boyutpedia Chapter 1039 A Very Powerful Backer
Chapter 1039 A Very Powerful Backer
She was so choked by his words that she almost couldn't catch her breath. She stood there, her chest heaving, while Chu Yang nonchalantly lowered his head and continued whittling his bamboo branches.
Sun Wukong squatted to the side, munching on a peach and watching the commotion with great interest: "Fox, don't bother, that's just how he is."
"Brother Monkey, you're still defending him?"
"I'm not speaking up for him, I'm stating the facts."
"But if we keep delaying like this—"
"It won't cause any delays." Sun Wukong tossed the peach pit aside, grinned, and said, "If it really does cause a delay, my brother knows better than you do."
"Does he know what he's doing?" Su Wanwan pointed at Chu Yang. "He spends all his time drinking or sightseeing; he doesn't seem to know anything at all!"
Chu Yang finally clicked his tongue, stuck the sharpened bamboo branch into the ground, and slowly stood up: "Am I really that unreliable in your eyes?"
"Look at yourself and see where your reliability lies."
"I'm reliable in—" He paused, as if suddenly wanting to tease her, a smirk playing on his lips, "I can make sure you're well-fed and watered every day, and you don't have to sleep in a dilapidated temple."
"Who's talking to you about that!"
She was furious.
From that time on, a subtle daily routine gradually emerged within the team.
Su Wanwan was in charge of urging them.
Chu Yang was responsible for giving perfunctory answers.
Sun Wukong was responsible for causing trouble from the sidelines.
Tang Sanzang would be caught in the middle, trying to persuade one person after another, and would usually end with a "Amitabha, stop arguing."
For example, one morning, just as dawn broke, Su Wanwan got up to pack her bags and urged them to continue their journey.
"If we don't get up now, the sun will be high in the sky!"
Sun Wukong rolled over and lay lazily on the roof, saying, "Fox, how come you're even more diligent than a crowing rooster?"
"You said yesterday you wanted to leave early this morning!"
"You said last night you wanted to eat meat today too," Sun Wukong yawned. "Do these two things conflict?"
"Of course there will be a conflict!"
Chu Yang came out of the room, his clothes loose, clearly having just woken up. He chuckled upon hearing this: "Brother Monkey is right, there's no conflict. Let's walk a couple of miles first, then find a place to eat meat."
"You always say that!"
"So you always end up eating it in the end?"
"..."
For example, once they came to a rolling hill, and the tops of the hills were full of windmills.
The local people used windmills to irrigate their fields. From afar, dozens of wooden windmills turned incessantly, with low-hanging white clouds pressing down on the horizon—a truly beautiful sight. Chu Yang stopped in his tracks upon seeing it: "This place is nice."
Su Wanwan's alarm bells immediately went off: "What are you trying to do now?"
"I didn't plan to do anything," Chu Yang said seriously. "Just taking a look."
"How long do you want to watch?"
"Leave when you're happy."
Su Wanwan took a deep breath and held back her anger: "Chu Yang, we've already stayed in the previous town for two extra days."
"Um."
"I spent half a day picking fruit on the mountain the day before yesterday."
"Um."
"Yesterday I was watching the dragon boat races on the river until dark."
"Um."
"Do you even know we're on our way to the Western Paradise?!"
"Know."
"and you--"
"But don't you think the dragon boat was actually rowed quite well?"
Su Wanwan: "..."
She almost kicked him off the hillside.
For example, they passed through a small border town with a night market.
The night market was bustling with activity, a street lined with lights, selling noodles, pancakes, acrobatics, and shadow puppets. Sun Wukong ran wild as soon as he entered the city, the White Dragon Horse wagged its tail, lured by the aroma of the pancakes sold on the street, and even Tang Sanzang couldn't help but stop in front of a stall selling scriptures and take a second look.
As the night grew deeper, more stalls appeared, and the crowds became increasingly noisy, Su Wanwan finally lost her temper: "Didn't you say you were only going into town to buy some dry rations?"
Chu Yang was standing in front of a clay figurine stall when he heard this, and without turning his head, he said, "Yeah, I was just browsing."
"You can spend three hours just browsing around?"
"It's not midnight yet."
"You want to keep shopping until midnight?!"
"I think we can go shopping." Sun Wukong, with a sugar figurine in his left hand and a skewer of grilled meat in his right, mumbled, "Fox, don't always have such a stern face. Look, there's a lion dance over there, how festive!"
"What's so festive about it! We're here to seek knowledge, not to celebrate a holiday!"
When she shouted these words, many people around her turned to look at her.
Su Wanwan then realized that her voice was too loud, and her ears burned. Just as she was about to lower her voice, Chu Yang suddenly turned his head, looked at her, and smiled.
The smile wasn't very obvious, just a slight upturn at the corners of the mouth, but it looked particularly infuriating under the streetlights.
"When you get anxious, you really do look like a young, inexperienced accountant."
Su Wanwan was taken aback at first, then her face flushed red: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"I think so too," Sun Wukong immediately chimed in.
"Monkey King!"
Tang Sanzang coughed lightly from behind, trying to steer the situation back on track: "Miss Su is only thinking of the itinerary. Benefactor Chu, Wukong, please stop teasing her."
"There's no teasing involved," Sun Wukong chuckled.
Su Wanwan was so angry that she turned and left.
She hadn't walked two steps when Chu Yang caught up with her and shoved a freshly bought hot chestnut into her hand: "Alright, stop being angry. Let's leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"You said the same thing yesterday."
"This time it's for real."
I don't believe it.
"If you don't believe me, you can sleep with me tonight."
"Who wants to watch over you while you sleep!"
"Then you'll guard the door."
"Chu Yang!"
Then she got so angry she was half dead.
No matter how angry she was, these people remained the same.
They will watch the sea of clouds from the mountaintop.
I'll wait for the sunset by the river.
You could listen to storytellers at the market for half an hour to tell old tales.
We'll stay an extra day in the village where the peach blossoms are in full bloom, simply because the village elders say there will be a lively flower-worshiping ceremony the next day.
On the day the first snow falls, instead of rushing on the road, we would stay overnight at a hunter's house at the foot of the mountain, roast sweet potatoes around a fire pit, and listen to the old man tell old stories about the mountains.
He would stand at the entrance of the dilapidated temple and watch the rain when the first clap of spring thunder struck.
On one occasion, they came to a grassland where the setting sun cast a beautiful glow, and the grass rippled in the distance. Chu Yang, looking at a flock of white sheep in the distance, suddenly said, "Brother Monkey, how about a horse race?"
Sun Wukong immediately leaped up: "First come, first served!"
Then, the white dragon horse, looking utterly hopeless, was tormented by the two of them as they ran across most of the grassy slope.
Tang Sanzang stood at the bottom of the slope and called out "Wukong" and "Benefactor Chu," and the white donkey followed along with its incoherent braying.
Su Wanwan stood in the wind, her skirt fluttering in the breeze, and the pent-up anger in her heart finally grew stronger.
She doesn't understand.
I really don't understand.
She had never done anything so "big" before, but she had seen many people risk their lives for a goal. Those who sought wealth dared not close their eyes at night for money; those who sought fame would gamble their lives to climb the ladder; and those who sought immortality would sever all emotions and desires, wishing they could not afford to make a single mistake.
What about the pilgrimage to the West?
Shouldn't the journey to the West be even more important, more urgent, and subject to the utmost care and diligence than all of these?
But Chu Yang and Sun Wukong refused.
They always acted like, "The mountain is right there, let's take a look first," "The water's already here, might as well take a dip," and "The weather's so nice, why the rush?" Tang Sanzang didn't really stop them; instead, he seemed to relax a bit because of them, occasionally stopping to look at the wildflowers by the roadside.
The more Su Wanwan looked, the more flustered she became.
It's not just a matter of being anxious.
It was more of an inexplicable sense of panic.
She vaguely felt that something was wrong, very wrong. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong. She had urged him, asked him, been anxious, and been annoyed, but Chu Yang always brushed her words aside, like brushing aside a leaf or a wisp of wind, without taking them to heart at all.
This made the fire in her heart burn even more suffocating.
Finally, after a heavy rain before the start of summer, the fire exploded completely.
That day they entered a small town called Luoxia Prefecture.
Outside the city are mountains, inside the city is a river, and three stone bridges span the river. The rain has just stopped, water drips from the eaves, the bluestone pavement shines, and the whole city carries a damp, fresh air.
Originally, Su Wanwan's plan was to go into the city to buy some dry food, stay overnight, and continue on her way early the next morning.
Not long after entering the city, Sun Wukong saw people fighting crickets at the bridgehead.
Chu Yang glanced at it and said, "Brother Monkey, bet on the one on the left."
Sun Wukong immediately squatted down: "Press on the right!"
Tang Sanzang was invited by an old lay Buddhist by the bridge to go to the temple to preach Buddhism. The old lay Buddhist said that there were many believers in the city and he was willing to provide vegetarian meals. He asked the holy monk to stay.
The white dragon horse was led away by the inn's stableman to be fed beans.
The white donkey got into a fierce fight with a big yellow dog in the backyard.
By the time Su Wanwan realized what was happening, it was already getting dark, and they had somehow ended up staying in the city again.
"Staying again?!" She stood in the inn's lobby, her voice rising.
Chu Yang was leaning against the counter, flipping through account books, preparing to choose the quietest room, when he heard this and turned around: "Why do you want to stay here?"
"You're asking me what's wrong?" Su Wanwan could hardly believe it. "Do you even know how much we've walked this past month?!"
"Yes, I have."
"You know I've been keeping you here all day, watching the excitement, soaking in hot springs, strolling through night markets, listening to music, eating fish, horse racing, and admiring flowers. What are you even doing here?"
The lobby fell silent.
The shopkeeper paused, his hand on the abacus still.
The waiter stopped walking as he was serving tea.
Sun Wukong, who had been squatting on the threshold teasing the big yellow dog, slowly stood up when he heard the noise.
Tang Sanzang was about to go upstairs when he turned around.
Chu Yang wasn't in a hurry at all. He even reached out and closed the ledger, saying slowly, "You're in a bad mood today."
"Shouldn't I be quick to anger?"
"Please sit down and talk."
"I won't sit!"
"Then you can stand up and say it."
"Chu Yang!" Her eyes reddened with anger. "Have you been treating me like a fool all this time?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yang's eyes darkened slightly.
Sun Wukong was about to laugh, but upon seeing his expression, he suppressed his laughter.
The doors and windows of the inn's lobby were open, and a damp evening breeze blew in. Lanterns swayed gently in the wind, casting flickering shadows on everyone's faces.
Su Wanwan stood there, her chest heaving violently.
She was truly furious.
She had endured this for far too long. At first, it was confusion, then anxiety, and later, the frustration of being repeatedly brushed off. It wasn't that she hadn't considered that perhaps Chu Yang had his own plans. But he didn't say a word, didn't explain even once, and only lightly teased her, blocked her, and turned her anxiety into a simple "Why are you in such a hurry?"
She couldn't take it anymore.
"I admit you lied to me before." She stared at Chu Yang, her voice trembling. "I also admit you have a sharp tongue and love to tease people. But this journey isn't a joke; this is a pilgrimage! A momentous event watched by countless people around the world! Yet you all act like you're just taking a stroll. Do you even care about this?"
Tang Sanzang opened his mouth: "Miss Su..."
"Master, don't speak up for him." For the first time, Su Wanwan even stopped Tang Sanzang. "I just want to know the truth today. Am I the one who's gone mad, or are you all the ones who've gone mad?"
"I'm not crazy." Sun Wukong crossed his arms and leaned against the door, chuckling. "But you fox, you're really throwing a tantrum today."
"Monkey King, stop laughing." She turned and glared at him. "You're just like him! All you do is play along with his nonsense!"
"Nonsense?" Sun Wukong raised an eyebrow.
"What else could it be but nonsense?!"
"You mean you and your brother spend all your time eating, drinking, and having fun?"
"Isn't that right?"
Chu Yang remained silent.
He just stared at her, watching her face turn red with anger, her eyes reddening as well; clearly, she had been holding these words in for quite some time. Outside the lobby, the sky gradually darkened, and in the distance, a wonton vendor called out his wares along the street, but inside the inn, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
"Are you done talking?"
Su Wanwan was taken aback, then became even angrier: "No! I also want to ask you, do you want to go to the Western Paradise or not? If you didn't want to, you should have said so earlier! Why bring everyone along—"
"Su Wanwan".
Chu Yang suddenly called her by her full name.
He usually called her "Fox," "you," or "Su Wanwan," and his tone was always somewhat nonchalant. But this time, his voice was low, even calm, yet he abruptly cut off her from what she was about to say.
Su Wanwan's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
Chu Yang straightened up slightly and looked up at her: "You really want to hear the truth?"
"Of course I want to hear the truth."
"Hearing that might make you even angrier."
"You go first."
"Sure?"
"Sure!"
"Alright." Chu Yang nodded, his expression gradually calming down. "Then I'll tell you. The so-called journey to the West isn't some urgent matter that requires every second to be saved. At least, it's not the kind of urgent matter you're thinking of."
Su Wanwan frowned: "What do you mean?"
"It means—" Chu Yang paused, his voice steady, yet like a stone thrown into still water, "This journey to the West, from the very beginning, was a stage set up by Buddha and Guanyin."
The lobby fell silent.
Even the sound of the wind outside seemed to stop.
Su Wanwan almost thought she had misheard: "...What?"
Chu Yang looked at her and continued, "Tang Sanzang's journey to the West to obtain the scriptures is real, the scriptures are real, and the journey itself is real. But most of the so-called hardships, tribulations, and predetermined obstacles along the way were all preordained by those above. When to encounter which monster, where to encounter what, and even who would come to the rescue in each calamity—many of these were all arranged in advance."
"You're talking nonsense!" Su Wanwan blurted out.
"He testifies that he wasn't lying," Sun Wukong suddenly interjected from the side.
She suddenly turned her head to look at Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong, arms crossed, leaned against the doorframe, his usual playful smile noticeably faded: "You think I, Old Sun, just stumbled upon good fortune when I protected my master on his journey? Some demons had incredibly powerful backers; some places were strangely shrouded in yin energy; some difficulties were clearly just there to make up the numbers. Can't you see that?" (End of Chapter)