Legend Management Bureau Chapter 5

[ … words ]

Du Yu’s eyes widened. So, this married couple was hiding something…

But what exactly could it be?

Du Yu listened carefully, but they had already stopped talking. A moment later, the Eavesdropping Talisman on the wall reached its time limit and crumbled into Ashes.

Although he had gained a small clue, he still felt like he couldn’t piece the whole thing together.

Thus, he began to make bold assumptions.

What exactly was Da Yi hiding?

Could it be that he already possessed a Semi-Immortal Body, but had been keeping it a secret from the world?

But that didn’t make sense either. According to Heng E, they were completely helpless when it came to shooting down the suns. If Da Yi had divine strength, wouldn’t the legend just naturally unfold on its own?

In that case, could this hidden matter be related to shooting the suns?

“Sister Qianqiu.”

“I am here.”

“Since you have been in front of the screen this whole time, can you see Da Yi’s past?”

“Da Yi’s past?” Dong Qianqiu replied. “You mean you want me to help you find out what he is hiding.”

“Exactly.”

“Unfortunately, the screens at the Legend Management Bureau only have two display modes. The first only shows the beginning and end of the Legends; whatever happened to Yi before that falls outside the scope of the legend. The second mode only displays the Operator’s perspective, which is what we are looking at right now.”

“Alright then…” Du Yu shook his head in resignation. It seemed he could only rely on himself.

He pulled out the script and began to read through the various versions of the story of Hou Yi shooting the suns.

What he saw left him stunned.

“So Heng E is…!”

After reading for a long time, Du Yu finally grasped the situation. If he had to choose the most complete and perfect version, it would be as follows:

One day, ten suns suddenly appeared in the sky. These ten suns scorched the flowers, grass, and crops to death, and simultaneously spawned six monsters: the Yayu, the Zaochi, the Jiuying, the Dafeng, the Fengxi, and the Xiu Snake. The common people were plunged into absolute misery, and the land was filled with wailing and despair.

Right at that moment, a hero named Yi emerged. He shot and killed the six monsters and shot down nine of the suns, saving the common people from their fiery torment.

The Western Queen Mother was overjoyed and bestowed upon Yi the Elixir of Immortality. Swallowing it would allow one to ascend and become an immortal. However, Yi’s wife, Heng E, unable to endure their impoverished life, stole the elixir and swallowed it herself, successfully ascending to the heavens.

The Heavenly Emperor bestowed upon this peerless beauty the title of Fairy Chang’e and rewarded her with the Moon Palace.

“You guys are really something, Legend Management Bureau,” Du Yu scoffed. “You sent me here to handle Yi Shoots Nine Suns, but now it looks like I have to throw in Chang’e Flies to the Moon as a free bonus.”

“You are overthinking it,” Dong Qianqiu replied. “As long as Yi Shoots Nine Suns happens, it will inevitably trigger Chang’e Flies to the Moon. I have watched this legend play out countless times without a single exception. So you do not need to worry too much about Chang’e Flies to the Moon.”

“Is that so?” Du Yu muttered. “But I still feel like there is something weird about all this.”

“There is nothing weird about it.” Dong Qianqiu’s tone was flat. “You only need to take care of Yi Shoots Nine Suns.”

Du Yu ignored Dong Qianqiu. He pondered silently for a moment, got out of bed, walked to the room next door, and knocked lightly on the door.

A moment later, the door opened. It was Da Yi.

“Brother Pang Meng, what is the matter?”

“I would like to ask you two a few more questions.”

“Come inside, then.”

Du Yu walked straight into the room. Heng E was currently mending Da Yi’s Clothes.

“I wonder if the two of you have ever heard of these six Monster Entities: the Yayu, the Zaochi, the Jiuying, the Dafeng, the Fengxi, and the Xiu Snake?”

The couple exchanged a glance. Du Yu wasn’t stupid; he could easily tell that their gazes were anything but simple.

“Brother Pang Meng, who exactly are you?”

Da Yi asked with obvious caution.

“I…”

Du Yu knew that Da Yi was starting to suspect him now. After all, he really had been acting far too suspiciously.

After thinking for a moment, Du Yu finally spoke:

“Actually, I lied to you. I am no Mortal. I am an Immortal.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the couple shot him looks of absolute astonishment.

“Du Yu, what nonsense are you sprouting?” Dong Qianqiu interjected in his mind. “If he sees through your lie, Da Yi will never trust you again!”

Du Yu ignored Dong Qianqiu. He simply took a step forward and said, “Do you not believe me? How about this, let’s do an Experiment.”

He pointed at Heng E, who was mending Clothes behind Da Yi, and instructed, “Stitch a few random words onto the fabric. I will be able to tell you exactly what you wrote.”

Da Yi turned his head to look at Heng E. Both of their eyes were clearly filled with distrust.

“Brother Pang Meng, you…”

“Say no more. Stitch!” Du Yu declared with a firm expression.

Heng E nodded helplessly. She thought for a moment, then took her Needle and Thread, swiftly embroidering a few small characters onto the garment. Because Da Yi was blocking his line of sight, Du Yu couldn’t see a single thing.

“Du Yu, what in the world are you doing?” Dong Qianqiu demanded in exasperation.

“Brother Pang Meng, I am finished. Go ahead and guess,” Heng E said, hiding the embroidery behind her back as she looked at Du Yu.

Du Yu stood silently in place. His eyes were half-closed, and he didn’t say a word.

“Brother Pang Meng?” Da Yi called out as well.

“Don’t rush me,” Du Yu replied. “I need an Incantation.”

Da Yi silently took a step back and said, “Oh, then please cast your spell, Brother Pang Meng…”

Du Yu didn’t hold back. He clapped his hands together, let out a loud shout, and began to flail his arms and legs around in a wild dance.

In front of the screen, Xie Bi’an was watching with great relish.

“Hahahaha! This kid is too amusing!”

Dong Qianqiu shot him a glare over her shoulder. “Seventh Lord, please be serious. What happens if Du Yu fails? We would all cease to exist!”

“Is that so? I think he has a pretty good idea of what he’s doing.” Xie Bi’an crossed his arms over his chest, looking completely unbothered.

Beside him, the Black Impermanence, Fan Wujiu, merely gave a cold snort and remained silent.

On the screen, Du Yu was busy swinging his limbs wildly for a good while. His movements were extremely uncoordinated, making it obvious he had zero talent for dancing.

“Brother Pang Meng… didn’t you say you had an Incantation…?”

“Do not interrupt!” Du Yu roared. “This is the critical moment!”

Du Yu then spun around in circles three times, took a deep breath, and bellowed his Incantation:

“Hah! Qianqiu Assist Me, Qianqiu Assist Me, Qianqiu Assist Me! Look quickly, look quickly, look quickly, help me take a look! Hurry, like a lawful decree!”

Silence.

Not only was it silent in the room, but the entire Legend Management Bureau seemed to freeze as well.

‘What the hell was that?’

Heng E and Da Yi were curling their toes in sheer secondhand embarrassment.

They had never seen such a pathetic Incantation in their entire lives.

“Hahahaha!” Xie Bi’an laughed uproariously. “See? I told you this kid was amusing.”

Dong Qianqiu sighed in exasperation, “Du Yu, if you really needed my help, you could have discussed it with me beforehand. Pulling a sudden ambush like this, what would you do if I hadn’t reacted in time?”

Upon hearing this, Du Yu leisurely spun around three more times and let out another shout:

“Hah!”

Then he began muttering again, “Then we all die together, die together, die together, die together…”

Dong Qianqiu gritted her teeth, while Xie Bi’an behind her was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

“Sigh…” Dong Qianqiu let out a low sigh, then turned the screen, squinted carefully, and finally said, “Heng E embroidered—’The Moon Rises Bright’.”

So that was it.

Du Yu took a deep breath and pressed his hands downward, as if concluding his energy circulation. Then, he spoke slowly to the couple, “If I am not mistaken, Lady Heng E embroidered—The Moon Rises Bright.”

Heng E looked at him in total disbelief and pulled Da Yi’s Clothes out from behind her back.

Da Yi hurried over to look as well. Right by the collar, the four characters for ‘The Moon Rises Bright’ were indeed neatly stitched.

“The Moon Rises Bright. When the moon emerges, it is pure and radiant. Lady Heng E seems to be very fond of the moon,” Du Yu said, feigning profound wisdom.

“Brother Pang Meng, you even knew this?” Da Yi turned pale with shock. “You really are an Immortal, even though your spellcasting method is extremely bizarre…”

“Forget about my spellcasting method,” Du Yu interrupted. “Can you tell me about those six Demonic Beasts now?”

The two exchanged another glance before Heng E spoke up softly, “Brother Pang Meng, are you here to Slay Demonic Beasts?”

“Something like that. To Slay Demonic Beasts is just a Side Job. I have a Main Job as well.”

Da Yi shook his head in awe. “Brother Pang Meng truly is an Immortal. Even your words are difficult for mortals to comprehend.”

“Actually, there aren’t six Demonic Beasts, only four. The Yayu was originally a divine beast raised by the previous emperor. After the emperor’s death, the Yayu returned to the Weak Water. But alas, even the boundless Weak Water could not withstand these scorching suns. Having lost its habitat, the Yayu could only wander the mortal realm. However, because the Yayu has a Human Head Beast Body, anyone who saw it felt it was a bad omen. Over time, rumors painted it as a Demonic Beast. Countless warriors went to subjugate it, forcibly enraging the poor creature. As for the Xiu Snake, it was originally an aquatic creature as well. Now, just like the Yayu, it has no choice but to wander aimlessly.”

“This…” Du Yu fell into thought. “How do you two know all this?”

Da Yi sighed and chimed in.

“Brother Pang Meng, to tell you the truth, although I am merely a Mortal, I still care deeply for this world. When the six Demonic Beasts emerged one after another, I immediately went to investigate them, and… I killed three of them.”

“You killed three??” Du Yu exclaimed in shock. “You are just a Mortal! How could you possibly kill three Demonic Beasts?”

“I may be a Mortal, but I grew up in the mountains and am exceptionally skilled in archery. The Zaochi and the Fengtun were merely Wild Beasts; they posed no real threat to me. In the Mulberry Forest, I shot and killed the Fengtun. In the Chouhua Wilderness, I shot down the Zaochi. As for the Dafeng, it was slain in the Qingqiu Marsh with the help of a ‘Friend’.”

“A Friend…?” The sheer amount of information was too much, and Du Yu couldn’t process it all at once.

Da Yi actually had a Friend with unfathomable strength…

“What about the remaining Demonic Beasts?”

“The Yayu has already promised me that it will not appear before humans for a short while. The Xiu Snake has also changed its name and gone into hiding. Now, the Jiuying is the only true Demonic Beast left in the world.”

“Great, that’s perfect. Let’s go kill the Jiuying right now!” Du Yu suddenly felt that he was only one step away from completing his mission.

“Don’t speak nonsense, Brother Pang Meng,” Da Yi interrupted. “The Jiuying was born at the dawn of creation; it is a genuine Fierce Beast. It has the body of an ox, a Dragon Tail, and nine heads. It can spew both water and fire. A Mortal could never be its match.”

“Uh…” Du Yu realized instantly that this thing was definitely not to be trifled with. “Don’t you… don’t you have a Friend…?”

“My Friend?” Da Yi raised an eyebrow as if suddenly remembering something. He then looked at Du Yu and asked seriously, “Brother Pang Meng, my Friend told me that if anyone came looking for him, I was to ask them a single phrase on his behalf. If the other party could answer it correctly, I am to bring them to him.”

Du Yu thought about it for a second. This person was so mysterious; maybe he was the real Immortal.

“What phrase?”

Da Yi looked straight into Du Yu’s eyes and solemnly stated, “If one wishes to quell the chaos.”

“If one wishes to quell the chaos?”

‘What is this? A Secret Code?’

Da Yi looked at Du Yu with great anticipation, but Du Yu’s mind was completely blank.

“Sister Qianqiu, have you ever heard this phrase? Is there a second half to it?”

Du Yu whispered his question to Dong Qianqiu, but Dong Qianqiu didn’t answer.

At the Legend Management Bureau.

Dong Qianqiu stared blankly at the screen, her mouth hanging wide open.

The Black and White Impermanence also slowly stood up.

The Black Impermanence, Fan Wujiu, muttered slowly, “If one wishes to quell the chaos, one must fight to win.”

“Heh…” The White Impermanence, Xie Bi’an, let out a bitter chuckle. “Old He, oh, Old He… you lied to us.”

He Suoyi slowly walked over and asked with a smile, “How did I lie?”

Fan Wujiu pointed at the screen and turned his head, saying, “Your precious disciple, ‘Zhan Qisheng’—how did you report him back then? You told us that Zhan Qisheng had transcended Beyond Heaven and Earth and was no longer Within the Five Elements. We indeed couldn’t track down his soul, so we had no choice but to record it just as you said. But he… he is clearly still residing within the Legends!”

“Is that so? Little Zhan is still in the Legends…” Old He stroked his beard and asked, “Then may I trouble the two of you to explain to me: do these Legends count as ‘Within Heaven and Earth’, or ‘Within the Five Elements’?”

The Black Impermanence gritted his teeth and stood up. The entire Legend Management Bureau began to tremble slightly.

“So you were messing with us on purpose? If Zhan Qisheng is in the Legends, how could Du Yu possibly complete his mission!? You knew he was in there all along, didn’t you?”

“Old Eight, sit down.” Xie Bi’an, in a rare moment, dropped his smile and spoke sternly to Fan Wujiu. “Do not forget that Old He contributed a great deal to helping us secure the positions we hold today.”

The Black Impermanence slowly sat down, forcing himself to calm down before saying to He Suoyi, “My apologies, Old He. It’s just… it’s just that that man…”

At the mere mention of the name ‘Zhan Qisheng’, an indelible hatred flared within the Black Impermanence’s eyes, as if he shared a bitter, irreconcilable enmity with the man.

“Rest easy, Wujiu,” He Suoyi chuckled amiably. “Who said Little Zhan would definitely obstruct the mission? Didn’t he also lend a hand in slaying a Fierce Beast?”

The Black Impermanence fell silent.

Dong Qianqiu turned her head and asked, “Bureau Chief, what should we do? Should we let Du Yu go look for Zhan Qisheng?”

“We cannot let the two of them meet just yet,” He Suoyi replied. “Just make up a random Secret Code for Du Yu.”

…

After listening for a while, Du Yu whispered to confirm with Dong Qianqiu, “Are you sure? Sister Qianqiu? Is this Secret Code reliable?”

“Relax, just say exactly what I told you.”

Hearing this, Du Yu felt fully confident. He lifted his head, looked at Da Yi, and gave a cold sneer. “Your Friend is quite playful. Although ordinary Mortals wouldn’t know this kind of Secret Code, I am an Immortal. To an Immortal, this Secret Code is as common as blinking. Listen well.”

“Mhm.” Da Yi stared at Du Yu, his face brimming with anticipation.

The corners of Du Yu’s lips curled up, and he declared proudly:

“If one wishes to quell the chaos, one must eat one’s fill.”

…

This wasn’t the first time Da Yi found himself curling his toes in secondhand embarrassment.

‘Why can the person in front of me spout such absolute nonsense with such supreme confidence?’

“W-What is it? Is it… not quite right?” Du Yu noticed Da Yi’s expression turning incredibly subtle, so he asked hesitantly.

“Brother Pang Meng…” Da Yi massaged his temples and said, “It is indeed a little different…”

‘Hey, hey, hey, Dong Qianqiu! What is going on here?’

Du Yu cursed inwardly, having no choice but to patiently explain himself to Da Yi.

“Although we are both Immortals, I… your Friend and I might not be from the same department. Different departments have different Secret Codes…”