I just became the Pirate King, and you're telling me I also time-traveled at the same time.

Chapter 1041 The Most Critical Point

"They're not going to say 'I'm leaving later' again, are they?"

"This time we won't wait." He paused, a smirk playing on his lips. "We'll leave tomorrow morning after watching the sunrise over the east side of the bridge."

Su Wanwan: "..."

Sun Wukong laughed so hard he almost squatted down.

"Chu Yang!"

"Alright, alright, we won't watch the sunrise." Chu Yang finally laughed out loud. "We'll come back to sleep after our midnight snack, and leave as usual tomorrow morning."

Su Wanwan finally believed him, though she still couldn't help but glare at him.

When the group left the inn, the night in the city was just right.

The rain-washed cobblestone path reflected the lamplight, and the stalls by the bridge steamed with food. The pots selling glutinous rice balls bubbled and simmered, the sweet aroma of fermented rice wine mingling with the savory smell of meat wontons, warming one's face. The river flowed slowly under the bridge, casting long, shimmering streaks of light from the lamplight on both banks. Occasionally, a gentle evening breeze would blow, causing the lanterns to sway lightly.

Sun Wukong was the fastest and had already taken the best table at the stall.

Tang Sanzang was invited to sit on the inside, and the owner specially served him a bowl of the clearest vegetarian noodle soup.

The white horse and the white donkey were tied to a willow tree by the bridge, with two handfuls of fresh hay placed in front of them by the waiter.

Chu Yang stood at the bridgehead, glanced at Su Wanwan, and said, "What are you standing there for? Come here."

Su Wanwan snapped out of her daze and walked to his side.

A cool breeze blew under the bridge, causing her hair to flutter slightly. Standing there, she suddenly realized that the anxiety she had been feeling for the past few days was like a suffocating fever, which had only finally been released after today's big argument.

She whispered, "Chu Yang."

"Um?"

"What you said today...is it all true, right?"

Why would I lie to you about something like this?

"If you were to encounter any 'difficulties' arranged by Buddha and Guanyin in the future, what would you do?"

Chu Yang gazed at the flowing water beneath the bridge, his tone indifferent: "Tear it down if it needs to be torn down, detour around it if it needs to be detourd, and if you can't detour, fight your way through. In short, don't do it the way they want it to be."

"What if they insist you go back to that road?"

"Then let's see what they're capable of." He said it softly, but without a hint of jest. "Anyway, I don't want Master to become just another decoration on someone else's merit list, nor do I want Monkey King to be someone else's useful weapon again. As for you—"

He paused, then turned to look at her.

The lights at the bridgehead reflected in his eyes, which usually seemed to carry a lazy smile, but now shone brightly.

Now that you've caught up, don't expect to be bossed around by anyone anymore.

Su Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.

She was momentarily speechless, feeling as if that sentence had fallen into her heart like a hot pebble, stirring up ripples of heat.

Chu Yang had already turned his gaze away and walked towards the stall: "Let's go, or Brother Monkey will have to finish all the dumplings."

Su Wanwan stood there, watching his back, and after a moment, she suddenly chuckled softly.

After laughing, she quickly followed.

The stalls by the bridge were indeed bustling.

Sun Wukong had already devoured a bowl of fresh meat wontons and was still trying to snatch Chu Yang's bowl of sweet fermented rice balls when Chu Yang smacked his hand with a chopstick.

Tang Sanzang sat under the lamp, holding a bowl of soup, looking much more relaxed than usual.

A night breeze blows across the bridgehead, and the reflections of lights on the river sway gently, making the entire Luoxia Prefecture seem to be bathed in a layer of moist and gentle light.

Su Wanwan sat down at the table, and a steaming bowl of glutinous rice balls was placed in front of her, emitting a sweet aroma.

She scooped up a piece, blew on it, and suddenly remembered how anxious she had been a few days ago, urging him three times a day. Her ears inexplicably felt hot.

Sun Wukong chewed on his wontons while looking at her: "What's wrong, fox? Have you figured it out?"

Su Wanwan snorted: "I never couldn't figure it out in the first place."

"Then why were you acting like you were on your deathbed the other day?"

"I...I didn't know."

"Now that you know, are you still going to urge them?"

Su Wanwan paused, then looked up at Chu Yang.

Chu Yang was drinking his soup with his head down, seemingly not listening at all. But she felt that he probably heard it better than anyone else.

So she lowered her head, took a bite of the glutinous rice ball, and mumbled, "We still need to urge them."

Sun Wukong chuckled: "Why are you rushing me?"

"So that some people won't resist the arrangements and end up getting themselves stuck in the mountains and rivers and unable to get out."

Upon hearing this, even Tang Sanzang couldn't help but chuckle.

Chu Yang looked up and tapped his chopsticks lightly on the rim of his bowl: "Alright, then I'll trouble Miss Su to remember that from now on. If we linger too long admiring the scenery, just pull us back."

Su Wanwan's ears burned at his words "thank you, Miss Su," but she refused to back down: "I was just being arrogant all along."

"Yeah, they're really showing off."

"Then stop trying to fool me in the future."

"It depends on my mood."

"Chu Yang!"

Sun Wukong slammed his fist on the table and burst into laughter, almost spilling the noodle soup.

The lights along the bridge reflected in the river, stretching into the distance. As night deepened, the vendors continued to add meatballs and wontons to the pots. The hustle and bustle of the city, the everyday life of its inhabitants, all unfolded gently at this moment.

Su Wanwan looked down at the white glutinous rice balls floating in the bowl and suddenly realized something.

This road may indeed be long, and there may still be monsters, traps, and people waiting for them to jump into the script. But at least starting tonight, she will no longer trap herself in the question of "should I take this path?"

They will leave.

They will go to the Western Paradise.

They will learn from the experience.

But not being led, rushed, or forced to go.

Instead, they walked, observed, ate, cursed, and undermined others along the way, forcibly shaping the path that should have been written into their own unique form.

Thinking about this, she suddenly felt that the sweet rice balls in the bowl in front of her were sweeter than any she had ever eaten before.

Chu Yang seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up at her.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing." Su Wanwan immediately stopped smiling.

"Nothing, why are you laughing so strangely?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"It's like they've finally grown a brain."

"Chu Yang!"

"Hahahaha—" Sun Wukong laughed so hard he went completely mad.

Su Wanwan was so angry that she picked up a spoon to hit him, but Chu Yang had already grabbed her wrist and smiled as he pressed the spoon back into the bowl: "Alright, eat yours. The dumplings are getting cold."

His palm was warm, his knuckles pressed against her wrist, but he released her in an instant.

Su Wanwan's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

She lowered her head, pretending to eat the dumplings seriously, but her ears gradually turned red.

The water flows silently beneath the bridge, while the lamplight flickers on the bridge.

After that night, she finally stopped constantly saying "hurry up and learn from the masters." But what replaced it was something else, even more troublesome—

She began to follow Chu Yang and Sun Wukong with a straight face when they tried to sneak off to see the sights.

He said, "At most half an hour."

In fact, she stood for longer than anyone else when watching the sunset.

He said, "I'll only eat one bowl."

As a result, I ate quite a lot of sweet fermented rice balls and osmanthus lotus root starch.

He said, "We must set off first thing tomorrow morning."

But if the sea of ​​clouds on the mountaintop is too beautiful to bear the next morning, she will be the first to stop and look up at it for a long time.

Upon discovering this, Sun Wukong laughed wildly: "Fox, I told you, you'd be corrupted sooner or later too."

Su Wanwan initially retorted, "I'm just knowing myself and my enemy."

After being told this so many times, I got too lazy to argue. I just glared at him and then casually stuffed a piece of the sweet cake I had just bought into my mouth.

Whenever Chu Yang saw this scene, he would lean to the side and grin smugly.

"So, Miss Su, do you still think we're neglecting our duties?"

Su Wanwan would usually reply, "Enjoying the scenery is one thing, but we'll still leave tomorrow."

Chu Yang nodded: "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."

As for whether "tomorrow" means leaving at dawn, we'll have to wait until Monkey King goes to raid a bird's nest, Master finishes copying a scroll of scripture, the sesame seed cake stall at the bridge opens, and the first rays of sunlight fall on the mountaintop—

That's a different story altogether.

After that night in Luoxia Prefecture, the route taken by the pilgrim group was finally set.

They said they needed to hurry, and so they did.

To be honest, they really aren't very serious.

They would stop when the mountains were beautiful, rest when the water was clear, eat more when they found something delicious, and stay longer when they encountered a scenic spot. If there were demonic energy, human lives, or anything else they needed to do on the road ahead, Chu Yang and Sun Wukong would act faster than anyone else, without hesitation. But if it was just some unseen hand in heaven or on earth trying to control them with "how the pilgrims should behave," they would refuse to comply.

Tang Sanzang would initially try to persuade him.

In the end, all that was left was a helpless "Don't go too far."

Su Wanwan still urged him on from time to time, but the impatience she once felt was no longer as intense. Once she truly understood the true nature of this path, she gradually began to find a strange sense of satisfaction in Chu Yang and Sun Wukong's "you want to use me as an actor, but I'll just sit back and drink tea" attitude.

However, this feeling of exhilaration was not at all pleasant to those on the other side of the Western Paradise.

On Mount Ling, the chanting of Buddhist hymns continues.

Inside the main hall, incense smoke curled upwards, golden light bathed the floor, and Buddhas and Bodhisattvas sat solemnly on both sides, their eyes lowered, seemingly filled with sorrow and compassion. Outside the hall, precious trees shone brightly, auspicious birds circled, and a sea of ​​clouds surged endlessly, creating a scene of pure and perfect tranquility.

However, this peaceful and perfect state was eventually disrupted by some seemingly minor variables during this period, which caused a slight crack.

The Buddha sat serenely on the lotus throne, his expression calm, slowly turning the prayer beads one by one in his hand.

No one spoke in the main hall; only the soft clinking of the beads could be heard.

Guanyin stood to one side, her white robes draped over her shoulders, her face still bearing that gentle and compassionate expression, only the faint dark color between her brows was a few shades deeper than usual.

After a long while, Buddha finally spoke softly.

"It's off course again."

This sentence is incomplete and lacks context.

But Guanyin naturally knew what he was talking about.

"Yes," she said softly. "Qingping Mountain was supposed to have an added challenge, with the old demons of the land using the spring to entice Tang Sanzang and his party into a trap. But Chu Yang stayed at the Tangchi Inn in advance, and Sun Wukong unearthed the evil energy hidden in the back mountain that very night. Before the demons could even follow the plan, they were easily eliminated by them."

The Buddha remained silent.

Guanyin continued, "In the Luoxia Prefecture area, there should have been a disaster caused by the bridge, which would have led to doubts between the master and disciples about the route, and then the temple in the prefecture would have guided them, turning it into a 'clearing one's mind before the Buddha' tribulation. But they chose to go out at night after the rain, eating sweet rice balls and meat wontons at the bridgehead. Chu Yang even made things clear in advance, which made that fox know the details of the journey to the West as well."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Now, it's not just Chu Yang and Sun Wukong who are difficult to lead. Even Su Wanwan has been led astray."

The Buddha slowly opened his eyes.

Layers of Buddhist light shone into his eyes, revealing no emotion.

"She was an unconventional variable from the start," he said. "She wasn't originally within the fixed range."

"But now she's entangled with that group," Guanyin said. "She used to act on impulse and sentiment, which wasn't a cause for concern. Now that she knows the truth, if they encounter a similar situation again, she might very well help Chu Yang and Wukong sabotage them."

The Buddha paused slightly at the tip of his finger, and the prayer beads stopped between his middle finger and thumb.

"Chu Yang." When he uttered this name, his voice remained calm, but for some reason, the golden light in the hall seemed to dim slightly. "This boy was initially nothing more than a sharp blade, razor-sharp, but not necessarily uncontrollable. Yet, along the way, he stubbornly refused to let anyone else hold the blade."

Guanyin did not respond to that statement.

She also knew that the Buddha's words were not a lament, but a statement.

Chu Yang's troubles have never stemmed from his strength.

There are many strong people, demons and monsters are strong, and the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling have many that can be borrowed, suppressed, taken in, and controlled.

The real problem is that Chu Yang is not only strong, but also sees things too clearly.

He not only saw things clearly, but he also refused to pretend to be confused.

If he had only talked the talk but actually walked the walk, that would have been fine. But he was genuinely taking action. Not in a grand, public way, but gradually deviating, inching forward inch by inch, turning what should have been a straight, narrow path into a living, breathing one.

Today we see one more mountain, tomorrow we stay in one more town, and the day after tomorrow we may find ourselves at a bridge, by a lake, or on a grassland, where we may finally unravel the calamity or hardship that was originally meant to follow.

He doesn't confront them head-on, doesn't tear off the mask, and doesn't openly declare war.

But it is precisely this lack of tearing that makes it the most difficult to grasp.

Because once it's torn, it means the stage has truly collapsed.

This is something that neither Buddha nor Guanyin wants to see at this moment.

The journey to the West must still be successful.

The scriptures must be transmitted eastward.

This meritorious deed must also be completed.

But if the main characters don't follow the script throughout the story, then even the best set design and the best arrangements will gradually seem ridiculous.

Guanyin lowered her brows for a moment, then said, "Using demons again might not work."

Buddha looked at her.

"Wukong is naturally sensitive to demonic energy, and Chu Yang is adept at breaking up schemes. Now that they are wary of the word 'calamity,' if we let any more demons pass through, whether they are wild demons, borrowed demons, or demons that were originally arranged in that area, they will be easily seen through in advance." Guanyin's voice was not loud, but her reasoning was clear. "The previous times have served as a lesson. Once a demon showed any wrongdoing, Chu Yang would either try to evade it or dismantle it. If he couldn't dismantle it, he would fight it. After fighting it, he would turn around and mock it, which only made things worse."

The Buddha remained silent, offering no denial.

Because that is indeed the truth.

After Yueze, this group's attitude towards the "demon" thing has changed a lot.

If it's just an ordinary monster blocking the way, just fight it.

If there's a wire attached to the back, remove the wire first, then make the injection.

If the demon's backers were people they couldn't openly confront, they were even less willing to follow the usual tactics. They would circumvent the situation if possible, delay if they could, and if they couldn't circumvent it, Sun Wukong would resort to sarcastic remarks, while Chu Yang would specifically target the most critical point in the situation. (End of Chapter)