The rain that fell all night has stopped.
The forest outside looks as if it has been washed clean.
Under the morning light, it shines a brilliant green, a truly breathtaking sight...
"Yes, the rain has stopped."
The rain had stopped, and Su Qing could see that.
She also knew... the old monk who had chatted with her all night was about to leave.
And this parting...
...would most likely be their last.
To be honest, Su Qing was quite grateful to this old monk.
Thanks to this well-traveled old monk, Su Qing was able to understand this world a little more.
She came to a deeper understanding that...
...although this world had a worldview similar to Journey to the West, it was not entirely the same...
The world she lived in was not Journey to the West, but a real, tangible world.
"Snake Benefactor... the rain has stopped, the day has broken, and this old monk must be on his way."
The old monk stood up, put his palms together, and said.
"Yes, I know! Go on, then! May you succeed in spreading the Buddhist teachings, and have a safe journey."
Su Qing flicked her tongue, her serpentine eyes fixed on the old monk, and said slowly.
"I thank you for your kind words, Benefactor. I also wish that you, Snake Benefactor, may find eternal life."
As he spoke, the old monk chanted a Buddhist phrase:
"Amitabha. This old monk will take his leave now."
With that, the old monk shouldered the basket beside him and walked out of the cave with a cheerful smile.
Su Qing lay coiled, watching the old monk leave... without speaking again.
After a long while, Su Qing looked up at the stone wall of the cave.
She didn't know if the old monk would succeed in spreading the Buddhist teachings...
But she knew that his remaining days were most likely numbered.
Perhaps another year, or perhaps five...
Who knew?
Perhaps in the future, Buddhism would still flourish in the Eastern Lands...
It was just a pity that the old monk would likely not live to see that day.
As for Su Qing, she had no intention of helping the old monk promote Buddhism; she preferred Daoism.
Su Qing herself had little interest in Buddhism...
A life of purity and few desires was too difficult for her.
Besides, she was a snake and couldn't abstain from meat.
Not eating meat made her feel awful.
She much preferred to be free and unrestrained!
So, being a great demon would be just fine.
As Su Qing thought about it, she felt tired again, so she coiled up and closed her eyes.
Chatting all night yesterday had been exhausting.
In any case, there was no rush to get back on the road...
Sleeping for another day wouldn't hurt.
And just like that, Su Qing slept away another day.
The next day.
The weather was clear, and the sky was cloudless.
After resting for two days, Su Qing finally set out on her journey again.
Su Qing slipped into the Huai River.
The river water was cool and slightly turbulent.
Fortunately, with her massive body, Su Qing didn't have to worry about losing her balance in the water and being swept away by the current...
After entering the Huai River, Su Qing continued to follow the current towards the Qinling Mountains.
Along the way, Su Qing still traveled in fits and starts.
She would go ashore every so often to ask for directions...
...to avoid taking the wrong path.
And ending up in some unknown place.
Su Qing was well aware of the risks of getting lost, so she was as careful as could be.
Her journey was relatively smooth...
She didn't encounter any danger.
Occasionally, she would come across demons fighting amongst themselves, or immortals capturing evil demons.
Su Qing would stay as far away as possible, having no intention of getting involved, for better or worse.
Until she was powerful enough, Su Qing had no plans to meddle in such affairs...
She had no interest in being an envoy of justice.
She was merely a passerby.
In a flash, time moved to late autumn.
The weather gradually grew colder.
A large ship was sailing slowly on the Huai River.
The ship was filled with cargo and passengers... it was very lively.
Some people were drinking, their cheers echoing loudly, creating a bustling atmosphere.
Sailors were cleaning the deck, where passengers had vomited from seasickness.
A passenger, who had been drinking and was also seasick, leaned against the deck railing, dry-heaving.
Why dry-heaving? Because he had already thrown up most of what he could on the way.
And now, a sailor was cleaning it up.
The passenger leaned on the railing, sticking a finger down his throat. The feeling of wanting to vomit but being unable to was extremely uncomfortable.
Suddenly, in a daze, he saw a dark shadow in the water moving parallel to the ship.
He couldn't help but rub his eyes and look blurrily at the water's surface.
He didn't know if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he thought he saw a swimming dragon keeping pace with the ship.
"How strange, how strange. Are my eyes deceiving me? No, this isn't a trick of the eyes, it must be real!"
"Did I really just see a dragon in the water? Heh, I've got to go back and brag to my buddies!"
The passenger laughed, then staggered back.
But after just a few steps, he collapsed onto the deck and passed out.
A nearby fisherman saw this, shook his head slightly, and thought to himself:
"If you can't hold your liquor, you should sit at the kids' table. Why try to show off? Hey, a bite!"
As he spoke, he quickly reeled in his line...
But he was no match for the fish's strength.
The fishing rod was snatched away along with it.
"What bad luck. Hooked a big one, but lost my rod!"
The fisherman turned away in frustration and went back to his drinking.
In the water, Su Qing was also frustrated.
She had seen a foolish fish just sitting there, motionless, and had taken a bite to replenish her energy.
But unexpectedly, this foolish fish had also bitten someone else's hook, causing her to accidentally pull the person's fishing rod down with it.
Such a dramatic coincidence happening to her couldn't help but make her feel a little annoyed.
It was a good thing the current was swift and the river was deep.
The person fishing on the surface didn't spot her in the water...
Otherwise, who knows what strange legends might have sprung up?
After all, the imagination of the ancients was quite rich...
Evening.
Su Qing emerged from the water.
As the weather grew colder, the river water also became increasingly icy.
As a result, the amount of time Su Qing could travel each day was greatly reduced.
Su Qing was naturally helpless about this...
The turning of the four seasons was not something she could control.
Once ashore, Su Qing looked around and breathed a sigh of relief upon finding herself in a forest.
She entered the forest and searched around...
Perhaps her luck had been bad during the day, but it seemed to be improving by evening.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Su Qing found a ruined temple.
The temple was clearly old; weeds grew even inside, the roof had several large holes, and who knows how many tiles had been blown away.
However, Su Qing wasn't picky. A place to stay was a place to stay.
After traveling for so long, Su Qing had long since stopped being choosy.
"The weather is getting colder and colder now. I'm afraid it won't be long before winter sets in."
"I thought I could reach Mount Li this year... but from the looks of it, I'm afraid I won't make it."
"Oh well, I'll just stop here for this year."
"It's better to wait out this winter and continue my journey afterward."
Su Qing flicked her tongue, her thoughts wandering as she watched the bright moonlight stream down.
When winter arrived, Su Qing would not be able to travel as she was now.
Never mind whether the river would freeze over... even if it didn't, Su Qing couldn't possibly go for a swim in it.
Besides, she had to hibernate.
Therefore, Su Qing decided to temporarily halt her journey.
She would continue onward next spring!
Besides, the remaining distance wasn't very far.
Rate on N.U.
