It was quiet outside. Even at night, the heat was stifling and unbearable.
Ye Erniang took Wen Xi along a remote road until they came to a somewhat dilapidated temple.
Although dilapidated, it's quite large. I heard this temple was once very popular. King Huai once stayed here and praised it. So, back then, people poured a lot of bricks and tiles into the temple. But over time, it gradually became less and less populated.
Wen Xi wondered doubtfully, did the master bring him here to burn incense?
Ye Erniang didn't understand Wen Xi's confusion and led her around to a wall in the backyard covered with withered grass. Then she turned her back, squatted down, patted her shoulder, and motioned for Wen Xi to step on it.
Before Wen Xi could ask more, Ye Erniang urged:
"Hurry up, it will be dawn soon."
Wen Xi had no choice but to climb onto the wall by stepping on his master's shoulders, then jumped down. Ye Erniang stood up, took a few steps back, and used the momentum to flip over.
Ye Erniang took Wen Xi to a well, picked up the bucket next to her, and carefully threw it into the well. After a while, a bucket full of water was brought up.
Wen Xi's jaw dropped. Could anyone explain how this dilapidated temple's well could pump so much water?
Ye Erniang urged:
"Hurry up, drink first, and then take as much as you can. As long as we are careful, we can come here often in the future... to borrow water."
Wen Xi no longer cared that her master had referred to her as "borrowing water" instead of "stealing water." She had already leaned over the bucket and started gulping down the water, until her throat began to bubble with thirst.
Ye Erniang also took the bucket and drank from it for a long time. The two of them almost finished the bucket of water.
Ye Erniang threw the bucket down again and brought up a full one. Then she took out the several water bags she had brought and prepared to fill them with water.
Wen Xi took out a bunch of stuff out of thin air, including water bags, gourds, and buckets.
These are the pieces of furniture that were used to store water in the coffin. Later, the water was drunk up, but Wen Xi still left some in there just in case he could get water again one day.
Wen Xi smiled and said:
"It's a long story. I'll tell Master about it later. Let's fill the water first."
It’s not that Wen Xi didn’t trust Ye Erniang and deliberately hid it from her, but there has never been a suitable opportunity, and she mostly treated her coffin as an ordinary thing, so she didn’t think too much about it for the time being.
Finally, the two men filled all the furniture with water and left in a hurry.
On the way back, Wen Xi discovered that, due to the temple's former glory, the well had been dug deeper than usual. Now, only a few old monks were guarding it. Although they had water, they dared not disclose it, fearing it would be robbed and they might even lose their place to live.
Fortunately, the temple was in such a state of disrepair that few people visited it, and the monks could only cultivate the land and support themselves.
Ye Erniang went out to look for water every day and accidentally discovered it while wandering around someone else's backyard.
As we walked, we came across a group of houses on fire. We could even hear the sounds of swords and cries.
Wen Xi was so frightened that her legs went weak. Without a word, Ye Erniang grabbed Wen Xi and hid behind a large tree away from the fire.
Through the firelight, we could see some ferocious-looking men with their upper bodies naked, slashing at the wandering people with knives.
Every time they made a cut with their knives, they would lie down over the wound and suck it. Some even cut off limbs and threw them into the fire, then took them out a while later and stuffed them into their mouths to chew on them.
This scene completely changed Wen Xi's understanding of evil. She almost screamed.
Ye Erniang quickly covered Wen Xi's mouth with her hand, then hugged her in her arms and whispered:
"Shh, shh, don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Master will protect you. Don't be afraid."
Feeling the trembling body in her arms soften, Ye Erniang pulled her up and quickly left here and walked home.
When we returned to the embroidery shop, it was already dawn.
Wen Xi said listlessly:
"Master, the county town is too dangerous. You should just follow me back!"
Ye Erniang thought for a moment:
"Well, okay, just get yourself ready and we'll go."
Seeing that her master agreed, Wen Xi breathed a sigh of relief. After a quick packing of her belongings, Wen Xi helped her stuff them into the coffin, and then they both emerged empty-handed.
I thought I would be able to get out smoothly, but I didn't expect the city gate to be heavily guarded. There was a long queue at the gate and we were checked one by one before we were allowed in.
After asking around, I found out that the government was searching for the bandits who committed murder and arson.
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