Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 92 Killing Gu

Since Saiwei never came back, Wuxin could only sit by the window and amuse himself.

He found nail polish quite interesting; he could use it to draw bright red streaks on the back of his hands. He confidently held his breath, lowered his head, and slowly began to draw, then gently blew on it to dry. Once the nail polish had solidified, he meticulously picked it off bit by bit, rubbing it in, until his hands were bright red, as if someone had scratched them raw.

In the afternoon, Saiwei dragged Shengyi home. The two had reconciled; Saiwei wore a new scarf around his neck, and Shengyi sported a new hunting hat. Entering the east wing, he placed a large, colorful cardboard box on the kang table and shouted into the inner room, "I saw you through the window! Here, I brought you some Japanese sweets. Humph, you think you've done something good!"

Wuxin rubbed her hands together, smiled slightly, and walked out, asking him, "You're not angry with me anymore?"

Sheng Yi was about to raise her head to answer when she suddenly noticed something unusual about the back of his hand. She quickly took his hand and examined it closely, then sniffed it with her cool nose. Just then, Sai Wei pushed the door open and entered. Seeing this, he laughed and said, "You're really the epitome of being arrogant before and obsequious afterward. You were bullying him this morning, and now you're offering a hand kiss?"

Sheng Yi shoved Wu Xin's hand downwards: "Pah, he's playing with your nail polish!"

Savi watched as he smeared nail polish all over the back of his hand, clearly ruining things, but he wasn't annoyed. He just teased Sheng Yi, "Didn't you use my face cream too?"

Sheng Yi, burning with desire to find a mate, went to great lengths to groom himself, relying on hair growth oil and face cream since his youth. He plopped down on the daybed, raising his flat eyebrows, preparing to change the subject: "That cripple's really gone all out, coming into Mom's yard in broad daylight. What, is he trying to take Dad's place?"

Saiwei removed her veil, her hands tingling slightly. She couldn't resist wiping Wuxin's neck with the cold veil, saying, "Mind your own business. Let them do what they want. Even if they make a scene, Dad's here. I didn't expect Fifth Aunt to move to the nunnery so quietly. Fourth Brother, with his big mouth, managed to keep it a secret for his mother. Humph, two of the concubines who raised our children are gone, leaving only Fifth Aunt alive and well. She thinks she's innocent just because she ran away to the nunnery? Let Dad handle it when he gets home!"

Sheng Yi pulled two brightly colored bills from her pocket: "Fourth Brother just gave me a few free tickets to a play at the gate. It's tomorrow at Xidan Archway, and the show's pretty good. Sis, wanna go see what's going on?"

Savi shook his head: "I'm becoming less and less interested in showing my face in public. Earlier this year, when we went to the amusement park, the students gave us rude looks as soon as we got out of the car. Anyway, now our family is..."

She hesitated, feeling that no criticism seemed quite appropriate: "Our family is..."

The rest of the words remained unspoken. Sheng Yi nodded, understanding dawning on her. Although she and her siblings neither held official positions nor committed evil deeds, their father was a notorious traitor, and they couldn't escape responsibility. Despite eating well, dressing well, and having plenty of money to spend, their reputations were ruined. When they were younger, they didn't care; but now that they were older, they felt uncomfortable when people occasionally gave them a harsh look.

"We'll see," Shengyi said, placing the tickets on the table. "Anyway, the main show isn't starting tonight."

Savi stood on the ground, silent for a moment, then took off his coat: "Really, just shut up. Didn't my brother say he'd come over to talk to me later? It would be really scary if he suddenly walked in while we were talking."

Just then, Ma Yinghao's voice suddenly rang out in the courtyard: "Second Sister, are you back?"

Savi and Sheng Yi were both startled, but Wuxin waved his hand and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm watching him. He just arrived."

Saiwei and Shengyi went to the main room and had a long talk with Ma Yinghao. Wuxin sat alone in the east wing, pondering the Ma family's affairs over and over, becoming increasingly confused, as if everyone was a suspect. In his opinion, Saiwei and Shengyi should run away from home, away from trouble. But he also knew the siblings wouldn't leave, of course, for the Ma family's money. Master Ma seemed quite lenient; if they didn't extort, the money would go to someone else. Even if they kept a close watch, the competition was still fierce. Ma Yinghao, as the eldest son, should have undoubtedly had the upper hand, but he also happened to be Master Ma's enemy. With the eldest son establishing his own household, leaving behind a group of illegitimate children, the outcome was truly unpredictable.

After a long while, Ma Yinghao took his leave. Saiwei saw him off to the courtyard gate, while Shengyi followed behind, half-heartedly. They turned a corner, pushed open the door, and entered the east wing. He picked up the tickets from the kang table and looked at them again. He smiled at Wuxin: "Actually, I really wanted to go. I know the headliner, and I wanted to go and support him. If my sister isn't going, will you come with me?"

Wuxin munched on the snacks one after another: "Do you need someone to accompany you to watch a play? When?"

Sheng Yi waved the theater tickets at him: "Tomorrow night."

Wu Xin replied, "Tomorrow night, you and Saiwei go to the theater. I'll stay home and watch the house. If Saiwei doesn't want to, I'll help you persuade her."

Sheng Yi looked at him suspiciously: "What's there to see at home? Besides, we have maids at home, so we don't need you. Are you...?"

Wu Xin nodded: "Yes, I plan to go to the garden again. I didn't see anything last time, so I need to look again. I'll persuade Saiwei to go see the play, and you can persuade Saiwei to leave me alone. Let's cooperate, okay?"

Sheng Yi nodded immediately and added, "Cooperation is no problem, but you must be careful."

Wuxin and Shengyi had conspired together, and nothing was said that night. The next day, Ma Yinghao set off to return to Tianjin, while Shengyi relentlessly persuaded Saiwei, finally convincing her to agree. Wuxin, however, made another excuse, saying that she didn't like watching plays and would rather stay home and sleep.

Saiwei didn't think much of it, assuming that Shengyi just wanted some excitement. He also remembered that Shengyi had just been sulking because of jealousy, so he softened his attitude and arranged for a car before dark to go out with him to Xidan.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Wuxin quietly slipped out of the courtyard as darkness fell. He made his way to the garden, passing by his eighth aunt's backyard halfway. With his eighth aunt gone, only Ma Junjie remained as the master of the house. The curtains on the glass windows were open, and Wuxin peered inside. He saw Ma Junjie lying on the bed, his arms and legs stretched out, clearly asleep. An old woman stood by the bed, pulling the quilt over his hands and feet, then turned and went to the door, turning off the light and closing the door. The room was dark and silent. Wuxin couldn't linger watching Ma Junjie sleep, so he tiptoed onward.

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed movement inside the room.

You can't see anything just by looking with your eyes. Fortunately, it's equally dark inside and outside the room, so someone standing outside the window won't easily give themselves away. Peering quietly into the room through the window, he vaguely felt the blanket on the bed being pulled back, and Ma Junjie sitting bolt upright!

Then he quickly dressed himself. He walked to the window, unlocked it, slowly pushed open the window, stepped onto the windowsill, and jumped out of the room. After landing, he straightened up and looked up, just in time to meet Wuxin's gaze by a cluster of rose bushes.

Wu Xin, unsure of what the other was up to, hesitated and remained silent. Ma Junjie paused for a moment, then strode forward. He stopped in front of Wu Xin, looked up at him again, and then opened his arms to hug him tightly: "Big brother."

His head was right up to Wuxin's chest, and he rubbed his cheek against Wuxin's chest through his clothes. He said in a very soft voice, "Big brother, I'm Xiaojian. Do you like me now?"

Wu Xin was shocked and quickly grabbed his shoulders, leaning down: "What happened? You killed Ma Junjie?"

Xiao Jian tapped his head with his finger, and said smugly in a low voice, "I didn't hurt anyone. It was him during the day, and me at night. Hehe, he doesn't know yet!"

Wu Xin had long suspected that Xiao Jian was an unusual little ghost, but he never expected that Xiao Jian would actually have such good luck. Unable to be reincarnated, he borrowed a living human body and succeeded in doing so. Judging from his agile and free movements, even ghosts with some cultivation did not have his abilities.

Xiao Jian continued, "Last night, I don't know how it happened, I just pounced on him, and I ended up on top of him. I tried again tonight, and it worked again. You've come at the right time; even if you hadn't come, I would have gone to find you." Then he held out a hand to Wuxin: "Big brother, touch me, I'm warm. He's much bigger than me, but if I hadn't died, would I be as big as him by now?"

Wuxin took his hand, a little embarrassed: "Xiaojian, I want to go to the garden now, I'll come find you to play again tomorrow night."

As if his feet weren't firmly planted, Xiao Jian instinctively lunged at him again, shouting, "Me too!"

He felt helpless, unable to truly care for Xiao Jian. He had no interest in Xiao Jian, but Xiao Jian was very attached to him. Paying attention to Xiao Jian was problematic, but ignoring him was also problematic, so he could only proceed in a daze. At that moment, he led Xiao Jian, completely bewildered, towards the garden.

Xiao Jian controlled his body well, running and jumping lightly and nimbly. The two hid behind a clump of flowers and trees by the river. Xiao Jian nestled in Wu Xin's arms, trying hard to press his face against his, and because he had finally borrowed a body, he boasted and kept asking Wu Xin to touch him. Wu Xin absentmindedly held him, gazing into the distance through the branches and leaves. There must be a great mystery inside the pavilion; calling it treasure might not be accurate, but it should certainly be considered a treasure. His own treasure shouldn't be hidden as a mystery, unless the treasure itself is problematic.

Suddenly, his arm tightened around her. A slender, dark figure was approaching from the riverbank. He'd only caught a glimpse of her before and couldn't see her clearly, but now he could see she was wearing a well-fitting jacket and trousers, the figure of an ordinary woman. The woman walked briskly along the riverbank, then changed direction and stood on a large rock protruding into the water. She tossed something into the river with a flick of her wrist; the object was small, creating a small splash. Then the woman stepped off the rock and turned back along the path she had come from.

In the instant she turned around, Wuxin saw clearly that the other person was none other than the eldest wife of the Ma family!

Once Madam Ma had walked a distance, Wuxin patted Xiaojian on the shoulder and whispered, "Go keep watch for me. I want to see what she threw away."

Without a word, Xiao Jian scurried forward on all fours, tumbling and crawling all the way to the riverbank. Looking around, he huddled behind a large rock, then turned and waved to Wuxin. Wuxin rushed over, and seeing that the river had returned to calm, he quickly took off his shoes, socks, and clothes. After wading a few steps in the water, he plunged forward and silently disappeared into the water.

The river water was naturally quite cool on this autumn night. Not wanting to make a loud noise, he carefully descended to the bottom. Near the large rock where the first wife had stood, he saw a half-open paper package floating in the water.

The paper package seemed to have been sealed with glue, but now that it was soaked in water, it gradually softened and began to unravel. The contents of the package were unknown; it felt heavy and soft, and it sank slowly with the gentle current until it reached the sandy bottom of the river.

Wuxin, not understanding what was happening, tried to swim over to retrieve the paper package. But before he could even move forward, a sudden change occurred beneath the sand and gravel. Several dark shadows burst from the ground, rushing towards the package like lightning. Seeing that they were thin and resembled eels or water snakes, Wuxin quickly retreated a meter. At the same time, the package ripped open completely above the strange fish's head, revealing a cluster of bright red worms. The worms were no more than the length of a finger, their heads and tails intertwined, appearing at first glance as a fuzzy mass. As the strange fish charged and devoured them, the worms scattered. Although most were caught and eaten by the strange fish, a few escaped and drifted to Wuxin's side with the undercurrent. Wuxin reached out and grabbed it. The texture was extremely rough. He brought it up for a closer look and immediately shook his head—the worm was only half the thickness of a finger, not only rough and uneven, but also covered in countless short, thin legs from head to tail. The so-called fuzzy appearance was simply the effect of these flailing legs. Wuxin pinched the worm at both ends and tore it in half. Red blood immediately gushed from its body. Wuxin paused for a moment, then dropped the worm and darted away. A strange fish immediately filled his gap, swallowing both pieces of the worm in one gulp. Unfortunately, before the fish could digest them, a hand descended from the sky and grabbed its head. Its body immediately coiled like a snake, wrapping around Wuxin's fist and arm. Wuxin nonchalantly changed direction and swam directly towards the shallow shore.

After getting ashore, Wuxin, naked, headed straight for the bushes. Seeing this, Xiaojian didn't hesitate, grabbing his clothes and following closely. The two found a secluded spot to sit down. Xiaojian noticed a shiny black snake coiled around Wuxin's right hand from his elbow and reached out to touch it. Wuxin immediately dodged, shouting, "Don't touch it! It's poisonous!"

Xiao Jian was startled, then remembered that his body was borrowed; damaging it would be committing the sin of taking a life. He froze, and even moved back slightly: "What is that? Is it a snake?"

Wuxin did indeed use the method for catching snakes to catch the strange fish, and he held the fish's head in his hand. Through the space between his thumb and forefinger, he could see the front of the strange fish—its head was small, resembling a water snake, with a pair of narrow, elongated human eyes, but without whites. It opened its mouth wide towards Wuxin, its mouth square and filled with barbs.

Wuxin understood the situation and continued to hold onto the strange fish tightly. The strange fish twisted his arm with its body, sometimes loosening and sometimes tightening. In less than three to five minutes, it suddenly lost all its strength and completely fell off, becoming a limp, black rope.

Without letting go, he grabbed a handful of withered leaves and wiped his hands, muttering to himself, "Dirty."

Xiao Jian used a twig to poke at the strange fish: "It's not a snake? What is it then?"

Wu Xin replied, "Someone has put a Gu poison in the river. Occasionally, small fish will be poisoned, and the Gu worm will live inside the fish's body and quickly grow into a shape. Since the fish is too small to contain it, it will crawl out of the fish's body to find its own way to survive."

Xiao Jian's mouth dropped open in surprise: "Wow, if it keeps growing, will it grow as big as a river?"

Wu Xin shook his head: "No, someone is using bait to kill them. Their only purpose is to act as roadblocks at night, poisoning any living person crossing the river. Nobody needs them to grow up; if they grow up, they won't benefit anyone."

Xiao Jian then asked, "Who did it? And who wanted to cross the river at night? Why?"

I thought about it again and again without a thought, but I couldn't answer. I just felt it was unbelievable.

(End of this chapter)