Legend Management Bureau Chapter 158

[ … words ]

“Strange? What is so strange about it?” Weaver Girl asked.

“I feel like even if I read it to Medusa, she wouldn’t understand a word…” Du Yu chuckled awkwardly. “How about you just tell us straight how she can survive this tribulation?”

The Queen Mother of the West pondered for a moment before speaking. “Du Yu, have you thought this through? Do you truly want to help this woman?”

Du Yu did not quite understand what the Queen Mother meant.

“If Medusa survives the Shapeshifting Tribulation, she will attain the Dao, and her strength will naturally rise to a whole new level. But do we really know her?”

“Your Majesty… are you saying…”

“If Medusa decides to wage war against us, the Heavenly Exalts could protect themselves, but what about the rest of the immortals?”

Du Yu lowered his head, thinking seriously for a moment, before looking up with a bright, sunny smile.

“Your Majesty, I stake my life on it. Medusa won’t do such a thing.”

“On the grounds that I saved her life, and she crossed two and a half millennia just to repay that debt. She gave me all of her spoils of war, everything that represented her glory. I remember her saying she would give me everything ‘except Zeus’s spear.’ Thinking about it now, if it wasn’t to fend off this Shapeshifting Tribulation, she wouldn’t have kept Zeus’s spear for herself either.”

Hearing Du Yu’s words, the Queen Mother fell into deep thought. “Du Yu, are you saying you were bought off with just a few magical treasures?”

“Eh? Big Cat, how did your train of thought derail so badly…”

“Does our Huaxia lack good treasures to bestow upon you?” The Queen Mother turned her head to look at the assembled immortals. “Nezha, take that pile of artifacts you carry and give them all to Du Yu.”

“Eh?!” Nezha never expected to catch a stray bullet while just standing there. “Q-Queen Mother, these were given to me by my master… I…”

“Do you want me to go ask Taiyi myself?”

“Ah? N-no…”

“Big… Queen Mother, that’s not what I meant. This has nothing to do with treasures.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“I mean… right now, you are also saving Medusa’s life. I believe she would absolutely never bite the hand that feeds her. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to be here at all.”

“You make a fair point, kid…” The Queen Mother deliberated for a moment before speaking slowly. “If it is truly as you say, then I am willing to offer her some advice.”

“That’s great!” Du Yu turned back to Medusa in delight. “Our boss has decided to help you deal with this Shapeshifting Tribulation!”

“Really?” Medusa seemed so accustomed to the heavenly lightning that she never imagined she could one day be free of it.

“There are many ways to survive a Shapeshifting Tribulation. The most common methods include cultivating special techniques, consuming specific alchemical pills, or using protective magical treasures.”

“Right, I’ve read a lot about this. You absolutely have to make ample preparations before facing a tribulation.”

“Unfortunately… for Medusa, none of these methods can be used.” The Queen Mother shook her head helplessly.

“Ah?” Du Yu and Medusa were stunned simultaneously. “Why not?”

“From the momentum of the heavenly lightning I just observed, it is clearly imminent. There is probably only a two or three-day gap before the next strike. That isn’t enough time to cultivate a new technique or refine alchemical pills. Even if she learned to master a protective artifact, it wouldn’t necessarily be more effective than Zeus’s spear.”

Du Yu found himself in a tough spot. If Medusa had come earlier, it would have been fine, but was there really no way out now?

“However, I remember that during our last meeting, the Dragon King of the West Sea proposed a new concept,” the Queen Mother said slowly. “This idea might be able to help Medusa escape her current predicament, though it remains purely theoretical…”

“It’s fine, Your Majesty, please tell us,” Du Yu urged. “Whether it’s theoretical or not, we at least have to try.”

The Queen Mother nodded. “It is actually quite simple. We just need to find another demon beast currently undergoing the Shapeshifting Tribulation. However, this demon beast must have a higher cultivation base than Medusa. If the two of them undergo the tribulation simultaneously in the same location, the majority of the heavenly lightning will strike the demon beast with the higher cultivation, leaving only a small fraction for Medusa to bear herself.”

Du Yu carefully pondered the Queen Mother’s plan, but quickly felt something was off. “Your Majesty, according to what you’re saying… wouldn’t that other demon beast be doomed?”

“Not necessarily,” the Queen Mother countered. “First of all, our Huaxia demons possess spiritual intelligence from birth and inherently understand the concept of the Shapeshifting Tribulation, so they definitely make ample preparations in advance. Furthermore, demons that experience heavenly tribulations have their meridians cleansed and marrow reformed by the power of the lightning. If they can endure more than nine heavenly lightning strikes, they will gain an even higher cultivation base. This might actually be a good thing for them.”

“I see…” Du Yu gave a slight nod. “But is this kind of demon beast easy to find?”

Hearing this, the Queen Mother turned to Weaver Girl. “Weaver Girl, demons are managed by the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. Contact them immediately and ask if any demon beast with over two thousand years of cultivation is undergoing a tribulation within the next three days.”

Weaver Girl still hadn’t recovered from her earlier embarrassment. It took the Queen Mother calling her twice before she snapped out of it and hurriedly sent out a voice transmission.

“But you should prepare yourselves,” the Queen Mother added. “The spiritual energy in the world today is extremely thin. Demon beasts capable of birthing spiritual intelligence are incredibly rare. Finding one that meets the two-thousand-year cultivation requirement and is also ready to shapeshift is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.”

“Regardless…” Du Yu gritted his teeth. “At least we have to try.”

After waiting a short while, Weaver Girl finished her transmission and reported back. “Your Majesty, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas said they will immediately search for a demon that meets the criteria, but the chances are very low. Currently, according to their records, only one demon is scheduled to undergo a tribulation within the next two days. It is a tiger demon named ‘Si Huang’ who lives deep in the Yunmeng Mountains, possessing one thousand two hundred years of cultivation. The cultivation bases of the other demons are simply too low.”

“Who?” Du Yu was taken aback. “Why does that sound like an old acquaintance?”

“One thousand two hundred years is insufficient.” The Queen Mother shook her head. “If Medusa shares a tribulation with him, the vast majority of the heavenly lightning will strike Medusa instead.”

Du Yu couldn’t help but smile. ‘Si Huang, you little punk, you’ve really made something of yourself!’ he thought. ‘I’ve finally waited until you grew up. Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll definitely have to go see you.’

“Tell the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to keep searching!” the Queen Mother commanded. “Inform them that if they cannot find one, I will personally go there and inspect their archives.”

“Uh… Yes, ma’am!”

Figuring it would take the Dragon Kings a while to compile the information, Du Yu, Medusa, and the rest of the immortals walked back into the Legend Broadcast Room. As of now, the final stage of the Exchange Event still hadn’t been completed.

Even though Asuka was the only foreign ambassador left from the four nations, they still had to let her witness Du Yu’s methods for handling legends.

“Asuka?” Du Yu glanced around and realized that Asuka Shiranui was nowhere to be found.

After circling the Legend Administration Bureau, he finally found her in a secluded corner. She was talking to Erlang Shen, and with every sentence Erlang Shen spoke, she would nod and bow as if experiencing a sudden epiphany.

“Strange… Is she hitting on one of our handsome Huaxia guys?”

Du Yu waited for a good while until the two finally exchanged phone numbers and parted ways.

“Not bad!” Du Yu muttered under his breath. “I didn’t know Asuka had it in her.”

“Huh? Senior Du Yu?” Asuka Shiranui hadn’t taken many steps before spotting Du Yu hiding in the corner.

“Yep. So, how about it? Got your eye on our True Lord Erlang?” Du Yu asked with a wicked grin.

“What are you talking about!” Asuka retorted, visibly flustered. “That older brother spoke to me first.”

“Oh??” Du Yu feigned shock. “You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Erlang Shen looks like the most serious guy around. I never thought he’d be into your type.”

“Stop talking nonsense, Senior Du Yu,” Asuka said, waving her hands dismissively. “It’s not what you think. That older brother is also a master of summoning techniques. He was just giving me some tips on how to tame and raise summoned beasts.”

“Summoned beasts…?” Du Yu felt a wave of profound disappointment. “You two hid in such an intimate corner… just to talk about how to raise dogs?”

“What’s wrong with raising dogs?” Asuka pouted as she marched toward the Legend Broadcast Room. “Hurry up, it’s finally time for your Huaxia legends. I can’t wait to see how you handle them, Senior Du Yu.”

Du Yu shook his head in exasperation and followed her back into the broadcast room.

“Sister Qianqiu, how is the legend I asked you to prepare earlier coming along?” Du Yu asked Dong Qianqiu the moment he stepped inside.

“‘Black and White Impermanence,’ right? Everything is normal for now. Although we can enter the legend at any time… however…”

“However what?”

“There is another Class-B legend that has become an imminent crisis… If we proceed with ‘Black and White Impermanence’ first, I’m afraid it will delay our response to this one…”

“A Class-B legend? Which one?”

“It’s ‘The Legend of the White Snake’.”

“Bai Suzhen?!” A trace of awkwardness flashed across Du Yu’s face. “Is it really that urgent?”

“Yes…” Dong Qianqiu nodded grimly. “The problems emerging in this legend are numerous and highly dangerous, far surpassing those in ‘Black and White Impermanence’…”

“Ah?” A wave of guilt washed over Du Yu, and he quickly asked, “What exactly went wrong?”

“It’s quite strange. Originally, Bai Suzhen was supposed to travel north, passing through Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan, acquiring fortuitous encounters at both locations, before finally heading to Mount Li in Shaanxi to take the Old Mother of Mount Li as her master. But the moment she reached Mount Emei, she suddenly changed her route and headed entirely south. Not only did she fail to meet Xiao Qing at Mount Qingcheng, but she also completely missed becoming a disciple of the Old Mother of Mount Li.”

“Uh… so the problem really did stem from Mount Emei…” Du Yu buried his face in his hands, having no idea how to explain this mess.

“As it stands, this legend currently lacks Xiao Qing and the Old Mother of Mount Li. Even Bai Suzhen’s own magical cultivation is now composed of nothing but unorthodox arts… We can’t even see any signs that she intends to seek out Xu Xian to repay her debt… I took a look at this legend just now, and I find it extremely troublesome…”

Du Yu hadn’t expected there to be so many problems that needed fixing. It seemed that intervening in a legend was truly not something to be done lightly…

Issues like magic were easy enough to deal with; Du Yu could always figure out a solution for that. But without Xiao Qing, how was this story supposed to continue?

Where on earth was he supposed to find a green snake right now? This green snake didn’t just need to be beautiful—she had to know how to repay a debt of gratitude, and more importantly, she had to understand magic.

“Eh?”

Du Yu froze.

A green snake???