Legend Management Bureau Chapter 25

[ … words ]

“Madam Hua, what I am about to say is of the utmost importance. You must listen closely,” Dong Qianqiu continued, still speaking in the majestic tone of the Queen Mother of the West.

“Please speak, Your Majesty! As long as it is within my power, I will do my absolute best!”

“Your daughter, Zhongli Chun, will one day become a crucial figure whose fame will echo across the Seven States. You absolutely must not raise her in a pigsty, otherwise, you will undoubtedly suffer the wrath of heaven.”

“The wrath of heaven?!” Madam Hua hurriedly kowtowed. “I wouldn’t dare! I will never dare do such a thing again!”

“Zhongli Chun is sleeping outdoors by the river outside the city tonight. You need to send someone to find her as quickly as possible and escort her to Mount Guigu to take Master Guigu as her teacher. Years from now, she is destined to become a world-renowned figure.”

“I… I understand…” Madam Hua whispered as she knelt on the ground.

“Du Yu, is this good enough?” Dong Qianqiu asked upon seeing Madam Hua’s compliance.

Du Yu carefully observed Madam Hua’s expression and felt that something was amiss. That look didn’t seem like acceptance; it looked like hesitation.

“No, Sister Qianqiu, this woman is even more sinister than I imagined. Right now, she probably isn’t thinking about how to send Zhongli Chun to Mount Guigu, but rather whether Zhongli Chun will seek revenge against her after becoming famous. Even though I know Zhongli Chun wouldn’t stoop to doing that, it’s a completely different story in this woman’s mind.”

“This woman didn’t hesitate to throw her daughter into a pigpen just so she could live a life of luxury. I cannot trust her. Sister Qianqiu, let’s continue. I have a few more words for her.”

Dong Qianqiu nodded. Thus, Du Yu spoke a sentence, and she parroted it perfectly.

“Madam Hua, your heart harbors wicked intentions.”

“Ah?!” Hearing the Queen Mother of the West say this, Madam Hua was frightened into shivering on her knees. “I wouldn’t dare! I truly wouldn’t dare!”

“I will make a wager with you. If you do not find Zhongli Chun in the shortest time possible and send her up Mount Guigu, not only will your current husband be immediately stripped of his status and reduced to a commoner, but you will also spend the rest of your life in a pigsty. You will be accompanied by swine all day long, covered in an unbearable stench, until you grow old and starve to death. In the future, you will also…”

Du Yu grew more energized as he spoke. “In the future, you will also be cast into the eighteen levels of hell! You will experience every single level, spending one hundred and eight thousand years in each, and you will never be reincarnated! Every ghost in hell will beat you up the moment they see you! They will beat you one hundred and eight thousand times a year! Sister Qianqiu, hurry up and say it!”

“Du Yu… This sounds a bit like a street curse… It’s not very appropriate…” Dong Qianqiu said, feeling troubled.

Du Yu thought about it and realized she was right. He had gotten carried away and just started cursing the woman.

“I will not waste any more words. Conduct yourself accordingly,” Dong Qianqiu declared.

“Yes… yes… I will definitely obey…” the woman choked out, sounding genuinely terrified.

“That should do it. This woman is thoroughly spooked. To her, promising that her daughter will be world-famous isn’t nearly as effective as threatening her with a restless remainder of her life.”

…

Du Yu opened his eyes and saw Dong Qianqiu beside him. She was carefully unplugging various tubes from his body.

“Did everything go smoothly?” Du Yu asked.

“It went well enough.” Dong Qianqiu nodded. “The staff are already conducting an accelerated observation. The very next day, Madam Hua found Zhongli Chun and set off for Mount Guigu.”

“Good heavens, your observation machine can even fast-forward?” Du Yu asked.

“Of course, otherwise how could you descend multiple times throughout the several decades of her life?”

“Good point.”

Du Yu stood up, rolling his neck, and asked as he walked toward the monitor, “What happened next? Was Zhongli successful in her apprenticeship?”

“See for yourself. To put it simply, there was a minor hiccup.”

Du Yu sat down in front of the screen. Zhongli Chun’s figure appeared on the monitor as a group of men dressed as servants escorted her up a mist-shrouded mountain.

At the peak of the mountain were a few small huts built from bamboo. Seeing that they had reached their destination, the servants immediately turned around and left, leaving Zhongli Chun standing there all alone.

Zhongli Chun paid no mind to the departing servants and walked straight toward the bamboo huts. At the doorway of one of the huts, two young men were deep in a theoretical military discussion.

“Senior Brother Pang, your strategy to cut off the enemy’s food supply is truly brilliant, but…” The younger man picked up a chess piece and placed it on the map. “Suppose I abandon my supplies, launch a night raid from three different directions, and capture this city. What would you do then?”

The man addressed as Senior Brother Pang looked at the map, a hint of displeasure appearing on his face. “You have quite the calculating mind, Junior Brother Sun. It’s as if you have seen right through all my troop movements.”

“What are you saying, Senior Brother Pang? Your command of troops is truly masterful. It’s just that, since we are fellow disciples, I am sometimes able to anticipate your thoughts.”

“Hmph.” Senior Brother Pang snorted coldly and tossed his chess piece aside. “Enough of this. Let’s drop it.”

Junior Brother Sun chuckled. He was just about to put away the map and chess pieces when a delicate face suddenly leaned in from the side, staring intently at him and eerily uttering a few words:

“Master Ghost Dog?”

“Good grief!” Junior Brother Sun cried out in fright, and even Senior Brother Pang nearly tumbled to the ground. “Who are you?!”

The two men scrambled to their feet. Realizing that the person standing before them was an exceptionally beautiful young woman, they couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

“Miss… who… who exactly are you?”

Zhongli Chun didn’t answer. She looked at Senior Brother Pang and asked, “Are you Master Ghost Dog?”

“Is this girl looking for a dog…?” Senior Brother Pang muttered, perplexed. “She looks like an idiot. Let’s just chase her off the mountain.”

“We can’t do that.” Junior Brother Sun hurriedly waved his hands. “It will be dark soon. It is far too dangerous for a young woman to go down the mountain all alone.”

“Senior Brothers, what is the matter?” Hearing the commotion outside, two slender youths walked out from the hut. At a glance, they noticed the extraordinarily poised Zhongli Chun.

“Wow, what a beautiful girl,” one of the youths said as he looked at her.

“Just a lunatic who wandered in,” Senior Brother Pang grumbled testily.

“Don’t speak nonsense, Senior Brother! Junior Brother Su, Junior Brother Zhang, go and inform Master first!” the young man surnamed Sun ordered. He then walked up to Zhongli Chun, bowed slightly, and spoke in a gentle tone, “Miss, my name is Sun Bin. This is my senior brother, Pang Juan, and behind us are our junior brothers, Su Qin and Zhang Yi. May I ask for your esteemed name?”

Du Yu, who was drinking water, nodded silently.

“Sun Bin, Pang Juan? So when Zhongli Chun went up the mountain, these two hadn’t finished their apprenticeships yet?”

Dong Qianqiu remarked from the side, “That is correct. Master Guigu’s four disciples are Pang Juan, Sun Bin, Su Qin, and Zhang Yi. Every single one of them became a world-renowned figure during the Warring States period.”

“I feel a bit ashamed for not studying history properly. Isn’t Pang Juan the one who had Sun Bin’s kneecaps removed? Now that I think about it, it was actually fellow disciples brutally turning on each other…” Du Yu said.

“Not only that, but Su Qin and Zhang Yi were also fierce political rivals,” Dong Qianqiu said meaningfully.

“So that means Master Guigu’s disciples were not united at all,” Du Yu replied. He thought for a moment before asking, “Su Qin and Zhang Yi… I haven’t really heard much about them. What exactly did they do?”

“Du Yu… I heard that you mortals have to take exams when you study history… How much did you usually score?”

Du Yu smiled awkwardly. “Sister Qianqiu, you’re putting me on the spot here… Let’s just say that I stopped having history as a subject in my first year of high school. As for middle school… my highest score was just over twenty points shy of a passing grade.”

Dong Qianqiu let out a helpless sigh. Flipping through the documents in her hands, she said, “Then I suppose I’ll have to tell you… Su Qin and Zhang Yi’s most famous achievements involve the strategies of Horizontal and Vertical Alliances. During the State of Qin’s peak period of dominance, it once suffered a crisis that nearly led to its annihilation. On the exact same day, the other six major states mobilized their armies to attack Qin. In history, this is known as the Vertical Alliance of the Six States.”

“The Vertical Alliance of the Six States?” Du Yu was a bit surprised. “Why did all six of them simultaneously join forces to attack Qin? Did they all get along that well?”

“Naturally, their relationships weren’t that good. This is where we must mention Su Qin. Relying on his power of persuasion alone, Su Qin convinced all six states, bore the prime minister seals of all six states, and commanded their military tallies. In other words, he single-handedly served as the Prime Minister of six different nations on the very same day,” Dong Qianqiu continued. “Therefore, the simultaneous military campaign of the six states was entirely under Su Qin’s orders. This was the strategy he learned from Master Guigu—the art of the Vertical Alliance.”

“That’s incredible… but wait, that doesn’t make sense…” Du Yu pondered and said, “If that was the case, why wasn’t the State of Qin wiped out?”

“The reason Qin wasn’t annihilated was because, right before the Vertical Alliance struck, Qin had just recruited a strategist named Zhang Yi. Using ingenious troop deployments, he successfully defended the borders, and he also offered multiple strategies to sow discord and fracture the alliance. He even allied with several states that had broken away from the alliance, turning them against Su Qin. This was the strategy he learned from Master Guigu—the art of the Horizontal Alliance.”

“Vertical Alliance… Horizontal Alliance?” Du Yu silently muttered to himself. Such formidable figures were merely Master Guigu’s disciples?

“The world evaluates these two men with a simple phrase: Unrivaled Across the Realm. Relying solely on the strength of two individuals, they were able to shake the entire geopolitical landscape of the Warring States period.” Dong Qianqiu adjusted her glasses and said, “Therefore, Master Guigu, Su Qin, and Zhang Yi are also known as the School of Diplomacy. There are many legends about them. Because of this, you must be even more cautious on this mission. You cannot only focus on Zhongli Chun.”

“Suddenly, this feels a bit tricky…” Du Yu muttered, staring at the screen. On the monitor, Zhongli Chun spoke up.

“I am Zhongli from Wuyan. I am looking for Master Ghost Dog to become his apprentice.”

The four men were a bit dazed after hearing this.

Master Ghost Dog? Could she mean their master, Master Guigu?

Just as everyone was at a loss for what to do, an elderly man holding a wine gourd slowly walked out from the hut.

Although this old man was advanced in years, his eyes were exceptionally bright. He swept his gaze around the area before his eyes settled on Zhongli Chun.

“Little girl, are you looking for this old man?”

“Are you Master Ghost Dog?”

“I am Wang Xu. Because I reside within this Ghost Valley, the people of the world also refer to me as Master Guigu.”

“That’s right.” Zhongli Chun seemed to remember something. She nodded and said, “It’s Master Guigu, not Master Ghost Dog.”

Pang Juan quickly walked up to Master Guigu and said, “Master, don’t you think this girl has lost her mind?”

Master Guigu didn’t reply. Instead, he extended his right hand, pinching his fingers to perform a divination. A profound expression appeared on his face. “Born with an incomplete soul, destined for a turbulent life. She has the potential to become a peerless talent, but also the potential to become a vicious bandit.”

Upon hearing this, Du Yu hurriedly nodded and said, “This Master Guigu is truly unfathomable. He only took one look and instantly knew what was wrong with Zhongli Chun.”

Dong Qianqiu also nodded. “There are many capable and extraordinary people in this world. You will see even more of them in the legends to come.”

Master Guigu slowly walked over to Zhongli Chun and asked her, “Little girl, let me ask you, why do you wish to take me as your master?”

Zhongli Chun thought about it, then shook her head and said, “I don’t know.”

“Oh?” Master Guigu was intrigued. He continued asking, “If you learn these skills, what will you do with them?”

Zhongli Chun shook her head again. “I don’t know.”

Master Guigu pondered for a moment before saying, “If that is the case, I cannot accept you as my disciple.”

“You won’t accept me? On what grounds?” Zhongli Chun glared at Master Guigu, a fierce expression on her face.

“On the grounds that you have absolutely no idea where you are going or what you want to do.” Master Guigu smiled profoundly and said, “Little girl from Wuyan, I will not accept you, nor will I send you down the mountain. You may seek enlightenment on your own. If you figure out what it is you truly desire, come and see me. If you fail to find the answer, then you can spend the rest of your days growing old on this mountain.”

After speaking, Master Guigu led his disciples into the hut.

Zhongli Chun stared blankly at the sky.

‘That’s right, why exactly did I come to this valley?’

Dong Qianqiu pressed the fast-forward button and said, “Zhongli Chun’s meditation lasted for a full six months. Even though they lived on the same mountain, it was as if Master Guigu and his disciples couldn’t see her. They had absolutely no interaction.”

Du Yu felt a bit worried and said, “I really can’t imagine what Zhongli Chun could possibly want, either.”

“For her, this is a very difficult question,” Dong Qianqiu said. “Among the three ethereal and seven corporeal souls, one of the corporeal souls governs desire. Zhongli Chun was born lacking this very soul.”

“Then what happened in the end?” Du Yu asked. “What is it that Zhongli Chun wanted?”

Dong Qianqiu’s expression turned slightly sorrowful. She pressed the fast-forward button again and said, “It’s you.”

“Me?!”

Dong Qianqiu gave a slight nod. “The only thing Zhongli Chun realized after six months of meditation was that she wants to see you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she tapped the screen, and Zhongli Chun’s voice rang out: “Old man, I figured it out.”

“Good. Speak, and let this old man hear it.” Master Guigu was already waiting outside the door for Zhongli Chun, as if he had calculated the exact time.

“I want to see someone. He told me that as long as I learn my skills here, I will definitely be able to see him again,” Zhongli Chun slowly said.

After hearing this, Master Guigu’s expression turned exceptionally strange. He first took a deep breath, then pinched his fingers to divine the matter, before repeatedly furrowing his brows.

“Master, what’s wrong?” Sun Bin asked from the side.

“This is truly bizarre.” Master Guigu’s face was filled with confusion. “According to the hexagrams, this Wuyan girl’s ambition should be to pacify the State of Qi. Yet now, she has given me a completely different answer. It is highly unusual… My divinations are very rarely wrong.”

Zhongli Chun remained expressionless.

‘Pacify the State of Qi? What does the State of Qi have to do with me?’

“Then, Master, what is your decision? Junior Sister has already lived in the woods on this mountain for six months. It has been hard enough on her,” Sun Bin said, his heart aching slightly. “Just let Junior Sister join our sect.”

“I must think this through carefully. After all, your junior sister she…” The moment the words left his mouth, Master Guigu felt that something wasn’t quite right.

“Wuyan! Quickly thank Master!” Sun Bin shouted loudly. “He acknowledged that you’re my junior sister!”

Zhongli Chun hadn’t yet processed what was going on, but it sounded like this guy named Sun Bin had played a clever little trick.

“Oh, you rascal, you dare play tricks on this old man?!” Master Guigu, fuming with anger, grabbed his wine gourd and hurled it at Sun Bin.

“Master, you’re the one who taught me that all warfare is based on deception!” Sun Bin shouted as he dodged the flying gourd.

A heavy stone finally lifted from Zhongli Chun’s heart. She kowtowed deeply against the ground:

“Disciple greets Master.”