Legend Management Bureau Chapter 82

[ … words ]

At noon the next day, every member of the Zhang Family Stronghold received an order. With the exception of the heavily injured, everyone was to gather at the central plaza immediately. The stronghold leader, Zhang Jian, had an important announcement to make.

The remaining bandits of the stronghold were now divided into two factions. One group consisted of those who had always been fiercely loyal to Zhang Jian; upon hearing his summons, they hurried over without delay. The other group was made up of those who had previously joined Zhang Qian’s camp. Now fraught with anxiety, they wouldn’t dare tarry after hearing the order.

As the bandits gradually gathered, they realized that three people were already standing there.

One was Zhang Jian, another was Zhang Zhen, and the last was the black-robed immortal with astonishing cultivation who had shown himself the day before.

“Is just about everyone here?” Du Yu turned his head and asked Zhang Jian.

“They are, sir.” Zhang Jian glanced around and nodded.

“Then let us begin,” Du Yu said with a faint smile.

Zhang Jian looked troubled. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Sir… is the plan you proposed truly feasible?”

“Rest assured,” Du Yu declared confidently.

“Brothers, I have gathered you all here today because I have an important announcement to make.”

The noisy crowd instantly quieted down the moment Zhang Jian spoke.

“I’m sure that after yesterday’s battle, everyone understands our reality. As bandits, we are outlaws. Over two hundred of our men perished in a single night, yet we don’t even have the right to report it to the authorities. If things continue like this, it won’t be long before all my brothers, whom I love as my own flesh and blood, slowly meet the same fate.”

Zhang Jian deliberately emphasized the words “flesh and blood” as he looked out at the crowd in the plaza.

Many of the bandits couldn’t help but feel moved by his words. They had to admit that ever since they joined the stronghold, Zhang Jian had always treated them with great care and consideration. Meanwhile, those who had joined Zhang Qian’s mutiny hung their heads in overwhelming shame.

Compared to Zhang Qian, who had forced them to risk their lives in a rebellion, Zhang Jian’s words were overflowing with benevolence and righteousness.

“Therefore, I believe that if we continue being bandits, none of us will meet a good end.” Zhang Jian paused before continuing, “Originally, I wanted to lead everyone to join the army. However, Zhang Zhen’s words reminded me of something crucial. We are a massive organization; no matter where we go, we will be an unsettling presence. We might want to join the army, but the imperial court would only think we are plotting a rebellion.”

The crowd in the plaza nodded slightly, seemingly understanding the logic.

“So I’ve decided that if we want to survive, our only option is to go our separate ways,” Zhang Jian declared, enunciating every word.

“Separate?!” The once-quiet plaza instantly erupted into a chaotic clamor.

“Chief… do you want us to set up our own factions?” someone asked.

“Separating is only the first step. The second step is to change our profession,” Zhang Jian added.

“Change our profession?”

The bandits whispered among themselves. After a long while, someone finally spoke up, “Chief… we’re just bandits. We don’t know how to do anything besides robbing homes and plundering travelers. How can we just change professions on a whim?”

Zhang Jian pondered in a difficult spot, then glanced at Du Yu.

“Who said you don’t know anything besides robbing and plundering?” Du Yu suddenly spoke up, stepping forward.

“Then what else can we do?”

“You also know Five Elements magic,” Du Yu said with a faint smile.

As soon as these words were spoken, the bandits were taken aback.

“Five Elements magic?!”

Did that even count as a skill?

“Zhang Zhen, knowing Five Elements magic is as natural as a toddler walking or an adult running. How can that be a way to make a living?” the crowd asked, looking at Du Yu in confusion.

“That is where you are mistaken. Right now, the world is abundant with spiritual energy, making learning Five Elements magic as easy as eating and drinking. But hundreds or thousands of years from now, the world’s spiritual energy will gradually deplete. The landscape of the world will drastically change. The mortal population will surge, and those who know magic will become fewer and fewer. By the time an era three thousand years in the future arrives, technological development will be incredibly rapid, but it will be entirely impossible for anyone to become an immortal.”

The crowd fell utterly silent at his words.

What an absurd claim!

The idea that the world’s spiritual energy would gradually vanish sounded just as ridiculous to these bandits of the Shang and Zhou dynasties as a modern person hearing that the earth would never produce another grain of rice.

“Zhang Zhen, stop spouting nonsense!” some bandits complained in dissatisfaction. “You say the spiritual energy will disappear, and it just disappears?”

“I know you naturally wouldn’t believe me.” Du Yu curled his lip and pointed at Zhan Qisheng beside him. “This friend of mine is different from you. He cultivates Time magic, not the Five Elements. In other words, he can freely travel to any point in time, whether it be the past or the future. Let him explain it to you.”

Zhan Qisheng had never spoken in front of so many people before and couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. Only after Du Yu glared at him a few times did he slowly speak up. “This Brother Du… Zhang Zhen is right. Before long, the spiritual energy of the world will diminish, making it very difficult to cultivate magic.”

The bandits turned their heads to stare at Zhan Qisheng, their expressions incredibly complex.

A hot-tempered man with a scar on his face suddenly yelled, “Are you trying to fool a bunch of kids?! Just because Zhang Zhen says you know Time magic means you know Time magic? You expect us to believe whatever you say just like that?”

Zhan Qisheng was briefly stunned. This scene was playing out exactly as Du Yu had predicted yesterday. After a moment of thought, he followed the instructions Du Yu had given him the night before and addressed the scarred man. “Brother, may I ask your name, your ancestral home, and when you joined the Zhang Family Stronghold?”

The scarred man snorted coldly. “I am Zhang Chong, originally named Qu Chong, a native of Zhaoge! I joined the Zhang Family Stronghold at the age of eleven because of the war!”

“Qu Chong, is it?” Zhan Qisheng gave a slight nod. “Understood. I’ll be right back.”

With that, Zhan Qisheng suddenly vanished from his spot. Before the crowd could even gasp in shock, he reappeared, as if he had only been gone for a split second.

Zhan Qisheng looked slightly disoriented upon landing. He turned his head and asked Du Yu, “I’ve been time-traveling a bit too much lately; I’m feeling a little dizzy. Did I arrive at the right time? Did that Zhang Chong guy finish talking?”

Du Yu was dumbfounded. ‘So Zhan Qisheng’s time travel isn’t that precise after all?’ he thought. ‘He doesn’t even know if he traveled to the right moment.’

“Your timing is perfect. You just finished talking to Zhang Chong,” Du Yu said.

Zhan Qisheng nodded and pulled an item from his robes. He looked at Zhang Chong not far away and declared, “Qu Chong, you lied. I wandered around Zhaoge for three days and finally discovered that you didn’t live in the city at all, but at Yinshi Slope, twenty kilometers outside of Zhaoge. I took this straw sandal from the time you were eight years old. Take a look and see if it’s real.”

He tossed the straw sandal forward, and it landed perfectly in Qu Chong’s hands.

Qu Chong stared at the straw sandal in utter disbelief. It was as pristine as a brand new shoe. On the sole was a circular totem sewn by his mother. She had once told him that this totem would help smooth out his fiery temper.

Seeing the exceptionally explosive Zhang Chong fall silent, many realized that this matter was absolutely true.

“Are there any other brothers who still doubt me? I can naturally prove it to you,” Zhan Qisheng offered.

At this moment, a tall, burly man spoke up. “I don’t believe it! I grew up in the Zhang Family Stronghold. No matter what you find in here, it won’t prove you can travel through time. How are you going to make me believe you?”

“You grew up in the stronghold?” Zhan Qisheng nodded. “I understand. Everyone, watch this man’s arm closely.”

With that, Zhan Qisheng vanished once more. In a mere three or four seconds, he reappeared, holding a bizarrely shaped peach in his hand.

He still looked a bit confused after appearing. He then asked Du Yu, “What stage are we at right now? Did I arrive at the right moment?”

Du Yu looked at Zhan Qisheng speechlessly and said, “You probably got it right… You just told everyone to look at that burly man’s arm…”

“Ah? Arm? Oh no, this is bad… I went to the wrong time. I’m supposed to be delivering a peach.” Zhan Qisheng muttered in a panic before vanishing again.

“Delivering a peach?” Du Yu blinked. Why on earth would he need to deliver a peach?

A short while later, Zhan Qisheng reappeared and asked, “What step are we on now? The arm?”

Du Yu massaged his temples and asked, “Brother Zhan, are you sure you’re alright? You seem a bit confused…”

“I’m fine… It’s just an old side effect of time travel. My cultivation isn’t quite up to par yet, so I can only pinpoint an hour, not the exact minute.”

“Alright then…” Du Yu said helplessly. “We’re at the arm stage…”

“Perfect!” Zhan Qisheng took a step forward and addressed the burly man. “During your sixteenth year, I slashed your arm. Watch closely now.”

The burly man raised his arm in disbelief as the crowd gathered around. To their astonishment, an old scar was gradually forming on his thick arm. Even though the scar had just manifested, it clearly looked like it had been there for years.

For a moment, everyone fell completely silent. Did such terrifying magic truly exist in this world?

“Well, do you believe me now?” Zhan Qisheng asked. “I can travel to any point in time.”

“I… I have a question…” A young boy raised his hand.

Du Yu took a look and recognized the boy as Zhang Gouzi, whom he had met once before.

Zhang Gouzi whispered timidly, “Great Immortal… you only traveled to the past just now. That doesn’t prove you can travel to the future… So we still don’t quite believe your claim that the spiritual energy will vanish in the future…”

“Oh? Then how would you like me to prove it?” Zhan Qisheng asked.

Zhang Gouzi thought for a moment, then scurried over to a nearby peach tree. He gazed up at the unripe fruit hanging above, stood on his tiptoes, and tied a hemp rope tightly around the middle of one of the peaches.

“Great Immortal, with this rope tied around the peach, its growth will definitely be affected. Can you travel a few months into the future and bring this exact peach back to me?”

“That’s certainly not a problem,” Zhan Qisheng nodded. “I’ll fetch the peach right away.”

Du Yu sighed helplessly. So that was it… It turned out that even a time traveler had his own share of struggles.

Not long after, Zhan Qisheng reappeared, clutching a bizarrely shaped peach. The moment his feet touched the ground, he hastily asked Du Yu beside him, “Peach?”

“Yes, peach,” Du Yu replied in resignation.

“Fantastic. I took a wrong turn earlier and ended up at the arm part,” Zhan Qisheng said, sounding slightly embarrassed. He quickly recovered his wits and tossed the bizarre peach forward.

Zhang Gouzi caught it and inspected it closely. The peach was thin in the middle and thick at both ends, bearing no resemblance to a normal peach. It was likely the only one of its kind in the entire world.