Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 14 Night Battle

Wuxin, standing in the main room, heard both Yueya's screams and Yue Qiluo's giggles. Seeing the door as solid as a thick wall, he rushed towards the main gate, wanting to break into the courtyard. However, the gate was also tightly shut. He rammed it several times, the bones in half his body aching from the impact, but the gate remained firmly shut, unchanged.

Wuxin hadn't expected Yue Qiluo to possess such extraordinary sorcery. After a moment's thought, he grabbed a kitchen knife from the stove and began slashing his left palm. The first cut didn't draw blood; only after a second did a faint glimmer of color appear. Wuxin knew how to break the spell, but the pain was unbearable. He slashed his left palm haphazardly until it was mangled, then finally raised his hand and slashed his neck. He then threw down the knife and slammed it against the door, leaving a bloody handprint. A loud crash followed, and the door flew open. He rushed into the courtyard and turned to see Yue Qiluo opening the east room window, attempting to climb inside.

He strode forward, simultaneously pressing his right hand against the wound on his neck, squeezing out a spurt of blood in pain. He rubbed his bloodied hands together and then struck Yue Qiluo's face. Yue Qiluo immediately dodged, but several drops of blood were already splattered on her cheek. She cried out in pain as if burned, frantically wiping her face with her sleeve as she retreated a considerable distance. Taking advantage of the moment, Wuxin turned to the window and shouted, "Yueya, how are you?"

Crescent Moon was still tightly pressing the yellow talisman against her arm. The layer of flesh binding her arm was gradually loosening, no longer causing her joints to ache. Seeing that Wuxin had reached the window, she crouched down to cover her chest and between her legs, and shouted, "I have the yellow talisman, I'm fine!"

Reassured by her strong voice, Wuxin turned to Yue Qiluo. Yue Qiluo was still wearing her crescent-shaped dress, with a wide collar and sleeves. She looked up at Wuxin, her small face contorted with bloodstains, her skin and muscles contracting and twitching around them, her face contorted uncontrollably. Pointing at Wuxin, her voice became hoarse: "What exactly are you?"

Wu Xin gave a sinister smile, raised his hand to cover the wound on the side of his neck, and squeezed it hard again: "Just treat me like a god!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged forward, his bloodied hands reaching for Yue Qiluo. Yue Qiluo had survived for a hundred years in this extremely Yin place, making her an evil being herself. However, after being touched by Wuxin's blood, she was thrown into a state of mental and physical chaos, as if poisoned. Seeing Wuxin approaching, she flicked her sleeves and floated backward, turning to flee. Wuxin, experienced in fighting ghosts, knew his blood was powerful in suppressing evil spirits and hard to come by; so he opened the courtyard gate and gave chase.

As soon as Wuxin left, Yueya was also freed. The layer of flesh on her arm shrank smaller and smaller until it became a crumpled, rotten piece of skin that fell to the ground. Yueya clutched the talisman tightly and squatted down to examine it closely. She couldn't recognize what it was, but she could see several withered veins embedded in the skin, still writhing like worms in their death throes. The more Yueya looked at it, the more disgusted she felt. She got up and ran to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), put the yellow talisman back into her pouch, and hung it around her neck. She hurriedly put on her clothes and, barefoot in her cloth shoes, went to open the door. This time, the door opened easily. She found two unburnt pieces of firewood under the stove, intending to take the rotten piece of skin from the east room and burn it.

Wrinkling her nose and furrowing her brow, she finally managed to pick up the rotten skin with the tongs. Crescent Moon bravely stepped into the courtyard. The house was secluded, bordered by fields to the left and an old tree and well a short distance to the right. Beyond the well were other houses, so her fire at midnight went unnoticed. The small fire blazed brightly. Holding the fire tongs in one hand and clutching the small purse to her chest in the other, she felt a mixture of fear and hatred. Seeing the rotten skin wriggling restlessly in the fire, she gritted her teeth and used the tongs to pin it down. Thick, foul-smelling smoke billowed up. She stuffed her nose with the purse, just like when she and her uncle used to hunt foxes in the mountains in winter as a child, a murderous intent rising within her. Whether Yue Qiluo was a demon or a ghost, if she dared to appear again now, she would risk her life to give her a good whack with the fire tongs!

The rotten skin sizzled in the fire, and Crescent Moon added a few more pieces of firewood, making the fire burn brightly. Just as the rotten skin was about to turn to ashes, the courtyard gate suddenly opened, and a dark figure rushed in with a "whoosh"!

Crescent Moon was mentally slaying a fox spirit when she was suddenly startled and slammed her fire tongs to the ground: "Who's there?"

A tall, burly figure abruptly stopped inside the courtyard gate, one foot forward and the other back, holding a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. He looked Yueya up and down for a few moments, then suddenly spoke up: "Hey? Aren't you the Fairy?"

Crescent Moon blinked, clearly surprised: "Oh, Lord Gu?"

Lord Gu sniffed and asked, "Why does the whole courtyard smell like farts? Where's Master?"

Having just experienced a fright, Crescent Moon now finds Lord Gu much more agreeable: "Going to deal with the demon!"

Having figured things out, Lord Gu headed straight for the main hall. Yueya quickly turned back to look at him: "Lord Gu, is there something you need?"

Lord Gu entered the house without turning his head: "Damn it, I didn't fight well in the war. Someone is chasing me, so I came to your house to hide."

Commander Zhang, one of Lord Gu's subordinates, and Brigade Commander Ding, his nemesis, joined forces and routed Lord Gu. Lord Gu fled the battlefield of Wen County alone, wandering aimlessly to Pig's Mouth Town. He arrived at the edge of town and found a house. Exhausted and hungry, he planned to break down the door and steal some food and drink, but the gate was wide open. He brazenly rushed in and was met by Crescent Moon.

Upon entering the main room and seeing the stove, he lifted the pot lid and found several large vegetable buns. He immediately grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth. Meanwhile, Yueya extinguished the fire in the courtyard, returned to the main room, lit the oil lamp, and seeing that Lord Gu was choking and struggling to breathe, she decided to pour him a bowl of water. However, when she placed the bowl of water in front of him, Lord Gu stared intently at her chest. Yueya looked down and quickly put down the porcelain bowl, adjusting her blouse—the buttons weren't fully fastened, revealing a large expanse of her chest.

Lord Gu stretched his neck and finally swallowed the mouthful of vegetable bun in his throat with a "gulp," thinking, "Two big steamed buns!"

Crescent Moon had no time to argue with him. She turned around and buttoned her clothes up tightly, one button at a time. She stepped into the courtyard to wait for Wuxin to return. Meanwhile, Lord Gu, thinking about her big steamed bun, followed her out without thinking.

Meanwhile, Wuxin had already chased Yue Qiluo into the wilderness.

Yue Qiluo's figure flickered, always keeping a distance in front of him. Wuxin knew she was only mortal; no matter how much magic or sorcery she possessed, she couldn't fly or disappear into the earth. Now, injured by his own blood, she could probably only escape to this extent. He took a deep breath and quickened his pace. He had neither a problem nor any interest in Yue Qiluo, but he found her annoying and troublesome. Although he hadn't yet figured out her background, he really wanted to catch her and give her a good beating—if not kill her, then at least half-kill her.

The distance between them had noticeably shortened. Yue Qiluo, still a young girl, was no match for Wuxin's long legs. Seeing that he was about to be trapped, Wuxin reached for her short, fluffy hair, but she unexpectedly swung her hand back, catching him off guard. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and his face was covered in a cold, sticky, foul-smelling substance. He stopped and touched it, finding it covered in tiny bumps, like stretched fascia and flesh. Yue Qiluo, slightly panting, faced him. Seeing that the mass of flesh she had thrown had hit its target, and was already spreading, not only covering Wuxin's face and head but also about to constrict his neck, she clapped her hands triumphantly: "Big brother, you don't look so good wearing my mask!"

The blood on Wuxin's hands had already dried. He wanted to bite his tongue, but his face was completely covered in flesh and blood, and he couldn't move his teeth. He raised his hand to cover the wound on his neck, trying to squeeze out more blood despite the pain, but the flesh and blood had congealed into skin, almost covering the wound. Wuxin knew that if he didn't act soon, he would be completely swallowed by the flesh and blood, and then he would be completely powerless to fight back, and Yue Qiluo could do whatever she wanted. He grabbed the edges of the flesh and blood with both hands, trying to tear it off, but the flesh and blood seemed to have become one with his skin. With a tear, the wound on his neck was immediately ripped open. Drops of blood spurted out, and the flesh and blood, as if doused with boiling oil, immediately began to convulse and contract.

Seeing the reaction of the blood and flesh, Yue Qiluo couldn't help but raise her hand to wipe her cheek. The blood from Wuxin was indescribably malevolent; deep holes had already been carved into her small face by the bloodstains. Seeing that the wound on Wuxin's neck was being pulled wider and wider, the pale skin splitting open to reveal layers of muscle beneath, while the blood was dwindling, she hatched a plan. Her right hand seemingly casually dropped, and a sharp dagger swiftly slid from her sleeve into her hand; her left hand rose, and she feigned a gesture towards Wuxin: "Big brother, catch it!"

Unable to see, Wuxin vaguely sensed something else being thrown at him. Fearing it was another piece of flesh and blood he couldn't tear or shake off, he quickly waved his hand to block it. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yue Qiluo grinned maliciously, licked her dagger with her tongue, and then leaped forward, slashing horizontally at Wuxin's head. A piercing scream rang out, and Yue Qiluo gracefully retreated. Although her hand was splattered with Wuxin's blood and brains, she had ultimately won—the upper half of Wuxin's head had been cleaved off!

Smiling slightly, she gazed ahead, enduring the excruciating pain in her hands and face, observing Wuxin's reaction. She was certain Wuxin wasn't a walking corpse; otherwise, without a soul to sustain him, his body would have long since rotted away. Since he wasn't a walking corpse, he should have a soul and a spirit. She would capture his soul—once she captured it, he would be hers!

As for the physical damage, it's really nothing. As long as Wuxin is willing to obey, she will help him repair his body. Even if it can't be repaired, finding a more beautiful body won't be difficult.

However, after enduring the initial excruciating pain, Wuxin stood still in place.

Yue Qiluo cleaved him cleanly, leaving a flat surface from the middle of his nose upwards. Only his nose and mouth remained on his face; the previously tangled, filthy flesh and blood had been reduced to ashes by his brains.

Suddenly, he smiled at Yue Qiluo, then carelessly and accurately kicked aside the upper half of her head that was blocking his way, and walked forward step by step: "What? You think you've accomplished your mission?"

Yue Qiluo took a step back and said in her sweet, soft voice, "I want your soul!"

Unwilling to move forward: "No wonder you remember your past life; you can control souls. You can do whatever you want, which is none of my business, but letting fragmented souls attach to rotting flesh and crawl around smelly, especially scaring people in my house, is wrong. You did something wrong, went unpunished, and even had half my head chopped off—"

Without bothering to lower his voice, the lower half of his blood-stained face suddenly convulsed: "Little sister, you've gone too far!"

Yue Qiluo hadn't managed to capture Wuxin's soul, so she secretly prepared to escape. With a playful twist of her shoulder, she deliberately said, "I don't care, I just want your soul! I—"

Before she could finish speaking, she was tackled to the ground by Wuxin. A drop of blood fell into her eye, causing her to let out a childish scream. With her eyes tightly closed and hands outstretched, she quickly drew a spell on the grass, finally slamming her hands on the ground and screaming in a heart-wrenching voice, "Live!"

In the desolate wilderness, skeletal remains are inevitably buried underground. The ground nearby gradually rises, and suddenly a bony hand bursts forth from the earth—a skeleton slowly crawls out. The skeleton likely died a violent death; its soul lingers in the mortal realm, not yet dispersed, and is now manipulated by Yue Qiluo, becoming her puppet. Seeing the skeleton's white bones clamp down on Wuxin's body from behind, Yue Qiluo struggles and flees. Wuxin, writhing in pain, rises and struggles desperately, instantly shattering the skeleton into pieces. But in those brief seconds, Yue Qiluo has already vanished into the night, without a trace.

(End of this chapter)