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

Chapter 1047 This is no joke

Tang Sanzang nodded.

He knew Chu Yang was telling the truth.

This time, Lingshan has clearly cleaned up the mess extremely quickly and thoroughly. If it dragged on any longer, and the genuine Taoists in Xuanyun Temple were to encounter those "actors" while awake, things would only get more chaotic.

After a quick look around and confirming that the real Taoists were merely asleep and posed no further threat, the group did not linger.

Su Wanwan stood at the entrance of the main hall, looking at the young Taoist boy who was sleeping soundly on the prayer mat in front of the incense table, and suddenly felt a strange sense of emotion.

Just two days ago, this place was a turbulent political maneuver.

Now all that remains is an ordinary old Taoist temple, a few genuine Taoist priests, a few mountain birds that are not yet fully awake, and a thin layer of morning light.

It was as if all the absurdity had been captured in my dream by last night's moonlight.

She turned her head to look at Chu Yang: "Are you just leaving like this?"

"What else?" Chu Yang said. "Should we wait for them to wake up and then treat them to a farewell meal?"

"You're still thinking about food."

"Then what are you thinking about?"

"I thought you would at least say something like—" Su Wanwan paused, mimicking his casual tone, "'Indeed, even Buddha and Guanyin are nothing special.'"

After listening, Chu Yang actually thought about it.

Then he chuckled.

"That's pointless," he said. "They're already helpless enough; let's not rub salt into their wounds."

Sun Wukong chuckled from the side and said, "You're not doing it without salt, you're doing it with cumin instead."

Upon hearing this, Su Wanwan burst out laughing.

Tang Sanzang shook his head helplessly: "You two..."

But this time, although he said that, there was a very faint smile in his eyes.

Even he probably felt that this situation was broken in a rather...unique way.

Thus, in the Xuanyun Temple in the early morning, there were no exclamations, no conflicts, and no questioning.

They simply tidied up the table that hadn't been cleaned properly the night before, took away an empty wine jar that Sun Wukong had casually placed in the corner, and led out the white dragon horse and white donkey from the backyard, leaving the lodging and incense money that were due next to the incense table as usual.

When Chu Yang left the money, he even left a little extra.

Su Wanwan saw this and asked him, "Why are you giving so much?"

"We can't just sleep for free after staying two nights." Chu Yang pressed the silver down, his tone casual. "Besides, the real people in this temple were moved around for a few days for no reason. They woke up with headaches and fevers, so they need to be nourished."

Su Wanwan was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

She suddenly remembered the part of this person that she couldn't quite explain.

When he's being mean, he can be so mean it's infuriating.

But he always knew what was going on.

He could clearly distinguish between what was appropriate to make a fuss about and what wasn't; who could be teased and who shouldn't be dragged into the mess.

He just never really showed that sense of propriety on his face.

Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

By the time the group left the temple gate, it was already fully light.

The morning mist in the mountains is slowly dissipating, and the two ancient cypress trees in front of Xuanyun Temple are swaying gently in the wind. The three characters "Xuanyun Temple" on the plaque are illuminated by the sun, revealing a sense of tranquility from bygone days.

Sun Wukong glanced back, still somewhat unsatisfied: "I was originally thinking that if they didn't disperse today, I would take those kids down the mountain to raid bird nests."

"What a pity." Chu Yang nodded in agreement, leading his horse. "They didn't have that kind of luck."

Su Wanwan rolled her eyes: "You really think of him as the disciple you've corrupted?"

"No, not at all," Chu Yang said slowly. "At most, I'm just a guide."

"The route to lead them to buy roast chicken?"

"Isn't this a road too?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang finally couldn't help but say, "Benefactor Chu, Wukong, you two... would be better off refraining from such reckless behavior in the future."

Sun Wukong chuckled upon hearing this: "Master, are you really angry?"

Tang Sanzang looked at them for a long time, then sighed.

"It's not that I'm angry," he said, "it's just that I feel... if this matter gets out, it will damage the reputation of Xuanyun Temple."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yang glanced at him and suddenly smiled.

"Don't worry, Master," he said. "This matter won't get out."

Why?

"Because those who knew are either asleep or dreaming." Chu Yang looked up at the end of the mountain path, his tone lazy. "As for the few of us left, as long as we don't say anything, who would know that Xuanyun Temple almost turned into a roast chicken distribution store a couple of days ago?"

Su Wanwan couldn't help but laugh so hard she bent over.

Even Tang Sanzang was speechless for a moment after hearing this, and could only shake his head and smile bitterly.

So they slowly walked along the mountain path at the western entrance of Qingdu Ridge.

Behind them lies the Xuanyun Temple, now quiet and peaceful.

Ahead lies the westward journey, where countless challenges and difficulties still lie ahead.

This time, when Su Wanwan looked back at the Taoist temple, she no longer felt the same tension as before, but instead had a strange feeling.

She suddenly realized that the things arranged by Buddha and Guanyin, no matter how exquisite or meticulous, might not actually be unattainable.

At least when they fall into Chu Yang's hands, they often become something else entirely.

Sometimes it's grilled fish by the lake.

Sometimes it's glutinous rice balls at the bridgehead.

Sometimes the entire Taoist temple is led astray to buy roast chicken.

As she pondered this, she couldn't help but glance at Chu Yang.

Chu Yang was walking ahead, his hand on the reins of the white dragon horse, facing the morning light, looking languid, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

But who would have thought that such a person could force all the people he had personally arranged to go in on Lingshan to withdraw?

She suddenly spoke: "Chu Yang."

"Um?"

"Do you think... Buddha and Guanyin are extremely angry right now?"

Chu Yang thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Guanyin is probably alright, at most she's helpless. As for Tathagata—"

He paused for a moment, then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"They might have started to wonder whether they were actually arranging a pilgrimage or just paving the way for their own amusement."

Sun Wukong laughed so hard he slapped his thigh: "It looks like the latter!"

Su Wanwan laughed, "Then will they dare to arrange for mortals next time?"

"Of course I dare," Chu Yang said. "Why wouldn't I dare? As long as I don't give up, I'll keep making arrangements. If I can't use ordinary people today, I might use rules tomorrow, face the day after, and personal connections the day after that. There's no end to how many schemes I can break up."

"Aren't you annoyed?"

"It's annoying," Chu Yang said without hesitation. "That's why I have to find some fun, otherwise just breaking up the game is so boring."

Su Wanwan looked at him and suddenly said, "Are you just born to antagonize people like those who like to write scripts?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yang actually thought about it.

Then he laughed and said, "It's not something I was born with. It's mainly because I can't stand people writing about living people as if they were just pieces of paper."

That was said very lightly.

It's so light it'll dissipate with a single breeze in the morning.

But Su Wanwan listened and inexplicably fell silent for a moment.

She suddenly understood why Chu Yang could always make those seemingly carefree and unreliable things seem so powerful and irresistible.

Because in his eyes, people should be alive.

A living person should be able to laugh, get angry, crave roast chicken, enjoy the scenery, want to slack off, and also want to have a good fight.

Instead of having someone write the lines for you, clearly outlining when to suffer, when to endure, when to shed tears, and when to achieve your goal.

Thinking of this, the lingering smile in her heart suddenly softened.

The mountain road ahead took a turn.

As the sun rises higher, the shadows of the trees become dappled.

Sun Wukong was already planning where to find something delicious to eat at noon. The white dragon horse was swishing its tail, and the white donkey was dawdling behind. Everything was as usual.

It's as if that absurd interlude at Xuanyun Temple was really just a strange dream on the road that no one would believe if told.

But Su Wanwan knew that it wasn't a dream.

That was yet another time when Chu Yang used the least "breaking the deadlock" method to dismantle someone else's carefully laid plan into a mess of chicken feathers and the aroma of roasted chicken.

As she walked, she suddenly remembered something and immediately chased after him.

"etc."

Chu Yang tilted his head: "What is it now?"

"Did you pay for the roast chicken the other day?"

"yes."

"But I remember you didn't have much silver left."

"so what?"

"So you used the money you planned to use to buy alcohol in Luoxia Prefecture?"

Chu Yang paused in his steps.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong burst into laughter: "So that's why I haven't bought any new wine these past few days, brother! Turns out you've been bribing the Taoist priest all of it!"

Su Wanwan realized what was happening and immediately laughed: "You're going to use money you wouldn't even spend on yourself to corrupt them?"

Chu Yang remained expressionless: "This is called strategic investment."

"What happens after you submit your vote?"

"Didn't it have a remarkable effect afterward?" He shrugged. "A few chickens, in exchange for the morale of an entire audience falling apart, it's worth it."

"What about your own alcohol?"

"Let's make more money."

Sun Wukong, standing nearby, bluntly exposed his mistake: "Look at you, this is a losing proposition."

Chu Yang glanced at him sideways: "Brother Monkey, you didn't say that when you were playing PUBG a couple of days ago."

"That's called enjoying what you have, and keeping it to yourself."

"You're honest."

Su Wanwan listened to their bickering and finally burst out laughing.

A mountain breeze blows from the ridges, carrying the scent of grass and trees and the brightness of a new day.

They walked on, laughing, without looking back.

Inside Xuanyun Temple, it wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that the true abbot slowly woke up, rubbing his temples.

He felt as if he had been in an extremely long dream, a chaotic dream filled with strangers, the aroma of steaming chicken, and someone constantly whispering in his ear, "Soy sauce flavor, not honey sauce."

But when he opened his eyes, the temple was calm as usual.

Several ingots of cash and incense money were placed on the altar, a much larger amount than usual.

There were still some grass marks left by the white dragon horse last night in the hay trough in the backyard.

On the stone steps in front of the door, there are faint tracks left by wheels and travelers.

That's all.

It was as if several visitors from afar had quietly stayed here for two nights, and then quietly left at daybreak.

The old abbot was stunned for a long time before slowly putting his palms together and whispering a Taoist name.

"Amitabha Buddha..."

For some reason, a very vague thought suddenly arose in his mind—

Those guests who came here must have been quite extraordinary.

But this thought vanished in an instant, disappearing like morning mist in the sunlight.

Once you exit the western entrance of Qingdu Ridge, the stone steps gradually thin out, and the path under your feet slowly becomes wilder.

There were some old tracks left by people, but by the afternoon, even that decent path was gradually swallowed up by weeds. The mountain breeze initially carried the scent of morning dew and fresh grass and trees, but the further you went, the more mixed the smell became, like the damp, fishy smell of decaying leaves soaked for too long, mixed with some indescribable sweetness. After smelling it for a while, it felt like there was a thin layer of stickiness in your throat.

The white dragon horse snorted first, pawing the ground twice with its hooves, reluctant to move forward.

The white donkey was even more direct; it pricked up its ears, stood still, and refused to move, its four legs seemingly nailed to the ground.

Sun Wukong walked ahead, parted a drooping old vine, looked into the depths of the forest, and clicked his tongue: "This place is quite interesting."

Su Wanwan looked up and saw that the forest in front of her was pitch black. It was clearly broad daylight, but the light in the forest seemed to be suppressed by something. The ancient trees stood side by side, their trunks so thick that it would take three or five people to encircle them. The bark was cracked and peeling, like dry, cracked human faces. The canopies of the branches pressed down overhead, blocking out only a few wisps of white light from the sky.

The ground was covered with fallen leaves that had been there for who knows how many years. Stepping on them felt dull and soft, like you were sinking into them.

In deeper areas, there is even a white mist that floats close to the ground, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing.

She subconsciously rubbed her arms: "This forest... doesn't look like a good place."

"It wasn't originally." Chu Yang led the white dragon horse slowly over, glanced up at the treetops, and then looked at the broken bushes on the side. "The demonic energy is almost pickling the bark."

Tang Sanzang, standing behind, frowned slightly upon hearing this and raised his hand to fiddle with his prayer beads: "The demonic atmosphere here is very strong."

Sun Wukong turned around and smiled at him: "Master, finally we're getting down to business. If no monsters show up soon, I'll start to forget what I'm even here for."

"Wukong." Tang Sanzang glanced at him helplessly, "Demons harming people is no joke."

"I know, I know." Sun Wukong nodded perfunctorily, but his eyes were still glancing into the forest. "It's just that this den is hidden a bit deep inside, unlike those good-for-nothing little demons outside. There's probably actually one that's capable of something."

Upon hearing this, Su Wanwan became even more wary.

She looked back at the path she had come from. The mountain path behind her was half-hidden by the shadows of the trees, and a gust of wind rustled the leaves in the distance, as if someone was quietly following behind.

"Is there no way around it?" she asked.

Sun Wukong jumped onto a blue stone, shaded his eyes with his hand, looked around, and shook his head: "There's a cliff on the left and a swamp on the right. If we go any further out, it'll take at least two or three more days. It's not that we can't go around, but we'll have to eat more dry rations for a few more days."

"Dry rations are fine," Chu Yang said. "The main thing is, we've come this far, why bother going around in circles?"

Tang Sanzang glanced at the deep forest and said calmly, "If there is truly no way to avoid it, then let's pass through it. Just be extra careful."

Before Su Wanwan could speak, Chu Yang suddenly turned to look at her.

His unhurried gaze made her heart skip a beat.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked warily.

Chu Yang said, "It's your turn today."

"What's my turn?"

"Clear the way."

Su Wanwan didn't react for a moment: "...Huh?"

Sun Wukong, who was still squatting on the rock, immediately brightened up upon hearing this: "That's good."

Tang Sanzang was also taken aback: "Benefactor Chu, you mean..." (End of this chapter)