Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 33 Unintentional Growth

Crescent Moon's room was clean and odorless, so the two of them moved together into her room. Crescent Moon hurriedly folded the quilt and placed it on the kang table, while her absent-minded hand rested on her shoulder. Below the shoulder were the diagonal buttons of the slanted placket, and a finger eagerly tried to explore inside, because it was warmer inside, and there were two fragrant steamed buns.

Lord Gu put on his cotton shoes, grabbed a rolling pin, and prepared to give Yueya a whack on the shoulder at any moment: "Tell me, are you sure this is Master's hand?"

Crescent Moon, her long hair completely obscured by her busy schedule, replied, hiding within it, "I've seen him from head to toe eight hundred times. How could I not know what my man's hands look like?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she let out a heavy sigh. Wuxin hooked her little finger around Yueya's collar, freeing her index finger and thumb to flick it at Lord Gu.

Lord Gu couldn't help but sigh as well: "How come it's getting worse each time? Last time, only half a head was missing, but this time, all that's left is a right hand!"

Crescent Moon and Lord Gu sat cross-legged on the kang (heated brick bed), their hands placed on the kang table. Crescent Moon hastily pulled her hair back into a bun, her feelings a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe. If Wuxin had returned missing an arm or a leg, she would surely have been filled with fear and pain, shedding many tears; but facing the hand in the middle of the table, she felt as if she hadn't woken up properly.

Lord Gu also seemed to be sleepwalking. He sat cross-legged on the warm kang (heated brick bed) in Crescent Moon's arms, not even wearing socks, his toes twitching unconsciously. Wuxin's hand rested on the table, his index and middle fingers tapping lightly. Only when he felt both of their gazes fixed on his hand did he move his fingers and begin writing, stroke by stroke. Crescent Moon had learned a little literacy from her uncle when she was very young, and could barely recognize a handful of characters, though many were misspelled. So Wuxin wrote directly for Lord Gu to see, the white bone showing from his severed wrist also catching his eye. Lord Gu stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly turned and sneezed loudly. Crescent Moon, however, gradually snapped out of it, reaching across the table to slap him: "Don't be distracted! Look at what he's writing!"

Unwilling to launch into a long speech at the table, he finally made a request: that Lord Gu secretly bury him in the ground.

Crescent Moon had finally come to terms with reality. Thinking of Wuxin being riddled with bullets, each one leaving a bloody hole, she was indeed heartbroken and tears streamed down her face. After hearing Lord Gu relay Wuxin's words, she picked up a handkerchief, blew her nose, and immediately objected in a muffled voice: "No way! Aren't two rooms enough for you? Do you have to burrow underground? It's the dead of winter, the ground's frozen solid, are you trying to bury yourself alive?"

Master Gu, looking worried, shared the same opinion: "Master, to be honest, you look much more agile than last time. Crescent Moon isn't afraid, and I'm even less afraid. As long as you don't run around like a mouse, I won't object to keeping you indoors."

After the two finished speaking, Wuxin continued writing, indicating that what he currently looked like was a hand, but who knew what it would look like in a couple of days.

Crescent Moon didn't want to argue with him anymore, so she tearfully told him, "Outside, men are in charge; inside, women are in charge. Today, I'm in charge. Where's my basket?"

Before anyone could answer, Crescent Moon climbed to the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed) and brought over the sewing basket. She emptied the needles and thread, then lined the basket with a pillowcase: "From now on, you'll sleep in this basket. When you're a little older, I'll get you a different basket."

After a brief moment of quiet reflection, he resumed writing, intending to stay in Lord Gu's room. He knew his own upbringing well, so he didn't want Yueya to witness it firsthand. Yueya's acceptance of him to this extent was already remarkable; he believed everything had its limits. Just because Yueya wasn't afraid didn't mean he could endlessly bother or frighten her. What if one day Yueya suddenly abandoned him? He'd be in a real bind.

Crescent Moon didn't care which room he stayed in, she just resolutely refused to bury him in the ground. Lord Gu picked at his ear: "Staying in my room... that's fine, but you have to behave yourself. When I wake up, you wake up; when I sleep, you sleep. And you're not allowed to crawl all over the bed."

The agreement was reached, and all was well. Yueya boiled water, washed her face, and wrung out a towel to dry her carelessly wrung-out hands. As she dried her hands, Lord Gu leaned in, curiously touching the severed wrist with his fingers. Yueya immediately turned away from him, her face flushed with anger, and snapped, "Don't touch him!"

Lord Gu walked around to stand in front of her and said very seriously, "Look at his wrist, something seems off."

Crescent Moon looked at the wound on her wrist and found that although the bone was still white, the surface of the red flesh inside seemed to be covered with a transparent film. When she gently squeezed her palm, her palm seemed to have thickened.

"They might be starting to gain weight!" Crescent Moon looked up at Lord Gu: "Feel it, the back of their hands is all bulging."

Lord Gu wanted to shake hands with Wuxin, but Wuxin climbed up Yueya's arm and quickly returned to her shoulder. Yueya raised her hand and patted him, thinking to herself, "Luckily I don't have a family, otherwise, with a son-in-law like this, would my family still let me live with him?"

Yueya usually didn't pay much attention to Lord Gu, because he was utterly hopeless; no matter how well she cleaned him up, he'd revert to his old ways after a day of neglect. But now that Wuxin had returned and was staying in Lord Gu's room, she felt relieved and had the leisure and energy to do more chores. She placed the basket containing Wuxin on Lord Gu's kang (heated brick bed), and while sweeping, she muttered to herself, "How will you grow? Arms first, then body?"

Wuxin felt the matter was too complicated to explain in a few words, and even writing it down would require thousands of words, and might not be able to explain it clearly, so he remained silent, lying in the basket. Master Gu, carrying a bowl of hot soup noodles, climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed) and ate it with gusto, sweating profusely. Then Yueya, holding a broom, straightened up and asked again, "You don't even have a mouth, how do you eat?"

Wuxin climbed out of the basket and started writing on the kang (a heated brick bed); Master Gu watched intently, and at the end told Yueya, "Just soak him in water, he won't be able to eat before he's an adult."

Crescent Moon thought for a moment: "Water won't keep me full, so how about I make some soup and soak in it?"

Unintentionally, he wrote three large characters on the kang (a heated brick bed): "Don't add salt!"

Following Wuxin's instructions, Lord Gu did not inform Chuchenzi of the news, fearing that the old Taoist would come to exorcise the demon and then chop Wuxin to pieces. In any case, Qingyun Temple had a large business, and as long as the abbot gave the order, the other Taoists didn't care about having two outsiders doing nothing in the temple.

In the afternoon, Wuxin asked Lord Gu to fetch a large vat. Lord Gu refused to go out because of the cold weather; Yueya also said, "The vat is cold and hard, how can it be as comfortable as a basket?" As she spoke, she found a pillowcase and draped it over the basket: "I'll also add a small blanket for you."

Having no other choice, Wuxin, while he could still move his fingers, climbed onto Yueya, touching her face and then her hair, being incredibly affectionate. Yueya knew what he meant, and taking advantage of Lord Gu's inattention, she held Wuxin to her chest.

After nightfall, Yueya went back to her room to sleep. Master Gu got into bed and soon began snoring loudly. A basket was placed at the head of the bed, and Wuxin was covered by a pillowcase. In the darkness, one could see a thumping motion under the pillowcase, like a living heart beating.

Lord Gu slept soundly, dreaming of returning to two years ago. Two years ago, he was a warrior, invincible at the foot of Pig Head Mountain. He fought his way through until dawn, when he opened his eyes and woke up. Looking at the simple surroundings, he turned over thoughtfully, his heart filled with melancholy.

He reached out and pulled the basket from the head of the kang (heated brick bed), then, resting his head on his arm, asked, "Master, are you still asleep?"

There was no movement under the pillowcase, which was not an unintentional act. Lord Gu suddenly suspected he had slipped away during the night, so he quickly lifted the pillowcase and peeked inside. However, what he saw shocked him, and he sat bolt upright!

The hands inside the basket were no longer hands.

Holding his breath and stunned for a moment, Lord Gu mustered his courage and pulled the basket closer for a closer look. He saw a fist-sized lump of red flesh bulging out, stretching the skin on the back of his hand to pieces. The slender finger bones were exposed, also squeezed and twisted by the flesh. The flesh was bright red and translucent, with what seemed like a thin membrane stretched across its surface. Lord Gu cautiously reached out and touched the flesh; it was soft and trembling, but tender, with no unusual sensation. He bent down and sniffed it; there was a faint sweet and fishy smell, but no other unpleasant odor.

Lord Gu had assumed that Wuxin would grow arms and a body, but to his utter surprise, after one night he not only lost his arms, but even his hands. He picked up the basket and brought it to the window, examining it closely in the sunlight; he discovered that the red flesh didn't actually resemble flesh, but rather a sac of blood, opaque yet faintly translucent.

Lord Gu dared not touch it, fearing he might break it. He carefully placed the basket down, put on his clothes and slippers, and without even urinating, rushed to the crescent-shaped room next door. Slipping in like a thief, he whispered, "Wow, Master has really changed!"

Crescent Moon was startled: "What's changed?"

Lord Gu pointed to the door: "Go and see for yourself!"

When Yueya saw what was in the basket, she was dumbfounded. She had no idea what to do, and neither did Lord Gu. Helpless, they could only continue with their daily routine. A large bowl of meat soup had cooled to a lukewarm temperature. Yueya carefully tried to lift Wuxin out of the basket, but with one scoop, the skin and bones all fell off, leaving only a piece of meat in her hand.

She placed the meat into the soup bowl, then picked up a finger from the basket. The skin on the finger looked dry and rotten, and the bone was unusually light, as if it would crumble at the slightest touch. Yueya swallowed hard, truly terrified.

"You..." She turned to the large bowl and asked softly, "Are you heartless?"

The meat in the bowl remained unresponsive, as if it were just a strange-looking piece of meat.

Throughout the day, nothing changed. After nightfall, Crescent Moon wanted to take the basket to her room, but Lord Gu, out of kindness, insisted on leaving it there.

Yueya hadn't slept well all night. She knew she'd married the wrong person, but she couldn't bear to leave Wuxin and find another man. She spent the night in a daze. The next morning, as soon as she got out of bed and opened her door, she was suddenly greeted by Master Gu rushing out from next door, shouting in alarm, "It's all over! Master has turned into maggots!"

(End of this chapter)