Legend Management Bureau Chapter 281

[ … words ]

“I…” Du Yu knew his words sounded truly bizarre, but they were the absolute truth.

“You keep preaching about doing this ‘for Houtu,’ which is the only reason I didn’t leave immediately and actually stayed to hear you out. But are you just making a fool out of me?” Xing Tian demanded, his voice laced with fury. “I have already been decapitated. How can I stand up again? How can I fight fiercely once more?!”

“Xing Tian!” Du Yu dropped the respectful ‘Big Brother’ and addressed him directly by name. “You can accept the fact that you are dead, but you can’t accept that you can stand back up?”

“I have heard enough of your nonsense.” Xing Tian waved his hand and slowly rose to his feet. “I am going back to see Houtu. Do not try to stop me again.”

“Hold it right there!” Du Yu shouted angrily. “Don’t tell me you’re actually a scumbag?”

“Scum… bag?” It was the first time Xing Tian had heard the term, but he could tell it was no compliment. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“We traveled across time from five thousand years in the future just to ask for a single favor. Is it really that difficult?”

Shiranui Asuka whispered from the side, “Senior Du Yu, I think we’re guilt-tripping him a bit… We’re the ones who caused Senior Xing Tian’s current situation, after all…”

“Keep quiet, A’xiang,” Du Yu said. “Xing Tian, Houtu was willing to endure a bitter wait of five thousand years for you. She constantly used her Magical Power to resist the effects of the Meng Po Soup, all just to keep your memory alive in her heart. And what about you? Whether alive or dead, you never once thought about doing anything for her.”

“Who the hell cares if a Ghost goes to see them or not?” Du Yu shot back. “You taking one look at Houtu will only make you feel better. It won’t help her in the slightest.”

Du Yu’s words hit the nail on the head. Xing Tian’s actions would only resolve his own lingering attachments, not Houtu’s.

He lowered his head and pondered in silence for a long time before sitting back down cross-legged.

“Little Sage, my brother, tell me everything in detail.”

“Tell you what?”

“Tell me about Houtu, about the future, about all of you.” Xing Tian’s attitude had clearly changed. “How exactly did all of this happen?”

Du Yu calmed his mind and sat cross-legged opposite Xing Tian.

“Big Brother, since you want to listen, don’t complain that the story is long. I’ll have to start from the moment a young boy was hit and killed by a car.”

“Hit and killed by a ‘car’…? Very well!”

Du Yu slowly recounted his story, beginning from the moment he first arrived in the Underworld.

Along the way, he continuously educated Xing Tian on the current roster of Immortal Deities, as well as the functions of the Underworld, Heaven, and the Legend Management Bureau.

Xing Tian remained expressionless through most of the tales, but whenever Houtu was mentioned, his eyes narrowed in deep thought.

Du Yu explained how he had encountered Lady Houtu across various timelines, always finding her in different states of mind. He later discovered that the effects of the Meng Po Soup were causing massive fractures in her memories.

After listening to the entire saga, Xing Tian finally realized the young man before him was speaking the truth. He truly hailed from the future and had sought him out with a distinct purpose.

“Are you saying… that one day, five thousand years from now, Houtu will finally forget me?”

“Exactly,” Du Yu replied. “But that is by no means a good thing. Lady Houtu didn’t just forget you; she even forgot her own name. She is currently going mad in the Underworld. If we can’t resolve the matters here, nothing will change.”

Xing Tian let out a soft sigh. “If that is the case, your ultimate goal is to have me return to my physical body, stand back up, and fight the Yellow Emperor. Am I right?”

“That’s right. With just this final step, we can bring this Legend to a perfect close.”

Xing Tian lowered his head in thought for a moment before speaking. “Brother Little Sage, as much as I wish to help you, I must tell you that it is impossible.”

“Impossible?” Du Yu was taken aback. “I’ve explained everything so clearly, yet you still refuse to help me?”

“No.” Xing Tian waved a hand dismissively. “When I say ‘impossible,’ I mean that I cannot fathom any method to return to my flesh, nor can I think of a way to stand back up without my head.”

“That…” Only then did Du Yu suddenly remember what Sister Qianqiu had warned him before they entered the Legend: even the most powerful Immortal Being could not possibly stand back up without a head.

“Furthermore, taking ten thousand steps back, let’s suppose I did stand up,” Xing Tian continued. “How could I possibly use my nipples as eyes and my navel as a mouth? Wouldn’t that turn me into a monster? Since I cannot do that, it means that even if I stand, I will not be able to see direction or hear sound. How could I possibly fight a fierce battle against the Yellow Emperor then?”

Hearing this, a fresh wave of despair surged in Du Yu’s heart.

He was right. Even if Xing Tian wanted to help, what could they do if he was physically incapable?

He had assumed an Immortal Being as mighty as Xing Tian would have some kind of solution, but looking at it now, he was completely devoid of strategies.

It seemed as though everything had circled back to square one.

Xing Tian had not only said his goodbyes to Houtu but also hadn’t promised her he would return. Since he had already let go of his worldly attachments, he naturally wouldn’t transform into an Evil Ghost.

And since he couldn’t turn into an Evil Ghost, he naturally couldn’t use his nipples for eyes or his navel for a mouth.

Du Yu gently closed his eyes and lowered his head, entering a state of complete self-forgetfulness.

He had to come up with a flawless plan in the shortest amount of time possible.

A plan that could return Xing Tian’s soul to his body and properly fulfill the countermeasures for this Legend.

Seeing Du Yu in such a state, Xing Tian felt a bit puzzled and couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Little Sage, what is wrong?”

“Senior Xing Tian, please do not disturb him. Let him think properly,” Shiranui Asuka gently advised from the side.

Despite her words, A’xiang genuinely felt a pang of heartache for Du Yu.

He had constantly been using a Mortal body to accomplish these impossible tasks.

Anyone else in his shoes would have given up by now, right?

Yet Du Yu seemed to keep searching for a sliver of hope, a hope that was utterly elusive.

About fifteen minutes passed.

Du Yu suddenly snapped his head up, his eyes shining brightly. “I’ve got it!”

Hearing his exclamation, the others quickly gathered around him.

Du Yu leaped to his feet, dusting off his Clothes. “I’ve figured out a way to give this Legend a perfect ending!”

“What way?”

Instead of answering, Du Yu turned to Xing Tian. “Big Brother, stand up and let me look at you.”

Xing Tian was somewhat bewildered, but he slowly rose to his feet regardless.

Du Yu walked over and compared his height against Xing Tian’s.

He only reached the ancient warrior’s shoulders.

“This height is absolutely perfect…!” Du Yu beamed with joy, then quickly composed himself and addressed Xing Tian. “Big Brother, I will ask you one last time. Are you willing to help Houtu?”

“I am,” Xing Tian declared.

“Are you willing to pay any price, no matter what it takes?”

Xing Tian had been slightly hesitant initially, but after hearing of Houtu’s tragic plight over the last five thousand years, nothing else mattered.

“Brother Little Sage, I am already dead. Could things possibly get any worse than this? I am willing to help Houtu.”

“Good!”

Du Yu nodded solemnly. He reached into his robes, pulled out a pitch-black Scroll, and held it out to Xing Tian, speaking slowly.

“Become a part of me. I will take you to see the Houtu from five thousand years in the future.”

Xing Tian quietly stared at the scroll in Du Yu’s hand—the Eight Directions Ghost Record.

It all felt as if it had been destined by fate.

On this day, the ancient War God Xing Tian officially became one of Du Yu’s eight Evil Ghosts, guarding the Gate of Life, forever barred from the Reincarnation Cycle, until his Soul Scattered And Spirit Dispersed.

“Since everything is ready, I have a plan. I’ll explain it to you all now.”

…

Night fell, and torches flickered to life throughout the Yellow Emperor’s camp.

In the nights of this Primordial Era, the vast galaxy of stars was bright enough to illuminate the entire world.

The final patrol unit passed through the plaza in front of the village. Catching sight of Xing Tian’s corpse, they bowed respectfully to the body before vanishing into the distance.

In a pitch-black corner, the brothers A Can and A Kui were moving stealthily. Several flags were tucked onto their bodies to conceal their presence, while they held several Array Flags in their hands, their exact purpose unknown.

Seeing the patrol walk far away, the two men swiftly approached Xing Tian’s physical body and planted the Array Flags around him.

“Is this good enough?” A Can asked.

A Kui checked the formation of the Array Flags and replied, “According to Xie Yujiao’s instructions, this should be perfect.”

“Alright! Let’s start the transfer!”

The moment they planted the final Array Flag, the teleportation array suddenly flared with intense, blinding light.

A sudden burst of light in the dead of night was nearly impossible to miss.

At that moment, Feng Hou was sitting in his room, reading the historical records penned by Cangjie. He suddenly sensed something unusual within the tribe. Frowning in confusion, he threw on some Clothes and stepped outside to investigate. Before he could even look toward the plaza, he heard a commotion erupting from the residential area.

He walked slowly toward the houses, only to find two young men fiercely arguing in the middle of the night.

One young man reeked of alcohol, while the other carried a pair of massive Scissors on his back.

Feng Hou didn’t recognize either of them, but many outsiders had come to join them recently, so he assumed they were newly arrived foreigners.

The two were shouting over each other, their tones suggesting a brawl was mere seconds away.

“Nameless is clearly the strongest!” the drunken youth slurred.

“You’re drunk! The most powerful person in this world is the Yellow Emperor!” the youth carrying the Scissors shot back.

“No! It’s Nameless!”

Their bickering drew a crowd of distant onlookers. Before long, the spectators started chiming in with their own opinions.

“If you ask me, even without Gou Wu’s interference, Xing Tian’s final move wouldn’t necessarily have beaten our Yellow Emperor!”

“That’s not certain! The Yellow Emperor was also at his absolute limits!”

The uproar grew louder, causing Feng Hou to furrow his brow.

He stepped forward and bellowed, “Why are you all arguing over such matters in the middle of the night? The Yellow Emperor and Nameless are both teachers and friends to each other; do not make presumptuous comments about them!”

Seeing Feng Hou personally intervene, the crowd immediately fell silent, afraid to utter another word.

Meanwhile, taking full advantage of the distraction, the brothers A Can and A Kui successfully completed the teleportation array and sent Xing Tian’s physical body away.