Legend Management Bureau Chapter 81

[ … words ]

“Help…?” Du Yu froze for a moment. “Is your definition of ‘help’ the same as mine?”

“You are a very strange person,” Zhan Qisheng frowned. “Does the word ‘help’ really need an explanation?”

“You’re the strange one!” Du Yu pointed at Zhan Qisheng. “What reason do you have to help me?”

“A reason?” Zhan Qisheng rubbed his chin in slight contemplation. “Our personalities are vastly different. I was thinking that perhaps if I acted like you, I might finally understand the meaning behind Yingning’s smile…”

Du Yu stared at Zhan Qisheng in disbelief, thinking to himself, ‘Turns out he’s actually not a bad guy. At the very least, he’s much better than I imagined. Maybe… we really could become friends?’

“Just don’t use this as an excuse to steal Yingning away,” Du Yu warned.

“How tedious. Yingning has her own thoughts; she isn’t an object,” Zhan Qisheng retorted with a frown. “What kind of person do you take me for?”

“My mistake. I projected the noble intentions of a gentleman onto the petty mind of a scoundrel,” Du Yu said.

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far…” Zhan Qisheng was about to be modest when he suddenly realized something was wrong. “Wait, did you say that backwards?”

“What is it?”

“Before we talk about that, could you dispel your spell? I want to report back to the Legend Management Bureau that I am safe. They must be worried sick by now.”

“That… It would be best if Dong Qianqiu didn’t see me,” Zhan Qisheng said, looking troubled. “I am afraid it would cause an unnecessary commotion.”

“Don’t worry. My communicator this time isn’t Sister Qianqiu. This person only joined the bureau a hundred years ago, so she probably doesn’t know you at all. Besides, this legend is very special; she usually can’t even see the video feed.”

“So this is a Fog-class legend…” Zhan Qisheng muttered to himself. But he quickly realized something else and asked Du Yu, “Did you just say the communicator isn’t Dong Qianqiu?”

Zhan Qisheng truly felt like he had fallen behind the times. “Wait… Communicators can be swapped out?”

“The Legend Management Bureau probably started mass recruiting communicators after you left, since it is their only method of interfering with the legends. The requirements for communicators are lower than those for operators, so they managed to hire quite a few,” Du Yu explained. “There are over a dozen communicators now.”

“Is that so?” Zhan Qisheng nodded slightly. He then formed a strange hand seal with both hands. Before long, Du Yu felt the bizarre array surrounding him dissipate.

“Little Seven… Are you there?” Du Yu asked tentatively.

“Du Yu!!” Little Seven shrieked, a highly unusual reaction for her. “You scared me to death! I almost ran away! Why did your audio cut out? I thought you died!”

“Little Seven… If you don’t know how to chat, we don’t have to talk…” Du Yu shook his head helplessly. “You were going to run away just because I died? How terrified of taking responsibility are you?”

“Well, what else could I do? You are the only operator in the entire world. If you died, it would be a massive sin on my head.”

Du Yu offered a wry smile. ‘The only operator in the entire world?’ Little Seven could never have imagined that in this tiny wooden cabin, three people possessing the operator physique were gathered at the exact same time.

“Huh? That’s weird. How come I can see the visual feed now?” Little Seven paused in surprise. When Du Yu reappeared this time, not only was the audio back, but the video was restored as well.

“You can see me?” Du Yu was also slightly startled. He glanced at Zhan Qisheng and praised, “This divine ability of yours is pretty impressive. It can even dispel the fog?”

“I really wouldn’t know about that,” Zhan Qisheng replied, shaking his head. “I’ve never used this spell before.”

“Du Yu… Who are you talking to?” Little Seven noticed a man dressed in black sitting next to Du Yu and hesitated. “Is he someone from the legend?”

“Yes… He is a new friend I met in the legend. His name is Zhan… Zhang Mazi,” Du Yu said with a nod.

“Hmm?” Little Seven looked at the screen in confusion, noticing that the man in black had exceptionally good looks. “He’s so handsome, yet his name is Zhang Mazi? ‘Pockmarked Zhang’?”

“Does that matter? Everyone in the Zhang Family Stronghold is surnamed Zhang. There is nothing strange about being named Pockmark, right?” Du Yu snapped irritably. “You just get all energetic the moment you see a handsome man, don’t you?”

“No… It’s just that he really is good-looking.”

“Whatever… Keep staring at him then. I am leaving.” After saying that, Du Yu turned to huff out of the room.

“What are you talking about? My screen can only lock onto operators, so how could I… Huh?” Little Seven suddenly realized that her screen could actually lock onto this man called Zhang Mazi.

Du Yu suddenly remembered something as well. Sensing that this was inappropriate, he immediately came back and sat down. “Never mind, never mind. I think I’ll just stay in the room.”

Zhan Qisheng looked up at Du Yu’s string of bizarre actions. Guessing that he was probably communicating with the Legend Management Bureau, he didn’t press the matter and simply asked, “You said you needed my help. With what exactly?”

“Oh, I was just bickering with a boy-crazy girl and almost forgot about you,” Du Yu replied. “Zhang Mazi, I want you to become the bandit chief.”

“Zhang…?” Zhan Qisheng glanced around the room. “Are you talking to me?”

Du Yu quickly winked at Zhan Qisheng. “That’s right. Zhang Mazi, who else could it be but you?”

Zhan Qisheng frowned slightly, thinking to himself, ‘This person is truly unpredictable. There are so many beautiful words in this world, and Zhang is a perfectly fine surname. Yet he used some twisted logic to give me such an utterly dreadful name.’

“Right, right. I am Zhang Mazi,” Zhan Qisheng nodded in resignation before continuing, “But why do I have to become the bandit chief?”

“With a name like that, you were born to be a bandit chief!” Du Yu declared. “Zhang Mazi, the bandit chief. Just hearing it sounds like a perfect match.”

“A perfect match?” Zhan Qisheng was now feeling a bit of regret. Choosing to help this man seemed to have been a rather rash decision. He wondered if backing out now would make him look like a traitor.

“Zhang Jian asked me to become the bandit chief. However, you know my situation is a bit special, and I can’t stay here. But you are different!” Du Yu explained.

“No! I… I refuse!” Zhan Qisheng rubbed his hands together and protested, “I have always been a lone wolf. How could I possibly lead a massive horde of bandits?”

“Then you can just be a solitary and aloof bandit chief,” Du Yu said with a mischievous grin.

“You…” Zhan Qisheng frowned, completely at a loss. It seemed like the man in front of him wasn’t going to give him any room to negotiate.

“What’s wrong? Do you no longer want to know the meaning behind this brush?” Du Yu picked up the green ink brush in his hand, offering a blatant hint.

“If it weren’t for this brush, I would have turned around and walked away without hesitation,” Zhan Qisheng said through gritted teeth.

“Then I’ll take that as a yes.” Du Yu tucked the green ink brush into his waistband and assured him, “Don’t worry. If the plan goes smoothly, you only need to be the bandit chief for three days. If it doesn’t, well, you might just have to stick with the job indefinitely.”

“A plan?” Zhan Qisheng had not expected there to be another layer to this. “Let’s hear it.”

Du Yu nodded. “Sure… But before we discuss the plan…”

He winked furiously at Zhan Qisheng, then mouthed the words: “Cut the connection.”

Zhan Qisheng understood perfectly. He immediately formed a subtle hand seal and silently chanted a spell. In just a split second, the Legend Management Bureau lost their video feed once again.

“Huh?” Little Seven had been staring dazedly at Zhang Mazi’s handsome face when the screen unexpectedly went black. Startled, she frantically smacked the monitor. “Why is it broken again…? This piece of junk really needs repairs.”

“Zhan Qisheng, my ultimate goal obviously isn’t for you to become the chieftain of the Zhang Family Stronghold forever. I just need to borrow your abilities,” Du Yu explained. “The Zhang Family Stronghold needs to transition. If they continue on as they are now, they will inevitably be wiped out by the imperial court.”

“I understand your reasoning, but what I don’t understand is why you are going through so much trouble for these people?” Zhan Qisheng asked in confusion. “Isn’t it enough to just ensure that Zhang Jian ascends to become the Jade Emperor?”

“Perhaps that is the difference between us,” Du Yu noted. “Although Zhang Jian is important, I also value every single person in this legend. Any action I take has the potential to alter their final destinies. Since that is the case, I want everyone to have a better ending, rather than dying because of me.”

“Now I somewhat understand… why I didn’t want to kill you last time,” Zhan Qisheng said with a slight nod. “So, what is your plan?”

“I’m planning to split up the stronghold,” Du Yu stated, flashing a devious grin.

“Split it up?!”

“Zhan Qisheng, I’ll brief you on the plan, and then I’ll need your help tracking down two people. Tomorrow at noon, we’ll execute the plan in the stronghold’s central plaza.”

…

Du Yu slowly walked up to Zhang Jian’s door and gave it a knock.

“Is that you, Sir? Please, come in,” Zhang Jian called out.

Du Yu entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Boss, I’ve told you countless times, stop calling me Sir.”

Zhang Jian smiled and waved a hand. “Please do not take offense, Sir. You possess qualities worthy of my learning, so naturally, you are my teacher.”

Du Yu sighed helplessly, resigning himself to the title, and asked, “Boss, what did you call me over for this time?”

“Sir, if you hadn’t been here today, I’m afraid I would have already lost my life,” Zhang Jian said hesitantly. “I know I shouldn’t be making any more unreasonable requests, but now that Zhang Qian has been apprehended, there is no one left to take charge of the stronghold. Only if you agree to take my position can I leave with peace of mind.”

“Actually… that’s not true,” Du Yu replied. “Boss, your perspective is a bit too narrow.”

“Too narrow?” Zhang Jian raised an eyebrow. “Could it be that you have a better idea, Sir?”

“Exactly.” Du Yu patted his chest confidently and proclaimed, “Just leave this matter to me.”

“But… Sir, could you at least give me a general idea of what you intend to do, just so I can have some peace of mind?”

“How should I put this…” Du Yu started. “In short, we are going to implement comprehensive remodeling, comprehensive upgrading, and comprehensive innovation; followed by in-depth development, in-depth reinforcement, and in-depth management; then we will advance steadily, build a solid foundation, and seek victory through stability; ultimately culminating in a harmonious, unified, and innovative humanistic stronghold environment.”

Zhang Jian blinked. He felt like he understood, yet at the same time, he didn’t grasp a single thing.

“Your words, Sir… are truly profound…”