Ich bin ein Gott in der Chatgruppe aller Reiche

Kapitel 142

"No, she must have been delayed, and by the time she got back, she couldn't find you," he said gently, adding, "Let's not sit on the ground; it's cold."

Yue Ruzheng then stood up with him, still half asleep. The candlelight in the room was dim. Lian Junchu dared not go back to his own room. He stayed by the bedside all night until Yue Ruzheng fell asleep, without leaving for even a moment.

After daybreak, Lian Junchu and Yue Ruzheng went downstairs to ask the boss about the fire from years ago.

The owner still felt lingering fear when he recalled the past. "It's been fourteen years now. That winter was exceptionally cold. On the night of the winter solstice, I saw that the wind was extremely strong, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the road. I was just preparing to close up shop early when a young woman came rushing in with a child, seeking lodging."

"Is she with a girl who is about ten years old?" Lian Junchu asked.

"Yes." The shopkeeper thought for a moment, then confirmed, "The girl seemed unwell, wrapped tightly in her cloak, and wasn't very noisy, so I let them in. No other customers came in after that, so I went back to the backyard to rest. But in the middle of the night, I suddenly heard someone banging loudly on the door. My assistant and I were afraid some thugs had broken in, so we initially wanted to ignore it, but the shouting outside grew louder and louder, so I had no choice but to cautiously open the door. These people were all carrying swords and knives; they were clearly not good people. After they came in, they just drank and made merry downstairs, and soon after, we suddenly heard the voice of the woman who had stayed there earlier coming from upstairs..."

He glanced at Yue Ruzheng again and said, "I don't know why she suddenly rushed down in such a panic, wielding two swords, and without saying a word, she started wildly stabbing at the group of people. In an instant, the shop was engulfed in flames. My assistant and I were so frightened that we retreated behind the counter, crouching down with our hands on our heads, afraid to stand up. Not long after, there was a loud crash; someone kicked over a table, and the kerosene lamp fell over, igniting the tables and chairs. They were too busy fighting to notice. When I looked up, the shop was already ablaze. I wanted to rush over and put it out, but those men kicked open the door and fled. The wind blew in, and the fire quickly intensified."

"My staff and I rushed to the backyard to fetch water, but when we came back, the guests upstairs were all carrying their luggage and rushing down. The whole inn was in chaos, and the fire was getting bigger and bigger. We were powerless to do anything about it, so we had to run out the door with everyone else..." The owner sighed repeatedly, still looking very regretful.

Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but ask, "Where is that woman?"

"Her?" the innkeeper frowned. "When those men fled the inn, she chased after them, completely disregarding the child upstairs!"

Yue Ruzheng sat there silently, while Lian Junchu pondered, "Then she never came back after that?"

The shopkeeper sighed and said, "She did come back the next day when we were clearing the rubble. She was disheveled and quite frightening. She kept grabbing me and asking where the girl was, but where could I look? She was crying and screaming like a madwoman, attracting a lot of onlookers. But we were busy cleaning up, and no one had the mind to think about her. After watching for a while, the passersby dispersed. When I tried to explain to her again, I found that she had also disappeared."

"Aunt..." Yue Ruzheng said sorrowfully, gazing at the crowds coming and going outside the door, "She probably thinks I've already burned to death inside the inn..."

The shop owner was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Could you be that girl?"

Yue Ruzheng nodded silently. Lian Junchu really wanted to ask about her aunt again, but the boss had only met her once and didn't even know her name.

I only remember that she was tall and beautiful, wearing a plain white shirt and a long blue skirt, and her eyes flickered when she looked at people, as if she was always avoiding them.

Chapter 87

Although Yue Ruzheng finally remembered why she had been separated from her aunt, she was still too young at the time to know her aunt's name or where she had gone. The two stayed another night in Suzhou, and Lian Junchu insisted on returning to Nan Yandang with Ruzheng. Yue Ruzheng knew that even if she stayed longer, she wouldn't receive any news of her aunt, and they had been away from Zhejiang for some time; not returning for an extended period wasn't a solution. Therefore, she agreed to Lian Junchu's request, and together they packed their belongings and headed towards southern Zhejiang.

After several days of leisurely travel, the two arrived back in Tiantai territory. Yue Ruzheng led the horse, and Lian Junchu walked alongside her on the mountain path, saying, "Ruzheng, do you remember that last time we were originally going to enter Chicheng Mountain...?"

Yue Ruzheng nodded. When they passed by this place that day, Lian Junchu originally wanted to go with her to pay respects to her mother, but she gave up because she suddenly had a persistent headache. When she saw that Lian Junchu had brought it up again, she knew that he wanted to take her into the mountains again, but at present, her background was still uncertain, so she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Xiao Tang... can't we wait until we understand everything before going?" Yue Ruzheng stammered, looking at the green grass at her feet.

Lian Junchu stared at her blankly and said, "What's wrong with just going to pay respects to my mother?"

Looking into his clear yet melancholy eyes, Yue Ruzheng's heart softened. She forced a smile and said, "Alright then. I'm just a little nervous."

A hint of warmth appeared in Lian Junchu's eyes, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but move closer to him. Not far away, a woodcutter was carrying firewood and singing folk songs as he passed by, looking very carefree and leisurely. Looking at the woodcutter's back, she thought of the time she spent in Nan Yandang. If it weren't for all the hustle and bustle, perhaps she wouldn't have realized that the seemingly cold and lonely life was actually the most precious tranquility and peace.

The days of chasing after grudges and triumphs are long gone. Now, she only has a very small wish: to be an ordinary, unremarkable person with no complicated past, and to return home side by side with Xiao Tang.

Yue Ruzheng turned her head to look at Lian Junchu. He also seemed to be lost in thought, but his eyes were far away, and she didn't know what he was thinking.

"Little Tang," Yue Ruzheng gently touched him.

"Hmm?" He snapped out of his reverie and looked at her with a slight raised eyebrow.

"what's on your mind?"

He smiled faintly, "Ruzheng, we'll soon have known each other for four whole years."

Yue Ruzheng was taken aback, then suddenly exclaimed with delight, "Oh, right! I was thinking of telling you a few days ago, tomorrow is the ninth day of the second lunar month!" Mentioning this seemed to erase all her worries, and she said with a carefree air, "I was originally planning to go back to Nan Yandang with you, but it seems we don't have time now… How about we stay another night on Chicheng Mountain? But there's nowhere to cook you anything nice…"

She was unusually talking to herself, her face filled with longing and her eyes shining.

Lian Junchu stopped in his tracks and listened quietly to her haphazard arrangements. She spoke with great enthusiasm and a beaming smile, but he felt a pang of heartache for her.

He suddenly stepped forward, raised his arms, and placed them close to her shoulders. "I don't need those."

Yue Ruzheng stood there blankly, motionless, under his barely perceptible touch.

After a long while, she managed a smile and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Little Tang, even if I never find out who I really am, I will always stay with you in the mountains."

As we walked up Chicheng Mountain, it wasn't too late yet. The sunlight gently fell on the lush greenery of the mountain, and the wind blew through the branches, creating countless dappled patterns of light.

There were several ancient temples of varying sizes on the mountain, and they were quite popular with worshippers. They didn't go in, but instead walked along a secluded path towards Qiongtan. Far from the crowds of people burning incense and praying, the mountain path was long, but the two of them didn't feel tired or lonely.

"Want to take a break?" Seeing that Yue Ruzheng's pace slowed down slightly, Lian Junchu immediately slowed down as well.

"No need." Yue Ruzheng looked ahead. Not far away, a stream gurgled and meandered among the rocks like a veil, its elegance somewhat similar to that of Nan Yandang. She hadn't heard that mournful flute music again during this trip into the mountains. She thought to herself that perhaps it was just a chance trigger for her chronic illness.

"If it gets dark, we can stay at one of the temples over there for the night, right?" she said casually, gazing at the distant scenery with interest.

"It should be possible," Lian Junchu replied, looking up for a moment before saying, "Ruzheng, once you climb this hill, you'll reach Qiongtan."

Yue Ruzheng stopped speaking and her expression became serious. She followed Lian Junchu forward and indeed saw a mottled stone tablet standing by the mountain road in the distance, with the four characters "Qiongtan Lingxi" written on it. The stream that had flowed down from the cliff here was originally, and the gurgling sound of the water echoed in the mountains and forests, carrying three parts coolness and seven parts elegance.

After climbing for a while, we reached the top of the mountain. The terrain here was flat and spacious, with pine and cypress trees providing shade. Among the ancient pines, a tomb made of white jade stood quietly, with a clean tombstone and no words on it.

"Little Tang, is this the place?" Yue Ruzheng asked quietly.

Lian Junchu nodded, but his expression was somewhat surprised. He quickly walked forward and saw that the grave, which had been empty when he last came, now had some simple offerings placed there by someone. The weeds around the grave also looked as if they had been cleared away not long ago.

Yue Ruzheng also noticed this scene. She frowned and walked behind him, saying, "Could it be that someone nearby knew your mother and came specifically to pay their respects to her?"

"Impossible." Lian Junchu shook her head firmly. "Back then, my father hastily buried my mother here, and no one in the martial arts world knew about it. Many people didn't even know what happened to my mother in the end... Moreover, there's no name on this tombstone. Even if someone from the martial arts world passed by, they wouldn't know the identity of the person buried here."

Yue Ruzheng felt that what he said made sense, but the scene before her was clear and undeniably real. She thought hard for a moment, then said, "I understand. Many devout believers come to this mountain to offer incense. Perhaps some kind-hearted people saw that this grave was neglected and, as a good deed, offered a sacrifice."