Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

Twenty years is enough for a generation to grow from an infant to a young adult in the eyes of mortals, but in the eyes of those lesser demons who have lifespans of thousands of years, it is nothing more than a blink of an eye.

But for the monsters of White Tiger Town, these twenty years have been like a complete transformation from their past life to this one.

Initially, they were forced and threatened to start building walls, paving roads, farming, and opening shops.

But gradually, they discovered that this kind of life was much more comfortable than meditating, scrambling for spiritual herbs, and fighting each other.

No need to live in constant fear of being attacked by neighbors in the next cave at night.

There's no need to fight to the death for a mere century-old Ganoderma lucidum.

There's no need to waste hundreds of years in arduous cultivation for that elusive "path to immortality," only to find yourself unable to even touch the threshold of becoming an Earth Immortal.

Here, you can drink your way to oblivion with the spirit fruit wine in taverns; or you can become rich overnight (or go bankrupt overnight) at the mahjong tables in gambling dens.

There are stories on the stage that will make you cry your eyes out and laugh until you're doubled over.

There are alluring women in brothels who let you revel every night, making you forget the hardships of cultivation.

the most important is--

Here, for the first time, they felt a sense of "home".

Those wolf demons who were once ferocious have now learned to shave their fur neatly, wear coarse cloth shirts, and push carts along the streets to sell "wolf tooth pastries." The snake demons no longer flick their tongues coldly, but instead coil up in teahouses to tell fortunes, and they are quite accurate. Some fox demons have put away their seductive charms and focused on running cosmetic shops, which are so popular that there are long queues.

Even the laziest pig demon was forced by Bai Ling to learn how to raise pigs—not to raise itself, but to raise those plump spirit pigs, whose pork was sold outside the town and in high demand.

Twenty years have passed, and Baihu Town is no longer the crooked construction site it once was.

The main street is wide and straight, with green bricks and gray tiles on both sides, upturned eaves, and red lanterns hanging everywhere.

The night market was brightly lit, and the sounds of vendors shouting, laughter, music, and gamblers cursing created a lively sea of ​​noise.

The spirit fields stretch for hundreds of acres, the spirit rice is golden and plump, and the spirit vegetables are lush and green. Every harvest season, the monsters organize a "harvest festival", carrying pig heads and holding wine jars, and singing and dancing on the stage all night long.

The "Heaven-Binding Array" in the center of the town had long been improved by Yun Zhao. At the array's core stood a huge stone tablet with four large characters inscribed on it:

"The White Bones of Yongle"

When the monsters pass by the stone tablet, they habitually touch the tablet, as if paying homage to the "master" who brought them peace.

And Yun Zhao is no longer the mysterious and aloof master he once was.

He would occasionally transform into a young scholar in white robes, walking down the street with his hands behind his back, watching plays, drinking, listening to music, and even gambling a few rounds at the gambling den.

At first, the monsters were trembling with fear, but later, seeing that their master would just smile when he lost and simply distribute the gold and silver to everyone when he won, they gradually became bolder.

"Our Lord is coming! Let's make room for him today!"

"My lord, please try my freshly brewed peach blossom wine!"

"My lord, please take a look at this hand for me; I guarantee it will be a complete rout!"

Every time Yun Zhao came, he would smile and agree, and occasionally he would give a few pointers: "This hand should be won, don't wait for a pure suit."

Thus, another legend was added to the gambling den: the master was a very skilled gambler and never lost money—in fact, he lost the most, but every time he lost, he would laugh and distribute the gold and silver to the monsters around him, making everyone happy.

Twenty years of peace and tranquility made these little demons fall in love with this place.

They no longer envied those powerful demons who were high above them, nor did they fantasize about becoming immortals.

"What's so great about the path to immortality? You'll suffer for thousands of years, and you might even die in the heavenly tribulation."

"Our White Tiger Town has everything you could want for eating, drinking, and entertainment, and with our lord protecting us, who would dare cause trouble?"

"Yes! Follow our lord, and let's lie down and cultivate immortality!"

Just as Baihu Town was becoming increasingly prosperous, three hundred miles to the west, a new nation was quietly established—Baoxiang Kingdom.

Before the Tang Dynasty was established, the human tribes on this land had already begun to gather into cities, build walls, palaces, and officials, and the outline of a state was beginning to take shape.

Caravans traveling to and from the area naturally couldn't avoid the White Tiger Ridge mountain range.

At first, those ordinary merchant caravans were trembling with fear.

They grew up listening to stories told by elders: demons roamed White Tiger Ridge, devouring people without spitting out bones; anyone who passed by would most likely be dragged into the mountains and eaten as a meal.

But when the first caravan reluctantly passed through White Tiger Town, a scene that they would never forget unfolded.

Instead of monsters lunging at them to tear them apart, several men with wolf ears greeted them with smiles.

"Sir/Madam! How about a drink? Monkey wine, all you can eat!"

"Oh dear, sir, your hair is a mess. Let me comb it for you!"

"Spirit rice cake, fresh out of the oven, want to try some?"

The merchants were dumbfounded.

Then look at those monsters: some have pointed ears, some have furry tails, and some even have horns. But they are all dressed in clean short shirts, with smiles on their faces, and shouting enthusiastically. Where is there any sign of their ferocious, man-eating nature?

A bolder merchant tentatively asked, "You...don't eat people?"

The pig demon laughed loudly, "What kind of people would we eat? Our master said that cannibalism is forbidden! Besides, why would we eat you? Our spirit meat is delicious!"

The merchants looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally mustered their courage to enter the town.

Once you go in, you can't get out.

The spirit fruit wine in the tavern made them flushed, the mahjong tables in the gambling den made them gamble away fortunes, the stories on the stage made them laugh and cry, and the alluring women in the brothel made them lose their minds...

When they left, their wallets were empty, but their hearts were full.

After they returned, they told everyone they met:

"The monsters in White Tiger Town are different! They look scary, but they have kind hearts!"

"The wine there is delicious, the shows are great, and the gambling dens are fair!"

"Next time I go, I'll bring my wife and kids!"

The news spread like wildfire.

The number of merchant caravans in Baoxiang Kingdom increased, and the people began to become curious.

At first, I was a little scared, so I carried swords and talismans and proceeded very cautiously.

Later, they discovered that the monsters really didn't eat people. They would even help them fix cars, give directions, sell things, and some snake demons even helped treat people's illnesses, while fox demons taught people how to weave beautiful flower garlands.

Later, some bold ordinary people began to migrate with their families.

"White Tiger Town is great! We have plenty to eat, lots of fun, and nobody bullies us!"

"I've heard the town's lord is incredibly powerful; anyone who dares to cause trouble will be slapped to death!"

As a result, more and more ordinary people moved into newly built houses on the outskirts of Baihu Town with their families.

The monsters were initially a little unaccustomed to it.

"My lord, why are there so many mortals here?"

"Why aren't they afraid of us?"

Yun Zhao chuckled, "What's there to be afraid of? You don't eat people anymore."

"Let them come."

"What's wrong with humans and transvestites living together?"

Gradually, the town became more lively.

Monsters and mortals do business together: wolf monsters sell animal hides, mortals sell cloth; snake monsters run pharmacies, mortals run cloth shops; fox monsters teach opera, mortals teach embroidery.

Children chased and played in the street. Some human children rode on the backs of little wolf demons, while monster children chased after human children asking for candied hawthorns.

In the tavern, mortals and demons clinked glasses and called each other brothers.

In the gambling den, ladyboys sat at the same table, cursing and swearing when they lost, but drinking together when they won.

On the stage, it's no longer just monster stories that are performed...

White Tiger Town became the only true paradise in the Three Realms where humans and demons lived together in peace.

The Kingdom of Baoxiang also quickly took notice of this place.

The envoy came to visit, trembling as he presented the letter of state.

Yun Zhao sat lazily in the palace specially built for him, took the letter of state, glanced at it casually, and smiled.

"Sharing resources? Sure."

"But there's one thing—"

"White Tiger Town does not belong to any country."

"Here, only the rules of White Tiger Town apply."

The envoy nodded repeatedly, not daring to utter a single word of objection.

From then on, Baihu Town became a shining pearl in the western part of Baoxiang Kingdom.

Caravans came and went in an endless stream, and tax revenue poured in.

The monsters in the town eat their fill and have fun, while the mortals live peacefully and earn a lot of money.

Twenty years have transformed a once desolate demon mountain into a bustling and prosperous town where humans and demons coexist.