Legend Management Bureau Chapter 268

[ … words ]

After listening to Liu Ling’s story, Yi Di’s expression flickered with uncertainty.

His own version of the Dukang Brews Wine legend was merely something he had heard from his tribesmen during his time in the Yellow Emperor’s camp. As for which of the two stories being told was real and which was fake, it was impossible to tell.

However, the surrounding tribesmen could not help but whisper among themselves after hearing Liu Ling’s tale. The “three states” he described resonated deeply with everyone.

“I’m more inclined to believe this young man’s story…” one tribesman murmured slowly.

“Exactly. Without the guidance of an Immortal Deity, how could Du Kang have brewed such a divine beverage?”

The crowd broke into a lively discussion, chattering over one another.

But Du Yu felt this was inappropriate. The bigger the commotion, the harder it would be to resolve, especially since it was nearly impossible to verify either story. He hurriedly pulled Liu Ling up and called out to the crowd, “Everyone knows that once men get drunk, they love to brag… they love to spout nonsense! Let’s not lower ourselves to the level of two drunks! Disperse, everyone!”

Dragging Liu Ling along, Du Yu turned around, only to bump right into Xie Yujiao and Shiranui Asuka rushing over.

“Huh?” Du Yu paused in surprise. “Why are you two here?”

A’xiang nodded beside her, asking softly, “Senior Liu Ling didn’t cause any trouble, did he?”

“It’s fine. You arrived at the perfect time. Help me carry Old Liu back.”

Du Yu and Xie Yujiao hoisted Liu Ling up by his arms. Just as they were about to leave, they heard Yi Di gasp sharply behind them, followed by a heavy thud as he dropped to his knees.

The trio froze. Turning back to look at Yi Di, they saw him staring at Xie Yujiao, shaking with fear.

However, a second later, he seemingly realized that kneeling so openly was inappropriate. He immediately scrambled to his feet and lowered his head to stare at the ground, much of his drunkenness instantly sobering up.

Du Yu furrowed his brows and whispered to Xie Yujiao, “A’jiao, do you know him?”

“I don’t,” Xie Yujiao replied in a hushed tone.

“Could it be…” Du Yu narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

“Hey!” Xie Yujiao shouted sharply, startling Yi Di so badly that he buried his head even lower, not daring to meet her gaze.

Du Yu reached out to stop her, whispering, “A’jiao, don’t rush. I have a plan.”

“A plan? What plan?” Xie Yujiao looked at him in confusion.

“This isn’t a good place to talk. Let’s head back first.” Du Yu shot a meaningful glance at Xie Yujiao and A’xiang. The two women dropped the matter and turned to leave.

Back in their room, Du Yu remained deep in thought.

Liu Ling was already snoring loudly, and the rest of the group sat in silence.

“A Can, A Kui,” Du Yu finally spoke. “I need you two to do me a favor.”

“We’re here!” The brothers shot to their feet. “What do you need us to do, Brother Yu?”

“Nothing major, just pass along a message for me.” Du Yu stood up and slowly closed the door before continuing, “Go find that elderly man in the village named Yi Di. Tell him that in an hour, Yousi wants to meet him in the woods outside the village.”

Yousi?

Although the group did not quite understand Du Yu’s intentions, no one questioned him. The brothers immediately left the room to ask around for the elderly Yi Di’s residence.

“Xiao Nian,” Du Yu called out next.

“Producer Teacher, I am here!”

“I also need a favor from you,” Du Yu said.

“What is it?”

Turning around to look at Xie Yujiao, Du Yu told Xiao Nian, “I want you to adjust A’jiao’s makeup a bit. Without changing her fundamental appearance, I need you to give her a more sinister, menacing aura.”

“A menacing aura…?” Xiao Nian pondered for a brief moment before nodding. “I understand, Producer Teacher!”

With that, Xiao Nian expertly retrieved her travel bag, which was filled with cosmetics she had prepared in advance. Sitting across from Xie Yujiao, she picked up an eyebrow pencil and began shaping her brows.

“Du Yu, what exactly are you scheming?” Jin Jianglang asked in confusion. “Don’t blame me for not warning you, but the bigger the disturbance you cause, the harder it will be for me to clean it up.”

“Relax, there won’t be any disturbances. I just need to figure something out,” Du Yu assured him.

He then glanced at Xie Yujiao again and added, “A’jiao, listen carefully to what I’m about to say. As long as you follow my instructions, we should be able to figure out exactly who this Yousi really is…”

…

An hour later, in the woods outside the village.

This was the very spot where Zhurong had just recently shown off his skills.

The wilderness of the Primordial Era was more vibrant and brimming with life than any jungle on modern Earth. Unseen species of wild animals darted through the underbrush, while faintly glowing insects danced in the air.

Xie Yujiao had arrived early to wait among the trees. After Xiao Nian’s careful adjustments, she didn’t even need to speak; a single look from her radiated a palpable sense of hostility.

A gentle breeze swept past. It was not long before the old man named Yi Di finally made his appearance.

He constantly glanced left and right, his expression twisted in deep conflict.

Hidden in the branches of a tall tree, Du Yu took in the old man’s every move.

It didn’t take long for Yi Di to spot Xie Yujiao. His expression froze, and he immediately trotted over, dropping to his knees before her.

Although Xie Yujiao was inwardly baffled, she strictly followed Du Yu’s instructions and asked, “Do you… not have anything you wish to say to me?”

Hearing her words, Yi Di shuddered slightly and replied, “Lady Yousi! Earlier, this old servant wanted to kneel and pay his respects, but considering the crowd and your disguise, I assumed it would be inconvenient. That is why I dared not acknowledge you. When those two youths said you wished to summon me, I hurried over without a second thought…”

Du Yu furrowed his brows slightly. This old man named Yi Di really did know Yousi.

However, his attitude was entirely different from Xing Tian’s. Xing Tian had acted like Yousi’s sworn enemy, whereas Yi Di behaved more like her subordinate.

But in the patriarchal society of the Primordial Era, why would an elderly man willingly kneel to a young woman?

One only had to look at Houtu. Even though she was a noble descendant of the Yan Emperor, any young man in the tribe could bully her simply because she was female.

That was precisely why she had always wanted to become a man.

Hearing Yi Di’s explanation, Xie Yujiao realized it aligned perfectly with what Du Yu had anticipated. Following the plan, she continued in a cold tone, “Yi Di, you certainly have a lot of nerve.”

At these words, the old man practically slammed his forehead against the ground in a deep kowtow.

After a long silence, he stammered, “I-I do not know what Lady Yousi is referring to.”

Xie Yujiao shot him a murderous glare and said, “I will give you one chance. Speak for yourself.”

The old man’s head remained buried in his hands, hiding his expression, but his constant trembling was evident.

“This… this old servant…” Yi Di said, his voice quivering. “I did not intentionally abandon the Xuanyuan Clan. It is just that there was simply no place for me there anymore…”

Hearing this, Xie Yujiao inwardly marveled. Everything was playing out exactly as Du Yu had predicted.

When Du Yu had noticed the old man’s uneasy expression earlier, he had not only deduced that Yi Di knew Yousi but also that he had done something to betray her. Otherwise, his eyes wouldn’t have been filled with such profound fear and guilt.

“Tell me,” Xie Yujiao said slowly. “How could the massive camp of the Yellow Emperor not have room for you?”

“I… I am ashamed…” Yi Di slowly raised his head, his eyes brimming with terror. “That Du Kang had been receiving more and more favor from the Yellow Emperor. I tried to seize power from him, but I failed and ended up with my reputation in ruins…”

Not knowing how to respond, Xie Yujiao shifted her eyes and simply stated, “Is that all?”

“Spare me, Lady Yousi!” The old man kowtowed once again. “My thoughts were very simple. If I could take his place, I would be in a better position to serve Lady Yousi. Even assassinating the Yellow Emperor would have been a trivial matter…”

The old man lifted his head with a tearful plea, but just as he opened his mouth to speak again, his jaw dropped in sheer horror.

Xie Yujiao did not understand what was terrifying the old man so much. Was her newly applied makeup really that frightening?

Up in the tree, Du Yu’s eyes also widened in shock, for the sudden change taking place below was far too bizarre!

He frantically waved his hands at Xie Yujiao, but she failed to notice.

Trembling uncontrollably, the old man slowly raised a finger, pointing directly behind Xie Yujiao.

At that moment, Xie Yujiao finally sensed that something was wrong and slowly turned around.

Standing five paces behind her was a woman dressed entirely in black. This woman looked exactly like Xie Yujiao, save for her bright red lips and an expression radiating pure, tyrannical cruelty.

The woman in black visibly paused when she saw Xie Yujiao. She narrowed her eyes slightly, but then shifted her gaze back to the old man and said slowly, “Yi Di, you insolent fool. When did I ever ask you to take the Yellow Emperor’s life? You tried to seize power because you thought yourself clever, yet you dare claim it was for my sake?”

Knowing that the woman before him understood everything, Yi Di realized that further explanations were useless. He scrambled to his feet and turned to flee in a blind panic.

The woman in black casually waved her hand. Right before the watchful eyes of Xie Yujiao and Du Yu, Yi Di was instantaneously crushed into a bloody pulp by an invisible force.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the woman in black, Xie Yujiao’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.

Du Yu’s mind was racing. Below him, the old man’s blood was pooling out in all directions, painting a deeply horrifying scene.

“Sister Qianqiu!” Du Yu shouted loudly. “What is going on here? Weren’t we told that it’s impossible to encounter oneself in Legends?!”

Dong Qianqiu was already utterly dumbfounded. A crowd of staff members stood behind her, all staring at the bizarre scene unfolding before them.

“I can’t explain this either…” Dong Qianqiu said in a strained voice.

Du Yu gritted his teeth, realizing he might have made a massive mistake. ‘Xie Yujiao and Yousi… they are two completely different people!’ he thought.

‘Perhaps there really are people in this world who look exactly identical?’

Yousi looked into Xie Yujiao’s eyes, scrutinized her from head to toe, and slowly asked,

“Which dynasty did you come from?”

Xie Yujiao froze, staring blankly at the woman in black.