Qingfeng Xu Xu

The two of them had a good rest in the inn for a day, and the weather turned sunny in the next two days. The two of them also cheered up, pretending to be young men wandering around, and began to inquire about news. The result was indeed the same as the two of them before. As speculated, someone completely covered up the fact that Li Jihua appeared in Zizhou, and apart from the information he got from the innkeeper that day, he never got anything from the second person about Li Jihua's appearance in Zizhou. Xu Mulin and Xu Qingjiu didn't know whether they should be grateful that they found the right person or be wary of whether that person was deliberately giving them wrong information. Fortunately, another day later, Li Jichu's letter also came. However, there was no progress or gain from Li Jichu's side. However, it also ruled out the bad possibilities that Xu Mulin and Xu Qingjiu had guessed before. Later, Xu Mulin He also sorted out what the two of them had gained along the way, wrote all the analysis and judgments into a letter, and replied to Li Jichu.

In addition to the Yuanyang Sect, a third party has now appeared to be involved in this matter, and the current intentions of the other party are completely unknown, so they do not dare to relax in the current situation. The two of them began to pack their bags at night and prepare. We set off at dawn the next day and continued to Luzhou.

There was an episode where the two of them rested for a day and began to inquire about information in Zizhou City the next day. Later, they remembered that they had not drank Yuehualou’s sake the day before, so they followed the waiter’s instructions and thought about going to see it later. Look, it turned out that after Xu Qingjiu went back after buying food the day before, Yuehua Building closed down that night. No one was left in the store, and a simple notice was posted at the door, which simply said"Closed.""" did not say how long the rest would last. Therefore, when Xu Mulin and Xu Qingjiu left, they could not drink the sake. Xu Qingjiu had to promise Xu Mulin to drink it again next time.

Along the way, the two of them still bumped into people. When they saw Zhuangzi Village, they asked people one by one. As a result, they only found some inaccurate or conflicting information. Some even said that they had seen someone who looked like Li Jihua. She encountered bandits and robbers and was taken away to the mountains to be given as a wife. Xu Qingjiu had no choice but to bring the portrait closer to the ten-year-old child and let him carefully identify it. The painting in his hand was actually a man. The child looked at the portrait again and confirmed it, saying that it was that person. The Japanese were fishing in the river. A man drove a magnificent carriage and stopped by the river. Then he picked up the people in the carriage. The man in the carriage was exactly the same as the one in the portrait. Because he looked good-looking, he still I stared at it for a few more times, but the other man stared back fiercely. The child was afraid and hid in the bushes nearby to peek. The person in the portrait didn't even dare to move around, and was picked up by the other man. Go.

Xu Qingjiu told Xu Mulin the information in frustration, and Xu Mulin frowned when he heard it. He finally guessed that maybe the couple was enjoying the sights, and the woman might have dressed up as a man, so the child was very Curiosity is normal.

It was like this all the way, either there was no news at all, or it was just ridiculous and useless. Later, when they arrived in Luzhou City, because it was the territory of the Yuanyang Sect, the two of them did not dare to be too high-profile to avoid attracting attention. They just asked some older people or children running around on the road, and they found something. reward

"I remember the day of the first grade of junior high school very clearly. Daqing and I originally agreed to meet at a rain shelter outside the city, and then go to Xiangzhou to learn martial arts from Jishengtang. We were originally from the same village, and our home was in Qinzhou. There was a flood in my hometown more than a month ago, and almost everyone in my village died. The two of us fled all the way here. On the way, we heard that Jishengtang was very good, and the owner was very kind, and he took in many people who had fled. So we thought about going there, but we didn’t have travel expenses, so we started begging for money, but it was too slow, so we...He just steals people's money."

Xu Mulin and Xu Qingjiu both looked for information from the elderly or children in the alleys, and then bought some food and clothing as thank-you gifts. As a result, the two people who had been walking in the alleys for several days still caused a stir. The two of them were walking in a wide alley when they caught the child's attention. The little beggar bumped straight into Xu Mulin. After the child ran away, Xu Mulin just said"money bag" in a deep voice and chased after him. He went up. The kid was not tall, but he ran as if the wind was blowing under his feet. However, he was caught by Xu Qingjiu. Xu Qingjiu thought about it and chased him all the way. He asked everyone, but he actually found out. , Xu Qingjiu listened to the child talking further and further away. Although he felt pity for him after hearing his experience, he had no choice but to be in a hurry.

"Kid, brother, I'm in a hurry. Can you tell me about the person in the portrait quickly? When you finish speaking, I will pay you for your travel expenses."

"The first day of junior high school..."

"Have you really met him? If you haven't seen it, tell the truth, but don't waste your brothers' time."

"I've really seen it"

"...Okay, then go ahead and talk."Xu Qingjiu smiled helplessly.

"Daqing and I saved up some travel expenses for a few days, and we hid together in a dog hole in the south of the city. That day I went to buy dry food alone, while Daqing went to get the money, and then we agreed to meet at a rain shelter outside the city. I waited until sunset in the morning, but he didn't come. I was afraid that I would miss him if I went back to look for him, so I thought of waiting a little longer. As dusk approached, the man in your portrait stumbled out of the bushes nearby, his body still covered in blood. When he saw me in the pavilion, he pulled me into the hunter's trap in the forest to hide. When I was in the trap, I heard the sound of many people running by, as if they were chasing this big brother. We hid in the trap until dark for a long time before we came out, and then the big brother sent me to a nearby village. left"

"What happens after that?"

"Then I never saw him again"

"Where is your little friend? Didn't you go find him?"Xu Qingjiu suddenly became curious.

"His name is Daqing...After daybreak, I went back to look for him. I found his body less than a mile away from the rain shelter. He had been killed by wiping his neck with a sword. Later, I used the money we saved to buy him a coffin. Just buried in the rain shelter."

Xu Qingjiu knew that the world was not easy, but he didn't know that bad luck would happen to such a young child one after another. Thinking of his tone just like watching a play, he suddenly felt ashamed,"What's your name?"

"Qin Yue.

Xu Qingjiu looked at the child and smiled:"Are you going to Xiangzhou again?" You helped us today. In return, I'll pay you some money for your travel expenses."

"In fact, my father is a teacher in the village. I also want to be a teacher like him, but I also want to practice martial arts and avenge Daqing. When there was a flood, he was the one who rescued me from the water. My father taught me that the kindness given by a drop of water should be repaid by a spring."

"So what would you rather do?"

"...Study and become a teacher, but..."

"But do you think that would be a disservice to your friend?"

Little Qin Yue didn't speak, but just nodded with his lowered head.

Xu Qingjiu knelt down, crossed his hands on his knees, looked at Qin Yue and said,"Are you and Daqing very, very good friends?"

Qin Yue didn't answer. He was silent for a while, shook his head, and nodded again,"He originally studied in my school, but he didn't study well and was occasionally bullied by other students...."Speaking of this, Qin Yue seemed a little guilty

"Have you bullied him too?"Xu Qingjiu asked softly

"...Um...Those students said that Daqing did not study well because my father did not teach well, so I didn’t want him to continue studying in my school, so I threw his pen and paper into the water. Later, he kept coming. , but later he often had to help the family farm, and gradually stopped coming."Qin Yue lowered his head and spoke in a very low voice, which was even quieter than the sound of his tears falling to the ground.

"Did you apologize to him?"

"I wanted to say it when I met him in Murakami..."

"What happens next?"

"After I came here, I told him, and I even used a wooden stick to write on the ground to teach him how to read. He said that he no longer remembers the things I did before, but I think he is still blaming me. He never came to the rain shelter that day, and I also suspected that he took the money and left."

"If he still blames you, he won't save you, or if he saves you, he won't stay with you forever....Whose idea was it to steal the money?"

After hearing this, Qin Yue looked up at Xu Mulin and then lowered his head in fear. After being silent for a while, he whispered:"...It wasn't anyone's idea, he didn't steal it, it was all stolen by me, so I hid the money for fear of being caught and taking it all back. He always went to the streets to beg, and was beaten several times."

"Did you get back all the money you stole from him that day?"

"No, there was a lot less, so I could only buy him the cheapest coffin."Qin Yue raised his head and looked at Xu Mulin, feeling that Xu Mulin knew everything like a god.

After listening to Xu Mulin's questions and Qin Yue's answers, Xu Qingjiu probably guessed what happened to the two children. According to Qin Yue's description of Daqing, his character should be very gentle. If he goes to the streets to beg for money, and if others don't give it, he will definitely not be able to pester others and provoke others to take action. If there is a fight among beggars for territory, according to Daqing was able to rescue Qin Yue from the flood, but was he unable to escape even if he was defeated? Therefore, Xu Qingjiu probably guessed that Daqing should have returned the money Qin Yue had stolen, but in the end he was treated as a thief He was beaten, but Daqing never told Qin Yue the truth even once. Speaking of Daqing's death, it was most likely that the group of people who were chasing Li Jihua accidentally killed him on the way. I'm afraid they were worried about being recognized as Yuanyang. The person he sent actually killed a child who didn't understand these world affairs and just wanted to read some books.

Xu Qingjiu, who had figured out the whole story, hesitated again, wondering whether he should tell the other person the truth. Child

"I have a friend in Shuzhou, Li Jichu from Guxia Village. Go find him. Don't think about revenge. Study hard in the future and become a teacher. Your friend no longer blames you, so he wants to take you to Xiangzhou so that you will stop stealing money. If you still want to practice martial arts, you can go to Xiangzhou and the money will be used for your travel expenses."Xu Mulin poured out all the money in the purse he had just recovered and handed it to Qin Yue.

Qin Yue was able to get away with stealing money many times. He is indeed a smart child. Naturally, he understood what Xu Mulin said. He held the money and stood there helplessly.

Xu Qingjiu stood up and patted Qin Yue's head,"You can't steal money anymore. It's not good to be that kind of person. If you want to go to Guxia Village, just say you belong to Xu Qingjiu...Little brother, brother Jichu will keep you."After that, they left with Xu Mulin.

The two of them returned to the inn and began to pack their things. On the way back, the two of them planned their future arrangements.

While packing, Xu Qingjiu thought about what happened to Qin Yue and reluctantly I couldn't help but feel a little angry."When I first met Du Shengyang, I knew that he was not a good person. The disciples in the sect also behaved like this, even children were not spared."

"Daqing and the others had been begging for money in Luzhou City for some time. It is estimated that the group of people who went after Jihua met him by chance. Worried that the news would be leaked, they silenced the passers-by. If Jihua hadn't killed Qin Hua that day, If Yue is taken away, I am afraid that Qin Yue will not be spared. It is really lucky."

"Perhaps it was fate that in the huge Luzhou City, the Yuanyang Sect covered the sky with one hand and there was no leakage. If Jihua hadn't rescued Qin Yue, we wouldn't have been able to find out about him. According to what Qin Yue said, Jihua escaped, so he must not be still in Luzhou. There is no rain shelter outside the city in the direction we came from, so it should be in another direction, which happens to be heading to Wuzhou. direction. It seems that we are getting closer to Jihua."Among all kinds of unfortunate news, Xu Qingjiu finally found something to be gratified about, and finally felt a little more comfortable.

Xu Mulin beside him suddenly fell into deep thought, and Xu Qingjiu asked hurriedly:"What's wrong, senior brother? Something is wrong?"

"It's okay, I don't know why, but what you told me that day suddenly flashed in my mind, that kid who saw the bandits."

"bandit? The one who steals his wife? Didn't Senior Brother guess that those were the couples who were out for fun?"