Legend Management Bureau Chapter 23

[ … words ]

‘Good grief…’ Du Yu thought to himself, cursing his terrible luck. He had been beaten up twice in less than ten minutes since his descent.

“Ah Wu, are you alright?!” The burly man named Ah Da rushed forward to check on his injuries, but before he could even get close, he was forced back by the foul stench radiating from Du Yu’s body.

“Mother of God, that stinks!”

“I’m fine…” Du Yu looked at Zhongli Chun. She was baring her teeth in a protective stance over her food, looking exactly like a cornered beast. Her face was caked in mud and filth. If he hadn’t recognized those cold, piercing eyes, Du Yu would never have believed the person before him was actually Zhongli Chun.

“Little Zhongli… you are a human… you’re not a pig…” Du Yu clutched his chest and slowly walked forward. “Are you really willing to live like this?”

Zhongli Chun watched Du Yu approach and delivered another punch right to his face.

Although this punch was entirely expected, Du Yu noticed something.

Zhongli Chun’s punch did not pack nearly as much force as the last one.

Though Du Yu was nearly knocked to the ground again, he managed to stay firmly on his feet.

“Sister Qianqiu, have you ever trained a dog? If you show weakness when a wild beast bares its fangs, you will never be able to enter its world.”

Du Yu ignored Dong Qianqiu’s warnings and slowly approached Zhongli Chun once more. No matter how much she threatened him, he refused to take a single step back.

“Little Zhongli, have you realized it yet? I’m not here to steal your food…”

“Ah Da, what is wrong with your little brother?” The pig farmer was also puzzled. Why was this servant, Ah Wu, suddenly taking such an interest in the pig-girl?

Du Yu walked over slowly. Although Zhongli Chun assumed an offensive stance, she did not attack. She merely bared her teeth, continuously trying to intimidate him.

“You are a human. You are not a pig-girl,” Du Yu murmured. “Baring your teeth in warning can only scare off emotionless livestock. It cannot scare away the people who truly want to care for you.”

Du Yu stepped right in front of Zhongli Chun, reached out, and boldly patted her on the head.

To everyone’s absolute surprise, Zhongli Chun did not resist. She merely stared blankly at Du Yu.

She was only a ten-year-old child. Just what kind of parents could be so utterly cruel as to raise her like a pig?

“Big brother, I am taking her away.”

“Taking her away?” Ah Da was stunned. “Little brother, you can’t be serious, right? You like the pig-girl? Not only is she smelly and ugly, but she’s also only ten years old! If you want to marry a wife, your big brother can easily arrange a proper match for you.”

“Say no more. I absolutely cannot let Little Zhongli continue to suffer here.”

“This…”

“Big brother, you know I’ve lost my memories. I wanted to ask, what exactly is your position in this household?” Du Yu inquired.

“I’m a courtyard guard…”

“That is perfect,” Du Yu declared. “With your status as a guard, covering for me will be more than easy.”

With that said, Du Yu scooped Zhongli Chun up into his arms. Although she still wanted to struggle, she could clearly feel how gentle this person’s movements were. A wave of warmth spread from his hands, and a faint, refreshing scent lingered on his clothes.

Once upon a time, Zhongli Chun remembered someone else holding her exactly like this. His hands had been just as warm, and his movements just as gentle.

In her memories, that man wore armor and exuded a natural, imposing authority, yet he would always reveal a kind smile whenever he saw her. Zhongli Chun closed her eyes, trying desperately to recall his face, but her mind was entirely filled with the sound of him calling her childhood name—

“Chun’er, come here.”

“Chun’er, your father picked some persimmons for you.”

“Chun’er, do you prefer poetry or weaponry?”

“Chun’er, do you want to learn how to ride a horse?”

“Chun’er…”

But no matter how hard she tried, she just could not remember what that man looked like.

Having lived in a pigsty for five grueling years, Zhongli Chun shed tears for the very first time.

Carrying Zhongli Chun, Du Yu left the estate through the back door and headed south under Dong Qianqiu’s directions. Many people on the streets cast disdainful glares their way, and some even covered their noses and mouths in disgust. But Du Yu ignored them all, marching straight ahead.

Along the way, Zhongli Chun looked around curiously, as if everything in this world was entirely new and fascinating to her.

After about half an hour, the two arrived by a small river outside the city. Du Yu gently set Zhongli Chun down and said to her:

“Little Zhongli, you have to remember that you are a human. From now on, if you get dirty, come bathe in this river.”

As Du Yu spoke, he began plucking the clumps of mud and filth off Zhongli Chun’s body.

At first, Zhongli Chun was a little afraid when she saw the river, but Du Yu gently picked her up and set her feet into the water.

The gentle current flowed past her toes, cool and refreshing.

A hint of a smile finally blossomed on Zhongli Chun’s face. She gently reached out, cupped a handful of river water, and happily tossed it into the air, letting the droplets splash down freely onto her body.

“Good, very good,” Du Yu said with a smile. “Wash yourself clean here. I’m going to go find something.”

With that, Du Yu slipped into the small grove of trees along the riverbank.

“Sister Qianqiu, ancient people usually used soap pods to bathe, right?”

“Yes.”

“But… what do soap pods look like?” Du Yu asked.

“Uh…” Dong Qianqiu was also stumped. How was she supposed to describe that? “They look a bit like giant edamame beans… and they smell somewhat like waxberries…”

Dong Qianqiu knew her description was incredibly abstract, but she had done her absolute best.

Surprisingly, relying on the vague clues Dong Qianqiu provided, Du Yu actually managed to find some soap pods hanging from a tree. They were plants that looked exactly like giant edamame beans. He picked one up and gave it a squeeze, finding that there were indeed seeds inside.

Under Dong Qianqiu’s guidance, Du Yu found a large leaf, filled it with some water, and tossed the soap pod seeds in to boil. The water inside the leaf soon turned a pale yellow.

Du Yu patiently let the water cool down before bringing it over to Zhongli Chun.

Little Zhongli was still happily playing in the water. After Du Yu demonstrated how to use the soap pod water to clean her body, he stepped aside to give her privacy. Even though Zhongli Chun was only ten years old, she was already as tall as a young woman.

It did not take long for Zhongli Chun to wash herself clean. She clearly still remembered how to bathe properly.

Looking at her delicate, clean face and catching the fresh scent of her hair, Du Yu could not help but smile. He then pulled her to the edge of the river, pointed at their reflections in the water, and said to her, “Little Zhongli, look. Just like me, you are a human, not a pig.”

“Human…” Zhongli Chun murmured, mimicking his words.

“That’s right, exactly.” Du Yu nodded. “No one is allowed to bully you, understand?”

Zhongli Chun said nothing. She simply stared quietly at the reflection on the water’s surface, though it was unclear whether she was looking at herself or at Du Yu.

“Oh, right.” Du Yu suddenly remembered something. “I have something good to give you.”

He rummaged through the fanny pack at his waist for a while before finally pulling out a few candies.

“Look!” Du Yu waved a cheap fruit candy in front of Zhongli Chun’s face.

“…?” Zhongli Chun looked completely baffled.

“A few days ago, I heard a friend say that if you’re in a bad mood, you should definitely eat something sweet.” Du Yu unwrapped the fruit candy as he spoke. “But I don’t know what kind of sweet things exist in your dynasty, so I asked Sister Qianqiu to bring me some candies. I hope these little things will make you feel a bit better. Here, for you.”

Du Yu handed the unwrapped piece of candy to Zhongli Chun.

“Open your mouth, ah—” Du Yu instructed.

“Ah—” Zhongli Chun opened her mouth wide, imitating his action.

Du Yu tossed a hard fruit candy right into Zhongli Chun’s mouth.

“Mhm—?”

Zhongli Chun paused in surprise before a look of utter disbelief washed over her face. In all her life, she had never tasted anything so wonderfully delicious.

Once, she had found a rotting fish head in the pig slop, and at the time, she honestly thought she had eaten a rare delicacy reserved only for the King of Qi.

But all of that was completely crushed by the tiny hard candy currently resting on her tongue.

This must be a divine pill, right?

“You are a lot like that friend of mine,” Du Yu mentioned. “When she’s sad, she likes to eat something sweet.”

“Sweet…?” The moment Zhongli Chun opened her mouth, the fresh scent of fruit wafted out.

“Right, something sweet,” Du Yu nodded.

“This… is very sweet…” Zhongli Chun pointed at her own mouth.

“Of course it is!” Du Yu laughed while fishing out seven or eight more candies from his bag, handing them all to her. “I still have some left. You can have them all.”

Zhongli Chun stared at the candies with wide, saucer-like eyes. She truly thought that something so delicious could only exist as a single piece in the whole world. She had no idea there would be so many.

“Let’s go!” Du Yu grabbed Zhongli Chun’s hand. “I’ll take you to eat even more delicious food!”

The two returned to the city. Although Zhongli Chun was still dressed in ragged clothing, her clean face immediately exuded an extraordinary aura. Many people stopped in their tracks just to stare at her.

Zhongli Chun still looked quite timid, but Du Yu swaggered confidently as he pulled her straight into a bustling restaurant.

“Innkeeper! Bring out all your delicious food! Exotic delicacies, chicken, duck, fish, and meat—serve it all up!”

The innkeeper did not know what to make of the situation. These two certainly did not look like wealthy or noble individuals, so why were they talking so big right after walking through the door?

“Esteemed guest…” A waiter came over with an apologetic smile. “That is quite a lot of food you’re asking for. It will cost quite a bit of gold.”

“Gold? Are you looking down on me?” Du Yu tossed his bag onto the table, producing a loud, heavy clatter. “Listen to that. What does that sound like to you?”

“Ah?” The waiter felt a bit panicked. “As long as you don’t have rocks inside there, my good guest…”

“What a joke!” Du Yu reached in and casually pulled out a handful of knife-shaped copper coins. “What is this? Are these rocks?”

Before entering the legend, Du Yu had specifically asked Dong Qianqiu to prepare two extra items for him. One was candy, and the other was the knife-shaped currency of the Qi State.

“Ah! We will serve your dishes immediately! Please wait just a moment!”

The kitchen frantically sprang into action. In no time at all, copper bowls and wooden basins of all sizes were brought to the table. The food during the Warring States period was honestly nothing spectacular—everything was either boiled or steamed—but the ingredients were genuinely top-notch. They had every exotic mountain and sea delicacy imaginable.

Watching the endless stream of mouthwatering food being served, Zhongli Chun’s eyes completely glazed over in sheer awe.

Du Yu picked up a thick chunk of deer leg and started tearing into it, completely ignoring the gazes of everyone else.

“It’s alright, just a bit bland,” Du Yu mumbled with his mouth full.

Zhongli Chun did not dare to move, so she sat off to the side, simply watching Du Yu devour his meal. It wasn’t until Du Yu finished gnawing the meat off a bone that Zhong Wuyan tentatively reached out toward it.

“Put it down,” Du Yu commanded.

Zhongli Chun jumped in fright and quickly let go. The bone clattered to the ground. She watched the rolling bone, her face brimming with agonizing heartache.

“From now on, no matter what, you are never allowed to eat someone else’s leftovers again. If anyone ever tries to feed you scraps, you just beat them up.” Du Yu picked up a large slab of fresh meat and handed it directly to Zhongli Chun. “This is what you should be eating.”

Just as he spoke, a stray dog sneaked in from the street, snatched the bone off the floor, and scurried away.

“You see? Scraps are for livestock to eat. We are humans.”

Staring at the meat in her hands, Zhongli Chun trembled with overwhelming emotion.

Was this the wondrous life of an immortal?

Mimicking Du Yu, she started taking huge, eager bites.

The meat tasted absolutely incredible, but she felt deeply anxious inside. A sense of panic gripped her heart as she wondered if this beautiful life was destined to be as fleeting as a passing dream.

“Will you…” Zhongli Chun struggled to speak, “…stay with me… forever?”

Du Yu paused. His time limit for this descent was only one single day. He would have to leave very soon.

“I…” Du Yu fell silent for a moment. “I can’t stay with you forever. After today, I have to leave. But don’t worry, I will come back to find you very soon.”

Zhongli Chun felt a sharp pang of sorrow in her chest, but she did not dare to show it. All she could do was gaze at Du Yu carefully and cautiously.

The two of them swept through the food like a violent whirlwind, clearing everything on the table until Zhongli Chun’s small stomach bulged outwards.

“Burp—” Du Yu let out a loud burp, giving Zhongli Chun a start.

“Little Zhongli! Listen!” Du Yu braced himself and let out another burp. “Burp—! This proves that you’re full!”

“Full?” Zhongli Chun looked down at her small stomach. It was bulging and did feel rather stuffed. So, she mimicked Du Yu’s actions, taking a deep breath and letting out a tiny, delicate burp.

“Hahahaha!” Du Yu burst into loud laughter. “Exactly like that! Like I told you, you’re a lot like a friend of mine. Every time she gets full, she lets out a massive burp!”

Dong Qianqiu shook her head helplessly. “Du Yu, could you please teach her some decent manners…”

Du Yu waved his hand, calling over the waiter. “Waiter, fetch the bill.”

The waiter hurried over with a face completely full of smiles. “My two esteemed guests, the bill has already been tallied. The total is seventy-seven knife coins.”

Du Yu let out a cool laugh and remarked, “Not too expensive at all.” He then reached for his bag. After patting around a few times, he froze, suddenly realizing that his bag had vanished at some unknown point.

“Eh?” Du Yu glanced around frantically. The bag that had just been resting on the table was completely gone.

“Is there a problem, guest?” The waiter smiled a very dark and meaningful smile.

Du Yu looked up at him, realizing he had probably walked right into a thieves’ inn. In these chaotic times, running into a shady tavern was a perfectly normal occurrence. Glancing at the ten-year-old Zhongli Chun beside him, Du Yu knew this was definitely not the time to start a brawl with them.

“Little Zhongli, I’m going to teach you another ultimate move,” Du Yu whispered to her softly. “If you ever finish eating and don’t have the money to pay, use this move.”

“Ultimate move?”

Du Yu slowly grabbed Zhongli Chun’s hand and roared at the top of his lungs:

“Run!”