Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 1 The Origin of the Mage

Wu Xin: The Monster Killer will never grow old, and he will never die.

In this sense, he seemed almost like a god, but in reality, he possessed no supernatural powers; he was simply ageless and immortal. Like mortals, he needed to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, wear clothes when cold, and rest when tired. Therefore, in his boundless life, the most crucial thing was to find a way to survive. Of course, he could live without eating, drinking, wearing clothes, or sleeping, at most gradually turning into a dried-up corpse, lying in wait in a secluded place to conceal his existence. However, the feeling of hunger and cold was too unbearable, and its endless, continuous existence made Master Wuxin believe that he had fallen into the deepest hell.

Master Wuxin didn't know where he came from or where he was going. He couldn't remember anything from so long ago; it was as if he had descended from the heavens to the human world, and after landing, no one cared for him anymore. He was neither born nor died, without a soul or spirit, only an immortal shell.

Because his hair could only grow to the length of his eyelashes at most, Wuxin spent most of his life as a monk. Being a monk was easier than manual labor. He claimed to be able to chant scriptures, tell fortunes, practice feng shui, and exorcise demons. The chanting and exorcism were genuine, but the fortune-telling was pure fabrication, and the feng shui was utter nonsense. With these supposed skills, he lived a muddled life for centuries, until finally, he grew tired of life and decided he didn't want to live anymore.

The monk Wuxin was physically presentable, with fair skin, thick eyebrows, and slightly sunken eyes. His gaze, tinged with melancholy due to his long-standing desire to die, was captivating. He considered himself quite handsome, yet he rarely found love, lacking a hometown, background, family, and relatives, and being poor. Based on his qualifications, he seemed only suitable to be a live-in son-in-law, but his secret could be concealed for a time, not forever; a son-in-law who remained eternally youthful was enough to send shivers down the spines of his in-laws. Moreover, it wouldn't even take a lifetime; the longer they lived together, the more suspicious his presence would become, causing unrest throughout the household.

Wuxin once loved being close to people and wanted to find a girl to accompany him, but as time went on, his true nature was exposed, and he was burned and beaten many times, mistaken for a monster. Burning and beating felt the same to him. He was very sad and also afraid of pain, so he gradually withdrew from society and continued to be a wandering monk.

Around the Tongzhi era, Master Wuxin finally fell in love. A girl of seventeen or eighteen fell in love with him, and even after learning all his secrets, she still loved him. Master Wuxin was overjoyed and immediately took off his monk's robes and returned to secular life, even tucking a fake braid behind his melon-shaped hat. He spent fifteen years in the capital with his wife, who had grown into his elder sister, before they moved to Zhili (Hebei). They spent another ten years in Wenxian County, Zhili, and his wife began to resemble his mother. Noticing the gossip from their neighbors, Master Wuxin took his wife into the mountains, living a secluded life away from the world. His wife eventually died of old age, peacefully passing away without illness. With tears in his eyes, Master Wuxin felled a large tree to make a coffin. On the day of his wife's burial, he knelt steadily before her grave, covering his eyes with the old handkerchief his wife had left behind.

In truth, his eyes were dispensable to him. Every inch of his skin could perceive color and light, air and wind. He raised his hand and waved it upwards, his wife's soul lingering and tender, brushing past his fingertips like a summer breeze.

"Yu'er, let's go." He murmured, "Thank you for spending your whole life with me, thank you."

The summer breeze was fleeting, but the old handkerchief still carried Yu'er's scent. Master Wuxin was very poor in the mountains; his ordinary clothes were so worn they were beyond repair, so he had to pull out his old monk's robe and put it on. The afternoon sun warmed him, as if Yu'er's aged, withered hands were gently stroking his face.

After finishing the last bite of mixed noodles at home, Master Wuxin, unable to bear the hunger any longer, went down the mountain alone to make a living.

When he first went up the mountain, the Xuantong Emperor had not yet abdicated; now, after coming down the mountain and making inquiries, he learned that the president of the Republic of China had changed several times. He set up his fortune-telling stall by the roadside, intending to make a few bucks to buy steamed buns, but when people on the street saw his young face, they all thought he was just a young man and couldn't possibly know anything about fortune-telling.

With no business, the monk Wuxin turned to exorcising demons and ghosts. However, the town was peaceful and free of any evil spirits. Helpless, he had no choice but to endure hunger and thirst and embark on his journey, heading straight for nearby Wen County. Unexpectedly, halfway there, he found a companion.

Ban'er was a seventeen-year-old girl surnamed Li, whose given name was Yueya. Yueya had a beautiful neck, flowing shoulders, and a slender waist; her figure was even more beautiful than her face. Of course, her face wasn't ugly either; she had bright eyes, white teeth, and a long braid, and she had a neat and clever appearance. Yueya had run away from home because her parents wanted to give her to their creditor as his eighth concubine. The creditor was already sixty-two years old, with half his face wrinkled and half pockmarked, and a mouthful of large, yellow teeth. Yueya couldn't just sit and wait to be married, so under the cover of night, she packed a small bundle and ran away.

Yueya's family had migrated from beyond the Great Wall, and the maids there didn't bind their feet. Yueya was used to manual labor and was strong; her large feet made running particularly easy. In the early morning, as dawn broke, only she and Wuxin were on the path leading to Wen County. She had come prepared, taking a cornbread bun from her bundle as she walked and eating it bite by bite. Wuxin followed at a distance, his mouth watering as he waited, wishing he could rob them on the spot.

However, he didn't actually snatch it in the end, because when Yueya saw it to a certain extent, she took the initiative to break off half a piece of cornbread and hand it to him: "Master, eat it."

Wuxin hadn't disguised himself as a monk for decades, and had almost forgotten how to chant Buddhist mantras. He smiled at Yueya, took the cornbread, and stuffed it into his mouth. Yueya glanced at him, then turned away, and for some reason, suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

Then she laughed self-deprecatingly, because she was barely able to take care of herself, yet she had the leisure to feel sorry for strangers.

He wolfed down his cornbread without much thought, then licked the crumbs off his lips with a lingering relish. Quickening his pace to catch up with Crescent Moon, he finally spoke, "Thank you, young lady."

Crescent Moon continued walking forward, saying as she went, "There's a big temple on the mountain outside Wen County, with many monks, all of them quite plump. Why don't you go ask them? If they'll take you in, you'll be settled, won't you?"

Unconsciously sensing the other person's kindness, he followed even closer: "Miss, are you going to Wen County?"

Her crescent-shaped eyes gazed ahead, and she nodded blankly. What would happen once she arrived in Wen County? She didn't know.

Wu Xin continued, "I'm going to Wen County too. Wen County is big; I'm sure I can make some money there. When I have money, I'll treat you to a banquet at a restaurant."

Crescent Moon was already extremely worried, but upon hearing Wuxin's promise, she was taken aback: "You, a monk, want to eat out?"

He gazed at the crescent moon without a care in the world, and gave another noncommittal smile.

Crescent Moon has one advantage: although she often feels like she's about to "die of worry," she always manages to find a way to get through each second and never truly dies of worry. A penniless young woman, if she returned home, she would be forced to marry an old man as a concubine; if she left, she would have nowhere to turn. No matter how she thought about it, she had no way to survive, and she was accompanied by a strange monk who evoked pity. The monk was foolishly handsome, and seeing him made her feel uneasy. Why was she so uneasy? She couldn't explain it. In short, she was terrified.

Crescent Moon, contemplating suicide, cared nothing for anything. As she walked, she told Wuxin about her origins. Wuxin tilted his head and listened attentively. By the time she finished speaking, the two had arrived at the gate of Wen County.

By now it was broad daylight, and people were coming and going through the city gate, treating the girl and monk as a rare sight. Crescent Moon, no longer wanting to live, naturally abandoned all pretense of shame. Wuxin, however, didn't care at all, simply saying to Crescent Moon, "It's not that bad."

Yueya entered the pass at the age of ten, her body and soul bearing the marks of a girl from beyond the Great Wall. She asked Wuxin, "What's so bad about it?"

Wuxin pulled an old handkerchief from the sleeve of his monk's robe, stretched it out, and covered his eyes. He tied the two ends of the handkerchief into a slipknot behind his head, and strode forward, saying without turning his head, "Not to die, not to be sad!"

Crescent Moon caught up with him and said, "You have eyes, why aren't you using them? What kind of trouble are you causing?"

Wu Xin deftly nimbly walked around a stone, then softly replied, "I'm looking for a way to make money. Otherwise, you won't have any money, and neither will I. By noon, we'll be hungry again!"

Crescent Moon quickly said, "I still have a cornbread in my bundle. We can each share it; that should be enough for lunch—be careful, there's a stinky ditch ahead!"

He ignored her completely. The long, soft sleeves of his monk's robe hung down, concealing his hands. He hurried against the morning wind. The light of the spirits rushed towards him; only by closing his eyes could he see how crowded the human world was. He walked like this for an unknown amount of time, then suddenly his outstretched fingers closed, and he secretly clenched his fist inside his sleeve, a chilling wind brushing past his nose.

There's always a way out, and Wen County certainly didn't disappoint him. He took the handkerchief off his eyes and turned to look to the side, finding Yueya already drenched in sweat from chasing after him. Yueya really didn't want to chase him; everyone on the street looked at them like they were crazy. But if she didn't chase him, who else would she chase? Yueya had no family left; even if she left, she wanted to leave him half a steamed bun before she went.

Turning back to look ahead, I saw two imposing, black-lacquered doors. The doors were tightly shut, and without thinking, I reached out and suddenly slammed them shut with a loud bang.

The door was dark, making his hands appear unusually pale. A response came immediately from behind the gate, a voice old and weary: "Who is it?"

Without a clear intention, he answered, "Master!"

After a series of clanging sounds, the door opened a crack. A withered old man poked his head out, squinting at Wuxin: "Who is it?"

Without thinking, he put his hands behind his back and stared straight into the old man's cloudy eyes: "Your house is haunted!"

Upon hearing this, the old man trembled. A withered, twig-like hand reached out and frantically grabbed Wuxin's monk's robe: "Master, please come in—no, no, don't come in, I'll go out, I'll take you to find Lord Gu!"

(End of this chapter)