Le voyage d'un mendiant à travers le monde

Chapitre 102

With a sudden "?", the sound of a door being pushed open loudly came from upstairs. Wei Heng looked up at the sound and saw Yue Ruzheng staggering as she leaned on the railing, about to go downstairs.

"Ruzheng!" Shao Yang was startled and turned to go upstairs to help her, but she pushed him away fiercely, saying vehemently, "Shao Yang, what right do you have to talk about him like that?!"

Shao Yang grabbed her hands and clenched them tightly against his chest. "You feel sorry for him?! But how has he treated you? Do you really have to belittle yourself like that?!"

Yue Ruzheng still had an external injury on her wrist, and Shao Yang's grip caused her immense pain. Her face turned deathly pale, and her body kept sinking down. At this moment, Wei Heng and Lian Junchu rushed forward. Wei Heng grabbed Shao Yang first, urgently saying, "She's injured! We can talk in the room!"

When Lian Jun first saw that Yue Ruzheng's wrist wound had already reopened and blood was gradually seeping out, she immediately lowered her arms behind her back. Shao Yang only saw a cold light suddenly appear before his eyes, and the two short swords had already pierced out from the spikes, heading straight for his neck.

"Let her go!" Lian Junchu roared furiously, abandoning her previous composure.

Shao Yang raised his eyebrows, his eyes seemingly filled with sharp arrows, almost ready to draw his sword at that moment. Fortunately, Wei Heng held his right arm tightly, preventing him from making a move immediately.

Yue Ruzheng could no longer hold on; her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, but her hands were still held by Shao Yang, raised high in the air. Lian Junchu's twin swords were pressed against Shao Yang's neck, already slicing his skin, and drops of blood slid onto the blades.

Wei Heng stamped his foot, then suddenly struck out swiftly, hitting Shao Yang's vital points on the shoulder. Taking advantage of Shao Yang's moment of evasion, he snatched Yue Ruzheng from his grasp, picked her up, and quickly ran back to the room.

Yue Ruzheng collapsed into Wei Heng's arms, her gaze fixed on the stairs, her eyes moist, her body trembling. Wei Heng glanced down at her, frowned, and remained silent. He gently placed her on the bed, then turned and went to the door. He saw Shao Yang holding a long sword, pointing it at Lian Junchu, while Lian Junchu's twin swords were lowered, seemingly unwilling to fight him.

"Brother Shao," Wei Heng said softly, walking up behind Shao Yang, "I know you're suffering, but the more you forbid him from seeing Ruzheng, the more Ruzheng will hate you. What's the point?"

Shao Yang's eyes reddened slightly, and he gave a bitter laugh: "No matter how much I do, in her eyes it's all in vain! And this kid with both arms missing, no matter how cruel or ruthless he is to her, she's still devoted to him! I really don't understand, is there any logic left in this world?!"

Having said that, he didn't look back, and walked away sadly, dragging his long sword.

Wei Heng had never seen Shao Yang so desperate. He hurriedly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lian Junchu and said, "Young Master Lian, I just don't want things to get out of hand... Please, consider others more."

Lian Junchu was startled. Wei Heng dodged to the side and chased after her out the door.

Lian Junchu leaned against the wall for a moment, then lowered her head, walked to the door, and gently pushed it open to enter.

The curtains in front of the bed were drawn low, so he couldn't see Yue Ruzheng's appearance clearly. He could only vaguely see her curled up on the bed, her already petite body looking even thinner and weaker.

He walked slowly towards the bedside, each step feeling like walking on needles. When he reached the bed, she remained motionless and silent. Lian Junchu stood there, stunned, for a long time before finally sitting on the edge of the bed and, through the curtains, saying in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."

Yue Ruzheng's breathing seemed to pause for a moment, then her shoulders trembled violently, and she huddled up. She tried her best to suppress her sobs, not wanting to always leave him with the impression that she could only cry, but those three words, "him," were like ice-breaking axe, heavily and fiercely chiseling at her heart, making her unable to control her emotions.

Lian Junchu sat slumped on the edge of the bed, listening to her long-suppressed sobs, and the words Lian Junxin had said to him before he left kept replaying in his mind.

He always thought that what happened three years ago was just an entanglement between him and Yue Ruzheng, but in the end he found out that he couldn't escape his eldest sister's scheme. In fact, he only realized in the end that even what his eldest sister did was under his father's control.

He always thought that Lian Haichao looked down on him and despised his crippled son from the bottom of his heart. But in the end, Lian Haichao "supported" him to take the position at the cost of his life and spent the last three years changing his appearance as much as possible.

He always thought he had suffered countless hardships, but in the end, he indirectly killed his father and his eldest sister.

Lian Junchu truly couldn't understand what kind of family he had in his life, or what kind of person he really was. He always remembered that when Yue Ruzheng had just met him, she put her hand on his shoulder and said with a smile, "Xiao Tang, you are the kindest and purest person I have ever met."

But now... isn't it true that everything was just an illusion, a farce?

In the room, Yue Ruzheng cried for a long time but did not hear Lian Junchu's voice. She turned around with difficulty and vaguely saw him sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her, his head down and his shoulders trembling slightly, through the curtains.

Yue Ruzheng was somewhat surprised and propped herself up, but he still didn't turn around. She stared blankly at his back, then suddenly leaned against him.

A thin curtain separated the two.

Her body rose and fell with his breath, and neither of them spoke. Yue Ruzheng held him tightly around the waist, her eyes closed, and the only sound around them was their breathing.

At this moment, it was the first time in three years that Yue Ruzheng felt so fulfilled and warm. Although her body was still cold and her bones were pierced, and although he only gave her a thin support, she still felt as if the whole world was holding her tightly, so that she would not be left without comfort.

"I knew you would come back," Yue Ruzheng said, sobbing as she leaned against him.

Lian Junchu kept his head down. He wanted to tell her what was on his mind, but the dark and heavy past made him unsure where to begin.

After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "This apology is on behalf of my elder sister, and also for myself."

Yue Ruzheng's hands trembled slightly, and her heart sank for some reason. "Why do you say that?"

Lian Junchu supported her with his back the whole time. He took a few deep breaths and said, "I feel like I've fallen into an abyss, yet I still keep you by my side."

"What do you mean?" Yue Ruzheng became even more anxious, hugging his waist tightly. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"No..." He wanted to laugh to ease the oppressive atmosphere, but he couldn't laugh at all, his eyes filled with soreness.

Yue Ruzheng grabbed his shoulders, and Lian Junchu slowly turned around, looking at the curtain between the two of them. He raised his arms and used an iron awl covered with sharp spikes to pry open the curtain.

Yue Ruzheng's pale face appeared before her eyes, and her gaze involuntarily fell on the two iron spikes. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, her eyes were still filled with fear and bitterness.

Lian Junchu lowered her eyes and looked at her "arm" as well. Suddenly, she raised the corners of her lips and finally smiled.

"Look, this is what makes me look like." He laughed bitterly, unable to pull himself out of it.

"That's not the real you." Yue Ruzheng wiped away her tears and tried her best to sit up straight. "I know that one day, you will go back to how you were before."

"What if we can't go back?" He smiled, but his eyes were lifeless.

Yue Ruzheng said blankly, "How can we not go back..."

"The me you know... the Xiao Tang you know, is gone. Perhaps the real me was never the person you imagined..." The doubts and denials that had been building up in his heart gradually spread, but he spoke calmly, as if he were telling Yue Ruzheng something very ordinary.

Yue Ruzheng didn't understand why he would suddenly say these things. She didn't even understand the meaning of his last sentence. "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by 'I was never the person I had in mind'? Do you think I can't see through you after knowing you for so long?"

Lian Junchu did not answer, but simply shook her head.

Seeing his expression, Yue Ruzheng felt a chill in her heart and couldn't help but place her hand on his chest. He slowly lowered his head and looked at her hand.

"Are you cold?" Yue Ruzheng touched his body and, seeing that he was dressed in thin clothes, took his robe and draped it over his shoulders. She wanted to help him put it on, but as soon as she reached out, she touched the hard iron spike and instinctively shrank back.

"Don't be afraid." Lian Junchu said this in a low voice, but her arms seemed to be trying to hide behind her back.