Chapter Fifty-Six: The Choice

Faced with the sudden turn of events, Wujue, Xun’er, and Ling’er were clearly caught off guard. They could only stare in shock as the elderly man who had just spoken was shot, blood splattering on the spot.

Ling’er cried out in horror, desperately rushing toward the grandfather she had called out to, while Wujue pulled Xun’er down beside him, urging her to keep her head low to avoid a second round of gunfire.

Scanning the forest, Wujue recognized Ma the Fat and his men—it turned out they had followed them here, intent on killing him. Wujue quickly shouted to Ling’er, “Be careful! They have guns—take cover!”

But Ling’er, refusing to listen, supported her grandfather and stubbornly dragged him toward the woods. From a distance, Ma the Fat called out from behind cover, “You filthy monk, this is all your fault! That bullet was meant for you, but someone took it instead. Aren’t monks supposed to save all living things? How dare you let someone else die for you!”

Wujue heard these words and fury surged through him. So the shot had been aimed at him from the start. He clenched his fists tightly, his gaze sweeping across the dense woods ahead, and in an instant, he made up his mind.

Suddenly, like a stalking leopard, he lunged forward, twin pistols appearing in his hands. He fired several shots in quick succession, suppressing the enemy’s attack, then darted behind Ling’er and the old man. Abruptly, he twisted and dropped to the ground, firing two shots in midair.

Astonishingly, his bullets snapped the trunks of two large trees in the forest, sending them crashing down and blocking the enemies’ line of sight.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Wujue helped the old man up and, with Ling’er, hurried forward. At that moment, Xun’er arrived, employing her sorcery to instantly send the pair deeper into the woods. She nodded sharply at Wujue and said, “Monk, do what you must.”

Wujue nodded in return, flipped over the obstacle, and sprinted into the forest. In a few swift bounds, he reached the western side, confronting a man armed with a powerful crossbow.

In the blink of an eye, Wujue seized the crossbow from the man’s hands, twisted it, and, without hesitation, ended his life with a single blow.

As the corpse hit the ground, Wujue fluidly pulled the short arrow from the man’s forehead, took up the crossbow, and aimed at another opponent charging toward him. The arrow flew out, striking the rifle in the man’s hands. With a bang, the gun exploded, showering the man’s face with bloody blossoms.

While the man clutched his face and howled in agony, Wujue dashed forward, slashing the edge of the crossbow across his neck, severing his throat in an instant—another life ended.

He strode forward to the last two attackers, who hadn’t even had time to react. His first arrow pierced one man’s left eye; then, he hurled the crossbow, striking the other’s chest. He pressed a pistol to the man’s forehead and demanded, “Where’s Ma the Fat?”

“He… he went around the other way!” the man stammered, terrified. His ribs had been shattered by the blow, and the sight of his companion dying with an arrow through the eye had left him utterly broken.

Wujue glanced in the direction the man indicated and realized that Ma the Fat had circled around to intercept Ling’er and the others—a cunning move.

Reciting a Buddhist invocation, Wujue looked down at the pleading man, who begged, “Master, please, don’t kill me! Aren’t monks supposed to be compassionate and not take lives?”

“From the day I arrived here, I ceased to be a monk,” Wujue replied coldly, and pulled the trigger.

Another corpse fell, and Wujue turned away in silence. “Besides, in this hell, not even the Buddha can protect anyone. We can only save ourselves.”

***

Meanwhile, stumbling into the depths of the forest with her grandfather, Ling’er anxiously called out, “Grandfather, are you alright? Please answer me!”

“That’s enough. The old man’s been shot. If you don’t lay him down somewhere, he’ll die even faster,” Xun’er snapped from behind, forced to use her sorcery to staunch the old man’s bleeding—otherwise, he would have died on the way.

At last they found shelter in the woods, and with Xun’er’s help, Ling’er set her grandfather down and checked his wound. The bullet had pierced his left chest, damaging his heart—a critical situation. The old man grasped Ling’er’s hand and said, “Ling’er, I won’t make it. You must take care of yourself. It’s not safe here, you must—”

He didn’t finish before fainting. Xun’er immediately began to work her sorcery, treating his injuries. It was her first time using the gift her mother had left her for something so urgent; her nerves were stretched thin. Just then, someone emerged, interrupting, “Enough—let the old man descend to the underworld a little sooner.”

With a sudden crack, the intruder struck Ling’er, knocking her unconscious. Xun’er, caught unawares, was hoisted onto the stranger’s back and carried off.

“Who are you? Let me go!” Xun’er cried, instantly recognizing the figure—the detestable Ma the Fat, who had circled around to intercept them. “You know sorcery—you’re a witch! That’s impossible. There aren’t many in all of China who can wield such power. How can you—?”

“Shut up, girl!” he snapped. “Isn’t your mother the witch from the small town near Tianhai City? Listen, I’m your real father.”

The words stunned Xun’er into silence.

***

When Wujue returned to the woods, he found only Ling’er unconscious on the ground and the old man dead—Ma the Fat had taken them away before him.

That fat man had gotten ahead of him. Could it be that he also knew sorcery? Wujue pondered this, feeling both frustrated and helpless. He woke Ling’er, who wept as she recounted what had happened.

Ling’er quickly wiped her tears and stood up. “I’ll avenge my grandfather. I won’t let that fat man get away with this. Don’t follow me.”

She was about to leave when Wujue grabbed her. “If you want revenge, bury your grandfather first. Besides, my friend has been taken too. Even a monk can’t ignore this.”

“You…” Ling’er looked back at Wujue, shaken by his steady gaze. At last she nodded, “I will. You didn’t have to say it.”

She lifted her grandfather onto her back and headed toward a small cabin deep in the woods. Wujue knew she was going to bury him. Now, he could seek out Ma the Fat for answers.

Following the traces left behind, Wujue relied on his keen analytical skills to track them to the other side of the forest.

This was the very place where Ma the Fat and his men had previously blocked his path. Now, he was determined to see what secrets it held.

He proceeded cautiously, his senses heightened by the memory of traps. Whenever he encountered anything suspicious, he leapt into the trees and moved swiftly above the ground.

He soon discovered that he could move even faster by leaping from tree to tree, so he adopted this method, bounding from trunk to trunk.

Up ahead, a sentry spotted him and shouted, “Another wild man? Why is this one bald?”

Wujue didn’t hesitate; he snatched a leaf, flicked it with a sharp motion, and used his skill to knock the man out cold.

Leaping past the guards, he reached the heart of the forest and was surprised to find a different scene entirely: a makeshift camp with a dozen tents, where elderly people and children mingled in harmony, like a little paradise.

Stunned, Wujue dropped to the ground, scarcely able to believe this was the territory Ma the Fat had been guarding so fiercely.

Behind him, Ma the Fat’s familiar voice spoke, “Surprised? Just as you treat outsiders with suspicion, I am doing the same to protect my own. In the apocalypse, family is all that matters, isn’t it?”

Ma the Fat held a Beretta, the muzzle aimed at Wujue’s head. Wujue grinned, “Go ahead and shoot. See if you can really kill me.”

He sneered, utterly unafraid—after all he’d survived, Wujue had nothing to fear, confident he could dodge the bullet.

But a young girl’s voice called out, “Don’t, Father! I’ll do as you ask—I’ll stay. Just don’t hurt Wujue.”

It was Xun’er—yet she was calling Ma the Fat her father!

Wujue stared at the scene, then looked back at Ma the Fat, a teasing smile on his lips. “Your daughter, Xun’er?”