Legend Management Bureau Chapter 57

[ … words ]

“Understood, I’ll head over immediately.” Xie Bi’an nodded at Chi Gui, then turned his face back to Du Yu and said, “Little Du, it looks like the old woman has run into some trouble. I won’t be able to keep you company today.”

“Wait a minute!”

Xie Bi’an was just about to leave when someone grabbed his wrist.

“What is it? Is there something else?”

“Seventh Lord…”

Du Yu held onto Xie Bi’an and said slowly, “It would be best if you didn’t go this time.”

“Not go?” Xie Bi’an pondered for a moment. He knew what kind of person Du Yu was; he wouldn’t say something so inappropriate without reason.

“Do you know what this is about?”

“This matter is incredibly serious,” Du Yu declared. “I am looking for Lady Houtu precisely to resolve this.”

Xie Bi’an paused before telling Du Yu, “Even if Lady Houtu asked me to die, I would still go. After all, I owe the old woman a debt of gratitude so heavy that I could never repay it.”

“Seventh Lord, you…” Du Yu hadn’t expected Xie Bi’an to trust Lady Houtu so deeply, and he didn’t know how to persuade him otherwise.

Watching Xie Bi’an and Chi Gui slowly vanish before his eyes, Du Yu felt a surge of panic. It seemed Lady Houtu had changed her plans. Had she lost her patience and acted before he could even enter the legend of the Black and White Guards?

Or perhaps… Du Yu looked down at the green writing brush in his hand. Was it because he had shattered the jade pendant that she had suddenly changed her plans?

“Yingning,” Du Yu called out. “I’ve already protected your soul. Now it’s your turn to help me.”

“Help you?”

“Yes. We had an agreement. I would help preserve your soul first, and then you would tell me about Lady Houtu.”

“Are you mistaken?” Yingning asked with a laugh. “I clearly asked you back then if you would still be willing to help me even if I said nothing at all.”

Du Yu froze. “You little brat, are you playing word games with me?”

“Not exactly, hehe,” Yingning chuckled dryly. “Lady Houtu is my master. I cannot do anything to her detriment.”

‘To her detriment?’

“Yingning, I think you’re the one who is mistaken,” Du Yu said. “I’ve never once thought about harming Lady Houtu. It’s just that if no one stops what she is doing right now, we will be in real trouble.”

“You make it sound quite serious. Although I don’t know exactly what Lady Houtu intends to do, she must have her reasons.”

Du Yu was burning with anxiety. Every second counted now. Xie Bi’an had already returned to fetch his magical artifacts, and the Black Guard, Ox-Head, Horse-Face, and the Civil and Martial Judges might already be on their way.

“Yingning, if Lady Houtu is right this time, then that’s naturally for the best. But if she is wrong, she will undoubtedly be violating the laws of Heaven. She could very well cease to exist.”

“Cease to exist…?”

The writing brush in Du Yu’s hand visibly trembled. He knew Yingning was moved.

“Even if she doesn’t disappear, it’s highly likely she will be cast into hell… You spent a long time trapped in the lake water. You should understand that feeling of absolute helplessness, right?”

Yingning remained silent for a long time before forcing a bitter smile. “Is what you’re saying true?”

“Absolutely true. Lady Houtu is plotting a massive event that could potentially destroy the Underworld.”

Yingning pondered this repeatedly before telling Du Yu, “If you are lying to me, I will kill you myself before Lady Houtu even has to act. Go to the talisman shop around the corner and buy a teleportation talisman. I will tell you where to go.”

Hearing this, Du Yu immediately broke into a run. He used the nether currency Xie Bi’an had transferred to him via GhostChat back then to buy a stack of teleportation talismans, then took one out and slapped it onto his body.

“Alright, where are we going?”

Yingning spoke slowly, “Twenty kilometers west of the Gates of Hell, there is a peak called the Mountain of No Return.”

Du Yu froze upon hearing this and exclaimed, “Yingning, are you still messing with me?! The Mountain of No Return is where the Legend Management Bureau is located! I’m looking for Lady Houtu!”

Yingning sighed. “The Legend Management Bureau is at the foot of the Mountain of No Return, while Lady Houtu’s cave dwelling is deep within the mountain itself.”

…

Du Yu stood deep within the Mountain of No Return.

He could still faintly make out the Legend Management Bureau at the foot of the mountain in the distance. He still couldn’t quite believe that Lady Houtu, whom he had spent so long searching for, was right in front of him all along.

“Is this the place you were talking about? It doesn’t look like anyone is here at all.”

Looking across the barren mountain, Du Yu couldn’t see a single sign of human habitation. Even now, he was full of doubt.

“If it were that easy for you to spot, Lady Houtu would have been found ages ago,” Yingning said with a laugh.

“Then what should we do now?”

“Step back a little. I have an incantation.”

Du Yu took a step back as instructed. The green writing brush in his hand began to sway as an incantation was softly chanted. A moment later, the barren mountain and jagged rocks before him split apart under the reflection of a dark light, while all the dead trees and wild weeds retreated to either side.

A flight of stairs abruptly appeared before him, leading deep into the heart of the mountain.

“Good heavens…” Du Yu finally believed it after seeing this scene. “Does Lady Houtu really live on the Mountain of No Return?”

“Hurry up and go.” Yingning hesitated for a moment before telling him, “I hope what you said is true. Otherwise, you know the consequences.”

Just as Du Yu was about to enter the passage, a figure suddenly flashed out from inside. It was that wickedly alluring woman, Mei Gui.

“Oh?! Little brother Du Yu?” Mei Gui exclaimed in surprise. “I thought Chi Gui had returned. Why is it you?”

Acting like a woman home alone, Mei Gui casually leaned against the stone wall, glanced around, and smiled. “Did you come over after work? Are you by yourself?”

Du Yu didn’t know what kind of attitude this woman was playing at. He could only reply with absolute seriousness, “Sister Mei Gui, this is a matter of grave importance. I need to see Lady Houtu.”

“How annoying!” Mei Gui stepped forward and lightly slapped Du Yu’s chest. “You’re here for the old woman? I thought you were looking for me! I was just about to say that there happens to be no man in the house right now…”

Du Yu felt as though his very soul would be snatched away just by this woman looking at him. He had no idea what kind of cultivation technique she practiced.

“Sister Mei Gui, please don’t joke around. The situation is truly serious…”

“Alright, alright. Since you’re already here, how could I not let you in for a seat?” Mei Gui turned around, swaying her voluptuous and alluring figure as she spoke. “If you were to walk down this passage on your own, I’m afraid you wouldn’t even leave a corpse behind. Keep little Yingning close and follow behind me.”

“Thank you…” Du Yu suddenly paused. “You know Yingning is with me?”

“Little brother Du Yu, you shouldn’t underestimate me.”

Following Mei Gui, Du Yu ventured deep into the mountain’s core. Along the way, the woman dismantled numerous defensive arrays. A chill ran down Du Yu’s spine as he watched; the power of each defensive array was enough to obliterate a true immortal at the level of a Grand Judge. Yingning had never mentioned these things to him. If he had accidentally triggered even one, he would have died a gruesome death.

Did Yingning have her own way of dealing with these defensive arrays, or did she simply not want to mention them?

‘It seems it isn’t the right time to completely trust Yingning just yet…’

“Little brother Du Yu,” Mei Gui’s charming voice suddenly drifted over. “Did you know? It’s only because it’s you that I took the initiative to guide you.”

Du Yu didn’t dare engage in casual banter. This woman possessed extraordinary strength and was incredibly difficult to read. He could only nod repeatedly and agree, “Thank you, Sister Mei Gui.”

“No need to thank me,” Mei Gui giggled. “You are the old woman’s first visitor in a very long time. You’d better watch your words later. I wouldn’t want to never see you again.”

Du Yu nodded blankly, thinking to himself that it shouldn’t be a huge problem. When Lady Houtu saw him, she would surely remember that they had met once before. After all, he had been the one who helped recruit Cui Jue!

Not long after, their vision suddenly cleared as a massive cavernous space appeared before them.

The space looked artificially carved, with incredibly smooth walls adorned with torches lit by ghost fire. In the center of the room sat a massive stone table groaning under the weight of an exotic feast. Around this lavish spread sat three people: Lady Houtu, who was gorging herself on the food; Dong Qianqiu, who looked completely lost; and a little boy holding an apple.

“Ah! Sister Qianqiu!” A sudden wave of emotion washed over Du Yu the moment he saw Dong Qianqiu. He hadn’t seen her for days. Ever since arriving in the Underworld, this was the first time they had been separated for so long.

“Du Yu?!” Dong Qianqiu froze for a moment before turning her head. Her shocked expression quickly melted into a faint trace of joy.

Before either of them could say another word, the little boy nearby suddenly stood up. His right hand transformed into a black blade that he pressed directly against Dong Qianqiu’s throat. The bone blade was incredibly sharp, instantly drawing a thin line of blood on her neck.

“Ah!” Du Yu screamed. “What are you doing?!”

Lady Houtu looked up at Du Yu, then at the chicken drumstick in her hand, before asking the little boy, “Little Wangliang, what are you doing?”

“Old woman, this guy is the new Operator,” Wangliang said slowly. “No matter what he’s here to do, securing this woman first is definitely the right move.”

“Operator?” Lady Houtu put down the chicken drumstick and looked up at Du Yu. “What is an Operator doing here at my place?”

Du Yu watched helplessly as blood trickled down Dong Qianqiu’s neck. His hands and feet went ice-cold with panic. He glanced at Lady Houtu and hurriedly stepped forward. “Boss, it’s me. Don’t you remember?” Du Yu stretched out his hands, pretending to jot something down in front of his eyes. “The little notebook? The eight official posts? Do you remember?”

Lady Houtu gave Du Yu a puzzled look. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting at me? Have I ever met you?”

Du Yu froze. “That’s not right… Boss, have you forgotten? In Cui Jue’s legend, the two of us almost kicked him! Do you remember?”

Lady Houtu listened for a long moment, furrowing her brow in deep thought before asking, “Did we?”

Du Yu was dumbfounded. He had encountered three types of people within the legends.

The first type were those whose history he altered after entering a legend, causing them to suddenly remember him, like Heng’e. The second type were those who deeply remembered him even before he entered their legend, like Zhongli Chun.

Now, he had encountered a third type: no matter what he and she had experienced together in the legend, this person would not remember him at all.

But what on earth could be the cause of this?