Legend Management Bureau Chapter 197

[ … words ]

“Damn it!”

Du Yu cursed loudly. ‘Why couldn’t you have come a little later?’ he thought. ‘As long as I retrieve this soul and subdue Ah Can and Ah Kui, the future versions of you would get back on the right track.’

But on second thought, the fact that the “Saint” was continuously sending assassins after him in such a short period of time could only mean one thing… he was getting desperate!

It seemed his tactics were working perfectly. The more anxious the enemy became, the more successful his plan was.

Subduing the Can and Kui brothers was an urgent matter that brooked no delay.

“Hey, I have to ask. If you came to kill me, then kill me. Why did you have to kill An Lushan along the way?” Du Yu asked.

“Should I not have killed him?” The man glanced at An Lushan, who had collapsed at his feet, his soul currently dissipating. “If he hadn’t stolen my brother’s soul back then, how could our lives have been altered so drastically?”

Du Yu gave a dry chuckle. “Your lives might be painful right now, but things are about to change… Don’t you think it’s possible that someone might suddenly appear in your memories to lend a hand, and then you’ll live a happy, stable life from then on?”

“You misunderstand.” The man offered a faint smile. “Our lives are not painful at all, nor could you possibly comprehend how we feel.”

“Enough nonsense.” A red glow slowly emanated from the man’s hand. “This time, you will surely die, and everything will come to an end.”

“Surely die?” Du Yu frowned. “What a joke. Didn’t I survive the last time?”

“Last time, the ‘Saint’ ordered our emergency retreat to protect ‘Bai Suzhen’, but this time is different.” The man advanced slowly as he spoke. “We have examined the timeline for twenty minutes before and after this moment. Not a single person will pass through here, nor will anyone step in to save you.”

Du Yu took a step back. “You really are from the future…”

“Twenty minutes is more than enough time for me to kill you,” the man said, closing in step by step.

“You are wrong,” Du Yu retorted. “You only said no one else would pass by, but don’t forget, I might not necessarily lose to you on my own.”

“Is that so?” the man countered. “Right now, you only have Little Zhongli and Chada on you. Your other six ghost slots are completely empty. If I remember correctly, Yingning is not with you either, is she?”

Du Yu’s heart raced uncontrollably. Despite all his careful calculations, he had never anticipated that they would strike within his own timeline.

‘How am I supposed to deal with an opponent who knows me this well?’

“So, in other words, if I don’t do something ‘out of the ordinary’, I won’t be able to escape today?” Du Yu asked.

“Yes, you are absolutely right.” The man let out a cold sneer. “According to ‘history’, you are supposed to kill An Lushan here and then return to rendezvous with the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. We chose to descend into this specific time period and kill An Lushan first just to buy ourselves some time. Unless there is an anomaly that ‘subverts history’, you will undoubtedly die today.”

“Good grief… I’m already ‘history’ in your eyes?” Du Yu stared in disbelief. “Just how far from the future are you guys from?”

“I apologize, but I cannot answer that.” The man shook his head before asking, “Are you done with your questions? Could I kindly ask you to die now?”

With those words, he erupted in a flash of crimson light, shooting toward Du Yu at blinding speed.

Du Yu immediately channeled the powers of both Zhongli Chun and Chada, concentrating their strength into his body as he forcefully leaped into the air.

“Hey?! Is anyone around?! Murder!!!!”

Du Yu bellowed at the top of his lungs from mid-air. However, he had chased his target a bit too far and was now quite a distance from the main battlefield. Furthermore, the sounds of slaughter echoing from the battlefield were much louder than his cries; it was impossible for anyone to hear his calls for help.

Before Du Yu could even land, another silhouette materialized right beside him. This newcomer was also bare-chested and covered in scars.

Seeing him, Du Yu offered a bitter smile. “Ah Kui, little brother, you came too?”

The younger brother was in no mood to chat and laugh with Du Yu, delivering a vicious kick that sent him crashing to the ground.

The two men touched down slowly, trapping Du Yu in a pincer maneuver from the front and back.

Sprawled on the ground, Du Yu’s mind raced at lightning speed. ‘What can I do to escape with my life?’

Suddenly, he remembered an item. Perhaps ‘that’ was the very ‘anomaly’ needed to subvert history!

At this thought, he reached into his shirt and stealthily pulled out a jade pearl.

Back when the Legend Administration was undergoing reconstruction, the Eastern Emperor of Mount Tai had visited and entrusted this jade pearl to Du Yu.

He had told him to crush the jade pearl whenever he was in danger. No matter where the Emperor was, he would sense it and rush over to help immediately.

Du Yu quietly gripped the jade pearl in his hand. Just as he was about to crush it, someone suddenly clamped down on his wrist.

Ah Kui’s hand glowed with a faint blue light, gripping Du Yu’s hand in a vice-like hold.

“The Eastern King Pearl. If crushed, the Eastern Emperor will appear. I almost forgot about that.” Ah Kui blew a breath over the jade pearl, and it instantly froze over with a thick layer of ice.

No matter how hard Du Yu squeezed, the ice felt as hard as a diamond, refusing to budge an inch.

Du Yu’s eyes went wide as he stared at Ah Kui. “How could you possibly know about this?! Regarding this pearl… only the Eastern Emperor and I should know about it!”

‘Could it be… the Eastern Emperor?’

“Let’s not waste any more time, brother. Do it,” Ah Can finally spoke up.

Murderous intent began to radiate from the two of them as they gradually closed in on Du Yu.

Faced with this absolute suppression of power, no amount of clever tricks from Du Yu would be of any use.

These two had investigated everything beforehand; his position was entirely too passive!

The two brothers reached out simultaneously. Standing in front of and behind Du Yu, they were just about to pierce his heart when a brilliant golden light suddenly flared to life, enveloping Du Yu within it.

The brothers furrowed their brows, carefully trying to process the situation before them, but no matter how they thought about it, it didn’t make any sense. According to the records of “history”, it was impossible for anyone to appear nearby.

“Ignore it. Force your way through.”

At the older brother’s command, the two threw their hands forward and blasted the golden light. However, the barrier was far sturdier than they had anticipated, remaining completely unyielding despite taking the brunt of their combined attack.

“It’s the Great Compassion Seal,” the younger brother gritted his teeth. “So an anomaly capable of ‘subverting history’ really did appear.”

Du Yu looked up. A burst of golden light suddenly illuminated the wall at the end of the alley, and an Indian monk slowly walked out from it.

“Amitabha.”

“M-Master Warang?!” Du Yu exclaimed in shock.

The older brother’s expression turned frigid upon seeing Warang. He stepped forward slowly and demanded, “Master Warang, do you realize what you are doing?”

“Benefactors, this humble monk merely sensed that the ‘legendary plotline was about to deviate’, and stepped in to correct it.” Master Warang bowed his head respectfully to the brothers. “I hope the two of you will be magnanimous and refrain from disturbing the legends. Benefactor Du Yu is not meant to lose his life here.”

Du Yu was stunned. ‘This Monk Warang actually knows the Can and Kui brothers?’

“Master Warang, I don’t understand. Our ‘ultimate goal’ is clearly the same. If you just stay out of this, everything can finally end,” the older brother said.

Warang offered a serene smile. “You misunderstand, benefactors. This humble monk has never had an ‘ultimate goal’. I once gave Benefactor Du Yu a choice, and he made his decision. Therefore, my ‘purpose’ has already been fulfilled.”

The older brother was about to argue, but the younger brother stopped him, turning to ask Warang instead, “Master, even if the choice he made was the wrong one, you still won’t interfere?”

“To us, Benefactor Du Yu is ‘history’, and in ‘history’, there is no ‘right or wrong’. Thus, I respect all of his choices.”

Hearing Warang’s absolute stance, the brothers’ expressions grew grave.

“So, Master Warang, you intend to protect him today?” the younger brother pressed. “You must know that this serves no practical purpose. The ‘Saint’ will not give up. Even if you slay the two of us right here, the ‘Saint’ will never relent.”

“This humble monk is not protecting him, but rather preserving ‘true history’. Nor do I wish to kill either of you; I only seek to urge you to turn back before it’s too late.”

The two brothers exchanged a look.

“What should we do, brother?”

The older brother gave a wry smile. “What else can we do? We either kill Warang, or we retreat once again.”

The younger brother gritted his teeth. “The ‘Saint’ gave us a new lease on life. We have already failed the order to assassinate Du Yu once. If we fail again, what face will we have to report back to him?”

“But Warang has the Eight Hundred Supreme Arhats backing him up. We won’t necessarily gain the upper hand… Besides, have you forgotten the ‘Saint’s’ instructions?” the older brother countered. “He said that if we encountered any insurmountable difficulties, we were to retreat unconditionally. Our safety is the top priority.”

Although the younger brother was reluctant to give up, he understood the high stakes involved. He turned back to Warang and asked, “Master, how long can you protect him?”

“As long as this monk’s eyes can see him, I will protect him to the very end.”

“I see.” The younger brother bowed respectfully to Warang. “Master, you are indeed a man worthy of respect. We merely wish to remind you that we are not the only ones executing this assassination mission. The ‘Saint’s Seven Elites’ have all been mobilized. How can you possibly defend against all of us?”

“Even if I cannot, I must try.” Warang smiled serenely. “This is my calling. This humble monk was born to die protecting the legends.”

The older and younger brothers shared a final look. They bowed their heads to Warang, then turned and slowly faded into the darkness.

Seeing that the two had departed, Warang prepared to take his leave as well.

“It’s over just like that?” Du Yu muttered in bewilderment, still sprawled on the ground.

“Master Warang…” Du Yu called out as he scrambled to his feet, stopping the Indian monk whom he had only met twice before.

“Benefactor Du Yu, is there something you need?”

“Do you… not have anything you want to say to me?” Du Yu asked.

“No. This monk already said everything that needed to be said the last time we drank and conversed together.”

“Uh…” Before Du Yu could utter another word, Warang’s figure vanished into the wall.

Although the beginning and end of this “assassination” seemed entirely abrupt, Du Yu had still managed to glean a wealth of crucial information.

He felt as though all these clues were just one thread away from being completely pieced together.