Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 5 Committing Evil

Lord Gu's headquarters was actually a forcibly seized civilian residence. The east and west wing rooms both had heated kang beds, while the main room was for receiving guests. In summer, a straw mat was laid on the kang, hard but cool; with nothing to do, Yueya would lie on the kang and doze off. Knowing that Wuxin was sitting next to her, she couldn't sleep soundly, waking up every few days to squint and secretly observe his actions. Wuxin's constant, silent following of her gave her a somewhat embarrassing thought—she felt that Wuxin seemed to have taken a liking to her.

It was afternoon, and cicadas were chirping loudly outside the window. Crescent Moon leaned close to the wall and saw Wuxin had taken off his monk's robes, changed into a black trouser jacket and trousers, and was sitting barefoot and cross-legged, with a tall stack of old, thick books beside him. The books were the Wen County Gazetteer. Wuxin wanted to find out the origins of the female demon, but couldn't find out, so he asked Lord Gu to get the gazetteer, specifically looking at stories from decades or even centuries ago. The Wen County Gazetteer was compiled by generations of scholars from the county, passed down through several generations; every word was meticulous and comprehensive, recording all major and minor events.

Wuxin read intently, and Yueya was also captivated. Wuxin didn't quite resemble a proper monk when he wore his robes, and he looked even less like one when he took them off. Yueya looked at his short, dark hair and fair face; he was clearly a handsome young man, no more than twenty-five years old. In terms of age, he was quite a good match for her; but ghost hunting wasn't a respectable profession. At such a young age, what couldn't he do to earn a living?

He wasn't really interested in reading, so he flipped through the pages quickly. Finally, he had a general idea of ​​what was going on, so he gathered up a stack of county gazetteers and left. A moment later, he returned, climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed), and nudged Yueya: "Wake up, if you sleep any longer you won't be able to sleep tonight."

Crescent Moon deliberately yawned slightly, then sat up and pulled back a little when she noticed Wuxin squatting barefoot in front of her. Wuxin grinned and held out a large melon. The melon was white and glistening with juice, clearly having been thoroughly washed.

Crescent Moon caught the melon in one hand and clenched her fist with the other, slamming it into the melon. The melon split in two with a crack, and Crescent Moon gave the larger half to Wuxin: "You eat some too."

Wuxin took the melon, took a bite, and lowered her eyes, savoring the moment. Crescent Moon asked, "Master, are we going again tonight?"

Wu Xin shook his head: "I'm not going tonight. That thing didn't get the better of me last night, so it probably won't dare to come out anytime soon. If I go tonight, I'll probably just have to wait all night for nothing. Let's go tomorrow night and catch her off guard."

Seeing that he was squatting right next to her and showed no intention of moving, Crescent Moon scooted closer to the side and said, "Don't do it again after this, it's too scary."

Wu Xin smiled and nodded: "After this, I'll be rich. Lord Gu shouldn't dare to renege on my promise. Once we have the ten thousand silver dollars, we'll find a good place to buy a small house and live a peaceful life for a few years."

Crescent Moon, with a mouthful of cantaloupe in her mouth, wasn't angry at all, but she felt it would be strange not to be, so she forced herself to be angry: "What did you say? Who wants to live with you? Go squat over there, don't get so close to me!"

Wuxin took a step back, held half a melon, and bowed to the crescent moon: "Please, come with me!"

Crescent Moon got up and walked to the other end of the kang (heated brick bed): "Aren't you a monk? A monk thinking about getting married?"

Wu Xin turned to face Yueya and earnestly looked down at her, saying, "I'm not a real monk. Look, I don't have any ordination scars on my head."

Crescent Moon sat in the corner, hugging her knees, looking down at him. He, however, looked up at Crescent Moon, his pitiful yet fawning smile never ceasing.

Wuxin had indeed taken a liking to Yueya, because she was kind to him and quite cute. He loathed his lonely years and would warmly welcome anyone willing to keep him company, no matter who they were. Of course, a woman would be best, because a man and a woman together make a household.

No woman would marry him, but he'd be happy to have a man as a brother. He even picked up many abandoned babies to raise, but as he raised them, they grew up, older and older than him, and eventually all left him. He even had a brief affair with a fox spirit, but it didn't last long, because he always lived like a human and couldn't get along with a demon.

He had no intention of winning Yueya over, so he was exceptionally attentive. As soon as Yueya finished eating the melon, he wrung out a towel to wipe her hands. Yueya felt very conflicted about his care—if she were to marry him, she couldn't just marry someone she'd only known for a day; if she weren't going to marry him, she actually quite liked him, and seeing him running around like a lackey made her feel incredibly sorry for him.

Having unintentionally swindled a large sum of money from Lord Gu and flattered the young lady he had his eye on, he felt that life had a bright future and didn't want to die for the time being.

As dusk fell, Wuxin and Yueya slept in the west wing. A large kang (heated brick bed) was divided in two, with Yueya and Wuxin each occupying one end, a considerable distance apart. Summer clothes were thin, so sleeping fully clothed wasn't uncomfortable. Yueya faced the wall motionless, while Wuxin scrutinized her back, finding her increasingly beautiful. Although Yueya had scolded him a few times that afternoon, telling him to shut his mouth, Wuxin had already taken Yueya for himself.

Having been frightened, Lord Gu dared not stray far from the monk. He was now on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east wing and had his fifth concubine brought over from the small mansion. The fifth concubine, currently favored, was exceptionally gentle upon seeing him again after failing to see him the previous night. To emphasize her alluring charm, she didn't turn on the lights, only lighting a pair of dragon and phoenix candles. In the flickering candlelight, her heavily made-up face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, except for her strikingly red lips and deep-set black eyes. Lord Gu, sitting on the kang with his quilt, had initially thought the fifth concubine was the most beautiful, but after the fright of the previous night, his aesthetic sense had suddenly changed. Seeing the fifth concubine remove her hairpin, revealing a head of thick, black hair, he shuddered, involuntarily picking his nose and ears, and sticking out his tongue to clear his throat, only to feel a hair lodged there.

Fifth Concubine, thinking he was making a face, gracefully approached with a smile. Unexpectedly, before she could even reach the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), Master Gu suddenly shrank back, his voice changing: "Don't come any closer!"

Fifth Concubine was taken aback, then immediately became displeased. She strode onto the kang (heated brick bed), confronting Lord Gu directly, and demanded in a shrill voice, "What's wrong? Don't you like me? If you don't like me, you should have said so earlier! Why bother sending a car to pick me up? Do you think I came here willingly?"

Fifth Concubine was a slender woman, and when angry, she would become fierce and aggressive, her fingers long and thin, her nail polish a vibrant red. Lord Gu, already troubled from worry the previous night, saw Fifth Concubine approaching with her flowing black hair and her two thin, bony arms waving about. He suffered a mental breakdown, screamed, jumped off the bed, and ran. He dashed across the entire courtyard and crashed into the west wing. With a "snap," he switched on the light, leaped onto the bed in the bright light, threw off the quilt, and nestled into Wuxin's arms, trembling as he cried out, "Master, protect me!" Suddenly, he saw Yueya sitting up opposite him and quickly beckoned, "Fairy, come here too! Both of you hold me together, I'm scared!"

Upon hearing this, Crescent Moon and Wuxin burst into laughter. Before Wuxin could utter a sarcastic remark, Fifth Concubine rushed into the courtyard and began berating Lord Gu because he no longer loved her.

No one could sleep for the first half of the night.

In the middle of the night, the fifth concubine was driven away by her adjutant. But Master Gu, because he saw a ghostly face and long hair whenever he closed his eyes, refused to go back to his room and insisted on occupying the middle spot on the kang (heated brick bed). Yueya, unable to bear it any longer, angrily said, "I can't sleep on the same kang as two men! I'll get out of bed and make a bed out of chairs!"

Lord Gu assumed that Wuxin and Yueya were siblings, so there was no need for excessive formalities. However, the presence of himself made things more complicated. He got up and squeezed behind Wuxin, then smiled ingratiatingly at Yueya, saying, "Fairy, just pretend I'm not here. I'm lying behind him, so I can't see you."

Crescent Moon was sleeping quite well, with Wuxin lying far away, peaceful and quiet, which was quite nice. But then Lord Gu suddenly arrived, and things changed completely—but since she was sleeping in someone else's room, she couldn't be too picky.

Crescent Moon stopped talking, turned off the light, and lay down. Lord Gu, feeling safe with Wuxin by his side, closed his eyes and fell asleep as well. Wuxin, preoccupied with his thoughts, kept reminding himself to breathe. Only when Crescent Moon's breathing became heavy and Lord Gu began to snore did he finally exhale his last breath with peace of mind, his chest deflated, completely relaxed.

The next morning, just as Wuxin and the others got up, someone rushed over with news that the old man who looked after the house had been killed by a ghost.

Seeing the clear blue sky, a bright and sunny day, Wuxin assumed the sun would shine brightly all day, preventing any evil spirits from causing trouble. Reassured, he left Yueya and Lord Gu at the headquarters, took a dagger, and rode off to the house to investigate. Several soldiers stood at the gate. Seeing the sorcerer, they immediately made way for him as if he were a savior. One of them whispered, "The old man usually sits outside at night, but last night… he hasn't come out."

Wuxin stopped and asked, "Who discovered it?"

The soldier replied, "The water deliveryman in the alley didn't see the old man when he opened the door this morning, so he carried his buckets inside, but he got terrified after going only a short distance..."

Without asking any more questions, Wuxin stepped across the threshold and turned to close the two black lacquered doors. Most people who die and become ghosts carry a lingering resentment; but to indiscriminately kill innocents because of one's own resentment is the kind of behavior Wuxin detests most!

No matter how deep the hatred, it can't surpass the word "death." Even if you're dead, if you can't let go, then you should seek revenge for your grievances, but you shouldn't vent your anger on innocent living people. The old man was sixty-seven. In terms of personal value, he had little; but he was the husband of his elderly wife and the father of his children. He would rather stay up all night to risk his life to watch over the house for his third son. How could such a wicked man kill such a perfectly healthy old man so easily?

Puddles of black blood had congealed on the ground in the courtyard, swarms of flies hovering around them. Only the old man's head remained intact, lying face down beside the steps in front of the side room. Wuxin walked over, squatted down, and lifted the head to look. He saw that the old man's face was contorted with grotesque muscles, his eyes were gouged out with bloody holes, and a gaping, black mouth was stretched to its limit, taking up the entire lower half of his face.

Wuxin closed his eyes, sensing that a remnant soul and two spirits still clung to the old man's mangled remains, their malevolent aura extremely strong—a characteristic of someone who had died a gruesome death. Wuxin had known how to perform rituals to appease the dead long ago, but he had forgotten how inactive he had been. He went outside and asked a soldier for some matches. He gathered the scattered pieces of flesh and bone into the bright sunlight, then respectfully placed the severed head on top. He lit a fire and whispered, "I will avenge you. Life and death are a good thing; let it be."

The blazing flames combined with the scorching sun were enough to scatter the soul. The old man's family hadn't arrived yet, so he didn't wait for the soul to disperse; he extinguished the flames, leaving most of the remains for burial. Thinking of the malevolent spirit's cruelty, and seeing that it was still early, with some time before noon, he strode towards the backyard. Reaching the well, he unhesitatingly took off his clothes, shoes, and socks. Seeing the rope he'd used the night before still on the ground in front of the porch, he went over and picked it up.

Returning to the well, he rummaged through the pile of clothes and pulled out a dagger. Without thinking, he slashed his palm open. He pressed hard on his palm and squeezed out a little dark red blood. With his injured hand, he gripped the end of the rope and pulled it down, leaving faint, intermittent bloodstains on the rope.

He wrapped the rope tightly around his arm, stepped onto the well platform, and looked down. The well water was dark and bottomless, emanating a faint chill. Wuxin believed the female demon in the well was beyond redemption, so he didn't bother waiting for nightfall. He grabbed the rope and plunged into the well, determined to finish her off quickly and not give her another chance to be arrogant.

(End of this chapter)