Legend Management Bureau Chapter 100

[ … words ]

Du Yu led Yingning out of Goddess Houtu’s cave dwelling and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He sighed inwardly. ‘Since arriving in the Underworld, my days have certainly been packed. I barely have a moment to breathe.’

“What now? Are we going to the Heavenly Court?” Yingning asked.

Standing on Mount Bugui and looking out, Du Yu could see the dilapidated Legend Management Bureau at the foot of the mountain.

“Let’s go back to the Bureau for one last look.”

Gathering his emotions, Du Yu slowly made his way down the mountain. Inside the once-bustling Legend Management Bureau, only a handful of ghost immortals remained, clearing away the rubble. Xiao Qi stood in a daze in front of the only illuminated screen.

“Xiao Qi?” Du Yu called out.

Startled, Xiao Qi flinched and struck a pose as if ready to flee. He only relaxed after turning his head and realizing it was Du Yu.

“You’re back?”

Although he didn’t know many of the staff personally, they had dedicated centuries of hard work to this place, only to have their souls scattered by the person they trusted most. ‘If I had been here when it happened, how would I have felt?’

“Why are you still guarding the screen?” Du Yu asked. “It’s a rare moment of peace. Give yourself a vacation.”

Xiao Qi lowered his head. “I’m not really tired. I used to sneak out to play all the time anyway…”

“Haha, is that so?” Du Yu chuckled. “I guess not everyone in the Bureau was as fiercely dedicated as Sister Qianqiu.”

Xiao Qi fell silent for a moment before asking, “Du Yu, is the Legend Management Bureau really gone for good?”

“Gone?” Du Yu raised an eyebrow. “How could it be? Aren’t you, me, and Sister Qianqiu still here? From now on, Sister Qianqiu can be the boss, you’ll be the communicator, and I’ll be the operator. Doesn’t that make the perfect operational squad?”

“There are tens of thousands of legends in this world,” Xiao Qi murmured softly. “It takes an operator many days to resolve just one. How could we possibly handle all of them?”

“Well…” Du Yu pondered this. “There can’t be that many legends experiencing problems at the same time, right? At worst, I’ll just work a little harder and skip my days off…”

“In just the few days you were inside a legend, another one ran into trouble…” Xiao Qi said awkwardly. “The legend of the ‘White Snake of Emei’, specifically ‘The Tale of the Righteous Demon’, suddenly threw a Grade-B error. Combine that with the unfinished ‘Black and White Impermanence’ mission, and neither of these are quick tasks you can wrap up in an instant. With just the three of us, how can we possibly finish them?”

“Ha, haha.” Du Yu laughed nervously. “Bai Suzhen’s legend threw an error? That’s really weird… How could that happen? Ha, haha…”

“Moreover, we only have one screen left,” Xiao Qi added. “You probably don’t understand how serious this is.”

“The screens?” Du Yu replied. “That’s an easy fix, isn’t it? Does the Sansheng Stone Pedestrian Street have a computer market or something? I’ll just go buy a few monitors.”

Xiao Qi smiled bitterly. “The displays in the Legend Management Bureau aren’t ordinary screens. They were crafted at the very beginning by the Director and the first Operator, enchanted with time magic to capture legends as they appear in the long river of history. Now that both the Director and the first Operator are gone, I’m afraid no one else can build a new batch of them.”

“Huh?” This was completely news to Du Yu. “So these monitors weren’t just bought off the street? No wonder I couldn’t figure out the technology behind them…”

Xiao Qi nodded. “Actually, I don’t want to leave the Legend Management Bureau. I’ve been dead for a long time, but this is the first place I’ve genuinely liked. This time, I don’t want to run away at all…”

“Then it’s settled!” Du Yu patted Xiao Qi on the shoulder. “Once Sister Qianqiu recovers from her injuries, let’s rebuild the Legend Management Bureau together!”

Although Xiao Qi was touched, he knew rebuilding the Bureau wouldn’t be nearly that easy.

“Sigh, Du Yu…” Xiao Qi shook his head. “I know you’re optimistic, but this isn’t something sheer enthusiasm can fix. Equipment problems, staffing shortages, and the ‘stance’ issues caused by the Director’s rebellion… None of these are easy to resolve.”

“Don’t worry!” Du Yu already had a plan forming in his mind. “I’ll handle the equipment. As for the staff, three people definitely isn’t enough, but once the Bureau is rebuilt, we’ll host a massive recruitment drive. It won’t take long to restore this place to its former glory. As for this ‘stance’ issue you mentioned… that’s even easier to solve.”

“How?”

Du Yu pointed a finger at the sky. “I’ve got friends in high places!”

“High places?” Xiao Qi glanced up at the ceiling. “Then why don’t you ask them to come down?”

“Xiao Qi, are you being silly?” Du Yu grinned. “I mean I know high-ranking officials!”

“High-ranking officials?” Xiao Qi blanked. “From the Underworld or the Heavenly Court?”

Du Yu gave a wicked smile. “Thanks to this recent legend, I know them all.”

Xiao Qi stared at Du Yu, utterly speechless.

“Xiao Qi!” Du Yu declared proudly. “You simply can’t comprehend someone as outstanding as me. I have an appointment in the Heavenly Court, and I’m heading there right now.”

“The Heavenly Court?” Xiao Qi said enviously. “I’ve never been to the Heavenly Court before…”

“Why don’t you come with me?” Du Yu offered.

“Forget it, forget it… There are so many immortals up there, just thinking about it scares me.” Xiao Qi shook his head. “You go by yourself. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the legends.”

“Then don’t blame me for going out to have fun by myself,” Du Yu chuckled. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”

With that, he pulled out a teleportation talisman and slapped it onto his body. “By the way, how do I get to the Heavenly Court? Do I just say ‘Heavenly Court’?”

“The Heavenly Court is massive!” Xiao Qi warned. “I’ve never been there, but I’ve naturally heard stories. If you just say ‘Heavenly Court’, you’ll definitely get there, but you’ll have no idea where you’ll end up. If you’re going to see the Jade Emperor, it’s better to specifically say ‘Lingxiao Hall’.”

“‘Lingxiao Hall’? Got it. I’m off to broaden my horizons.”

“Oh, right!” Remembering something crucial, Xiao Qi hastily dug a black token out of his robes. “Du Yu, this is an Underworld Envoy Token. If you go to the Heavenly Court…”

He looked up, but there was no one in sight.

“Ah!! Crap, crap!” Xiao Qi shouted in a panic. “Why is this guy always like this?! He trespassed into the Heavenly Court without his Underworld Envoy Token again!”

Du Yu felt a fierce gale roaring past his ears as he shot through the air at breakneck speed. By all logic, he should have arrived at his destination by now, but instead, it felt as though he had slammed into a giant ball of cotton and bounced off. A strange force grabbed hold of him, hurling him in an entirely different direction. The wind was so blindingly strong that he couldn’t even force his eyes open.

“Huh?”

Before Du Yu could register what was happening, he crashed onto a soft, spongy surface.

“Oh, mother…” Du Yu slowly pushed himself up. “That’s really weird. Usually, when I use a teleportation talisman, I land on my feet. Why did I end up flat on my back this time…”

Squinting his eyes open, Du Yu realized he was lying on top of a gargantuan cloud. In the far distance, he could even spot an airplane soaring past.

Right before him, nestled within another massive cloud formation, loomed a faintly visible, colossal structure. Looking closer, he realized it was a gigantic archway towering hundreds of feet into the air. The entire structure was forged from five-colored glazed glass, and suspended from its peak was a dazzling golden plaque inscribed with three massive characters—’South Heaven Gate’!

But what was truly bizarre was that, aside from this gargantuan archway, there were absolutely no other buildings in sight. Where exactly was this so-called ‘Heavenly Court’?

“Uh?” Du Yu glanced around in confusion. “Didn’t I aim for the Lingxiao Hall? Why did it detour and dump me at the South Heaven Gate? Are there counterfeit teleportation talismans out there too…”

Dusting off the cloud residue, Du Yu stepped forward, ready to stroll right through the South Heaven Gate. But the moment his foot hit the ground, a burst of immortal music chimed in his ears. A powerful gust of wind swept down, landing directly in his path.

“Immortal, please halt.”

The voice echoed from Du Yu’s flank. Turning his head, he spotted a burly, unkempt man with wild hair sitting cross-legged on a cloud, casually plucking the strings of a pipa.

A cigarette dangled from the man’s lips, and he held the traditional instrument horizontally across his lap, strumming it as if it were an acoustic guitar.

“There’s actually someone else here?” Du Yu scanned the surrounding clouds. Knowing full well that anyone lounging around up here couldn’t be a mere mortal, he hastily stepped forward with an apologetic smile. “Boss! I’m here to see the Jade Emperor. Could you point me in the right direction?”

The burly man didn’t reply, simply continuing to tune his strings.

“There are many immortals traveling about during this season, but absolutely no one charges straight toward the Lingxiao Hall the way you just did,” the man remarked casually, twisting one of the tuning pegs on his pipa. “Rules are rules. I’m going to have to ask you to cooperate, Immortal.”

“Is that so?” Du Yu raised an eyebrow. “It’s my first time here, but since the Jade Emperor personally invited me, please forgive my abruptness.”

“Where does this Immortal work? The Mortal Realm, the Water Realm, or perhaps the Underworld?”

“The Underworld,” Du Yu replied.

The burly man nodded. Removing the cigarette from his mouth and flicking the ash, he said, “In that case, please present your Underworld Envoy Token.”

“Underworld Envoy Token…” Du Yu racked his brain for a moment. “Ah! I remember now. Sister Qianqiu used one when we were booking a hotel room on the pedestrian street… It’s a little black token, right?”

The burly man gave Du Yu a puzzled look, then nodded affirmatively.

“I don’t have one of those yet. I’m still in my probationary period, so they haven’t issued it to me.”

“My apologies.” The man shook his head. “Without proof of identity, no one is permitted to enter the South Heaven Gate. Please return, Immortal.”

“You’re being a little unreasonable, big guy,” Du Yu argued. “I’ve only been working there for less than two months, of course I wouldn’t have that token yet! But the Jade Emperor really did invite me!”

“I am sorry, but no one is permitted to enter the South Heaven Gate.” The burly man shook his head once more and slowly began plucking out a folksy tune.

Du Yu listened in a daze. “Good lord, you’re holding a pipa, but you can actually play folk music on it? There are a couple of decent folk singers in the mortal realm, and I know some of their songs too. How about I tell you about…”

“There is no need to say more. Please return, Immortal.”

The man lightly strummed the strings, refusing to utter another word.

Watching his distracted appearance, Du Yu slowly backed away. Then, catching him off guard, he suddenly broke into a full sprint, charging straight toward the South Heaven Gate.

A piercing, ear-splitting musical note rang out, and Du Yu sensed an invisible blade of wind slashing directly toward his face.

“Clang!”

With a crisp metallic ring, the green pen at Du Yu’s waist flew out of its own accord, perfectly blocking the strike.

“This guy has fast reflexes. I can’t even sneak past him…”

“Trespassing toward the Lingxiao Hall, your first sin. Assaulting the South Heaven Gate, your second sin. Brandishing a magical artifact against me, your third sin.”

The burly man slowly rose to his feet. As he cradled his pipa, he was enveloped by four radiant lights representing earth, water, fire, and wind.