Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 97 Various Outcomes

Fifth Concubine and her daughter, Ma Tianjiao, carried the bronze cauldron with incredible strength as they walked out of the garden. The rest of the group followed at a distance, harboring their own ulterior motives and unanimously refusing to approach them. The women didn't care; they grinned broadly, their white teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

Once they left the garden, they began to giggle. Their legs were surprisingly strong; they took turns carrying the large copper lump, their pace quickening with each step, and before anyone could wait for them, they disappeared in a flash. Master Ma remained silent, then suddenly turned and headed straight for his mansion in front of the house. Ma Junjie noticed Ma Yinghao watching him, but pretended not to notice and ran off. Saiwei secretly tugged at Shengyi's sleeve, then turned back and smiled, "Brother, we've certainly seen something amazing today. We'll have to wait until next year for the next one. Now we're completely satisfied and heading back to the courtyard. When are you going back to Tianjin? If you're free, you can stay home for a few more days."

Ma Yinghao gave a forced smile: "I'm too busy in Tianjin to get away."

Saiwei added, "If we have more money and free time in a few days, we might bother you in Tianjin again." Then she waved to Peihua, "Shengyi and I are leaving now, see you later."

Saiwei and Shengyi returned to the courtyard and recounted their day's events to Wuxin. The three discussed it for a while but couldn't reach a conclusion. The night passed in this manner. The next morning, Shengyi went out to visit a friend, but unexpectedly, after only a few steps, she saw Fifth Concubine and her daughter.

Both women were dressed extravagantly, their faces unusually pale, as if they hadn't slept all night and had lost all color. They were aware of this, and to salvage the situation, they deliberately applied a layer of bright red rouge, making themselves look like paper dolls waiting to be burned. Upon seeing Sheng Yi, the two greeted her with wide, uncontrollable smiles, their mouths stretched uncontrollably to the sides. Sheng Yi was startled and asked, "Fifth Aunt, Fourth Sister, what are you doing up so early?"

Ma Tianjiao chuckled and said, "Let's find someone knowledgeable to help us take a look at the antiques that were brought up yesterday!"

Shengyi stopped and made way for them: "Oh, then please go ahead."

The mother and daughter left without saying another word, their smiles masking their true feelings.

That afternoon, Sheng Yi returned, and as fate would have it, she ran into Fifth Concubine and her daughter again. The two were still wearing the same brightly colored clothes from that morning, their rouge faded slightly, revealing their pale skin. Sheng Yi stopped and asked with a smile, "Fifth Concubine, Fourth Sister, have you had the antiques appraised by someone knowledgeable?"

The mother and daughter remained cheerful, but did not answer Sheng Yi's question. They simply smiled and walked away on their own.

Sheng Yi entered the courtyard for no apparent reason and said to Sai Wei and Wu Xin, "I think the fourth brother and his mother are going crazy with happiness."

Saiwei sat on a hardwood chair and replied, "Just now, Wuxin and I saw them outside as well."

Then she looked up at Shengyi, hesitated, and asked, "You said... curses and all that... do they really exist?"

Sheng Yi immediately turned to Wu Xin: "Does it really exist?"

Wu Xin leaned against the edge of the table, half-standing, half-sitting, smiling silently. Saiwei took a deep breath: "I've already asked him, and he said it really exists."

Wu Xin nodded: "Just wait and see."

He then chuckled, "It's really nothing. It's just a curse; as long as you don't violate its taboos, it'll be fine, right?"

Wuxin's words were so casual, almost as if he hadn't said anything at all. Saiwei and Shengyi, their hearts pounding with dread, counted down the hours throughout the night. The two siblings were known for eating and sleeping little, closing their eyes in the middle of the night and waking up at dawn. Shengyi remained nestled beside Wuxin, reluctant to get out of the warm bed. Yawning, he stretched his legs and accidentally stepped on Wuxin's bare foot. Wuxin didn't react, but Shengyi felt a pang of unease, for Wuxin was, after all, a man.

He wouldn't feel awkward if it were a woman, but the problem is that no decent woman is willing to sleep with him.

Sevi was all alone, and got out of bed early to wash up. However, before she could even apply her face powder, a scream suddenly came from afar, startling her so much that she slapped her powder puff into her eye. Throwing the puff aside, she jumped up abruptly, her taut nerves threatening to snap, and roared like a lion in a fit of temper: "Who's screaming outside so early in the morning? Are you trying to scare me to death?!"

Then she angrily turned and went out, wanting to find out what was going on. But as soon as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, a little maidservant stumbled towards her; it was one of the Fifth Concubine's servants. Seeing the Second Miss standing menacingly in the road, the little maidservant immediately cried out, "Second Miss, help! Someone's dead! Someone's gone mad! They're all white!"

Saiwei's expression changed, and he immediately ran towards the Fifth Concubine's courtyard.

The Fifth Concubine's courtyard was laid out somewhat like a traditional courtyard house, with two side rooms serving as the bedrooms for the Fifth Concubine and the Fourth Miss. At this moment, several pale-faced old women stood in the courtyard, while several young maids huddled together, trembling. Seeing Saiwei arrive, one of the slightly calmer old women stammered, "Second Miss, it's terrible! Our Fourth Miss died last night!"

Saiwei was about to walk into Ma Tianjiao's bedroom, but after taking only one step, she hesitated and stopped. She knew nothing of superstition or unorthodox practices and preferred to interpret the curse as some kind of contagious disease. But if it were truly a contagious disease, she should run away immediately. Looking into the room through the glass window, she saw the bed curtains half-drawn, and sure enough, Ma Tianjiao was lying stiffly on top. Suddenly, she instinctively took a step forward and asked in horror, "Fourth Sister, why have you changed?"

A young maid cried out in a sharp voice, "The Fourth Miss said last night that she was going out today and asked me to go into her room early to wake her up. But as soon as I entered the room, I saw the Fourth Miss lying on the bed laughing. Not only was her face deathly pale, but her hair and eyebrows were also white... I called her, but she didn't respond; I tried to push her, but she... she was already stiff and cold..."

Saiwei turned back and asked, "Where is Fifth Aunt?"

An old woman pointed shakily to the back room: "Fifth Concubine is still alive... but she doesn't recognize anyone."

Completely bewildered, Saiwei knew she wasn't about to stumble into a mess, so she tried to find an excuse to retreat. But as soon as she turned around, she heard a loud crash from the glass window behind her. Amidst gasps from the crowd, she turned back and her hair stood on end—the girl who had described Ma Tianjiao as stiff and lifeless was now pressed stiffly against the glass window, her face visible through her disheveled white hair, and she was still smiling!

She faced off against the crowd in the courtyard through the window for a moment, then turned aside, as if preparing to leave. Suddenly, a series of screams erupted from inside the courtyard, and then, led by Saiwei, the old women and young maids took long strides, rushing out of the gate in a frenzy. But before they had run ten meters, someone approached quickly from ahead—it was Master Ma, who had just received the news. Saiwei opened her mouth, about to report to her father, but Master Ma stopped, stared intently, then gripped his cane like a knife, turned and ran, shouting, "Help!"

Saiwei, surprised to hear him shout until his voice was hoarse, couldn't help but glance back. Not far behind, he saw Ma Tianjiao staggering along, walking surprisingly quickly. Taking a deep breath of the cold air, she opened her mouth wide and let out a voice even more powerful than Master Ma's: "Help!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Wuxin and Shengyi arrived. Wuxin rubbed her eyes as she ran, while Shengyi's hair was a mess. Wuxin paused for a moment at the large, galloping group ahead, then noticed Ma Tianjiao walking alone behind them.

He pushed through the crowd to get in front of Ma Tianjiao. Without saying a word, he tripped her, causing her to fall flat on her back.

Everyone thought he was a reckless fool, especially since they never expected him to treat an evil spirit like that. Wuxin squatted down and checked Ma Tianjiao's breathing again. Seeing that she was truly not breathing, he turned around and shouted, "Don't be afraid, she's not a zombie."

"She can still move!" Saivi cried out, her voice trembling with tears.

Wu Xin replied, "She wasn't quite dead yet; now she's completely dead."

Savi stood at a distance and continued shouting, "Is he really dead? He won't come back to life, will he?"

Wuxin shook his head firmly: "No, no, absolutely not. At most, I'll pull a trick tonight; it's still early!"

Upon hearing this, Master Ma reached out and tugged at Saiwei's sleeve, panting as he asked in a low voice, "Is your friend missing a screw in his head?"

In a state of utter confusion, Saiwei offered his defense: "He...is knowledgeable and experienced, so...he remained calm!"

Master Ma pointed at him from afar: "That's what he calls composure? To me, he's just spouting nonsense!"

Saiwei really didn't want to reveal Wuxin's identity, so he glanced at his father with great difficulty, then changed the subject, saying, "Dad, look, Fourth Sister really isn't moving!"

Master Ma flicked his sleeves, breaking through the barrier of the old maid and young servant girl, and strode forward. He stopped two meters away from his fourth daughter, craned his neck to take a look, and felt a chill run down his spine. Wuxin looked up at him and suddenly whispered, "At noon, light a fire and burn her. She died a violent death; she'll probably cause trouble tonight."

Master Ma shuddered, lowered his head to look Wuxin directly in the eye: "Who exactly are you?"

Wu Xin smiled and said, "I used to be a monk and traveled the world. I've seen a lot, so I know a little bit about it."

After a moment of silence, Master Ma, looking uneasy, suddenly asked, "What was the cause of death? I know it was definitely not a sudden illness."

He shook his head indifferently.

So Master Ma immediately changed his question, lowering his voice to an extremely low hue: "How do we solve this?"

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "The one who tied the knot must untie it."

Master Ma stared intently at him: "But what if the one who tied the bell is already dead?"

Wu Xin shook his head again: "There is never a shortage of unsolvable problems in the world. If the person who tied the bell is alive, the problem can definitely be solved; if the person who tied the bell dies, everything becomes uncertain."

Mr. Ma said, "What if I wanted to give it a try?"

Wu Xin stood up: "I am not a wizard, I can't help you."

Just as Master Ma was about to speak, Fifth Concubine silently emerged. She was only wearing a thin nightgown, yet she was still holding the bronze cauldron in her hands. Seeing her acting strangely, Master Ma reached out to her, but just as her fingertips were about to touch the cauldron, Wuxin abruptly pressed his arm down, whispering, "Don't touch her!"

Upon hearing this, Master Ma immediately raised his cane, assuming a defensive stance: "What? Can she hurt anyone?"

Wu Xin snatched his cane and struck the Fifth Concubine on the back of the head. The Fifth Concubine fainted on the spot without uttering a sound, and the bronze cauldron in her hand rolled far away.

He handed the cane back to Master Ma and said without thinking, "This is an ominous thing; please destroy it as soon as possible!"

Master Ma gripped his cane, his mind churning with a whirlwind of thoughts. So it was all true, he thought. The unbelievable terror had been lurking right beside him for decades.

His eyes were fixed on Wuxin; he was convinced the man was no ordinary person. But before he could finish speaking, his steward suddenly came rushing in with a group of servants, shouting frantically, "Master, something terrible has happened! A squad of Japanese soldiers has arrived and blocked our front and back gates!"

Master Ma stared at the butler in disbelief: "Japanese soldiers have sealed off my house?!"

The butler managed to gasp out another sentence: "And the eldest young master! The eldest young master is here too!"

(End of this chapter)