On his way back to the lower deck, Cheng Yu bumped into a sailor. The man said nothing, not even scolding Cheng Yu for bringing an ox aboard. Instead, he ran toward the shipowner in a panic.
Looking at the young sailor, Cheng Yu was wondering whether he had stumbled into another plot event.
Then he heard Niu Ba say,
"That man smells of blood. Fresh blood, from Humankind. There's also a briny smell, a little like that of the sea-dwelling races among the Demon Race, except there's something foul mixed in with the pure sea scent."
Cheng Yu trusted Niu Ba's words unconditionally. After all, most of the Demon Race had incredibly keen noses, so he asked directly,
"Can you smell roughly where it's coming from?"
Niu Ba shook his head.
"The wind at sea is too strong. It's scattered most of the scent. I don't know."
Cheng Yu nodded slightly, then looked at Niu Ba and said,
"Niu Niu, go rest in the bag for a bit. I'll let you out once we're back in the room. Unless something unexpected happens, I'm afraid something unexpected is going to happen tonight."
With that, Cheng Yu put Niu Ba into the Spirit Beast Bag, intending to return to his room first.
Just then, the woman Cheng Yu had fed that motivational spiel came after him.
She stopped Cheng Yu and said earnestly,
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. My name is Nuan Yu. I still have some questions I wish to ask you, and I sincerely hope you will enlighten me."
Knowing full well that something was about to happen, Cheng Yu was in no mood to ramble with her. Still, she was so polite that he chose to tell her the truth.
"This humble Daoist has said all he