The water source has been found, but in order to complete the task before noon, the two of them need to split up and act separately, so that they can have ample time for any unexpected needs.

  Lao Liu had no choice but to make an appointment with him, taking the big stone by the river as a sign. The two of them searched in the directions of upstream and downstream respectively, and Lao Liu stipulated that they could only walk out for 500 steps at most. Whether or not they found anything, they would return to this place to meet up.

  Zhang Feng confidently agreed, thinking that this time walking along the riverbank would definitely not be a problem. However, Old Liu's eyes clearly showed his distrust of him, which made Zhang Feng lose his temper and secretly encouraged himself to try to find clues before Old Liu did, in order to change his image in Old Liu's heart.

  The two parted ways, and Zhang Feng followed Old Liu's method, carefully observing the situation along the riverbank. However, he was still inexperienced, and his eyesight was far inferior to Old Liu's, so until now, he had not discovered anything.

  Unconsciously, Zhang Feng had already walked out 500 steps, but he gained nothing. He could only reluctantly turn around and head back to the agreed-upon place. Just as he had taken a few steps, he suddenly heard several children's laughter coming from behind him. This made him extremely happy, thinking that this time was indeed thanks to the blessing of the true gentleman, allowing him to discover a clue. As the sound grew louder and closer, Zhang Feng hastily hid behind a tree by the riverbank.

  "Little bottle is ugly, little bottle has no parents, hehe, little bottle is ugly, little bottle has no parents..." Four or five half-grown children surrounded a thin and weak little girl, teasing her.

  Little girl wearing a hemp garment, round little face red and puffy, big watery eyes now with two teardrops, one small hand covering her own ear, the other hand holding a small basket, head down walking quickly forward.

  The several boys following him still kept teasing him until the little girl couldn't bear it anymore and shouted: "Ping'er has a father, Ping'er has a father's..." The children around seemed to have known that the little girl would say so, they made faces at her and ran away laughing. They had been teasing her all along just waiting for her to shout out this sentence.

  These kids learned from their parents' gossip that the little girl had no father or mother, and every now and then they would surround Xiaoping and mock her. They may not have known how much harm their words would cause to Xiaoping's young heart, but they knew it would make her cry and make them happy. Although children are naive and ignorant at a young age, their behavior also reflects the failure of their parents' education.

  The little girl threw down the basket, hugged her knees and buried her head between her legs. Her shoulders shook constantly, making soft sobbing sounds. She didn't understand why everyone was teasing her, why the aunties in the village always pointed at her, and even more so, she couldn't understand why her father still hadn't come back...

  "Daddy, where are you? Why haven't you come back to see Bottles? Bottles won't be naughty anymore... Daddy... why haven't you come back yet..." Little Bottles looked up at the sky, tears silently falling onto the muddy ground by the river, creating tiny ripples.

  The morning sky was clear and cloudless, with a few early-rising birds in the forest flying overhead in search of food. A gentle breeze blew through Xiaoyanzi's hair, drying her tears.

  Hiding aside, Zhang Feng silently watched all of this, he was very clear that the little girl's heart at this moment was how helpless, how fragile. With a complex expression, he leaned against the big tree and thought back to that year...

  At the age of six, Zhang Feng happily followed Qingxuzi Master every day to recite books and practice martial arts, living a carefree life. Qingxuzi Master also doted on him even more, until one day...

  "Yun Yizi, Shixiong, why are you crying?" Little Zhang Feng was hopping along the road signs on the wall towards his own garden when he saw Chong Xu Zi's disciple wailing loudly at a mountain pavilion, curiosity drove him to approach.

  "Waa... I... my parents just left the mountain..." Yun Yizi was also an eight-year-old child, he had been sent to Wudang Mountain by his parents since childhood to study, and every year his parents would come up the mountain to see him a few times. Now that they were about to leave, he couldn't bear to part with them and burst into loud sobs here.

  "Dad and mom?" Little Zhang Feng's face was full of confusion, what is this thing? Is it something delicious?

  But Yun Yizi didn't answer him, instead he was immersed in his own thoughts about parting with his parents again and couldn't extricate himself. Little Zhang Feng quickly ran back to his own courtyard, wanting to ask his master what 'parents' meant.

  "Master, Master, Yun Yizi's senior brother said that his parents went down the mountain, what are parents?" Little Zhang Feng's tender voice came up, and Qingxu Zi, who was reading a scripture, was stunned for a moment, with complex eyes putting down the book in his hand.

  He looked at Little Zhang Feng with a curious face, tilted his head and waited for his answer. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, and could only softly explain: "Dad and mom... they are your closest relatives, they are the ones who gave birth to you and raised you, they..."

  Qing Xuzi stopped halfway, he couldn't go on because now he didn't know how to explain the fact that he had no parents to Zhang Feng, who was still a child, it was too cruel for him.

  Xiao Zhang Feng didn't know what his master was thinking, and after listening to a few of his master's explanations, he didn't continue asking questions due to his young age and complicated thoughts. Every day, Xiao Zhang Feng would run to the mountain gate and keep looking down at the foot of the mountain, waiting for his parents to come up and visit him.

  It's been five years, and at the age of eleven, he finally realized that his parents would never come to visit him in the mountains. Every time other fellow disciples' parents came to visit their sons, Zhang Feng would hide alone on the side, secretly watching.

  ……

  Wiping away the tears from his eyes, Zhang Feng walked out from behind the tree.

  The little bottle was still sitting there, crying softly. Perhaps she had cried herself out, and slowly got up to brush off the dust on her clothes, wanting to pick up the basket beside her. Just as she turned around, she found a stranger standing behind her, staring at her from not far away. The little bottle let out a startled "ah" and took a step back, but unfortunately slipped underfoot, and her body uncontrollably fell backwards. It happened so suddenly that the little bottle closed her eyes in fear.

  He had waited for half a day, and Xiao Pingzi still hadn't realized he was in the water. His tightly closed eyes involuntarily opened to take a look around, and right in front of him, Zhang Feng was staring at him with a worried expression.

  A subconscious cry of surprise, she waved her small fist and slapped Zhang Feng's face. Zhang Feng helplessly put her down on the ground. Only when she gradually calmed down did Xiao Ping'er realize that it was this strange big brother who had saved her. She looked down in embarrassment, her two small hands entwined together, biting her lip and apologizing in a low voice.

  Zhang Feng said that this bit of strength was like scratching an itch, and seeing the little girl's guilty expression, she squatted down and asked in a gentle tone: "Little sister, brother is fine, don't believe me? Look at my thick skin, your two punches can't hurt me, don't believe it? Come touch and see."

  The little bottle shyly raised its head and looked at Zhang Feng with one eye, stretched out the index finger of its right hand and lightly poked Zhang Feng's cheek, found that it was indeed not intact, thinking that it had made a mistake and almost cried again, the little bottle showed a sweet smile...

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