Legend Management Bureau Chapter 3

[ … words ]

The three of them stood quietly at the entrance of the dilapidated house, gazing around. Surprisingly, there was not a single wandering ghost or Underworld Immortal in the vicinity.

“Sister Bai, have you ever been here before?”

“No, I have only heard the name of the Legend Management Bureau, but I have never actually visited.”

The Legend Management Bureau Underworld Office.

The name itself sounded rather official, but what was up with this overwhelming sense of decay?

“Our mission is to escort Du Yu inside… standing outside the door won’t accomplish anything.” As he spoke, Xie Jin reached out toward the door.

Du Yu looked at the rundown shack and suddenly felt a strong urge to turn back.

“If you were to push open this door and find that it wasn’t what you expected, would you still enter?”

An ethereal voice suddenly echoed behind them. The three spun around to see a white-haired old man standing at their backs, though none of them had noticed his approach.

Ignoring Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo entirely, he walked straight up to Du Yu.

“If it isn’t what you expect, will you still enter?”

Du Yu looked at the elderly man, unsure of his intentions.

The old man continued his questioning, “If you do not enter, will Cui Jue still remember you?”

Du Yu furrowed his brows as if realizing something. “Old sir, are you saying…”

The old man nodded. “You are very smart. A cause must precede an effect; this is the nature of karma. We are exceedingly short on time. Follow me inside; we have been waiting for you for a very long time.”

The elderly man brushed past the trio and pushed the door open.

“Waiting for me for a very long time? But I’ve only been dead for about two or three hours…” Du Yu was somewhat baffled.

“Two or three hours?”

Before stepping through the doorway, the old man glanced back at Du Yu. “No, not just two or three hours. We have waited for nine hundred years.”

The three cautiously followed the old man through the door, only to find the space inside abruptly opening up into a massive expanse.

From the outside, it had looked like a single-story shack no bigger than a public restroom, but the interior was exceptionally spacious.

The entire structure was built from pure white stone. Dozens of people bustled in and out of the vast room. Yet, what astonished the trio the most were the Display Screens covering every inch of the facility, each broadcasting incredibly bizarre events.

On the screen directly in front of them, a colossal giant was tearing the heavens and earth apart, his body transforming into mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.

On another Display Screen, a scrawny macaque swung a massive staff, clumsily yet miraculously riding a cloud straight into the sky.

Over on a different screen, a frail woman sat weeping at the foot of the Great Wall. An inexplicable, majestic power erupted from her wails, shattering the massive structure into pieces.

Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo also glanced around. Without exception, every single screen was playing out Legends they had either heard of or were completely unfamiliar with.

“So the Legend Management Bureau really has been operating all this time?”

“Exactly. None of the Legends that have ever occurred will dissipate. They become an integral part of this world, acting as ‘cells.’ Our universe is constructed from countless ‘cells’ like these,” the white-haired old man explained earnestly.

“But did you know? Cells can ‘fall ill.’ Once a Legend becomes sick, it veers off course toward a different ending. Alterations in history create ripples that change our reality. If the effect is minor, it inexplicably spawns people who never originally existed. We call them the ‘Great Pivot.’ They exert subtle influences on this world, such as your death.”

Du Yu felt like he understood, yet at the same time, he was completely lost.

“Ah!” Xie Jin chimed in. “Today you offered your seat to Zhou Zhuangshi, and he was supposed to accept it. That was the death state recorded in the Book of Life and Death. However, he spotted a Great Pivot sitting in the back, so he declined your seat to go stand near that Great Pivot girl instead. Even the Book of Life and Death cannot predict accidents triggered by a Great Pivot.”

“Precisely. If a cell gets sick, a Great Pivot is born. If the cell’s illness becomes too severe, our world might cease to exist entirely. For instance, if one day Pan Gu suddenly decided he didn’t want to separate Heaven and Earth, what would happen to us now?”

“But…” Du Yu asked, “Even if Pan Gu really didn’t want to separate them, there’s nothing we could do about it, right? After all, that happened in ancient times.”

“Good question, Little Zhan.” The white-haired old man stroked his beard and patted Du Yu on the shoulder.

“Little Zhan?”

“This is the duty of our Legend Management Bureau: to ‘intervene’ in Legends. For Legends with minor deviations, we can use Voice Transmission to interfere. Then again, even if we don’t interfere with minor errors, there won’t be any severe consequences. However, for Legends that are terminally ill, our only option is to temporarily seal away that segment of history and wait for a specific remedy.”

“A specific remedy?” Du Yu seemed to catch on. “We need to use a remedy to cure the Legend. Is that what you mean?”

“Exactly, Little Zhan,” the white-haired old man nodded.

“Wait, who on earth is Little Zhan?”

“My apologies.” A woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a professional work uniform walked over, greeting the group. “The Bureau Chief suffers from occasional dementia. He mistook you for someone else.”

“And you are…?” Xie Jin asked.

“Greetings to the three of you. I am the Bureau Chief Assistant of the Legend Management Bureau, Dong Qianqiu.”

“Bureau Chief Assistant? Doesn’t that make you the number two figure in this Legend Management Bureau?” Du Yu looked at Dong Qianqiu. Aside from her proud curves, the only impression she gave off was absolute meticulousness. Her hair was carefully tied up without a single strand out of place. On her pitch-black uniform, not a single speck of dust could be seen.

“I must truly be going senile in my old age, forgetting to even introduce myself. I am the Bureau Chief of the Legend Management Bureau, He Suoyi.” The old man smiled at the trio before turning to Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo. “Bi’an, Wujiu. Thank you for your hard work. You can leave him in my hands now. Give my regards to the Kings of Hell when you return.”

“We… we wouldn’t dare accept such praise!” The two waved their hands frantically. “We are merely descendants of our ancestors…”

“You don’t need to explain, I understand everything now,” Du Yu said. “My mission is to help you find that ‘remedy’ and cure those sick Legends, right?”

“Did I not explain it clearly enough?” He Suoyi said. “I’m not asking you to ‘find’ the remedy. You—’are’ the remedy.”

“I… am the remedy? What does that mean?”

“There’s no time for detailed explanations,” Dong Qianqiu said to Du Yu as she flipped through the documents in her hands. “Simply put, we need you to physically enter the Legends and steer the stories back on track.”

Du Yu couldn’t process it immediately. Although he understood the meaning of her words, this was completely beyond his expectations.

“Eighty-one years ago, we discovered a deviated Legend. We could only seal it temporarily, and now that seal is about to break. If the trajectory of this Legend deviates, our current world may be destroyed.”

As Dong Qianqiu spoke, she pulled Du Yu toward a machine and began attaching various tubes and instruments to his body.

“Wait… hold on a second! I was a science major, not a liberal arts major. I know absolutely nothing about your histories and Legends! And are we doing this right now?!” Du Yu hadn’t expected things to escalate so suddenly. “I still have a ton of questions! Why me?”

While making final adjustments to the machine, Dong Qianqiu replied, “Due to certain reasons, only an extremely small number of people can enter Legends, and you happen to be the second person in the last nine hundred years. Even though our Legend Management Bureau has a massive staff, they are all Supporters. We haven’t had an Operator in nine centuries.”

“I-I-I still have questions! Don’t you guys have some kind of employee training? What exactly am I supposed to do?” Du Yu’s voice began to tremble. He wanted to figure out what he was up against as much as possible; after all, Cui Jue had warned him that this task was extremely dangerous. He turned his head toward Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo. “You guys have to help me! Otherwise, you won’t be able to report back on your mission, right?”

Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo shook their heads helplessly. The Xie and Fan families had their own Ancestral Teachings, and the very first rule for both was: cooperate unconditionally with the work of the Legend Management Bureau.

“There is no time for employee training, Little Zhan,” He Suoyi said, walking over slowly. “The seal on this Legend will break within an hour. You must enter the Legend within this hour and complete it within seven days, otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?”

He Suoyi stroked his beard and said meaningfully,

“Otherwise, you will dissipate in the past, and we will perish in the future.”

Was it really that serious?

Du Yu thought that only his own life was at stake; he hadn’t realized this involved the lives of so many others.

“Then… one last question,” Du Yu said. “Which Legend am I entering?”

Hearing this, Dong Qianqiu reached out and pulled a Display Screen over, suspending it right in front of Du Yu. On the screen was a tanned, capable-looking man dressed in rough Clothes, completely drenched in sweat. At this moment, he was facing the yellow soil with his back to the sky, relentlessly digging at the ground with a Hoe. Du Yu looked closely and was shocked to see ten suns hanging in the sky.

“Yi Shoots Nine Suns!?” Du Yu could hardly believe his eyes. Was a Legend of this magnitude something he could possibly interfere with?

“Correct, Yi Shoots Nine Suns,” Dong Qianqiu explained. “I will now give you the script of the Legend, so listen closely. Under normal circumstances, Da Yi was supposed to receive guidance from an Immortal at the age of eleven. After ten years of comprehending the Dao, he would achieve a Semi-Immortal Body. Then, at the age of twenty-one, he would draw his Bow and shoot down the nine suns, saving the common people of the world. Am I making myself clear?”

“W-Wait a minute!” Du Yu felt even more nervous than he had during his college entrance exams. “Could you tell me which part of this Legend has gone wrong?”

Dong Qianqiu pushed up her glasses.

“The problem is that Da Yi never received guidance from an Immortal when he was eleven. He has remained a mere Mortal right up to the age of twenty-one.”

Hearing this, Du Yu let out three bitter chuckles.

“Are you saying that I, a Mortal, have to help another Mortal shoot down nine suns?”

“Exactly.”

Had he known the mission would be this difficult, Du Yu wouldn’t have agreed to come no matter what.

This was starting off on hell difficulty. If given the chance to choose again, Du Yu would gladly wait seven hundred years.

At least he wouldn’t end up with his Soul Scattered And Spirit Dispersed, and he could even reincarnate as a Second-Generation Rich.

“I remember learning this in elementary school… the things in the sky are actually nine massive firebirds…”

“Unfortunately, no,” Dong Qianqiu said with a shake of her head. “In previous Legends, there have indeed been many instances where a Three-Legged Golden Crow acted as the nine suns. But our colleagues have already scouted ahead this time. All ten of the Three-Legged Golden Crows are nesting in the Fusang Divine Tree and haven’t made a single move. They are equally confused by this current situation. Therefore… you will have to come up with a completely new method to shoot down those nine suns.”

“What?!”

“Since you are also a mere Mortal, we will assist you as much as possible.” Dong Qianqiu handed over a booklet that looked like a menu and said to Du Yu, “You may select two from these deceased souls to take with you into the Legend. In critical moments, you can invoke them to possess your body. But be warned, each possession can only last for five minutes.”

Du Yu took the booklet and saw a very long list. At the top, it thoughtfully instructed: “Please check the box next to your selected souls.”

Soul possession? For five minutes?

Du Yu cursed inwardly. ‘What good is such a short amount of time?’

Even if he chose Sun Wukong, it would be impossible to shoot down nine suns in five minutes, right?

Wait, Sun Wukong?

Du Yu was puzzled. For some reason, he clearly saw the Victorious Fighting Buddha—Sun Wukong—listed prominently on the page.

“Is Sun Wukong already dead?” Du Yu blurted out uncontrollably.

“Not exactly,” Dong Qianqiu replied. “When Sun Wukong achieved Buddhahood in the flesh, he discarded his seven mortal souls. We collected one of them.”

“Perfect, I’ll take Sun Wukong!” Du Yu figured that in five minutes, Sun Wukong could surely knock down at least one sun, right?

Even if the Legend changed from “Yi Shoots Nine Suns” to “Yi Shoots One Sun,” it should still be somewhat acceptable, shouldn’t it?

“Alright, if you choose Sun Wukong, just check the box next to his name. Have you decided on your second soul?”

Du Yu carefully scanned the list. Indeed, every single entry was a renowned figure, including historical generals like the Martial Saint Guan Yunchang of Han. However, most of them were Mortals. Du Yu pondered the practical utility of these souls. If they didn’t possess supreme divine powers, bringing them into the story of Da Yi shooting the suns would be an exercise in futility.

“I can only bring one more soul. Who should I pick…” Du Yu stared at the densely packed names, only one thought echoing in his mind—

‘No matter who I choose, this is impossible.’

“Let me recommend someone to you.” He Suoyi walked over slowly and sat beside Du Yu, lowering his voice. “A seemingly impossible mission will inevitably have a breakthrough point. To find that breakthrough, brute strength alone is not enough.”

He Suoyi pointed to a specific name: the Crouching Dragon Chancellor of Han—Zhuge Kongming.

“Sometimes, you just need to use your head.”

Du Yu looked at the name, deep in thought. To shoot down nine suns, would using his head really make a difference?

No matter how brilliant Zhuge Liang’s mind was, even if he could design and build an intercontinental cruise missile in five minutes, there was no way it could shoot down the sun…

“Please hurry up.” Dong Qianqiu wore a helpless expression.

“Oh… almost done.”

Gritting his teeth, Du Yu decided not to argue with the woman in front of him. Zhuge Liang it was. The old man seemed senile, but his words made sense. So, picking up the pen, he checked the box next to Zhuge Kongming.

“Done,” Dong Qianqiu said, turning to a staff member. “Hurry and fetch the souls. Prepare the Transmigration Gift Package. The rest of the personnel, begin the soul migration procedure.”

Everyone in the Legend Management Bureau sprang into action, and various instruments and screens lit up simultaneously.

Was it starting already?

Du Yu clenched his jaw. He had never experienced anything so absurd in his entire life. Just a few hours ago, he was sitting on a bus playing on his Mobile Phone, and now he was actually about to transmigrate into a Legend.

“Remember, if you fail to complete the Legend within seven days, the ten suns will persist forever. Not only the past, but even our present world will plunge into utter devastation, filled with death and suffering.”

Dong Qianqiu delivered her final instructions before slipping a bizarre headgear over Du Yu’s head.

Du Yu felt a tearing sensation split through his skull before instantly losing consciousness.