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

Chapter 1115 Run

Chu Yang was silent for a moment. "You don't climb. You run first."

"run?"

"Run around the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Run from sunrise to when the sun is directly overhead."

"and then?"

"Then he carried the rake and ran."

Pigsy opened his snout. "Running away carrying a rake? Five thousand catties?"

"Your rake is connected to your mind. You can lift it easily normally. Why? Because your demonic power helps you lift it. But when you run, your demonic power is chaotic, and the rake will become heavier and heavier. After a month, you must be able to carry the rake and run along the edge of the pool for a full hour, with the weight of the rake remaining constant and your pace not slowing down."

Chu Yang bent down, picked up a flat stone from the ground, and traced the edge of the stone with his finger. "Ying Yang's speed lies in his wrist and waist. When he throws his gun, the power comes from his waist, and there's a twisting force at the wrist. You suffered when you parried his first shot because your rake was used to block straight. Blocking a twisting shot straight causes the force to be off-target."

He drew an arc on the stone. "You need to learn to turn."

"How do I transfer it?"

"You'll be fetching water starting tomorrow."

"Fetch water?"

Chu Yang threw the stone towards the pool. The stone bounced twice on the surface and sank. "Stand on the edge of the pool and use the back of your rake to slap the water. Make sure the slap creates waves that are higher than your head."

Pigsy looked at the pool of water, then at the nine teeth on his rake. "Use the back of the rake?"

"Yes. You can't pull back with your teeth. With your back, you slap down and immediately lift up, the water shouldn't scatter, it should be a whole curtain of water. At the beginning, it's good if you can slap down water up to your knees. After a month, you should be able to create a curtain of water that can block arrows shot from the other side."

Pigsy took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Anything else?"

"And one more thing," Chu Yang said, "the third thing. You'll find out tomorrow."

Pigsy waited a moment, and seeing that Chu Yang had no intention of explaining further, he put the rake down from his shoulder and leaned on the ground. "Alright. One month. But you have to keep an eye on that monkey."

Sun Wukong jumped up: "What happened to me?"

"Don't pick peaches and smack your lips while I'm practicing. I can't stand the noise; it makes me hungry."

Sun Wukong's fur bristled: "I'm done." Chu Yang turned and walked towards the peach grove. "Old monkey, the food is ready. Eat first. We'll meet at the pond at sunrise tomorrow."

Pigsy stood up and carried the rake, walking at the very back. He looked at the backs of the two people in front of him in the moonlight—Sun Wukong, his golden body tinged silver-white by the moonlight, walked lightly, occasionally turning back to grin at him; Chu Yang walked in front, his steps neither too big nor too small, each step firm, his back straight, his left shoulder slightly lower than his right shoulder by half an inch, a habit left by someone who used a knife for many years.

A fire shone from deep within the peach grove. The old monkey, along with several younger monkeys, had built a small fire in an open area, with a clay pot resting on it.

Steam rose from his mouth, and a fragrant aroma of herbs and meat filled the air. Several large lotus leaves were laid out beside him, on which were placed glutinous rice cakes, roasted hawthorns, candied peaches, a dish of salted peanuts, a stack of thin pancakes, and two bamboo tubes.

Several little monkeys squatted by the campfire, poking at the embers with twigs. The firelight shone on their furry faces, making their eyes sparkle.

Pigsy sat down beside the lotus leaf, crossed his legs, and pointed to the earthenware jar. "What's that?"

"Pheasant stewed with Poria cocos." Old Monkey lifted a corner of the lid, and white steam billowed out, revealing a light yellow broth bubbling inside. Several pieces of meat with bones floated in the soup. "I added a handful of red dates and a few slices of astragalus root; it's good for replenishing qi. You have an injury, so eating this will help you heal faster."

Pigsy sniffed the air and let out a satisfied gurgling sound. He waited for the old monkey to scoop a bowl of soup for him with a bamboo spoon, then took it, blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and gasped from the heat, but he couldn't bear to spit it out. He held it in his mouth and waited for it to cool before swallowing.

"Delicious." He put down his bowl, took a thin pancake, rolled it up with a roasted sweet potato, and ate it while mumbling, "It's better than what those guys in Blackwind Cave make. The pancakes that Old Rat Spirit makes can break your teeth."

Sun Wukong squatted across the campfire, slowly munching on a twig skewered with several roasted sweet potatoes. "What did your little demons say again? Pay it back in three years?"

"It was the weasel spirit who shouted that." Pigsy swallowed the biscuit in his mouth. "I never told them about any three-year agreement. They came up with it themselves."

"Is that fox demon the one blocking your way?" Sun Wukong asked again.

"Yes," said Pigsy. "The leather armor was too big and kept falling down, so I had to carry it along the way. When I stood at the foot of the mountain gate, my tail was all puffed up like a ball of fur."

After Sun Wukong finished gnawing on the twig, he threw it into the fire and licked his fingers. "Well done."

Pigsy looked up at him. Monkey didn't say anything more, but he slowed down his movements, sticking a new branch into the fire and turning it over, his eyes fixed on the flames, his expression calm.

"Yes." Pigsy lowered his head and took another sip of soup. He felt an inexplicable heat rising from his chest, and he held the soup bowl in his hands, letting the heat of the bowl burn his palms.

Chu Yang sat on the other side of the fire, leaning against the tree trunk, a bowl on his lap, slowly drinking. The firelight reflected on his face, and the shadow of the scar on his right arm flickered in and out with the dancing flames. He took two sips, put the bowl down, glanced at the waterfall in the night, and then turned back.

"The dew will be heavy tomorrow morning, so wear an extra layer."

Pigsy grunted in agreement and took another bite of the rolled pancake.

The campfire burned for most of the hour, then gradually died down, turning into a pile of glowing embers with the occasional spark. The little monkeys had already fallen asleep on the grass nearby, their furry bodies curled up in a ball, their tails draped over their faces. The old monkey added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire, stood up, bowed to Sun Wukong, and slowly walked back into the depths of the peach grove, dragging his peachwood staff.

Pigsy, rubbing his belly, leaned against a tree trunk, stretching his feet out to warm them by the fire. "Monkey," he said, "do you think I, Old Pig, can pull this off?"

Sun Wukong tossed the leftover bones into the fire, where they hit the embers and sent sparks flying. "If you want something nice to hear, I'll say it. If you want the truth, I'll say it too. You weren't appointed Marshal Tianpeng for nothing."

"And then what happens after you're reborn as a pig?"

"Even if you were reincarnated as a pig, you would still be you." Sun Wukong said, "Back in Gao Village, you didn't need to change your original form when you ate people, but you insisted on changing it. Why?"

"You still have that inner strength, it's just wrapped in a layer of pigskin and you've forgotten how to use it." He moved forward, squatting down next to Pigsy.

She looked up at him. "What Chu Yang made you practice was all real stuff. He used to fight those sand monsters in the desert, and he's good at finding the weaknesses in people's muscles and bones. He knows the fastest way to extract strength from the bones."

Pigsy didn't speak. He leaned against the tree trunk, looking at the night sky above.

The night at Huaguo Mountain is unlike any other place. The stars in the sky are so numerous, like a spilled bowl of broken silver, densely covering the entire curved roof. The Milky Way flows from the direction of the waterfall, stretching across the sky and all the way to the end of the coastline.

"That kid has changed a lot," Pigsy suddenly said.

Sun Wukong followed his gaze and looked up at the sky. "Hmm."

"He used to be silent when we were in the desert. Now he talks a lot more."

"He didn't talk much more," Sun Wukong said, "but he's carrying a heavier burden in his heart than before. Do you know why he doesn't come to Black Wind Cave anymore?"

He said I should do it myself.

"That's a reason, not a cause." Sun Wukong hugged his knees, resting his chin on them. "Back in the Western Regions, he was chased and beaten, but he managed to stand up on his own. He knows what it's like to stand up. He won't take that step for you."

Pigsy was silent for a moment. "And you? You don't speak up for him? You also think it's better for me to fight it myself?"

Sun Wukong turned his head, looking at the embers in the fire gradually dimming. "I've been with you for fourteen years, when have you ever let me down?"

Pigsy's mouth moved, but he couldn't answer.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay," he said.

Sun Wukong squatted next to Zhu Bajie for a while, watching his round belly protrude from under his cassock, rising and falling with his breath.

He pulled over a larger lotus leaf from the side and covered Pigsy's belly, then tiptoed over to Chu Yang's side.

Chu Yang was still leaning against the tree trunk, not asleep. He held a peach leaf in his hand, his fingertips slowly tracing the veins of the leaf, his eyes half-closed as he gazed at the mist in the direction of the waterfall.

"Do you think he's up to the task?" Sun Wukong nudged Chu Yang's shoulder with the tip of his tail.

"Can he beat me?"

Chu Yang opened his eyes and looked at Sun Wukong.

"It has nothing to do with me," Chu Yang said. "He can handle it himself."

Sun Wukong didn't ask any more questions. He rolled over, lay sprawled on the grass with his limbs outstretched, his tail draped over his belly, and closed his eyes.

Before dawn the next day, Pigsy was awakened by the chill. The night air seeped up from the grass, soaking his robe. He sneezed, sniffed, and sat up to rub his eyes.

The morning light shone through the eastern ridge, a pale golden hue that enveloped the entire Flower and Fruit Mountain in a thin halo. Dewdrops on the peach leaves glittered in the light, each leaf tip adorned with a translucent bead that tinkled and jingled as it fell in the breeze, pattering softly against the grass below.

The sound of the waterfall was exceptionally clear in the early morning, like a continuous white noise that enveloped all the subtle sounds around it.

The large expanse of smooth granite ground beside the pool still held the moisture from last night, glistening with a damp sheen under the rising sun.

Chu Yang was already standing by the pool. He was barefoot, standing on the wet rocks, holding a bowl of water in his hand. He slowly drank it all and placed the bowl on a flat stone next to him.

"You woke up early." He didn't even turn his head.

Pigsy emerged from the peach grove carrying his rake. His cassock was still damp, making him feel chilly against his skin. He walked to the edge of the pool, yawned, and looked around.

The pool wasn't large, about ten zhang in diameter, and the water was a deep green, with white foam churning near the waterfall. The waterfall cascaded down from the direction of the Sunning Scripture Platform, with a drop of about four or five zhang. The water crashed into the pool, producing a continuous, low roar, and the spray spread everywhere, filling the air with a damp coolness.

"Run," Chu Yang said. "Run along the edge of the pool until the sun shines on the mountain wall opposite you."

"The sun hasn't risen yet?"

"Yes. So run first."

Pigsy took a breath, hoisted the rake onto his shoulder, and began running along the edge of the pool.

The rocky ground was slippery from the moisture, and he almost slipped on his first step. He quickly regained his balance and moved forward in small steps. After running most of the lap, his legs started to ache. By the third lap, the rake felt heavier and heavier on his shoulders, and with each step, he felt the rake handle digging deeper into his flesh.

"That's your weapon, not your ancestor," Chu Yang's voice came from across the pool. It wasn't loud, but every word clearly reached Zhu Bajie's ears. "You're afraid it will fall, so you're carrying it on your shoulder. Put it down. Let your back..."

support."

Pigsy gritted his teeth and lifted the rake up a little, relieving some of the strain on his shoulders and supporting the rake handle with his back.

"Breathe," Chu Yang said again. "You're holding your breath, taking a step and then holding it in. Exhale."

Pigsy opened his mouth, exhaled the breath he had been holding, and then inhaled deeply. His steps became lighter, and although his legs were still sore, his whole body felt less stiff after his breathing became easier.

When he finished his eighth lap, the sun finally shone on the mountain wall opposite him. Several green vines hung on the gray-brown rock face, their veins clearly visible through the sunlight.

"Stop," Chu Yang said.

Pigsy stopped immediately, bracing himself on his knees, panting heavily. Sweat streamed down his round face, dripping onto the rocks and leaving dark dots. He took the rake off his shoulder, propped it on the ground, and looked up at Chu Yang. A large bead of sweat gathered in the folds of his pig nose, rolling down as he looked down.

"After you finish running, go splash in the water," Chu Yang said. "Splash it once, then immediately lift it up. When you lift it up, you need to rotate your wrist."

Pigsy, having caught his breath, walked to the edge of the pool. The rocks by the water were a deeper color from being soaked, and they were slippery to the touch. He turned his rake upside down, with the back of the rake facing the water, took a breath, and slapped it down.

Water splashed everywhere, like a white flower exploding, with droplets flying in all directions, soaking his face. The largest splashes only reached his knees.

"It's too loose." Chu Yang stood a few steps away, watching him. "Your hand was stiff when you slapped it down. Keep your palm pressed against the rake handle, and flip your wrist outwards the instant you finish slapping. Try again."