Le voyage d'un mendiant à travers le monde

Chapitre 38

"I wish I could kill him!" Shao Yang spat out fiercely, turning to walk deeper into Merlin. Yue Ruzheng's body stiffened, and she rushed forward, grabbing him and shouting, "This has nothing to do with him! Don't hold him responsible for past events!"

"What's wrong? I can't even hate him anymore? Yue Ruzheng, I'm your senior brother, have you ever thought about me? Ten years of friendship can't compare to the less than a month you spent with him! What's so great about him that he can make you so infatuated?"

"I didn't!" Yue Ruzheng felt both saddened for Shao Yang and angry at his words, her eyes welling up with tears. "How could I not have thought of you? I only came here to try and comfort you. I just didn't want you to vent your anger on innocent people. What good would that do you?"

Shao Yang stared coldly at her, then shook off her pull, gripping his longsword and saying, "You don't need to explain anymore. In short, I will never give the people of Seven Star Island a kind look again! Also, the Beauty-Preserving Pearl was given to them because of my father, and I will definitely take it back to wash away the shame!" He said all he had to say, and stopped arguing with Yue Ruzheng. He pursed his lips and strode into Merlin.

Yue Ruzheng watched his departing figure. After a while, she heard the sound of swords rustling in the silent forest. She knew that Shao Yang must be venting his pain by practicing swordsmanship, so she silently sat down under the plum tree.

Because of this incident, the once peaceful and tranquil Yinxi Xiaozhu became indifferent and silent.

Yu Hezhi was still dissatisfied with Yue Ruzheng's refusal to follow his arrangements, Jiang Shuying was also displeased with her always defending Tang Yanchu, and Shao Yang was always alone and did not speak to anyone.

Yue Ruzheng didn't know what was wrong; no matter what she did, it was wrong. She couldn't go against her conscience to deceive Xiao Tang, nor could she show any concern for Xiao Tang in front of her master. Now, even her senior brother wouldn't pay attention to her. Only Qian'er dared to whisper to her after she returned to her room, but Qian'er didn't understand the ways of the martial world, and Yue Ruzheng couldn't explain many things to her.

Yue Ruzheng really didn't understand what she had done wrong, nor did she understand what she should do if she really was wrong.

Yinxi Xiaozhu, which used to feel like home to her, has now become a fortress that shackles her, making it hard for her to breathe. At night, lying in bed, staring at the dark room, she suddenly misses that place. That extremely simple bamboo fence courtyard, that pear tree with snow-white buds, that peach grove full of blooming flowers, and that boy with clear and calm eyes.

Longing is like a creeping vine, which grows especially easily at night, becoming entangled and inextricable.

In the darkness, she clutched the Lonely Fragrance Sword hanging on the wall, the one Tang Yanchu had retrieved for her from the overgrown weeds. Besides this, nothing else around her carried his scent. When she left, she had only quietly left him the sachet, taking nothing with her that could evoke memories. Yue Ruzheng wondered if that sachet, imbued with the delicate fragrance of green plum blossoms, still lay quietly by her bedside…

Time slipped through her fingers like water, and March was gone in a flash, followed by April. Yu Hezhi initially reprimanded Yue Ruzheng, but later patiently tried to persuade her. However, she remained steadfast in her beliefs, unwilling to return to Nan Yandang. Jiang Shuying still strongly resisted Seven Star Island, and Shao Yang continued to practice his swordsmanship silently every day. Sometimes, Yue Ruzheng truly wanted to escape, but in this vast sea of people, where could she go?

One day in mid-April, the sky was gloomy and oppressive from morning, making Yue Ruzheng's already low mood even more gloomy. She finished practicing her sword alone downstairs and was about to go out for a walk when she bumped into Shao Yang, who had a serious expression on his face.

"Senior brother," she called softly, then walked past him.

Shao Yang, unusually, called out, "Wait a minute."

Yue Ruzheng thought he was finally no longer angry with her, so she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at him.

"My senior martial uncle came to see me last night," Shao Yang said expressionlessly. "He also told me why you went to Nan Yandang last time."

Yue Ruzheng's heart sank. She didn't know why her senior uncle was doing this, nor did she know Shao Yang's true attitude. She said nothing, but just quietly looked at him.

Shao Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "I think my senior uncle's idea is not without merit. In terms of strength, we may not be able to match Seven Star Island. However, Lian Haichao's victory was not honorable, and he had boasted that he was just waiting for us to retrieve the Face-Fixing Pearl. Even if we use some tricks, it won't amount to much."

Yue Ruzheng felt a chill creeping down her spine. Over the past few days, she had exhausted all her reasons for not wanting to do it, and she was no longer able to argue. Therefore, she wasn't as indignant as before; she simply turned her head silently and whispered, "You have your reasons, and I have my own thoughts. Please don't force me to do things I don't want to do."

Shao Yang stared at her face without moving, gave a desolate smile, and said, "You did it for Tang Yanchu, didn't you? You were afraid of becoming a liar, a thief in his eyes. So you were willing to run back to Luzhou. I thought you had a fight with him... I never expected the reason you left was like this... Ruzheng, you keep saying you don't have feelings for him, but what you've done clearly tells me that he's all you care about! But have you ever thought that even if he weren't Lian Haichao's son, would you really want to go with someone like that? Are you just going to throw away your ten years of life in the martial world and spend the rest of your life in some desolate wilderness?"

Tears welled up in Yue Ruzheng's eyes. She tilted her head back, took a few deep breaths, and, fighting back her tears, said, "As long as you don't give up on that idea, I won't look for him again."

"You can hold back?" Shao Yang said coldly. "I know your personality best. Once your master gives in, you'll definitely try to see Tang Yanchu again! But let me remind you, even if your master abandons that plan, your master will absolutely not allow you to leave with the people from Seven Star Island. Unless…" He paused, then said, word by word, "You voluntarily withdraw from the sect and no longer acknowledge us."

Yue Ruzheng felt as if she were covered in ice and snow; her palms were sweating, and her body trembled uncontrollably. Early in the morning, dark clouds filled the gloomy sky, and soon raindrops began to fall, landing on the stone path at her feet, rising and falling incessantly.

Just then, Qian'er rushed in from the doorway and, upon seeing Yue Ruzheng, exclaimed, "Miss, someone is looking for you outside!"

Yue Ruzheng hadn't recovered yet. When Qian'er saw Shao Yang there, she assumed the two were arguing, so she cautiously walked to Yue Ruzheng's side, tugged at her sleeve, and said, "Miss, shall we go outside first?"

Yue Ruzheng forced herself to calm down and said weakly, "Who is it? I'm feeling very unwell right now and don't want to receive any guests."

"This...we don't know each other..." Qian'er said hesitantly, "but he said his surname is Tang."

Upon hearing Qian'er's words, Yue Ruzheng felt as if she were covered in ice and snow, her whole body turning cold, and she stood motionless.

Her thoughts were in complete disarray, her mind repeatedly telling herself: How could this be?! How could this be?! It couldn't be him! He wouldn't even go to the small town at the foot of the mountain, how could he come to Luzhou, a thousand miles away?!

"Miss?" Qian'er looked at her in surprise when she didn't get a reply.

Shao Yang strode forward and asked Qian'er seriously, "Is he a boy without hands?"

Qian'er looked embarrassed and said, "When Brother Chen outside asked me to announce their arrival, he said that I was curious and peeked through the crack in the door. It seems... it seems like there are no hands..."

"I won't see her!" Yue Ruzheng suddenly came to her senses and interrupted Qian'er before she could finish speaking.

Qian'er stared blankly at her, while Shao Yang glared at Ru Zheng and said angrily, "Junior Sister, what exactly do you want to do?"

Yue Ruzheng's voice trembled with nervousness: "I told you I don't want to see him! Didn't you not want me to be close to him?"

"Then you should ask your master and senior uncle before making a decision!" Shao Yang grabbed her arm and started to walk towards the backyard, saying to Qian'er, "Go and ask him to come in and wait!"

Yue Ruzheng forcefully shook him off, took a step back, and said, "I know you just want to use Tang Yanchu, how can I see him? I'll explain to my master, but I just can't let him in! Qian'er, just say I'm not here, and tell him to leave!"

Qian'er was so frightened by their attitude that she dared not respond. She could only retreat meekly and quickly head towards the door.

Yue Ruzheng lowered her head, listening to Qian'er's footsteps fade into the distance, tears welling up in her eyes. Her clothes were gradually getting soaked by the rain, but she was oblivious to the turmoil in her heart.

Undeterred by the wind and rain, Shao Yang stood before her, angrily saying, "I won't even mention your cowardly escape back to Luzhou. But now that he's at the door, you refuse to even see him. Yue Ruzheng, since you're unwilling to use trickery to seize the Divine Pearl, then I'll leave now. Don't blame me for being ruthless! At worst, I'll detain Tang Yanchu and have Lian Haichao exchange the Beauty-Preserving Divine Pearl for his life!"

"Shao Yang! Are you crazy? Don't go out!" Yue Ruzheng was so angry that her face turned pale, but she was afraid that he would really go out and start a fight, so she could only stand in front of him without moving.

Shao Yang gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and said coldly, "Ruzheng, you only think of yourself. Have you ever considered the feelings of others?"

Yue Ruzheng took a deep breath, her right hand slowly moving towards the Lonely Fragrance Sword behind her back. Just then, Yu Hezhi strode in from the backyard. Seeing the two locked in a stalemate, he said in a deep voice, "Are you two going to become enemies? What a joke!"

Yue Ruzheng gripped her sword hilt, remaining silent with pursed lips. Shao Yang glanced at her, then turned to Yu Hezhi and said, "Uncle-Master, do you know…?"

"I heard it from the servants," Yu Hezhi stepped forward, staring at Yue Ruzheng. "Your master already knows. She originally wanted to go out and confront that young man, but I stopped her. Ruzheng, I'll ask you one last time: do you want to resolve this yourself, or do you want us to use force?"

Yue Ruzheng stared blankly at her revered and respected senior master, then at Shao Yang, whose brows were filled with resentment. After a long silence, she finally whispered, "I'll go."

Shao Yang looked at her, as if he wanted to say something, but Yu Hezhi stopped him.

"Alright, since you've said so, we'll wait patiently here." Yu Hezhi regained his usual leisurely and carefree demeanor, flicked his wide sleeves, and walked towards the pavilion to the side.