Chapter Seven: The Dawn of Departure
Lu Xuan and Mr. An have a good relationship. Of course, in a place like Damai Camp, so-called friendships are a real luxury.
Lu Xuan had done a great deal of work for him to unify the Great Horse Camp, and he valued Lu Xuan's skills, treating him with respect. Lu Xuan never expected to become true friends with such a person. He was content as long as they could maintain a facade of harmony. In any case, he didn't plan to stay here forever.
"What? Not welcome?" The man surnamed An, accompanied by two attendants, casually sat down in the middle of the hall.
"Mr. An, it's a pleasure to have you here. I've brought out all my best stuff for you," Lu Xuan said, placing the fried pastries and mutton on the table.
"Really? Is this mutton really mutton? I'm telling you, I want real mutton. Don't try to fool me with horse meat, or don't blame me for not paying."
"Wait, you can't just say things like that. What do you mean by trying to fool me with horse meat? All the meat here is real mutton. You have to take responsibility for what you say."
This flaky pastry is made using the method Lu Xuan used in his previous life. He grinds pepper, salt, and other seasonings into a fine powder, then mixes it into mutton fat to create a flaky pastry. This flaky pastry is then mixed into the dough, and shaped into a baked pastry using the techniques for making layered flatbreads in later generations. Finally, it's baked on an iron plate. It's arguably the closest food from the Great Horse Camp to the taste of later generations.
However, Lu Xuan wouldn't sell this. Firstly, it's too troublesome to make, and secondly, it would spoil the palates of those butchers, making the mutton soup unsellable.
After exchanging a few familiar jokes, Mr. An picked up the sesame seed cake and took a big bite.
"It's delicious. Putting everything else aside, just look at your flaky pastries. I've had my cook make them dozens of times since I got back, and he still can't replicate the taste. I couldn't even get it right by whipping him. I had no choice but to come here to satisfy my craving."
Mr. An ate the flaky pastry with gusto, praising it as he did so. His two henchmen naturally echoed his sentiments.
In less than fifteen minutes, the three of them had devoured a large plate of mutton and more than a dozen fried pastries. Mr. An patted his belly and exclaimed.
"This kind of good stuff shouldn't be eaten too much. It's easy to get too full if you eat too much, and if you're too full, your knife skills will slow down. So, you can't eat it in a row. I'll come back in a few days."
After saying that, he showed no intention of paying and simply turned and left with his men.
However, he stopped at the door and turned back to look at Su Yuan.
"I heard there was a huge sandstorm in the west yesterday, did you happen to be there?"
"I did run into them, but I was just on the verge of death and barely escaped with my life," Lu Xuan said without changing his expression.
"That's good. That sandstorm was quite severe. I heard that a Tang Dynasty merchant caravan was completely wiped out in it. They still can't find a single member. You didn't happen to witness it, did you?"
"Hehe, I've heard about that, but I almost lost my life back then, so I didn't have time to worry about others. At least I didn't see anyone in that area at the time."
"Oh well, never mind then. Someone asked me to find that caravan, but with such a huge sandstorm, they might have been buried in the desert along with their horses. Where am I supposed to find them? We'll pay for the meal next time. Bye."
After speaking, the man surnamed An didn't wait for Lu Xuan's response and led his subordinates out of the mutton soup restaurant. However, at that moment, a furious shout suddenly came from outside.
"The Death-Taking Demon, Ma Kui."
Lu Xuan paused in his movements. The accent was neither Hu nor Han; it sounded more like that of a foreigner from later times. In this area, only one person had this accent: the Japanese envoy to Tang China, Rai Xi.
He was also a secret agent directly under the Tang Emperor, essentially a high-ranking field agent of the Tang Dynasty. Ma Kui, within the country, seemed to be a serial killer; encountering Lai Xi was like walking into a trap. Lai Xi made a living by hunting down fugitives like them...
Ma Kui responded fiercely. The next second, the sound of both men drawing their swords simultaneously could be heard.
Ma Kui was a skilled swordsman and a desperate criminal. In this area, no one dared to mess with him. But this time, he'd met someone even tougher.
There wasn't even the sound of swords clashing; the moment the sword was drawn was accompanied by Ma Kui's scream. Three screams followed, then silence returned.
A few breaths later, Mr. An's applause rang out from outside the door.
"Excellent swordsmanship..."
Inside the mutton soup restaurant, Lu Xuan's hand trembled slightly as he wiped the table. The man surnamed An had just mentioned the caravan, and with Lai Xi outside, he was ninety percent certain that the caravan Mr. An was looking for was the very one he had been waiting for.
The caravan was carrying a relic of Shakyamuni Buddha. This relic held more than just religious value. In the Western Regions, there were hundreds of Buddhist kingdoms, large and small. Whoever possessed a relic of Shakyamuni Buddha could easily gain the support of these kingdoms. This would provide immense convenience for both military and civilian endeavors. This relic possessed strategic value.
Lu Xuan had long ago deduced that if he could send this item back to the Tang Dynasty, all the problems would be solved. He should be able to easily obtain a good reward. However, participating in this matter still required some preparation.
He endured until Mr. An was out of sight. Lu Xuan immediately turned to the old man and said, "Wake Xiao Si up. Come to my bedroom."
Lu Xuan's unprecedentedly serious expression made the old man not say anything more, and he quickly turned and left.
Lu Xuan went to his bedroom and opened a small box by his bedside. Inside was mostly coins, jewelry, silver, and a few gold coins.
This was all the wealth Lu Xuan had accumulated over the years. Without hesitation, he took it all out. Just then, the old man walked in with Xiao Si. Seeing Lu Xuan's actions, the two were momentarily stunned.
"Master, what's going on here...?"
“I’m leaving. This is all the savings we’ve accumulated over the years. I’ll take half, and you two can split the rest.”
"No, boss, what do you mean? Are you abandoning us?" The old man pushed Lu Xuan's hand away and asked rudely.
"...You should know that I never wanted to live here. Now there's an opportunity I want to seize, and use it to return to the Tang Dynasty. But this opportunity is fraught with peril. I can't take care of both of you."
"Pah! I don't need you to take care of me. Count how many times I've saved you in these three years. Didn't you learn most of your skills from me? Do you think I need you to take care of me?"
“I…I roughly know what’s in the caravan. It’s not just Mr. An who’s looking for that caravan; what he really wants are the Turks. This isn’t the time to kill bandits. What we’re facing is the regular Turkic army, or even the Turkic Wolf Guard.”
"So, the caravan is transporting some priceless treasure, right? If you deliver it safely, you'll naturally receive a reward from the court and live a comfortable life in Chang'an for the rest of your days? I mean, aren't you being incredibly heartless? Going to Chang'an to enjoy a life of luxury without taking me along..."
Unable to resist the old man's unreasonable nagging, Lu Xuan turned his attention to Xiao Si. This child was a homeless boy from Damaying, the kind who could survive on his own. He had been with Lu Xuan for less than two years, didn't talk much, but was very clever.
"Xiao Si, what about you? After I leave, this shop is yours!"
"No, I don't want to. Wherever Master goes, I'll go!" Xiao Si said resolutely. Lu Xuan felt a headache coming on, but he was also slightly moved. After three years, they had finally found two kindred spirits.
"Then let's begin preparations..."
------------
Chapter Eight: Trapped Beast