Chu Yang smiled and actually handed her a few. "Want some?"
Su Wanwan looked at the shelled peanuts in his palm, then at the Mist Swamp ahead, black enough to seem capable of spawning ghosts. After a long silence, she somehow took them.
They were salty, fragrant, and crisp.
After chewing twice, the tension in her heart inexplicably eased a little.
Sun Wukong swept back from the front and landed beside her, lowering his voice with amusement. "So? How did it feel to negotiate as the boss?"
Su Wanwan shot him a glare. "Just laugh, Brother Monkey."
"I wasn't laughing at you." Sun Wukong scratched his face. "I genuinely thought you did well. That line of yours—'Whoever dares try will die'—had some real presence."
Su Wanwan's ears heated up, but she remained stubborn. "It was the truth."
"Right, it was the truth." Sun Wukong nodded solemnly. "Next time, I'll let you do the scolding first."
"Cut it out."
"I mean it." Sun Wukong tipped his chin toward the gray-clad man's back ahead. "At the end of the day, these things bully the weak and fear the strong. The tougher you are, the more they have to weigh their options."
Chu Yang leisurely added, "That's why you used to be too polite."
Su Wanwan laughed in irritation. "When was I ever polite?"
"You at least used to beat around the bush," Chu Yang said. "You didn't today. Worked pretty well."
Tang Monk, listening from behind, sighed softly. "You all..."
Sun Wukong immediately turned back. "Master, don't you think Wanwan made progress today?"
Tang Monk fell silent for a moment. Looking at Su Wanwan, he actually nodded. "Miss Su was... indeed more decisive than usual today."
Su Wanwan froze.
She had expected Tang Monk to say something like "too aggressive" or "improperly