Legend Management Bureau Chapter 369

[ … words ]

“Countermeasures?” Du Yu mimicked Xie Bi’an’s mannerisms, casting a discreet glance behind them. “Seventh Lord, what are you planning? Don’t tell me you’re going to fight the Third and Fourth Lords?”

Xie Bi’an furrowed his brow. “Little Du, how could you have such a terrifying thought? Those are my sworn brothers. What good would it do me to fight them?”

“But…” Du Yu sighed. “You’re right, Seventh Lord. I accidentally let the Northern Emperor’s way of thinking influence me.”

“The Northern Emperor?” Xie Bi’an raised an eyebrow. “Did he just attack one of his own?”

Du Yu fell silent for a long moment before recounting what had just happened with Cui Jue.

A living, breathing person had fallen in the blink of an eye.

Even now, just thinking about it made Du Yu tremble with rage.

“Are you saying… the Northern Emperor killed Big Brother?” Xie Bi’an’s eyes instantly turned frighteningly cold.

Du Yu nodded, a look of utter helplessness washing over his face. “Right in front of my eyes, yet I couldn’t stop it.”

Seeing Du Yu remain silent, Xie Bi’an continued, “According to what you said, Big Brother suddenly changed into a completely different person… and wanted to take your life?”

“That’s right.” Du Yu nodded. “Boss Cui Jue cast a Death-Hastening Order on me, and fearing I might dodge it, he deliberately came right up to my face. To say something heartless, if the Northern Emperor hadn’t intervened, I would already be dead.”

After hearing this, Xie Bi’an pondered for a long time before finally speaking up. “Little Du, I have a countermeasure.”

At almost the exact same moment, Xiao Qi’s voice echoed in Du Yu’s mind.

“Du Yu, the Saint has something to say to you.”

Du Yu froze, asking internally, ‘The Saint has something to say to me? What happened?’

“The Saint says he understands everything now. This battle cannot be won. Take those close to you and evacuate immediately.”

That short sentence left Du Yu stunned for ten whole seconds.

“E-evacuate?” Du Yu asked in confusion. “Doesn’t evacuating mean…”

“That’s right.” Xiao Qi nodded. “Take the Seven Holy Heroes and hide. Once everything is over, you can peacefully become the Saint.”

“What?” Du Yu gasped in shock.

Before he could even process this, Xie Bi’an spoke from beside him. “Little Du, my plan is to cover your escape. The situation in this battle is far from optimistic, and we must prepare for the worst. If I am not mistaken, in just half a day, we will suffer a total defeat.”

“Seventh Lord, even you…” Du Yu looked at Xie Bi’an in bewilderment. “Aren’t we currently slaughtering the enemy monks? Victory is practically in sight, so why the sudden retreat?”

Xie Bi’an muttered softly to himself, “As long as evil thoughts still exist in this world, there will be no end to the black monks.”

After saying that, he gazed out into the distance, as if searching for something.

“Besides, Little Du… you currently harbor Zhan Qisheng’s soul within you. If ‘he’ comes to kill you, I honestly wouldn’t know which side to help.”

“Zhan Qisheng?!” Du Yu was taken aback. “Old Zhan has enemies?”

Xie Bi’an seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further. His expression heavy, he brought Du Yu along as he continuously accelerated their flight, seemingly intent on shaking off the people trailing behind them.

At that moment, Xiao Qi spoke up again. “Du Yu, do you remember the first time you met Xiao Nian?”

Du Yu thought about it for a brief moment and replied, “Of course I remember. During the Black and White Impermanence legend, I went head-to-head with her. She wanted to stop the Seventh and Eighth Lords from becoming Underworld Messengers, causing an error in the legend.”

“Then have you ever wondered why she wanted to stop the Seventh and Eighth Lords from becoming Underworld Messengers?” Xiao Qi pressed.

“Why?” Du Yu paused. “Wasn’t it to take my life?”

Du Yu had always believed that Xiao Nian’s appearance was solely to mess up the legend, draw him out, and ultimately find a way to kill him… Was that not the case?

“Du Yu, you are mistaken,” Xiao Qi said. “If the true goal was to kill you, the Saint would never have sent a mortal like Xiao Nian alone.”

Du Yu opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly remembered something.

Back during the Black and White Impermanence legend, Xiao Nian had very clearly stated: “If I can kill you, then I will. If I cannot, I won’t force it.”

Xiao Nian had explicitly mentioned that she came to the Black and White Impermanence legend with a specific purpose in mind; killing Du Yu was merely something she’d do in passing.

Du Yu had wholeheartedly assumed that this “purpose” was to disrupt the legend.

But why would she want to disrupt the legend?

Xiao Qi continued, “Du Yu, when the Saint returned from the Nuwa Repairs the Sky legend, the ground was littered with the corpses of Immortal Beings. However, what puzzled him was that their causes of death looked incredibly strange.”

Du Yu seemed to realize something.

“Especially the Seventh and Eighth Lords,” Xiao Qi said, her voice filled with sorrow. “They both died by each other’s Magical Treasures, their deaths exceptionally gruesome.”

“This…!” Du Yu’s eyes widened, completely at a loss for words.

“That is why the Saint made a decision… he wanted to stop the Seventh and Eighth Lords from becoming Underworld Messengers. That way, they would never have to experience this catastrophe.”

“N-no wonder!” Although Du Yu was not the Saint, he perfectly understood the Saint’s reasoning.

During the events of the Black and White Impermanence, Xiao Nian had never shown any malice toward them.

She had lived with the two of them for a whole year prior, bringing them so much joy.

And all of that was completely ruined by Du Yu’s appearance.

Even when Xie Bi’an had attempted to take his own life, Xiao Nian had stepped in to stop him.

Xiao Nian had explicitly told Xie Bi’an: “You still have me, you cannot die.”

Yet what was the result?

The result was that Du Yu had personally driven Xie Bi’an to his death.

Thinking about it carefully, who was the hero here, and who was the villain?

Were Legends always absolutely right?

As long as things were shackled by the chains of a Legend, did that mean anyone who tried to change the narrative was automatically a bad person?

Du Yu stopped in his tracks.

Xie Bi’an and the few people trailing behind him also came to a halt, turning their gazes toward him.

After a long stretch of silence, Du Yu finally asked, “Seventh Lord, do you resent me?”

“Resent?” Xie Bi’an asked, clearly confused. “Why would I resent you?”

“Because my appearance shattered your peaceful life and ultimately turned you into what you are today. You could have been just like any ordinary person, entering the Reincarnation Cycle to enjoy a different life.”

Xie Bi’an fell noticeably silent at those words.

“Little Du, someone in this world always has to pay the price for the sake of ‘stability’.” Xie Bi’an looked at Du Yu with profound meaning in his eyes. “If Old Eight and I hadn’t become Underworld Messengers, the entirety of space and time would fall into chaos. The fates of all those souls we’ve ferried over the years would be completely altered. I, at least, understand that much.”

Turning his attention back to Du Yu, Xie Bi’an added, “Besides, Little Du, haven’t you had it far worse than us?”

“Me?”

“You’ve helped so many people, but for what? And what have you gotten in return?” Xie Bi’an said. “You’ve worked harder than any of us, correcting the past on our behalf, yet in the end, so many people want you dead. You should be asking yourself—do you resent it? Do you hate it?”

Xie Bi’an’s words seemed to completely shatter Du Yu’s emotional defenses.

Yes…

He had been constantly rushing around within the Legends, pouring his heart and soul out for the Legend Management Bureau, but for what?

Was there even a single person in this world who felt grateful toward him?