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

Tang Sanzang began reciting the Tightening-Headband Mantra.

The monkey knelt down with a thud, veins bulging on its forehead, hair standing on end, and the golden headband on its forehead tightened instantly, like countless steel needles piercing its brain.

"Master—! Stop chanting—ah—!"

He rolled around on the ground, did several somersaults in the air, and crashed into the surrounding trees, breaking them.

The villagers were stunned.

Where had they ever seen anything like this? They had no idea what had gotten into the monkey.

"What's going on?"

"Could he be faking it?"

"Playing the fool to escape punishment?"

Ah Niu sneered, his eyes filled with even more hatred.

He stepped forward, drew the short knife from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the firelight, and held it directly in front of Tang Sanzang.

"Don't think you can get away with playing dumb!"

Ah Niu's voice was choked with sobs, yet every word was like a knife: "A life for a life! That monk, did you do it yourselves, or did I do it myself?!"

Tang Sanzang was forced back half a step by the blade, and for a moment he forgot to chant the incantation.

He tacitly approved of his accomplices' acts of violence.

During the day, he repeatedly chanted incantations to punish Wukong, but he also repeatedly told himself: Wukong was doing this to protect him. If the demons are not eliminated, how can we reach the Western Paradise and obtain the true scriptures?

He thought he had been fooled by those words.

But now?

A nurse, protecting others, has become someone who indiscriminately kills innocent people?

He wished he could wear that golden headband himself, and experience that excruciating pain, so that he could at least share some of Wukong's suffering.

Sun Wukong's rolling motion on the ground suddenly stopped. He endured the excruciating pain, abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, burning with boundless rage and grievance.

"You ungrateful wretch...you're asking for death!"

He roared and forced himself to sit up. The golden cudgel that had been thrown aside instantly appeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, it grew to a length of twelve feet and smashed down on Ah Niu with a whistling wind!

If this blow lands squarely, Ah Niu, a mere mortal, will surely be reduced to ashes!

Just as the stick was about to strike—

A barely perceptible surge of magical power gently pushed forward!

Ah Niu stumbled and narrowly avoided the golden cudgel.

boom!

The golden cudgel smashed into the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying and creating a deep crater.

Ah Niu fell to the ground, still shaken, his eyes wide as he looked up at the sky, then at himself—

He himself didn't know how he managed to dodge it.

In the sky, Yun Zhao, who was secretly observing, smiled faintly:

"Killing someone is wrong."

He withdrew his finger and looked down again.

Sun Wukong was enraged and hadn't even considered how this mortal had managed to dodge his iron cudgel.

suddenly.

"You wretched creature! Are you still going to commit murder?"

Sun Wukong stood frozen in place.

Tang Sanzang walked forward step by step, his expression cold and aloof, his face filled with disappointment.

"All that happened before..." Tang Sanzang's voice was soft, but every word was clear, "It was my fault. I tacitly approved of your actions, your killing, and I don't blame you."

"But what about now?"

He raised his hand and pointed to Ah Niu on the ground, then to the villagers with faces full of hatred, and then to the cold corpse.

"He just wanted justice and to seek redress. Are you going to kill him too?"

"With such a mindset, how can one call oneself a Buddhist disciple?"

"What's the point of seeking the true scriptures?"

By the end, Tang Sanzang's voice had become incredibly detached:

Let's go!

"From this day forward, I... will no longer acknowledge you as my disciple!"

Upon hearing this, the world seemed to stand still.

Sun Wukong's golden cudgel clattered to the ground, and he stared blankly at Tang Sanzang.

"Master...?"

His voice trembled; he could hardly believe his ears.

"I...I've protected you all this way, punished evil and eliminated criminals, all for you! Every time, wasn't it because I was afraid you'd suffer even the slightest bit more?!"

"I, Old Sun, know I was wrong, Master..."

The monkey pleaded desperately.

"Master, please forgive your disciple one more time. Without me, how can we obtain the true scriptures and reach the Western Paradise?"

Tang Sanzang was initially somewhat reluctant, but upon hearing this, he said, "Are you the only one capable? Can't Bajie and Wujing protect me?"

He said nothing more, but slowly turned around, his back to Sun Wukong.

Pigsy and Sandy stood to the side, looking at each other, not daring to utter a sound.

Pigsy opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him, but in the end he didn't say anything.

He looked at the aloof Tang Sanzang, his junior brothers watching from the sidelines, and the villagers hurling insults.

Sun Wukong was utterly despondent.

He smiled bitterly.

"well……"

"Master, I may leave now, but please accept one last bow from me."

Tang Sanzang simply turned his head away from Sun Wukong.

Helpless, he sent out his clones, which surrounded Tang Sanzang on all sides and bowed nine times.

Each bow was performed with utmost solemnity, the forehead striking the ground with a weight as heavy as a thousand pounds.

After bowing nine times, he said nothing more, transformed into a golden ray of light, and soared into the sky without looking back, disappearing into the depths of the night in the blink of an eye.

Only a deep stick mark remained on the ground, and silence reigned.

Tang Sanzang swayed and almost fell, but Sha Wujing quickly caught him.

He didn't turn around, but just murmured softly:

"Wukong..."

The sound was so faint it was barely audible.

Ah Niu wiped away his tears, picked up his dagger, and was about to continue interrogating him.

Suddenly, Old Man Li, leaning on his cane, walked forward shakily and stood in front of the crowd.

"alright!"

"Now that things have come to this, the country has its laws, and the family has its rules!"

"You bunch of outside monks killed people from our village, you should be taken to White Tiger City and let the officials there judge your case!"

"What's so bad about vigilante justice?!"

"Tie them up!"

"Take it back to the village!"

The villagers thought it made sense.

Several burly men immediately stepped forward, pulled out ropes from their waists, and tied Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing up tightly.

Tang Sanzang did not resist, letting the ropes dig into his flesh. His eyes, no longer bright, gleamed as he murmured:

"My sins... my sins..."

These mortal ropes are useless against Pigsy and Sandy, but since their master doesn't resist, what can they do?

Now that the eldest brother is gone, the task of protecting their master has fallen on the two of them. Let's just take it one step at a time.

The group gathered the corpses from the ground and put Tang Sanzang and his disciples into the pigsty, where several people took turns watching over them.

The next morning, they were escorted to White Tiger City.