(2)
Located a hundred miles west of Cangzhou, there is a small town surrounded by mountains and rivers. The town is quiet on weekdays, and only some fireworks are seen when rushing to the early market. It’s cold in winter and no one wants to go out at night, so there are no late gatherings.
The police officer swaggered through the market with his sword in hand. Because it was too peaceful today, he couldn't bear the loneliness and once again left his post without permission and went to a wine shop to pass the time.
There were still the same drinkers, the same dishes, and the same topics. Half a day passed without any surprises. The guard suddenly noticed the smell of blood in the air. He looked outside and saw a group of four people passing by the wine shop.
Their faces were unfamiliar and they came from the east. Logically speaking, there would be few strangers coming from this direction during these days due to the rumors of man-eating "giant bears" in the mountains and forests east of the city.
The timid people will take a detour, and most of the people who don’t know the importance will be dead.
They were the only ones who entered the city through the east gate as if nothing had happened.
"Hey! What do you guys smell like?" The guy stopped in front of the four of them, holding the handle of the knife with his hand.
A young swordsman took out three cloth bags and threw them on the ground, and replied: "Brother, we killed the man-eating giant bear to receive the reward."
"What?" The officer stepped forward to open the bag and was shocked: "This, this, this! Come on, catch the murderer quickly!"
He drew his sword and confronted the man, but the young swordsman said: "I'm going with you. I'm worried that I can't find a place to collect the reward..."
After a while, all four of them were captured and taken to the government office. After hearing the news, the town official arrived and shouted: "Are you the one who killed all the three Orion brothers?"
The young man said: "Sir, they are not hunters. They block the roads, trap and kill people who pass by, and then pretend to be giant bears in the mountains. They are killing harm for the people without any regrets."
"What's your name?" the town official asked, "What evidence do you have to prove that you didn't kill innocent people indiscriminately?"
"My Majesty Bai Feng, although there is no evidence, I am willing to guarantee with my life that I did not kill innocent people indiscriminately." After Bai Feng said that, he immediately presented his sword and continued: "If you don't believe me, we can wait in the city for a while. Time, if there are no more rumors of "giant bears" eating people, I will take away the reward. I will mortgage this sword here for the time being. If people are still killed during this period, your Excellency will use this sword to cut off my Head.”
The town official looked surprised and murmured: "Bai Feng? How come I seem to have heard this name somewhere..."
A boy on the side echoed: "Sir, it seems that he is a rebel leader from Beizhen. He led his troops to kill the rebels and the Rouran people some time ago..."
"I see, no wonder you are so upright!" The town official nodded in approval, and then said to Bai Feng: "Bai Shaoxia, although you have done many good things for the court and the people, it is really inappropriate to kill someone without any evidence. You stay here for half a month and see if there are any rumors about the giant bear harming anyone. When the time comes, return the sword and the silver reward."
Bai Feng cupped his hands and said in respect, "Thank you, Sir."
After the incident, Bai Feng and the four of them found a nearby inn to stay. The town official assigned two officers to follow them. He openly praised Bai Feng as a hero, but in fact he was still afraid of Bai Feng escaping with the guilty body. .
At night, Bai Feng suddenly called Yu Ke out of the house and ordered: "Our money and food are not enough to last for half a month, so we have discussed with the store to do chores for them to offset part of the meal money. Tonight, you Just be responsible for carrying water and filling that water tank."
After talking, Bai Feng brought Yu Ke to the water tank and said, "You have done this kind of thing before, so you don't need my teaching, right?"
Yu Ke looked at the large water tank in front of him, which was enough to hold four or five of himself, and said in shock: "This... this water tank is too big! Brother, it's so late, the road is not easy to walk, and besides, I can't You know where to go to fetch water.”
"The store said the water source is in the woods to the southwest outside the town. Akko, do you know where the southwest is?" Bai Feng asked.
Yu Ke looked around and shook his head, embarrassed.
"Come on, look up at the sky." Bai Feng pointed to the sky. "If you see those seven stars that look like the handle of a bucket, that's the Big Dipper! Try facing it, and then keep walking to the left and back..."
"Yes, this way?" She raised her finger tremblingly, "I don't know, I'm afraid I've gone astray."
"If you don't go, how do you know you've taken a wrong turn?" Bai Feng said, "Go out by yourself tonight and get this." Bai Feng borrowed an oil lamp from the store and asked Yu Ke to hold it: "The road is not far, it's just a living It may be a bit heavy. But this is different from when you were in Cangzhou - in the past, you did things to let others eat and drink well. Now, you have to do it for yourself and to be able to continue traveling to find your mother. And do things, understand?”
"Hmm..." Yu Ke picked up the oil lamp and sounded very unconfident.
"You promised me, there are only five copper plates left in that string of copper coins!" Bai Feng joked: "In other words, you still have a long way to practice. Go, A'ke, if you can't fill it up before tomorrow. Water tank, we are in trouble! Haven't you always wanted to do something for everyone? Then why not start with the simplest things."
"You're right, sworn brother." Yu Ke picked up the bucket, picked up the oil lamp, and left.
A cold wind blew in the wilderness, and the dark woods were gloomy and extremely quiet. There was no sound except the sound of the wind and my own breathing.
Yu Ke took a few steps and then stopped to look at the sky to confirm that he was heading in the right direction. Over time, it became a habit to look up at the stars. She began to discover the beauty of the sky. This pure and clean beauty was far beyond the reach of a cramped and dense little dark room.
After the trip started, her body got better and better, and her mood became fuller day by day. However, she still couldn't help but sigh when she thought of the old self who didn't have enough to eat, didn't wear warm clothes, was in ragged clothes, and was skinny.
"Silly girl, you actually think you can wait for the result you want by staying there." She walked through the woods and gradually heard the sound of gurgling water. After a while, the residual light of the oil lamp found a small river, and she walked up and filled it with water. A bucket of water, followed by a short break.
"Mother, I have really become what you guessed in your letter!" Yu Ke held up the half jade pendant left by her mother, just as her mother imagined, "I am very happy now, I have new clothes to wear. I’m full of food, and I have friends and step-brothers who really care about me.”
"It's time to hit the road." She said to herself again: "It's just carrying water. Once you know the road well, you won't need to use an oil lamp to explore the way. You can carry two buckets at the same time... and they will be filled with water very quickly. It’s a big water tank!”
Sure enough, it only took two trips back and forth, and Yu Ke was able to walk through the night without borrowing an oil lamp. Before the third watch, the water tank was filled with water.
