Legend Management Bureau Chapter 12

[ … words ]

Du Yu rushed to Da Yi’s house as soon as he arrived in the village.

Pushing the door open, he saw Da Yi and Heng’e snuggled together, whispering to each other.

“Ah, is this a bad time?” Du Yu felt a bit awkward and was about to close the door and leave.

“Brother Pang Meng!” Da Yi called out loudly, stopping Du Yu. Speaking with a slight lisp, he said, “It’s fine. I was just telling my wife about how you turned back to save me without a second thought when the Jiuying bit my shoulder.”

“Ah… did that happen?” Du Yu scratched his head. “Let’s put that aside for now. If it’s convenient, I need a favor from you.”

“Just name it, Brother Pang Meng.”

Du Yu fell silent for a moment before asking, “That immortal artifact… can you let me take a look at it?”

“Immortal artifact?” Heng’e glanced at Da Yi.

“That’s right, my dear. I’ve told Brother Pang Meng everything.”

“Brother Pang Meng, since you’ve asked, there’s no reason for me to refuse. For all these years, only my wife has seen this artifact.”

Du Yu nodded. “I suspect… this artifact is the key to shooting down the suns.”

“The key to shooting down the suns?” Da Yi offered a bitter smile. “I hope what you say is true. This artifact wasn’t forged as a weapon; it’s just an everyday item.”

With that said, Da Yi opened his mouth. The artifact was resting right there on his tongue.

“This!!” Du Yu’s pupils fully dilated. “With this, everything makes perfect sense!”

“Ah?!” Dong Qianqiu exclaimed in surprise. “So that’s how it is!”

No wonder Da Yi was lisping; he had been keeping this artifact in his mouth the entire time!

Da Yi took the artifact in his hand and gave it a gentle wave, whereupon it instantly grew to over six feet tall.

“Brother Pang Meng, look at this artifact. How could it possibly have anything to do with the suns?”

“No, Brother Da Yi, you are completely mistaken. With this artifact, shooting down the suns is practically guaranteed.” Du Yu glanced outside. “Right now there are only nine suns. We’ll make our move tomorrow. I will explain my entire plan to you now, so listen closely…”

…

The next day, all ten suns gathered in the sky, driving the temperature to its absolute peak.

The entire land looked as though it had been scorched by roaring flames, radiating thick, shimmering waves of heat.

The massive mountain had been reduced to nothing more than a giant slab of barren rock and dirt, completely stripped of life.

If one were to look closely right now, they would see a man gripping a longbow, standing at the very peak of that barren mountain.

“Hey? Who is that?”

A few villagers spotted the figure and whispered among themselves, but everyone quickly concluded that the man must have gone mad from the heat and was looking to end his life.

“HEAR ME!!!”

A tremendous roar echoed out, reaching the ears of the people in all the neighboring villages.

Du Yu was hiding behind a massive boulder not far behind Da Yi, with a Loud Voice Talisman slapped onto his chest.

“Ten suns! I, Da Yi, have tolerated you for far too long!!” Du Yu roared into the amplification talisman.

As these arrogant words rang out, the residents of the nearby villages all stepped out of their houses and stared up at the man on the mountaintop.

“Isn’t that Da Yi from the neighboring village?”

“What is he doing?”

Youqiong also ran out of his house, staring blankly at the peak.

“Is that… Brother Yi?”

“Today, I, Da Yi, shall enforce justice on behalf of the heavens!! I will shoot you down with the bow in my hands!!” Du Yu continued, perfectly imitating Da Yi’s tone of voice.

“B-Brother Pang Meng… is this really going to work?” Even though Da Yi stood facing the wind with his longbow in hand, appearing calm and collected, he could not help but feel nervous as he watched the crowd gathering below.

“Oh, just do as I say, it’ll be fine!” Du Yu whispered to Da Yi while covering the talisman.

With no way to back down now, Da Yi had no choice but to raise his longbow and draw the empty string.

Meanwhile, Du Yu held Da Yi’s artifact, striking a ready stance.

Looking at the object in Du Yu’s grasp, it was unmistakably a massive fan.

There were very few things in this world capable of extinguishing the Samadhi True Fire, and this fan just so happened to be one of them.

Legend had it that Taishang Laojun’s alchemy furnace was once overturned, spilling down into the mortal realm and setting an entire mountain ablaze, which the world came to know as the Flaming Mountain.

The great fires on that mountain could never be put out, burning for all eternity.

To extinguish the great blaze of the Flaming Mountain, the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, Sun Wukong, once borrowed this very artifact from Princess Iron Fan, obliterating the Samadhi True Fire on the mountain in a single swoop.

Whether it was preordained by destiny or mere coincidence, the artifact that Taishang Laojun had gifted Da Yi all those years ago was none other than the Plantain Fan.

Normally, Hou Yi had only ever used it to deal with wild beasts. He never imagined that the fierce gales swept up by this fan could actually shatter the Samadhi True Fire.

“Suns! Taste my arrow!”

Du Yu let out a mighty roar. Hearing the signal, Da Yi immediately pretended to shoot, releasing the empty bowstring.

Seizing the moment, Du Yu raised both arms and swung the fan fiercely toward the suns in the sky.

A colossal gust of wind ripped across the sky with a sharp howling sound. The roaring flames on the very first sun flickered violently, as if being torn apart by an unseen force. In mere moments, the fire on the massive fireball was completely blown away, and the colossal sphere of heat vanished into thin air.

With the disappearance of that fireball, the surrounding temperature dropped noticeably.

“What?!”

The villagers from the surrounding settlements witnessed this scene and were rendered completely speechless.

“Da Yi actually shot down a sun with his bow and arrow?!”

Watching the chaotic uproar at the foot of the mountain, the heavy stone in Da Yi’s heart finally settled.

“So what Brother Pang Meng said was true! My fan really can blow out the sun’s flames!” Da Yi turned around with a delighted expression. “This is wonderful, Brother Pang Meng! The people of the world are saved! Let’s keep going!”

Du Yu stared down at his own hands in disbelief. The palms of his hands had actually been completely split open by the recoil, dripping with fresh blood.

“So this kind of immortal artifact really can’t be controlled by a mortal body, huh?”

“Brother Pang Meng, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing, it’s nothing.” Du Yu offered a bitter smile. “Let’s continue.”

“Du Yu, are you alright?” Dong Qianqiu asked with evident worry.

“Don’t worry, Sister Qianqiu. My real physical body is back at the Legend Management Bureau anyway.”

Dong Qianqiu turned to look at Du Yu’s actual body resting not far away. The hands of that physical shell were also bleeding. But she knew this was a critical juncture and couldn’t afford to distract him, so she simply said, “Du Yu, no matter what, please don’t push yourself too hard.”

After Da Yi drew his empty bowstring once more, Du Yu swung the Plantain Fan for a second time, forcefully scattering the second sun into nothingness.

“My heavens!”

The villagers erupted into shouts and cheers, hailing Da Yi as a divine being.

Youqiong stared at the mountain peak, utterly dumbfounded. Heng’e slowly walked over and stood beside him.

“Brother Yi is truly incredible…” Youqiong murmured.

The news of Da Yi shooting down the suns from the mountain peak spread like wildfire. It reached the Queen Mother of the West atop Kunlun Mountain, and it also reached the ears of Emperor Yao in Pingyang. Both were profoundly shocked upon hearing the news and immediately packed their bags to head toward Da Yi’s location.

Du Yu had already extinguished three suns. His hands had long since been reduced to a bloody mess, so he tore off strips from his clothes and wrapped them thickly around his palms.

Da Yi had noticed that something was wrong early on and hastily asked about his condition, but Du Yu merely waved him off repeatedly, insisting he was fine.

The villagers also noticed that Da Yi’s pace had noticeably slowed down, but no one dared to utter a word of complaint. After all, if this man could shoot down the suns, putting an arrow through their skulls would be a breeze.

“I’ve rested enough. Let’s keep going,” Du Yu said, tightening the cloth strips around his hands.

Da Yi nodded and drew his bow once more.

Two more bursts of mighty wind howled out, and two more suns dissipated. In just the span of a single morning, the ten suns had been reduced to only five.

“Fantastic work, Du Yu!” Dong Qianqiu cheered enthusiastically. She turned around and jumped in fright, realizing that the majority of the Legend Management Bureau staff had gathered behind her.

“What are you all doing? Don’t you have work to do?”

“Assistant Dong, please just let us watch for a bit,” the staff pleaded. “This is a Super A-Rank mission being carried out by a mortal, and it’s on the verge of success! This is completely unheard of anywhere!”

Dong Qianqiu understood their feelings; this event was indeed far too incredible.

Du Yu felt that his forearms had completely gone numb. Both of his hands trembled slightly, and for some unknown reason, his arms had turned a bruised, purplish-red color.

“Dammit…” Du Yu gritted his teeth. “This weapon is way too hard to handle…”

Looking at the screen, Dong Qianqiu finally realized what was happening and ordered a few staff members, “Quick, go bandage Du Yu’s physical body. The injuries from the legend are starting to cause a backlash on his real body.”

The staff members nodded hastily and hurried off.

Du Yu gritted his teeth and glared at the five remaining suns in the sky.

“There’s still half of them left?”

“Brother Pang Meng… how about we…”

“No!” Du Yu clenched his jaw fiercely. “Keep going!”

Strangely enough, Du Yu suddenly felt a cooling sensation spread through his arms, and the pain receded slightly.

“Haaah!”

Du Yu let out a loud battle cry and unleashed another gale, scattering yet another fireball.

At this, the villagers at the foot of the mountain began to cheer uproariously.

Four left!

“Haaah!”

Three left!

“Haaah!”

Two left!

Du Yu felt as if his teeth were going to shatter from clenching them so hard. Now, there were only two suns left in the sky!

“I… I can’t swing it anymore…” Du Yu’s arms fell limply to his sides, and the Plantain Fan tumbled to the ground.

“Brother Pang Meng!” Da Yi sprinted over and supported Du Yu. When Du Yu looked up, he saw that Da Yi’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Brother Pang Meng, you are truly a great hero who serves the country and its people. You could have easily become this hero yourself. Why did you insist on shooting down the suns in my name?”

“It’s… a long story…” Du Yu weakly shook his head. “The one to shoot down the suns can only be you. I came here just to help you from the very beginning…”

“Brother Pang Meng,” Da Yi said, hot tears welling in his eyes. “Thank you for doing so much for the people of the world. Please, let me take the final swing!”

With that, Da Yi bent down, picked up the Plantain Fan, hid behind the massive boulder, and swung it with all his might from a spot where no one could see him.

Watching Da Yi’s back, Du Yu muttered inwardly, ‘The people of the world? Are you stupid… I pushed myself this hard because I want to be a wealthy second-generation heir…’

After all, Da Yi was also a mortal. When he swung the fan, fresh blood burst from his hands as well. In the past, Da Yi had only brought out this fan during life-or-death moments, and it had split his hands open every single time. Today, he had personally watched Pang Meng swing it eight consecutive times. He truly had no idea what kind of sheer willpower had allowed the man to endure it.

After Da Yi’s swing, finally, only a single sun remained in the sky.

“Th-This is wonderful!”

All the villagers embraced each other, weeping and rejoicing in wild celebration.

These days that felt like a living hell on earth had finally come to a completely unexpected end today.

“It really is wonderful…” Da Yi sobbed, completely choked with emotion.

Du Yu forced himself to stand up and croaked out, “There’s still one thing left to do…”

He shakily grabbed the Loud Voice Talisman and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Listen well, you final sun! I am Da Yi, and today I have shot down nine suns! I will spare your life for now! But if you dare to run amok in the future and bring suffering to the people, I, Da Yi, shall shoot you down as well!”

The moment he finished speaking, Du Yu’s body collapsed stiffly to the ground, and the Loud Voice Talisman on him turned to ash.

“Brother Pang Meng!!” Da Yi cried out in alarm, hurriedly catching him, only to find that Du Yu had already fallen completely unconscious.

Having witnessed the entire process, Youqiong’s emotions were churning like stormy seas, making it impossible for him to calm down.

“Brother Yi truly isn’t an ordinary person…” Youqiong whispered under his breath. “I don’t want to be called Youqiong anymore. I want to be called Yi, too. From now on, I will be called Hou Yi.”

“Youqiong?” Heng’e, standing beside him, noticed him muttering to himself and asked, “What are you whispering about all by yourself?”

“Sister-in-law Heng’e, I’ve made up my mind. In the future, I am going to establish a kingdom called the Youqiong Kingdom, dedicated entirely to commemorating the legend of Brother Da Yi shooting down the nine suns!”

“Pfft!” Seeing Youqiong’s serious expression, Heng’e couldn’t help but laugh. “Establish a kingdom? Alright, I’ll be waiting for that day.”

Suddenly, a villager exclaimed loudly, “Look! What is that?!”

The crowd looked up, only to see a brilliant ray of light descending upon the very mountain peak where Da Yi had been shooting the suns. A woman dressed in magnificent robes with wide, flowing sleeves slowly descended from the sky.

“It’s the Queen Mother!!”

Recognizing that the figure bore an exact resemblance to the portraits of the Queen Mother of the West, the villagers fell to their knees in reverence.

The Queen Mother of the West used her magical power to assume a human form, gracefully touching down on the mountaintop.

Seeing a goddess descend right before his eyes, Da Yi was rendered utterly speechless.

“Are you Da Yi?” the Queen Mother of the West asked in an ethereal tone.

Before Da Yi could answer, she spotted Du Yu lying unconscious to the side. His hands had been mangled beyond recognition and were streaming with blood.

“What happened to him?!” Discarding her divine poise, the Queen Mother quickly dashed over to Du Yu.

“You must be a deity! Please, can you save him?!” Da Yi wept, clutching Du Yu tightly.

“This is… this is simply too reckless!” Looking at Du Yu’s shocking injuries, the Queen Mother hurriedly extended her hands and channeled her magical power to the fullest. “I knew you weren’t the brightest, but I didn’t think you were an absolute idiot…”

Even as the Queen Mother scolded him, she continued to treat Du Yu’s wounds with all her might. It took a long time before the bleeding from his hands finally stopped.

“The Queen Mother just descended to the mortal realm, why has it gone quiet?”

The crowd remained kneeling at the foot of the mountain, not daring to move an inch.

“Do you think Da Yi angered the Queen Mother by shooting down the suns in the sky?”

“Stop talking nonsense. Da Yi is saving the common people.”

Everyone tossed out their wild guesses, whispering back and forth.

Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain, Du Yu finally fluttered his eyes open. He looked at Da Yi, offered a weak smile, and then shifted his gaze to the Queen Mother of the West.

“Big cat?”