The River

Long ago, there lived a scholar. The scholar, however, was a fool. Many times, the scholar was the least intelligent person in the room and was threatened with being expelled from the school that they learned at. The scholar, however, persevered, with the hope that he would become well-educated and be able to support his struggling family. One day, the scholar came across a sleeping dragon. The dragon's pearl, located in the center of its forehead, contained all its knowledge and wisdom. Recognizing the opportunity, the scholar crept up to the dragon and stole the pearl, taking the dragon's knowledge for his own. With the help of the pearl, the scholar became very wise, rising from his position as a fool. But things soon began to take a turn for the worst. Originally, the scholar used his newfound knowledge to benefit others, curing incurable diseases, and making wondrous new inventions. By capitalizing on his inventions, the scholar was able to help his family. Time flew by, however, and the scholar soon became bored with using the knowledge granted to him to benefit others and not himself. Taking his wisdom, the scholar began stealing from others, committing intricate and orchestrated crimes that lined his own pockets all while keeping up the act of a kind and benevolent scholar. After tasting crime, the scholar's thirst began to grow, causing him to undergo dangerous and riskier activities just to satisfy the craving in his soul. Eventually, the scholar even began killing to satiate the immense hunger. One night, the scholar crept up to a house and lit it ablaze, killing all who were inside. The next day, the scholar learned that his family had died in a fire, and to his horror, it had been the same inferno that he had lit. Overwhelmed with sadness, the scholar sank to his knees and began crying, so much that it formed the first river. From that day forward, whenever a person cries, a river springs up somewhere in the world.