Fulu Rubik's Cube

Chapter 913 Entry
Winter six years later.

The ground was covered with snow, and the sky and the earth were pure white.

On this day, 16-year-old Zhang Ke returned from the forest with a sledge.

A body of a colorful tiger that was [-]% larger than an ordinary tiger lay stiffly on the sledge behind it, and its brocade-like fur rippled like water under the sunlight.

Back in the village, neighbors greeted and exclaimed from time to time along the road.

"Xiao Ke, you're back from the mountains!"

"Well! Hello, Uncle!"

"Hey~ Why is this tiger so big and fat? Could it be the demon tiger that was rumored to be haunting the mountains and forests a while ago?"

"I heard that the word '王' between the brows of that monster tiger is golden, and it has two tails. Look, this tiger also has two tails!"

"Hiss~~! To be able to catch the demon tiger, Xiao Ke must be the most powerful hunter within a hundred miles, right?"

"That's right, hey~~~, Xiaoke, my daughter-in-law is good and can manage the house, should I promise it to you?

Well!How about taking this tiger as a bride price? "

"Hahaha~~! You think so beautifully, Xiao Ke will still find your fat girl with this ability?"

"."

The teasing of many neighbors made Zhang Ke blush, and hurriedly walked towards the west of the village, pulling the sledge.

At the door of the house, a beautiful little girl ran out when she heard the movement.

Seeing the ferocious and huge tiger carcass, he first screamed, and then turned around and shouted in surprise:
"Mother~~, brother hit another tiger!"

Zhang Ke pulled the sledge into the yard and said displeasedly:

"Call me brother~~!"

The little girl turned her head and hummed, chirping authentically:

"You have been lying to me all these years. I asked my mother. I was born one day earlier than you. I am an older sister and you are a younger brother!"

Zhang Ke's expression froze, and he changed the subject calmly.

"Where's Dad?"

"Father went to the market with some people from the village a few days ago. The family needs to replenish some salt and other things. By the way, I will sell the mountain products you have hunted over the years."

Zhang Ke got anxious when he heard that, he dropped the sledge and ran to the nearby thatched hut.

"Hey~~! Little brother, don't worry, daddy didn't touch your baby."

Since Zhang Ke was able to hunt in the mountains, life at home has improved a lot, and he has built a three-entry hut over the years.

This was intended for Zhang Ke to marry a wife, but it was usually used by him as a storage room for spoils.

Opening the door, the heads of animals are fixed on the four walls of the not-so-big thatched hut.

Nine bulls, three bears, four leopards, two wolves, and one tiger, plus the one just beaten, there are two tigers.

Those in the hut are not all of Zhang Ke's prey, and those that can be displayed here have special meaning to Zhang Ke.

For example, the bull's head on the far left is Zhang Ke's first prey, and the black leopard's head is a demon leopard that can hide at night.

There are also wolves that can stand and walk, bears with horns on their foreheads, tigers that can control ghosts, etc.

If the prey of this house were put out, it would be enough to shock the neighbors.

Just because of his father's instructions, Zhang Ke never made it public, and because these heads were abnormal, they didn't sell them.

Although he knew that his father knew the importance and would not sell these things, Zhang Ke was relieved only when he saw them.

The next day, Zhang Ke was dealing with the giant tiger at home when he heard a sudden noise from the village.

Zhang Ke never liked excitement, so he didn't listen carefully, but cut up the tiger carcass methodically.

But after a short time, there was a sound of hurried footsteps, and the sound seemed to be rushing towards his home.

A moment later, a young man of the same age as Zhang Ke pushed open the courtyard door and shouted in a panic:

"Zhang Ke, something happened to your father!"

night.

Zhang Zhiqing was lying on the kang with a flushed face, and a thin old doctor put his right hand two fingers on the pulse to check the pulse.

Zhang Ke kept a calm face and said nothing, while his mother and sister looked at the doctor with red eyes, their faces full of hope.

After a long time, the old doctor took his finger away from Zhang Zhiqing's pulse, sighed softly and said:

"Prepare for the funeral!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ke's mother and sister couldn't bear it anymore, and burst into tears.

"Wow~~! Woo~~~!"

Zhang Ke silently got up and sent the doctor away. When he reached the gate of the courtyard, Zhang Ke suddenly asked:

"Doctor, is my father's injury really helpless?"

The old doctor glanced at Zhang Ke.

The child was delivered by himself back then, and he didn't want to have grown so big.

After pondering for a moment, the old doctor said:

"Actually, it's not incurable, it's just."

Looking back at the huts, the meaning is not difficult to understand.

Zhang Ke bowed and begged:
"Ask the doctor to advise."

"I've also heard about your father. In recent years, the 'Black Wind Bandit' has been rampant and slaughtered many villages.

This time, when the villagers went to the market, they happened to be robbed by the "Black Wind Bandit" and were killed by it.

In the village, two people were killed and four were seriously injured. When I diagnosed and treated them, I found that they all suffered from the same kind of "fire poison" injury.

When the 'fire poison' invades the five viscera, none of these severely injured people will survive. "

After a short pause, the old doctor said again:
"However, if a hundred-year-old ginseng hangs his life, and supplemented with precious medicines to replenish his vitality, it may not be possible to recover before, but it is still possible to save his life.

only"

He looked at Zhang Ke and said slowly:
"Your father's injury won't last long, even if you take medicine, you need to hurry up, not to mention how hard it is to find century-old ginseng, but the various medicines to replenish vitality cost at least nearly a thousand taels of silver.

Moreover, more drugs may be needed to maintain it in the future, depending on the condition of your family.
Alas~~! "

The old man patted Zhang Ke on the shoulder, turned around and walked out.

"1000 taels of silver 1000 taels of 1000 taels"

Zhang Ke's eyes were dull, and he muttered to himself.

All the savings in the family are probably less than 300 taels.

The Zhang family is a common surname in the village, and there are always some poor people who can't get out of the same family as the disabled and sick.

Zhang Ke has hunted a lot of valuable prey over the years, but the money after the sale has been subsidized by his family members.

Now is the time to really use the money, and you will understand its importance.

The old man walked out of the courtyard and was about to get into the mule cart to leave, but he couldn't bear to see Zhang Ke's distraught look when he turned his head.

After thinking for a while, he returned to Zhang Ke's side again, considered his tone, and said in a low voice:
"I heard that Mr. Ding from Ding Township is looking for a son-in-law. This Miss Ding has been sick since she was a child. Perhaps there may be a hundred-year-old ginseng in her family."

After saying this sentence, the old doctor left without looking back.

A gleam flashed in Zhang Ke's eyes, and he gave a deep salute to the mule cart that the old man left.

Frowning and returning to the room, the mother and sister were still sobbing.

Looking at his unconscious father, Zhang Ke was slightly in a daze, and said for a long time:
"Mother~~! Prepare some pancakes for my son. I'll go to town and see if I can find a way to save my father."

Zhang Ke's mother wiped the tears from her cheeks, and tremblingly said with a trace of expectation:
"Is there really any help?"

"Well! Doctor Ding just told me."

"That's good, that's good. I'll go prepare things and bring all the money at home."

"Ok!"

Zhang Ke's feet were fast, and he traveled in the middle of the night, and arrived in Dingjia Town before dawn.

On the way, he also met Ding Langzhong's mule cart, but because of the urgency of time, he did not accompany it.

Dingjia Town is a big town with 3000 people living in it.

Lanterns and torches can be seen flickering on the blue-gray stone wall, and many figures are shaking.

Zhang Ke didn't enter directly from the town gate. The 'Black Wind Bandit' had just wounded someone, so he couldn't enter any village at night.

He has been to Dingjia Town, and he knows that there is a dark river on the left side of the town that leads directly to the town, supporting the needs of everyone in the town.

For unknown reasons, this dark river never freezes, but in winter, it is extremely cold, and can freeze people to death in an instant, so only this place has never been guarded.

There used to be wandering warlocks who came to investigate, but they still didn't know why.

When he came to the dark river, Zhang Ke tidied up the huge package on his back, and jumped in without any hesitation.

Ding house.

In the study, Ding Yuanhe, the Patriarch of the Ding family, was upset and sulking.

Beside him, Mrs. Ding wept softly.

The Ding family is a big family in the town, as we can tell from the name of the town with the word 'Ding'.

Ding Yuanhe and his wife have only one daughter, named Ding Xiaoxiao, and they regard this only daughter as a treasure.

But Ding Xiaoxiao has been weak and sick since he was a child, and he couldn't even get out of bed. Only in summer and July in a year can he be pushed by a cart for a walk in the courtyard.

I don't know how much money was spent to treat the disease, but the condition has not improved and is getting worse.

Later, there was no way to spend a lot of money to ask the Lotus Taoist from the "Lotus View" to give advice, and then came to a solution that was not a solution.

'Chongxi'

According to Lianhua Taoist, Ding Xiaoxiao was attacked by evil spirits in the womb, which caused damage to his soul. If he wants to return to normal, he must find someone born in the same year, the same month, and the same day to fight the evil spirits.

Ding Xiaoxiao is a woman, belonging to Yin, and the person who fights the evil spirit must be a man. Only in this way can the Yin and Yang unite to break the evil spirit and replenish the soul.

But Taoist Lianhua also said that Chongsha would do great harm to the man, and his life might be in danger.

Ding Yuanhe can't care about others now, his daughter's life is the most important thing.

Immediately, another large sum of money was paid to invite Taoist Lianhua to build a Taoist temple in Shanling County.

The name is to pray for his daughter, but in fact, he hopes that Taoist Lianhua will leave the local area temporarily, so as not to leak the news.

Afterwards, Ding Yuanhe set up a list to recruit a son-in-law and listed them all.

He also said that once the celebration is successful, a thousand taels of silver, a large house in the town, and [-] acres of good paddy fields will be given.

Once this news was released, it attracted countless people's discussions.

Although they knew that Miss Ding's family was ill, many people still made up their minds.

The Ding family only had such a daughter. Once Ding Yuanhe and his wife passed away, and Miss Ding became a sick child, wouldn't the wealth of the family be easy to come by.

But the development of things is bigger than everyone expected.

The first person to marry was a poor scholar. After reviewing all the conditions and meeting the requirements, Ding Yuanhe agreed to get married in one month.

After all, marriage is complicated and there is always time to prepare.

Unexpectedly, just after the marriage was negotiated, the poor scholar fell in the cesspit and drowned when he got up at night.

Afterwards, two more people were recruited one after another, and they also died in various accidents within three days.

This time it was lively, and countless people discussed this matter after dinner.

It is said that the Ding family must have done something harmful to their morality in the early days of their wealth, which led to retribution for future generations.

After the news spread, no one came to marry him. After all, Wan Guan's family wealth must be enjoyed by life.

Seeing their daughter coughing up blood every night and her complexion getting worse day by day, Ding Yuanhe and his wife were heartbroken.

The conditions for marriage were raised one after another, but no one came to the door.

At this moment, the couple were sitting opposite each other in distress, suddenly hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and at the same time, a voice came from outside the door.

"Member, I'm overjoyed!"

The housekeeper pushed the door open without knocking, and Ding Yuanhe was so angry that he kicked his leg.

"Ouch~ Ouch~!"

The butler was kicked awake and hurriedly shouted:
"Excellent, overjoyed! Someone outside the door asks to be married!"

'Um? ? ? '

Ding Yuanhe and his wife were taken aback for a moment, then they were overjoyed and shouted together:
"really?"

The butler nodded quickly and said:
"Really, people are just outside the door."

Mrs. Ding cried out eagerly:

"That doesn't bring people in."

"Hey!"

The butler responded and turned to leave.

Ding Yuanhe opened his mouth and said:

"slow!"

Frowning and thinking for a moment, he asked:

"You mean people are just outside the door?"

The housekeeper didn't know why, so he replied:

"That's right! She's covered in icicles, and she's carrying a half-person-high package."

Ding Yuanhe asked again:
"Is this person from the town?"

The butler hurriedly shook his head and said:

"No, I asked. It's from Zhongcun, named Zhang Ke."

Ding Yuanhe said suspiciously:
"Recently, the 'Black Wind Pirates' are rampant, killing people everywhere, there are patrols guarding the town gate, how can people from outside the town sneak in?
Furthermore, my Ding family has been making a list for several months, if it really intends to marry, why did it come at this time?

And why not come here during the day, but at night? "

The butler couldn't help but shivered, guessing:
"I mean, isn't this person a spy of the 'Black Wind Bandit'?"

Ding Yuanhe nodded slowly, and said in a deep voice:
"No problem!"

The steward immediately said:
"Then I will drive him away."

After finishing speaking, I will leave.

Mrs. Ding became anxious and shouted:
"There are many servants and guards in the house, call them in, if they are thieves, they will take them and send them to the government.

But if you really intend to enter the marriage, if you refuse, it will not kill my daughter. "

Ding Yuanhe slapped his forehead and shouted:

"I'm dizzy, but Madam is still considerate.

Ding Zhong, recruit ten people to the middle hall to wait for orders, and invite that Zhang Ke in. "

"Yes, Yuanwai!"

The middle hall of Ding's house.

Two rows of servants stood neatly in the courtyard, and Ding Yuanhe looked at Zhang Ke one by one.

But he saw that this person was tall and tall, with a good appearance, clear eyes and upright eyes, neither humble nor overbearing.

Even though he was wearing a thin cloth, he could feel the presence of a stove from a long distance away.

Ding Yuanhe became more and more satisfied the more he looked, and turned his head slightly to look beside him.

The head of household registration who was invited overnight carefully inspected Zhang Ke's household registration card, and nodded slightly to Ding Yuanhe.

Ding Yuanhe breathed a sigh of relief, and asked in a gentle voice:
"Zhang family, why do you want to join my family?"

Zhang Ke was silent for a moment, and explained the matter in detail.

Then he opened the package next to him, revealing the heads of eleven tigers and bulls.

"If the members agree to my marriage, these heads will be used as a gift."

Seeing so many beast heads suddenly shocked everyone present.

In particular, one of the tiger's heads had obviously just been cut off, and its ferocious look almost scared Madam Ding, who was watching Zhang Ke quietly behind the screen, out of her wits.

Ding Yuanhe couldn't help smiling wryly to himself.

'How can there be anyone in the world who brings a beast's head to propose marriage? '

But Zhang Ke's simplicity and filial piety really impressed Ding Yuanhe.

Such a honest and honest person is a good match for a daughter!
It's just that he still has one thing on his mind that he hasn't told Zhang Ke.

"Zhang Jiazi, it's late at night, please rest at my house for a few days, and wait for me to deal with this matter.

Well, it will take about three days to settle the matter. I don't know if I would like to live here temporarily. "

Seeing the embarrassment on Zhang Ke's face, Ding Yuanhe said again:
"Don't worry about your family. I have three hundred-year-old ginseng and two 300-year-old Ganoderma lucidum at home. Tomorrow, I will find famous doctors in the town and bring one of them and many medicines to Zhongcun to treat your father's injuries."

Zhang Kechang breathed a sigh of relief, bowed down and said:

"Thank you, Mr. Wai!"

Three days later, Zhang Keju was safe and sound in the Ding residence.

Ding Yuanhe sent people to Zhongcun, firstly to treat Zhang Zhiqing's injuries, and secondly to inquire about Zhang Ke's character and information.

And he himself observed Zhang Ke's words and deeds closely to determine his character.

Ding Yuanhe was relieved by the news from all parties, and agreed to move Zhang Ke to marry him in seven days.

Firecrackers blared, gongs and drums blaring.

On the day Zhang Ke and Ding Xiaoxiao got married, the Ding family held a water banquet for seven consecutive days.

During the dinner, Zhang Ke didn't show any grievances or dissatisfaction. Most of his father's injuries have been healed. Not only did he wake up from the coma, he could barely walk on the ground.

Ding Yuanhe also counted his capital, not to mention the preciousness of century-old ginseng, the cost of various medicines to treat injuries alone exceeded 2000 taels of silver.

This made Zhang Ke very grateful to Ding Yuanhe and determined to treat his wife sincerely, which was also Ding Yuanhe's goal.

Wedding night.

When Zhang Ke picked up the red hijab on the bride's head, the first thing he saw was a head of white hair like silver and snow.

And the face of the bride Ding Xiaoxiao, who looked like a half-century old man, couldn't help but surprised Zhang Ke.

If it wasn't for Ding's house, Zhang Ke would have thought that he had been deceived.

Ding Xiaoxiao knew how unbearable she looked, and she didn't even dare to raise her head.

After a while, only a gentle voice sounded in my ear.

"Miss, can I take care of you for the rest of my life?"

There was mist in Ding Xiaoxiao's eyes, and he said in a low voice:
"If you never betray, dependent life and death I will!"

'boom--! '

At this moment, Zhang Ke suddenly seemed to hear another person say the same thing to him in Zhang Ke's mind.

A figure faintly flashed in his mind, but then the figure was shrouded in thick fog.

Zhang Ke's headache was about to explode, so he couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead.

Seeing Ding Xiaoxiao showing panicked eyes and expression like a wounded deer, Zhang Kerou said:
"nothing."

After getting married, due to Ding Xiaoxiao's physical condition, Zhang Ke did not take her home to meet her parents, but only sent a letter back.

Zhang Zhiqing's injury is getting better day by day due to the sufficient medicine tonic.

But the other four villagers in the village who were also injured by this "fire poison" died one after another within half a month.

But Zhang Zhiqing was in a bad mood. He felt that his injury caused Zhang Ke to join Ding's family, which made his son unable to hold his head up.

However, as time passed, the Ding family continued to send property to the Zhang family one after another.

Not only did the life of the Zhang family greatly improve, but also from this point it was seen that the Ding family attached great importance to their son, and Zhang Zhiqing gradually dissipated the haze in his heart.

For the next 13 years, Zhang Ke lived in Ding's house for a long time, and only went home to reunite with his parents for a short time during the New Year's Eve.

In the Ding family, Zhang Ke abided by his duties and never interfered with any business or personnel matters of the Ding family. Apart from being with his wife Ding Xiaoxiao every day, he spent the rest of his time traveling to and from the mountains and forests.

But since the day he entered the forest, he never brought out any prey again.

After the news came out, many hunters in Zhongcun secretly sighed that a top hunter was just useless.

Maybe it really works. Although Ding Xiaoxiao's body has not fully recovered, it has not continued to deteriorate. After a few years, he can even walk on the ground for a short time.

Ding Yuanhe and his wife were greatly relieved, and they became closer to Zhang Ke.

Zhang Ke didn't care about other people's opinions. Apart from a little concern for Ding Xiaoxiao, there was only one thing that made him worry about him.

'Black Wind Pirates'

After Zhang Ke got married 13 years ago, the 'Black Wind Pirates' escaped from a siege by the government and disappeared.

Until the seventh day of July [-] in the lunar calendar, a piece of news broke Zhang Ke's normal life.

'Black Wind Pirates' reappeared and bloodbathed 'Zhaojiaji', killing 600 people.

Then these 'Black Wind Pirates' fled into 'Cangcheng Mountain' and disappeared.

And 'Cangcheng Mountain' is the mountain that Zhang Ke hunted since he was a child.

That night, Ding Xiaoxiao woke up from his sleep, but there was no sign of Zhang Ke beside him.

Looking in the blink of an eye, Zhang Ke was standing in front of the window, looking at the stars in the night sky.

On the wooden table next to him, a short and half-foot long bow tangled with black silk lay flat.

This bow was made by Zhang Ke himself for five years. The bowstring is twisted from his own hair, named 'Qingsi'.

After 13 years of getting along, Ding Xiaoxiao didn't understand what was causing the stagnation in Zhang Ke's heart.

Reluctantly struggling to sit up on the bed, Zhang Ke, who heard the sound, came to him and said dissatisfiedly:
"What are you doing, lie down!"

Ding Xiaoxiao lay down again obediently, stared at Zhang Ke for a while, and suddenly said:

"Lang Jun, go into the mountains!"

Zhang Ke was slightly taken aback, not knowing how his wife could see his intentions.

Ding Xiaoxiao said softly:
"Don't worry about me, I will always be at home waiting for you to come back."

Said slightly naughty and authentic:

"However, you have to bring back to me the most beautiful flower in the mountain."

Zhang Ke was moved and reached out to hold Ding Xiaoxiao's hand.

"Xiao Xiao, take good care of your body. When I come back, I will definitely let your father hold a grandson next year."

Ding Xiaoxiao's face gradually turned red, and traces of anticipation and longing flowed into her heart.

It was not yet clear on the second day, Zhang Ke changed into his old clothes, and quietly left Ding House with a short knife, a 'green silk bow' and two bags of arrows.

On the third day after he left, the 'Black Wind Pirates' suddenly attacked in large numbers. After a fierce battle, Dingjia Town was breached.

Residents in the town were massacred, and more than 3000 people survived the town.

Then Dingjia Town was burned to the ground with a big fire by the "Black Wind Pirates".

Zhang Ke searched for several days in 'Cangcheng Mountain', although he found signs of a gathering place of a large number of people and horses, but failed to find the whereabouts of 'Black Wind Pirates'.

When he reluctantly left 'Cangcheng Mountain' and returned to Dingjia Town, he was shocked by the lingering fire in front of him.

Zhang Ke crazily broke into Dingjia Town, and everywhere he looked were stumps, broken arms and charred corpses of residents.

But when he came to the gate of Ding's house, his heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

The door was open to the outside, and the bodies of servants and guards were lying at the door, and there were obvious signs of damage everywhere, which meant that when Ding's house was broken into, the people in the house did not have time to retreat.

When he entered the burning house with only the frame left, he saw a scorched black corpse lying on the bed.

Zhang Ke's eyes suddenly went dark, and he fell to the ground in a whirl.

After a long while, I struggled to get up and came to the bed, and carefully identified it, but the body had already been burnt, and it was impossible to tell who it was.

With trembling hands, Zhang Ke pulled out a strand of hair from the head of the burnt corpse. The white roots of the hair made Zhang Ke no longer lucky.

"Ah~~~!"

He howled like a wounded lone wolf and rushed out of the house.

(End of this chapter)