Legend Management Bureau Chapter 19

[ … words ]

Several Netherworld Envoys knelt on the ground, not daring to move. Seventh Lord Xie Bi’an, whom they rarely saw even once in decades, had suddenly appeared here today. Why?

“Seventh Lord, what brings you here… exactly?” Bu Zushuo asked with an obsequious smile.

“What brings me here?” Xie Bi’an murmured while patting his face to help the essence absorb. He pondered inwardly, ‘I came to stop Zhongli Chun… but looking at the current situation… it seems I’m not needed anymore…’

Looking closer, Xie Bi’an was surprised to find Du Yu standing behind the Netherworld Envoys.

“Eh?” Xie Bi’an paused. “Wait, didn’t you just call me? Why are you here?”

“Sigh…” Du Yu replied. “I didn’t want to come either, but the situation is a bit special…”

The Netherworld Envoys exchanged nervous glances as they listened to the conversation. It turned out this mortal actually knew the Seventh Lord. They had really stirred up a hornet’s nest this time.

Before Du Yu and Xie Bi’an could exchange a few more pleasantries, another muffled roar echoed out. The space in midair twisted once again, and a massive figure materialized.

“Who’s beating up my subordinates?!” a remarkably gruff voice bellowed. Xie Bi’an could not help but chuckle. Things were getting interesting now; the local clown had arrived.

“Yes, Third Brother, you’re here too,” Xie Bi’an said with a smile.

Du Yu looked up. This newcomer had a rather peculiar appearance. He was toweringly tall with the head of a bull and the body of a man, featuring a pair of massive horns protruding from his temples. This had to be one of the Underworld’s most famous envoys—Ox-Head.

“I heard someone wanted to beat up my boys. Who is it?”

Xie Bi’an smirked and pointed at Zhongli Chun. “Over there. Go ahead, give her a beating.”

Ox-Head focused his gaze and immediately turned pale with fright. “Mother of… Zhongli Chun?! Are you messing with me?”

“What’s wrong, Third Brother? If you put your life on the line, you should be able to fight her!” Xie Bi’an fanned the flames from the sidelines. “Beat her up! Detonate your Nascent Soul and beat her up!”

“Old Seven, aren’t you just making a fool out of me?!” Ox-Head cursed loudly, then turned and whispered to Xie Bi’an, “How was I supposed to know I’d run into someone of her caliber on this pedestrian street?! I didn’t bring a single magical treasure with me. If we really fought, she’d probably beat my Nascent Soul to a pulp.”

“Pfft.” Xie Bi’an forced down a laugh. Composing himself, he asked, “Then what do you think we should do? Are your lackeys just going to take a beating for nothing?”

“Well… my boys didn’t actually get beaten up. I just wanted to show off…” The hulking Ox-Head looked troubled. He whispered to White Impermanence, “Old Seven, your brain works better than mine. Help me figure out what to do. I can’t afford to lose face in front of my subordinates!”

Xie Bi’an flashed a wicked grin. “Third Brother, isn’t that simple? Just ask who the accomplice is and beat them up instead.”

“Right! Old Seven, you really do have the brains!” Ox-Head slapped his forehead and turned back to the envoys. “I’ll deal with this woman later! Let me ask you, besides her, did anyone else cause you trouble?”

“Ah!” Hearing their boss say this, Bu Zushuo and the others instantly regained their confidence. They pointed at Du Yu and shouted, “Him! He was obstructing us from catching this evildoer just now.”

“Oh, really!” Ox-Head glanced at Du Yu, realized he was just a mere mortal, and instantly puffed up his chest. “You’re picking on my subordinates too?”

“Me?” Du Yu glanced at Xie Bi’an, who was desperately trying to hold back his laughter. Du Yu nodded and said, “I do find them quite displeasing.”

“Watch me give you a tight slap!” Ox-Head swung his massive arm back.

“Hey! Third Brother!” Just as the palm was about to connect with Du Yu’s face, White Impermanence called out to Ox-Head.

Ox-Head’s hand stopped instantly. He looked back at Xie Bi’an and asked, “What is it?”

“Um…” Xie Bi’an pretended to think for a moment. “It’s nothing, really. Why don’t you hit him first… We’ll talk after you’re done.”

“Oh! Alright!” Ox-Head nodded, raising his hand to strike again, but his eyes darted around as he realized something felt off.

He slowly lowered his hand, turning back to Xie Bi’an with a foolishly honest grin. “Old Seven, you’re joking with me again, aren’t you? If I hit him, I’ll be in huge trouble, right? Tell me, who is this guy?”

Xie Bi’an finally could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “Oh, Third Brother, after ten years apart, your IQ has shot straight up.”

“Heh heh! Naturally, naturally!” Ox-Head declared proudly. “I’m no fool!”

Xie Bi’an covered his mouth, laughing for a long time before finally saying, “If you hit this guy, you’d be screwed. He is the new Operator of the Legend Management Bureau—Du Yu.”

“What?!” Ox-Head’s bovine eyes widened, and his massive nostrils flared. “The Operator?!”

Good heavens, Ox-Head felt a lingering fear in his heart. If that slap had landed just now, the consequences would have been disastrous! The Operator could just go back to the past and tinker a bit, and he might cease to exist in this world altogether.

“Oh my, oh my!” Ox-Head immediately slapped on a beaming smile. “So it’s the Operator! A misunderstanding! This is all a huge misunderstanding!”

Du Yu was a bit speechless as well. He muttered, “You’re really easy to read. All your inner thoughts are written right on your face.”

“You little brats, get up quickly and apologize to little brother Du!” Ox-Head barked at the envoys kneeling on the ground.

The envoys were baffled. Boss Ox-Head, who had just promised to stand up for them, was now full of apologetic smiles. Just how big of a background did this guy have?

The brothers, Bu Zudao and Bu Zushuo, knew they were probably out of luck. Bu Zushuo had forcefully shoved someone that even Boss Ox-Head didn’t dare touch.

Sporting an ingratiating smile, Ox-Head walked up to Du Yu and said, “Hey! We’re all on the same side here. Little brother Du, do you remember that I sent you a Return to Origin Pill?”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Du Yu replied, shaking his head. “I returned all the pills to you guys. I didn’t accept a single one.”

“Ah!” Ox-Head laughed awkwardly. “Even though you didn’t accept the Return to Origin Pill, it’s the thought that counts!”

Saying that, Ox-Head suddenly spun around and kicked Bu Zushuo squarely in the rear. The move was so abrupt that neither Du Yu nor the victim himself had time to react.

“Eh? Boss, why did you kick me?”

“You little calves do nothing but cause trouble for me. Scram, get out of here.” Fearing Du Yu’s retaliation, Ox-Head wanted to quickly dismiss these subordinates who had stirred up such a huge mess.

“Wait!” Du Yu stopped Ox-Head.

“Ah? Little brother Du, you are a magnanimous man. Please don’t get angry at these useless underlings of mine.”

Du Yu was indeed a bit angry. Seeing the wounds on Zhongli Chun made him feel especially guilty. Even though she was the one who threw the first punch, she shouldn’t have been ganged up on and beaten by a group of law enforcers no matter what. These scum were the true culprits.

He glanced at Xie Bi’an, who looked thoughtful. Du Yu knew he had only known Xie Bi’an for a few days, while Xie Bi’an and Ox-Head had been brothers for thousands of years. If a real conflict broke out… would Xie Bi’an take his side?

Xie Bi’an paused for a moment, as if something had just occurred to him. He then spoke up, “Third Brother, the Operator can let these guys go, but you need to send over their ‘resumes.’ He mentioned that since he has nothing to do these next few days, he’d like to take a stroll into the ‘past.'”

Ox-Head was stunned. He hurriedly stepped forward and pleaded, “Little brother Du! Aren’t you basically asking for my boys’ lives? They’ve been with me for over a thousand years…”

“Huh?” Du Yu was a bit bewildered. He then whispered, “Seventh Lord… even though I’m angry, these guys don’t seem to be legendary figures…”

Xie Bi’an ignored Du Yu and continued on his own, “Third Brother, think about it, if our ‘Netherworld Envoys’ can abuse lynchings… why can’t the ‘Operator’?”

Hearing this, the envoys began to beg for mercy in tearful voices. They frantically kowtowed on the ground, producing repeated thuds until large bumps swelled on all their foreheads.

Xie Bi’an waited a long time before slowly stepping forward, a faint smile on his lips. “Alright, that’s enough. This was just a small lesson for you. Handling cases is fine, but you absolutely cannot bully others. Third Brother wants to protect you, so you must also earn face for him. Brawls between souls are naturally handled by the Division of Underworld Law. Now that you’ve severely beaten her, you’ve put us in the wrong. What justification do we have to arrest her now?”

The envoys just kept kowtowing on the ground, too terrified to speak.

Seeing that these men had suffered enough, Du Yu felt his anger dissipate somewhat. After all, he was just a mortal. If he kept pressing the issue, Ox-Head might not always grant him this much respect. Thus, he said slowly, “Sigh, the Seventh Lord’s words reflect exactly what I’m thinking. Look out for yourselves from now on.”

As if they had just won a second lease on life, the group hurriedly thanked Du Yu and Xie Bi’an before scurrying off into the distance, clutching their bruised foreheads.

“Yay! Little brother Du!” Ox-Head danced with joy. “You’re not a bad guy at all! How about we go grab a couple of drinks together?”

Du Yu flatly replied, “No thanks,” then walked straight over to Zhongli Chun.

“I… didn’t move…” Zhongli Chun seemed severely injured, yet she still flashed a breathtakingly beautiful smile.

“I know… I know…” Du Yu looked at her with worry. Though he didn’t know exactly what had transpired, this Zhongli Chun gave him a very strange feeling.

“Heh…” Zhongli Chun let out a silly giggle before losing consciousness and collapsing right into Du Yu’s arms. He quickly caught her. Despite her seemingly tall frame, she felt exceptionally fragile and delicate when held. He couldn’t fathom where her majestic strength came from.

“Seventh Lord, what exactly is going on?” Du Yu looked at the unconscious Zhongli Chun beside him in bewilderment.

“What’s going on? You mean Zhongli Chun?” Xie Bi’an scratched his head. “She’s at the top of the Underworld’s Ten Great Evildoers. Although she hasn’t done anything completely unforgivable, she’s notoriously difficult to provoke. She can casually shatter a soul and has a mountain of lawsuits against her. Even if we arrested her, we wouldn’t have any good way to deal with her. Her soul is extraordinarily resilient; even the most severe tortures can’t dissipate it. How do you humans say it again…” Xie Bi’an thought for a moment before adding, “Ah, right, she carries a ‘deep-seated grudge.'”

“That’s not what I’m asking…” Du Yu shook his head. “I want to know why such a great evildoer would listen to me so obediently?”

Xie Bi’an had actually noticed this as well. In front of Du Yu, Zhongli Chun acted like a completely different person.

“That, I don’t know.” Xie Bi’an pondered and said, “There might be only one possibility… She’s met you before.”

“Met me before?”

“Indeed. Now that you are the Operator, it wouldn’t be strange for you to appear in anyone’s memories,” Xie Bi’an stated with some certainty.

“But who is this Zhongli Chun? Is she a legendary figure?”

“Who is she? Hahahahaha.” Xie Bi’an laughed. “Assistant Dong said she would help you brush up on your mythological knowledge, but it seems she hasn’t done enough. Her surname is Zhongli, and her first name is Chun. Because she was born in Wuyan City in Shandong Province, she is also known as the Woman of Wuyan. For convenience, later generations mostly preferred to call her Zhong Wuyan. Some rumors claimed she was exceedingly ugly, earning her that same moniker. There are countless legends about her.”

“Zhong Wuyan?!” Du Yu looked at the quietly sleeping Zhongli Chun in his arms. “This beautiful appearance is absolutely superior even to Heng’e. How could she be the famous ugly woman, Zhong Wuyan?”

“I don’t know.”

“What exactly happened to Zhong Wuyan?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why does she trust me so much?”

“I don’t know.”

Exasperated, Du Yu looked up at Xie Bi’an. “Seventh Lord, how come you don’t know anything?”

“No, Little Du, the things you’re asking are just ridiculous.” Xie Bi’an said, speechless. “You’re the one from the Legend Management Bureau, why do you keep asking me?”

“True.” Du Yu nodded and scooped Zhongli Chun up into his arms. “I’ll investigate and find out the truth sooner or later. But right now, the most pressing matter is to heal her injuries.”

Watching Du Yu carry Zhongli Chun, Xie Bi’an was a bit confused. “Where are you going?”

“There happens to be a place nearby where she can be healed.”

“Don’t do anything reckless. She’s a girl covered in injuries; what can a grown man like you do?”

Du Yu looked down at Zhongli Chun. Xie Bi’an’s words actually made sense. He couldn’t even inspect her wounds properly, but what other choice did he have? The only person he had a good relationship with, Sister Qianqiu, was also injured, so he couldn’t ask her to help take care of Zhongli Chun.

“Seventh Lord, could you do me a favor and bring Fan Xiaoguo over?”

“Fan Xiaoguo?”

“That’s right.” Du Yu nodded. “Bring her here to wait for me. I’ll be right back.”

After saying that, Du Yu carried Zhongli Chun and quickly walked away.

Before they even reached the hotel, Zhongli Chun woke up. Finding herself lying in Du Yu’s arms, her heartbeat couldn’t help but accelerate.

“You’re awake?” Du Yu asked. “Hold on a little longer, I’m taking you to a place to get treated.”

“You… put me down first… I’m fine…” Zhongli Chun said softly.

“It’s no problem. You got injured because of me, so I’ll find someone to help treat your wounds.”

Soon, Du Yu brought her into ‘Sleep to Death’. When the hotel owner saw Du Yu carrying a peerless beauty, he couldn’t help but feel a bit baffled.

Didn’t this guy just come by a little while ago? But the woman he brought then wasn’t this one.

“Sorry, boss, I already paid the money earlier,” Du Yu said as he passed the front desk.

The owner gave a token nod, wondering to himself, ‘Just what kind of background does this guy have?’

Du Yu carried Zhongli Chun into the room. Dong Qianqiu was still meditating.

“Sister Qianqiu, for a few reasons, I need to leave Zhongli Chun here to heal.”

Dong Qianqiu looked at Du Yu and Zhongli Chun, feeling a bit puzzled. The first thing she couldn’t understand was why Du Yu was actually healing this wicked woman. The second was that, given Zhongli Chun’s cultivation level, someone had actually managed to injure her this badly. Could it be that Goddess Houtu had appeared in the world?

“Even if she lies down here, I have no way to examine her injuries,” Dong Qianqiu stated.

“I know. I also found a helper. Wait here for a bit, I’ll be right back.”

After saying that, Du Yu dashed out of the room.

In front of the cafe, Xie Bi’an used spatial displacement twice, bringing Fan Xiaoguo before him in an instant.

Fan Xiaoguo had been waiting in line to buy milk tea. She never expected Xie Bi’an to descend from the sky and snatch her away. Even now, she still wore a look of complete bewilderment.

“Sev… Seventh Grand-Uncle… What are you doing?”

“Don’t call me Seventh Grand-Uncle, call me Brother An,” Xie Bi’an instructed as he pulled Fan Xiaoguo to a slow landing. “An acquaintance needs your help.”

Fan Xiaoguo turned her head and was shocked to see Third Lord Ox-Head. Terrified, she hastily bowed in greeting.

“No need for formalities with me, I’m not the one who needs help.” Ox-Head waved his hand. “But Old Seven, why are you having this little granddaughter call you Brother An?”

“Why shouldn’t I? I’ve taken her in as my sworn sister,” Xie Bi’an declared with utmost certainty.

“Absolutely not…” Fan Xiaoguo’s most feared scenario was happening again.

“Right, how can that work? If you call her your sworn sister, what am I supposed to call her?” Ox-Head thought about it and said, “So we don’t mess up the hierarchy, let’s just use our own terms. You call her sister, and I’ll call her granddaughter.”

“This is why I always say you’ve been smart since you were little, Third Brother,” Xie Bi’an retorted in annoyance. “With one sentence, you’ve turned me into a grandson.”

As the two were bickering, Du Yu came running over from the distance.

“Great! Envoy Sister!” Upon seeing Fan Xiaoguo, Du Yu immediately grabbed her arm. “Hurry, come with me!”

Before Fan Xiaoguo could even figure out what was going on, she was dragged into a sprint by Du Yu. A short distance later, the two arrived at the entrance of ‘Sleep to Death’.

“Envoy Sister, the situation is special this time, you really have to help me.”

“Huh?!” Fan Xiaoguo looked up at the hotel’s sign and almost fainted. “What kind of person do you take me for?! Even if the situation is special… we can’t be this fast…”

“Ah?” Du Yu was a bit lost at first, but he quickly caught on. “Where is your mind at! I need you to help me save someone!”

“Save someone?”

Du Yu dragged Fan Xiaoguo, sprinting past the front desk once again.

The owner at the front desk looked at Du Yu, who had brought three different beauties into his room within a span of just half an hour, and murmured with a face full of envy, “Since ancient times, true heroes really do emerge from their youth…”