Legend Management Bureau Chapter 222

[ … words ]

Upon returning to the Legend Management Bureau, Du Yu immediately checked the screen.

After all, this legend was not over yet; the most crucial link hadn’t appeared, and Du Yu’s questions remained unanswered.

Why did the appearances of Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu differ so much from his own impression of them?

Sure enough, on the screen, Xie Bi’an’s ghost was looking down at his own corpse in confusion.

Not far away, Fan Wujiu’s ghost was standing on the bridge.

“Old Eight?!” Xie Bi’an exclaimed.

“Seventh Brother, you’re here?” Fan Wujiu smiled. “I’ve been standing right here. I didn’t go anywhere; I’ve just been waiting for you.”

Xie Bi’an rushed forward and pulled Fan Wujiu into a tight embrace.

“I… I…” Even as a ghost, tears streamed down Xie Bi’an’s face. “Your Seventh Brother has failed you…”

“If it weren’t for my mistake, you wouldn’t have died at all!” Xie Bi’an cried, his voice trembling.

“No, Seventh Brother. I was too soft-hearted. I treated everyone like a good person, and in the end, it got us both killed.”

Before the two could finish their conversation, Lady Houtu appeared.

She looked at their ghosts as if she were gazing at two priceless treasures.

“Ahahaha! This Old Lady is absolutely thrilled! You two are finally dead?!”

Xie Bi’an frowned helplessly. Even though the woman before him was an Immortal Being, her words were infuriating. “Lady Houtu, your tone makes it sound like you were the one who killed us…”

“How is that possible!” Lady Houtu waved her hand dismissively. “Not only will this Old Lady not harm you, but I’m also going to bestow upon you an immortal destiny!”

“An immortal destiny?” The two brothers exchanged confused glances.

“Are you two willing to become ‘immortals’?” Lady Houtu asked with a wide grin.

“No,” Xie Bi’an replied flatly.

This response stunned not only Lady Houtu but everyone back at the Legend Management Bureau as well.

“No?!” Lady Houtu’s jaw dropped. “Why wouldn’t you be willing?!”

“No means no,” Xie Bi’an grumbled. “We don’t have wealth or fortune in our destiny. Just being government officials already cost us our lives. If we became ‘immortals’, we’d probably end up cast down into the Eighteen Levels of Hell.”

“How could you be like this?” Lady Houtu looked like she was on the verge of tears. She had searched for so long and finally found the right people, only for them to refuse. “Consider it as this Old Lady begging you, okay? Being an ‘immortal’ is actually pretty fun. Don’t you want to give it a try?”

“No, absolutely not.” Xie Bi’an shook his head vigorously. Fan Wujiu opened his mouth to say something, but Xie Bi’an kept tugging at his sleeve to stop him.

Du Yu carefully pondered the situation and couldn’t help but chuckle. He seemed to understand what Xie Bi’an was playing at.

“If you don’t agree… it puts this Old Lady in a very difficult position…” Lady Houtu muttered in disappointment.

“Lady Houtu, do you really want us to become ‘immortals’ that badly?” Xie Bi’an asked.

“Yes, of course!” Sensing a glimmer of hope, Lady Houtu instantly perked up.

“How about this: it’s not entirely impossible for us to agree. However, everyone in the mortal world says your Magical Power is boundless. I wonder if you could grant us a few wishes? Even though we’re dead, we’d still like to live comfortable lives.”

“Wishes?” Lady Houtu’s expression shifted immediately. “That isn’t impossible, but there has never been such a rule before…”

“Rules? The rules are set by you anyway,” Xie Bi’an pointed out.

“But what exactly do you want to wish for? You are ghosts now. Wealth, fame, and status have already lost their meaning to you.”

Xie Bi’an chuckled and said, “What we want isn’t complicated. Promise us first, and then I’ll tell you.”

Lady Houtu thought for a moment before replying, “How about this: this Old Lady cannot directly agree to grant your wishes, but I can agree to make a ‘trade’ with you. No matter what you ask for, you must exchange something of equal value with me. What do you say?”

“Something of equal value?” Xie Bi’an pondered as well. He and Old Eight were already ghosts—what could they possibly have of value anymore? “Alright, Lady Houtu, we agree!”

Fan Wujiu stood there in a daze, having no idea what kind of scheme his Seventh Brother had brewing in his Gourd.

“Very well. Since that’s the case, tell this Old Lady your wishes.” Lady Houtu sat down at the bridgehead with her legs crossed, looking as rugged and unrefined as a burly man.

Xie Bi’an kept shooting meaningful glances at Fan Wujiu, urging him to hurry up and make a wish.

Fan Wujiu wore a blank expression. “Seventh Brother… we’re already dead. What’s the point of making wishes? Let’s not cause unnecessary trouble for an Immortal Deity…”

“Oh, come on! Old Eight! Just say anything! Tell her what you lack the most. An opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime!”

Fan Wujiu thought for a long time before hesitantly speaking up. “If we’re talking about what I want the most… it would be to cure my frail constitution and become stronger. After all, I was abandoned as a child because of this weak body, I lost the person I loved because of it, and ultimately, it was what got me killed… So, I want to become stronger…”

“Granted!” Lady Houtu declared before Fan Wujiu could even finish his sentence. “Fan Wujiu, what do you intend to exchange with me for this wish?”

“Exchange…?” Fan Wujiu searched his mind endlessly. What did he possess that he no longer wanted?

After a long pause, Fan Wujiu finally spoke in a slow, deliberate tone. “Goddess, can I trade my ‘mercy’ for it? Although ‘mercy’ is an excellent virtue, it has repeatedly plunged me into deadly peril…”

Resting her chin in her hand, Lady Houtu considered this for a moment. “Acceptable. Trading ‘mercy’ for ‘strength’ is a very fair deal. Granted!”

With a wave of her hand, a majestic surge of immortal energy erupted and completely engulfed Fan Wujiu.

Fan Wujiu slowly straightened his back. The debilitating weakness that had plagued him for twenty years vanished without a trace, replaced by a boundless, surging well of power. His gaze simultaneously turned ice-cold, devoid of even a shred of emotion.

“Old Eight, how do you feel?” Xie Bi’an asked.

“Acceptable,” Fan Wujiu gave a slight nod, spitting out the word with utter indifference.

Du Yu inhaled sharply. So that was how it happened!

The current Eighth Lord… was far too familiar!

It was him; the god of death of the Underworld had returned!

Lady Houtu seemed to have expended quite a bit of Magical Power. Her eyes briefly glazed over with confusion, but she quickly snapped back to her senses and asked,

“What about you, Xie Bi’an?”

“I… just like Old Eight, have suffered endless humiliation since childhood because of my ugly appearance… I want to become more beautiful than anyone else… I want to dazzle the world… I want the most peerless appearance under the heavens!” Xie Bi’an declared.

“Aren’t you asking for a bit too much, Young Kid?” Lady Houtu snapped irritably. “I can understand you wanting to look a little better, but you want a ‘peerless’ appearance? What could you possibly give me in return? Can you even afford that?”

“Goddess, I can trade you all of my ‘flaws’!”

“This Old Lady really wants to kill you! What use do I have for your ‘flaws’? Fan Wujiu used his ‘mercy’. What about you? What are you prepared to exchange?”

Xie Bi’an smiled bitterly. “I have nothing. I don’t even possess the same mercy as Old Eight… If you agree to this, Goddess, I’m willing to serve you like a beast of burden after becoming an immortal. How about that?”

“Serve like a beast of burden?” Lady Houtu initially wanted to refuse him outright, but upon second thought, she was about to go into ‘seclusion’ and genuinely needed capable assistants. The Eight Great Underworld Messengers were now fully assembled, and she needed to receive regular updates on their activities.

“Let’s do this. Since you desire ‘peerless beauty’, your servitude alone won’t be enough to cover the cost. I need both of you to become my subordinates. From now on, out of all the Underworld Messengers, only you two will be permitted to see me and carry out tasks on my behalf. Is that acceptable?”

“Of course there’s no problem! Old Eight definitely won’t mind,” Xie Bi’an agreed immediately, then glanced at Fan Wujiu. “Right, Old Eight?”

But Fan Wujiu merely cast a frosty glare at Xie Bi’an. “This is your own business. Why drag me into it?”

“Huh?!” Xie Bi’an was completely blindsided by Fan Wujiu’s response. “How did you instantly turn into a totally different person? Aren’t we brothers who share our trials and tribulations?… Oh, right. You don’t have ‘mercy’ anymore…”

Fan Wujiu snorted coldly and stepped to the side.

“Old Eight, I’m begging you!” Xie Bi’an pleaded, tugging at Fan Wujiu’s arm. “You’ve already gotten what you wanted, but I haven’t yet… Just do me this one favor!”

Fan Wujiu shook his head in resignation. Even though his heart was now devoid of mercy, Xie Bi’an was still the most important person in his life. He could only nod silently. “Fine. But just this once.”

“Fantastic!”

Seeing that the two had agreed, Lady Houtu waved her hand again, and Xie Bi’an’s appearance instantly transformed.

His tangled, unkempt hair turned silvery-white, cascading down like a shimmering waterfall. His skin became flawlessly smooth, his eyes deep and brilliant, and his lips carried a striking, bright crimson hue—looking exactly like the man from Du Yu’s memories.

Xie Bi’an hastily rushed to the riverbank to check his reflection and was so stunned that he was left speechless for quite a while.

“Oh, right, this Old Lady should remind you: no matter how good your appearance is, it requires maintenance.” She pulled a small wooden box from her robes. “This contains pearl powder. Apply it whenever you have free time. In the days to come, no matter what new skincare products are invented, you must use them diligently. Otherwise, even the most perfect face won’t last. Do you understand?”

Du Yu smiled wryly. ‘No wonder Xie Bi’an is always applying face masks all day long,’ he thought. ‘To think this habit was drummed into him by Lady Houtu, someone who doesn’t know the first thing about dressing up.’

The legend finally came to a close, and Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu made their triumphant return.

Du Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief, his anxious heart settling at last.

“Since there’s nothing else… this Old Lady will be leaving now…” Within the legend, Lady Houtu’s expression looked a bit unnatural. She hadn’t used such potent spells in a very long time, and it felt as though something else in her mind had just slipped into oblivion.

“Goddess, if you have the time, please remember to bless Little Du and his lover as well.”

Lady Houtu looked at Xie Bi’an in confusion. “Little Du? Who is that?”

“He’s our brother, the one you met before,” Xie Bi’an explained.

“I… met your brother before?” Lady Houtu stared at them, completely bewildered. “How could I possibly know your brother?”

“Huh?” Xie Bi’an froze. “The first time you appeared, you were chatting and laughing with him. Could you have forgotten…?”

“Forgotten?” Lady Houtu’s expression shifted drastically. “How could that be? It’s impossible for this Old Lady to forget things. ‘Little Du’, right? This Old Lady understands!”

Lady Houtu hurriedly left the scene, shaking her head continuously along the way…

“Could I have forgotten someone again? It seems this Old Lady will have to be cautious even when using Magical Power from now on…”