Legend Management Bureau Chapter 189

[ … words ]

Inside the room, Du Yu constantly looked around at the bodyguards. What struck him as bizarre was that the four or five men he had seen in a row all resembled demons and monsters, with pairs of massive deer antlers growing straight out of their temples.

He wondered if they were somehow related.

Acting as if she were in her own home, Weaver Girl stepped across the creaky wooden floorboards, leading the two of them up to the second floor.

Upon seeing the scene on the second floor, Du Yu grew utterly bewildered.

Three men were currently ganging up on another man.

Or rather, it looked less like a beating and more like outright torture.

A disheveled man was tied to a chair. He was shirtless, his bare upper body covered entirely in bloody wounds.

The three men beside him wielded various weapons, mercilessly battering his body. However, the victim was incredibly strange. It was as if he felt absolutely no pain; even when struck with a devastating blow, he merely let out a muffled grunt.

Not far from these men, a girl who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen sat by a table. She was humming a pop song while arranging flowers, her voice beautifully melodic.

“Sister Meng,” Weaver Girl called out with a soft smile.

Hearing her voice, the flower-arranging girl paused her movements and slowly turned around. She revealed an exceptionally sweet smile, looking the very picture of a bubbly, energetic young woman.

“It is Weaver Girl!” Her voice was as delicate as her figure. She set down the flowers, grabbed a towel to wipe her hands, and skipped over in high spirits. “I never expected you to come looking for me.”

Du Yu furrowed his brows, realizing he had fallen victim to his own preconceived notions again. Did ‘Meng Po’—Granny Meng—actually have to be a granny? Did the boss of a lawless underworld truly have to look like a ferocious thug?

Unlike the mortal realm, respect here was not earned by having the biggest fists, but by possessing the highest cultivation.

Even this soft-spoken teenage girl standing before them could likely decimate an army of ten thousand with a single strike.

“What brings you here?” Meng Po’s smiling eyes curved into little crescents. “Did Cowherd bully you? Tell me, I will teach him a lesson for you.”

“Not at all, Sister Meng. I just have two friends who need your help with something.”

Weaver Girl stepped aside, revealing Du Yu and Qu Xi behind her.

The two of them were at a total loss for words. Even though Meng Po looked incredibly friendly, she was still the undisputed boss of these dangerous criminals.

Besides, there was a man being brutally tortured right next to them. Who would dare ask for a favor in this situation?

“Weaver Girl’s friends are my friends.” Meng Po flashed a bright smile at Du Yu and Qu Xi. “How can I help you?”

Having said that, Meng Po found a plush executive chair and slowly sat down. She reached out a hand, and a subordinate standing behind her immediately handed over a cigarette and respectfully lit it for her.

Watching a gang of burly, intimidating men reverently wait hand and foot upon this bubbly teenage girl, Du Yu simply could not find the words to describe such a bizarre scene.

“I… uh…” Every time Du Yu tried to speak, the nearby ‘torture squad’ would swing their weapons and ruthlessly beat the tied-up man, forcing Du Yu to swallow his words.

“Hey, if you guys are going to beat him, just kill him already. Are you done yet? Can’t you see I have guests?” Meng Po pouted playfully at the men.

“Sister Meng…” one of the subordinates looked back with an awkward expression. “We are so sorry, but it is not that we do not want to kill him. This guy is just too weird. His body is frighteningly tough, and it is like he does not even feel pain…”

“Hmph, then hit him harder,” Meng Po ordered, exhaling a plume of smoke. “Don’t tell me you need me to step in?”

“N-no, definitely not…” The subordinates hastily redoubled their efforts, frantically thrashing the man with all their might.

Listening to the sickening thuds of weapons and fists striking flesh echoing through the room, Du Yu honestly had no idea how to bring up the topics of ‘Meng Po Soup’ and ‘Lady Houtu’.

On second thought, he figured it might be best to butter her up first…

So he cleared his throat and said, “Sister Meng Po… I am Du Yu, the new operator at the Legend Management Bureau.”

“Oh?” Meng Po flicked her cigarette ash. “You are that operator? I have been hearing about you for a long time, but never had the chance to meet you. Also, do not call me ‘Meng Po’. Just call me ‘Sister Meng’ like the rest of them.”

“Oh… right, Sister Meng…” Du Yu let out a dry laugh and took a step forward, pointing at the battered man nearby. “By the way, what exactly did this guy do wrong? Why are you so angry at him?”

“It was not really a huge mistake.” Meng Po shook her head with a helpless sigh. “He just trespassed into my private residence. I asked him why, but he could not give me a straight answer. Anyway, he is just highly suspicious, that is all.”

Du Yu and Qu Xi were stunned. He was being beaten half to death just for trespassing? The two of them had just waltzed right through the front door without a care in the world.

“Meng Po…” Qu Xi spoke up first. “I want you to help me wash away my painful memories. These memories have been tormenting me without end, and I am going to lose my mind.”

“Oh?” Meng Po pinched the cigarette between two fingers and scratched her head. “Go on, I am listening.”

“Meng Po, my name is Qu Xi. Before I died, I was defiled by an incredibly disgusting man. The most horrifying part was that he suffered cardiac arrest and died right on top of me. After that, I fell into severe clinical depression and eventually committed suicide. I thought taking my own life would make me forget everything, but I never expected the entire ‘Underworld’ to be real. Even though my illness vanished after death, those traumatic memories only grew clearer. Originally, I was supposed to drink the Meng Po Soup and reincarnate, but Du Yu was right about one thing—even if I reincarnate, my next life might not be the one I desire… Meng Po, I am currently working at the Legend Management Bureau too. Although this place is bizarre, I actually feel very happy. Right now, my only wish is to erase those agonizing memories and live on with a brand-new identity.”

Meng Po remained entirely expressionless after hearing the story, quietly continuing to smoke her cigarette.

Du Yu could not shake the feeling that he had seen this exact scenario somewhere before. A helpless person begging a highly respected figure for a favor—where had he seen this?

“If you need money, I will find a way to scrape together however much you want,” Qu Xi pleaded further. “Meng Po, as long as you are willing to help me.”

Du Yu furrowed his brows. The sense of deja vu was growing incredibly strong.

Meng Po slowly shook her head, rose to her feet, and spoke in a deliberate, measured tone, “Qu Xi, Qu Xi… what have I ever done to make you treat me with such disrespect?”

Qu Xi looked thoroughly confused, completely failing to understand.

Meng Po continued, “Although the Inner Yellow Springs is built within the darkest shadows of the Underworld, do you have any idea how many people come to beg me for favors every single day? From the lowliest wandering ghosts to the mightiest Golden Immortals, no one has ever been so insolent toward me. We handle all the dirty work and illicit underground trades of the Underworld, and the only reason I help them is because they show me the proper respect. But you?”

Qu Xi was still struggling to grasp Meng Po’s meaning.

Meng Po slowly cast a glance at her and said, “You ask me for a favor upon our very first meeting, yet you will not even call me ‘Sister Meng’.”

“Holy crap!” Du Yu exclaimed loudly. “Isn’t this just a scene from ‘The Godfather’?”

He simply could not hold it in anymore and blurted out his thoughts. He had felt weird the moment he walked into this room, what with all the antique European decorations scattered everywhere. Now, coupled with Meng Po’s bizarre manner of speaking, it was practically a carbon copy of The Godfather! What was this supposed to be? An Italian mafia cosplay?

“Hehehehe! Did I play the part well?” Meng Po suddenly burst into joyful laughter. “So you have seen ‘The Godfather’ too?!”

“Of course! ‘The Godfather’ is the ultimate romance of men!” Du Yu answered.

“What do you mean! ‘The Godfather’ can be my romance too! Marlon Brando is just too handsome!”

“Hold on…” Du Yu scratched his head helplessly. “Do you worship the Godfather, or do you worship the actor?”

Du Yu felt that this Meng Po was incredibly eccentric, but thanks to ‘The Godfather’, the two of them had unexpectedly hit it off right away.

“The Godfather is Marlon Brando, and Marlon Brando is the Godfather. I worship them both!” Stars practically gleamed in Meng Po’s eyes.

“Alright, alright, you worship them both.” Du Yu shook his head in resignation. Who would have ever thought that a renowned underworld immortal of the Chinese Hell was actually a Marlon Brando fangirl?

Meng Po changed her tone, turning her head to speak to Qu Xi in a gentle voice:

“Sister Qu Xi, it is not that I do not want to help you, but your situation is quite special and rather difficult to handle.”

“Special…? Is it really that difficult to just erase painful memories?”

“Yes.”

Meng Po nodded. She picked up a pristine white handkerchief from the table, tossed it onto the floor, rubbed it against the wood, and firmly stomped on it with her shoe.

By the time she picked the handkerchief back up, it was utterly filthy and completely covered in dust.

“Look here, Sister Qu Xi. Suppose this handkerchief represents your life. Every dirty spot on it is a tiny fragment of memory from your past.”

Qu Xi watched carefully and nodded.

Meng Po then grabbed a fountain pen and squeezed a single drop of ink right into the center of the handkerchief. A highly conspicuous black stain, about the size of a coin, instantly bloomed into existence.

“And this drop of ink represents your painful memories,” Meng Po continued. “To you, it is intense, overpowering, and completely unforgettable.”

Qu Xi nodded once more.

Holding the handkerchief up, Meng Po asked, “If I were to try and wash this handkerchief, what do you think would be washed away first?”

Qu Xi instantly realized what she meant. The analogy was far too vivid to ignore.

“Sister Meng… are you saying that the first things to wash away would be my other memories?”

“Precisely.” Meng Po nodded. “The more unforgettable a memory is, the harder it is to wash away. Anyone can figure that out, right? If you want to remove this drop of ink, the simplest and only guaranteed method is…”

Saying that, Meng Po flicked her wrist and tossed the soiled handkerchief straight into the trash can. She then opened a drawer, pulled out a second, brand-new pure white handkerchief, and said, “The only way to achieve a blank slate is to replace it entirely. This is the very essence of ‘Reincarnation’.”

Qu Xi lowered her head in despair. If she washed away all her normal memories and only retained the trauma, she would instantly go insane.

Meng Po paused for a moment before adding, “Someone once stubbornly refused to accept this truth. She told me she could use her magic to protect the other memories while solely erasing the painful ones. But as far as I know, she failed completely.”