Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 45 Do your best

Wu Xin ordered his men to carry the corpses of the twelfth concubine, the adjutant, and the first wife out into the blazing sun. They were not covered with sheets, but instead guarded by a group of soldiers who formed a circle around them.

The grave in the garden still contained the bones of Ninth Concubine, which should also be disposed of, but Wuxin was currently starving and cold and had no strength left. The old general first had someone send the young master to the hospital for a full check-up, and then focused on entertaining Wuxin.

Wuxin took off his cloak and monk's robe in the guest room of the marshal's mansion and sat in the large bathtub for a hot bath. Lying comfortably in the hot water, he raised his hand to stroke the white porcelain tiles on the wall, thinking that he had only been away from the mountain for a few years, but the outside world had changed so much. When he had some free time, he should really go and see the world.

A wire mesh protruded from the wall next to the bathtub, inside which sat a brand-new bar of soap. He lathered himself up, giving himself a fragrant bath. Stepping out in a silk bathrobe, he yawned, his stomach rumbling loudly with hunger.

He put his monk's robes back on, his face pale, and pushed open the door, unexpectedly coming face to face with the old general. The old general hadn't slept all night, but was full of energy. He smiled at Wuxin first, then said, "Master, I just remembered something. My son was restless when he got on the bus to the hospital, and he wiped half of the blood talisman off his face..."

Wuxin immediately shook his head: "It's alright, the mansion is already clean, and the blood talisman is of no use anymore."

The old general clasped his hands together and prostrated himself in worship: "Master, you are truly amazing! Three adults died in one night, but that little brat is safe and sound. It's all thanks to your blood talisman!"

Wu Xin smiled nonchalantly, thinking to himself that he hadn't actually left much blood on the young master's face, and once the blood dried, it was almost negligible. If the twelfth concubine had truly wanted to kill him last night, she might not have been unable to.

He didn't like to talk to the old general, but the old general quite liked to talk to him. He respectfully invited him to the restaurant, and Wuxin was forcibly pressed into the head seat. Wuxin glanced at the table expressionlessly and saw a large table full of various kinds of food, which was satisfying to look at.

Lord Gu was also summoned by an adjutant and sat awkwardly at the lower end of the table. Wuxin merely nodded to him, then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. Given Wuxin's appetite, he almost wanted to just pick up the table and shovel the food into his mouth; however, to maintain his dignified and otherworldly image, he ate with great restraint, putting down his chopsticks just as he was about a third full. Meanwhile, the old general, having finally eliminated a major threat, ate small steamed buns one after another, chatting and laughing as he ate and drank. No one could tell that he had just lost two wives and a capable general the night before.

Feeling neither hungry nor full, Wuxin left the house, leading the old general and Lord Gu towards the back garden. They returned to the burial site of the twelfth concubine. Wuxin broke off a thick branch from a nearby withered tree to use as a walking stick, bending down to rummage through the charred bones in the pit. He stuck the stick into the soft earthen wall and asked, "Old general, would you like to know the cause of the ninth concubine's death?"

The old general was sighing over the bones in the pit when he heard this and immediately replied, "Master, please tell me about it."

Wuxin jumped into the pit and poked at the walls with a branch, quickly creating a small opening. Just large enough for a slender woman to crawl through. While recounting the arrival and departure of the Ninth Concubine to the old general, Wuxin continued to study the opening. Finally, he jumped back onto the ground and gave the old general some instructions. The old general, now completely obedient to him, immediately summoned his guards and servants to dig along the path of the burrow. Finally, they found the entrance beside a stream outside the grove of flowers and trees.

The stream was meant to embellish the scenery, but in winter, the garden had no scenery to speak of, and the stream had long since frozen into an ice strip. The entrance was hidden among a clump of weeds; not only did no one usually come to the garden, but even if someone did pass by, they wouldn't notice it. The old man bent down and picked up a tuft of white fur, like a rabbit's tail, from the soil. He recognized it as a new hair ornament that his ninth concubine had worn. The ornament remained, but the woman was gone. The old man blinked his small eyes, a tear glistening in the corner of his eye, a hint of melancholy in his gaze.

The bolder guards retrieved the remains from the pit, and then shoveled soil to completely fill the entire burial chamber. They placed the remains beside the three corpses and Wuxin suggested the old general set the fire again to burn the bodies before making any funeral arrangements; otherwise, if the bodies were to resurrect, it would be a serious matter.

The old general circled the corpse once and agreed without hesitation; Wu Xin watched coldly and saw that he not only did not grieve, but seemed to gradually develop a little joy.

The old general noticed the unintentional gaze and quickly composed himself, but his expression soon returned to its usual smugness. There's a saying that a man's three greatest joys are promotion, wealth, and the death of his wife. The old general had reached the pinnacle of promotion and wealth; only his first wife, who had shared his hardships, remained healthy and never seemed to have the will to die. Of course, his first wife couldn't stop him from taking concubines, but once he brought a new woman home, he inevitably faced her nagging. Considering her status as his first wife, he couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on her. Now that his first wife was dead, none of the women around him were over twenty-five; a vibrant and beautiful scene unfolded before him, making the old general feel truly refreshed.

The fire started on the snow-covered ground. The three corpses were leaning against each other. As they burned, they would suddenly sit up in shock, as if waking from a deep dream.

After the ghost story at the Marshal's Mansion, no one wanted to approach the violently murdered corpses. So those who remained were heartless.

Wuxin squatted alone by the fire, clutching a fire poker in his hand, softly chanting a verse. Life and death were serious matters, and he didn't want a life to come into the world alone and leave alone. Important figures always had music playing when they entered or left, and while he couldn't play music by himself, he could easily sing a slow, leisurely verse.

Fine snowflakes drifted down, landing on his short, black hair. His voice was hoarse and desolate, adding a thousand years to his age.

The feud had come to an end. Except for the old marshal, who was unharmed, the other four were reduced to ashes. Everyone in the marshal's mansion returned to their places. The old marshal, seemingly amused by the ghostly encounter, chuckled and offered to reward the sorcerer handsomely. However, Wuxin merely shook his head and smiled at him, saying softly, "As I said before, the reason I came to the marshal's mansion the other day was not to punish evil and exorcise demons, but because I have a connection with Gu Xuanwu. He asked me to come, so I came. Now that the evil spirits have been eliminated, I have completed my duty and fulfilled a wish. As for money, it is not what I desire, so I am content with your kindness and there is no need to accept it."

Seeing the sorcerer about to leave, the old general quickly called Lord Gu over and then chased after Wuxin, saying, "Sorcerer, while that's true, I don't want you to have worked for nothing. I—"

With no intention of turning his back to the old general, he waved his hand and walked towards the door without looking back: "If the old general really wants to reward me, he can give away his money to help those in distress, which would be the same."

The old general hadn't seen a monk who wasn't greedy for money in years, and he was almost stunned. Lord Gu cautiously said, "Old General, please don't worry. The monk isn't just being polite; if he says he doesn't want money, he really means it."

Unwilling to harden his teeth and keep a cold face, he kept the old marshal at arm's length. He got into the marshal's car and went home alone.

He walked into the courtyard with his head held high, but as soon as the gate closed, he went limp and leaned against the door, bleating softly, "Crescent Moon, Crescent Moon, I'm back."

Hearing his trembling voice, which sounded like a sheep, Yueya quickly pushed open the door to greet him. She saw Wuxin stretching out a hand to her, his eyes sunken in their sockets, all traces of the good spirit he had shown yesterday morning gone.

Crescent Moon helped him back to his room and took off his monk's robe. Wuxin collapsed onto the bed, first complaining of being tired, then of being hungry. Crescent Moon was bewildered: "What? You worked for his family all night, and he didn't even give you a meal?"

Unwilling to dwell on the events at the Marshal's Mansion, he continued to groan. Crescent Moon brought him a large bowl of rice porridge, which he took a sip of. When Crescent Moon offered him a second sip, he refused, grumbling, "It's tasteless. Add some sugar."

Crescent Moon patiently added a spoonful of sugar to the rice porridge, then continued feeding him: "Where is Master Gu?"

Without thinking, he replied, "I'm staying at the commander's mansion to flatter him!"

Crescent Moon noticed that Heartless was becoming increasingly clingy.

It was early morning, and she had a lot of work to do, but Wuxin wouldn't let go, pulling at her stubbornly. Yueya made a snap decision, took a break, and lay down next to Wuxin on the bed. Neither of them spoke, just facing each other side-by-side. Wuxin thought Yueya was really beautiful, and Yueya thought Wuxin was really beautiful; both were completely mesmerized.

After a long while, Wuxin raised a finger and traced it across Yueya's cheek. Yueya also pushed his nose with her finger, giving him a pig-like nose pointing upwards.

"Sigh," Crescent Moon suddenly spoke up, "What will you do when I'm an old woman in twenty or thirty years?"

Without thinking, he replied, "I'll serve you."

Crescent Moon pinched the tip of his nose: "You don't mind?"

He shook his head absentmindedly: "As long as you don't complain about me halfway through, that's fine."

Crescent Moon continued to probe him: "By then, my hair will be gray, my face will be wrinkled, I'll have lost most of my teeth, my speech will be slurred, and I'll cough and wheeze when I work. Aren't you annoyed?"

Wuxin cupped Crescent Moon's face in her hands: "I'm not annoyed. In the future, when you're old and I'm not, I'll be grateful if you don't bother me and cause me gossip."

Wuxin and Yueya had a peaceful day. In the evening, Wuxin was standing in the kitchen, describing the new bathtub in the Marshal's Mansion to Yueya, when the courtyard gate opened and it was Lord Gu returning.

Lord Gu had already eaten dinner and was slightly tipsy. Leaning against the kitchen doorframe with a grin, he said to Yueya, "Master has really made me proud. When I finally get a job, I'll definitely buy you a diamond pendant!"

Then he turned to Wuxin: "The old general has booked a vegetarian meal for tomorrow noon, specifically for you. Are you going?"

Wu Xin shook his head: "I'm not going."

Lord Gu chuckled smugly, "I see you seem to have some issues with the old marshal. Ah, a real man should be decisive and ruthless. Does losing your wife mean you can't live anymore? Anyway, the old marshal and I chatted all afternoon, and we got along quite well. He said I should start working for him tomorrow morning. With my qualifications, he can't possibly make me his adjutant or groom, can he? Hehe, with just a word from him, I'll be an official again!"

The following day at noon, Wuxin did not attend the banquet at the Marshal's Mansion.

In his view, the old general was the epitome of a villain, utterly unapproachable. He had done everything in his power; whether Lord Gu could make a comeback was now up to fate.

(End of this chapter)