Legend Management Bureau Chapter 208

[ … words ]

Du Yu smiled, already having a good idea of what was going on in his mind.

“Cell phone? You misheard me. I didn’t ask if your ‘cell phone’ was charged, I asked if you ordered the ‘roast fowl’.”

Xiaonian’s expression was a bit complicated. She nervously picked up the wooden bowl, took a sip of water, and said, “Oh… You, you want to eat roast fowl? I… I’ll order another one for you.”

“That won’t be necessary. I just feel that ordinary people wouldn’t know what a ‘roast fowl’ is. Anyone who knows it is definitely not an ordinary person,” Du Yu said meaningfully.

This way, everything seemed to make sense. Xiaonian didn’t belong here; just like him, she had descended into this world.

No wonder she laughed when he said “turn a bicycle into a motorcycle,” and when she heard the word “menu.” No wonder she used terms like “crime” and “sue.”

For someone from the future trying to live in ancient times, no matter how realistic their act was, they would inevitably reveal flaws.

But then again, is Xiaonian really one of the Holy Seven?

She was a mortal who could be easily subdued by any normal man, and her acting skills weren’t that great either. In just two days, he had already seen through her disguise.

‘Does my future self have dementia?’

At present, this girl posed no threat to him whatsoever.

“Little Du, you speak way too vaguely. I completely misheard you and thought you said ‘cell fowl’. I was just about to ask what kind of bird a ‘cell fowl’ is,” Xie Bi’an said with a laugh.

Hearing Xie Bi’an speak, Du Yu instantly snapped out of his thoughts, looked at him, and offered a faint smile.

Soon, the waiter brought various dishes and wine to the table.

The last time Du Yu dined out at a restaurant was during the Warring States period with little Zhongli. Back then, the culinary standards left much to be desired, as almost everything was simply boiled in water.

By the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, people’s culinary skills had clearly improved by leaps and bounds. Soy sauce was widely used by this time, and even a simple plate of roast pork gave off an enticing reddish-brown glaze.

Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu stared at the dazzling array of dishes on the table, too shocked to speak.

Although there were only two plates of roast pork, a steamed fish, and a few plates of greens on the table, to them, this was an unprecedented feast.

“C-can we really eat this?” Xie Bi’an’s voice stuttered.

“Of course, Seventh Lord. This was bought with the money we earned ourselves,” Du Yu smiled and replied. “Isn’t this much better than begging for food? Whenever you get the chance in the future, you should earn more money so you won’t ever go hungry.”

After saying this, Du Yu frowned, suddenly remembering something.

No wonder Xie Bi’an started aggressively selling his “GhostChat” number on his moments the first time he found out about it. Did he actually foster this little habit of making shady deals in him?

“I didn’t expect making money to be easier than I imagined,” Xie Bi’an nodded.

“No, no, no…” Du Yu quickly shook his head, determined to nip this bad habit in the bud. “The money-making methods I taught you are all crooked tricks. You absolutely must not learn them. If you want to make money, you need to be down-to-earth and find a legitimate business… You should never do things like selling other people’s privacy…”

“Selling other people’s privacy?” Xie Bi’an’s interest was instantly piqued. “Little Du, can privacy really be sold for money?”

“Good grief… Let’s just drop it.” Du Yu shook his head helplessly, feeling that not only was he unable to fix the Seventh Lord’s bad habit, he might have actually made it worse.

Under Du Yu’s lead, the group let go of their restraints and dug in, eating like there was no tomorrow.

Ten dishes, a pot of soup, two jugs of wine, and half a cup of tea.

Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu never dreamed they would ever have a meal like this.

By now, their stomachs were no longer flat; every single one of them was sporting a round little food baby.

Only Xiaonian didn’t seem to have much of an appetite, merely taking a few perfunctory bites.

Feigning nonchalance, Du Yu asked Xie Bi’an, “By the way, Seventh Lord, you guys haven’t mentioned how you met Miss Xiaonian. Someone as beautiful as Miss Xiaonian must be a young lady from a wealthy family, right?”

Xie Bi’an was so stuffed he could hardly move. Leaning back in his chair, he said, “It was about a year ago, I think. We saw Xiaonian being bullied on the streets, so we rescued her and brought her back to the City God Temple to be beggars together.”

Du Yu froze, thinking he had misheard. “What did you say, Seventh Lord? How long ago?”

“A year ago,” Xie Bi’an replied, picking his teeth. “What’s wrong?”

‘A year?’

Du Yu looked at Xiaonian in disbelief. ‘Could my deduction be wrong?’

‘Who would enter a legend a whole year in advance just to carry out an assassination?’

‘But judging by Xiaonian’s behavior, she is definitely not an ancient person.’

“What is going on here?”

“What do you mean, what’s going on?” Xie Bi’an said. “Let me tell you, Little Du, don’t you dare get any ideas about Xiaonian… Old Eighth has liked her for a very long time.”

“Eh?”

Fan Wujiu was in the middle of drinking tea. Hearing Xie Bi’an’s words, he sprayed it all over the table. Fortunately, everyone had already finished eating.

“Seventh Brother, what are you saying?!”

“Hmm? Is that not the case?” Xie Bi’an teased. “I might not know others, but wouldn’t I know you? Every time you’re around Xiaonian, you manage to hold back even a cough.”

“You…” Fan Wujiu was so flustered he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Du Yu turned his head to look at Xiaonian again. To his surprise, her face was flushed pink, resembling an ordinary girl experiencing her first crush.

“Bi’an, don’t talk nonsense… Wujiu and I… I only see him as an older brother,” Xiaonian said softly.

Hearing this, a barely noticeable hint of disappointment flashed across Fan Wujiu’s face. He quickly nodded and added, “That’s right… I-I also treat Xiaonian as a younger sister.”

“Old Eighth, are you serious?” Xie Bi’an glanced at Fan Wujiu. “If you don’t like Xiaonian, I just might marry her myself.”

“Huh?” Fan Wujiu jumped in fright. “I…”

Xie Bi’an chuckled and said, “I’m just joking with you. Look how scared you are. With my ugly appearance, I naturally wouldn’t hold Xiaonian back. Thinking about it carefully, the two of you are still the most suitable match.”

Du Yu noticed that when Xie Bi’an said this, there was also a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

By the time the group finished their meal, it was already quite late.

Chatting and laughing, they made their way back to the old City God Temple.

Du Yu settled the Repentant Brothers down to rest on one side and checked their wounds. After making sure there was no serious harm, he also found a pile of dry hay and sat down.

Fan Wujiu and Xie Bi’an seemed rather exhausted; the two of them lay there, drowsy and half-asleep.

Not far away, however, Xiaonian stared at Du Yu with an unreadable expression.

Du Yu smiled, knowing that this Xiaonian definitely had something to say. Therefore, he waited silently for a while. Once Xie and Fan’s snoring echoed through the room and the Repentant Brothers had gradually fallen asleep, he finally stood up and walked out the door.

Seeing this, Xiaonian followed him outside.

Under the moonlight, Du Yu re-evaluated Xiaonian. The aura around her had changed somewhat, though he couldn’t put his finger on exactly how.

“Do you have something to say to me?” Du Yu asked.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” Xiaonian countered.

“Then I’ll get straight to the point,” Du Yu said. “Are you one of the Holy Seven?”

“Yes.” Xiaonian nodded.

Never in his wildest dreams did Du Yu expect Xiaonian to admit it so readily. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

“So, are you here to kill me?” Du Yu asked again.

“Not entirely,” Xiaonian answered. “If I can kill you, then I will kill you. If I can’t, I won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“Well, that’s certainly a bit unexpected…” Du Yu scratched his head and said, “As a mere mortal, what makes you think you can kill me?”

“Because I am one of the Holy Seven.”

“What kind of ridiculous reason is that?” Du Yu asked, utterly perplexed. “So what if you are one of the Holy Seven? If I hadn’t pulled my punches last night, you’d already be dead.”

“I won’t die,” Xiaonian stated matter-of-factly.

“Why won’t you die?”

“Because I am one of the Holy Seven.”

“Good lord…” Du Yu felt both irritated and amused. “Are you Holy Seven part of a cult? Believe in Brother Saint and gain eternal life, is that it?”

‘Could this girl have been tricked by my future self?’ Du Yu thought.

‘She is practically throwing her life away. Fortunately, I know the Saint’s true identity. If I blindly assumed the Saint was someone else, I would have definitely eliminated this girl without a second thought.’

“Let’s make a deal,” Du Yu proposed. “During this legend, you don’t make a move against me, and I won’t lay a hand on you. Once this is all over, we go our separate ways and head back to where we came from.”

“I can’t agree to that. After all, I came here with a mission, and I will do my best to complete it.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Du Yu retorted in exasperation. “You can’t defeat me in a fight, and you can’t kill me. How exactly are you going to complete your mission?”

Hearing Du Yu’s words, Xiaonian remained expressionless and began searching the ground for something. As she searched, she asked, “Do you know why I’ve been waiting here for you a year in advance?”

“No idea.”

“Because I have something that you don’t.” Xiaonian found a sharp twig. Picking it up, she violently scratched several bloody gashes into her own arm.

The sudden action gave Du Yu a jolt of shock.

“What… what do you have?”

“I have the trust of Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu.”

Du Yu felt a strong sense of foreboding. Just as he was about to speak, Xiaonian cut him off.

“Do you know why I intentionally revealed flaws for you to find?”

“You…”

“Because the Saint said that as soon as you discovered the slightest clue, you would quickly become smug and complacent. Therefore, you would confidently arrange to meet with me late at night. And before tomorrow arrives, my objective is to drive a wedge between you and the two brothers, Xie and Fan.”

Du Yu’s face paled. He hadn’t expected to fall right into the Saint’s trap after all.

The moment Xiaonian finished speaking, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She tossed the twig into the air; it landed squarely on the roof, knocking a clay tile loose.

The tile plummeted to the ground, shattering with a deafening crash as Xiaonian slowly sank to the floor.

Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu frantically rushed into the courtyard, only to find Du Yu standing frozen in place and Xiaonian sitting on the ground, weeping quietly.

“Wh… what happened?” Xie Bi’an asked anxiously.

“It’s nothing,” Xiaonian shook her head silently, her left hand tightly clutching her right arm.

“Let me see!” Xie Bi’an forcefully pulled Xiaonian’s hand away, only to gasp at the sight of several bright red, bleeding gashes on her arm.

Xiaonian immediately shoved Xie Bi’an away, sobbing, “I said I’m fine!”

Then she scrambled to her feet and ran back into the temple.

Fan Wujiu pondered for a brief second before raising his head to glare at Du Yu.

Du Yu scratched his head awkwardly. This was the most classic textbook framing scenario imaginable. How on earth was he supposed to explain his way out of this?