Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 50 The Buddha's Smile

Chuchenzi sat beside the tiny, dark hole, placing a lantern on the ground for light. He crunched on dozens of greasy fried dough twists, then unscrewed the kettle, tilted his head back, and gulped down a large mouthful of water. He gargled loudly, then turned and sprayed the water a long way with a "pfft." Wuxin was stunned, never expecting Chuchenzi's mouth to be so powerful, like a water gun. Chuchenzi, being a meticulous person, pulled a thin toothpick from his pocket after gargling and began picking his teeth, covering his mouth with his hand.

By the time he had restored his bright white teeth, more than half an hour had passed. He untied the ribbon and retied his long hair, then slung the oilcloth bag over his shoulder, picked up the lantern, and prepared to crawl through the hole. Wuxin, who had been waiting impatiently, saw that he had finally taken action and quickly knelt down behind him, whispering, "Taoist Master, after we get through this hole, how do we get to the other side?"

Chuchenzi's stature was similar to that of Lord Gu, with broad shoulders and a wide back, so he tried his best to shrink his shoulders to make his figure look more delicate: "If I remember correctly, there is a pit at the end of this cave."

He listened without paying attention, unsure how to react. Only three words could describe his feelings, yet they were somewhat disrespectful. His tongue moved in his mouth, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "Damn it!"

Chuchenzi didn't argue with him, and before entering the cave, he added, "That pit is different from this one."

Wuxin immediately perked up: "How is it different?"

Chuchenzi stuck his head into the hole: "That pit is even bigger."

The cave led to a pit, and the pit to another cave, all shrouded in darkness—it seemed like a dangerous place no matter how you looked at it. But Wuxin followed Chuchenzi into the cave and found that besides the dampness, there were no insects, not even a hibernating snake. As Chuchenzi crawled along, he pulled a paper talisman from his robes and stuck it to the cave wall. Wuxin heard him panting faintly again and suddenly suspected the air had changed. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Master, how are you feeling?"

Without turning his head, Chuchenzi replied, "Sigh, I'm tired!"

Wuxin then remembered another question: "Taoist Master, how old are you this year?"

Chuchenzi ignored him.

Wuxin couldn't tell Chuchenzi's age. If Chuchenzi were older, Wuxin would have helped him carry his backpack and gun to lighten his burden; but since he was pretending to be deaf and dumb, Wuxin was too lazy to ask, which saved him the trouble.

Just as Chuchenzi had described, the cave had a small opening and a large interior. After crawling for a while, Chuchenzi could broaden his shoulders and move more freely; after a while, he simply stood up, bent over, and jogged forward, carrying the lantern. As he ran, he stopped, only to find that there were several stone steps leading up to him.

He stepped onto the stone steps and walked out of the cave with his head held high. Wuxin followed behind, touching the cave walls as he went. The cave walls were originally damp soil, but as he walked, layers of rock began to appear. Wuxin thought to himself that the Thousand Buddha Cave couldn't possibly be just a dirt cave; the appearance of rocks meant that the Thousand Buddha Cave must be getting closer.

Once he had stepped off the stone steps, he looked around and was taken aback. He and Chuchenzi were standing on a large, precarious rock. Above the rock was a dark, jagged ceiling, and below it was a deep pit, more than two people deep. The bottom of the pit was uneven, and directly opposite, below the pit, was a deep opening.

Chuchenzi pointed towards the cave: "That's the Thousand Buddha Cave!"

Ignoring the Thousand Buddha Caves for now, I just looked around aimlessly. A large rock jutted out from the cliff face, and with no support on any side, getting down to the bottom of the pit became a problem. Jumping down directly wouldn't be safe; the bottom wasn't soft soil, and twisting an ankle or leg would be disastrous. Climbing down, however, meant the cliff face was bare and devoid of vegetation, offering no foothold.

Chuchenzi used the same trick again, lowering the lantern down by the chain. The chain wasn't long enough, so the lantern hung suspended in mid-air. As long as there was a sliver of light, Chuchenzi could grope his way down, grabbing onto the protruding rocks and slowly climbing down. However, he was getting old; he remembered how easily he had climbed down in his younger days, but now it was clumsy and difficult.

Once he landed, he had no intention of putting the lantern away. Instead, he used his teeth to grip the lantern's handle, proving much more agile than Chuchenzi. He quickly descended to the bottom of the pit, handed the lantern back to Chuchenzi, and then headed straight for the so-called entrance to the Thousand Buddha Cave. Chuchenzi hurriedly called out to him, "Wait! Don't be reckless!"

Chuchenzi slapped a paper talisman onto the stone wall, then offered Wuxin another one. Wuxin waved his hand, "Daoist Master, I don't need one. You've never been inside the Thousand Buddha Cave, and neither have I. We don't know what it's like inside. Save the talismans!"

Chuchenzi nodded: "It's alright. I dug out all the paper talismans I've drawn over the years yesterday and brought them with me. That should be enough." After saying that, he bent down and placed the paper talismans in his hand on the ground.

The two stumbled towards the Thousand Buddha Cave. Chuchenzi grabbed Wuxin directly in front of the cave entrance and handed him the lantern, saying, "Look, isn't there a Buddha?"

Wuxin stretched out his arm and offered the lantern. By the dim light inside the glass cover, he looked inside and indeed saw two statues standing on the left and right sides of the cave. Perhaps because they were sheltered from the sun and wind, the statues still retained a layer of vibrant colors.

Wuxin, carrying a lantern, stepped forward to examine the statue closely. Seeing his fearlessness, Chuchenzi followed. The statue depicted a Bodhisattva, with kind eyes and lowered gaze, a fair and plump complexion, its texture delicate and smooth, its color pure and even. Seeing the Bodhisattva's true form for the first time, Chuchenzi was filled with many thoughts and casually remarked to Wuxin, "I wonder which dynasty or era this person lived in, possessing such exquisite skill. Modern stonemasons are no match for them!"

Wuxin was intently observing the situation inside the cave, so he only gave a casual reply. Even the oldest Bodhisattva statue couldn't outlive him, so he couldn't express the same joy and praise as Chuchenzi.

After admiring the two Bodhisattvas to his heart's content, Chuchenzi flicked his sleeve, revealing a small command flag in his hand. Wuxin, observing coldly, watched as Chuchenzi bent down to insert the flagpole into a crack in the ground, and then asked, "Maoshan Taoist magic?"

Chuchenzi shook his head: "No, our sect draws on the strengths of many schools; how could we be confined to one?"

Wu Xin placed the lantern in front of the command flag: "Taoist Master, there's no need to perform any rituals. I can't speak for the depths of the cave, but it's definitely safe within a hundred meters, and there are absolutely no evil spirits."

Chuchenzi knew that Wuxin had some skill, but he couldn't estimate how much skill he possessed. He pulled out the flag, picked up the lantern, took a deep breath, steeled his resolve, and stepped into the cave.

Outside the cave was a jumble of rocks, but inside it became increasingly smooth as they walked. Chuchenzi looked around, then suddenly asked, "Wuxin, come and see who they are?"

Wuxin gazed at the colorful murals on the stone wall, recalling and guessing at the same time: "It seems to be the Eighteen Arhats..." He gently ran his finger along the continuous mural: "That's right, it really is the Eighteen Arhats."

Chuchenzi smiled and said, "It seems I had great foresight; naming it Thousand Buddha Cave was the right choice!"

Wuxin followed him slowly inside: "Daoist Master, your late master, as the abbot of Qingyun Temple, was quite successful in the secular world, achieving both fame and fortune. Why did he have to seek death? Even if he was tired of living, there's no reason for him to die inside the Thousand Buddha Cave!"

Chuchenzi slowed his pace: "Because...because my late master wanted to emulate my grandmaster uncle."

Without batting an eye, Wu Xin asked, "What was the result?"

Chuchenzi replied in a low voice, "In the end... in the end, my master went mad with qi and ignored my advice, insisting on his own way."

With a noncommittal smile, he said, "If we removed the Eighteen Arhats and replaced them with the Jade Emperor and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable; or if we had your late master shave his head and become a monk, that would be just right."

The two walked and talked, following the cave's passageway for quite a distance. At the end, the passageway turned, and Chuchenzi took the lead, immediately letting out a gasp. Wuxin caught up instantly, and saw that the passageway became wider and flatter, with a life-sized Buddha statue standing every few meters on both sides. The statues were close to the cave walls, each with a unique and varied appearance; in terms of exquisite detail, they were no less impressive than the two Bodhisattva statues at the cave entrance, and their colors were distinct, making them appear at first glance as two groups of living people welcoming them.

Chuchenzi saw this and was moved. He thought to himself that if he could get one or two items from this Buddha statue, they would be great gifts. In the darkness, he could vaguely see that the Buddha statue seemed to be all dignified and solemn, not like a ferocious Yaksha or Vidyaraja. He was even more satisfied, because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were more in line with his aesthetic.

Chuchenzi was looking, and so was Wuxin. The first few Buddha statues were indeed magnificent and elegant, in the same style as the Bodhisattva at the cave entrance. However, after walking several dozen steps, Wuxin suddenly murmured with doubt, "Daoist Master, look at the Buddha statues beside you!"

Chuchenzi was walking forward carrying a lantern when he heard this and immediately turned around. He raised the lantern and shone it on the Buddha statue's face, and he was also stunned for a moment.

Unbeknownst to them, the Buddha statue's appearance had changed. Unlike the previous statues, Chuchenzi noticed that although the Buddha statue before him was also brightly colored, its slender, lowered eyes were now open, with snow-white pupils and no black irises painted on them.

Taking a few steps forward, he shone the light on another Buddha statue. The statue's eyes widened even more, and the corners of its mouth turned up in a joyful smile. The cave was shrouded in endless darkness, and a single ray of light illuminated the eerie Buddha face above. Chuchenzi steadied himself and turned to Wuxin, replying, "I see it."

Wuxin remained silent, raising his hand to unsheathe the short sword from his back. He led Chuchenzi forward for a while longer, then stopped and looked again at the Buddha statue beside him.

The Buddha statue's face had been changed to a bluish-white color, its expression cold, except for a wide, open grin that gave it a strangely meaningful look. He spun around and realized that all the Buddha statues on either side were laughing.

The road ahead is not yet over, and who knows what terrifying form the Buddha statue will eventually take. Chuchenzi spoke softly, "I think the cave has already given us a warning."

He turned to look at Wuxin: "The expression on the Buddha statue says it all. It's peaceful outside, which is why the statue is beautiful; the further you go in, the more dangerous it becomes."

She didn't even look him in the eye: "Are you coming or not? If not, we can get out right away, it's not too late."

Chuchenzi sighed: "If we go out, what will happen to the secret manual?"

Wu Xin shook his head: "Of course I can't help it."

Chuchenzi turned forward: "Then let's keep going!" After saying that, he took a step forward, but suddenly stumbled. Wuxin quickly supported him, and the two looked down and saw a small corpse lying on the ground, with a thin braid hanging from the back of its head, so it should be a boy.

Without intending to draw his short sword, he noticed the little boy's hands were still relatively plump, seemingly not severely rotten. He then carefully planted the sword under the boy, trying to turn him over. However, after several cautious attempts, he failed. Finally, he withdrew the sword, grabbed the boy's clothes, and forcibly lifted him up.

Chuchenzi shone the lantern on the ground, then closed his eyes and turned his head away. He couldn't tell how many years the little boy had been lying on the ground; the skin on his face was practically glued to the earth. With a careless lift, he ripped the little boy's skin off.

(End of this chapter)