Legend Management Bureau Chapter 28

[ … words ]

“Where are we going next? To the river to bathe? To eat something delicious? Or to rob some money?” Zhongli Chun’s excitement was completely uncontainable, and she kept trying to strike up a conversation with Du Yu.

Watching her joyful demeanor, Du Yu was deeply infected by her mood.

“Little Zhongli, how about… we go home?” Du Yu asked.

Du Yu remembered that according to the legends, after Zhongli Chun finished her studies at Ghost Valley Mountain, she had remained an unmarried woman living at home. Sending her back now was the wisest move, even if it might take a bit of effort.

“Home? What is a home?” Zhongli Chun asked.

“I mean… sending you back to your mother and your stepfather.”

Zhongli Chun froze slightly upon hearing those words, as if carefully recalling something. Her expression quickly turned cold and stern. Those dusty, sealed memories all came rushing back—the dark days of living with pigs and eating rotten food.

“The first time we met, you rescued me. Now, are you going to send me back?” Zhongli Chun murmured. “Although it makes me sad, if this is your decision, I am willing to go back.”

“Huh?” Du Yu hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, no, you misunderstood! Little Zhongli, I’m not sending you back to the pigpen! This time when you go back, no one will be allowed to bully you! Not only have you learned great skills, but you’ve also achieved a half-immortal physique. No one will ever dare to bully you again!”

“I am.” Du Yu nodded. “Even if they really try to bully you, I would never allow it!”

It took the two of them nearly a full day to finally return to Wuyan City. Fortunately, Zhongli Chun still remembered the way from all those years ago.

From a distance, Zhongli Chun spotted the small river; it held her most beautiful memories from the past ten years.

Under the setting sun, they walked along the riverbank and all the way into the city. Zhongli Chun had blossomed into a stunningly beautiful young woman, and men and women, young and old alike on the streets, all stopped to gaze at her.

After all, Zhongli Chun’s face was truly breathtaking, even if she was unusually tall.

The two arrived at the site of Zhongli Chun’s past heartbreak. They had intended to have a servant go in and announce their arrival, but unexpectedly, the entrance was completely deserted. Although the courtyard was brightly lit, not a single servant was in sight.

“Strange, where did everyone go?”

“There is movement.” Zhongli Chun pointed toward the main hall. “Over there.”

“Oh?” Du Yu hadn’t heard a thing, but since Zhongli Chun said so, she definitely wasn’t lying.

“Let’s go take a look.”

The two slowly walked to the main hall. Inside, it was packed with people. As Du Yu pushed the door open, the clamor from within immediately spilled out.

Looking closely, a crowd of male servants and maids were gathered around like they were watching a play. In the center of the crowd was a fragile young woman, kneeling on the ground wearing nothing but her undergarments. She was covered in injuries and wore a look of absolute despair.

Standing next to the girl was a middle-aged woman. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Zhongli Chun’s biological mother, Lady Hua, who had aged significantly. She wielded a rattan cane, mercilessly lashing the frail woman over and over again.

“I’ll teach you to be such a slut!” Lady Hua cursed. “You want to fly up to the branches and become a phoenix, don’t you? You want to kick me down, don’t you?!”

The cane rained down, striking the young woman’s body.

Du Yu peered closer and noticed Zhongli Chun’s adoptive father, the wretched scholar-official, sitting in the seat of honor in the main hall, coldly watching the spectacle.

“You think you have a bit of beauty, so you act this shamelessly? Fine, today I’ll let everyone see, let them all look at your filthy body!” Lady Hua snarled as she lunged forward to tear away the girl’s remaining undergarments. The young woman hugged herself tightly, barely preventing Lady Hua from succeeding.

“I knew it. This Little Xia looks just like a vixen,” a maid standing near Du Yu sneered. “Who knows how many men she’s seduced.”

“Exactly!” another maid chimed in. “So what if she’s pretty? She’s still just a maid like the rest of us!”

Du Yu glanced at the male servants nearby. Their faces were flushed red as they stared unblinkingly at the body of the maid named Little Xia. It was as if whatever mistake she had made didn’t matter to them in the slightest; they only hoped the Madam would hit her harder, eagerly waiting for the moment Little Xia was stripped bare.

“Speak!” Lady Hua viciously jabbed her finger at Little Xia’s forehead. “Are you mute?”

Little Xia raised her head and weakly replied, “Madam, I am truly innocent.”

“Innocent?!” Lady Hua seemed to lose her mind. She grabbed Little Xia by the hair, viciously slapped her twice across the face, and then threw her to the ground.

Little Xia let out a muffled groan as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

She slowly lifted her head, her eyes staring in despair at the scholar-official seated in the main chair. “Master, tell the truth. Did I seduce you, or did you force yourself on me?!”

“Force myself on you?” The official scoffed, curling his lip. “What a joke. With my status, what kind of woman can’t I have? Why would I ever force myself on you?”

Du Yu snorted coldly and muttered, “Scum. Ten years ago, I saw you harassing a maid with my own eyes. This girl named Little Xia really is unlucky to have run into you two.”

Little Xia silently stood up and wiped the blood from her mouth.

“Although I do not come from a noble family, I was taught proper morals from a young age and would never commit such shameful acts. Now that Madam has falsely accused me of adultery, I am powerless to resist. I can only prove my innocence with death.”

Before anyone could react, Little Xia lunged forward, throwing herself violently toward a wooden pillar.

“Bang!”

A loud crash echoed out, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

A tall woman had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, extending a fair hand to block the space between Little Xia and the pillar.

Zhongli Chun frowned. ‘This girl really threw herself at it with all her might,’ she thought. Even with her knuckles pressed against the pillar, the impact stung. If she hadn’t blocked that blow, this girl would have undoubtedly died.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa??” Du Yu was stunned. “Little Zhongli, when did you dash out there?!”

“Is it worth it?” Zhongli Chun asked Little Xia.

Little Xia was a bit dizzy. Although she had crashed headfirst into a palm, she was still feeling quite disoriented.

“Who are you…?”

“Ah? Who goes there?!” The official abruptly sat upright. “Trespassing into a government official’s residence at night is a capital offense!”

Several guards carrying wooden cudgels came running over.

The official took a good look at Zhongli Chun, flashed a wicked smile, and ordered, “Wait, wait! Capture this one alive for me!”

Lady Hua stared at the tall woman before her. She felt she looked somewhat familiar, but simply couldn’t recall who she was.

Zhongli Chun swept her cold gaze over the guards, a trace of disdain flashing across her face.

One of the guards let out a battle cry and swung his wooden cudgel at her. Zhongli Chun didn’t even bother to dodge; she merely extended two fingers and lightly flicked them. The moment the solid wood touched her fingers, it snapped clean in half, and the guard was sent flying straight back. The boundless divine strength unleashed by a mere flick of her fingers completely astounded everyone present, and not a single guard dared to step forward again.

“The old man told me that unless it’s absolutely necessary, I shouldn’t take a life.” Zhongli Chun glanced around the room. “But if anyone else wants to fight, I won’t hold back anymore.”

“Wait! It’s a misunderstanding!” Du Yu raised his hand and jumped out from the crowd. “We’re all family! There’s no need to fight!”

“Ah Wu?!?!” A heart-wrenching shout suddenly rang out. A large man burst from the crowd. Du Yu looked over and realized it was his big brother, Ah Da. He was no longer in his prime, and his face had aged considerably.

“Big brother?!” Du Yu called out.

Ah Da rushed up and planted a firm kick right on Du Yu’s rear, eliciting a loud yelp from him.

“Where the hell have you been for the past twenty years?!” Ah Da demanded, his voice thick with worry. “Do you know how long I’ve been asking around for news of you?! You little punk… why haven’t you changed at all in the past two decades?”

“Hey! Don’t worry, big brother, I came back just to explain everything!” Du Yu smiled and nodded at the bewildered crowd, then turned back to Lady Hua. “Madam, for the past twenty years, I’ve been with the Young Lady at Ghost Valley Mountain! Today, she has finished her studies under Master Ghost Valley and descended the mountain. Not only is she well-versed in politics, military strategy, and diplomacy, but her martial arts are also extraordinary!”

“Young Lady?!” The servants exchanged confused glances. Wasn’t it rumored that the master had always been childless? Where did this Young Lady come from?

“Ah!” A few older servants suddenly remembered. Who said this family didn’t have a Young Lady?

“The pig…!” Someone almost shouted out, but suddenly choked the words back. Shouting that out at this moment would be asking for death.

Though no one spoke it aloud, all the servants seemed to recall those repressed memories, yet not a single soul dared to mention it.

“Is it really the Young Lady who has returned…?” one of the servants whispered.

The most spectacular expressions belonged to the master and Lady Hua. Lady Hua initially forced a joyful look onto her face, then picked up a handkerchief to pretend to wipe away tears. Ironically, her other hand still gripped the bloody rattan cane.

She had assumed the wild child she abandoned on the mountain had died long ago. She never expected her to suddenly return today.

“You are that child surnamed Zhongli…” The official slowly stood up as well. His gaze was complicated, a mix of disbelief and a lingering trace of lechery.

Lady Hua quickly ran to her husband’s side and whispered, “Master, back when we sent this girl up the mountain, you were immediately promoted. Do you think everything the Queen Mother of the West said was actually true?”

“Hmph, there’s no such thing as the Queen Mother of the West in this world.” Although the master said this aloud, his heart was pounding. The very day after they had sent Zhongli Chun away twenty years ago, he had been promoted by King Wei of Qi. His household had been safe and prosperous for decades, and he had been able to do whatever he pleased. When it came to matters of ghosts and deities, it was better to believe they existed than to assume they didn’t.

“Madam… not to lecture you or anything…” Du Yu walked over to Lady Hua. “Today is a day of great joy with the Young Lady’s return. How could you be beating and scolding a servant here in the main hall?”

“Ah… I…” Lady Hua’s expression shifted continuously before she finally flared up in anger. “I didn’t want to! But this little slut was seducing the Master!”

“Enough.” Zhongli Chun said coldly. “From today onward, this maid will follow me. No one is allowed to bully her.”

Zhongli Chun turned her head to look at Little Xia and asked, “What is your name?”

“My surname is Xia… I don’t have a given name…” Little Xia replied timidly.

“Of the Xia family?” Zhongli Chun nodded, committing it to memory.

The many servants watched in awe. Had Little Xia really just transformed into the Young Lady’s personal maid in the blink of an eye?! Many turned to look at Lady Hua, unsure of how she would handle the situation.

Although Lady Hua felt utterly humiliated, Zhongli Chun’s aura was truly extraordinary. Her eyes held not a shred of emotion, and her entire being exuded a faint, unmistakable killing intent.

“This… this…” Lady Hua stammered for a long time before finally saying, “Since the Young Lady favors you, I shall spare your life… But the Young Lady’s personal maid cannot go without a name. I will bestow one upon you.”

Lady Hua thought it over quickly; she needed to curry favor with this “long-lost” daughter of hers immediately.

Thus, she announced, “You shall be called ‘Yingchun’—Welcoming Spring. Let today’s farce be taken as ‘welcoming Chun’s return’.”

“Huh?!” Du Yu’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Xia Yingchun?!”

“Ah Wu, what’s wrong?” Ah Da asked from beside him.

Du Yu thought to himself, ‘This is bad.’ Since ancient times, there had been a famous saying: ‘When in trouble, seek Zhong Wuyan; when in peace, seek Xia Yingchun.’ Legend had it that both Zhong Wuyan and Xia Yingchun were women of King Xuan of Qi. Whenever the State of Qi was in danger, King Xuan would ask Zhong Wuyan to solve the crisis. But the moment the kingdom was at peace, he would spend his nights partying and singing with Xia Yingchun. This Xia Yingchun was fated to be Zhongli Chun’s number one rival!

Even if you didn’t learn this stuff in history books, they definitely showed it in TV dramas!

But what could he do?

This was history itself; he couldn’t change it.

The master and Lady Hua arranged a highly elegant room for Zhongli Chun. Naturally, the conditions here were leagues above the pigpen, and even the bamboo hut on Ghost Valley Mountain couldn’t compare to such refinement.

Xia Yingchun became Zhongli Chun’s personal maid. “Ah Wu,” having merit in accompanying the Young Lady during her studies, was appointed as her guard.

When the three of them returned to her room, Zhongli Chun’s expression was difficult to read. It was as if she didn’t quite know what she was doing. Her gaze lacked purpose or direction, though she would frequently steal glances at Du Yu.

“Young Lady.” After entering the room, Xia Yingchun slowly knelt down. “First and foremost, Yingchun wishes to thank you for saving my life.”

Du Yu and Zhongli Chun were taken aback, unsure of what Xia Yingchun meant by this.

But Zhongli Chun quickly waved her hand and said, “There’s no need. I simply felt that you were very much like the me from back then, beaten by everyone in this household. I couldn’t bear to watch you die.”

“Regardless, Yingchun will do everything in my power to repay you for saving my life. Furthermore, please allow me to solemnly decline becoming your personal maid.”

Xia Yingchun kowtowed deeply, her forehead touching the floor, her tone filled with profound sorrow.

Du Yu blinked in surprise. ‘Wait, isn’t Xia Yingchun recorded in history as a notorious two-faced schemer?’ he thought. ‘Why does she seem so polite, humble, and grateful?’

“Decline? Why?” Zhongli Chun asked.

“Because Yingchun harbors a deep-seated hatred toward the Master and Madam, and I fear that would be disrespectful to the Young Lady. Although I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace, I absolutely cannot serve you with such resentment in my heart. I will depart from this estate and burn three sticks of incense every day, praying for your well-being day and night.”

“If that’s the case, I don’t mind.” Zhongli Chun declared. “I also harbor a deep-seated hatred for them. From now on, you will follow me, and there’s no need for you to respect them anymore.”

“Eh?” Xia Yingchun froze, entirely caught off guard by the unexpected answer.

“Little Xia, you can get up now.” Du Yu couldn’t bear to watch anymore. “Even though you… sigh, I know you were definitely falsely accused this time. I know exactly what kind of scum that master is.”

“You two…” Xia Yingchun shed tears of gratitude. She fiercely slammed her head against the ground in another kowtow, so hard that her forehead began to bleed. “Yingchun will never forget this immense kindness for as long as I live…”

“If you don’t like the name ‘Yingchun,’ you don’t have to use it,” Zhongli Chun said flatly, her eyes roaming over the room’s decorations.

“No.” Xia Yingchun raised her head and looked at Zhongli Chun with utmost sincerity. “From this moment on, Yingchun’s life belongs to you, Young Lady. I will live the rest of my days solely for you.”