Legend Management Bureau Chapter 214

[ … words ]

Hearing Du Yu’s words, the two men hurried forward to inspect Xiao Nian’s wrists. Sure enough, the bloody scratches that had marked her wrists just last night had vanished without a trace.

“So what does this mean?” Xie Bi’an asked in confusion. “Where is Xiao Nian?”

Though Du Yu’s heart ached for this innocent girl who had died unjustly, he had no idea who she was. All he could do was reach out and wipe her face a few times to reveal her true features.

Xie and Fan both cried out in shock, finally realizing that someone had applied makeup to this person to trick them into believing Xiao Nian was the one who died.

“I see… Someone killed this girl and dressed her up as Xiao Nian, attempting to drive a wedge between Old Eight and me,” Xie Bi’an muttered to himself. “But who would do such a thing? This person knows all three of us and understands Old Eight, Xiao Nian, and me perfectly…”

Du Yu offered a bitter smile. If he hadn’t figured it out in time and stubbornly insisted that the dead person was Xiao Nian, the situation would have gone completely south once Xie Bi’an noticed the discrepancies himself.

The suspect Xie Bi’an was referring to could only have been Du Yu himself.

Although Xie Bi’an still harbored some suspicions about Du Yu, he knew that since Du Yu had exposed the deception himself, he couldn’t be the mastermind behind it.

“But where did the real Xiao Nian go?” Fan Wujiu asked blankly.

“Are you saying…” Xie Bi’an was already a smart man, and with Du Yu’s slight hint, he immediately caught on. “Xiao Nian… faked her own death to make Old Eight and me kill each other?”

“Yes, though it’s just my guess,” Du Yu replied.

“But that doesn’t make sense…” Xie Bi’an looked at Du Yu in bewilderment. “Why would she do that?”

“Maybe she has another identity?” Du Yu tried to make the Seventh and Eighth Lords accept the idea that Xiao Nian was a villain, but it didn’t seem easy. “For instance, she could be part of the Red Turban Rebellion, or perhaps an enemy of yours.”

“I cannot agree with that view,” Xie Bi’an said, shaking his head. “If she truly had another identity, why would she spend a whole year with us?”

“Maybe… it was to make you let your guard down so she could kill you?” Du Yu suggested.

“That’s even more impossible.” Xie Bi’an shook his head again. “Old Eight and I dropped our guard around Xiao Nian a long time ago. If she wanted to kill us in our sleep, she would have succeeded a hundred times over by now.”

Du Yu didn’t know how else to explain that Xiao Nian indeed had an ulterior motive.

But it was a motive he couldn’t speak of.

‘I can’t exactly say, Xiao Nian approached you just to lure me here and kill me,’ he thought.

“If that’s the case, then just pretend I was talking nonsense,” Du Yu said. “I might have misunderstood her.”

Du Yu knew that if he kept blindly throwing dirt on Xiao Nian, it would backfire and provoke the ire of the Seventh and Eighth Lords. He could only quit while he was ahead.

The group left the tavern. Du Yu went to a pharmacy to buy fresh medicine and bandages for Ah Can and Ah Kui, carefully re-dressing their wounds. They had sturdy constitutions; even though only two or three days had passed, their injuries were already showing signs of healing.

When the pharmacy owner saw Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu among the customers, he outright refused to accept any money. It seemed that after today’s battle, the two had earned the deep respect of the neighborhood locals.

During this time, Du Yu informed the Seventh and Eighth Lords that the City God Temple had been burned to the ground. The two were shocked. Although the temple was incredibly dilapidated, it had been their home for twenty years. No matter what, they wanted to go back and take a look.

Evening was fast approaching. With nowhere else to spend the night, the group had no choice but to return to the City God Temple.

The fire had gradually died down, leaving the entire temple reeking of pungent, charred wood. Embers in various corners were still popping and crackling, but the silver lining was that the area wasn’t quite as cold anymore.

Even inside the temple, they no longer had a roof over their heads. The ceiling had completely caved in, allowing them to gaze up at the boundless starry sky.

“There is absolutely no trace of our existence left here,” Xie Bi’an said dejectedly.

“These Red Turbans are too bold. They even dare to burn down a City God Temple? Aren’t they afraid of divine retribution?” Fan Wujiu said angrily, looking at the ruins covering the ground.

Du Yu didn’t know what kind of play this burning of the City God Temple was supposed to be. It didn’t seem to be the work of the Seven Holy Heroes, because Du Yu had been with her when the temple caught fire.

‘Thinking about it, could it really be the Ming Cultists?’

‘It seems they can’t accept any gods other than the King of Light.’

The group stood quietly among the ruins of the temple. They couldn’t even find a place to sit.

Suddenly, a startled cry drifted out faintly from somewhere unknown:

“Oh my god, someone burned down my City God Temple?!”

Du Yu froze, lifting his head to ask the others, “Did you guys just hear someone talking?”

Xie Bi’an was also taken aback. “There did seem to be some strange noise…”

“Probably just some auntie taking a stroll down the street…” Fan Wujiu guessed.

Du Yu looked up in confusion. “An auntie on the street? I feel like I’ve heard that voice somewhere before…”

“This is showing me zero respect!” the voice rang out again.

“Holy shit!” Du Yu finally realized who the owner of the voice was. This was the City God Temple! A temple dedicated strictly to underworld deities!

He hurriedly spun around, scanning his surroundings. ‘Could she be appearing here? Is this part of the plot?’

Seeing Du Yu’s expression change, Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu mimicked his actions and looked around.

Sure enough, a woman had appeared out of nowhere, standing beside the ruined statues of the Six Great Underworld Envoys.

“Eh? Who is this lady?” Xie Bi’an stared blankly at the woman’s back. They hadn’t seen anyone when they walked in, and they had been standing near the exit the whole time without seeing anyone enter.

Du Yu frowned, completely at a loss on how to handle the situation unfolding before him.

The woman slowly turned around, revealing a face that was both beautiful and fiercely charming. “Eh? Who are you calling a lady? I am… no, I mean, This Queen. Does This Queen look that old to you?”

Before they could answer, the woman locked eyes with Du Yu.

“Oh my!” she shouted. “It’s you! I haven’t… no, This Queen hasn’t seen you in ages! What’s wrong, are there tigers here that need your judgment too?”

Du Yu was thoroughly baffled. Did Goddess Houtu remember him or not?

It was currently the late Yuan and early Ming dynasty. Four to five hundred years had passed since the story of Cui Jue Judging the Tiger in the Tang dynasty. How did she recognize him at a single glance?

“Boss, are your ‘memories’ all independent of each other? If your memory is this good, why do you keep forgetting me?”

“Forget…?” Goddess Houtu’s expression shifted slightly. “Have I ever forgotten you? My memory is usually pretty bad… If I’ve forgotten anything, please bear with me.”

“Little Du, do you know this lady?” Xie Bi’an asked. “Who is she?”

“Alright, let’s hurry up and kneel.” Du Yu shook his head helplessly. “This is Goddess Houtu.”

“Goddess Houtu?!” The two didn’t kneel right away; instead, their faces were filled with disbelief. “Isn’t Goddess Houtu a deity? Why would she be standing here?”

Du Yu felt that Xie Bi’an’s question was a bit strange. “Why can’t a deity stand here?”

“No… I mean… why would a deity come here? And why do you know a deity?”

“Uh… well…” Du Yu thought for a moment. “It’s a long story. Let’s not get into it right now. Anyway, just pay your respects to the boss first. It will boost your official luck later.”

Xie Bi’an was taken aback. “Official luck? Isn’t she a deity? Can deities grant us official luck?”

“Seventh Lord, why do you have so many questions? Can’t you just listen to me for once?”

Fan Wujiu chimed in, “I still don’t believe it. How could she be Goddess Houtu? Goddess Houtu is always depicted as an old woman in New Year paintings. She’s far too beautiful; she looks nothing like the paintings.”

“Whoa!” Du Yu jumped in surprise. “Eighth Lord, you really are a man of hidden talents. I never expected you to be such a flatterer.”

“Flatterer? I’m not flattering her,” Fan Wujiu said with a deadpan expression. “I’m just telling the truth.”

Fan Wujiu’s honest words struck right at Goddess Houtu’s heart.

“Am I really that beautiful?” she asked.

Xie Bi’an also took a closer look at Goddess Houtu’s features and agreed, “You are indeed very beautiful. You look much better than the Goddess Houtu in the paintings.”

“Heh! You two boys sure have a sweet way with words!” Goddess Houtu walked over and threw her arms around both Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu’s shoulders. “Your physical builds are pretty unique too. I bet you’re good fighters, huh?”

The two were a little terrified. It was one thing for Goddess Houtu to look different from the paintings, but why did she act so much like a man?

“We know a little martial arts,” Xie Bi’an replied.

“Perfect. Any interest in dying right now?” Goddess Houtu offered. “I’ve been looking for over a hundred years, and I just need two more to complete the set.”

Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu were absolutely horrified upon hearing this. What did she mean, ‘dying right now’?

Goddess Houtu turned her head to ask Du Yu, “Kid, didn’t you say that I needed to find eight people in total? Since you’re here too, it means I’ve come to the right place, right?”

Du Yu took a deep breath, not daring to speak. If he nodded and said yes, would this legend be instantly fulfilled?

But there was clearly a huge chunk of the story missing.

The Seventh and Eighth Lords weren’t supposed to be killed by Goddess Houtu, were they?

Before Du Yu could say anything, Xie and Fan spoke up.

“Goddess Houtu… we haven’t lived long enough yet. We don’t want to die…” Fan Wujiu pleaded.

Xie Bi’an hastily offered an apologetic smile and said, “Yes, yes, yes. A woman as beautiful as you couldn’t possibly be so ruthless, right? Even though we lived in the City God Temple for twenty years rent-free, we have always treated you with the utmost love and respect, never daring to slack off…”

Goddess Houtu looked at the two of them in confusion. “So you aren’t the ones I’m looking for? Then where am I supposed to find the last two…”

She turned her head and spotted Ah Can and Ah Kui.