Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 67 The Taoist Priest is Afraid Again

Wuxin ran back the way he came. The rustling sounds around him grew closer, drowning out his footsteps. He smashed the lantern to pieces, plunging all three of them into boundless darkness. Yue Qiluo and Zhang Xianzong couldn't see him, but he could sense everything around him. A bullet grazed his scalp; Zhang Xianzong had fired into thin air.

Suddenly, his footing gave way. He curled up as he fell, landing silently on all fours like a beast. Leaping over the scattered remains of his body, he rushed towards the cave entrance without looking back. His earlier clumsiness vanished; he scrambled and leaped across the rocky ground, disappearing into the earthen burrows. His clothes were so thin they were practically invisible. He closed his eyes and crouched low, moving forward like a long snake. Every undulation and curve of the cave walls seemed to be under his control; his elbows and knees were incredibly agile. He crawled out of one burrow, then into another. His long body practically burrowed into the soil. Suddenly, he sprang back, his eyes wide open to the bright sunlight!

After climbing out of the burrow and onto the surface, he first moved the iron plate back to its original position and then re-layed the soil. He got up and walked around the area, then gritted his teeth and moved a large stone, placing it on top of the messy fake grave.

He sat down against a large rock, feeling utterly exhausted. After traveling all night and spending so much time in the cave, he was so hungry and thirsty that he could barely keep going. Going straight home was out of the question now. He picked up the coat he had left outside when he entered the cave, but instead of wearing it, he simply draped it over his shoulder and reluctantly stood up, deciding to go to Qingyun Temple to ask for a meal first.

Outside the gates of Qingyun Temple, Wuxin encountered Chuchenzi. However, he wisely stepped aside and didn't call out rashly, for Chuchenzi, wearing a pure yang cap and a blue Daoist robe, was gracefully seeing off a guest, surrounded by a large group of richly dressed disciples. The guest was only one person, a Westerner with blond hair, blue eyes, and a high nose. Standing in the desolate area outside the stone path, Wuxin watched Chuchenzi and the Westerner chatting and laughing, seemingly enjoying themselves immensely. A young man resembling a schoolteacher followed beside them, clearly the interpreter.

After Chuchenzi left the mountain gate, he saw Wuxin, but had no time to pay him any attention. Wuxin, however, watched with amusement, extending a hand like a celestial being descending to earth to give the Westerner a casual handshake, while casually saying, "Three grams of oil to feed your mother, goodbye Mr. Lawrence."

After the Westerner and the interpreter had gotten into sedan chairs and gone down the mountain, Wuxin, like a little monkey, approached Chuchenzi and asked, "Daoist Master, it's been a few days. Have you made friends with the Westerner?"

Chuchenzi smiled slightly: "Just a British journalist, who came because of the reputation of my Qingyun Temple. As for the word 'friend,' haha, I've always been magnanimous; all men are brothers..."

Before he could finish reveling in his newfound joy, Chuchenzi suddenly realized that the person beside him was Wuxin, and immediately wiped the smile off his face: "What are you doing here?"

Wu Xin calmly replied, "I'm hungry, and I just happened to be passing by Qingyun Temple, so I thought I'd stop by for a meal."

Chuchenzi immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh..."

After uttering an "Oh," he sighed inwardly, "May the Heavenly Venerable grant me boundless blessings. It was just a meal; he gave this Daoist a fright for nothing!"

Wuxin entered Chuchenzi's room and ate a hearty meal with soup and water. Chuchenzi, meanwhile, removed his headscarf and let his long hair down, smugly savoring the Westerner's compliments. Just as he was feeling pleased with himself, he suddenly heard Wuxin ask, "Daoist Master, how is your research on your late master's secret manual progressing?"

Still immersed in joy, Chuchenzi replied softly as if in a dream, "I have made some progress, but only a little."

Wu Xin, having observed his demeanor, suddenly became very doubtful of his abilities. He lowered his head and shoveled another mouthful of rice into his mouth, glancing at Chu Chenzi with keen observation, and said at the same time, "Daoist Master, Yue Qiluo is currently in the Thousand Buddha Cave."

Chuchenzi suddenly turned his head and looked at him: "What?"

Wuxin lowered his eyes, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl, as if he had something difficult to say: "She...she caused me trouble last night, and I had no choice but to trick her into the Thousand Buddha Cave."

Chuchenzi raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear: "And now?"

Wu Xin replied, "Right now, she's either been eaten by a monster or she's searching for an exit. So I'd like to ask you, Taoist priest, to follow your great-grandmaster's example and draw a talisman to seal the cave."

Chuchenzi's expression changed: "You mean, she's only a few miles away from my Qingyun Temple?"

Wu Xin nodded: "With the secret manual in hand, drawing a talisman shouldn't be too difficult for you, right, Daoist Master?"

Chuchenzi slammed his hand on the table, glaring and yelling, "Not difficult my ass! Do you think I'm a born genius who can learn anything instantly? Let me tell you straight, I didn't understand the manual at all. Give me another month, and maybe I can complete the talismans left by my grandmaster!"

Then he stood up, pushed open the window, and shouted outside, "Changfeng Haoyue Yuqing!"

Three fair-skinned young Taoist priests entered the courtyard in response, and Chuchenzi immediately issued a series of orders: "Changfeng, quickly have someone prepare sedan chairs and cars; Haoyue, pack your luggage; Yuqing, go find your master and tell him that our grandmaster is going to Tianjin and will be in charge of the temple's affairs!"

Two of the three young Taoist priests immediately ran off, while the remaining one asked, "Grandmaster, are you staying long or short? Should you bring some light clothing?"

Chuchenzi waved his hand impatiently: "Take them all!" He then turned around and went back to the bookshelf by the wall, pulled out a thin booklet and stuffed it into his pocket. He didn't really see it clearly; it was the "Secret Manual".

He hadn't expected that his words would cause such a stir among the monks. Putting down his chopsticks and standing up, he tentatively asked, "Master, are you going out?"

Chuchenzi swiftly opened the two books, pulled out the savings book tucked inside, and stuffed it into his pocket: "The thought that Yue Qiluo is in the mountains, and only a stone's throw from the Taoist temple, fills me with apprehension. But studying is the same wherever I am; I've decided to go to Tianjin or Beijing to study diligently for a month, determined to finish perfecting the talismans!"

Then he flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked out. When he reached the door, he turned back and hurriedly said, "My eldest disciple knows you. If you want to stay, you can stay. There's no need to be polite."

Immediately, a green shadow flipped at the doorway, and Chuchenzi strode away with the speed of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, billowing in the wind.

Wu Xin had known all along that Chu Chenzi was a bit unreliable, but he hadn't expected him to be this unreliable after just a few days. Returning to the table and picking up his rice bowl, he ate the remaining half bowl of rice with a heavy heart.

After he finished eating, he sighed and wondered what to do next.

Wuxin returned to the mountain again and found that the boulder and soil at the entrance remained unchanged, indicating that the cave entrance had always been sealed. He couldn't enter the cave to check on Yue Qiluo's life or death, but he wouldn't feel at ease without checking. He circled the boulder left and right, concluding that his escape that morning had been extremely successful, leaving virtually no trace. If he were to enter the cave again, it might backfire.

Unable to concentrate on anything, he spent half a day guarding the large rock. Finally, he slapped his forehead, realizing that even if Chuchenzi's great-grandfather's Taoist arts were superior, he had only suppressed her for a little over a hundred years. Clearly, there is no foolproof plan. Now that Yue Qiluo was in grave danger within the Thousand Buddha Cave, facing a near-death experience, he could consider himself successful. His constant anxiety about not returning home was pointless.

Thinking of this, he got up, dusted himself off, put on his coat, and went down the mountain.

It took Wuxin quite a while to get home, only to find a few soldiers left behind. It turned out that Commander Gu had set off for Wen County that morning.

The soldiers drove the carriage, carrying Wuxin, to chase after the main force, but ended up all the way into Wenxian County. The county's garrison surrendered completely, and Lord Gu, who had been wandering outside for almost a year, finally returned triumphantly.

In a deserted, large tile-roofed house, Wuxin unexpectedly encountered Yueya. Yueya, looking flustered, turned her upper lip and said only, "Oh my god, you're finally back!"

Without thinking, he peeked over and looked her up and down: "What's wrong with your mouth?"

As if all her strength had left, Crescent Moon plopped down in a chair: "Where have you been? Don't you know your family is worried about you?"

Without realizing it, I noticed that overnight, a large blister had appeared on each side of Crescent Moon's upper lip.

Yueya hadn't slept all night, and now that he was finally back, she didn't say much. She went out and bought some hot sesame cakes, which she ate with some cold water. With the hot cakes filling her stomach, she regained her energy, just as Master Gu returned in high spirits. The two of them perked up and began to take turns criticizing Wuxin, saying that he lived up to his name, was truly heartless, and didn't care if his family got sick from worry. They then asked him where he had been all day and night, and before he could answer, they both unanimously declared that they wanted to beat him up.

Wuxin knew he held a place in Yueya and Lord Gu's hearts, but he hadn't expected it to be this significant. He widened his eyes, revealing his round, dark pupils. Hugging his knees and squatting on the bed, he looked like a flustered yet handsome monkey, glancing at Yueya, then at Lord Gu, before finally recounting his actions over the past day and night.

As soon as he finished speaking, he received enthusiastic praise and comfort. He didn't feel wronged, but Yueya and Lord Gu both felt guilty. Lord Gu pulled his arm down, saying, "Come on, let's go out to a restaurant for a good meal! Yueya, change him into some clean clothes!"

Before Wuxin could speak, Yueya came over with a hot towel, cleaning his ears and pinching his nose while wiping his face: "Okay, from now on no one will bother us anymore."

Unaware of the flattery, he tilted his head back and let her wipe him, never expecting that he could make both of them so happy. His eyes darted to his crescent-shaped upper lip, and he asked, "Where did you think I went?"

Crescent Moon pursed her lips at Lord Gu: "He said you went to touch the widow's bed."

Lord Gu shrugged: "I was just teasing you. Otherwise, if you kept sighing and not sleeping, I wouldn't care, would I?"

Then he pointed at Wuxin's nose with his finger: "It's all your fault."

Crescent Moon gently patted Wuxin's head, then casually brushed away Lord Gu's hand. She was the youngest of the three, but somehow she acted like an older sister to both Wuxin and Lord Gu. Lord Gu, despite being playfully hit, just chuckled and didn't seem to mind. Wuxin was about to lean on her when Crescent Moon turned to wash a towel; Wuxin missed her and immediately tumbled flat on her back.

(End of this chapter)