The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Wenfei and Li Wei crossed the northwestern border and entered the Western Regions.

"We should find some clothes from the Western Regions to wear, so as not to arouse suspicion," Wenfei said.

“There’s no one here. Where are you going to find Western Region clothes?” Li Wei said.

“Look over there are a few tents. They must belong to nomadic herders. I’ll go take a look. You wait here for me,” Wenfei said.

"Be careful!" Li Wei said.

Wenfei looked around and quickly ran to the nearest tent. He carefully opened the tent flap and looked inside. To his surprise, the tent was empty. Reassured, Wenfei went inside, opened the closet, grabbed two sets of clothes, and walked out of the tent.

As soon as Wenfei opened the curtain, a fist came flying at him. Wenfei dodged the punch by sidestepping it, and then heard the man say, "Shameless thief! You actually stole from my house."

Wenfei stepped aside and said, "Uncle, I'm sorry! I just wanted to borrow two sets of clothes from your house. I came here earlier, but you weren't home, so I had to take them by myself. I have money, can't I buy your clothes?"

"I'm not buying!" the uncle said.

"Uncle, if you don't buy it, I'll just have to rob you. Here's some money for you." Wenfei said as he ran, turning back to throw the money at the uncle.

"Wenfei, hurry up!" Li Wei was leading the horse and waiting for him.

Wenfei and his companions mounted their horses and galloped away, leaving the uncle behind, stamping his feet in frustration.

"It looks like the military tents of the Western Regions army ahead," Wen Fei said, standing on the steep slope.

"I wonder which tribe in the Western Regions it is?" Li Wei said.

"I'll go scout ahead first. You wait here for me. If I get caught, you run first," Wenfei said.

Li Wei watched Wen Fei run down the slope, then lay prone behind the steep slope, vigilantly observing the surroundings.

Wen Fei ran towards the military tent below, and was soon spotted by the patrolling Western Region soldiers, who rode their horses to surround him.

"Everyone! I'm not a bad person, I'm here to stay with my relatives," Wenfei said.

"Whom have you come to seek refuge with?" the soldier asked.

“Prince Yuchi, Yuchi Liang,” Wen Fei said.

The Western Region soldiers looked at each other, half believing and half doubting Wen Fei, and asked, "Why have you come to seek refuge with Prince Yuchi?"

“Our tribe was occupied by the northern tribes, and my parents were cruelly murdered by them. I am now homeless. My parents used to be the private cooks for Prince Yuchi. Before they died, they told me to come and seek refuge with Prince Yuchi Liang.” Wenfei said, wiping away tears.

“Come with us!” the soldier said.

Wenfei followed the patrolling soldiers to a military tent, where a soldier said, "Wait here for a moment."

Wen Fei paced back and forth in front of the tent, observing the surrounding situation. He noticed a tense atmosphere pervading the Western Regions army.

The soldier opened the military tent and gestured for Wen Fei to enter. Wen Fei went inside, where a man who appeared to be a general was sitting.

"This is our left-wing general, Hulun."

"Greetings, General Hulun!" Wen Fei bowed and greeted him.

"Have you come to seek refuge with Prince Yuchi?" General Hulun asked.

“Yes, General!” Wen Fei replied.

"Your parents were Prince Yuchi's cooks. Do you know how to cook?" General Hulun asked.

"I didn't do a good job," Wenfei said.

"It's alright! You cook for me first, and after you've eaten, I'll have someone take you to see Prince Yuchi," General Hulun said.

"Where is our kitchen? I'll cook for the general right away!" Wenfei said.

"Take him to the kitchen!" General Hulun ordered.

Wenfei followed the soldiers to the kitchen, where more than a dozen people were working. Outside the military tents, some were slaughtering cattle and sheep, and several large iron pots were set up with a roaring fire, the water boiling repeatedly. Large chunks of beef and mutton were being placed into the boiling pots, while others were being roasted over the fire. Some were even cutting off pieces of half-cooked beef and mutton and stuffing them directly into their mouths, chewing them vigorously. Wenfei watched, his stomach churning, almost vomiting. He truly admired these people from the Western Regions; their appetite for beef and mutton was so robust.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Come and cook for General Hulun."

Wenfei entered the kitchen, where more than a dozen people were watching him. He looked around and found only a few potatoes. When Wenfei saw the potatoes, it was like seeing a savior. Shredded potatoes were the first dish he learned to make from his grandmother when he was a child.

Wenfei confidently brought over the potato. He looked around but couldn't find any tools to peel it, so he simply picked up the cleaver on the table. When the kitchen staff saw Wenfei pick up the cleaver, they all looked nervous. Seeing this, Wenfei smiled and said, "Peel it."

Wenfei quickly finished peeling the potatoes. He then looked closely and realized that there were no other knives in the kitchen besides a cleaver. He could only use the cleaver to try and cut the potatoes into strips. The people in the kitchen were very curious about Wenfei's work, because they usually just chopped the potatoes with a cleaver and threw them into the pot to stew with the beef and mutton.

Wenfei prepared the ingredients and found a smaller pot. He heated the food vigorously, put mutton fat into the pot, added some wild onions and red chili peppers, and then put shredded potatoes into the pot.

"If only we had some vinegar, we could make a hot and sour shredded potato dish. But for now, we can only make a spicy stir-fried shredded potato dish," Wenfei said.

Soon, the shredded potatoes were cooked. Wenfei put them on a plate and handed them to General Hulun.

General Hulun looked at the large plate of shredded potatoes and asked, "What kind of dish is this?"

"Spicy stir-fried potato shreds!" Wenfei said.

“Shredded potatoes! I’ve never had this dish here before,” General Hulun said.

"Please, General, try it and see if it suits your taste?" Wenfei said.

General Hulun picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of shredded potato, and savored it carefully.

"You've really got it! It tastes great! I like it!" General Hulun gave a thumbs up.

"Thank you for your praise, General! Can I go see Prince Yuchi now?" Wenfei said.

"After you finish your meal with me, I will personally take you to see Prince Yuchi," General Hulun said.

"How could I possibly eat with the general? I'll go to the kitchen and eat with them," Wen Fei refused.

"I, the general, will have you stay here to eat," General Hulun said.

"Then thank you very much, General!" Wenfei sat down opposite Hulun and ate with him.

Wenfei kept picking at the shredded potatoes and was about to finish the plate when Hulun quickly took the remaining shredded potatoes and placed a large bowl of beef and mutton in front of Wenfei.

When Wenfei saw the large basin of beef and mutton, he immediately thought of the people eating raw meat in the kitchen earlier, and his heart began to churn again.

"What's wrong? You look terrible," General Hulun asked.

"I guess I caught a cold from traveling all this time, because I feel nauseous whenever I see meat," Wenfei said.

“We grew up eating beef and mutton, this shouldn’t be happening!” General Hulun said.

Wenfei reached out his chopsticks to pick up some shredded potatoes, but General Hulun immediately protected the few remaining shredded potatoes. Wenfei had no choice but to pick up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, pretending to enjoy it.