Legend Management Bureau Chapter 16

[ … words ]

A mortal had become an operator for the Legend Management Bureau and achieved a one hundred percent legend completion rate on his very first Super-A rank mission.

This news quickly spread throughout the entire immortal realm. Not only the Underworld, but even the Heavenly Court was in an uproar.

Yet, as the center of the storm, the protagonist of this incident, Du Yu, remained unconscious. Upon hearing that he was severely injured, the Yama Kings of the Ten Palaces successively sent people to deliver miraculous elixirs and panaceas. Their purpose was self-evident.

Among the Eight Lords of the Underworld, aside from the Second Lord, the Martial Magistrate Zhong Kui, everyone else had pills delivered to his door. This included the First Lord, the Civil Magistrate Cui Jue; the Third Lord, Ox-Head Abang; the Fourth Lord, Horse-Face Luosha; the Fifth Lord, Golden General Lord Cangue; the Sixth Lord, Silver General Lord Lock; the Seventh Lord, White Impermanence Xie Bian; and the Eighth Lord, Black Impermanence Fan Wujiu.

These pills would be considered once-in-a-century treasures in the mortal realm. Whether it was ten-thousand-year fleeceflower root, thousand-year lingzhi mushroom, Tianshan snow lotus, or Kunlun ginseng, every family brought out treasures they had hoarded for years.

Aside from them, Meng Po, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Great Emperor of Beiyin Fengdu, the Great Emperor of Dongyue, and even the rarely seen Empress Houtu sent messages expressing their sympathies.

It was worth mentioning that, under Fan Wujiu’s relentless demands, a helpless Fan Xiaoguo also went to deliver medicine. However, she sent a box of anti-inflammatory amoxicillin worth twelve yuan and eighty cents. Placed among the numerous rare treasures, this box of amoxicillin stood out like a sore thumb.

“Xiaoguo, what exactly were you thinking?” Xie Jin asked, linking arms with Fan Xiaoguo as they walked down the street. Fan Xiaoguo had insisted on giving the cheapest, most useless medicine to Du Yu, and there had been no stopping her.

“What else could I be thinking? I just do not want the older generation dictating my marriage.” Fan Xiaoguo pouted, her face full of reluctance.

“Mhm… I suppose… But Sister White, do you get that feeling? If I were interacting with him on my own terms, it might be quite comfortable. But the moment the ancestors interfere, I lose all motivation.” Fan Xiaoguo muttered, her head lowered. “Before I even know what kind of person he is, my elders tell me I have to marry him. The pressure is just too much.”

“Mhm… That is true…” Xie Jin patted Fan Xiaoguo’s head and comforted her, “Then let nature take its course. Our Xiaoguo is so cute, how could any man not like you?”

…

At the Legend Management Bureau.

“Holy crap,” Du Yu blurted out. Upon waking up, he saw his bedside piled high with miraculous elixirs. “Am I dead? Why are there so many offerings?”

Very quickly, Du Yu realized something was wrong.

“I actually am dead.”

Du Yu turned his head and saw Dong Qianqiu asleep, slumped over the edge of the bed. For some reason, her hands were covered in dried blood. A few strands of hair fell across her pale face, making her look exhausted. He had to admit, she looked much more approachable like this than her usual meticulous self.

Did she not say she had not left that monitor for hundreds of years? Why was she sleeping here now?

Du Yu stared at Dong Qianqiu intently. As if sensing something, Dong Qianqiu frowned and opened her eyes.

Their gazes met for a brief second.

“Du Yu?! You are awake?”

Du Yu thought for a moment before squeezing out a smile. “Hehe, yeah, Sister Qianqiu.”

“How are you doing? Does the wound still hurt?”

“Wound? The one who got hurt was the me in the legend, not the me in reality…” Du Yu twisted his body as he spoke, only to suddenly feel an agonizing pain in his lower abdomen.

“Du Yu! The you in the legend and the you in reality are symbiotic. All the injuries you sustain are completely real…”

“Holy crap!” Du Yu groaned, unable to straighten his back from the pain. “So that is how it works? Then I really need to take it easy and recover…”

“Actually, this is my fault…” Dong Qianqiu said anxiously. “Even though I did not want Heng’e to ascend to the heavens either, but… that is the recorded legend, and no one can change it…”

“Alright, Sister Qianqiu, I am just joking with you!” Du Yu threw off the covers and hopped out of bed. “It hurts a little, but not that much. See, I am still alive and kicking.”

“Don’t!” Seeing Du Yu jump out of bed, Dong Qianqiu immediately turned her head away.

“Sister Qianqiu, what is wrong? Ah!!” Du Yu looked down and realized his clothes and pants had been stripped off at some point.

“They needed to clean your wound… so they took your clothes off…”

“Damn it!” Du Yu scrambled back under the covers. This was way too embarrassing.

“Seeing you so energetic puts my mind at ease. I will have someone bring your clothes,” Dong Qianqiu said, standing up and slowly walking out of the room. Before leaving, she looked back and added, “Right now, the Legend Management Bureau only has you as an operator. If you die, I will have a lot to answer for.”

Du Yu watched Dong Qianqiu leave, then looked at the room full of miraculous elixirs and let out a soft sigh.

Just who placed so many boxes here?

“I heard you woke up?”

A figure leaned into the doorway.

“Huh? Chief Magistrate? I just woke up and you already know?”

The person who entered was none other than the Chief Magistrate, Cui Jue.

“Originally, I left a message with Old He to have you come see me after you woke up. But I did not expect you to complete this mission so flawlessly. The line of people waiting to curry favor with you is already out the door. I was worried someone else would beat me to the punch, so I took the initiative to come find you.”

“Oh?” Du Yu felt a swell of pride. “Did I do that well on this mission?”

“Indeed. Theoretically speaking, it could not have been done any better.”

“Then, Chief Magistrate… about our previous agreement?”

“Are you talking about cutting the line for reincarnation?” Cui Jue chuckled. “No matter how well you complete your missions, it is impossible to offset seven hundred years of waiting.”

“Uh…” Although Du Yu had already anticipated this outcome, he was still somewhat displeased. He could only force a bitter smile and ask, “Then do I have to keep working here? When will it end?”

“Du Yu, tell me, what do you think of this job?” Cui Jue asked very seriously.

Du Yu pondered for a moment before answering, “It has some perks, I suppose. It is much better than being a factory worker. It is just a bit dangerous. I almost died several times. Usually, in the living world, such dangerous jobs pay very well…”

“Pay? Hahahaha.”

Du Yu’s single remark made Cui Jue burst into laughter.

“What is so funny?”

Cui Jue slowly reined in his laughter and pointed at the room full of magical elixirs. “The moment they heard the operator of the Legend Management Bureau was injured, every prominent figure in the Underworld sent you miraculous panaceas. With your current status and position, why are you still talking about pay?”

Du Yu stared blankly at the room full of items. Most of them were packed in boxes made of extremely precious wood, and some were even inlaid with gold floral patterns.

“These are all for me?”

“Indeed. Right now, everyone is waiting to see which family’s elixir you will use to heal your injuries. Choosing a specific family’s pill is essentially accepting the olive branch they extended.”

Du Yu had been quite happy initially, but upon hearing Cui Jue’s explanation, his face instantly twisted in disdain. “That sounds like a huge hassle…”

“Du Yu, I brought your clothes.” Dong Qianqiu walked into the room carrying Du Yu’s freshly washed clothes. “Oh? The Chief Magistrate is here too.”

Du Yu flashed Dong Qianqiu a slight smile, took the clothes, and put them on under the covers. Then, he got out of bed to inspect the room full of wooden boxes.

“My god, what is all this stuff? Can they really heal wounds?” Du Yu was dumbfounded when he opened the first wooden box. Inside lay something that looked like a fish scale.

“That is the reverse scale of a Torch Dragon, sent by King Qinguang.”

Du Yu pushed the item aside and opened the second box. Inside rested a small, sparkling stone.

“A Five-Colored Stone, sent by King Pingdeng.”

Du Yu looked at the third box with a bewildered expression. Inside was a severed finger.

“A Buddha Finger Relic, sent by Horse-Face.”

“Enough, enough.” Du Yu waved his hand at Dong Qianqiu. “Sister Qianqiu, you do not need to introduce them to me anymore. I do not want a single one of these things. Send them all back.”

“How can we do that!” Dong Qianqiu objected. “If these big shots find out you refused everything, how will you explain it to them?”

“Explain it to them?” Du Yu looked at Dong Qianqiu in confusion. “I am an employee here, what do I have to explain to them? Besides, I have a mortal body. Will consuming these things really heal my injuries? I would probably drop dead the moment I ate one. For mortals like us…” Du Yu walked over to the table and picked up the box of amoxicillin. “Us mortals can only take this kind of medicine. I really have no use for the rest.”

After saying that, Du Yu turned to look at Cui Jue.

“Right, Boss, you kept saying you had something to discuss with me. What is it exactly?”

Cui Jue pondered for a moment before replying, “I want to ask a favor of you. There is no rush, you can take your time to consider it…”

…

At Fan Wujiu’s estate, Xie Bian happened to be visiting as a guest.

Looking at the multitude of returned gifts, the two sank into deep thought.

Rumor had it that Du Yu had returned all the gifts, keeping only a box of amoxicillin worth less than twenty yuan.

“We truly miscalculated this time. That Du Yu has quite a strange personality,” Xie Bian noted in puzzlement.

“I want to know who was so scheming to actually send a box of anti-inflammatory medicine meant for mortals,” Fan Wujiu remarked. “To think someone in the Underworld possesses such cunning means. This place truly is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.”

Standing to the side, Fan Xiaoguo looked utterly perplexed.

“Ancestor, what did you just say Du Yu kept?”

“Amoxicillin. Why, Guo’er? Do you know who sent it?”

“Pfft!” Standing behind Xie Bian, Xie Jin could not help but burst into laughter. “Eighth Ancestor, Xiaoguo was the one who sent the amoxicillin!”

Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu’s eyes went wide.

“Really?!”

Fan Xiaoguo was completely baffled. How could a simple box of anti-inflammatory medicine cause such a stir?

“Wonderful, Xiaoguo!” Fan Wujiu showed a rare smile. “You truly put thought into this. The Black family is relying on you to build a good relationship with Du Yu.”

“Huh…?”

…

Du Yu learned from Dong Qianqiu that he had been in a coma for thirteen days. During this time, the Legend Management Bureau had remained operational, with only Dong Qianqiu taking a leave of absence to care for him.

This was Dong Qianqiu’s first time taking leave in a thousand years.

“Sister Qianqiu, how long do I have to lie here like this?”

Dong Qianqiu had refused to let Du Yu get out of bed. For the past few days, aside from taking care of him, she had been sitting by his bedside, tutoring him on legend trivia.

“You can get out of bed once you have completely passed my assessment.”

“Sigh…” Du Yu groaned. “Spare me…”

“Please listen to the question. Are all immortals eternally undying?”

Du Yu thought for a moment before answering, “They should be, right…”

“Wrong!” Dong Qianqiu scolded sharply. “What have you been listening to? I have told you many times, although immortals live longer than mortals, they are not truly immortal! For deities, there are many ways to extend their lifespans, such as the Peaches of Immortality Banquet and surviving heavenly tribulations. The longest-lived immortal currently known lived for one hundred and eight thousand years…”

Du Yu listened listlessly to this theoretical knowledge. This was far more boring than actually entering the legends.

“Sister Qianqiu, I do not want to listen anymore.”

“What?” Dong Qianqiu paused. “How can you not listen? This knowledge might save your life in the future!”

“Do I not still have you?”

“Me?”

“Exactly. When I enter a legend, won’t you always be right there by my side?”

Dong Qianqiu opened her mouth but no words came out.

“Or are you going to leave me to fend for myself like last time?”

“How could I! Last time was a special circumstance…”

“Alright then! So as long as you know this knowledge, it is the same as me knowing it.” Du Yu hopped out of bed and patted Dong Qianqiu on the shoulder. “Stop working yourself so hard. Let’s go get a cup of coffee.”

Dong Qianqiu looked at the man in front of her with slight confusion, letting out a soft sigh.

After all, he was the only hope for restoring the former glory of the Legend Management Bureau.

“Where… are we going to drink coffee?”

“Sister, this is your turf. How would I know if you are asking me?”

…

Taking advantage of He Suoyi’s inattention, the two sneaked out of the Legend Management Bureau.

To Du Yu’s surprise, although Dong Qianqiu seemed to hold a rather high position, she did not even own a car.

“Sister Qianqiu, are you just going to wear that?” Du Yu asked, looking at Dong Qianqiu’s black work uniform. “Don’t girls usually dress up nicely when they go out?”

“I… I only have this outfit…” In all this time, Dong Qianqiu had been asked countless questions, but this was the only one that made her feel a bit embarrassed.

‘Yeah, should I buy some pretty clothes?’

“Never mind,” Du Yu said. “I can’t imagine what you would look like in anything else anyway. This is fine.”

The two walked out of Mount Bugui, their destination being Fengdu City. However, Mount Bugui was twenty kilometers away from Fengdu City. With Du Yu still injured, it would likely take them more than a day to walk there.

Just as they were talking, a dilapidated minivan flew past in the sky. Spotting the two on the ground, it circled once before slowly descending.

“Hey? Miss Underworld Emissary?” Du Yu squinted and realized the driver was none other than Fan Xiaoguo.

“Assistant Dong and Du Yu?” Fan Xiaoguo also looked puzzled. “Are you two heading out?”

“Yep!” Du Yu replied cheerfully. “It is great that you are here, could you give us a ride?”

Feeling a bit awkward, Dong Qianqiu interjected, “Du Yu, Xiaoguo might be here to see the Director. Do not disturb her work.”

“Ah… it is fine, it is fine, Assistant Dong. Actually, I was ordered by my ancestor to bring something for Du Yu. Just tell me where you need to go and I will drop you off. I can leave right after since I need to head to Fengdu City for some errands anyway.”

Du Yu did not stand on ceremony. He grabbed Dong Qianqiu and pulled her into the van.

Amidst a subtle atmosphere, the three of them flew toward Fengdu City.