Outside Beishan County City.
Three riders departed the city. They passed the inn and entered the rice fields. After traversing the fields, they reached the mountainous terrain. Suddenly, a whistle sounded. The three riders turned their heads and saw Lei Zong Kang, who stood on the mountainside, waving to them.
Black Peony, Duan Hu, and Wu San Liang immediately stopped, turned their horses, and rode towards him. Black Peony turned her head and asked:
"Why are you here?"
Earlier, Niu You Dao had told her to go to Beishan City to find Duan Hu and Wu San Liang, but the place she had left was not here.
Suddenly, hoofbeats sounded, and a figure emerged from behind the hill, stopping near Lei Zong Kang. Niu You Dao looked at them. Lei Zong Kang also leaped onto his horse.
"Lord Dao!" Duan Hu and Wu San Liang cupped their hands in salute, greeting Niu You Dao with joy.
Although they were rogue cultivators, the moment they saw Niu You Dao, their sense of isolation vanished. Beside Niu You Dao, they became more confident.
"You must be tired from the journey!" Niu You Dao narrowed his eyes, looked at them, then glanced at Black Peony.
Black Peony replied, "Lord Dao, I saw something. At the post station, besides the hanging lanterns, there was also a flower hanging near one room."
Niu You Dao nodded.
Duan Hu also added, "Lord Dao, on the way, we saw many people arrested from the post stations. We learned from the stablehands that it seems they were our people."
"Let's go!" Niu You Dao smiled and turned his horse around. With that, they moved on.
He had already learned all this himself on the road. All it took was tossing a few coins to any stablehand, and they would tell him everything in detail.
Therefore, he immediately understood that Hai Ru Yue had done everything he asked.
Of course, Niu You Dao could have reported the spies at the post stations to the local authorities himself, but who knew whom he would encounter? How loyal would that official be to the Zhao Kingdom, and how incorruptible? Niu You Dao couldn't take such a risk. These were troubled times, so people were capable of much in pursuit of gain.
Moreover, would an official truly believe Niu You Dao's words? He would first verify Niu You Dao's information, and that would take time.
He didn't know what would happen in such a case, so he directly approached Hai Ru Yue. If Hai Ru Yue acted, she would resolve everything swiftly. And the results were clear to see.
So they continued their journey. The group followed Niu You Dao day and night.
Although there should have been no problems with the post stations now, the group still camped out in the wilderness or mountains just in case. They only stopped at post stations when it rained heavily. Even then, they tried not to interact with anyone.
That day, it rained heavily again, so their group once more stopped at a post station.
Thunder rumbled outside. In the room where Niu You Dao was bathing, the window was open, and he gazed out at the scenery. He placed a pitcher beside his sword and occasionally sipped wine. Only when the water cooled did he rise, change his clothes, and knock twice on the wooden wall.
"Knock-knock."
Soon, Black Peony entered. She surveyed the surroundings, then called for a servant to remove the bathtub. She herself took a comb and began to comb Niu You Dao's hair.
"It's raining heavily outside. Why don't you close the window?" Black Peony asked.
Niu You Dao slowly replied:
"I listen to the wind, I listen to the rain; I watch the wind, I watch the rain."
Black Peony was at a loss for words. After she finished combing his hair, Black Peony took his clothes and went to wash them. She had long grown accustomed to this routine.
In fact, the others had also grown used to this arrangement and thought it was simply how things should be. They even suspected Niu You Dao and Black Peony were intimate.
At that moment, Niu You Dao lay on the bed in his clothes, one arm tucked under his head, and began to drift off to sleep.
Not long after, Black Peony returned, having washed the clothes. She placed a cup before Niu You Dao.
Niu You Dao opened his eyes and asked:
"What is this?"
Black Peony: "Rock candy."
Niu You Dao waved his finger, indicating he wasn't interested.
Black Peony had merely found an excuse to come here.
"The rain outside is inconsistent. It stops and starts. Perhaps we should stay here today?" Niu You Dao opened his eyes, looked outside, then looked at the cup in Black Peony's hand.
He asked, "Ask the post station if they have any meat."
"Pork, I think?" Black Peony replied, a hint of doubt in her voice. Had she misheard?
"Mm!" Niu You Dao nodded.
Black Peony: "I just saw them butchering pork."
Niu You Dao stood up and headed outside. "Today, I'll treat you all."
"...Black Peony didn't understand him. "Treat us?"
Then she realized. Niu You Dao was heading to the kitchen. It seemed he intended to cook the food himself.
Black Peony began to persuade him:
"Lord Dao, why cook yourself? You can just ask the post station workers."
Niu You Dao looked at Duan Hu and the others who had followed them out, and smiled, saying:
"You're lucky. Today, I'll show you a secret cooking method. In this world, only two people know of it."
As soon as he spoke, several people followed him into the kitchen. They ushered the stablehands out.
Niu You Dao told his subordinates to find ginger and garlic. Yuan Gang had previously mentioned that some ingredients were scarce here. One could only find them in pharmacies, and even then, they weren't suitable for cooking.
Niu You Dao pulled out a knife and began to carve the pork. His movements were graceful and agile. At the same time, he lit the stove, washed and cleaned the vegetables. He also thoroughly washed the cooking utensils.
When the wok on the stove heated up, Niu You Dao threw the meat in, specifically pork fat, and occasionally stirred it with a spatula. After that, he sprinkled in ginger, garlic, and whatever other spices he could find.
Black Peony and the others watched him in bewilderment. They even wondered, could Niu You Dao have been a chef before?
Fat rendered from the braised meat. Then he took out the rock candy, crushed it, and threw the pieces into the oil.
Black Peony and the others were at a loss for words. Could this even be eaten? How could oil be mixed with sugar?
After the sugar dissolved, Niu You Dao added the meat and began to stir-fry it. Occasionally, he sprinkled ginger and other spices on top.
Very quickly, an amazing aroma spread throughout the kitchen, making everyone's appetite sharpen.
Several people now believed that this was indeed a secret method.
Black Peony looked at Lei Zong Kang and said:
"We'll need to make sure none of the stablehands come near."
She didn't want anyone else to learn this secret method.
Sauce remained in the wok. Niu You Dao also threw fish in and cooked it in the same sauce. Then he added greens, using pork fat for this as well. There was nothing else for it; there was no other oil available here.
Niu You Dao then nodded to Black Peony. He showed her how to cook.
After that, Niu You Dao left everything and departed.
"This is a potential source of income. Clean everything thoroughly. Leave no traces!" Black Peony whispered to Duan Hu. She was afraid that someone else might learn about this secret method.
Inside the post station hall, a crowd had gathered. They smelled the appetizing aroma and curiously watched as several people carried out the dishes.
After that, the small group began to eat the dishes with great appetite and sip wine.
Niu You Dao only took a small taste and stopped eating. No matter what, he had eaten better cooking. It was a pity there weren't proper ingredients here. He made do with what he had. However, Black Peony and the others fell upon the food like hungry wolves. Their eyes gleamed. They never imagined that greens could be so delicious.
The stablehands watched them with doubt. Could the food truly be that delicious? Yet, it certainly smelled amazing!
The station master asked:
"Did you manage to see how they cooked it?"
One cook shook his head:
"I don't know. I only know they also added medicinal herbs."
The station master was speechless:
"How could medicinal herbs be eaten like that?"
The table, however, was already empty. Duan Hu and the others had eaten everything.
Even Black Peony forgot her manners and etiquette, eating no less heartily than the men.
When Wu San Liang finished eating, he said:
"Lord Dao, to the east, right next to us, is the Beizhou region of the Han Kingdom."
He reminded him of this because if they were indeed going to the Han Kingdom, Beizhou was currently under the Han Kingdom's dominion. However, it was formerly Yan Kingdom territory.
Niu You Dao smiled coldly:
"When the time comes, you'll know." Then he stood up and left.
Everyone knew that the Supreme Purity Sect was now settled there, under Shao Deng Yun's protection.
Black Peony looked at Wu San Liang and scolded him:
"You're eating, so why are you spouting nonsense?"
Wu San Liang was surprised:
"What did I say wrong?"
Black Peony: "Why did you mention Beizhou?"
Wu San Liang was puzzled: "What if I mentioned it?"
Black Peony said discontentedly:
"You already know Lord Dao's situation, so why are you spouting nonsense again? Didn't you know the Supreme Purity Sect is now in Beizhou, and that Lord Dao is from the Supreme Purity Sect? Why rub salt in his wounds?"
Wu San Liang's expression changed, and he immediately whispered, "I spoke out of turn. I didn't mean to."
On the second day, when the rain stopped, the group set off again. Niu You Dao leaped onto his horse and froze in place at the sight. He saw a black wok strapped to Lei Zong Kang's back and a sack slung over Wu San Liang's. Duan Hu was also approaching with a gourd and other vegetables.
"Are they taking the kitchen with them?" Niu You Dao furrowed his brows and asked:
"What are you doing?"
At that moment, Black Peony ran up and tossed something else into Wu San Liang's sack and chuckled, saying:
"It'll be useful on the road..."
"...Niu You Dao was speechless.
"Do these people have nothing better to do? Aren't they tired from the journey?"
He immediately galloped ahead.
The others followed him as before, but the constant clanging of the wok irritated Niu You Dao.