Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 85 The Second Person

Wuxin spent an entire day drawing talismans, creating a chaotic mess. A large stack of paper talismans was piled up, but very few of them were truly effective. Drawing talismans requires a focused and uninterrupted flow of energy, but Wuxin's mind was like an empty field, with winds blowing freely from all directions. Even after ten years of practice, he still couldn't "settle" his mind.

Sheng Yi sat in the outer room, acting as a guard; Sai Wei sat inside, keeping him company, watching him draw endlessly, each stroke flowing like a painting. While he drew, she sat in the corner, not daring to utter a sound; only when he sighed and put down his brush did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. Watching Wu Xin engage in such charlatanry made her somewhat uncomfortable; however, being a charlatan was better than being completely useless. Like Wu Xin, her thoughts raced: "Anyway, nowadays, as long as you can read, there's no official business you can't handle. Which government office is the most lucrative? Transportation or Finance?"

He had been busy all day without any focus or concentration, achieving nothing, and felt somewhat frustrated. Head bowed, he meticulously tidied up his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, then faced the window and slowly wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. Saiwei tiptoed closer, and seeing him just take a sip of cold tea, he mustered his courage and reached out to offer him a thin piece of peanut candy.

Wuxin paused for a moment, glancing at her with his eyes, then immediately opened his mouth and took the candy. Without smiling, he earnestly rolled the large piece of candy into his mouth with his tongue, his cheeks bulging as he chewed. Saiwei, holding a plate of candy in one hand, saw him swallow and offered him another piece. Wuxin lowered his eyes, first biting off a corner of the candy, then tilting his head to find the right angle and swallowing the remaining half in one gulp. His soft lips brushed against Saiwei's fingertips, and Saiwei shuddered, feeling that Wuxin was like a tamed wild beast—very wild, yet very docile.

The room was quiet, filled with the sweet aroma of peanut brittle. Saiwei fed Wuxin piece by piece, as much as she was given. Neither spoke, as if they understood each other perfectly. Suddenly, Wuxin looked up and met her gaze, smiling gently with a mouthful of candy in his mouth. His smile was gentle, almost ingratiating, like a cheeky little boy, almost pitiful.

Saiwei stared at him expressionlessly, her blood rushing to her head, her face flushed and burning, her hands and feet trembling with cold. "I can't take it anymore," she thought frantically. "So what if he's a charlatan! I'll pay him! I can afford it. From now on, I'll never waste money again. I'm saving up for something big..."

As soon as the door opened, Shengyi came in.

The sweet, confined air in the room immediately dissipated, cooling Saiwei's mind somewhat, though his heart was still pounding wildly. To avoid eavesdropping, Shengyi deliberately left the door open, only asking in a low voice, "Wuxin, are you finished painting? Didn't you say we'd go tonight? I've been waiting for days, I can't wait any longer!"

Wu Xin casually picked up two paper talismans from the table: "You and Saiwei each take one, and stick them close to your chest."

Then he licked the sugar crumbs from the corner of his mouth and didn't look at Saiwei again. He knew what Saiwei was thinking; but it still came down to the same four words: "He's not good enough for me."

Saiwei is not a lone goose that can follow him everywhere. He has a large family behind him, and with so many people, there are bound to be many eyes and mouths. If someone with discerning eyes sees through his flaws, he will be harmed, and Saiwei will certainly be harmed as well.

Sheng Yi took the talisman, but seeing that Sai Wei was still holding the sugar plate, she didn't give it to her for the time being, and continued in a low voice, "Have you heard? Eighth Aunt hasn't been seen for two or three days."

Upon hearing this, Saiwei was utterly bewildered: "Eighth Aunt is gone? She has no family to rely on, where could she have gone? Junjie is already twelve or thirteen years old, surely she wouldn't have other ideas?"

Sheng Yi held up a finger to her and shushed her: "Keep your voice down, what's all the noise about? Everyone outside can hear us. I bet she eloped. She's only in her early thirties; if she really has a lover willing to take her, wouldn't that be better than her staying at home living like a widow?"

Saiwei waved his hand: "Stop gossiping. Our own mother died under mysterious circumstances, why would we care about Junjie's mother? We all need to eat more tonight, otherwise we won't have the energy at night, and that would be terrible."

As soon as he finished speaking, soft footsteps sounded in the courtyard. Then the door opened, and Ma Junjie entered.

Although Ma Junjie was just a child, he was dressed more meticulously than the adults, his little suit impeccably tailored, and his leather shoes spotless. Like a wandering spirit, he entered the house and stood silently before the inner room, looking up at the people inside: "Second Sister, Third Brother, have you seen my mother?"

The second sister and third brother felt uncomfortable under his gaze and immediately shook their heads together, then pretended to be innocent and said, "Eighth Aunt never comes to our courtyard. What, can't you find her?"

Ma Junjie raised his hand to hold onto the door frame, remained silent, turned his head to examine his fingernails closely, and then whispered, "You guys should go back to Shanghai."

His hands were very white, shaped like those of a teenager, with delicate bones and thin palms: "If you really go to Shanghai, take me with you. I've never left Beijing before in my life."

Saiwei chuckled and asked, "You've been so busy playing that you're neglecting your schoolwork?"

Ma Junjie lowered his hand: "Does our family still need to rely on education to make a living?"

Then he turned around and left.

Sheng Yi found men annoying, including that little man Ma Junjie. She only found Wuxin somewhat agreeable. As soon as Ma Junjie left, she muttered, "What a scoundrel! He's so sneaky! No wonder even Eighth Aunt doesn't like him. I think he's possessed by some old ghost."

Saiwei waved his hand silently again, hoping Shengyi would shut up. Ma Junjie's eccentricities weren't new, and she had always had no interest in this fifth brother.

After dinner, the three waited quietly for nightfall. Darkness was obviously not conducive to travel, but the gardeners were currently busy pruning the plants in the garden, and they were all gathered around the pavilion on the hill. People came and went from morning till night, preventing them from freely searching and exploring. Wuxin wanted to go alone, leaving the siblings in the room to wait; Saiwei wanted her to go with Wuxin, leaving Shengyi, who had neither strength nor wisdom, to stay home; Shengyi spat at them, covering their faces with flowers, declaring that from now on, whatever they did, they had to act together.

As night deepened, Saiwei led the way, climbing out of the window and leaving the house, with Wuxin and Shengyi following closely behind. Although it was dark, it wasn't time to sleep yet, so they walked furtively, afraid of being seen, until they entered the garden area, at which point they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

All three wore tennis shoes with rubber soles, making walking easy and comfortable. Saivi, with her excellent eyesight, continued to lead the way. Wuxin followed her, simultaneously pulling on Shengyi behind her. Shengyi, lacking any particular skill, could only carry a flashlight. The garden might have some scenic beauty during the day, but at night, the flowers and trees swayed gently in the wind, their varying shades creating an eerie, ghostly effect. After a moment, Wuxin heard the faint sound of flowing water, and Saivi whispered, "We're almost at the river. The bridge is broken. Should we take the long way across, or take a shortcut by boat?"

Sheng Yi replied, "Let's go by boat. We can get there in no time. Taking the long way around would take at least a mile."

The two talked and talked until they reached the riverbank. Looking ahead, Wuxin saw a rushing stream, only about ten meters wide. On the opposite bank were rocks of varying heights, sloping upwards to form a small hill; and on the hilltop, sure enough, stood a small pavilion. The night was hazy, obscuring its beauty; but Wuxin imagined that in good season and weather, the river, the verdant hill, the small pavilion, and the surrounding flowers and plants would indeed be a picturesque scene, albeit unremarkable.

Although the river wasn't wide, it was wide enough for boats to drift downstream, so several small wooden boats were moored along both banks. Saivi hopped closer to the riverbank. Having often come to play here, she easily untied a small boat and waved to Wuxin and Shengyi. Once everyone was on board, she didn't need any help; she simply turned the oars and rowed the small boat into the water.

Wuxin sat silently at the stern of the boat. Suddenly, he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out an iron needle he always carried with him. He bent down and dipped the needle into the water, and found that the river water seemed to possess an attraction, drawing the needle deeper into the water.

He straightened up, gripped the iron needle, and pricked his fingertip with the needle's tip. He smeared a little blood on the needle and reached into the water again. Sure enough, the attraction disappeared, and the needle, following the direction of the small boat, glided through the river.

Without intending to retrieve the iron needle, he pressed his hand against his pocket, which contained several sheets of yellow paper for drawing talismans. He glanced at Saiwei and Shengyi ahead, remaining silent, not wanting to frighten them and throw them into disarray—the Ma family home had truly become a haunted house; any place with heavy yin energy, such as near water, had become a gathering place for evil spirits. He couldn't pinpoint the source of this evil energy, but it was undoubtedly from the same source as the iron needle.

Saiwei rowed the boat a few strokes and reached the shore. The shore was flat when they boarded, but it was difficult to disembark because the huge rocks on the shore were arranged in a staggered shape for aesthetic purposes, making it hard to find a foothold. The three of them skipped and hopped all the way up the mountain. Because they were all so excited, it seemed like only a few steps were needed before they reached the pavilion together.

Although the pavilion was old, it was an exquisite structure. Unlike other buildings with four pillars providing ventilation from all sides, it had movable, carved latticework on all four sides, the backs of which were covered with a thin veil, so that when one sat inside, the outside world was only partially visible. In the summer, the pavilion's roof broke, and bricks and stones fell down. Master Ma left the country before he could send anyone to repair it, so the household manager simply locked the pavilion to prevent anyone from entering and encountering danger. Saiwei knew the household's situation well and had concealed a small pair of pliers in her pocket beforehand, intending to use brute force to turn the lock. However, after circling the pavilion with the pliers, she discovered that someone had already beaten her to it and turned one of the locks.

Without the lock's restraint, the lattice door opened easily. Savi hesitated, raising his hand as if to push it open: "Did the gardener go in to rest during the day?"

Wu Xin stepped forward, blocking her path. He slowly pushed open the lattice door and went inside first. He saw that besides seats around the perimeter and a stone table in the center, the pavilion was sparsely furnished. Saiwei followed, turned around once, and said softly, "There's nothing much here!"

Sheng Yi, carrying a flashlight, didn't dare turn it on, because she didn't need light yet: "What's strange about it? We've been here countless times since we were kids, and we've never seen anything special about it before!"

Savi raised a hand and scratched his head: "What exactly does Mother mean? Honestly, she's been keeping things from us!"

Just as Sheng Yi was about to answer, Wu Xin suddenly sniffed the air and snatched the flashlight from him. As he turned on the flashlight, a "click" sound suddenly came from above the three of them. It sounded like an old door hinge moving, or like the chirping of autumn insects.

The beam of light suddenly shone upwards, and the three people looked up to see a pale face peeking out from under the dark eaves of the pavilion. It was none other than the Eighth Concubine, who had been missing for several days!

The eighth concubine, dressed in a long, brightly patterned cheongsam, coiled herself around the pillars of the pavilion like a python. Her permed hair was disheveled, and she grinned, her eyes gleaming black, with no whites visible. Looking down at the three people below, she suddenly let out a few low, sharp cries—strange sounds that could never be made by a human!

Before Saiwei and Shengyi could scream, Wuxin suddenly struck, shoving them both out of the pavilion: "Run!"

(End of this chapter)