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

Chapter 1053 Don't want to climb the hill?

Sun Wukong probably noticed her awkwardness, stopped laughing, flipped off the rock, squatted by the fire, and scratched the ground with a twig: "Brother, what you said may be harsh, but it's not without reason. You're a fox demon, so you're not bad to begin with, and you're quick-witted. If you had a decent skill and a few handy supernatural abilities, you wouldn't necessarily be able to stand alone in the future, but at least you wouldn't be left standing on the sidelines when facing most demons."

Tang Sanzang nodded slightly: "Miss Su has made considerable progress recently. If she could gain a little more ability to protect herself, that would be a good thing."

Su Wanwan lowered her head, dried her feet, and slowly put her socks and shoes back on. After a while, she let out a soft "hmm".

Chu Yang poked at the fire and said, "That's why I said I had to find something suitable for you."

Su Wanwan looked up at him: "What do you mean by 'suitable'?"

"Cultivation techniques, supernatural abilities, and it would be best to also have some experience from predecessors," Chu Yang said. "Right now, you're cultivating a jumble of things. You're just dabbling in this and that, figuring out many things on your own or picking up bits and pieces from others. It might be enough to fool ordinary little demons, but if you really want to advance, you'll get stuck sooner or later."

Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It's not that I don't want to learn. But the fox demon lineage is scattered, and what I could come into contact with before was just a little bit of the basics."

"That's why I asked you." Chu Yang looked up. "Do you know where there's a fox demon senior like that?"

Su Wanwan was taken aback.

She had initially thought that Chu Yang was going to randomly grab a monster to ask, or simply inquire about which mountain had a large fox demon clan, but she never expected that he would directly throw the question at her.

"Me?" she blurted out instinctively, "How could I—"

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

A breeze blew across the stream, carrying a hint of the approaching night chill.

The firelight flickered, reflecting in her eyes, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

Sun Wukong, squatting beside her, noticed her expression change and his eyes lit up: "What, there really is room?"

Tang Sanzang also looked at her.

Chu Yang didn't urge her, but continued to pok at the fire with a branch, as if giving her time to think.

Su Wanwan had already stopped looking at the fire.

She frowned slightly, as if she had been suddenly dragged back to a long time ago. There was hesitation, doubt, and an inexplicable awkwardness in her expression, as if she was thinking of something rather unpleasant.

Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a while, Sun Wukong scratched his face and said, "If it's true, then it's true; if it's not, then it's not. Why do you look like you suddenly remembered that you owe someone eight hundred taels of silver?"

"It's not that I owe money," Su Wanwan said in a low voice.

"What is that?"

"Yes..." She paused, raised her hand to rub her temples, "I do know of a place."

Chu Yang then stopped what he was doing, looked up at her, and said, "Tell me."

Su Wanwan was silent for a while before slowly speaking: "It's in the north. It's very remote, you have to go around it. The place is called Qiyue Ridge."

"Qiyue Ridge?" Sun Wukong clicked his tongue. "Never heard of it."

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it," Su Wanwan said. "That place isn't a big mountain, it's not well-known, and it doesn't usually have any contact with the outside world. But inside the mountains... there's an old fox tomb."

"Fox Tomb?" Tang Sanzang frowned slightly. "It sounds rather eerie."

"It really wasn't a lively place to begin with." Su Wanwan looked down at the fire. "When I was little... I heard an old aunt from my clan mention it. She said that a long time ago, there was a fox clan in the north who cultivated the orthodox Way of the Moon. They were skilled in illusion, concealment, borrowing power, and also in controlling their consciousness. They weren't particularly powerful, but they lived a long time and acted cautiously, leaving behind many things suitable for fox demons to cultivate."

"And then?" Chu Yang asked.

"Then they dispersed," Su Wanwan said. "Some say they were swallowed by a great demon, some say they moved to a different place, and some say something happened in that branch and they sealed their mountain gate. In short, later on, all that was known outside was that there was a fox tomb in Qiyue Ridge. Few people went in, and even fewer came out. No one could say for sure whether there were any living predecessors inside."

Hearing this, Sun Wukong blinked: "Then why did you say it was a place just now? I thought you could lead me directly to some fox demon grandma or fox demon ancestor or something."

Su Wanwan looked at him irritably: "If I really knew someone like that, I would have gone there myself long ago. Why would I be here now?"

"That makes sense," Sun Wukong nodded.

Chu Yang asked in more detail, "How did your old aunt know about this place?"

"She went to the edge once when she was young," Su Wanwan said. "Just the edge, but she didn't go in. She said there was an ancient formation there that would light up at night, and there was always a sound like someone was talking in the mountain wind. She's not a timid person, but she wandered around outside for half the night and didn't dare to take another step inside."

"Why is she telling you all this?" Chu Yang asked.

Su Wanwan paused, her tone somewhat complicated: "Because she had drunk too much at the time."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong burst into laughter: "This sounds just like the way they tell these old stories."

Su Wanwan was also a little helpless: "She's usually very tight-lipped and never talks about her youth. That time it was a festival in the clan, and everyone was drinking together. She got drunk and pulled me aside, saying that we stray foxes have a short life, and if we really want to earn a decent living, sooner or later we'll have to look for the old things left over from the end of the month. She also said..."

"What else is there to say?" Chu Yang asked.

Su Wanwan glanced at him, and surprisingly hesitated a little.

"explain."

"She said that the worst thing for a fox demon is to be unteachable." Su Wanwan's voice lowered. "Without a teacher, they'll only learn other things. They'll learn to scheme like humans, and to be fierce like demons. After learning all that, they'll forget what they should be cultivating. She said that the branch at Qiyue Ridge is different; what they left behind is truly for foxes to cultivate."

There was a sudden moment of silence around the fire.

The stream flowed gently beside me, its sound so soft it sounded like someone talking in the distance.

Tang Sanzang looked up at Su Wanwan and said gently, "That benefactor does have some insight."

Su Wanwan twitched the corner of her mouth: "Yes, she did. But when she woke up the next day, she absolutely denied saying those things. When I asked her again later, she just scolded me for dreaming and told me not to think about these unfounded rumors all the time."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Isn't this still a sign of guilt? When you're drunk, you spill the truth, and then you regret it when you sober up."

Chu Yang asked thoughtfully, "She won't let you go?"

"It's not that she doesn't want me to go," Su Wanwan thought for a moment, "it's more like she doesn't dare let me go. She later only said that if that place really still exists, not just anyone can cross the threshold inside. If Sanhu goes, it might not be an opportunity, it might just cost him his life."

"So what do you think?" Chu Yang asked.

Su Wanwan was taken aback by his question: "What do you mean, what do you think?"

"Do you want to go?" Chu Yang asked.

Su Wanwan looked down at her hands.

A night breeze drifted along the stream, causing her sleeves to flutter gently. The firelight danced on her fingertips, illuminating her slender, still fingers. She gazed at them for a long while, then suddenly smiled softly.

"Of course I want to," she said. "How could I not?"

She spoke softly, even slightly, but the meaning that had been suppressed for so long became even clearer because of it.

"I'm not made of wood." She raised her head, her eyes shining brightly in the firelight. "Who doesn't want to have some real skills? Who wants to always rely on others for protection? Before, I didn't have the connections, and I didn't dare to even think about it. Now that you've asked, of course I want to go."

Sun Wukong immediately slapped his knee: "That solves it! Let's go!"

Tang Sanzang nodded: "If Miss Su is interested, this matter is worth a try."

Su Wanwan didn't immediately respond, but instead looked at Chu Yang: "But this place is in the north, and we're heading west right now. If we really go around, the road will only be more difficult. Are you really going to make this detour just for me?"

Chu Yang listened, seemingly puzzled: "If not because of you, then why would I want to go see the moon?"

"I mean—"

"I know what you're talking about," Chu Yang interrupted her, "but your question is pointless. You're part of the team, so it's normal for us to find a way for you to keep going."

Su Wanwan paused for a moment after hearing the words "people in the team".

She wanted to say something more, but she was suddenly silenced.

Sun Wukong chimed in smoothly from the sidelines: "That's right. We're all on the same path now, so it's only natural that we help each other out when someone's a little weaker."

"We can travel west..."

Su Wanwan subconsciously looked towards Tang Seng again.

Tang Sanzang looked at her for a moment and then smiled slightly.

"Miss Su, it is true that the journey to the West is a pilgrimage," he said, "but a few more days of travel won't make a difference. If this can give you a little more strength to support yourself, this humble monk has no objection."

Su Wanwan was truly stunned this time.

After a long while, she finally let out a soft "oh," but for some reason her ears felt a little hot. So she simply lowered her head to pick up the branches on the ground, pretending that she was very busy.

Sun Wukong wanted to laugh when he saw her, but he managed to hold back this time. He just leaned closer and said, "Tell me, where exactly is Qiyue Ridge? If we really want to go, we'll have to figure out the route tomorrow."

Su Wanwan drew a few lines on the ground with a twig, first marking their approximate location, and then dragging a winding line to the northwest.

"To get there, you have to cross two ridges and then go around a rocky riverbed. The most troublesome part is a place in the middle called Wind Returns Ravine. Strange winds blow there all year round, and the road is narrow, so it's easy to get swept away."

"That's all?" Sun Wukong said dismissively.

"Of course it's nothing to you." Su Wanwan rolled her eyes at him, "But not all of us can fly on clouds."

Looking at the route she had drawn, Chu Yang asked, "Have you only heard about it, or have you seen a map?"

"I glanced at it," Su Wanwan said. "There used to be an old leather map in the clan, but the edges and corners were all blurred, and only the northern part was still barely recognizable. I took a quick look at it when no one was looking, and then I couldn't find it again."

"Your memory is not bad," Chu Yang said.

"Of course." Su Wanwan tossed the branch aside, a rare hint of smugness in her voice. "I've never relied on brute force to make a living."

"Yeah, that's why we should find you something that can be used in your brain," Chu Yang said.

Su Wanwan, who was just about to get cocky, immediately lost her composure after hearing this: "Can't you just give me a proper compliment?"

"I'm praising you right now."

"...Alright then."

That night, they circled the route twice.

Sun Wukong was the first to complain about the trouble, saying that crossing mountains and streams was no match for him; he would just go and carry them all over there one by one. But Chu Yang shut him down with a question like, "Can you carry a horse or a donkey?" In the end, he could only squat to the side and throw stones around randomly.

Tang Sanzang inquired in detail about several places to stay, water sources, and possible mountain villages and temples he might pass through, clearly taking the matter to heart.

At first, Su Wanwan simply answered, but as she continued, she became more serious, recounting everything she remembered and could guess. Later, she even casually mentioned which hillside might have wild fruit and which rocky beach was cool at night.

When the fire was almost out, Chu Yang said, "Alright, let's go then."

Su Wanwan looked up: "Is it really decided?"

"It's settled," Chu Yang said. "We'll change our route tomorrow morning."

Sun Wukong yawned beside him: "Then I'll go ahead and make it clear first. If there really is a fox demon ancestor in that Qiyue Ridge, and he tries to intimidate people with his seniority the moment we meet, then you go, brother."

Chu Yang said, "Why shouldn't you go?"

"Because I, Old Sun, hate it when people act like elders."

"What a coincidence, I'm annoyed too."

"What should we do then?"

"Then let's see who sets it up first," Chu Yang said. "Whoever sets it up first, I'll beat them up."

Tang Sanzang: "..."

Su Wanwan: "..."

Sun Wukong burst into laughter, slapping his knee and exclaiming, "That's a great idea!"

The next morning, before it was fully light, they changed their route.

The mountain path that had led westward slowly receded into the morning mist, replaced by a long, undulating slope heading north. The grass on the slope was tall, and the blades were covered in dew; after walking for a while, my calves and shoes were soaked. In the distance, the mountains rose in layers, a bluish-gray hue, like spread-out old ink.

The white horse was fine, its steps steady, neither too fast nor too slow. The white donkey, however, clearly disliked the new road; it started to slack off after a short while, its head drooping and its steps becoming long and drawn out.

Chu Yang, holding the reins, turned to look at it: "What's wrong now?"

The white donkey exhaled and turned its head to the side.

Su Wanwan walked ahead, turned around when she heard the noise, and suddenly said, "Does it not want to climb the hill?"

"When has it ever thought of that?" Chu Yang said.

"Too."

Sun Wukong leaped onto a large rock, looked around in the morning breeze, and said, "The forest ahead isn't dense, so we can walk faster. But further north, the mountain air gets stronger."

Su Wanwan asked, "Did you see Feng Hui Jian over there?"

"It's still early," Sun Wukong said. "But it doesn't seem like there are any powerful demons lurking along the way, so it's worry-free."

"It's best if there aren't any powerful demons," Tang Sanzang said from behind, "that would save us some trouble."

Chu Yang replied, "The absence of powerful demons doesn't mean there aren't any others."

"What else?" Su Wanwan asked.

"People," Chu Yang said.

Su Wanwan was taken aback, then realized what she meant: "You mean hunters, herb gatherers, or..."

"Or a cultivator who is even more nosy than a demon," Chu Yang said.

"That's true." Sun Wukong leaped down from the rock. "Most demons are at least straightforward. Humans sometimes take too many detours, making them even more troublesome than demons."

As Su Wanwan listened, she suddenly became curious: "How come you all seem to have suffered a lot of losses like this?"

Sun Wukong grinned: "Of course I've eaten them before. I've seen some self-proclaimed righteous people before who, upon seeing a demon, would immediately start shouting for its attack without even asking what happened. It's one thing to punish the bad ones, but there were also some pure-hearted people who just wanted to live their own lives, and they were chased and forced to hide from them." (End of Chapter)