Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

"You monk, our lady sincerely offered you hospitality, and yet you raised your hand against us. No need to pretend anymore, kill or slash as you like, I won't frown a bit!"

The maid of Lady White Bones, however, appeared quite tough, her anger flaring as she stared at Jiang Liu and spoke.

"Although you did indeed seem very enthusiastic, from the looks of White Bone Benefactor, even you can strike down others. Could it be that we should not fight back when attacked?"

Jiang Liu's gaze fell upon this maid as he spoke.

In fact, Jiang Liu was also somewhat curious about the appearance of Lady White Bones. What's going on? Suddenly spiraling into madness for no reason?

"Hmph, our lady just fell ill, that's all. Had it not been for you, how would she have fallen ill?"

The maid snorted coldly. Although she was also somewhat horrified by Lady White Bones' appearance, having followed her for a hundred years, she had a deep understanding of her and knew that she couldn't be blamed. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire

"Fell ill? What's the situation? Tell me!" Jiang Liu inquired, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Our lady is a member of the Demon Clan, formed from white bones. Therefore, to maintain her beautiful appearance, she must drink human blood every month. Only fresh living human blood can bring vitality, otherwise, she would turn into a skeleton!" the maid explained.

"Even if she turned into a skeleton, that wouldn't necessarily cause her to go into a frenzy, would it?" Jiang Liu asked, his brows slightly furrowed in surprise.

"Our lady has been a demon for over a thousand years now, and she must drink a bowl of human blood every month. She has grown accustomed to it over the years. I don't know when it started, but if she goes too long without drinking, she becomes irritable and cruel..." The maid paused and then continued.

Jiang Liu's brow deeply furrowed at this statement. Having lived for over a thousand years, eating at least one person per month, over all these years, she has consumed at least ten thousand people, right?

No wonder there are no residents around White Tiger Ridge, the place looks desolate. Anyone with a bit of ability must have fled long ago, right?

"Humph, kill this evil demon. She's already addicted to eating people!" Sun Wukong, who was standing nearby, grimly revealed a corner of his mouth and spoke with a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Addicted to eating people?" Jiang Liu asked, looking at Sun Wukong somewhat curiously.

"Master, do you really not know?"

Sun Wukong looked back at Jiang Liu with surprise and replied, "Human flesh and blood are greatly nourishing for the demons, which is why many of them can't resist hunting humans. Do you think, after a Fierce Tiger has tasted blood and flesh, it could ever endure a diet of just vegetables and radishes every day?"

Well, Sun Wukong's analogy was quite vivid.

So, to put it in modern terms, Lady White Bones is like someone who has developed an addiction?

Or rather, something akin to drug dependency?

"Wukong, have you ever eaten people?" Without rushing to consider Lady White Bones' situation, Jiang Liu fell silent for a moment before asking Sun Wukong.

"I, Old Sun, haven't eaten any since I sought Immortals and succeeded in my cultivation!" Sun Wukong paused a bit before answering.

"Before I, Old Sun, embarked on my journey to seek the Dao, hunters often came to Flower Fruit Mountain to capture my fellow monkeys. As the Monkey King, I naturally led my kin in resistance, and I killed quite a few. In those days, I was naive and acted on my nature, and I did eat some of them!"

Sun Wukong's words made Jiang Liu nod his head in understanding. Before he became a disciple, Sun Wukong was not much different from ordinary demon monkeys; indeed, calling him a Demon Monkey was quite apt.

Not until he traveled across the sea to seek the way and met Ancestor Bodhi did he truly achieve cultivation success.

It seems that Ancestor Bodhi would never allow him to engage in eating humans again.

After asking Sun Wukong, Jiang Liu glanced at Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing beside him.

"Hehehe, master, I, Old Pig, am the most honest and simple..." Seeing Jiang Liu's gaze turning towards him, Zhu Bajie shrank his head back and revealed a sycophantic smile.

Waving his hand, Jiang Liu indicated that Zhu Bajie did not need to continue, then turned his gaze towards Sha Wujing on the side.

"Amitabha!" Sha Wujing bowed his head, murmuring a Buddha mantra in a repentant manner.

Alright, these two, although reincarnated from celestial beings, had entirely indulged themselves after becoming demons, relishing in eating humans.

In short, in the world of Journey to the West, demons eating humans is basically a common occurrence. Given such a large environment, Jiang Liu inwardly sighed deeply.

From a standpoint of justice, while Lady White Bones' actions are entirely without fault, the fact that she had consumed tens of thousands of people was still something Jiang Liu found difficult to accept.

However, from a personal standpoint, no matter how wrong Lady White Bones was, she had at least never tried to harm him, and that was a fact.

To put it simply, Lady White Bones was a mass murderer, but at least this murderer had never harmed him personally!

Of course, more importantly, this murderer was quite capable, and I happened to find that useful.

With a level of 70 and a Blue Elite Level profile, that's not low at all—if I could subdue her, she would be a fine assistant in the future.

Thus, after some thought, Jiang Liu had made up his mind.

A moment passed, and the White Bone Demon, severely wounded and unconscious, saw her health bar slowly recover a bit. Although only a sliver of health remained, she gradually regained consciousness.

Despite wearing luxurious clothes, beneath the fabric was no longer a body of flesh but a chilling skeleton.

"Why, why haven't you killed me!?" The Lady White Bones, waking up from the daze, looked towards Jiang Liu and the others, with two flames of Soul Fire flickering in her empty eye sockets.

The flickering Soul Fire conveyed a sense of surprise, shock, and anger.

"Amitabha, I've come to understand your situation," Jiang Liu murmured a Buddhist chant and continued, "Even though you've never harmed me, you've injured countless humans. As you said, having slain so many people, meeting your end at the hands of humans is also part of the cycle of justice, isn't it?"

"Hmph, indeed, you make sense; I have long anticipated that this day would come! If you're going to kill me, then do it!" Lady White Bones's gaze fixed on Jiang Liu, her voice remarkably calm.

When her own life and death were at stake, she surprisingly agreed with Jiang Liu's words.

"Heh heh heh, you, Evil Demon, indeed have some fate!" Seeing that Lady White Bones could face her own life and death so calmly, Sun Wukong raised his eyebrows and regarded her with some admiration.

Previously, Lady White Bones had argued that humans hunt animals, which then cultivate into demons to hunt humans, affirming it as the cycle of righteousness. Although there's some logic to what she said, in Jiang Liu's view, it was just an excuse she made to justify eating humans.

But now, seeing her facing her situation with such composure caused Jiang Liu to see her differently as well.

In terms of the real world, this would be the difference between a hypocritical saint and a true saint, wouldn't it?

The so-called hypocritical saints talk the talk but don't walk the walk, preferring to demand that others live up to moral and ethical standards that they themselves can't meet.

For example, someone who speaks of compassion and disdain for wealth yet betrays a friend for profit epitomizes a hypocritical saint.

But a true saint is different. They not only expect good deeds from others but also adhere to the same standards, demanding the same of themselves!

"Amitabha, in fact, as a monk, compassion is in my heart. If you can promise me that you will no longer consume humans, I can spare your life," Jiang Liu said after a moment of silence, addressing Lady White Bones.

Lady White Bones fell silently into contemplation. Merely forswearing the consumption of humans meant she could live?

Was this trade worth it?

"So, what you're saying is that I may kill but not eat? It's not reasonable. If a deity descends to subdue demons and protect the way, am I not allowed to fight back?" After a moment of silence, Lady White Bones queried Jiang Liu.

"Of course, if someone wants to harm you, you naturally have the right to defend yourself, but you may kill, not eat," Jiang Liu nodded, speaking seriously.

"Not eat? Would that not be wasteful? When you humans hunt, killing a rabbit or a deer, do you not take it home?" Lady White Bones found Jiang Liu's words somewhat odd.

"Consuming human flesh can become addictive. Do you think you can resist the temptation?" Jiang Liu's gaze remained calm as he asked Lady White Bones.

Indeed, if it were about those who commit crimes or seek their own death, if Lady White Bones chose to kill, then killing or eating seemed to make no difference.

But once the craving set in, could she resist it?

Just as the saying goes, "Wine and meat pass through the bowels, but Buddha stays in the heart." If one keeps Buddha in mind, consuming them is inconsequential.

But can an ordinary person, indulging in alcohol and meat daily, truly control their inner self?

It's like children and their studies. Parents always instruct their offspring: no phones, no computers, and no playing around. In truth, as long as the child's studies aren't affected, a bit of playtime is not something the parents would fret over.

But can the child's temperament control their actions? Can they ensure that playing does not interfere with their studies?

Lady White Bones fell silent for a moment, clearly pondering over all this. Eventually, she shook her head candidly and responded, "I can't resist."

"That's the point. If you wish to live, you must not consume humans henceforth. If you agree to this, I'll let you live. If not, then I must send you to be liberated," Jiang Liu stated plainly.

"I... I agree to your terms!"

Faced with life and death, Lady White Bones ultimately made the right decision.

Although humans like to eat meat, if eating meat means death, given the choice, anyone would know what to pick.