Legend Management Bureau Chapter 113

[ … words ]

Du Yu pleaded and coaxed, and had Master Shen give Yang Yu a few more magical treasures before finally sending that little terror away.

“How about it? Shall we invite the next one in?” Qu Xi asked.

“No, no, no. I feel like I have absolutely no idea how to conduct an interview,” Du Yu said, shaking his head. “If everyone who comes here has a powerful family background, how are we supposed to proceed with this?”

“I actually have an idea,” Xiao Qi said. “We can bring out a screen and have the interviewees try to send a voice transmission to the figures in the legends. If the legendary figures can receive it, that proves they can be a Voice Transmitter. If not, we just ask them to leave. Additionally, we can prepare a few legendary prompts. If they can write them out from memory, they can become an Assistant.”

“Good, good, good, that works.” Du Yu hastily nodded. He then wheeled out a device that was currently broadcasting the legend of Lord Ye’s Love of Dragons.

“This legend isn’t of crucial importance,” Du Yu said. “Even if a mistake happens, it will only result in a Class D incident at worst. Let’s test them with this one.”

Following Xiao Qi’s method, the interview process became much simpler. It shifted from the original questioning format to a practical exam.

If anyone’s voice transmission could be heard by the legendary Lord Ye, they would instantly pass the interview and become a Voice Transmitter.

As for the Assistants, their exam questions were as follows:

The four great romantic legends: The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, The Butterfly Lovers, The Legend of the White Snake, and Meng Jiangnu Weeps at the Great Wall.

Anyone who could write out any two of the above eight legends from memory—provided the plot was accurate and the names were correct—could become an Assistant.

With clear, strict standards in place, the recruitment drive split into three separate lines. After half a day, the number of people who actually passed the assessment was surprisingly still in the single digits. Looking at the massive, surging crowd outside the courtyard, Du Yu shamelessly begged Master Shen and Xie Jin to pitch in. Finally, gritting his teeth, he even called out Ying Ning and Zhan Qisheng to help.

Du Yu finally realized that while the constitution required to be a Voice Transmitter was more common than that of an Operator, it was still a one-in-a-thousand rarity. Furthermore, some candidates clearly harbored ill intentions or had glaring personality flaws, making them utterly unemployable. After sifting through the masses, they only managed to select one man and one woman. The situation for Assistants was slightly better, with seven people chosen so far.

“The previous Legends Administration had nearly fifty employees. We need to reach at least that standard this time to ensure the administration functions normally,” Du Yu muttered to himself.

Due to the expanded scale of the recruitment, Du Yu brought out another device, this one broadcasting the inconsequential legend of Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf. His job was relatively relaxed; he just needed to guard the screen and let people come up one by one to attempt a voice transmission.

Taking advantage of his free time, Du Yu entered his inner world to check on Zhongli Chun’s condition. She lay there with a rosy complexion, but despite the many days that had passed, she showed no signs of waking up.

Du Yu could not help but think, ‘If I run into danger right now, wouldn’t I have absolutely no means of defending myself…?’

“Sigh.” He shook his head again and viciously slapped himself across the mouth.

Why did he always only think of little Zhongli when he was in danger? Little Zhongli was neither family nor friend, yet she had repeatedly risked her life for him. Wasn’t it far too selfish of him to harbor such thoughts?

“Brother, keeping busy?” a man asked slowly, standing right beside Du Yu.

“Yeah, I’m dying of overwork. Huh?” Du Yu paused and turned his head, only to discover that the Great Emperor of Mount Tai, Dongyue, dressed in casual clothes, had appeared beside him at some unknown point.

“Are you… Emperor Dong?” Du Yu asked tentatively. Although the Jade Emperor and Emperor Dong shared the same face, Emperor Dong resided in the gloomy Underworld year-round, giving him a slightly pale complexion that made him instantly recognizable.

“Indeed. I heard your place was bustling with activity, so I came to pay a visit.”

“I’m truly flattered,” Du Yu said with a smile. “Having you, Emperor Dong, one of the highest leaders of the Underworld, come visit me at work… it’s enough to shorten my lifespan.”

“Shorten your lifespan?” Emperor Dong chuckled in amusement. “You’re already a dead man, why would you care about your lifespan shortening?”

“It was just a figure of speech,” Du Yu replied.

“Haha.” Emperor Dong smiled and took a seat beside Du Yu. “By all rights and reason, you are my benefactor. Let alone visiting you, even if I came to help you work, I wouldn’t hesitate to do my duty.”

“Ah?” Du Yu quickly waved his hands. “Please don’t, boss. You have no idea how hard this place is to manage right now. Every single person who shows up is stronger than me. My persona is on the verge of collapsing.”

“I was just being polite.” Emperor Dong smiled and said, “As an Emperor of the Underworld, I’m swamped with work all day long. Just finding the time to drop by and see you was a struggle. If you really asked me to stay, it would put me in a very difficult position.”

Du Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. He fell silent for a moment before asking:

“By the way, Emperor Dong… do you understand ‘demons’?”

“Are you talking about He Suoyi?”

“Not entirely. I have a friend who nearly suffered demonic deviation because of me. I want to learn more about it.”

Emperor Dongyue of Mount Tai remained silent for a long time before asking, “Brother, do you know why mortals do not fear ‘gods’, yet fear ‘ghosts’?”

Du Yu frowned, not quite grasping Emperor Dongyue’s meaning, but after carefully pondering the question, he found it quite interesting.

“That’s true. A ‘god’ is much more powerful than a ‘ghost’,” Du Yu answered. “Yet everyone is terrified of ‘ghosts’, but no one fears ‘gods’.”

“Mortals fear ‘ghosts’ because no matter how low a ghost’s cultivation is, it will still harm people. Mortals do not fear ‘gods’ because no matter how high a god’s immortal rank is, they will still protect people.” Emperor Dong sighed softly and said, “Therefore, when mortals desire something, they revere gods and worship gods. If the god does not respond, they resent the god and curse the god. But when it comes to ‘ghosts’, people invariably keep a respectful distance.”

Listening to Emperor Dong’s words, Du Yu grew thoughtful.

“Mortals will kneel when they encounter both ‘gods’ and ‘ghosts’. However, one is a worship driven by ulterior motives, while the other stems from genuine, heartfelt terror.” After speaking, Emperor Dong turned to ask Du Yu, “If you had to choose, would you rather be a ‘god’ or a ‘ghost’?”

“This…” Du Yu had not expected Emperor Dong to suddenly wax philosophical with him, leaving him temporarily at a loss for words.

“As the saying goes, ‘One thought to become a Buddha, one thought to become a Demon.’ But in reality, within the hearts of most, it is far easier to become a ‘demon’, and the rewards on that path are far more satisfying.” Emperor Dong finished with a wicked smirk, lowering his voice to whisper to Du Yu, “By the way, everything I just told you is incredibly blasphemous. If word gets out, I’ll be in serious trouble.”

Du Yu hurriedly nodded and said, “I know, I know. I definitely won’t tell a soul.”

Emperor Dong nodded and continued, “If a ghost attains the Dao, it becomes a ‘demon’. If an immortal develops desires, they become a ‘demon’.”

“Then… what about humans?”

Emperor Dong fell silent for a moment before saying, “The proverb says, ‘Drop the butcher’s knife, and instantly become a Buddha’. But what if one ‘picks up the butcher’s knife’?”

Du Yu’s mouth fell open slightly. “It’s that simple?”

“It’s that simple.” Emperor Dong smiled faintly and added, “I heard that among your opponents in this exchange, there is a monk from Tianzhu?”

“Yes, there is.”

“You must keep an eye on this man.” Emperor Dong looked at Du Yu seriously and said, “Not because he is incredibly dangerous, but because I believe you can find all the answers you seek from him.”

Du Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling that the Tianzhu monk’s name was Varan.

“Do you know what lies ‘above’ Tianzhu?”

“Above?” Du Yu rapidly pulled up a world map in his mind and quickly came to an answer. “Pa… Pakistan?”

“Hahahahaha.” Emperor Dong was once again amused by Du Yu. “Brother, you truly are interesting. When I say ‘above’, I mean the actual ‘Heavens’.”

“The Heavens above… Tianzhu?” Du Yu was still somewhat baffled. “What exactly is in the Heavens above Tianzhu?”

“It is the Western Paradise.” Emperor Dong explained, “Above Tianzhu is the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, watched over by the Great Sun Tathagata.”

“Ah!” Du Yu suddenly remembered. “Isn’t that where the Tang Monk went to obtain the scriptures? He wasn’t just traveling to the mortal realm of Tianzhu?”

“Tang Xuanzang sought the ‘True Scriptures’ and endured the ‘Eighty-One Tribulations’. If he were merely traveling to the mortal realm of Tianzhu, why would he ride a Dragon Horse and bring along figures like Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng, and Sha Wujing?”

Du Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this and asked, “Then what does this have to do with ‘demons’?”

“As I said, ‘One thought to become a Buddha, one thought to become a Demon’. Those monks from the Western Paradise should understand ‘demons’ better than anyone else in this world. If you’re curious, you can go ask that Tianzhu monk.” Emperor Dong slowly stood up. “The Buddhists have always remained aloof from worldly disputes. This Tianzhu monk’s true goal isn’t just to compete with our country. I suspect his appearance is directly related to He Suoyi.”

“So that’s how it is?” After listening to Emperor Dong’s explanation, Du Yu’s state of mind instantly became much clearer.

“I just came by for a casual chat this time. You are a clever man; you should have your own plans.” Emperor Dong smiled at Du Yu and said, “It’s about time I headed back.”

Du Yu hurriedly stood up to see him off.

Emperor Dong turned around and was just about to leave when he looked back and handed Du Yu a jade bead. “If there ever comes a day when you feel the Legends Administration is in peril, smash this jade bead. I will rush over to assist you at the first moment’s notice.”

Du Yu carefully accepted the jade bead and bid Emperor Dong farewell.

He stood frozen in place, deep in thought.

An unknown amount of time passed before Qu Xi came jogging over.

“Du Yu, you might need to come take a look at this.”

“Hmm?”

Du Yu knew that Qu Xi was in charge of the Assistant recruitment, which involved writing out legends from memory. Nothing should have gone wrong, but seeing her troubled expression, it was as if she had run into a very thorny problem.

“What happened?”

“Someone came to apply, but I need you to take a look…”

“What’s there to look at?” Du Yu asked as he followed Qu Xi forward. “Didn’t we say they just need to write out two of the eight legends from memory to pass?”

“The problem is that this person wrote down all eight legends, word for word, without a single mistake…”