Chapter 125: Encountering The Black Water River On The Road
However, Ao Tu deceived the laborers into eating the “poisonous fish.”
The laborers noticed nothing unusual at all. Even though they didn’t see Ao Tu removing the toxin today, their habit over many days made them think Ao Tu had removed the toxin when they weren’t looking.
After all, that was the Dragon King. How could he possibly make a mistake?
After the group of laborers ate the poisonous fish, they were full of energy and strength surged within them, and they each went off to work.
As the laborers worked, they discussed among themselves how tender and fatty the fish meat was today and how delicious the fish soup was.
They worked straight until noon, and the laborers still felt warm and comfortable in their bellies.
The laborers ate their dry rations, rested a bit, then continued working.
They kept at it until sunset, before the laborers returned to the camp.
When they arrived at the camp, they saw that today’s camp was different from usual.
They saw that the camp sheds were hung all over with white cloth, giving a sorrowful feeling.
The laborers were puzzled in their hearts, not knowing why white cloth was hung up.
They walked in and saw the Dragon King sitting in the center, with a look of grief on his face.
The laborers respectfully stepped forward and asked:
“Dragon King Grandfather, you look sad. We don’t know why you are grieving?”
Ao Tu said: “Because many people are going to die, I grieve for this.”
The laborers asked curiously: “Who is going to die?”
Ao Tu said: “You are going to die.”
The laborers exclaimed in shock: “We are going to die! Dragon King Grandfather, what do you mean? We are living fine. How are we going to die?”
Ao Tu said: “My memory is poor. This morning when I caught the fish, I accidentally forgot to remove the toxin. None of you reminded me, and now you have all eaten the poisonous fish. You surely won’t survive.”
Upon hearing this, the laborers turned pale with fright. Everyone was shocked and said: “This! This! Dragon King Grandfather, is this real?”
Ao Tu said: “How could it be fake? The white cloth has already been prepared.”
Several timid laborers, upon hearing this, were so scared they collapsed to the ground. Symptoms immediately appeared in their bodies, and they groaned about abdominal pain, ruptured intestines, twisted stomachs, and heartbroken sorrow, all caused by eating the poisonous fish.
The others also each felt something wrong with their bodies—this hurt, that ached. A mosquito bite became a poisonous boil; a thorn in the hand became bone pain; hunger in the belly after a day’s work became the toxin acting up, with liver and intestines breaking inch by inch.
Someone asked Ao Tu how much longer they could live at most.
Ao Tu said: “Those poisoned by this have no cure from medicine or stone. They can only live one day and one night, and will surely die the next morning.”
At these words, the scene erupted in chaos, with countless people crying and shouting.
Ao Tu used divine strength to calm everyone and said: “Don’t cry yet. While there is still some time, each leave some last words.”
Ao Tu invited Tang Sanzang out to record the laborers’ last words.
Wukong had already told Tang Sanzang the whole story beforehand, so Tang Sanzang was not panicked. Instead, he took the opportunity to observe how living beings behaved when facing death.
The group of laborers competed with each other to speak their last words, and Tang Sanzang pretended to record them.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t serious, but there were fully twenty thousand laborers—it was impossible to write them all down.
Even ten characters per person would be two hundred thousand characters. How could Tang Sanzang record it all? So he just pretended to scribble a bit and told them he had written it down.
After the last words were “written,” Ming Niang had also finished preparing the meal at the same time.
With death imminent, most laborers couldn’t eat and said: “Our bodies are full of deadly poison. We can’t swallow food.”
When sunset was complete and night fell, and it was time to sleep, the group of laborers couldn’t lie down either and said: “Our bodies are full of deadly poison. We can’t rest on our sides.”
Indeed, if they fell asleep this time, they might never wake up again.
Seeing that no one felt like sleeping, Ao Tu called everyone out, lit fire basins and torches, had everyone dance for fun, find joy in misery, and had the two little tigers bring fine alcoholic beverage for everyone to drink heartily.
People were going to die anyway, so there was nothing to worry about. Everyone had given their last words and had no other thoughts. They all drank the alcoholic beverage heartily, sang and danced, and when the mood peaked, they held their heads and wept bitterly.
These people had basically not eaten, and after drinking too much alcoholic beverage, those with poor constitutions vomited from their mouths, and some directly passed out drunk.
The others saw those drunk and staggering and said: “Ugh! They went first!”
This continued until dawn. Most people could no longer hold out, either collapsing drunk or from exhaustion, lying scattered all over the ground.
But some people persisted all the way until the time they had eaten fish the day before. From initial fear to now slowly awaiting death.
However, after a long time, these people realized they seemed not to have died.
These people were extremely surprised, not knowing why they hadn’t died.
Ao Tu told them it was because they were strong and robust, so they could endure a few more hours than ordinary people.
Seeing the crowd lying scattered on the ground, those people did not doubt the Dragon God’s words at all.
Ao Tu told them each to return to the sheds, lie down, and quietly await death.
These people were already physically and mentally exhausted at this point, unable to think further, so they all agreed, returned to the sheds, lay on their beds, and slowly awaited death.
Once these people lay on their beds, exhaustion surged over them, and in moments they all fell asleep.
Ao Tu cast a spell, sending the rest of those scattered, drunk, or exhausted people back to beds in the sheds.
In the sheds, snoring sounded everywhere.
Time passed. After more than half a day, the first person woke up, looked around in confusion, and said: “What’s going on? I didn’t die?”
He walked outside and saw Dragon King Grandfather, the Imperial Envoy, the Holy Monk and his disciple, and others all sitting outside.
That person couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Ao Tu told him to wait for now.
After that, people woke up one after another.
Once most people had woken up, Ao Tu gathered them together and told them the truth: that the Black Water River water was poisonous, but the fish and shrimp were not.
For a moment, everyone was overjoyed.
People always prefer to believe the truths they like.
If Ao Tu had directly said the fish and shrimp were not poisonous, perhaps some would have doubted or had reservations.
But after going through this whole life-and-death ordeal, everyone had personally experienced it and had proof in their own bodies. Everyone deeply believed Ao Tu’s words without the slightest doubt.
People’s hands no longer hurt, their backs no longer ached, their intestines and stomachs were all fine, their hearts and livers felt smooth, they were full of energy, and their appetites opened wide.
Ao Tu had Ming Niang prepare a full fish feast to celebrate. Today was a day off—no one had to work.
Everyone was delighted.
This time’s fish was openly not detoxified, but no one was afraid anymore. Everyone ate it with great relish.
Next, the laborers continued building the great bridge.
Time passed over a hundred days, and the bridge was about sixty percent built.
Tang Sanzang couldn’t help saying to Ao Tu: “The river god once said it would be completed in two or three months. Now more than three months have passed, but only sixty percent is built. Isn’t this breaking faith with me?”
Ao Tu said: “Holy Monk, if you are eager to go west, I will cast a spell right now, and it will be completed tomorrow. I absolutely dare not delay the Holy Monk’s Westward Journey.”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang looked at the group of toiling laborers, sighed, and said: “Forget it. Sixty percent is already done anyway. This poor monk will wait a few more days.”
Into autumn, the weather turned cool and refreshing.
The bridge was almost finished being built.
Just then, news came.
The neighboring country had assembled an army of six thousand, stationed at the border, declaring that if the Huoluo Kingdom did not dismantle the great bridge, they would launch war.
