Le voyage d'un mendiant à travers le monde

Chapitre 141

"I feel like I've hardly ever gone out with you..."

He turned his head and smiled slightly, "Then I'll stay here with you for a few days."

They had just arrived in Suzhou, a place of white walls and black tiles everywhere. A small boat glided gracefully across the clear water, disappearing into the depths of the willows in the blink of an eye. Only ripples remained on the water, rising and falling, shimmering and beautiful.

Yue Ruzheng stood on the bank, gazing at the waterside scenery in a daze, her brows and eyes bathed in the soft light of the early spring sun. Lian Junchu remained silent, simply leaning quietly against the bridge railing beside her. Her emerald green dress blended seamlessly with the willow branches before her, and these branches, soft yet resilient, mirrored the impression she gave off.

Lian Junchu wished she could freeze time at this moment; just being able to look at her like this would bring her peace of mind.

As dusk approached, he led her to find an inn to stay in. Knowing that he didn't want to stay near a bustling city, Yue Ruzheng suggested they go somewhere quieter. After asking around, Lian Junchu learned of an old inn near Panmen in the southwest corner, so he and Yue Ruzheng went there together.

The two arrived at the south of the city, where it was indeed quieter. After walking a short distance along the bluestone street, Lian Junchu saw a small building ahead with the words "Pan Cui Inn" written on the white wall in front of the main entrance. Upon entering the hall, a waiter immediately rushed forward to serve them. Lian Junchu looked around and saw that although the inn was not large, it was bright and clean. However, although the interior furnishings were unique, they did not seem to have a history of nearly a hundred years as the passersby had said.

The waiter was just coming over to inquire when he saw the customer looking at the tables, chairs, and utensils. Fearing the customer might be dissatisfied and business would suffer, he quickly dusted the tables and said, "Please rest assured, sir. Although our shop isn't very big, it's a long-established business, and we will absolutely not neglect you."

"I think these wall decorations and such are only about ten years old..." Lian Junchu said casually, but the shop owner, who was working on an abacus behind the counter, looked up and replied, "Young master has a good eye. To be honest, this shop has been open for over a hundred years, but unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire more than ten years ago and was almost completely burned down. It was later rebuilt."

"I see." Lian Junchu nodded, and was about to call Yue Ruzheng upstairs together when she turned around and saw her staring blankly at the door.

"Ruzheng?" Lian Junchu called out to her, and she turned around, looking somewhat confused.

"You don't want to stay here?" Lian Junchu walked up to her and asked in a low voice. Yue Ruzheng quickly shook her head. "No, I was just looking around."

So the two followed the waiter upstairs. There were flower stands on the stairs, with orchids planted in them. Yue Ruzheng walked along, glancing back as if deep in thought.

Upon entering the room, the waiter brought tea and then left. Yue Ruzheng sat on the edge of the bed, watching the tea leaves float up and down in the celadon cup, a faint fragrance filling the room. For some reason, ever since arriving here, she had a strange feeling, as if she had been to a similar place in a dream.

Lian Junchu hadn't returned to her room yet. Seeing Ruzheng sitting there silently, she asked, "Ruzheng, do you want to rest?"

Yue Ruzheng paused for a moment, stood up, walked to the table, picked up the teacup and held it in her hand. "No... I'm not that tired."

"Then why do you always look so absent-minded?" Lian Junchu asked, puzzled.

Yue Ruzheng took a small sip of tea, savoring the lingering fragrance. She then looked around and said, "It feels like I've dreamt of this place before."

Lian Junchu smiled. "Inns all look pretty much the same, so how did you know it was this place?"

Yue Ruzheng couldn't explain it, but she didn't care too much. Lian Junchu sat with her for a while before getting up and going back to his room so she could rest early. After he left, Yue Ruzheng leaned against the headboard, sometimes thinking about her journey with Xiao Tang, and sometimes wondering how she would live if she returned to Nan Yandang. Before long, she gradually became sleepy. In her drowsy state, she only wanted to sleep for a little while, so she lay down fully clothed.

The wind outside the window grew stronger, and the candle on the table, still burning, cast a flickering, dim light. Yue Ruzheng lay down and unknowingly drifted off to sleep. Around midnight, she was suddenly awakened by a commotion. She sat bolt upright. The room was pitch black; the candle had burned out sometime earlier. Outside, a cacophony of footsteps and shouts mingled, followed suddenly by the urgent clanging of gongs that echoed through the night.

Yue Ruzheng felt a chill run through her body. She tried to stand up, but her legs felt numb. With difficulty, she managed to stand up, holding onto the bed railing, and stumbled towards the door. But for some reason, the more anxious she became, the harder it was to open the door. She shook the latch vigorously, but it wouldn't budge. The shouts outside the window grew louder and louder. Yue Ruzheng was frantic, pounding on the door as if she wanted to smash it down.

Just then, Lian Junchu's voice came from outside: "Ruzheng, what happened?!"

"Let me out! Let me out!" Yue Ruzheng shouted loudly, ignoring all other responses.

A moment later, the waiter's voice came again: "Don't panic, young lady. The latch is just a little tight. Try shaking it a few times."

Yue Ruzheng, panting, shook the door latch and pulled it to the left before finally opening the door. There stood Lian Junchu, her long robe open, holding a lantern, her expression tense, as she stood in the doorway. The other guests in the rooms seemed to have been disturbed as well, grumbling and peeking out of their doors.

"Why aren't you running away?!" Yue Ruzheng grabbed his sleeve and shouted as she tried to rush downstairs.

"There's no danger here, we don't need to run away," Lian Junchu said, turning around in surprise.

The waiter hurriedly said, "Miss, did you hear the commotion outside? It's a fire across the river; it won't spread here."

Yue Ruzheng stood there, stunned. Seeing that she was no longer flustered, the waiter went inside to relight the candles and then went out to comfort the other guests. Lian Junchu, noticing her pale face, sighed, gently nudged her with her shoulder, and said, "Come on, I'll go back to your room with you."

The commotion outside hadn't subsided, and even after returning to her room, Yue Ruzheng's forehead was still covered in cold sweat. She staggered to the bedside, leaning against the bed rail in silence. Lian Junchu sat beside her, frowning, and said, "Ruzheng, are you scared sleeping here alone?"

Yue Ruzheng didn't answer, her eyes glazed over, and her lips were chapped. Lian Junchu sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but hook her ankle, trying to pull her up. Unexpectedly, Yue Ruzheng suddenly jumped up, trembling as she cried out, "What are you doing?!"

Lian Junchu was stunned by her sudden change. Yue Ruzheng was panting, leaning against the table with her hands on the surface, her eyes unfocused, as if she was anxiously searching for something.

"Ruzheng?" Lian Junchu stood up, wanting to go over and comfort her, but she suddenly rushed to the bedside, lifted the sheet, and stared straight at the dark bottom of the bed without saying a word.

Lian Junchu felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at her almost frantic state. He didn't know what had triggered Ruzheng to become like this, so he could only slowly squat down. But before he could speak, Yue Ruzheng suddenly turned around and hugged him tightly.

He could clearly feel that Ruzheng's whole body was cold and trembling.

Lian Junchu knelt before the bed, pressed close to her, and whispered, "Ruzheng, Ruzheng, don't be afraid, I'm here with you."

"I'm going to be burned to death..." Yue Ruzheng suddenly sobbed and buried her head deeply in his chest.

"How could that be? The fire couldn't have reached this point." Lian Junchu thought she was still caught up in the chaos of the previous incident, so she softened her tone.

Yue Ruzheng gripped his shoulders, her face pale, and slowly raised her head.

"Little Tang... I used to live here."

"You stayed here?!" Lian Junchu was extremely surprised. Yue Ruzheng had told him before that she had never been here, but now she suddenly said this. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Ruzheng, could it be something from when you were a child?"

Yue Ruzheng slumped weakly to the ground, murmuring, "Yes... I remember, it was winter when my aunt and I arrived at Panmen and stayed at this very inn. Although it's been rebuilt, the stairs, the orchids on the flower stand, and the furnishings in this room are all exactly as they were before..."

"Then why are you so scared?"

Yue Ruzheng shivered again, taking several deep breaths. A cacophony of sounds clashed in her mind: billowing smoke, towering flames, the gleaming light of clashing swords, rapidly moving figures—a chaotic jumble of images flashed before her eyes…

"In the middle of the night, suddenly there was a fight downstairs. My aunt rushed out, and I wanted to follow, but she pushed me into the room and locked the door from the inside," Yue Ruzheng said incoherently, her voice trembling with tears. "But then, there was the same noise again, and I smelled something burning. I knew there was a fire... I called for a long time, but no one came in. There were screams all outside... Thick smoke poured in through the crack in the door, and I could barely breathe. So I crawled out from under the bed, used a chair as a stepping stone, and climbed onto the windowsill... And then, and then I jumped..."

At this point, Yue Ruzheng seemed to return to that moment again: the wind was fierce, the sky was dark, and flames had already leaped onto the windowsill. Her legs went weak, and standing at the high window, seeing another wave of flames approaching, she jumped out of the window without hesitation...

As Lian Jun listened to her recount her past, he felt a chill run down his spine. He pressed his cheek against hers, trying his best to offer her some comfort with his warmth. "After you jumped, did you never see your aunt again?"

With tears in her eyes, Yue Ruzheng said, "When I woke up, it was already dawn, and the small building behind me was blackened by smoke... I felt completely confused, and I sat there for a long time. When others asked me questions, I couldn't say anything... Later, I don't know how I just left... Now that I think about it, at least my aunt didn't come back to find me then, and I don't know if she got involved in the conflicts of the martial arts world..."

Lian Junchu's heart sank. He wondered if Ruzheng's aunt had died that night because of the conflict, but at this moment he could not care about anything else. He only wanted to calm Ruzheng down.