Legend Management Bureau Chapter 448

[ … words ]

The old man extended his fingers, pinching them together in a slight, calculated rhythm. He muttered, “Seeking out this cave in the dead of night, a mortal vainly hoping to find the secret of immortality… My own lifespan is nearing its end. How would I know of such a method to live forever?”

“Mister Guiguzi, you…” Xu Fu’s lips trembled slightly, at a loss for words.

Standing to the side, Du Yu shook his head as well.

He knew that Guiguzi was indeed a reclusive master, but no historical records ever documented him ultimately becoming an Immortal Being.

By all accounts, he must have simply passed away from old age.

“If I do not teach you the art of immortality, what will you do then?” Guiguzi asked.

“This junior… truly does not know where else to turn…”

“Never mind… Seeing your sincerity, I shall take you in as my final disciple.” Guiguzi shook his head. “In your childhood, you suffered greatly from the ravages of war, watching with your own eyes as your family and neighbors were slaughtered. It was from then on that the desire to seek immortality took root in your heart… Am I correct?”

“Master… you truly are a divine being!”

Xu Fu did not dare to speak, keeping his head bowed low.

Off to the side, Du Yu quietly watched the scene unfold.

Guiguzi continuously pinched his fingers in calculation. After a long while, he finally spoke in a slow, measured tone:

“Providing disaster relief with the Art of Qihuang, in the southwest you shall meet the First Emperor.”

“Accompanying the imperial carriage to visit Mount Heng, retrieving water shall spread your name.”

“A pity that three months later, you must sail off into the vast unknown.”

“Setting sail twice over nine years, you shall find enlightenment in the Eastern Ocean.”

Xu Fu paused in mild astonishment. Although these were the elusive workings of heaven, he could tell from these brief few lines that his life would be far from peaceful.

“This disciple… does not quite understand… I do not know the Art of Qihuang, and who is this ‘First Emperor’? And this Eastern Ocean… what does it refer to…”

Guiguzi was just about to answer when a violent fit of coughing suddenly seized him.

Du Yu noticed that his face immediately looked much older.

By revealing heavenly secrets on his deathbed, Guiguzi was undoubtedly accelerating his own demise.

“Master?!” Xu Fu cried out in alarm. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine, I am fine…” Guiguzi shook his head and said, “I can only teach you the Art of Qihuang. As for the art of immortality… that will depend entirely on your own fortune.”

Though Xu Fu felt a pang of disappointment, he knew Guiguzi was an unparalleled master hidden from the world; such a decision surely had a profound purpose behind it.

This man had only just met him, yet he was willing to spend his dwindling lifespan to perform a divination for him. That alone was an immense debt of gratitude.

Thus, he could only knock his forehead against the ground and solemnly declare, “Thank you, Master!”

Du Yu shifted his steps and examined the surrounding walls. They were already covered in carvings of the Seven Secret Methods of the Original Classic and the Writings of the School of Diplomacy. It seemed Guiguzi was already preparing for his passing.

His expression dimmed. This was his second time standing inside this stone cave.

The first time, he had encountered Sihuang here.

Although his friendship with that tiger demon had been shallow, in another timeline, the creature seemed to have become his brother. In hindsight, he had been quite a decent fellow.

He reached out a hand to lightly trace the engraved words on the wall. The fading memories slowly swelled back into his mind.

“The Legend Management Bureau…”

Guiguzi frowned slightly and suddenly raised his head to look straight at Du Yu.

Du Yu instantly noticed the shift. He double-checked his own state—he was clearly wandering outside the bounds of time. How was Guiguzi able to see him?

‘Could it be because I touched the wall…?’

“To think… such an extraordinary person exists in this world?”

Guiguzi’s lips moved as he slowly intoned:

“Ascending the heavens and descending the earth, traversing ancient and modern times. The legends of the world lie open for you to descend upon.

Yet you cannot roam free and unfettered; even when stirred by emotion, it is hard to voice your sorrow.”

Du Yu gave a bitter smile.

‘It’s true…’

For his current self, ascending to the heavens, descending to the earth, and traversing through time—things that a mortal could never hope to achieve—came as easily as breathing. Descending into any given Legend at will was effortless.

‘But is this truly being free and unfettered?’

Throughout this endless expanse of time, never mind being stirred by emotion—he could not even voice the bitter agony in his own heart.

“Hard to be stirred by emotion… hard to voice sorrow…” Du Yu cupped his hands and bowed respectfully to Guiguzi. “Your words… ring very true, sir.”

Guiguzi, as if having figured something out as well, withdrew his gaze and slowly looked back at Xu Fu.

Indeed… who said there was no method for immortality in this world?

The wizened voice slowly echoed out, “One cause bears one effect; one effect spans a mighty river. One tree bears millions of leaves; every leaf is a mighty river.”

Xu Fu’s face was painted with confusion. He stared blankly at Guiguzi and said, “Master… your disciple does not understand…”

Du Yu, however, frowned slightly at this moment. He knew the answer to all of this had finally been revealed.

“Fu, bring me a bamboo slip and a carving knife. I shall seek immortality for you.”

“Really?!”

Xu Fu looked incredibly excited. He hurriedly ran out of the room to search for the bamboo slips.

Du Yu stepped in front of Guiguzi and asked, “Why? Sir, you have already foreseen that once this is done, the world will one day become a tree with millions of leaves, every leaf a mighty river. Yet, you are still going to write down the Reversing Cause and Effect Formula?”

“Are you truly free, my friend?” Guiguzi suddenly asked. “Living forever without death, wandering outside the bounds of all time—are you any freer than anyone else?”

“I am not!” Du Yu answered bluntly. “Sir, it’s not just me who isn’t free. Every single ‘me’ across those millions of leaves and mighty rivers lacks freedom! Because of your formula, we are locked in a room from which we can never escape… Even if we manage to pick the lock, we’ll only find that beyond this room is yet another room. This formula has trapped countless people inside it…”

“But you are about to step out of this room, are you not?” Guiguzi’s face grew increasingly haggard, and even his voice grew faint.

“I…” Du Yu frowned. “Sir, you even know about that?”

“Let me ask you again. Is it my formula that reverses cause and effect?”

It was a very interesting question. Du Yu initially wanted to answer immediately, but then realized that his answer wouldn’t be entirely correct.

“Are you saying… that what reverses cause and effect is people?”

Guiguzi smiled faintly, stroking his sparse beard. He continued, “In your opinion, just because I pass the Reversing Cause and Effect Formula down to Xu Fu, does that mean he will use it for the sake of the First Emperor?”

Du Yu was rendered speechless. He truly regretted never having experienced Guiguzi’s Legend, only having this one brief encounter with him.

If he had been able to speak with such an exalted master all night long earlier, his mindset would have broadened long ago.

“Someone willingly turning into an eternal being to save you—is that truly a tragic thing to you?” Guiguzi looked at Du Yu with a smile. “And to shatter all of this, you in turn transform yourself into eternity. If it were anyone else, would they have made the same choice?”

Du Yu nodded silently and replied, “This junior… has truly attained enlightenment.”

“Cease this talk of being a junior. You humble me far too much.” Guiguzi shook his head.

Du Yu walked up to Guiguzi and slowly knelt down. “I have one final question to ask of you, sir.”

“Oh?” Guiguzi narrowed his eyes. “Even a being such as yourself… has matters you do not understand?”

“Indeed. I want to ask you… Will I… succeed?” Du Yu asked.

Guiguzi lightly pinched his fingers together, then immediately shook his head. “The matters you are scheming have far surpassed the limits of my divination. To read the fortune of your current self would likely cost me tens of thousands of years of lifespan. Alas, I am but a mere mortal with a meager lifespan of roughly a hundred years. It is truly impossible to calculate. However…”

“However what?”

“If you were to destroy the formula I am about to write down, you could naturally avoid all of this. Therefore, I am placing the cause directly into your hands. Your true life, or your schemed life—which one do you want?”

‘A true life, or a schemed life?’

Hearing this, Du Yu nodded and slowly stood up. “This junior has been taught well.”

At that exact moment, Xu Fu returned holding a bundle of bamboo slips and a carving knife.

“Master, Master! I found them!”

“Very good.”

Guiguzi took the carving knife. After a brief moment of contemplation, he lifted his hand and began to carve.

“Should this formula be used, lifespan shall match the boundless heavens.”

“Reversing cause and effect, turning back the eight directions of the world…”