Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 18 Taking Chestnuts from the Fire

Lord Gu was so familiar with Pig Head Mountain that he didn't even bother with torches or lanterns, and proceeded confidently under the bright moon. Wuxin and Yueya followed closely behind him, their steps uneven, the chirping of autumn insects filling the air; it wasn't a lonely night at all.

Before long, Lord Gu, the leader, began to disappear into the thicket. Mosquitoes swarmed, seemingly intent on devouring the three of them. Lord Gu, while clearing a path through the mosquitoes, muttered curses under his breath, involuntarily ingesting many mosquitoes in the process. Crescent Moon, meanwhile, pulled out a large handkerchief with one hand and waved it wildly across her head and face. Wu Xin, untouched by mosquitoes, kept his eyes on Lord Gu and then on Crescent Moon, following closely behind.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the mosquitoes gradually thinned out, and Crescent Moon finally had a chance to speak: "Lord Gu, have we not arrived yet?"

Lord Gu handed the rope to Wuxin and then wielded a shovel, clearing away the brambles: "Almost there, almost there! I've hidden gold there, I need to find a secluded place!"

The three walked for a long time before Lord Gu finally stopped. Wuxin, with Yueya in tow, squeezed forward to take a look and saw a small mound of earth in front of them, resembling a grave. The surrounding forest blocked out most of the moonlight, and the mound was covered with weeds, making it impossible to see unless you got close.

Lord Gu stopped, leaning on his shovel, and turned to Wuxin, saying, "This place doesn't seem special, does it? Let me tell you, even if you brought a map in broad daylight, you might not find it! Pig Head Mountain doesn't look dangerous, but there's nothing on it except wild vegetables and mushrooms. Who would venture this deep into the mountains? Even grave robbers wouldn't come here!"

Wu Xin raised his hand to touch his chin, then glared at Lord Gu: "You buried the gold underground?"

Lord Gu raised a finger and shook it: "Wrong! Three chests of gold, do you think I'd just dig a hole and bury them anywhere?" He then stepped forward and circled the mound. Looking up at the stars and moon to determine his direction, he lowered his head, planted a shovel, and began digging without a word.

He was strong and dug skillfully. After ten or eight shovelfuls, Wuxin and Yueya heard a metallic sound. Upon closer inspection, they discovered a bluestone slab buried beneath the mound. Master Gu thrust his shovel into the edge of the slab, bent down, and began to pry it open, all the while gritting his teeth as he forced out, "Master, come and help!"

Wuxin released Crescent Moon and bent down to lift the stone slab. It turned out the slab wasn't very thick, and its weight was limited. Crescent Moon saw that Master Gu had put down the shovel and, together with Wuxin, had lifted the slab, so she didn't offer to help. She lowered her head and tucked her handkerchief into the buttonhole under her arm. Suddenly, she glanced back, thinking, "There are still wild animals in the woods."

After the stone slab was lifted, a dark cave entrance was revealed. Wuxin bent down to examine it closely and found that although the initial section of the cave was straight up and down, it was only about one person's width deep. Further down, it sloped downwards, neither steep nor dangerous, but the air was damp and chilly. Exhausted and panting, Lord Gu said, "I don't know how this cave came about, but once the stone slab was covered, it became my treasure trove. Pretty clever of me to have gotten such a bargain, huh?"

Wuxin waved to the crescent moon ahead, then asked, "Lord Gu, are there any poisonous snakes in the cave?"

Lord Gu immediately replied, "Nonsense! Poisonous snakes don't grow on Pighead Mountain!"

Although Wuxin had no romantic feelings for Lord Gu, he didn't want him to die needlessly in the mountains. Since there was a box inside the cave, he decided to go down first, so they could deal with any poisonous snakes they encountered. He would lead the way, Lord Gu would bring up the rear, and Yueya would go in the middle, which was safer.

After discussing their plan, the three sat at the cave entrance for a while, estimating that most of the dampness had dissipated, before descending into the cave one after another. Each of them was given a rope. Master Gu's rope was tied in a tight knot, and he struggled to untie it. He nimbly jumped into the cave, and out of the corner of his eye, he glanced up and suddenly noticed that Crescent Moon was still standing at the entrance, seemingly wanting to jump but hesitant.

Lord Gu chuckled, tilting his head back to ask, "Scared already? If you hadn't said anything, I might have left you outside." Then he draped the rope over his shoulders and stretched out his arms: "Come on, jump! Jump into my arms, I'll catch you! Hurry up, or Master will have already gone far away!"

Crescent Moon stiffly bent down, and sure enough, jumped towards him. Lord Gu caught her in a full embrace, thinking that despite her large, round figure, she was surprisingly light. Crescent Moon didn't speak, so he took her hand without asking and enthusiastically bent down to walk into the sloping cave. The cave was completely dark. As Lord Gu walked, unable to hear any sound ahead, he asked, "Master, where are we going?"

The unintentional voice quickly returned, coming from directly in front: "There really isn't a snake—what's this? The cave even has bends?"

Lord Gu chuckled: "It won't take many turns."

Then Crescent Moon spoke up: "What kind of animal do you think this cave is? It doesn't look like it was dug by a human; it looks like something dug it with its claws. We can walk through it even when we bend over. It seems there must have been some big wild beasts on Pig Head Mountain before."

Lord Gu considered himself a native, so he immediately scoffed: "What wild beasts are there? You rarely even see raccoons on this mountain, let me tell you—"

He suddenly shuddered. After a brief pause, he said softly, "Crescent Moon, what kind of great beast do you think it could be?"

Crescent Moon's voice came from the front: "I can't explain it, I don't know either."

A cold sweat immediately broke out on Lord Gu's forehead—the person walking in front of him was Crescent Moon, so who was the person he was holding hands with?

Lord Gu was now quite knowledgeable about ghosts and spirits. Forcibly suppressing a scream, he casually tried to release the hand behind him. Unexpectedly, as soon as he loosened his grip, the hand tightened its hold on his. He stopped, his voice trembling, and cried out in a ghostly voice, "You...light a match..."

With a hissing sound from ahead, Crescent Moon turned around, her hands cupping a small flame, muttering impatiently, "You're the one who led us here. We're not afraid, but you're scared?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Crescent Moon, bent over, froze, her eyes wide open. In the dim firelight, she saw Lord Gu tremblingly raise his right hand, and there, in that right hand, was a pale, severed hand!

Then, as if by telepathy, the two slowly turned their heads together. On the cave wall just inches away, there was a long female body lying horizontally, with two braids hanging down, covering half of her snow-white face, revealing only a pair of bottomless, smiling eyes.

The flame went out abruptly, followed by Crescent Moon's scream and Lord Gu's wail. A match suddenly lit up nearby, but the woman, oblivious to the danger, squeezed her way in. The female body slithered along the cave wall to the ceiling, revealing her face: two dark, smiling eyes above, and a bright red, upturned mouth below. There was no nose; it was a grotesque, expressionless smile. Lord Gu pulled out his cleaver and thrust it upwards, plunging it into the woman's chest. The woman could no longer move, but her arms stretched downwards, growing longer and longer until they were about to touch Lord Gu's neck. Lord Gu, with his back against the cave wall, had nowhere to hide. Just as he was about to collapse, a spark flew through the air and struck the woman's head. A ball of fire flashed and died instantly. The three people in the cave faintly heard a mournful cry, and the woman was reduced to ashes!

Lord Gu sheathed his cleaver, his right hand now clean, with only a few specks of paper ash remaining in his palm. He panted heavily for a while, his strength returning: "Master, what happened?"

A heartless voice echoed from the darkness: "Don't be afraid. A spirit has possessed the paper figure and is causing trouble. Burn its substitute, and its spirit will naturally dissipate."

Lord Gu immediately fastened his cleaver back to his waist and pulled out a box of matches from his pocket. Crescent Moon, clutching a box of matches tightly, asked in a tearful voice, "Where did these come from? Inside the cave or outside?"

Upon hearing this, Lord Gu's hair stood on end: "Inside the cave... no way?"

Wuxin bent down and whispered, "Let's get out of here first. The cave is too cramped. If another paper figure comes, we won't even have a place to fight!"

He moved nimbly, pulling Crescent Moon along as they bent low and hurried forward. Crescent Moon, no longer able to complain about Lord Gu, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him outside. However, they hadn't gone far when, unexpectedly, a patch of moonlight in front of them suddenly disappeared—a stone slab had fallen, about to cover the cave entrance!

Wuxin panicked immediately—he himself was unafraid of confinement, but Yueya and Lord Gu couldn't endure being inside the cave for long! Lord Gu saw this clearly at a glance, and suddenly pushed past Yueya and Wuxin, rushing forward and swinging his cleaver at the last moment. With a muffled "thud," the blade landed precisely between the stone slab and the cave entrance.

The stone slab was completely smashed shut, but the machete didn't break. Lord Gu's eyes reddened, and he began to curse, "Damn it all! What the hell is going against me? I'm using my own gold; I didn't steal or rob anything. Whose business is it of mine?"

As soon as he finished speaking, heavy, hesitant footsteps echoed on the stone slab. Wuxin, leading Yueya, rushed forward and squatted down, slapping Master Gu's leg again: "The paper figures are going to pile dirt on the stone slab! You step on us to get up there and quickly lift the slab off!"

Without even glancing at them, Lord Gu stomped on their backs. After stepping onto their backs, he pushed upwards with both hands, shouting, "I'll fuck your mothers!!"

The stone slab that the two men had struggled to lift was now being forcibly propped up by Lord Gu. Wuxin and Yueya, used as stepping stones, were nearly crushed into the cave's earth. A tiny gap opened between the slab and the cave entrance, and a pair of pale hands reached in, firmly gripping Lord Gu's neck. Lord Gu instantly suffocated, yet filled with rage, he refused to yield. At this critical moment, his body suddenly tilted upwards, as Wuxin, using his own strength, lifted him up by supporting his legs with her shoulders! Yueya, now free, quickly stood up, lit a fluffy object, and threw it, smoke and flame, through the gap.

The hands clasped around Lord Gu's neck instantly turned to ashes. At the same time, a sobbing sound came from deep within the cave behind them—the sound of a woman crying. The three of them froze for a moment. Crescent Moon and Lord Gu were already numb with fear, thinking it was just another paper figure; Wuxin, however, had a sudden realization and urged loudly, "Lord Gu, quickly push open the stone slab! There's something in the cave!"

(End of this chapter)