Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 52 Hitting a Wall

Wuxin and Chuchenzi were both physically strong, but even the strongest can't fight off a pack of wolves. Besides, wolves have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, while the pack of walking corpses outside were stubborn creatures who wouldn't turn back even after hitting a wall. Wuxin, leaning against the iron gate, felt an incredibly strong force pushing him forward, his feet bracing against the stone floor, involuntarily inching forward.

Chuchenzi was larger and heavier than him, giving him a slight advantage. Raising a hand to his robes, he gritted his teeth and said, "Wuxin, we can't just sit here and wait to die. I still have many exorcism talismans here; they should be somewhat effective."

Wuxin immediately turned to look at him: "How do I use it?"

Wuchenzi took a deep breath, then thrust his body backward, pushing the slightly pushed iron door back into place: "Just make sure it's pressed against the outside door panel!"

Wu Xin immediately frowned. Just a door away were the ferocious living dead. Who would have the ability to run out and stick on the talisman? They would probably be torn to pieces and chewed alive the moment they showed their face!

But they couldn't afford not to take the risk; the walking dead were ruthless when they charged, and since they were all already dead, they wouldn't care if they smashed to pieces against the iron gate. Nodding to Chuchenzi, Wuxin decided to divide the work with him and make sure the task was accomplished.

After a few words, Chuchenzi bit his tongue, licking the back of the paper talisman with blood and saliva. He handed the talisman to Wuxin and then pulled out the Browning pistol he had been hiding. Taking a moment to re-tie his ponytail, he gripped the gun with both hands, his focus sharp.

Wuxin relaxed his body slightly, allowing an iron door to slowly open a crack. Turning to face the crack, he saw only human figures in the darkness outside. By the light of the oil lamps on either side of the door, he saw a pale face looming towards him, with a distinct nose and eyes, somewhat resembling a human. However, upon realizing the crack was too small for his head to fit through, this respectable-looking undead suddenly opened its mouth wide and bit into the edge of the iron door. Wuxin didn't dare delay. He stretched out his left arm through the crack and, with a "snap," stuck the paper talisman to the outside of the iron door. A sharp pain shot through the back of his hand; it was from the fingernails of the other corpses scratching his flesh.

Wuxin quickly withdrew his hand, while Chuchenzi seized the opportunity, aiming at the crack in the door and firing a shot that sent the undead biting at the iron door sprawling backward. He pulled the trigger and fired several more shots. Although he couldn't kill all the corpses outside again, he used the force of the bullets to knock the few who were eagerly trying to enter the door off balance. Wuxin withdrew his hand and pushed the iron door, using all his strength to close it again. Leaning against the iron door for a moment, he found that his side was indeed quiet, but the other iron door that Chuchenzi was holding up was in bad shape, thumping loudly as the walking corpses outside rammed against it. Clearly, one paper talisman wasn't enough; he needed to add another one.

While the wound on his tongue was still fresh, Chu Chenzi took out another paper talisman and licked it. The two repeated their trick; Wuxin deliberately wiped away the faint blood seeping from the wound on the back of his hand, and then, under the cover of Chu Chenzi's dual pistols, he narrowly opened the door again and pasted out the paper talisman. Sure enough, this time he was unharmed; Chu Chenzi was equally shrewd, every shot hitting its mark. Seeing the wounded corpse swaying and about to get up again, he and Wuxin exerted their strength together, shouted, and pushed the iron door, slamming both doors shut completely.

The area outside gradually quieted down, but it wasn't completely silent. The corpses were still moving, only no longer pounding on the iron gate. Chuchenzi breathed a sigh of relief, and Wuxin, noticing this, also let out a sigh.

"I wonder how long the two talismans can hold out." Chuchenzi tucked the pistol back into his body. His face was pale, but his eyes were much brighter, as if he had regained his energy after a battle.

Wuxin, carrying his short sword, circled around the stone chamber. "Daoist Master," he said, "we've come all this way without seeing any forks in the road. Could it be that the Thousand Buddha Cave is a one-eyed cave, with no way out?"

Chuchenzi composed himself and understood his meaning: "Logically speaking, there should be another way out. Otherwise, the cave would be a dead end, and corpses and ghosts would be trapped outside..."

Wu Xin sniffed: "Daoist Master, the air in the cave has never been too bad."

Chuchenzi nodded repeatedly: "Yes, from this point of view alone, it can't really be a dead end."

Wuxin unsheathed his short sword and handed the scabbard to Chuchenzi. Each held the sword and scabbard, and gently tapped the walls and floor, hoping to find the secret passage by sound. The stone chamber was small, and after a few minutes, the two met in front of the Luohan bed, both having found nothing.

Wuxin squatted down, held the short sword under the bed, and tapped it again, but the sound remained dull. Looking up at the old Taoist priest on the bed, Wuxin sat down with a sigh of dejection: "Taoist priest, you and your master are quite different."

Chuchenzi was completely at a loss and sat down with him: "My master and I do indeed... have different interests."

Wuxin pointed at the iron gate and said, "Don't you want to learn a few spells that can summon wind and rain?"

Chuchenzi turned his head to the side, raised his hand to pull off the ribbon, and let his long hair fall loosely. "I am skilled at drawing talismans."

Wu Xin smiled and looked at him: "If you are interested in learning, I can introduce you to a good master. Your great-uncle—"

Chuchenzi immediately waved his hand impatiently: "Stop talking! Using human lives to cultivate magic, just thinking about it makes me feel disgusted!"

Wu Xin secretly hid his left hand behind his back, because the light wound on the back of his hand was healing: "The Taoist priest is truly a compassionate person!"

Chuchenzi raised his head confidently: "Of course! I have electricity and a telephone now, I eat foreign food and drive foreign cars, my friends are either presidents or prime ministers, and even the warlords are all friendly with me. With my current status and position, I can live a life of unparalleled glory no matter how I live, so why would I need to study any magic? Besides, I'm hygienic; I'd throw up if I had to live in a cave guarding corpses!"

Wuxin had long seen through Chenzi's worldly savvy, making him seem unlike someone from Yue Qiluo's faction; now, after hearing his answer, she felt even more reassured. Meanwhile, Chenzi picked up the lantern from the ground and brought it closer, taking out the secret manual he had tucked into his robes beforehand and flipping through it page by page. Reaching the last page, he looked up, his face flushed, and slammed the manual onto his lap: "This can't be understood in a short time!"

Wuxin knew that Chuchenzi lived a comfortable life and must cherish his life greatly. Seeing Chuchenzi's oilcloth bag on the ground, he reached out, grabbed it, and took out some biscuits to eat. While eating, he said, "Daoist Master, did your late master commit suicide?"

Chuchenzi had believed his master was dead decades ago, so even though he was now in the same room as his master's corpse, he remained unmoved: "It should be so. The way my master died was so gruesome, probably to stimulate the gathering of souls and prevent them from dissipating."

Wuxin slowly chewed on the biscuit, then asked, "Where is your late master's soul now?"

Chuchenzi had been flustered ever since entering the cave, and was immediately stumped by the question: "This..."

Wuxin said, "Except for the Soul-Locking Array, the rest of the cave is very clean, without even a fragment of a soul. It is evident that your master's magic was incomplete, and his soul probably scattered after his death."

Chuchenzi remained silent, thinking to himself that his master was also quite unlucky.

He swallowed the biscuit without a thought, then patted the crumbs off his hands. "Daoist Master, get up. Let's look around again. Why is there no food or drink in the room? Did your master already achieve immortality through fasting?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized he had spoken nonsense; and Chuchenzi glanced at him, his face draining of color. Although there were no grains or cereals inside, there was a large group of living people waiting to be slaughtered outside. If Chuchenzi's master wanted to fill his stomach, it would be easy.

Chuchenzi, always so ethereal and otherworldly, never expected that his grandmaster and master would repeatedly embarrass him like this. He stood up, looking disheveled, and didn't dare to utter a word. While tidying his long hair, he walked to the bookshelf. He flipped through all the books on the shelf, finally finding a thin, large booklet, which, when opened, turned out to be a map.

After looking through the map, he suddenly exclaimed with delight, "Wuxin, come and see, isn't this a secret passage?"

Wuxin quickly got up and went over. Chuchenzi bent down and spread the map on the ground, pointing a finger at the bottom: "There are little figures drawn on both sides, probably the two Bodhisattvas at the cave entrance. Right?"

Wuxin nodded, then looked up along the cave entrance. The map was drawn very simply, but clearly. At the end, an iron gate was clearly marked on the map, with a square drawn above it, presumably pointing to this stone chamber. The stone chamber seemed to be the very end of the Thousand Buddha Caves, but upon closer inspection, a small door was drawn with dotted lines on the wall directly opposite the iron gate. The two looked up together and realized that if the small door truly existed, it must be behind the Luohan bed. The Luohan bed had a tall frame and was flush against the wall; they had simply overlooked it.

A glimmer of hope immediately appeared in their hearts, but when they looked down at the map again, they were stunned once more. It turned out that behind the small door indicated by the dotted line, although two lines were drawn to represent a passage, the limited paper meant the passage only extended to the edge of the map. Whether they would live or die after entering the small door became a mystery!

Out of respect for his master, Chuchenzi refrained from unleashing a torrent of curses; instead, he silently moved his lips, cursing for him. The map was truly awful; it was clear that the layout hadn't been considered at all before putting pen to paper, and by the end, there was nowhere left to draw, so he gave up.

Unwilling to give up hope, he asked Chuchenzi, "Could there be another half of the map?"

Chuchenzi curled his lip like a catfish: "I know my late master's personality best. He always started things but didn't finish them, and he lacked perseverance. He did too many things that he gave up halfway!"

Without turning back to look at the old Taoist priest on the Luohan bed, he thought to himself that no one knows a master better than his disciple, and judging from his actions, the old man was indeed unreliable. Catching his breath, he turned and walked towards the Luohan bed: "Taoist Master, let's move the bed aside and take a look! If there really is a hidden door, then we'll make further plans!"

Chuchenzi immediately followed. As he walked, he touched his entire body to make sure the paper talisman, the secret manual, and the pistol were all there. Seeing his actions, Wuxin immediately sheathed his short sword, slung it over his shoulder, and placed the oilcloth bag and lantern in a corner.

Although Chuchenzi harbored many grievances against his master, he dared not slight his master. Wuxin knew his concerns, so he took matters into his own hands. First, he carefully lifted the old Taoist priest and placed him on the ground. Then, he and Chuchenzi attacked from both sides, using all their strength to move the large Arhat bed.

Although the large Luohan bed was heavy, it was made of wood after all, so it wasn't unbearably heavy. Chuchenzi, having lived a life of luxury for many years, showed that his usual pampering was not in vain when things got serious. Wuxin, on the other hand, was slightly weaker, but fortunately, he knew how to use his strength skillfully, so his wobbling didn't hold him back.

The two men struggled to move the large daybed, revealing the stone wall behind it. Sure enough, at about waist height, there was a small, tightly locked iron door. The door was square and its size and shape resembled a large chessboard; it was clearly not meant for human use. A small brass lock hung on the door; it was an old-fashioned lock, obviously nothing to worry about.

Wuxin walked to the door, bent down, and reached for the lock. After tentatively tugging at it a couple of times, he turned to Chuchenzi and asked, "Daoist Master, do you know how to pick locks?"

Chuchenzi glared at him: "I'm not a thief, how could I possibly pick a lock?" He then pulled a toothpick from his pocket and leaned in to poke at the keyhole. Seeing this, Wuxin instructed, "Daoist Master, you go ahead with your work, I'll go look around again and see if I can find the key!"

Then he actually got up and searched everywhere, even lifting the old Taoist's robe, but he couldn't find even a trace of the key. Suddenly, Chuchenzi cried out "Ouch!" and turned to Wuxin with a bitter expression, saying, "The toothpick is broken in the keyhole!"

Since words failed, they had no choice but to resort to force. Not knowing what lay behind the door, Chuchenzi first pasted a paper talisman under the crack, then made way for Wuxin. Wuxin drew his short sword and began trying to chop at the small lock. After a few strikes, he found his mark, swung his sword with force, and with a clang, sparks flew as the small copper lock fell to the ground.

Wuxin didn't open the door rashly. He closed his eyes and approached the crack in the door, waiting patiently for a long time. Not sensing anything unusual, he inserted the tip of his sword into the crack and gently pried it open. The iron door, still bearing the paper talisman, immediately opened, the hinges slightly rusted, emitting a grating creak. Wuxin was the first to peek inside, followed by Chuchenzi, who also peered in.

The next second, the two turned to look at each other, completely dumbfounded. It turned out that behind the small iron gate was only a little over a foot long, and at the end of that space was another stone wall!

(End of this chapter)