Chapter Twenty-Three: The Gnome of Flesh and Blood

According to Asu himself, he was once just a clown in a circus. Of course, that wasn’t his original name… but as for what his real name was, he refused to tell us.

He said that carrying his “real name” had earned him beatings for more than ten years! He’d had enough and was left with deep psychological scars. Now, whenever anyone mentions that name, he feels a sharp, stabbing pain in his head, like needles burning through his scalp.

Asu’s background was pitiful. Born with dwarfism, he had been shunned and abused as far back as he could remember. Beatings and insults were the norm. Even so, he endured it all—after all, what else could someone like him do? In a world where even healthy people who made an honest living were looked down upon, how much worse was it for someone like Asu?

At first, he couldn’t even defend himself, so the abuse lasted for years. The miseries of his childhood twisted his mind in certain ways.

Eventually, Asu couldn’t take it anymore. In the end, he simply let himself go and ran away from home, wandering from place to place, begging and stealing to survive.

Later, Asu “sold” himself to a circus in Yunnan, making a living by playing the fool.

Yet, who would have thought that this act of desperation would actually lead to something remarkable for the dwarf Asu?

In the circus, Asu finally found a place he belonged.

There, he was delighted to discover that he had been like a frog at the bottom of a well—he was neither the ugliest nor the strangest person in the world! Among the troupe, he witnessed the world’s suffering: a man with three hands, a two-headed dog, a one-eyed goat, a cow without a nose… It opened his eyes and brought him a sense of balance.

I know, for people, contrast is everything. That so-called sense of happiness is really just a matter of comparison. No matter how miserable or fortunate your circumstances, having a basis for comparison brings psychological equilibrium—and with balance, even the gravest emotional scars can heal.

You could say Asu turned misfortune into a blessing.

And so, having finally found some peace of mind, Asu settled into his “happy” career as a clown. He did it for five years.

During that time, he proved himself determined despite his disabilities. As life stabilized and his skills sharpened, especially after he was exposed to things like television and the nightly news, he suddenly had an epiphany.

Asu aspired to be a person with ideals and ambition—a disabled man of the new era.

In the circus, he even taught himself how to read. He believed his inability to establish himself in society was due to his ignorance of the law.

So—Asu made a decision that would put all us able-bodied people to shame!

This unimpressive-looking dwarf, who hadn’t even finished elementary school, actually began to study the Constitution and Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China on his own!

“Back then, I had my ideals too! I wanted to become a lawyer—stand up for people like us, the underdogs!” Asu said to me with childlike earnestness.

To be honest, when I heard this, I truly admired and pitied the poor little fellow. My impression of him was no longer as bad as before.

After all, he was just a pitiful pawn in Boss Bai’s hands—perhaps not even a pawn, just cannon fodder.

But a cannon fodder with ideals! That’s a rare thing.

So I asked him, “Why did you leave a perfectly good circus to mix with this bunch of heartless scoundrels?”

At this, the dwarf Asu gave a helpless smile. “Guess I was too greedy for money… but officers, I’m a victim too!”

Then, Asu told us about the sordid dealings between himself, Boss Bai, and that girl Xiao Jiu.

He first met Boss Bai after a performance with his troupe at Lashihai in Lijiang, Yunnan. After the final act that day, Boss Bai—dressed in a suit with flesh spilling over his collar—approached him backstage.

Boss Bai began by praising Asu’s performance, then slipped him a fifty-yuan tip before getting to his real reason for coming.

Boss Bai explained that his “Miss Xiao Jiu” had been captivated by Asu’s act and wanted Boss Bai to “poach” him, making Asu her private clown for her personal amusement.

At the time, Asu had no idea who Xiao Jiu was, but he was quick-witted. Thinking back, he remembered seeing a pure, beautiful face smiling at him from behind the burly Boss Bai during the performance.

That enchanting smile from Xiao Jiu instantly caught his attention.

In truth, Asu understood that Boss Bai’s talk of “poaching” was just a polite way of saying he wanted to buy him.

Besides, as a disabled man of the new era, and someone who had studied the law, Asu was well aware of the risks involved.

He knew that even though the circus didn’t pay much, at least it was a legal entity—there was some measure of security. But once he was in private hands, his earnings, even his personal freedom, would be at the whim of his employer.

In the end, faced with the lure of money—and especially the charm of a beautiful woman—Asu couldn’t resist.

So he made the decision that he would regret for the rest of his life.

He sold himself a second time.

When Asu recounted this part, his face was deeply embarrassed. He even tried to explain, “Brothers, I didn’t do it just for money! It’s just that Boss Bai was so generous, and Miss Xiao Jiu was so lovely—I was duped into this criminal gang!”

At the time, I was impatient. “Cut the crap! Just tell us what Xiao Jiu is capable of! How do we deal with her? How do we break the White Meal Gu?”

To be honest, I was curious too. What kind of woman was this Xiao Jiu?

From Asu’s words, she seemed extremely capable—able to help Bai Wei thrive, proficient in the mysterious arts of the White Meal Gu, and a master of Huaiyang cuisine… She was truly a rare talent in the culinary world!

But why would such a talent willingly follow Bai Wei and scheme on his behalf?

As I pondered this, Asu suddenly made a move that utterly disgusted me, forcing me to keep watching him in horrified fascination.

He suddenly grinned at me, revealing a mouthful of teeth oozing black saliva.

I immediately stopped him. “Why are you opening your mouth? Are you not disgusting enough already?”

Asu awkwardly explained, “Didn’t you want to see Xiao Jiu’s handiwork? It’s in my mouth!”

“What?” Wang Hou and I frowned, puzzled.

Then we noticed that Asu’s slightly swollen and deformed mouth seemed to be harboring something black and wriggling.

The lighting was poor, so we couldn’t see clearly. When I shone my phone’s flashlight into his mouth, all I could make out was his throat moving rhythmically.

“There’s nothing there! What are you playing at?” Wang Hou said impatiently.

But Asu waved us off, signaling for patience.

Then he reached out, scraped a chunk of blood crystal from my arm, gave me an apologetic grin, and popped the bloody piece into his mouth.

Honestly, if he hadn’t been disabled, I’d have killed him. Biting me and eating my blood—was there any justice left in the world?

So, under my furious glare, Asu kept his grotesque, open-mouthed pose for a while.

Just as we were about to lose patience, Asu mumbled through his open mouth, “It’s about to come out!”

Excited, I shone my flashlight into his mouth again.

But all I saw was a blurry shadow, nothing but his constantly churning, mangled tongue.

I turned to Wang Hou and said irritably, “Let’s go! I’m done with this lunatic and his tongue tricks. Disgusting! Let him perform for himself.”

As I spoke, I nudged Wang Hou’s shoulder.

The big guy didn’t budge.

He kept staring at Asu’s mouth, his face turning pale.

Puzzled by his reaction, I looked at his astonished expression as he tapped my shoulder and pointed behind me at Asu.

“Old Tian… look at what’s in his mouth!” he stammered.

Seeing Wang Hou’s alarm, I realized something extraordinary was happening with the dwarf Asu.

I slowly turned my head back and raised my phone again.

Behind me, I was stunned to find that Asu’s tongue… had changed!