Legend Management Bureau Chapter 56

[ … words ]

Xie Bian and Old Pu stood facing each other. A brilliant white light flared in their hands, and under its glow, the ordinary ink brush suddenly shimmered with overflowing spiritual energy.

“What is going on?” Du Yu exclaimed. “Why does an ordinary ink brush hold so much resentment?”

Xie Bian withdrew his divine power and looked back at Du Yu. “Little Du,” he asked mildly, “do you still not know who this old man is?”

“I… I don’t.” Du Yu shook his head. “I only know that you call him Old Pu and that he is an enthusiast of strange tales.”

“Hahahaha!” Xie Bian burst into laughter. “This elder’s name is Pu Songling, known as the Historian of the Strange, and he is the author of ‘Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio’.”

“What?!” Du Yu jumped in shock. He had just been preparing to tell this old man a few ghost stories. It turned out this guy was the absolute forefather of ghost stories!

“The brush in Old Pu’s hand has accompanied him in recording over a thousand strange tales,” Xie Bian continued. “Some ghosts and spirits, upon learning that their stories were known to the world, let go of their resentment and went to be reincarnated. Others, however, felt they were recorded incorrectly, deepening their grudges until they lingered around this brush day and night. Whether it is resentment that has been let go or resentment that still lingers, it has all accumulated within this very pen.”

Old Pu’s eyes were also wide open. He had long felt that the brush in his hand was growing colder by the day, but he had never imagined it was caused by accumulated resentment.

It took Du Yu a long while to recover from his shock. He turned and asked, “Old Pu… are you willing to give your brush to Yingning?”

After speaking, Old Pu wiped the ink off the brush onto a piece of rice paper and handed it forward.

Yingning looked at Xie Bian, then at Du Yu. With a faint smile, she transformed into a streak of green light and dove straight into the brush.

The entire ink brush immediately began to tremble the moment Yingning entered it. Before Old Pu could even let go, the brush floated into the air. Under the effect of the swirling clusters of green light, the shaft of the brush turned emerald green. It looked like both jade and metal, radiating a bizarre, eerie tranquility.

About eight minutes passed before the entire brush quieted down. It flew a few circles in the air and then gently landed in Du Yu’s hand.

“From now on, the Underworld has gained another high-grade magical artifact,” Xie Bian smiled, muttering to himself. “I wonder how this Pen of Resentment compares to Boss Cui Jue’s Soul-Reaping Pen, which has hooked countless spirits?”

“Yingning… are you alright?” Du Yu asked, looking at the ink brush in his hand.

“I am fine, hehe. It is very spacious in here, and there are so many stories.” Yingning’s voice echoed faintly from within the pen.

“That is wonderful.” The heavy stone weighing on Du Yu’s heart finally fell away.

“Seventh Lord…” Du Yu turned his head back to Xie Bian.

“What is it, Little Du?”

“Thank you.”

“Bah!” Xie Bian waved his hand dismissively. “It did not take much of my time at all. No need to thank me.”

Du Yu fell silent for a moment before speaking up. “Seventh Lord, did you know? Yingning followed me into the Legend.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? At least you have someone to keep you company in the Legend, so you won’t be too lone…” Xie Bian froze. “What did you just say?!”

“Yingning possessed a jade pendant earlier, and that jade pendant actually followed me right into the Legend.”

Xie Bian’s eyes darted around. He immediately turned and bowed to Old Pu. “Old Pu, we will leave you to your business. The two of us have some matters to attend to, so we will be taking our leave.”

Before Du Yu could react, Xie Bian dragged him out of the store. The two found another secluded corner in the empty alleyway.

“Little Du, is what you just said true?” Xie Bian asked, his expression strange.

“Yeah… is it really that surprising? I was actually hoping to ask you about the mechanics behind it.”

“Assistant Dong is clearly with Mother Houtu right now. Theoretically, you shouldn’t be able to take anything with you, right?”

“That is right, Seventh Lord.” Du Yu nodded. “It seems you also understand a bit about Sister Qianqiu’s abilities. Because Sister Qianqiu wasn’t there, I was wondering why this jade pendant could follow me into the Legend. Only Sister Qianqiu has the ability to transport items.”

Xie Bian looked down at the emerald brush in Du Yu’s hand, thinking deeply. If he had to explain the mechanics of this phenomenon, there was only one possibility.

“Little Du.” Xie Bian placed both hands on Du Yu’s shoulders and spoke to him with utmost seriousness. “You absolutely must not tell anyone that Yingning can enter the Legends.”

“Huh?” Du Yu was taken aback. “Why not?”

“I suspect…” Xie Bian paused, then said grimly, “Yingning shares the same constitution as you and Zhan Qisheng. She can also become an Operator.”

“What?!” Du Yu was stunned. “Are you saying… the reason Yingning could enter the Legend had nothing to do with the jade pendant, but was instead because of her own constitution?”

“Exactly.” Xie Bian nodded. “I can’t think of any other reason besides that.”

But this only led to more questions for Du Yu…

‘Did Mother Houtu give me this jade pendant because she already knew about Yingning’s abilities? Since Yingning belongs to Mother Houtu’s faction, why didn’t Mother Houtu make her an Operator during those nine hundred years of idle time? Even when a dangerous Legend like ‘Hou Yi Shooting the Nine Suns’ encountered problems, Mother Houtu still didn’t play Yingning as her trump card?’

As the questions piled up, Du Yu fell into silence.

“Are you alright, Little Du?”

“Seventh Lord, I want to ask you, why shouldn’t I mention to anyone that Yingning can enter the Legends?”

“You are a smart kid, can’t you figure it out?” Xie Bian turned around and spoke slowly, “Yingning’s situation is different from yours. She is a vengeful spirit. In other words, she is simply an object. Any family or faction could snatch this object away, and from then on, that family would possess an Operator. When that happens, you will be in grave danger.”

“Me, in danger?”

“Yes. Once a family has their own Operator, what do you think they will do if they want to secure their position?”

Du Yu instantly understood…

“They… they would eliminate me…”

“Correct. As long as they eliminate you, they will possess the only Operator in the world. If the Legend Management Bureau wants to forcefully intervene in a Legend, they will have no choice but to beg the ones who have Yingning. If things really develop this way, all the other families and factions will have to bow their heads to the ones who hold her. In other words, controlling Yingning is equivalent to controlling half the Immortal Realm. This situation is very similar to a historical idiom from your mortal realm, what was it called again…?”

“Holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles.”

“Yes, yes, exactly. That is the one.” Xie Bian turned his face and smiled at Du Yu. “Do you understand now?”

Du Yu somewhat understood, but at the same time, he didn’t.

‘Could it be that Mother Houtu had considered this very conflict of interest, and that was why she hadn’t exposed Yingning to the world? Did she want the stability and balance of the Underworld, rather than just having another Operator?’

“Then… Seventh Lord… do you want to snatch Yingning?” Du Yu asked directly.

“Me?” Xie Bian was amused by the question. “Do I look like the type of person who chases fame and fortune?”

“You look so unlike that type of person that it makes me nervous.”

“Don’t worry. I am very satisfied with my current life.” Xie Bian offered Du Yu a reassuring truth. “As for those troublesome matters, I do not want to get involved in any of them.”

Du Yu nodded. Xie Bian was exactly as he had thought. He appeared cynical and playful, yet he clearly knew the difference between right and wrong.

“But the same can’t be said for Old Eight.” Xie Bian suddenly changed the subject, looking at Du Yu.

“Black Guard, Eighth Lord?”

“Yes. Old Eight is overly competitive and eager to consolidate the position of the Xie and Fan families in the Underworld. Although I know he won’t harm me, I can’t be certain whether he’ll make a move against you.” Xie Bian dropped his relaxed expression and spoke earnestly to Du Yu. “So, this matter ends here with the two of us. Once we leave, do not mention it to anyone else.”

“Only the two of us know?” Du Yu pondered for a moment. “I understand…”

“Pfft—”

Just as Du Yu finished speaking, he felt the green pen in his hand vibrate, and Yingning let out a chuckle.

“Oh, right!” Du Yu looked down. “Isn’t there another person right here?”

“Relax,” Xie Bian chuckled. “Yingning naturally knows what is at stake here. Otherwise, how could she have remained hidden for so many years? I am afraid she doesn’t want to live a life tied down by others either.”

“Of course not,” Yingning said faintly. “Originally, I thought I only needed to help Mother Houtu transmit her voice. Who knew this awful guy would suddenly break the jade pendant? I was forced to reveal myself. Otherwise, I could have hidden for another five hundred years.”

“So that jade pendant was given to you by Mother Houtu?” Xie Bian thought for a moment and said, “It seems the old woman has changed. She is finally using her brain.”

“Seventh Lord.” Hearing the name ‘Mother Houtu’, Du Yu couldn’t help but think of a question. “You mentioned you’ve known Mother Houtu for a long time. Can you take me to see her? There is a very important matter happening right now, and I need to speak with her face-to-face.”

“I can’t do that,” Xie Bian shook his head. “Unless the old woman reveals herself, I won’t be able to find her at all.”

So even Seventh Lord couldn’t find Mother Houtu? Du Yu felt that all his hopes were now pinned on Yingning.

“You said there is a very important matter happening. What exactly is it?”

Du Yu immediately hesitated.

‘Should I tell Seventh Lord?’

‘Tell him that Mother Houtu wanted to send the Eight Great Netherworld Envoys to assassinate the Great Emperor of Mount Tai?’

‘That would simply be too absurd.’

If possible, it would be best to see Mother Houtu and ask her directly to clarify everything.

The two exchanged a few more idle remarks. Just as they were about to part ways, a scent of blood suddenly wafted over. The space in mid-air twisted once again, and a tall man appeared before them.

“Demon Chimei?!” Du Yu was startled upon seeing him. This was the exact same man who had taken Dong Qianqiu away.

“Oh…” Xie Bian smirked. “Does the old woman have instructions?”

After landing, Demon Chimei gave a slight nod. “White Guard Xie Bian. I will give you an hour and a half. Return to your cave dwelling, gather all your protective magical artifacts, and come with me. Mother Houtu has an important mission for the Netherworld Envoys.”