Legend Management Bureau Chapter 218

[ … words ]

After dawn, Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu arrived at the county office as promised.

The new county magistrate had carefully cleaned the office; not only had the fallen leaves in front of the door been swept away, but the drum of justice had also been re-erected.

The guards stationed at the entrance hurriedly cupped their hands in greeting upon seeing Xie and Fan, then ushered them inside.

Still feeling uneasy, Du Yu secretly followed the pair. Once they entered the yamen, he employed a movement technique to vault over the high walls, hiding in the shadows to observe.

In the main hall, Lord Lang was reviewing the legal petitions accumulated over the years, his brows furrowed deeply.

“To think that the previous magistrate, as the parent official of this county, knew war was imminent yet collected taxes early and absconded with the funds.” Lord Lang neatly stacked the documents and handed them to the advisor beside him. “Advisor Zhou, many of these petitions have moldered and weathered to the point that their grievances are illegible. Quickly arrange for personnel to visit the county and inquire about the origins of these complaints. See if the villagers still have pressing hardships that require my attention. If they do, report back immediately.”

“Understood.” The man addressed as Advisor Zhou bowed, accepted the petitions, and departed.

This scene was perfectly witnessed by Xie and Fan just as they entered. Setting aside whether this man was a Ming rebel or not, he was at least a good official.

“Ah! The two young heroes have arrived?”

“Greetings, My Lord,” the two said, cupping their hands in respect.

“Please, rise!”

Lord Lang helped them up and arranged for someone to offer them seats and brew tea.

“Does your appearance here mean you have agreed to my proposal?”

Xie Bian gave a slight nod. “If Your Lordship truly wishes to act on behalf of the common people, my brother and I will naturally lend our full support!”

“Good, excellent!” Lord Lang beamed with joy. “I have just arrived in this fine land. As the saying goes, even a mighty dragon cannot suppress the local snakes. You understand the local customs and the people’s pleas far better than I do. With you two assisting by my side, I am confident that Pu County will soon be governed in perfect order, and its citizens will live in peace and contentment!”

Hearing Lord Lang’s words, Fan Wujiu also felt somewhat relieved.

“However…” Lord Lang suddenly changed his tone. “I still harbor a slight concern in my heart…”

“Please, speak freely of any doubts you have, My Lord.”

“It is regarding this matter of the ‘Anti-Ming Heroes’ that the people speak of… If you don’t mind, could you tell me how you came to be known as such?” Lord Lang chuckled helplessly. “Your reputation is so immense that it has even reached the neighboring county.”

Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu exchanged a glance before replying, “If Your Lordship truly wishes to know, we will reveal everything. We only hope you will not blame us after hearing it.”

The two recounted everything, starting from the Ming Cult’s first pillaging of Pu County, all the way to Chang Yuchun’s appearance just a few days ago.

Lord Lang frowned deeply as he listened, sighing repeatedly.

Outside the door, Du Yu couldn’t hear any commotion from within, but he did see the advisor walk out carrying a stack of petitions.

“Hey! Advisor!” Du Yu called out softly. “Over here!”

Advisor Zhou was taken aback upon seeing Du Yu. She hurriedly scanned her surroundings, and only after confirming no one else had noticed did she sneak over.

“Du Yu, are you crazy?” the advisor grumbled in annoyance. “Are we even that close? Why are you calling me over?”

“I’m just too curious!” Du Yu replied. “What kind of trick are you planning? Can you give me a spoiler so I can be prepared in advance?”

“Prepare my ass.” The advisor was furious enough to die. “Why would I have gone through all this trouble if I was just going to tell you? This ‘business trip’ has lasted an entire year, and right now is the critical moment. I definitely can’t tell you.”

“You’re being a bit of a cheat here…” Du Yu said, pointing at the advisor. “I can come over and ask you openly and honestly, so why can’t you tell me straightforwardly?”

“Are you sick in the head?! Are those two things even comparable?” The advisor stomped her foot in anger. “You really are as annoying as the ‘Saint’. I simply just don’t want to say it, is that so wrong?”

“Sigh…” Du Yu shook his head. “Alright then, I’ll just have to improvise.”

“Hmph,” the advisor snorted coldly. “You better leave quickly, or I’m going to call for people to kill you.”

“You’re quite a joker.” Du Yu looked at the advisor and said helplessly, “If you want to scare me, shouldn’t you come up with a better excuse? If you call those yamen runners out to kill me, who knows who will end up dead. And then your plan wouldn’t be able to finish, right?”

“Mind your own business,” the advisor scoffed, twitching her lips. “Get out of my way, I’m leaving.”

Watching the advisor walk away, Du Yu knew his guess was pretty much spot on.

Xiao Nian hadn’t planned to call anyone to subdue him at all, which meant she knew that if even the Red Turban Army had failed, she couldn’t rely on other ordinary mortals.

Currently, in this legend, there were only four people capable of posing a threat to him.

The Can-Kui brothers, and Seventh Lord and Eighth Lord.

If Xiao Nian wanted to take his life, she would have to rely on the strength of these four.

The Can-Kui brothers currently had no reason to help her, so the only ones he needed to keep an eye on were Seventh Lord and Eighth Lord.

These two were only around twenty years old and lacked shrewdness. Although Du Yu had tried his best to instill a proper moral compass in them, they were still easily manipulated. Now that they had entered the county office, their contact with him would be even less.

Du Yu approached the main hall and heard Seventh Lord and Eighth Lord telling the new magistrate about the recent Red Turban Army robbery. He couldn’t help but find it strange—was this really something they should be discussing with him?

“…So we took action and killed many members of the Red Turban Army.” After Xie Bian finished, he added, “Our brother, Little Du, is no ordinary person either. He forced back Chang Yuchun with just a single move.”

“Oh?” Hearing this, Lord Lang slightly raised an eyebrow. “You mean the young man who was with you earlier?”

“Yes.” Xie Bian nodded. “My Lord, as I said before, my brothers are not ordinary people. They are well-versed in martial arts. If you need personnel, you really should consider them.”

Lord Lang nodded slightly. “Indeed, I really do need to consider the matter concerning them…”

Upon hearing this, Du Yu couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation.

He felt as though he had overlooked something.

Xie Bian now genuinely treated him as a brother, which was undeniably a good thing.

But there was also a huge drawback to this.

Under what circumstances… would a person choose to commit suicide?

It would be when they had absolutely nothing, with no lingering attachments.

But now… didn’t Xie Bian have far too many attachments?

If Fan Wujiu were truly to die in an accident, Xie Bian would still have both Xiao Nian and Du Yu in his heart. Suicide would absolutely not be the optimal choice for him.

Humans were animals like that; as long as a sliver of hope remained, they would never choose such a dead end.

“It seems I’ll have to find a way to sever Seventh Lord’s attachments…” Du Yu muttered to himself.

Inside the hall, Lord Lang listened to their story, then stood up and bowed to them once more. “Knowing that you two were forced to act to save the citizens of Pu County, I am deeply gratified. It appears you are not wicked men, but rather worthy of being entrusted with important responsibilities.”

The two hurriedly stood and returned the bow.

“Please do not jest, My Lord. Being able to work under you is already an honor for us brothers; we dare not hope for any ‘important responsibilities’.”

“Ah, you two young heroes shouldn’t be so modest. Go on down and rest up first. I have arranged rooms for you. Today, you will stay in the yamen. After lunch, I have a task I need your help with.”

Hearing this, the two bowed and took their leave. Du Yu also quickly concealed his figure.

“Du Yu,” Dong Qianqiu suddenly spoke up.

“Here. What’s wrong, Sister Qianqiu?”

“This is already the fourteenth day. You still need to come back for a bit, otherwise the second ‘seven-day’ limit will soon expire.”

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Du Yu replied. “Wait for us a moment then, I’ll go back and find Ah Can and Ah Kui right away.”

Knowing that Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu had just entered the county office and wouldn’t run into any issues in the short term, Du Yu returned to the inn, got the brothers Ah Can and Ah Kui, and found an empty corner in the city to let their souls return.

After waking up, Du Yu asked Dong Qianqiu to quickly prepare for the next descent. However, Dong Qianqiu said that the descending equipment had been running continuously and had overheated, making it unable to operate. It would need two or three hours to cool down.

Du Yu pondered for a moment. Two or three hours wasn’t a big deal; he could afford to wait.

Out of boredom, he glanced at the monitor and discovered that the ‘advisor’ had actually returned to the main hall.

‘Strange… didn’t she already run out of the room holding a pile of petitions?’

He watched as the advisor looked around and asked Lord Lang, “Have they left?”

“They have.”

“Did they believe it?” the advisor pressed.

“Of course they did. How much depth could two juniors possibly have?” Lord Lang shed his previously gentle demeanor, speaking with disdain. “We strike today. They definitely won’t be able to escape.”

“Uh…” The advisor fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is it truly necessary to kill the two of them? Could they be exiled… or perhaps…”

“Are you trying to lecture me?” Lord Lang said coldly. “His Majesty’s will absolutely cannot be defied. We must eliminate these two immediately. Everything will proceed according to plan. We strike right after lunch.”

“Uh… understood!” the advisor replied.

“By the way, that person you mentioned who ‘might cause trouble’—is he still around?”

“Judging by the time, he is no longer here. It will take him several hours to return. Even if he does, our business will already be nearing its end…”

Du Yu stared blankly at this scene. “Oh no!”

He never could have imagined that Xiao Nian would exploit a gap in timing against him. He especially couldn’t have guessed that the magistrate would make his move on the very first day Seventh Lord and Eighth Lord assumed their posts.

But… didn’t Seventh Lord and Eighth Lord die on a rainy day?

“Sister Qianqiu, is it really going to take several hours to cool down?!”

“Yes…”

Du Yu looked frantic. He had left at exactly the worst possible time. What was he supposed to do now?

The advisor slowly approached Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu’s room, knocked, and opened the door. Looking deeply troubled, she said to them, “The magistrate has ordered me to take you two officers to lunch. Afterward, there is a handwritten letter you must deliver to the Prefect of Fuzhou Prefecture. This is the first task the magistrate has assigned to you both, so I hope you will not disappoint him.”

Just as the advisor finished speaking, a muffled clap of thunder echoed through the sky. It seemed a heavy rainstorm was approaching.