The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Starting from the 17th year of Xuanhe in the Xia Dynasty, heavy rains fell in the south in the summer for three consecutive years, causing many dikes to burst in the middle and lower reaches of the Henghe River, flooding a large number of farmlands along the coast. Although the court strictly ordered the government to organize manpower and material resources to repair the disaster, there were still many refugees who lost their land and could not make a living, and fled with their families.

Yanzhou is located in the northeast of Xia State, where it is dry and rainy. When Zhao Xuan left Heyan Village, she had no idea that the south was suffering from floods.

After paying homage to her master, Zhao Xuan decided to go to the capital city of Liyang to try to find out the truth about the beheading of the Jigong Mountain bandits. She believed in her master's judgment and did not allow her to take revenge because the enemy was too powerful. The bandits in Jigong Mountain could not be the culprit of the attack on the delegation.

Xiu Yue Mountain and Ji Gong Mountain both belong to the Tianling Mountain Range in the southern border of Xia State, and Qingshan Valley is located in the heart of Xiu Yue Mountain.

Zhao Xuan left Qingshan Valley and hadn't walked far when she saw a group of people standing there in a domineering manner on the mountain road ahead. The leader was a tall and thin boy with a baby face, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was inexplicably carrying a hoe on his shoulder.

Seeing a little girl named Zhao Xuan walking alone, the young man shouted to her, "I opened this mountain and planted this tree. If you want to pass by here, you have to leave some money to pay your way through!"

I ran into a robber! Zhao Xuan sneered in her heart. This kind of person is what she hated most in her life! He doesn't rely on his own ability to make a living, but only knows how to steal money!

Zhao Xuan walked straight towards the boy. The boy immediately raised his hoe and rushed towards Zhao Xuan. He also instigated the people behind him and prepared to fight with Zhao Xuan.

"Little girl, we're in numbers, but we won't bully you. Hurry up and pay, and we'll let you go! It doesn't matter how much you pay, even a few copper coins will do!"

Zhao Xuan said nothing and didn't even take off the sword at her waist. She just swayed her body slightly, like a sharp sword piercing into the group of robbers. She raised her hands and kicked her legs, and in a few seconds, the robbers fell to the ground. The young man in the lead fell flat on his face, screaming in pain.

Zhao Xuan clapped her hands, as if she was afraid of being tainted by these people's bad luck. She started cursing, "You bunch of losers! How dare you rob people with your meager abilities?! I'll let you off this time, go do what you need to do! If I see you doing evil again, I'll kill you all with one sword!"

The young man suddenly turned over and stood up, then knelt down in front of Zhao Xuan, shouting at everyone to kneel down and worship Zhao Xuan.

Everyone knelt down immediately.

The young man bowed to Zhao Xuan and said, "Lady, please accept my humble greeting! From now on, I will follow you, no matter what happens!"

"Come on, a bunch of bandits! Who wants you to follow them?!"

After Zhao Xuan finished speaking, she ignored everyone and strode down the mountain. After a few steps, she looked back and saw that the young man and the big guy were still following her.

Seeing Zhao Xuan turn around, the young man ran over and said with a smile, "Lady! Don't judge things by appearances. You keep calling us robbers and bandits. We really don't want to leave such a bad impression on you. This is the first time we've done this! And you caught us red-handed, so..."

Zhao Xuan asked back, "What? Am I wrong?"

The young man smiled like a flower, and Lian Lian nodded: "Yes, yes! Lady, you are right! I think that with your skills, your chivalrous spirit, and your fiery chivalrous heart, you might be able to help us. We don't have to occupy the mountain and become the king. They say that saving people is the ultimate goal, and seeing the Buddha off to the west is the ultimate goal!"

Zhao Xuan snorted, "Interesting! I didn't kill you and I'm doing you a disservice. You're already doing me a favor! And you're still trying to help me?! Wake up! It's still daylight!"

The young man was still stubborn and introduced himself: "My name is Hao Xiong, the current boss of Jiaoyang Valley. If we follow you, you will be the boss!"

"Good bear? Why don't you call him good bull? He's really good. He's the king of the mountain, robbing people on the road. Isn't he still a robber?"

"Yes! Lady, whatever you say is right! It's all our fault! How about we treat you to a delicious meal? It's considered an apology, Lady, please do me a favor?"

When Zhao Xuan heard the word "delicious", her stomach started to growl. Hao Xiong glanced at her stomach, which made Zhao Xuan very upset! It really damaged her glorious image as a heroine!

But she was really hungry. She had arrived at Qingshan Valley in the early morning and it was almost dusk now, and she had not had time to eat a bite. Moreover, this time she came out without telling her father to look for clues and gain some experience. She dared to break into Jiaoyang Valley, robbers and bandits, even if it was a den of wolves and tigers. What's more, since they were all bandits, Xiuyue Mountain was not far from Jigong Mountain, and perhaps she could find out some news about the bandits in Jigong Mountain.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xuan said nothing more. She pointed to the mountain and said to Hao Xiong, "Lead the way!"

Jiaoyang Valley is a valley halfway up Xiuyue Mountain, several times larger than Qingshan Valley.

As Zhao Xuan and Hao Xiong and others entered the valley, they saw many thatched houses built in the valley, which were full of people lying inside.

A girl in a white dress, who looked to be about twenty years old, saw Hao Xiong and his group coming back, and hurried over. She took a look and reached out to grab Zhao Xuan's wrist, but Zhao Xuan dodged it.

The girl looked at Zhao Xuan and said anxiously, "Don't be afraid to seek medical attention. Do you have symptoms like fever and cough, or are you experiencing chills and sweating?"

Hao Xiong hurried over to smooth things over and explained to the girl in white: "Sister Xiao Yixian, I didn't bring back a patient this time! This is a female hero, she..."

When the Little Medical Fairy heard that she was not a patient, she didn't want to look at Zhao Xuan anymore. She turned around and walked quickly towards a thatched hut, and then went inside.

Hao Xiong looked at Zhao Xuan with some embarrassment. "Little Medical Fairy is a living Bodhisattva. She may have a bad temper, but she's so gentle with her patients. There are about a hundred of us here, but more than half of them have been infected with the plague. Fortunately, Little Medical Fairy treated us in time and saved our lives. She is our savior!"

Zhao Xuan didn't want to listen to Hao Xiong's nonsense and said directly: "I'm hungry!"

"Okay! I'll find you something to eat!"

Half an hour later, in the thatched hut where Hao Xiong lived, Zhao Xuan finally ate what Hao Xiong called "delicious" - a bowl of mushroom soup and a pile of wild fruits.

Hao Xiong said with a playful smile: "They are all freshly picked, so fresh. The soup is also freshly made. Please try it!"

As Hao Xiong spoke, his stomach began to growl.

Zhao Xuan was not modest either. She quickly picked up the bowl of mushroom soup and drank it in big gulps. It really quenched her thirst. She pushed the wild fruit to Hao Xiong and took out a few pieces of beef jerky from her bag and started chewing them. After just a few bites, she saw Hao Xiong staring at the beef jerky in her hand with green eyes and swallowing his saliva, so she handed Hao Xiong a piece.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do for you?"

But Hao Xiong was choked by the beef jerky. He stamped his feet and beat his chest, and it took him a long time to recover.

Zhao Xuan teased, "How long has it been since you last had meat?"

"Ever since I ate a few pieces of braised pork on New Year's Eve two years ago, my mother made it and it was delicious. The following summer, there was a flood and our land was submerged. My parents had to leave home with my sister and me, fleeing the famine... Where could we get any meat? We're lucky to have survived until now!"

Zhao Xuan asked, "Are your father, mother, and sister here too?"

Hao Xiong lowered his head, but soon raised it and smiled at Zhao Xuan: "Forget it, let's not talk about them. Lady, do you know there is a martial arts sect in the world called the Tiandao League?"