Legend Management Bureau Chapter 159

[ … words ]

This was likely the grandest preparatory meeting since the establishment of the Legend Administration.

Every employee of the Legend Administration was present and seated. Additionally, there were three foreign guests: one named Asuka Shiranui, one named Gorgon Medusa, and the Queen Mother of the West.

The theme of this meeting was titled—”Feasibility Discussion on Medusa Playing the Role of Xiaoqing.”

Because the idea was far too audacious, no one dared to be the first to speak.

“Leader…” Du Yu whispered to the Queen Mother of the West. “Since this is a meeting, shouldn’t you say a few words first?”

“I will not,” the Queen Mother of the West shook her head impatiently. “You are having a meeting, so why did you call me here?”

“Eh?” Du Yu raised his eyebrows. “Leader, you are our Director!”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone froze in shock.

Dong Qianqiu and Xiao Qi exchanged a glance. The Queen Mother of the West was actually the Director now?

Du Yu thought for a moment before replying, “Alright, then I will take the leader’s place and run this meeting for everyone.”

After all, ninety percent of the employees present were new. Although they had just experienced a few legends, no one had ever participated in a proper preparatory meeting like this. They could only wait for Du Yu to speak first.

“Um… let me establish the meeting’s tone first.” Du Yu had led such meetings when he was alive, so he naturally knew how to start. Mimicking the way leaders spoke in his memories, he declared, “Our meeting today will primarily resolve three issues: first, why; second, what to do; and third, how to do it.”

The crowd stared at Du Yu in confusion. It sounded like he had said something important, yet at the same time, it felt like he had said absolutely nothing.

“Utter nonsense,” a girl in black muttered softly, her hands shoved in her pockets as she sipped from a cup of milk tea.

“Fan Xiaoguo!” Du Yu called out. “No whispering. If you have something to say, speak up. You are an employee of the Legend Administration now, so you need to participate properly.”

“Hmph.” Fan Xiaoguo snorted coldly. “Then tell me about your first point. What do you mean by ‘why’?”

“That’s simple. It means, ‘Why do we need Medusa to become Xiaoqing?'”

Medusa had been listening from the sidelines for a while, and she was genuinely curious about this very question.

“Indeed, I would also like to ask all of you, why must I become this ‘Xiaoqing’?”

Dong Qianqiu, flipping through some documents nearby, interjected, “Emperor Medusa, this matter arose rather suddenly, so allow me to explain. First, in the Legend of the White Snake, the main characters are two snake demons. However, we are currently missing one of them. Without Xiaoqing, it will be very difficult for this story to hold together. Coincidentally, Xiaoqing happens to be a green snake. Right now, you are the only green snake with magical powers that we can find.”

Medusa reached up with her slender fingers and scratched her forehead before replying, “If this is the will of my benefactor, then I can agree to it. However, I still want to know, what is this ‘Xiaoqing’s’ relationship to the other snake demon?”

“You are her maid,” Xiao Qi chimed in softly.

The moment the words left her mouth, Dong Qianqiu and Du Yu hurriedly winked at her. Only then did Xiao Qi realize she had probably said the wrong thing.

“I do not understand… What sort of status does a ‘maid’ hold?” Medusa asked.

Just as Du Yu was about to speak, Fan Xiaoguo chimed in at the worst possible time, “In your terms, Xiaoqing is Bai Suzhen’s servant, handmaiden, and nanny.”

Medusa froze upon hearing this, then revealed a smile that was awkward yet polite.

“So… you are saying that I should go be a handmaiden?”

“Uh…” Du Yu thought to himself, ‘This is bad.’ He had originally wanted to keep this a secret from Medusa, but who knew there were two such bluntly outspoken people in the Legend Administration?

“You… are joking, right?” Although Medusa was smiling, veins bulged on her forehead. “I am the Gorgon Emperor Medusa, and you actually want me to be a handmaiden?!”

“Though said to be a maid, that is not exactly true,” an old man spoke slowly. “Emperor Medusa, this old man is Pu Songling. I have a humble opinion, though I wonder if I should voice it?”

Medusa blinked in surprise. She had heard many requests in her time, but this was the first time someone actually sought her permission just to speak.

“I grant you permission. Speak.”

Du Yu frowned. What kind of cross-temporal communication was this? Shouldn’t a normal person just say, “Feel free to speak”?

Pu Songling did not mind and slowly continued:

“This old man has read many versions of the Legend of the White Snake and presumptuously arrived at a humble conclusion. Although the green snake is said to be the white snake’s maidservant, in reality, she is more like her younger sister. The white snake cherishes her deeply and cares for her meticulously. Therefore, you need not worry. You likely will not have to do a single one of the things a ‘handmaiden’ is supposed to do.”

After listening to Pu Songling’s words, Medusa turned her head to look at Du Yu and asked, “Du Yu, is this true?”

“It is indeed true,” Du Yu nodded. “You really won’t have to serve Bai Suzhen. At most, you’ll just help her fight.”

“Fight?” Medusa revealed a hint of a smile. “I can engage in combat within this legend?”

“Yes, there is a monk whose sole purpose is to battle you two snakes.”

Medusa nodded in deep satisfaction and declared, “To be able to cross blades with someone in a Chinese legend is also a special kind of honor.”

Du Yu nodded and added, “Since the Gorgon has agreed, the next issue is… can she actually enter the legend?”

The crowd pondered for a moment; this was indeed a problem.

Did Medusa possess the traits of an Operator?

“Du Yu…” Dong Qianqiu asked, as if she had suddenly thought of something. “Can Chada’s portal send Medusa into the legend?”

“To tell you the truth, I thought about that as well,” Du Yu shook his head helplessly. “I asked Chada before the meeting. Unfortunately, she said, ‘Only those with the aptitude of a Controller can pass through this door.’ This also explains why she couldn’t just find some random passerby to travel back in time and save her daughter. I was thinking too simply at the start.”

Everyone nodded. For now, they could only pin their hopes on Medusa herself.

Fan Xiaoguo sighed helplessly and said, “Ugh, are you guys seriously this clueless? If you ask me, there is a one hundred percent certainty that Medusa can enter the legend.”

“Hmm?” Du Yu and the others hadn’t expected Fan Xiaoguo to say something so shocking, so they hurriedly asked, “Why do you say that?”

“I mean, Medusa is a Prime Pivot, right?” Fan Xiaoguo asked.

“She is.”

“Du Yu, didn’t you say before that a ‘wrongfully deceased Prime Pivot’ is highly likely to have an Operator’s constitution? Now, all we have to do is let the Ancestor hook her soul out so she suffers a ‘wrongful death,’ and then return her soul before the ‘First Seven’ days are up. That solves the problem, right?”

“Eh? We can actually do that?” Du Yu turned to look at Dong Qianqiu.

Dong Qianqiu also lowered her head in thought for a moment. “There is no flaw in that logic. As long as Emperor Medusa herself agrees, it is entirely feasible.”

Medusa’s expression turned slightly grim. She glanced lightly in Du Yu’s direction, then lowered her head and said, “Having my soul extracted by someone… Logically speaking, it is absolutely impossible for me to put myself in such a dangerous situation. But if it is my benefactor’s request, I will find a way to accept it.”

Du Yu looked at Medusa. Her dark green hair obscured her face, making it impossible to read her expression. But thinking about it carefully, this matter had absolutely nothing to do with her. Even if she refused, it would be perfectly justified. Now, not only were they forcing her to enter the legend, but they were also asking her to die once.

“In that case, this is wonderful news!” Dong Qianqiu revealed a rare smile and said, “On behalf of the Chinese Legend Administration, I sincerely thank you, Emperor Medusa. If we didn’t have your help this time, we would be in a highly disadvantageous position.”

“It is fine. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

“Excellent! I will sort out the plot of the legend as quickly as possible and distribute it to you. However, because there are relatively few characters in this legend, we also need to limit the number of people entering. Zhan Qisheng and Qu Xi will sit this one out. The only ones chosen to enter the legend this time are Du Yu, Emperor Medusa, and Asuka Shiranui.”

“Ah! Senior Transmitter!” Asuka Shiranui suddenly grew nervous. “Is that very formidable-looking Senior Zhan really not going? Will we actually be okay? Won’t Senior Du Yu and I be hacked into a million pieces?”

Zhan Qisheng gave Asuka Shiranui a helpless look and said, “You might be underestimating him. If this kid Du Yu really goes crazy, even I’m no match for him.”

“Eh?” Asuka Shiranui had never imagined that Du Yu actually had such a capable fighting side. She had assumed he was just like her, cursed with a ‘guaranteed to lose every battle’ constitution.

“Besides, you little girl…” Zhan Qisheng frowned again. “Why do you have such a vicious mouth? You’re going into the legend yourself, yet you’re talking about being ‘hacked into a million pieces.’ It’s bad luck.”

“Oh… hehe.” Asuka Shiranui laughed awkwardly and apologized, “I am very sorry.”

“Alright, since no one has any objections, the Supporters should hurry and organize the legend data. The story this time will begin from the ‘Meeting on the Broken Bridge.’ We will arrange for everyone to descend in their new identities as soon as possible…”

“We can’t do that,” Du Yu, who had been silent for a while, suddenly interjected. “The ‘Meeting on the Broken Bridge’ is too late. It needs to be earlier.”

“Earlier?” Dong Qianqiu didn’t quite understand.

“Sister Qianqiu, you just said that no one had any objections, but I actually do.”

“Du Yu, your thoughts are usually quite comprehensive. If you see a problem, bring it up,” Dong Qianqiu prompted.

“If we descend at the ‘Meeting on the Broken Bridge,’ then Xiaoqing and Bai Suzhen will at most be ‘nodding acquaintances.’ We need to figure out a way to make them ‘life-and-death companions.'”

Dong Qianqiu pondered this carefully for a moment. Although she understood what Du Yu meant, she had no idea how to turn two strangers into ‘life-and-death companions.’

“Sister Qianqiu… I’d like to ask, when was the very first time Bai Suzhen underwent her ‘Shapeshifting Heavenly Tribulation’?”