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

Chapter 1032 Sharp-tongued and sharp-tongued

"No," Tang Sanzang gently shook his head, "I feel more at ease."

Su Wanwan looked down at the ring of crumbs that had smeared around the white donkey's mouth. After a long while, she said softly, "It's probably because... you no longer treat me like an outsider."

Tang Sanzang was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "If you are willing to stay, then you are naturally not an outsider."

She didn't say anything more, but simply reached out and picked the grass off the white donkey's forehead.

That evening, a light rain began to fall.

The mountain path was muddy, so the group quickened their pace, reaching a riverside ferry crossing before nightfall. Several wooden houses stood beside the crossing, their eaves low, raindrops hanging down like gray-white curtains. The river surface was ruffled by the wind, and the opposite bank was pitch black, with no trees visible.

There were only two habitable rooms in the house, and an elderly couple was holding the lamps.

Seeing that they were all travel-worn, the old lady quickly brought out the brazier and a pot of hot water. Su Wanwan wanted to go to the kitchen to help, but as soon as she got up, the old lady pressed her back down.

"Young lady, you're soaked in the rain, go warm yourself by the fire. There's too much smoke in the kitchen, let my old man take care of it."

Su Wanwan was taken aback when she was pressed down: "Actually, I..."

"Actually what?" The old lady shoved a bowl of ginger soup into her hands. "Your little face is all white from the cold, and you're still trying to be brave."

Holding the bowl of ginger soup, the warmth traveled from her palms to her chest, and she was momentarily speechless, only able to softly reply, "Thank you, Grandma."

When Chu Yang came in from outside, his shoulders were wet with rain, but he was carrying two strings of grilled fish that he had just bought from the river.

"Here you go." He handed one of the strings to Su Wanwan.

"I have ginger soup now."

"Does ginger soup keep you full?"

"...Not good."

"Then let's eat." Chu Yang sat down by the brazier, casually draping his wet outer robe over the bamboo rack. He glanced at her still-wet hair and frowned. "Why didn't you dry your hair?"

"I forgot."

"You forget everything all day long." He reached for a dry cloth on the shelf next to him and threw it directly at her head. "Dry yourself."

When the cloth was placed down, it still carried the warmth of the brazier.

Su Wanwan held the cloth, let out a soft "oh," and sat down by the fire to slowly dry her hair.

Sun Wukong squatted by the door watching the rain, a fish tail dangling from his mouth. Suddenly, he turned around and said, "Brother, your favoritism is so obvious, I can't stand it anymore."

"Then close your eyes."

"You got caught in the rain too, why didn't you dry your hair?"

Chu Yang sneered: "The few hairs on your head will dry in a gust of wind, why would you need to wipe them?"

"That's discrimination against monkeys."

"I also discriminate against donkeys, are you going to stand up for them?"

Su Wanwan couldn't help but burst out laughing, but quickly stopped herself after laughing, her ears already burning.

That night, she lay on the wooden bed, listening to the sound of rain outside. Occasionally, Sun Wukong would complain from next door that the bed was too hard. Chu Yang would reply, "Go sleep on the floor." Tang Seng would helplessly try to mediate, his voice coming through the thin wooden board, both indistinct and clear.

Su Wanwan stared at the flickering lamplight on the window paper, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

A part of my heart felt like it was being slowly soaked by the rain, becoming incredibly soft.

The rain stopped the next day, and a light white mist rose from the river.

They crossed the river by ferry. The ferryman was a tall, thin old man whose veins bulged on the back of his hands as he poled the boat. The wind was strong in the middle of the river, causing the boat to rock slightly, and the sound of water lapping against the hull was deafening.

Su Wanwan leaned against the side of the boat, watching the sunlight scatter across the water. Suddenly a wave crashed over the boat, and before she could regain her footing, a hand reached out and touched her shoulder from behind.

"Don't lean so far out," Chu Yang said. "If you fall in, I'm too lazy to fish you out."

"I can swim."

"Being able to swim and being swept away are two different things."

Su Wanwan wanted to retort, but the hand on her shoulder through her clothes, with its steady pressure, made her heart race first. She subtly moved a little closer and whispered, "I understand."

Chu Yang then released his grip.

On the opposite bank lay rolling hills, covered in lush green grass, the wild wind whipping them into waves. After the boat docked, the group continued westward. A few days later, the terrain gradually opened up, and a rare body of water appeared ahead.

Looking into the distance, the reeds in the marshland stretched as far as the eye could see, and a light blue mist floated on the water's surface. Occasionally, a white egret would fly by, its wingtips brushing against the water's surface. Large patches of calamus and wild lotus grew along the marshland's edge, their leaves rustling softly as the wind blew.

"This area is called Huiyueze," said the old man at the roadside tea stall. "The road is passable, but don't go into the ze after nightfall. It's been unsettled there lately; several passersby went missing a few days ago, and their bodies were never recovered."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang frowned slightly: "Do you know the reason?"

The old man lowered his voice: "Who knows? Some say it's a water ghost, some say it's an old turtle that has become a spirit, and some say they can hear a woman singing at night, which hooks people into the water and they can never find them again."

Sun Wukong was drinking tea when he heard this and immediately perked up: "Sing a song? Let's go listen."

"Go to hell." Chu Yang pressed his head down. "We need to get past the Zebian Post Station before dark tonight."

Su Wanwan sat to the side, her fingers gently stroking the rim of the teacup, without saying a word.

She was a fox spirit, and her sense of smell was extremely acute. Even when they were still outside the swamp, she had a vague feeling that there was an unpleasant smell in the water, neither yin nor yang, damp and cold with a faint fishy sweetness. It was unlike that of an ordinary water spirit, but rather like something that had been lurking there for a long time, so long that its scent was intertwined with the entire swamp, making it difficult to distinguish from it.

That feeling made her a little uneasy.

Chu Yang seemed to notice her silence and turned to look at her: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Su Wanwan paused, then said in a low voice, "It's just that this place... smells a bit strange."

"You smelled it too?" Sun Wukong immediately came closer.

"Hmm." She nodded. "It doesn't seem like a demon, but rather like many energies intertwined."

Chu Yang narrowed his eyes, said nothing more, and simply put down his teacup: "Then let's not delay any longer. Let's go."

They traveled along the official road by the marsh, but the weather suddenly changed in the afternoon.

The once-bright sun was obscured by layers of gray clouds, and the wind grew increasingly damp and cold. The fog in the marsh had thickened at some point, a vast expanse of white, spreading from the depths of the reeds and slowly engulfing the edge of the official road. Occasionally, one could hear something splashing in the water, a very faint sound, which sounded even more eerie through the fog.

However, the post station never materialized.

"That's strange." Chu Yang stopped and looked up at the sky. "According to the old man at the tea stall, we should have arrived long ago."

Tang Sanzang also sensed something was wrong: "Have we taken the wrong path?"

"No." Sun Wukong squatted down and touched the ground. "The official road has never been cut off."

Su Wanwan stood by the roadside, her gaze piercing through layers of reeds into the depths of the marshland, her unease growing stronger. She felt as if something in the mist was watching them, not just one pair of eyes, not just one aura, but countless things lurking silently beneath the water, waiting for darkness to fall completely.

"Don't go yet," she suddenly said.

Everyone looked at her.

Su Wanwan pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "It doesn't look like a post station ahead. It looks more like someone deliberately used fog to obscure the road."

Chu Yang's eyes darkened slightly: "Brother Monkey."

"Let's go take a look."

Before Sun Wukong could finish speaking, he had already leaped away, stepping on the reeds. A white shadow flashed and disappeared into the mist in the blink of an eye.

But after a short while, his voice came again from the fog, as if it were far away, yet also as if it were right next to his ear.

"Brother, there's no road this way—"

No sooner had the voice faded than another almost identical voice rang out from the other end: "Master, there's a house over here—"

Su Wanwan tensed up and looked up instantly.

wrong.

That's not Sun Wukong.

At least not entirely.

Chu Yang's expression also changed, and he spoke almost simultaneously: "Don't believe it, step back."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding mist surged violently, and the reeds on both sides of the official road bent down as if pulled from underwater by something. The next instant, the water exploded with a "splash," and dozens of slender black shadows burst out of the water, rushing straight at the group's faces!

"Back off!" Chu Yang grabbed Tang Seng.

Even without Sun Wukong, Chu Yang reacted with astonishing speed. His long sword was already half-drawn from its sheath. With a flash of light, the first few dark figures that pounced on him were instantly cut in two and fell to the ground with a thud. They turned out to be several strange fish, each about the width of a palm, covered with fine scales. Their heads had human-like facial features, and their mouths were filled with tiny teeth.

Su Wanwan felt a chill run down her spine.

Before she could see clearly, a very faint and gentle laugh suddenly came from the depths of the marsh.

The laughter was feminine, yet not quite feminine; it was lingering and soft, seeping into the earlobe, like someone whispering very close by.

Tang Sanzang's expression changed slightly, his hand tightened around the prayer beads, and he immediately began chanting scriptures.

Chu Yang glanced around and said in a deep voice, "Monkey King has been lured away. White Dragon Horse, protect Master!"

The white dragon horse neighed and immediately stood in front of Tang Sanzang.

Su Wanwan felt the laughter getting closer and closer, and countless blurry figures seemed to appear in the mist before her eyes. There were women looking back by the water, children waving on the shore, and half-wet faces pressed against the reeds, staring blankly at them.

She bit her tongue, and the smell of blood instantly cleared her mind.

"It's a sound illusion!" she exclaimed urgently. "Don't look through the fog!"

Chu Yang had already pulled a talisman from his sleeve, rubbed it between his fingers, and a flame suddenly ignited, a crimson line of fire spreading outwards. The mist sizzled as it burned, temporarily retreating half a zhang.

But at that moment, another splash of water erupted in the swamp.

This time, it wasn't a strange fish that came out.

Instead, they were long, black strands of hair, densely packed, emerging simultaneously from the water, from under the reeds, and from the mud, wrapping around one's ankles as if they were alive. Tang Sanzang's feet tightened, and he almost dropped his prayer beads.

Without a second thought, Su Wanwan spread her fingers, and several thin white foxfires instantly burst forth from her fingertips, scorching the clump of black hair. The hair let out a shrill scream upon contact with the fire and abruptly recoiled.

Chu Yang glanced at her sideways, said nothing, and simply shouted, "Take your master to higher ground!"

"And what about you?" she blurted out.

"I'll go and bring Monkey King back."

"Too dangerous—"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Before the words were finished, an even sharper laugh suddenly rang out from the depths of the mist. The next instant, the entire body of water seemed to come alive, the reeds parted like waves, and a jet-black sedan chair slowly floated out of the water.

The sedan chair was carried by four people, but there were no porters. Pale white lanterns hung at the four corners, dripping wetly. The curtains were drawn, obscuring the interior, but a sweet, pungent odor grew stronger and stronger, like a mixture of long-rotten flowers and blood.

Tang Sanzang's chanting of sutras paused involuntarily.

Su Wanwan's hair stood on end.

That was no ordinary monster.

At least not just one.

The sedan chair gave the impression of being a mass of moving things, cobbled together from the resentment and mortal aura of countless drowned people and the flesh and blood of some living creature.

The sedan curtain swayed slightly.

A soft female voice came from inside: "What a handsome monk, what a beautiful fox."

The sound was so close, it felt like it was right next to my ear.

Su Wanwan felt a chill in her heart and instinctively stepped in front of Tang Sanzang.

The woman in the sedan chair sighed softly: "Little fox, you smelled it, didn't you? You're so clever, why did you have to go with them? Wouldn't it have been better to stay in my swamp? If you had stayed, I would have given you countless beautiful skins, the sweetest marrow, and youthful beauty that would last for three hundred years..."

"Shut up," Su Wanwan said coldly.

The woman in the sedan chair laughed: "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."

"You smell so bad, who would believe you saying that?"

Chu Yang, who had already dashed into the fog, actually took a moment to turn back and glance at her upon hearing this, as if he wanted to laugh.

But now is clearly not the time for jokes.

The woman in the sedan chair was provoked by her words, and her voice suddenly turned cold: "Little fox, you have a sharp tongue."

As these words were spoken, the sedan curtain suddenly flew up!

Behind the curtain sat a slender figure, draped in a soaking wet, dark red wedding gown. Her long hair trailed past the edge of the sedan chair, reaching the water's surface. Her face was almost translucent white, her lips a deep crimson. Strings of black bells, their bodies engraved with twisted runes, adorned her wrists. Most terrifyingly, her lower body was not composed of legs, but rather countless strands of wet hair tangled together, deeply embedded in the water beneath the sedan chair, merging seamlessly with the entire expanse of water.

She looked up, and her eyes were completely black, without a trace of white.

Su Wanwan only glanced at it before her mind went blank.

This monster is very strong.

It was even better than she had expected.

"It's the Mother of the Swamp." She almost immediately recalled a passage she had seen in the old Qingqiu scrolls, and her voice changed. "Chu Yang, be careful! This is an evil creature raised on an entire swamp. It can use water to create clones—"

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Ze's mother had already raised her hand and waved it.

The water surged and churned!

Countless dark water shadows surged up from all directions, transforming into bizarre, half-human, half-fish creatures with wet hair, lunging towards Chu Yang. Chu Yang's sword flashed, and he vanished into the mist, uttering only the words, "Take Master away!"

Su Wanwan gritted her teeth and grabbed Tang Sanzang's wrist: "Master, come with me!"

Tang Sanzang wanted to say something more, but seeing her unprecedentedly solemn expression, he finally didn't hesitate and immediately followed her to a small earthen slope beside the official road. The white dragon horse followed closely behind, while the white donkey, for some unknown reason, ran and brayed, almost breaking its own reins.

But after they had only taken about ten steps back, the mud behind them suddenly softened.

Su Wanwan looked down and saw that a layer of black water had seeped into her feet. Fine strands of hair floated in the water, coiling around her ankles like living snakes, cold and slippery. She retaliated by unleashing a burst of foxfire, blasting the black water apart, but the muddy ground also collapsed half a foot. (End of Chapter)