Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 35 Going to Tianjin

Despite his noble status, Chuchenzi did not appear in person, but ordered his disciples to prepare a large carriage to take Yueya and Lord Gu to the Chang'an County train station. Yueya carried a small bundle and a heavy roll of bedsheets, indicating that Wuxin had grown quite a bit overnight. She nervously glanced at Lord Gu, her heart filled with unease. Entering the county town had already broadened her horizons, but the scenery there wasn't much different from other towns, so her surprises were limited. Tianjin was different; in her mind, Tianjin was practically synonymous with a foreign country. Was it really feasible to go abroad with this unreliable Lord Gu?

Before Crescent Moon could come up with an answer after much deliberation, the carriage had already taken them to the train station.

The train station in Chang'an County consisted of only two rooms, one inside and one outside. It was freezing cold, and not yet the New Year, so the station was deserted, with almost no passengers. Since leaving Qingyun Temple, Lord Gu had been filled with anxiety, fearing he might be followed by ghosts on his journey. Now, having bought two tickets at the station, he paced back and forth anxiously while waiting for the train. Later, estimating that the train was approaching, he took Yueya and hurried to the platform early.

A small train rumbled by and stopped for a minute in Chang'an County. A minute later, the train started moving again, and the platform was completely empty.

Lord Gu usually thought Yueya was quite presentable, with a good appearance and figure; she might not be good at anything else, but she would be perfect as a wife. However, now that they were squeezed into a seat in the carriage, he suddenly realized that Yueya was plain-looking and unpresentable. Yueya occupied the window seat, looking like she had just been robbed, her neck hunched and shoulders hunched, her big eyes staring blankly, as if she didn't even have the courage to look around; in addition, she was clutching her two pieces of luggage tightly to her chest, as if she was ready to jump off the train and escape at any moment.

Lord Gu nudged her with his elbow and asked in a low voice, "So you've never traveled far before?"

Crescent Moon turned her head and glanced at him blankly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "No."

Lord Gu looked ahead and cleared his throat: "Relax, what are you afraid of on a train?"

Crescent Moon replied, "Oh."

Then she hunched her shoulders and looked out the car window again, like a monkey.

The train journey from Chang'an County to Tianjin takes four hours. For the first three hours, Yueya didn't dare to move around much. In the fourth hour, she gradually became more active. Seeing some passengers eating cold steamed buns, she said to Lord Gu, "We were in such a hurry that we forgot to bring any dry rations."

Lord Gu sat up straight: "All you ever do is eat!"

Crescent Moon was surprised: "Oh, you've changed your personality?"

Lord Gu scoffed, "What gender change? I've never been greedy!"

Crescent Moon let out another "Oh!" and then fell silent, secretly chuckling to herself that Master Gu was starting to act like a big shot.

After the train arrived at the station, Crescent Moon followed Lord Gu off the train and out of the platform as if in a daze, staring intently at his retreating figure, afraid of getting lost. As soon as she stepped out of the station, she felt a little dizzy—there were so many people!

Everywhere was crowded with people, everyone was talking, creating a cacophony of voices, like a boiling pot, with not a single quiet spot. Ever since getting off the train, Yueya's voice had somehow become higher-pitched, and she desperately asked from behind, "Lord Gu, where are we going?"

Lord Gu didn't hear her clearly and gave her a side profile, asking, "Huh?"

Before she could repeat herself, Lord Gu flagged down a rickshaw and shoved her in without a word. They sat side-by-side, and as the driver lifted her up, Crescent Moon lurched backward, screaming in fright. Lord Gu yelled a place name at the driver, then said impatiently to Crescent Moon, "What are you yelling about? Sit still!"

The rickshaw's rubber wheels glided smoothly on the asphalt road, much more comfortable than riding in a horse-drawn carriage. Just as Crescent Moon was getting into the swing of things, the rickshaw stopped in front of a large mansion.

Lord Gu got out of the carriage, paid the fare, and openly knocked on the door. The door opened immediately, and Yueya stood to the side. She could hear Lord Gu's extremely arrogant tone; he was demanding to see her master. After a few words, he actually invited her in. He led Yueya into the gatehouse. She sat shivering on a chair by the stove, her stomach growling loudly from not having eaten all day. Clutching the rolled-up bedsheet, she lowered her head, suddenly feeling a pang of regret. She thought that if they were at Qingyun Temple, she would be asleep by now.

There was no one in the gatehouse. She sat there for a long time, her hands and feet warm from the heat. Bored, she reached out and began to pull at the rolled-up bed sheet, wanting to catch a glimpse of Wuxin, but the sheet was tightly sealed at both ends, making it difficult to open. Yueya felt the sheet seemed a little heavier than in the morning, so she sighed and silently prayed, "Please grow up quickly, so I can have someone to rely on when you're grown up."

Crescent Moon sat by the stove until late at night when a young man dressed as a servant pushed open the door and said that Mr. Gu wanted to see her. He didn't say where she was going, and Crescent Moon didn't think to ask.

Hungry, thirsty, and sleepy, Yueya followed the young man out of the gatehouse. Braving the cold wind, she walked forward, passing houses and courtyards along the way. She estimated she had walked more than a mile, but still couldn't see the end of the road. Finally, she came to a brightly lit house. The door was wide open, and steaming heat wafted out. The heat had a complex composition, smelling of both alcohol and meat. Yueya took a breath, her mouth watering, and she swallowed hard.

Lord Gu walked out of the room, chatting and laughing, accompanied by a large, amiable-looking man. He nodded to Yueya, then chatted with the man for another ten minutes or so before leaving with Yueya, led by several servants.

They walked through several courtyards, and after exiting through the back gate, they crossed a small street. Finally, the servant escorted the two men into a small courtyard house and asked, "Mr. Gu, is there anything else you need?"

Seizing the opportunity, Crescent Moon whispered to Lord Gu, "Sigh... I'm hungry."

Lord Gu suddenly realized, "My sister-in-law hasn't eaten yet. Are there any places outside that sell sesame seed cakes or steamed buns?"

The servant agreed, turned and went out, and in no time at all returned with ten sesame seed cakes. Lord Gu generously rewarded him with two coins, then said, "I don't need anyone to serve me here anymore, you can all go back!"

Crescent Moon ate five dry sesame cakes in one go and drank half a pot of hot water. With food in her stomach, she perked up: "Lord Gu, what's up? Are we settling in?"

Lord Gu inspected several rooms and found them all spotless, so he was quite satisfied: "Then let's settle in, shall we?"

Crescent Moon was quite surprised: "A free stay?"

Lord Gu carried the bedsheet roll to the east wing where he was to stay: "Isn't this free lodging? You saw that big fat man just now, right? This house belongs to him. Years ago, he encountered bandits outside Wen County, and I saved his life. I didn't ask him to repay me then, but now that I'm down on my luck, I've come to him for help. Do you think he'd abandon me? He dares to abandon me? Originally, he wanted me to stay at his house, but I thought we have Master with us. If we get discovered, it wouldn't be good, right?"

Crescent Moon followed him into the east wing: "You're right. Where's the bed sheet roll? I'll take one last look at him and then go to sleep."

Lord Gu immediately blocked the way in front of the bed: "Stop looking! If you want to sleep, go to sleep. Is it really interesting to look at maggots before bed?" Then he waved his hands: "Come on, come on, I'm going to bed too!"

Yueya was exhausted and figured Wuxin wouldn't be in any trouble, so she went back to the west wing. There was no kang (heated brick bed) in the room, but a soft Western-style bed. Yueya took off her clothes, crawled into the covers, closed her eyes, and fell asleep instantly.

At the same time, Lord Gu also got into bed. He placed the rolled-up bed sheet beside the bed, intending to open it, but after reaching out with both hands, he hesitated and withdrew it.

He was afraid; he didn't want to see the two-foot-long, bald caterpillar. With the sheet rolled up, it looked quite neat; but without the sheet—Master Gu imagined it for a moment, then shuddered, sobering up completely.

He reached out and turned off the light, then lay down and went to sleep.

At dawn, Lord Gu woke up. The sky outside the window was still a pale white, and the room was dimly lit, making everything blurry. Lord Gu turned to look at the rolled-up bed sheet and saw that it was taut, indicating that the thing inside had grown again.

Lord Gu sat up and mustered his courage to pull the rolled-up bed sheet. He slowly unfolded it layer by layer, and finally, a faint sweet and fishy smell wafted out. He looked down and found that Wuxin hadn't changed much today, except that it had grown another half a foot. The surface was still uneven, and not only had the white hair in the depressions grown longer, but light downy hair had also grown in the bulges.

Lord Gu turned on the light, lifted Wuxin through the bed sheet, and peered closely at the bulb. The downy hair was pale, and Wuxin remained semi-transparent, with a faint white line visible running from head to toe. The body grew quickly, but the white line grew slowly, indistinctly embedded in the flesh.

"Master," Lord Gu couldn't help but speak up, "what exactly are your plans? You're almost a meter long, and from head to toe, you don't resemble a human at all! Do you want to become an insect or a snake?"

He turned back to the bedside and wrapped Wuxin in the sheet again.

At noon, Yueya wanted to visit Wuxin again. Master Gu pushed her back into the west wing, then followed her in. Sitting solemnly before Yueya, he said, "Yueya, could you please stop looking at your master?"

Crescent Moon's face instantly turned pale: "What happened to him?"

Lord Gu realized she had misunderstood and quickly explained, "He's fine; he's grown another half a foot today. But, he really doesn't look good. I won't go into details about how bad he looks; you can imagine for yourself!"

Crescent Moon breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm brave, I'm not afraid of him."

Lord Gu shook his head: "Yueya, I'm ten years older than you, so I'm practically your older brother. There are some things I have to say for your own good. You and I are different. My master and I are brothers, and I don't care what he looks like. I'm not living with him. But you're sleeping in the same bed with him. If you see him too much... I'm afraid you'll feel nauseous and won't want to sleep in the same bed with him anymore."

Crescent Moon lowered her head and thought for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "I accept my fate. Let him do whatever he wants, I don't care."

Lord Gu pondered for a moment and then advised, "You don't understand. I used to really like my fifth son, but ever since I saw the female ghost in the well, I can't stand seeing him with his disheveled hair. Besides, Master and I share the same opinion, so please listen to me!"

Crescent Moon hung its head, neither saying it would listen nor not, and silently fiddled with its fingers.

(End of this chapter)