Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 89 Night Shadow

The eighth concubine was placed in the hospital's freezer, her fate unknown. Logically, since even her own son had confirmed her identity, there should be no doubt; however, her death was strange, and she was headless, casting a shadow of doubt on whether Ma Junjie's identification was entirely reliable. Saiwei tried to contact her father, who was in Japan, through Mr. Ma's secretary, but several urgent telegrams only yielded a detached reply, as if Mr. Ma was preoccupied with important matters in Japan and too preoccupied with official duties to care about the fate of his concubines.

The master showed no affection for his concubines; apart from Ma Junjie, no one else in the household was interested. Another ten days or so passed peacefully. That morning, Shengyi got up and, seeing Wuxin standing on the floor, immediately shouted angrily, "Who told you to shave your head?"

Wuxin stood by the bed, a white towel draped around his neck, his head and face steaming, his pale scalp shaved clean by the razor. He turned to Shengyi and smiled, wiping the water droplets from his head and face with the towel: "It feels good to have a shave."

Shengyi now lives with him in the west wing opposite their bedroom. Because she's timid, she often shares a bed with him. Frustrated, he slammed his fist on the bed and reached for his slippers: "I'll let my sister see you! Yesterday she said your hair wasn't very long, and today, you've shaved it all off! Does being bald look good?"

Sheng Yi summoned Saiwei, who, harboring ulterior motives, immediately asked, "Do you still harbor thoughts of becoming a monk?"

Wuxin tilted his head, meticulously wiping his neck: "I've been shaving my head since I was a child, I feel uncomfortable if I don't. What kind of monk am I? Where would I be a monk?"

Upon hearing this, Saiwei felt a great weight lifted from her heart. Wuxin also secretly breathed a sigh of relief along with her.

The three of them had been together for over a month, and he lived in constant fear, even dreaming that he might forget to breathe. Saiwei and Shengyi both commented yesterday that his hair was too short; it hadn't grown at all in over a month.

He had no answer, and knew that even after another month, the length of his hair would not change. The length of his hair was, of course, a very minor matter, but his abnormality was only apparent in small details; over time, it would eventually give itself away.

With the hair issue settled, Saiwei went to wash and dress herself. Without anyone else in tow, she took a shiny, full patent leather bag and left by car. She didn't return until dark, and the patent leather bag, tucked under her arm, was almost bursting open.

In front of Sheng Yi and Wu Xin, she closed all the doors and windows tightly, then opened her purse and took out bundles of US dollars. The bills were all brand new and neat; she deliberately wanted Wu Xin to see them clearly, to show that although she wasn't particularly beautiful, she was very wealthy, and that even for the sake of the money, he couldn't help but look up to her.

Sheng Yi was dumbfounded: "Sis, where did you get that money? Are there still US dollars in Beijing?"

Savi raised an eyebrow: "You have no friends, and so do I? Mrs. Su went crazy gambling at the card table, selling her pre-war savings of US dollars as if they were gold, and I bought them. No matter how the US and Japan fight, the US might not win, but it won't be destroyed. Let me tell you, in the rear, US dollars are worth more than gold!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she glanced triumphantly at Wuxin. Wuxin sat on a chair not far away, elbows propped on the table, chin in hand, watching with a smile, neither asking her questions nor praising her. She waited for a long time, and seeing that he remained silent, she couldn't help but ask him, "So? I do have some connections, right?"

Wuxin nodded, his smile genuine, but it always seemed distant, as if it were none of his business. His eyes didn't light up when he saw the US dollars.

Saiwei couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He thought to himself, "Does having money not work out with you? Besides, I'm not just rich. I'm a high school graduate, I'm seventeen or eighteen, and I'm not ugly. Why don't you come to me like Shengyi did?"

Thinking of this, she gave Wuxin another heavy look. For some reason, a wave of frustration and bitterness washed over her, as if she had suffered a great injustice, and she was on the verge of tears. Wuxin, who had been sitting steadily against the table, suddenly noticed Saiwei's change in expression and turned to face her. With his elbows resting on his knees, he leaned down towards her, saying nothing, only looking at her with his large, dark eyes—a look of inquiry and concern.

But Saiwei had nothing to say, only managed a forced smile, and casually said, "I also went to get a haircut."

She did indeed get her yellowed hair trimmed at the hair salon, and her hair was made smooth and black. A woman dresses up for the one she loves, but she didn't know if Wuxin could see her true feelings.

"Don't push me too far." She lowered her head, staring at the American dollars, thinking, "If you push me too far, I'll say and do anything! Rich men can have multiple wives and concubines, but my abilities are no less than a man's. I only want you, and you can't disagree!"

Savi carefully put away the US dollars and was about to get up to say a few jokes when Wuxin suddenly said softly, "I want to go take another look at the garden."

Savi's eyes widened immediately: "Go to the garden? That's too dangerous, don't go!"

Wu Xin stood up and laughed, "I'll go alone. You all wait for me at home. If there's real danger, wouldn't I run away?"

Then he began preparing to change into rough clothes and go out. Savi tried to stop him from the left and right, but to no avail; he wanted to go with him, but Savi resolutely refused. While Savi was fuming with rage, he simply slipped away on his own.

Having walked the path once, he could remember it perfectly if he put his mind to it. Since the deaths of the second and eighth concubines, the entire Ma household was in a state of panic. Even before dark, everyone returned to their posts as soon as it got dark, not daring to wander around. Wuxin, with utmost caution, walked cautiously through the flowers and willows towards the back. As he walked, he suddenly felt a cool, damp sensation on his neck. Turning his head, he saw that he and Xiao Jian were face-to-face.

His ears pierced through Xiao Jian's illusion. Turning forward and continuing on, he asked in a low voice, "I thought you'd been captured."

Like a spoiled little son, Xiao Jian clamped his legs around Wuxin's neck. He raised his bloodied little fists and pounded on Wuxin's head: "Do you still recognize me? I disappeared, and you didn't look for me!"

Wu Xin chuckled: "This brat is troublesome."

Xiao Jian's fist was also an illusion; he was forever adrift in the mortal world. He wanted to be with Wuxin, but Wuxin clearly had no interest in him. He planned to punish Wuxin, but lacked the power to do so. Just as he was feeling indignant, Wuxin suddenly slowed her pace, for ahead lay layers of dark shadows from the flowers and trees, indicating they had reached the garden's boundary.

My shoes crunched on the withered grass, making a faint sound, while a few dying autumn insects still chirped in the darkness. A pale crescent moon hung obliquely in the sky, and without closing my eyes, I sensed that things were not peaceful around me.

His steps grew lighter as he tentatively entered the garden. Xiao Jian had vanished again, leaving only a chilling, sorrowful feeling on the back of his neck. Stepping onto the stone path, he silently headed towards the river. However, when he was still three or five meters from the riverbank, he abruptly stopped.

Ahead, beside a clump of flowers and trees right next to the river, a dark figure had just flashed by. The figure was of medium height and disappeared in a flash, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female. I only heard a series of rustling footsteps, and by the time I tried to get a closer look, the riverbank had already returned to calm.

Wuxin crouched behind a clump of bushes, waiting quietly for a long time. Finally, feeling that there was indeed no more living creature by the river, he lay down on all fours and crawled forward, close to the flowers and trees. He hadn't crawled far when he sniffed and smelled a strange, bloody odor.

The smell of blood was extremely faint and not pure; it had clearly drifted from the river. Even if the river contained rotten fish and shrimp, the smell wouldn't be so strange. Wuxin lay on the ground pondering for a moment, then slowly retreated, refusing to go any further.

Xiao Jian's voice rang in my ears: "Big brother, there's a person dressed in black who just ran into the woods."

Wu Xin nodded, then said softly, "Xiao Jian, you can play all you want, but never go near the river at night. Someone has tampered with the water, and I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

Xiao Jian, sensing a sliver of kindness from him, whispered in his ear, "I wandered around outside for ages, trying to bump into pregnant women. I wanted to crawl inside their bellies and become their babies. But I couldn't."

Wuxin retreated to a certain point before standing up: "Don't force it, let nature take its course!"

Xiao Jian hugged his leg: "But you don't like me, you think I'm a ghost..."

Without a thought, he turned and walked back: "I'm already living a life that's half human and half ghost. If I also like ghosts, wouldn't I become even less human?"

Xiao Jian suddenly leaped upwards and disappeared beside his neck, only sending his voice into Wuxin's ears: "Big brother, there's someone next to you."

Without thinking, Wuxin turned his head and saw a quiet, dark figure sitting in the shade of a sparsely leafed, low peach tree by the roadside. Meeting Wuxin's gaze, the figure spoke in a childish, old-fashioned voice: "It's me."

Wu Xin nodded calmly: "So it's Fifth Young Master."

Ma Junjie cleverly hid among the peach tree branches, remaining motionless and blending into the tree: "Whose side are you on?"

Without thinking, he replied, "I am a friend of your second sister and third brother."

Ma Junjie secretly asked again, "What are you doing in the garden?"

He smiled without thinking, "You didn't arrive as early as Fifth Young Master."

Seeing that no one was around, he strode up to the peach tree and grabbed Ma Junjie by the collar of his suit. Before Ma Junjie could even cry out, he was dragged to the ground without a word. Ma Junjie was just a child and no match for Wuxin; Wuxin picked him up and ran out of the garden. Lost and helpless, he kicked and struggled, raising his hand to strike Wuxin's face, but before he could act, a pale little face suddenly appeared in front of him—it was Xiao Jian making a face at him.

Ma Junjie gasped, immediately pulled his hands back to cover his mouth, and let out a muffled scream.

Wuxin found a secluded corner and put Ma Junjie down on the ground. Gripping his shoulders tightly, Wuxin squatted down, looked him straight in the eye, and said seriously, "Let me tell you, the river has been cursed. If you dare to run into the garden at night again, you'll end up like your mother! Also, Saiweishengyi isn't a bad person. They've lost their mother and don't even know who to seek revenge on. You don't need to be sneaking around watching them!"

Ma Junjie opened his mouth, but hesitated and didn't say anything.

Without thinking, he grabbed one of his hands and pulled him forward. Xiao Jian, seeing that he wasn't much older than himself and was just a child, awkwardly hovered to the side, deliberately showing him the better side of his face. Ma Junjie kept glancing at him, thinking to himself that he had truly seen a ghost tonight.

Once they were far enough away from the garden, Wuxin let go of his hand and said, "Go back now. If you ever have any trouble in the future, you can come to me."

Ma Junjie rolled his eyes at him, then took off running and disappeared in an instant. Wuxin knew he was a quiet, shrewd little devil, so he wasn't worried and walked home thoughtfully. As he walked, he said to Xiao Jian beside him, "Go follow him, be careful, don't hurt him."

Xiao Jian finally got a task and immediately agreed happily, casting his shadow into the night sky. Wu Xin hurried back to his small courtyard, only to be greeted by Sheng Yi as soon as he entered, who whispered, "You're finally back. I told you not to go, but you insisted, and my sister is angry!"

(End of this chapter)