Le voyage d'un mendiant à travers le monde

Chapitre 90

Lian Junqiu always remembered that this was the question he asked after recovering from that state of confusion.

At that time, Lian Haichao tried his best to remain calm and change the subject, but the child stubbornly kept asking questions over and over again, his eyes unfocused and his voice weak.

Lian Haichao finally couldn't help but tell him the truth: it's gone.

"Why isn't it here?!" The boy stared blankly at him. "They said they cut off my hand and sent it to you. My mother told me that once they found you, they could put my hand back on."

Lian Haichao couldn't utter a single word. The young girl, Lian Junqiu, had never seen her father so lost and dejected. She wanted to go forward and comfort the boy with a lie, but Lian Haichao waved his hand weakly, sighed heavily, and stood up.

Unexpectedly, the boy, who was originally extremely weak, suddenly began to struggle as soon as he took a step. Lian Junqiu watched in shock as the white gauze on his severed arm was stained red with blood. She took a few steps back.

But he seemed oblivious to the pain, only staring hysterically at Lian Haichao as he was about to leave, shouting, "Give me back my hand! Give me back my hand! I don't even know you, why did you take my hand away?!"

Even Hai Chao seemed to have lost his usual composure, turning around abruptly with a dim look in his eyes, he said, "It's no use, I've already buried your hand, Jun Chu."

Those cold, lifeless eyes suddenly lost their vitality, sinking deeper and deeper until they reached the bottom of a thousand-foot abyss.

Lian Junqiu could never forget that day—that boy named Junchu, with such despair in his eyes. He might never escape that nightmare for the rest of his life. Lian Junqiu began to silently watch over him. From that day on, he never spoke to Lian Haichao again, refusing all help except from Lian Junqiu.

For some reason, Lian Junqiu's arrival made him reluctantly drink all kinds of bitter medicine. Every time his wounds were dressed, it was like torture, but he never uttered a sound, even biting his lip until it bled, rather than showing weakness in front of others.

After everyone left, Lian Junqiu would stay and lie by his bedside, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He would turn his head slightly, as quiet as a fawn, gazing at her with his dark eyes, saying nothing.

Even after experiencing countless trials and tribulations in the martial world, and even after developing a hardened and calm heart, there was always a moment deep in Lian Junqiu's mind where the small house was bathed in soft sunlight, and it was just him and her.

As she thought this, she couldn't help but reach out again, her fingertips touching Lian Junchu's face. Time flies; the frail child of yesteryear is now a handsome young man, while she herself has clearly lost her youthful beauty.

Or rather, even in the most beautiful years of her life, he never loved her.

Lian Junqiu chuckled self-deprecatingly. Just then, the faint sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance.

"Jun Chu." She gently nudged him, and Lian Jun Chu finally woke up from his extreme exhaustion.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, he also became alert. Lian Junqiu whispered, "It's your man."

"What?" Lian Junchu was taken aback and tried to stand up, but she pressed him down: "I saw you were very tired, so I went to Chaoxian to bring back the troops from Seven Star Island."

"You've seen them?!"

Lian Junqiu shook her head and said, "No, I just used a method to let them see our unique markings, so they would naturally look for us along the way."

"Then you..." Lian Junchu pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Yue Ruzheng.

Lian Junqiu said calmly, "I'm no longer a member of Seven Star Island, and I won't go with you."

Lian Junchu stared at her, somewhat stunned, and asked, "Big sister, will you stay here in the future?"

Lian Junqiu lowered her eyes, smiled but didn't answer. The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, and she suddenly looked up at the window, saying, "Junchu, you go out first, lest they get lost. Bring them back after I leave."

Looking at her slightly weathered face, Lian Junchu felt a strange mix of emotions and silently got up and left.

Lian Junqiu watched him leave, then turned around, her gaze falling on the necklace beside Yue Ruzheng's pillow. She stroked the three pale blue pearls again, only to find that the seashell that had been tied to them was gone. Only the thin white silk thread remained, seemingly proof of its presence.

She paused for a moment, then suddenly understood. She picked up the silver needles from the table and pressed them on Yue Ruzheng's acupoints several times, which gradually opened her eyes.

"Yue Ruzheng, they will be taking you away soon." Lian Junqiu said softly, lifting her shoulders and helping her put on her clothes.

Yue Ruzheng's expression remained grim. She glanced around anxiously and asked, "Where is he?"

Lian Junqiu paused, then said softly, "Outside." She then looked at Yue Ruzheng, remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Do you know why I left Seven Star Island?"

Yue Ruzheng was caught off guard by this question and didn't know how to answer for a moment. Lian Junqiu, however, seemed not to expect her to answer either, and murmured to herself, "Because I can never have the person I like."

The cold wind howled through the window paper.

"What's the point of telling me all this now?" Yue Ruzheng slowly sat up straight, saying bitterly, "He's not the same Xiao Tang he used to be. He doesn't want to think about what happened before, whether it was bitter or sweet."

"Don't you know why he changed himself?" Lian Junqiu stared into her eyes.

"He wants to become strong to show me that he hasn't been defeated?" Yue Ruzheng said blankly.

Lian Junqiu took a deep breath: "It's not just that... He wants to completely erase his past self, leaving no trace. Because he can't bear it, he can't bear the time you spent with him, he can't bear that all your kindness was a lie, and he can't bear that you were only with him because of his status. The more different he is from before, the more he feels he can escape that shadow, even if it means completely changing himself..."

As Yue Ruzheng listened to Lian Junqiu's words, her already unbearable heart felt as if it had fallen into an abyss.

"In order to make himself completely different from before, he installed mechanisms on his arms and practiced swordsmanship every day... Yue Ruzheng, do you think he is someone who pursues to be the best in the world? I'm afraid he will collapse sooner or later," Lian Junqiu said in a hoarse voice.

Tears streamed down Yue Ruzheng's face. Her vision blurred as she looked at Yingluo beside her and noticed that the seashell had disappeared.

She lay on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lian Junqiu slowly stood up, looked out the window, and almost muttered to herself, "I thought that if you left him, he would rely on me after his heartbreak." She spoke blankly, a bitter smile playing on her lips, "Only now do I realize that everything I did was pushing him towards his doom..."

"Everything you've done?" Yue Ruzheng frowned, a sense of unease stirring within her...

When Lian Junchu returned to the small house, the door was ajar. Inside, she saw Yue Ruzheng sitting blankly against the bed railing. Lian Junqiu had already quietly left.

Chapter Sixty-One: The Traveler in the Carriage Still Shy

Along the forest path, Yinglong drove a carriage slowly toward Luzhou, flanked by Bifang and several of his subordinates. Although they all had some guesses about who had marked the way to lead them here, seeing that Lian Junchu was unwilling to discuss the matter, they dared not inquire further.

Inside the car, Yue Ruzheng lay on her side in the seat, but the space was cramped, so she could only curl up. The road was quite uneven, and the car was swaying constantly. She closed her eyes and felt dizzy. When she opened them, she saw Lian Junchu sitting opposite her. He was gazing thoughtfully out the window. The sky outside was gradually darkening, and before she knew it, another night was about to fall.

Yue Ruzheng's joints ached from the pressure. She turned to the side, supporting herself on the hard surface. After a while, she heard rustling sounds behind her. She couldn't help but turn around and saw Lian Junchu struggling to bend over, lifting her foot to pull down her outer robe.

Yue Ruzheng was surprised and instinctively tried to sit up. He glanced at her indifferently and said, "No need to come over."

"Why are you taking off your clothes?" Yue Ruzheng asked hesitantly, then lay back down in her seat, facing him.