Le voyage d'un mendiant à travers le monde

Chapitre 126

"What do you know? What do you know?... " Yue Ruzheng's legs couldn't move, so she bit his shoulder hard.

He paused for a moment, then looked up and said, "I don't know..."

"How can you know one minute and not the next, Lian Junchu, are you stupid?" Yue Ruzheng tried to pounce on him again, but he raised his leg to stop her.

"Stop fooling around, stop fooling around." Lian Junchu took a few deep breaths, put her foot on her lap and pushed her away, saying with utmost precision, "Go to sleep."

After he finished speaking, he propped himself up on his shoulders and blew out the candle by the bedside. Before Yue Ruzheng could react, he lay down and quietly closed his eyes, as if he was about to fall asleep.

With a hint of disappointment and confusion, Yue Ruzheng pressed herself against him, rising and falling, breathing evenly.

"Little Tang..."

After a moment, Yue Ruzheng poked his face with her finger. He didn't move or respond at first, but Yue Ruzheng, unwilling to give up, clamped his foot with her toes, and he struggled to pull it back.

"What are you doing?" he said, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"Are you angry?" she whispered in his ear.

He lay on his back, eyes closed, and said, "Where?"

"Is it my fault for biting you?" Yue Ruzheng curled up, her feet kicking against his legs.

He opened his eyes, glanced at her sideways, and said nothing.

"Is it because I kicked you?" Yue Ruzheng lowered her leg, stretched out her arms, and draped them over him. He could only frown and mutter, "No."

"Then..." she was about to speak when he silenced her with a fierce kiss.

"Huh?" Yue Ruzheng's eyes widened, somewhat surprised by the sudden onslaught. Lian Junchu had never kissed her so passionately before, abandoning his usual gentleness and holding her lips and tongue tightly for a long time. Only when she was almost struggling to breathe did he reluctantly pull back.

"Alright, don't bother me anymore." After saying that, he couldn't help but chuckle, and then turned over again.

In the silence, Yue Ruzheng gazed at his back. Under the covers, his flaws seemed less noticeable. She quietly adjusted her position, tucking the blanket around him, and fell asleep on the same side as him. Thin moonlight filtered through the window paper, and the raindrops gradually diminished, falling softly and gently, like a long, lingering melody, accompanying their world in tranquil serenity.

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During these three days, Yue Ruzheng felt as if she had been resurrected from the brink of death. Many times she wondered if this was just a dream, but every time she turned around and saw him, she felt incredibly gentle and at ease.

On the afternoon of the third day, after tidying up the house inside and out, they prepared to descend the mountain. Looking at the courtyard they hadn't seen in so long, Yue Ruzheng was reluctant to leave. Seeing her standing there, Lian Junchu could only say, "You'll come back, won't you?"

For some reason, Yue Ruzheng still felt uneasy. Perhaps deep down, she sensed that this journey down the mountain might not be smooth sailing. At the very least, how to face her master was a major problem. But no matter what, they had to face it. Yue Ruzheng silently vowed to herself that, no matter what, she would persuade her master to let go of her prejudice against Xiao Tang.

As she left the courtyard, she kept looking back. As the cottage gradually disappeared behind the trees, she kept muttering, "Were all the windows closed tightly? And..."

Lian Junchu stopped and said, "I've already watched it several times." He paused, then turned to look at her and said, "Ruzheng, don't worry."

Yue Ruzheng said somewhat dejectedly, "Little Tang... I don't want to leave."

He paused, then bent down and touched her long hair, saying, "We'll come back together, really."

Upon arriving at the foot of Nan Yandang Mountain, they found Wei Heng in an inn in the town.

Wei Heng was somewhat taken aback to see the two of them arrive together, seemingly expecting it but still finding it hard to believe. Yue Ruzheng wanted to know if Lian Junxin had made things difficult for him during his three days on Seven Star Island, but he seemed unwilling to say much, only stating, "In short, she couldn't do anything to me."

"Are you still coming back to Luzhou with us?" Yue Ruzheng asked.

Wei Heng looked at her and Lian Junchu, remained silent for a moment, and then smiled, "I don't want to be an ungrateful person. You two go ahead and set off. I've never been here before, so it's not too late to return to Huangshan a few days later."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Yue Ruzheng stopped pressuring him.

As their parting drew near, Wei Heng picked up the wine pot from the table, filled two cups, and said to Lian Junchu, "I've always wanted to have another match with you, but now it seems unlikely I'll have the chance. However, the world of martial arts is ever-changing; who knows what the future holds?"

Lian Junchu looked at him and said, "No matter what happens in the future, there are some things I still want to thank you for."

Wei Heng smiled, raised his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Ruzheng." Lian Junchu called softly, and Yue Ruzheng quickly picked up a wine glass for him. She had never seen him drink before, but Lian Junchu seemed to drink the whole glass with great skill and did not frown.

"So you can drink alcohol..." Yue Ruzheng said with some dissatisfaction.

Lian Junchu was taken aback. Wei Heng laughed, "Yue Ruzheng, you don't even have to worry about this, do you? Women really are a lot of trouble."

"I didn't care about him..." Yue Ruzheng said resentfully when she saw that he was still the same as before. When they said goodbye, Wei Heng saw the two of them to the door of the inn. Yue Ruzheng walked ahead and turned around unintentionally. She saw Wei Heng whisper something to Lian Junchu and Lian Junchu looked a little unnatural.

Before she could even ask a question, Lian Junchu had already bid farewell to Wei Heng. Wei Heng, smiling, clutching his longsword, said, "I'll travel around this area for a while, hoping to receive your wedding invitations when I return to Tingyu Manor."

Yue Ruzheng blushed, said goodbye to Wei Heng, and left the town with Lian Junchu.

They hadn't walked far when Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but ask Lian Junchu to tell her what Wei Heng had whispered earlier. But Lian Junchu stubbornly refused to say. Yue Ruzheng tugged at his sleeve, saying, "Why won't you tell me? Was he just joking?"

Lian Junchu said somewhat displeased, "No. Anyway, don't ask anymore; it's not something you need to know."

Yue Ruzheng was indignant but helpless, so she could only say, "You don't have to tell me. Anyway, I'll run into Wei Heng again, and I can ask him then."

Lian Junchu paused, and although she did not refute, she glanced at her sideways, her previous arrogant demeanor largely dissipating.

Yue Ruzheng, feeling pleased with herself, reached out and poked him, saying, "Can't you be all smug anymore?"

Lian Junchu didn't speak, but quickened his pace with his head down. Yue Ruzheng hesitated for a moment, then caught up with him and tentatively asked, "You don't really mind, do you?"

He walked along, lost in thought, before finally turning to look at her. His lips were slightly downturned, as if deliberately trying to appear knowledgeable, and he said slowly, "I know you're saying that on purpose, but I won't fall for it."

His self-righteous magnanimity was nothing but a facade in Yue Ruzheng's eyes, yet she loved seeing the subtle concern hidden behind his faint expression. If there hadn't been other pedestrians on the street, she would have loved to grab him and force him to admit that his nonchalance was entirely an act. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, she could only follow him silently, secretly pleased.

That night, they stayed at an inn in Wenzhou. Yue Ruzheng assumed he would book one room with the innkeeper, but to her surprise, he said he wanted two. Suppressing her displeasure, Yue Ruzheng went upstairs. Seeing him enter his room, she quickly slipped inside before he could close the door, slamming it shut behind her. "Lian Junchu," she said, "you're so stingy!"

Lian Junchu was clearly taken aback by her sudden anger and asked in surprise, "What's wrong with me now?"