaying casually in the saddle as he looked down at them. He tapped his horse’s flanks with both legs. The animal carried him charging down the slope. Lei Zongkang turned away.

A short while later, he too came galloping down on horseback.

“Master Dao!”

Duan Hu and Wu Sanliang cupped their fists together, both openly pleased to see him again. They were still independent cultivators.

Yet without anyone noticing exactly when it happened, as long as Niu Youdao stood before them, they no longer felt like the same penniless independent cultivators they had once been.

“You’ve both worked hard on the road.”

Niu Youdao smiled at the pair, then lifted his chin toward Black Peony.

She immediately reported, “Master Dao, I checked. Beneath the eaves of the inn, apart from the lanterns, the most conspicuous thing hanging there is a large red flower.”

Niu Youdao nodded.

Duan Hu added, “Master Dao, on the way to Beishan we saw arrests taking place at a relay station. We asked around. It seems they were arresting precisely those hidden eyes planted inside the stations.”

“Let’s go.”

Niu Youdao smiled faintly, turned his horse, and rode away. The others followed.

As for what Duan Hu had just reported, Niu Youdao had already had people casually question relay attendants along the road.

A little money was enough to learn that arrests had broken out at many stations.

The moment he heard that, he knew Hai Ruyue had followed through.

In fact, he could have tried contacting local officials himself at the time. But officials below the central court were complicated. Who knew what loyalties they had?

Who knew how much loyalty they truly bore toward the court of the State of Zhao?

Who knew whether factional struggles might cause the report to be suppressed?

He could not be certain anyone would report the matter promptly.

Nor did he know whether some official might be compromised in the same way as the planted relay attendants.

Seeing how miserably the local common people lived, Niu Youdao had little confidence in those officials to begin with.

Besides, local officials could not make decisions on matters of this scale. Many would not dare shoulder the responsibility.

Would they really report a random accusation upward before understanding what had happened? Niu Youdao had no faith in that. Layer upon layer of reporting would also waste time.

Since he did not understand the local structure and wanted the safest solution, he had gone through Hai Ruyue.

Hai Ruyue would know exactly whom at court to contact if she wanted the problem solved quickly. The result proved he had chosen correctly.

On and on they rode beneath Heaven, the others blindly following Niu Youdao day and night.

Although he estimated the relay-station problem had been cleared away, they still avoided resting at stations whenever possible. At night they slept in the wilderness or forests.

Only when they ran into rain would they stop at a relay station to recover, and even then they tried to minimize unnecessary contact with the station personnel. One day another torrential downpour caught them on the road.

The group ducked into a small relay station and rented rooms to rest. Lightning split the sky outside. Thunder rolled without pause.

Niu Youdao soaked in a wooden bathing tub with the window propped open.

Reclining in the water, he watched the wind and rain lashing the world outside.

Beside him stood a pot of cloudy wine and his sword.

From time to time he poured himself a cup and drank slowly.

Only when the pot was empty and the bathwater had gone cold did he climb out. After changing clothes, he knocked twice against the wooden wall. Thump. Thump.

Before long, Black Peony opened the door, looked in, then left again.

She called over relay attendants to carry the bathing tub away.

Only afterward did she return with a comb and begin arranging Niu Youdao’s hair.

“The rain outside is so heavy. Why not close the window?” Black Peony asked.

What she really wanted to say was: You even bathe with the window open?

Then she remembered that she herself had once bathed outdoors and swallowed the remark.

Sitting there with his eyes closed, Niu Youdao replied lazily, “Listen to the wind and rain. Watch the wind and rain.”

Black Peony had nothing to say to that. After finishing his hair, she took his clothes away to wash.

Along the road she had already grown accustomed to waiting on him.

And he accepted the service as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Everyone else tacitly considered it natural too.

They all assumed there was something between the two of them.

Fresh and clean, Niu Youdao lay sideways on the bed fully dressed, his head propped on one arm as he dozed. Not long afterward, Black Peony returned after washing the clothes.

She knocked and entered, then set a bowl in front of him.

Niu Youdao half opened his eyes. “What is it?”

“White sugar.”

He flicked his fingers vaguely and closed his eyes again, showing no interest in eating it. Bringing the sugar had only been an excuse.

Black Peony said, “The rain keeps stopping and starting. The weather won’t settle. Why don’t we rest here today and leave tomorrow?”

Niu Youdao opened his eyes and looked at the sky outside. Then his gaze settled on the bowl in her hands.

After a brief pause, he said, “Ask whether the station has any fatty pork.”

“Fat from a pig?” Black Peony asked suspiciously, thinking she had misheard.

“Mm.”

Niu Youdao nodded.

“They do. They just slaughtered a pig.”

Niu Youdao rolled off the bed and headed for the door. “I’ll treat all of you to a meal.”

“...”

Black Peony was baffled. Treat us to a meal?

Was that necessary?

She understood soon enough. Following him into the relay station kitchen, she finally realized from his manner that he intended to cook personally.

She hurriedly tried to stop him. “Master Dao, how can we let you do something like this? Just have the station people cook.”

Niu Youdao looked at the others who had followed them in and joked, “You people are blessed today. I’ll teach you an untransmitted secret. At present, only two people in this world know it.”

The moment they heard the words “untransmitted secret,” the others immediately drove every relay-station worker out of the kitchen.

Niu Youdao then sent them to ask the station for ginger and garlic.

Yuan Gang had previously checked and discovered that kitchens in this world did not normally keep such things. Apothecaries had them, but as medicine, not food.

For example, when travelers arrived soaked by rain, relay stations sometimes served them hot ginger decoction.

Niu Youdao rolled up his sleeves and took a knife in hand. He trimmed off the fatty pork and began slicing it.

A man who could wield a sword so beautifully naturally found this trivial.

At the same time, he directed the others. Some lit the fire. Some washed vegetables. Some cleaned the cooking utensils.

Once the wok was smoking hot, he dropped in the fatty pork without adding anything else.

He stirred it a few times with the spatula, then left it rendering.

Next he cut pork belly into chunks and prepared ginger, garlic, and the other seasonings. Black Peony and the others exchanged looks. His movements were clean and practiced. He handled the utensils in perfect order.

They began wondering whether he had once worked as a cook. The fatty pork slowly rendered into lard.

He scooped out the cracklings and poured most of the lard into a bowl.

Then he crushed some of the white sugar and added it to the fat remaining in the wok. Black Peony and the others stared.

What was he doing?

Sugar mixed with oil like that looked rather disgusting. Could it really be eaten? Niu Youdao stirred the wok.

Once the sugar had caramelized, he poured in a basin of meat and tossed it until the pieces took on color.

After that came the ginger, garlic, and other seasonings, followed by slow braising. Very quickly, a strange fragrance drifted through the kitchen.

It was a smell none of them had ever encountered before. One breath was enough to wake the appetite. Several noses twitched. Their expressions turned solemn.

They were beginning to believe this really was some untransmitted secret.

Black Peony quietly told Lei Zongkang, “Keep watch. Don’t let anyone come close.”

Her meaning was obvious. Do not let outsiders steal the method.

Once a glossy pot of red-braised pork was finished, Niu Youdao pan-fried a fish.

He also stir-fried several kinds of green vegetables from the kitchen with meat. Everything used lard. There was no choice. No other cooking oil was available here.

As he worked, Niu Youdao instructed Black Peony, teaching her each step.

When everything was finished, he dusted off his hands and walked away like a shopkeeper who had delegated the rest.

“This is a way to make money. Clean everything thoroughly. Don’t leave traces behind!”

Black Peony quietly instructed Duan Hu, still afraid someone might learn the secret. Then she and the others carried the dishes away.

Inside the relay station’s main hall, everyone had long since smelled the tempting fragrance. Curious eyes followed the plates as they came out. What followed was naturally a feast. The group ate heartily and drank in great gulps. Black Peony and the others could barely stop themselves. Niu Youdao only sampled a little. To him, the taste was merely passable.

They still lacked too many seasonings. If he and Yuan Gang were cooking for themselves, they certainly would not settle for such a half-baked version.

But to Black Peony and the others, the dishes might as well have been incomparable delicacies. Every pair of eyes shone as they ate. They practically wanted to swallow their own tongues. The meat dishes were one thing.

They had never imagined green vegetables could be made so delicious. The relay-station staff kept watching from a distance. Was it really that good? It did smell astonishingly fragrant.

The station master quietly asked the cook, “Can you tell how they made it?”

The cook shook his head. “No. I only know they added several medicinal herbs.”

The station master was left speechless. Then better not taste it. How could medicine be eaten carelessly? Every serving dish on the table was eventually cleaned bare.

Duan Hu and the others leaned back rubbing their stomachs, looking deeply satisfied and still unwilling to stop.

Black Peony smiled rather shyly, embarrassed by how she had eaten just now. But it truly had been satisfying.

Wu Sanliang, rubbing his stomach, could not help offering a reminder.

“Master Dao, not far to the east is Beizhou of the State of Han.”

There was a reason he mentioned it. They had been traveling north all this time and seemed to be heading toward the State of Han.

If that was truly their destination, Beizhou lay directly to the east.

It had once belonged to the State of Yan but was now territory of the State of Han.

Niu Youdao smiled faintly. “You’ll know when the time comes.”

With that, he rose and left. There was a reason he preferred making a detour.

According to what he had heard, the Shangqing Sect was now inside Shao Dengyun’s territory in Beizhou. Better to have one problem less than one problem more.

He intended to avoid running into anyone from the Shangqing Sect if possible.

Black Peony turned and scolded Wu Sanliang. “You had food in your mouth and still couldn’t keep it shut?”

Wu Sanliang stared. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Why bring up Beizhou for no reason?”

“What’s wrong with mentioning Beizhou?”

Black Peony lowered her voice. “You know Master Dao’s identity now. Haven’t you heard that rumor? The current sect leader of the Shangqing Sect is in Beizhou. If the rumor is true, aren’t you picking at someone’s scar?”

The rumor she meant was the one released by the Song family.

It claimed Tang Yi had married Niu Youdao only to deceive him and steal the sect-leader position from him.

Neither party involved had ever spoken about it, so outsiders had no idea whether it was true. Wu Sanliang froze.

Then he quickly apologized in a whisper. “My mistake. My mistake.”

The next day, the rain had cleared and the sky was bright. The group prepared to set out again.

Niu Youdao had just mounted when the sight before him left him staring. Lei Zongkang had a black wok strapped to his back. Wu Sanliang was holding a burlap sack.

Duan Hu hurried over carrying ladles, bowls, basins, and other kitchenware, stuffing them into the open sack.

Were these people planning to move the entire station kitchen away?

Niu Youdao frowned. “What are you doing?”

Black Peony came running out behind them and tossed another wrapped bundle into Wu Sanliang’s sack.

She grinned. “Bringing them along. We’ll need them on the road.”

“...”

Niu Youdao rolled his eyes. These people really did not mind burdening themselves.

Too speechless to argue, he spurred his horse and rode off first. The others mounted and followed.

Only now, for the entire road ahead, Wu Sanliang’s sack kept going clank, clatter, clang without end. Niu Youdao’s teeth ached just listening to it.

[End of Chapter 158]