Legend Management Bureau Chapter 72

[ … words ]

“Du Yu, what’s wrong with you?” Xiao Qi couldn’t see the screen at all and could only ask anxiously.

“I think I’m a little tired. I’m hallucinating.”

“Hallucinating?”

“How should I put this… A bandit just rapidly conjured up a high stone wall, while two passing girls—one summoning wind and the other spewing fire—are clashing with him right in front of me like battling deities…”

“Are you still near the Altar of Conferring Gods?” Xiao Qi asked.

“Yeah, we’ve been walking through these mountains for half a day and still haven’t found a way down.”

“That’s not strange at all. The spiritual energy during the ancient era was incredibly abundant. The army of King Wu of Zhou that marched against King Zhou of Shang had no shortage of capable individuals with extraordinary abilities. They were all cultivators.”

“Cultivators? That makes me feel a bit redundant here…” Du Yu muttered.

“It’s fine, you at least have Zhongli Chun protecting you. Just try your best to stay safe. Ask me if you run into any trouble.”

“Hey! What does this have to do with me?!” Du Yu shouted in confusion.

“Nothing to do with you?! Weren’t you the one who just knocked me down?!”

The fire-breathing girl evidently had a very explosive temper. Seeing Du Yu dodge her attack, she grew visibly enraged. Channeling more of her magical power, she spewed a pillar of fire as thick as an arm from her mouth, sweeping it directly toward him. The flames scorched the earth bare wherever they passed, leaving a blazing inferno and the pungent stench of charred ground in their wake.

But to the girl’s shock, the seemingly clumsy man effortlessly evaded the pillar of fire. With a swift blur of motion, he appeared right behind her.

“Miss, you seem to be running a bit hot,” Du Yu said, patting her on the shoulder. “Try not to stay up so late, and drink plenty of water.”

“You!” the girl shrieked. Flames suddenly flared around her body in a violent, explosive burst. She assumed the man in front of her was definitely dead this time, but when she focused her eyes, he was nowhere to be seen again.

“Why are you playing dirty?” Du Yu sighed, shaking his head as he materialized a short distance away. “If I wanted to take your life, you’d already be dead. Yet you’re really out here trying to kill me!”

The fiery girl glared angrily at him. She sensed something strange about this man’s aura. If it really came down to a life-and-death struggle, she might not be his match.

“Which general do you serve?” she demanded. “Why are you committing highway robbery here?”

“Miss… I don’t have the answer to either of those questions.” Du Yu shook his head. “I didn’t want to rob anyone. It’s just that my boss was hungry, so we came out to find some food. I have no idea how this fight even started. Did I hurt you when I bumped into you earlier? I’m sorry about that…”

Hearing his apology, the girl’s anger subsided slightly, but she still eyed him with suspicion. “You really didn’t do it on purpose?”

“I really didn’t!” Du Yu insisted. “You just saw my skills. If I was actually trying to rob you, why would I launch myself through the air just to tackle you?”

The fiery girl pondered for a moment; his words did make some sense. She was just about to speak when a sharp scream echoed from nearby. Whipping her head around, she saw that the girl in white, who had been fighting Zhang San, was losing ground. No matter how fierce the gales she summoned, they were no match for the barrage of flying rocks hurled by the large-faced man.

Chanting a quick incantation, Zhang San caused jagged stones to surge up and trap the white-clad girl’s feet. He leapt high into the air, raising his bronze sword to cleave her in two.

“Oh no!” Du Yu and the fire-breathing girl gasped in unison. But it was clearly too late to save her.

In a flash of desperation, Du Yu roared, “Ying Ning! Help me out!”

The moment the words left his lips, a green light shot out from his waist with a sharp swish. The beam streaked toward Zhang San at a speed invisible to the naked eye, crashing directly into his bronze sword and saving the girl in white.

Zhang San was sent flying backward, his spell shattered instantly. The girl in white wrenched her trapped feet free and hurriedly adjusted her stance, while the girl in red rushed over to shield her.

“Sister, are you alright?” the girl in red asked.

“I-I’m fine,” the girl in white stammered, looking utterly shaken, her forehead slick with fine sweat.

The streak of green light circled in the air for a moment before flying back to Du Yu. It hovered there, seemingly showing off with a little wiggle, before diving back into his waistband.

“A magical treasure?” The two girls stared in stunned disbelief. Anyone capable of commanding a magical treasure would hold at least the rank of a general in either army. So why was this man acting as a highwayman in the mountains?

“Zhang Zhen!” Zhang San cursed as he scrambled to his feet. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“You two should get out of here,” Du Yu whispered to the girls. “Leave the rest to me.”

Seeing his serious expression, the girls quickly nodded and fled down a narrow trail.

Zhang San lunged forward to pursue them, but Du Yu stepped into his path.

“Are you sick in the head today?!” Zhang San demanded angrily. “I almost had her just now!”

Du Yu thought for a second, then suddenly raised his voice. “Had her?! Did you forget what the boss told us? No killing!”

“Uh…” It was glaringly obvious that Zhang San had completely forgotten about that rule.

“If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have murdered someone. How would you have explained that to the boss?” Du Yu seized the initiative, pressing him aggressively.

“But that’s not right either!” Zhang San countered after a moment’s thought. “We didn’t get any food. The boss isn’t going to be happy about that either!”

“I’ll go talk to him!” Du Yu declared, dusting himself off. “I refuse to believe our boss is that unreasonable.”

Bickering the entire way, the two returned to the massive tree where Zhang Jian was waiting.

“Boss!” Zhang San immediately spoke up. “You need to settle this for us!”

Ever since he discovered that the Zhang Family Stronghold was a bandit camp, Du Yu couldn’t help but feel wary of Zhang Jian. Human nature was funny like that—once you knew someone was a bandit leader, they looked more and more like a thug the longer you stared.

Du Yu had originally planned to strike first with a false accusation, but Zhang Jian’s imposing aura left him feeling somewhat intimidated.

“There was quite a commotion just now. Did you get into a fight?” Zhang Jian slowly lifted his gaze and asked.

“Yeah! Boss!” Zhang San plopped down next to Zhang Jian. “I was just about to succeed! I was right on the verge of chopping down some wench, but Zhang Zhen suddenly threw something and blocked me. And now look, the targets ran off, we didn’t get any grub, and it’s all a mess. Settle this for us!”

“You can’t frame it like that!” Du Yu panicked slightly. He had watched plenty of Hong Kong mobster movies, and the gang bosses in those films killed without blinking. If he died at Zhang Jian’s hands before completing his quest, it would be far too pathetic. He hurriedly interjected, “Boss, ask Zhang San! Didn’t I strike first without a word and knock that girl straight to the ground? According to the rules of the underworld, I’m at least a ruthless bandit!”

Hearing their exchange, Zhang Jian’s expression flickered.

“Zhang Zhen, did you really let those two go?”

“I…” Du Yu naturally knew that playing smart with a man like Zhang Jian—someone destined to become the Lord of All Immortals—would be completely useless. He could only admit it. “Yes, Boss. I let those two girls go. If you want to punish me… actually, just don’t punish me. Otherwise, I might have to fight to the death. I’ll go pick some wild fruits for you in a bit.”

Zhang Jian thought for a moment after hearing this, his expression complex.

“Zhang Zhen, can you tell me why you let those two girls go?”

Du Yu paused, thinking to himself, ‘What is wrong with this guy? Is it not enough to just admit my mistake? Why does he have to interrogate me to the bitter end?’

“I…” Du Yu let out a sigh. “I’ll tell you the truth, Boss. I never wanted to rob anyone, let alone take any lives. Those two girls were just walking down the road perfectly fine, and suddenly we were about to snatch their lives away. What kind of logic is that?”

Zhang Jian stared at Du Yu, remaining silent for a long time.

“Boss, you…” Du Yu felt the hairs on his neck stand up under the intense gaze. “Are you mad?”

“Hahahaha!” Zhang Jian suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter.

“Boss, please don’t laugh like that. You sound exactly like a villain.”

Still chuckling, Zhang Jian stood up and dusted himself off. “Never mind, never mind. I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. Let’s return to the stronghold.”

Zhang San and Du Yu exchanged a bewildered glance, completely lost.

“So… which one of us was wrong?” Zhang San asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Du Yu scoffed. “The one in the wrong isn’t me, and it isn’t the boss.”

“Does that mean I was wrong?”

…

Surprisingly, the Zhang Family Stronghold wasn’t far from the mountain housing the Altar of Conferring Gods. The trio arrived after less than a day of walking.

Built along the water’s edge, the entire stronghold was constructed from heavy timber. The defensive walls were draped with tiger pelts. Seeing Zhang Jian and the other two approaching from afar, the heavy wooden gates immediately swung open, and a large crowd surged out to meet them.

“Boss!” a wiry man yelled happily at Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian gave a slight nod. “Number Two, has it been peaceful in the stronghold lately?”

“Peaceful? Boss, you flatter me too much. How could it be peaceful when you’re not around? This Zhang Family Stronghold still needs you at the helm!”

Zhang Jian nodded slightly and walked forward.

The men who had rushed out of the stronghold quickly lined up on both sides to welcome him, clearing a very grand path down the middle.

“Huh?” The wiry man glanced around. “Why are we missing one? Where’s Zhang Youren? Killed in action?”

“Haha! Don’t even get me started!” Zhang San chuckled. “You’ll never guess. That kid, Zhang Youren…”

“Yes, he died in battle,” Zhang Jian suddenly cut in, interrupting Zhang San.

“Eh?” Zhang San blanked, the words he was about to speak catching in his throat like a fishbone.

The wiry man’s eyes darted around, and he quickly sidled up to Zhang Jian with a grinning face. “It’s fine, it’s fine! As long as the boss is safe, that’s all that matters! The boss’s safety is everything!”

“Zhang Qian, I’m a bit tired and need to rest,” Zhang Jian declared. “Tell the brothers to stop fussing around. We’ll hold the victory banquet another day.”

“Ah?” The wiry man named Zhang Qian put on a troubled expression. “How can we do that? In the past, whenever we raided a village, we’d drink for three days straight. This time, you guys went up against a real army! Even if it was just four of you, you brought glory to our Zhang Family Stronghold! No matter what, you have to drink at least one cup for the victory banquet!”

“Zhang Qian, does my word no longer hold any weight?” Zhang Jian suddenly turned around, his tone turning dead serious. “I’ve only been gone for a year, and you’re already trying to dictate what I do to my face?”

Zhang Qian froze. Whether he was intimidated by Zhang Jian’s imposing aura or simply shocked by his attitude, it took him a long time to finally squeeze out a sentence:

“Boss… this subordinate wouldn’t dare…”