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

After dealing with Tang Sanzang and his disciples, Yun Zhao's gaze fell on A Niu.

Ah Niu stood at the corner of the hall, his eyes still red, his hands clenched tightly, his knuckles white.

He was a key figure in this grand drama—his heart-wrenching cries and desperate accusations were all genuine performances by him after Yun Zhao altered his memories.

Yun Zhao smiled slightly and said gently:

"Ah Niu, are you satisfied with this resolution?"

"Although it's not a matter of paying with one's life, the punishment is to work as a night soil collector for thirty years, spending every day surrounded by filth."

"It might be worse than death."

Ah Niu was stunned, then knelt down with a thud, his voice choked with sobs:

"The city lord is wise!"

"I...I am completely convinced!"

"Punishing them to be dung collectors, picking through that filthy stuff every day, is more satisfying than killing them!"

"This humble servant... thanks Your Majesty for upholding justice for Ah Ling's family!"

He kowtowed, his forehead hitting the bluestone ground with a loud thud.

Everyone in the hall laughed upon hearing this.

Indeed, after thirty years of working as dung collectors, let alone the so-called eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty, even ordinary mortals would find it unbearable to be surrounded by filth every day.

Yun Zhao looked at A Niu, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Ah Niu's performance in this scene was excellent.

Previously, they had altered the entire village's memory, making them truly believe that Bai Ling's family had existed for decades, and making A Niu truly believe that he and Bai Ling were childhood sweethearts and that they had secretly developed feelings for each other...

This role is worth some compensation.

With a slight thought, Yun Zhao sent an invisible magical force, carrying a spiritual seed, into A Niu's body.

Once Ah Niu returns to the village, the spirit seed will find soil on its own, take root, and transform into a spirit plant.

From then on, it continued to nourish all the villagers.

May you be free from illness and disaster, and live to be a hundred years old.

With favorable weather, the crops are plentiful.

Yun Zhao waved his hand: "Get up."

"This matter is settled; you may return to the village."

Ah Niu thanked them and got up. He and Old Man Li led the villagers away.

The next day.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, with only a faint glimmer of white appearing in the east.

The three members of the Tang Monk's group were placed in a simple shed in the east of the city.

The shed was a temporary and very simple structure. To accommodate the physiques of Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, the roof hadn't been put on yet, and it was drafty.

The three of them didn't sleep all night.

Tang Sanzang sat cross-legged, chanting scriptures softly.

Sha Wujing lowered his head and remained silent.

Pigsy curled up in the corner, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the door.

"Get up! Get up!"

"You dung collectors, the Lord has punished you by sending you here to work, not to enjoy yourself!"

"Get up and get to work!"

Bang bang bang!

The door was kicked open.

A dozen or so minor officials stormed in aggressively.

These minor officials were all demon soldiers in charge of maintaining order in White Tiger City.

There were dog demons, wolf demons, and raccoon demons, as well as humans, all clad in light armor, wielding whips or clubs, their eyes gleaming.

Under Yun Zhao's rule, Baihu City was a place where no one picked up lost items on the road and doors were left unlocked at night.

The area is very safe, and these petty officials have nothing to do all day long, so they are bored out of their minds.

Now, finally a few prisoners have arrived, and they're even pilgrims on their pilgrimage!

They were ecstatic.

They came to urge us before dawn.

Before Pigsy could react, he rubbed his eyes in a daze, and the flesh on his pig face twitched.

He was somewhat stunned as he watched a dozen or so minor officials surrounding him, whips and sticks waving back and forth.

"What...what are you going to do?"

A minor official—a dog demon with sharp ears—sneered:

"What are you doing?"

"You dung collectors, the Lord has punished you by sending you here to work, not to rest!"

"Get up and get to work!"

"It's your turn to clean up the southeastern district of the city today!"

"If you dawdle any longer, you'll get a whipping!"

Upon hearing the words "dung collector," Pigsy immediately became much more alert.

His eyes widened, and he almost jumped up:

"So early?!"

"It's not even dawn yet!"

Then the sharp-eared dog demon heard Pigsy muttering bad things about Yun Zhao—things like "a plague-stricken city lord," "how will he survive thirty years," and "this is too cruel, his children will be born without an anus."

The dog demon sneered and lashed out with its whip!

Snapped!

The whip lashed across Pigsy's back, causing a searing pain!

Pigsy let out a miserable howl and jumped up:

"Ouch! That hurts like hell!"

He intended to use his magic to protect himself, only to remember that his magic had been sealed by that damned city lord.

That's not all; even the immortal body was imprisoned.

This whip actually struck the flesh!

He hadn't felt this way in years, and the pain brought tears to his eyes.

Although it is unknown what methods Yun Zhao used.

Pigsy also understood that now, apart from being stronger and taller than ordinary people, he was really no different from an ordinary person!

That whip really hurt!

Pigsy clutched his back and howled:

"You...you dare hit Old Pig?!"

"I, Old Pig, am... ouch!"

Another whip lashed down.

The dog demon sneered, "That's exactly what I'm going to do, you pig demon!"

"The Lord said that if you break the law, you must honestly accept the punishment!"

"One more word and you'll get an extra ten years in punishment!"

Pigsy immediately wilted.

His eyes darted around, looking at Tang Sanzang and Sha Wujing.

Tang Sanzang had already stood up, put his palms together and said, "Esteemed benefactors, we... will get up now."

Sha Wujing also silently got up.

Only Pigsy dawdled, muttering to himself:

"So early...it's not even dawn yet..."

But when he looked at those petty officials, their eyes lit up, and they brandished their whips.

He had no choice but to reluctantly get up.

The three were urged by the minor official to come out.

Several manure carts were already parked outside the shed.

The cart was fully equipped with a carrying pole, a manure bucket, and a shovel.

There was already a faint stench in the air; the tools had all been soaked in the smell.

The clerks excitedly assigned tasks.

"You three form a group."

"Today's southeastern area of ​​Qingcheng."

"Remember, no slacking off, no using magic—oh, you've run out of magic too, haha!"

"Finish cleaning up each day and come back to report."

"Any residue left behind will be punished!"

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and said, "We will do our best."

Pigsy was unwilling, but dared not resist.

The three men picked up the manure buckets and followed the minor official toward the southeast of the city.

In the southeast of the city lies a residential area with over 90,000 inhabitants, where filth is rampant every day.

As dawn broke, the residents began to get up.

Someone opened the door to empty the chamber pot.

It smelled terrible.

Pigsy almost threw up.

"Damn, this smell...it's too strong..."

A minor official raised his whip and shouted, "Enough talk! Get to work!"

Pigsy had no choice but to pinch his nose and step forward.

The stench was unbearable, and he cursed inwardly but dared not complain aloud.

Tang Sanzang lowered his head and silently picked up the manure. Fortunately, he had done a lot of odd jobs in the temple before, so he was not too unfamiliar with them.

The same goes for Sha Wujing.

In addition to collecting chamber pots from each household early in the morning, there were also special latrines that needed to be cleaned regularly.

These grains, once harvested, were either sent outside the city to irrigate fields or collected and fermented in septic tanks.

It sounds simple, but by the end of the day, Tang Sanzang and his disciples were exhausted, with aches and pains in their backs and their shoulders chafed raw. Clearly, they were used to being waited on by their disciples and were not quite used to it.

However, atonement...

Perhaps that's how it is.

Tang Sanzang gritted his teeth, becoming even more determined.