Legend Management Bureau Chapter 176

[ … words ]

The more Bai Suzhen conversed with the monk, the more inconsistencies she noticed. Perhaps there truly was some hidden truth behind this entire ordeal.

“If that is the case, old monk, let us both stand down,” Bai Suzhen declared with a stern expression. “Return my husband to me promptly, and I will let bygones be bygones.”

Fahai chanted, “Amitabha,” and replied to Bai Suzhen, “Very well. However, this old monk has not seen Xu Xian. If our paths do cross, I will certainly have him return to meet you.”

Neither fully trusted the other, yet neither entirely doubted the other either. In this atmosphere of lingering suspicion, they descended to the ground and parted ways to treat the poisoned civilians.

Du Yu, who had been hiding on the sidelines watching them the entire time, waited until there was absolutely no sign of a lingering fight. Only then did he quietly slip into the backyard and fish a poisonous mushroom out of the water well.

“Sister Qianqiu, could you find someone to take a look and see where this mushroom came from?”

A short while later, Dong Qianqiu replied, “Du Yu, the Queen Mother of the West says she recognizes this mushroom. It grows on Mount Kunlun!”

“This mushroom was brought all the way from Mount Kunlun?” Du Yu frowned. “If that is the case… if the one who poisoned the well was not Bai Suzhen, then it could only be…”

But that did not make any sense. Was Medusa out of her mind? To travel thousands of miles just to pick a poisonous mushroom from Mount Kunlun and drop it into the well of Huichun Pharmacy in Hangzhou—wasn’t that a bit too absurd?

Instead, she had journeyed tens of thousands of miles from the Greek Realm to China, only to be forced into a legend without knowing anything about it, and conveniently poisoned a well along the way?

It was a completely nonsensical motive for a crime.

Taking all of this into consideration, the most likely possibility was…

Medusa had absolutely no idea she was poisoning the water.

Du Yu quickly sorted out his thoughts. With Medusa’s formidable strength, she only needed to draw Zeus’s spear to wipe out half the population of Hangzhou. Poisoning was slow to take effect and offered unreliable results; for her, it would be the worst possible strategy.

Not to mention, she had spent the entire night saving people…

Working together, they busied themselves until noon the next day before finally curing the crowds of poisoned citizens. The pharmacy owner simply poured all the remaining antidote into the well to neutralize any lingering toxicity. He declared that the antidote was a personal gift to the city of Hangzhou and refused to accept a single penny from anyone.

“Seeing the people safe puts this old monk’s heart at ease.” Fahai breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and addressed the crowd. “It has been an honor to work alongside all of you tonight to save the common people. But now, it is time for me to take my leave.”

With that said, he turned to the pharmacy owner, pressed his palms together, and bowed.

“Benefactor, your great compassion will surely be rewarded with good fortune in the future. This old monk shall burn incense and pray for you day and night at Jinshan Temple, reciting sutras ten times a day.”

“Ah!” The pharmacy owner hurriedly pressed his hands together in return, bowing to Fahai. “Please, Master, you must not. I was merely doing my duty; I dare not trouble you so.”

“It is no trouble. Benefactor, you have profound karmic fortune, and praying for you is also a blessing for this old monk. I shall intrude no further. Farewell.”

Fahai slowly walked out the door, and Bai Suzhen followed close behind.

“Master,” Bai Suzhen called out. “Please wait a moment.”

“There is no need to see me off, White Snake. Our karmic ties should end here,” Fahai said, slowly bowing to Bai Suzhen. “This old monk can see that you are a demon with a kind heart. I hope you will achieve the Dao and become an immortal in the future.”

Bai Suzhen respectfully returned the bow. “Master, this humble woman is short-sighted and has no expectations of becoming an immortal. If my husband is truly with you, I only hope that Master…”

“Benefactor, this old monk assures you, I have absolutely not detained Xu Xian,” Fahai reiterated. “If I see him, I will certainly have him spend the rest of his life peacefully with you.”

“That is wonderful to hear. I must trouble you then, Master.” After the long night, Bai Suzhen’s opinion of Fahai had improved slightly, prompting her to speak with genuine politeness.

After the two bid their farewells, Fahai had barely rounded the corner of the next street when he spotted Du Yu waiting for him.

“Huijing?!” Fahai paused in surprise. “Where have you been this entire day and night?”

“I…” Du Yu let out an awkward laugh. “I went to save people!”

“Saving people…?” Fahai let out a faint sigh. “I suppose you are right. How could a single small pharmacy like ours save half the population of Hangzhou on its own…”

“Master, follow me first. I have some good news for you.”

“Good news?”

Du Yu dragged Fahai all the way back to the inn. Pushing open the door, they found Xu Xian sitting inside, sipping tea.

“Huh??” Fahai was stunned. “Benefactor Xu, why are you here?”

“Ah! Master Fahai!” Looking as if he had just been reunited with a long-lost relative, Xu Xian dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. “You are finally back!”

Fahai glanced at Du Yu in confusion and asked, “Huijing, when did Benefactor Xu Xian arrive? And what is this ‘good news’ you mentioned?”

“Xu Xian came straight here the moment he was revived!” Du Yu sat down with a swagger and poured himself a cup of tea. “My so-called good news is that this ‘scumbag’ has decided to stop bringing ruin to women. He is prepared to follow you to Jinshan Temple and become a monk.”

“How can we do that?!” Fahai suddenly panicked. He had lived for so long and had never told a lie. If things played out this way, wouldn’t it mean he had deceived the White Snake?

“We can’t?” Both Du Yu and Xu Xian froze.

“Hey! Little monk, you saw it yourself! It’s your master who refuses to take me in. Hurry up and tell him to beat those demons to death so I can go back.”

Du Yu shot Xu Xian a cold glare. “If my master won’t take you, I will. You will call me master, and from now on, you will be my master’s grand-disciple. Do you understand, grandson?”

Xu Xian jumped in fright, hurriedly lowering his head, too afraid to utter a single word.

“Huijing! Do not act recklessly!” Fahai said in distress. “This old monk has already promised the White Snake that if I see Benefactor Xu Xian, I will absolutely reunite them as husband and wife. If I take him to Jinshan Temple now, wouldn’t that be going back on my word?”

“Reunite them as husband and wife?” Du Yu was getting a little angry now. “Master, you already know what kind of person the White Snake is. Can you truly bear to let them ‘reunite’?”

Fahai hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he pondered over something.

“To tell you the truth, Master, I know the young girl who works at Huichun Pharmacy. Do you have any idea how Xu Xian bullied her?”

Fahai looked at Du Yu in confusion and asked, “What happened to that female benefactor?”

Du Yu took a deep breath and spun a wildly exaggerated and deranged tale. Standing to the side, Xu Xian tried to interrupt him several times, but remembering Du Yu’s ruthlessness, he swallowed his words.

“Is what you say true?!” Fahai asked in shock. “This… Benefactor Xu Xian, he…”

“Master, I’m standing right in front of him. How could I possibly lie straight to his face?” Du Yu shot back.

“This…” Fahai looked at Xu Xian, who indeed hadn’t said a single word in his own defense.

“Master, right now, Xu Xian doesn’t just want to escape Bai Suzhen, he wants you to kill her. Naturally, you would never do such a thing, but have you ever considered what might happen if he took matters into his own hands? What would the consequences be?”

Fahai lowered his head heavily, as if grasping the severity of the situation.

“Bringing him back to Jinshan Temple and severing his ties with the White Snake kills two birds with one stone. Not only will it save that demon, but it will also save all the women in the world!”

Under Du Yu’s relentless bombardment of persuasion, Fahai’s resolve finally softened.

“Huijing, you are correct. Taking Benefactor Xu Xian back to Jinshan Temple to shave his head and become a monk is truly for the sake of them both. The White Snake is highly principled; she will eventually understand this old monk’s good intentions.”

“Exactly!” Du Yu cheered loudly. “Now the White Snake is finally safe…”

Du Yu’s mind was also put at ease. He had once saved a Green Snake in the Greek Realm, so he didn’t mind saving a White Snake now. So what if she became the Prime Pivot? If he couldn’t even save the person right in front of him, how could he talk about saving the common people of the world?

The three of them quickly packed their belongings and immediately set off for Jinshan Temple.

“Master, the journey is so far. Are we going to be walking for a long time?” Du Yu asked while tightening his bundle.

“Huijing, are you making a joke at your master’s expense? We will ride my kasaya and fly there. We can reach Jinshan Temple in a mere moment, so why would we walk a long distance?”

“Uh…” Du Yu blinked in surprise, suddenly realizing that he had originally arrived by riding the kasaya. “Master, I-I was just messing with you…”

The three exited the inn, but Fahai was in no rush to summon his kasaya. Instead, he led them toward a more secluded area. According to him, there were too many mortals here, and rashly using magic might cause a panic.

Du Yu shook his head helplessly. When Fahai was brawling with Bai Suzhen last night, why didn’t he consider that he might startle the mortals then?

However, they hadn’t walked far when a massive crowd of commoners suddenly surged toward them from all directions. Holding flatbreads, eggs, and fruits, they approached with beaming enthusiasm.

“Master Fahai!” the citizens called out warmly. “Are you leaving? We came specifically to thank you!”

Du Yu was taken aback. He had only ever seen scenes like this on television.

Everyone began thanking Fahai, their voices overlapping as they continuously shoved gifts into his arms.

When had the old monk ever experienced a scene like this? He was quickly overwhelmed.

“B-benefactors, this old monk is a man of the cloth. I save the dying and heal the wounded without seeking any reward!”

“Master, please just accept it! This is just a token of our appreciation!”

Du Yu watched Fahai with a wry smile. Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

It felt like he was overlooking a crucial detail.

But what could possibly be wrong with so many kind-hearted citizens coming to express their gratitude to Fahai?

Before Du Yu could figure it out, a woman suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Oh? Young man, aren’t you Xu Xian, the apprentice from Huichun Pharmacy? We just heard you got married yesterday. Where are you off to today?”

Du Yu froze. ‘This is bad!’

Before he could react, Fahai offered the crowd a gentle smile and declared, “To tell you the truth, Benefactor Xu Xian has already decided to join Jinshan Temple, shave his head, and become a monk!”

Hearing this, Du Yu knew they were doomed. If the news that Xu Xian was leaving with Fahai accidentally spread throughout the entire city, it would reach Bai Suzhen’s ears in no time.