Le voyage d'un mendiant à travers le monde

Chapitre 4

Yue Ruzheng hurriedly said, "Wait a moment."

The boy turned around, said nothing, but looked at her with his deep, clear eyes, which held a hint of inquiry.

"Do you know where Longqiu Waterfall is?" Yue Ruzheng placed all her last hope on him, looking at him expectantly.

The boy paused slightly, then asked, "You're here to see Long Qiu?"

Yue Ruzheng hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, I urgently need to find someone; he lives near Longqiu Waterfall."

The young man hesitated for a moment, then calmly said, "You've come to the wrong place. There's no Dragon Pool here."

"What?!" Yue Ruzheng exclaimed in shock, her body jolting upright before collapsing back onto the bed in pain. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and she gasped, "Isn't this Yandang Mountain?!"

"This is South Yandang," the young man said calmly. "The Dragon Pool you're looking for is in North Yandang. There are several places in Yandang Mountain; it's not a single mountain."

Yue Ruzheng was both anxious and angry. Only then did she realize that when she asked for directions in Wenzhou, the people kept pointing south and then north – that was what they meant. She had traveled all this way, only to get the place wrong. A wave of sadness washed over her, yet she still looked at the young man with unwavering hope and asked, "Aren't the North and South Yandang Mountains very close together?"

"Not very close." The young man, completely oblivious to her feelings, replied emotionlessly, "This is Pingyang, and Bei Yandang is in Yueqing."

Although Yue Ruzheng didn't know anything about Yueqing, judging from his tone, it was clearly a different place, and the last remaining fantasy in her heart was ruthlessly shattered by him.

Ever since she was captured by Su Muchen and his men, she had endured until now, all in order to find her senior brothers and uncles as soon as possible, so that her master wouldn't have to deal with the scheming Mo Li alone. Now, seriously injured and having gone down the wrong path, she could no longer suppress her sorrow, and tears welled up in her eyes, slowly sliding down her cheeks onto the pillow.

The boy watched her silently weep, observing intently as if he had never seen anyone cry before. Yue Ruzheng cried for a while, then forced herself to remain calm and asked, "How long does it take to get from here to Bei Yandang?"

The boy thought for a moment and said, "It can be done in a day."

Yue Ruzheng lowered her tear-streaked eyelashes, silently calculating her itinerary, but the pain in her foot made her frown. The young man said, "Do you really intend to walk all the way to Bei Yandang?"

Yue Ruzheng said sullenly, "I'll rest for a day tomorrow, and I should be able to stand up again, though I'll walk a little slower."

The boy scoffed, "That's wishful thinking. At your age, you won't be able to travel far for at least ten days."

Yue Ruzheng was originally just trying to be strong, but after being hit like this, she was naturally unwilling to give up. She forced herself to sit up and said, "I can't delay any longer!..." She could only say half of the sentence before she could no longer support herself and had to lean against the headboard, tightly gripping the short robe in her hand.

The boy crouched down, looked at her pale face, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"My senior master is Yu Hezhi, the hermit of Longqiu," Yue Ruzheng said dejectedly.

The boy nodded without saying anything, but looking at the short robe in her hand, he said, "Even if you're anxious now, it's no use. Change your wet clothes first, and we'll think of something tomorrow."

Yue Ruzheng leaned against the bed railing, her face full of sorrow, staring blankly at the clothes in her hands. Seeing that she was still lost in thought, the young man didn't say anything more and turned to leave the room.

In the dim light, Yue Ruzheng lowered her head and unfolded the short brown robe in her hand. Although the fabric was extremely ordinary, it seemed to have been worn only a few times and could still be considered new. She struggled to pull herself back under the covers, rustling as she took off her already soiled clothes and put on the robe. The boy wasn't particularly tall, but Yue Ruzheng was petite, and the robe looked loose and baggy on her. Yue Ruzheng tightened the robe's collar, breathing in the damp, cold mountain air, and closed her eyes, half-exhausted and half-drowsy.

Chapter Four: A Straw Raincoat Calms the Storm

That night, Yue Ruzheng was plagued by nightmares. In her dreams, Yinxi Xiaozhu was reduced to ruins, and the once vibrant red plum blossoms were scattered across the ground like bloodstains. Suddenly, a waning moon hung in the sky, and she was tightly bound to a plum tree with an iron chain, unable to break free no matter how hard she struggled. She was trapped in the nightmare, unable to wake up. Sometimes she was aware that she was dreaming, but she just couldn't open her eyes, her body feeling heavy, as if crushed by a thousand-pound boulder.

She spent the night in fear and dread. When she opened her eyes in a half-awake state, it was already getting light outside the window, but there was a rustling sound on the window paper, as if it was raining again.

The medicine powder on her wound seemed to be working; the burning sensation from last night had disappeared, leaving only a dull ache. She turned to her side; the clothes she had taken off on the bedside table last night were gone. Now that the light in the room was gradually brightening, she had a chance to examine them closely. Like the outer room, the furnishings here were equally simple, except for a bamboo and wooden desk under the window with writing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. On the rattan bookshelf to the right of the desk were several scrolls, the contents of which she did not know.

Just then, the door opened, and the boy walked in carrying a bamboo basket in his mouth. He bent down in front of the bed, placed the basket on the cabinet, and turned to her, saying, "Eat breakfast."

She paused slightly, then sat up with her hands on her hips. Sure enough, the basket contained a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup made from some unknown wild mountain vegetables. The vegetable leaves were finely chopped and floated in the soup, their light green color emitting a faint fragrance.

"You have internal injuries, so you can't eat meat." He sat down in the chair, took off his shoes, stretched out his feet, and brought out two bowls one by one.

Yue Ruzheng thought for a moment; it seemed there was no one else in the room besides the two of them. She raised an eyebrow and tentatively asked, "Did you make this?"

The boy's feet were still on the counter. Hearing her question, he suddenly sat up straight, gave her a complicated look, and said in a low voice, "I've washed my feet, they're clean." He then put his feet down, put on his straw sandals, and didn't say a word.

Yue Ruzheng then realized his sensitivity and quickly said, "No, that's not what I meant. I just think you're better than me; I'm not very good at cooking."

The boy still kept his eyes downcast. Yue Ruzheng endured the pain, took the bowl of soup, and took a small sip. She immediately felt the lingering fragrance in her mouth and smiled, saying, "Not only does it look beautiful, but it tastes delicious too."

The boy quietly raised his deep, dark eyes and looked at her, a hint of warmth appearing on his slightly pale face. Yue Ruzheng had only caught a glimpse of him briefly in the darkness yesterday, but now, facing him, she saw that he was quite handsome, especially his eyebrows and eyes, which were exquisite and clear, without a single flaw.

"Just some worthless wild vegetables." His tone remained calm and unwavering. "I don't have anything good here."

Yue Ruzheng took a few sips, then suddenly looked up and asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

The boy turned slightly to the side towards the outer room and said casually, "I'll go out to eat after you've finished."

Seeing his words, Yue Ruzheng felt embarrassed to eat too slowly. The young man, sensing her thoughts, gave a slight bow and said, "No need to rush, eat slowly."

Yue Ruzheng blushed slightly and said while eating, "By the way, I still don't know how to address you?"

The boy paused for a moment, then said, "My surname is Tang."

"Tang?" Yue Ruzheng smiled and said, "My surname is Yue, Yue Ruzheng."

Seeing her say that, the young man seemed to realize that only mentioning her surname was inappropriate, so he added, "Tang Yanchu."

"Tang Yanchu..." Yue Ruzheng read it aloud, then asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Nineteen," he said calmly.

"Oh? The same age as me." She raised her arched eyebrows and said, "I thought you were younger than me."

Tang Yanchu glanced at her, her eyes seeming to think she was a bit long-winded.

She seemed oblivious to his displeasure and pressed on, unwilling to give up, "So, what month were you born in?"

He pursed his lips, remained silent for a long while, and then said, "This month."

Yue Ruzheng's eyes sparkled, and she said with a smile, "February? What a coincidence, I was born in January, so I'm older than you. In that case, I'll call you Little Tang, okay?"