Heroes have always risen young

Several Underworld Enforcers knelt on the ground, not daring to move. How had the Seventh Master, Xie Bi'an, whom they normally wouldn't see even once in decades, suddenly appeared here today?

"Seventh Master, what... brings you here?" Bu Zushuo asked with an ingratiating smile.

"What brings me here?" Xie Bi'an patted his face to help the serum absorb, thinking, I came to stop Zhongli Chun... but from the look of things... there doesn't seem to be anything left for me to do...

Xie Bi'an took a closer look and discovered Du Yu standing behind the Underworld Enforcers.

"Huh?" Xie Bi'an froze. "Wait, didn't you already call me? What are you doing here?"

"Ah..." Du Yu said. "I didn't want to come either, but the circumstances were a little unusual..."

The Underworld Enforcers exchanged looks as they listened to the conversation. So this man knew the Seventh Master. They had really landed themselves in trouble now.

Before Du Yu and Xie Bi'an could exchange more than a few pleasantries, another muffled roar rang out. The space overhead warped again, and an enormous figure emerged.

"Who dared attack my men?!" a rough, booming voice demanded. Xie Bi'an couldn't help smiling. Now things were getting interesting. Here came a real character.

"Well, well! Seventh Brother, you're here too!" The burly man's voice rang like a great bell. The moment he landed, he clapped Xie Bi'an on the shoulder in an enthusiastic greeting.

"That's right, Third Brother. You're here too." Xie Bi'an smiled.

Du Yu looked up. The newcomer had a rather unusual appearance: a towering human body with a bull's head, and two enormous horns jutting from his temples. He had to be Ox-Head, one of the underworld's most famous Underworld Enforcers.

"I heard someone was trying to beat up my men. Who was it?"

Xie Bi'an smiled and pointed at Zhongli Chun. "Over there. Go beat her up."

Ox-Head took a good look, and his face fell in shock. "Good heavens, Zhongli Chun?! You've got to be kidding me!"

"What's wrong, Third Brother? If you put your life on the line, you should be able to fight her!" Xie Bi'an fanned the flames from the sidelines. "Beat her up! Detonate your nascent soul and beat her up!"

"Seventh Brother, you're making a fool of me!" Ox-Head swore, then turned back to whisper to Xie Bi'an. "How was I supposed to know I'd run into someone of her caliber on this pedestrian street?! I didn't bring a single magical treasure. If we really fought, she'd probably blast my nascent soul apart!"

"Pfft." Xie Bi'an barely managed to hold back his laughter. He composed himself and said, "Then what do you suggest? Your boys just take that beating for nothing?"

"Well... my boys haven't actually been beaten. I just wanted to show off..." The burly Ox-Head was stumped. He whispered to White Impermanence, "Seventh Brother, you've got a better head on your shoulders than me. Help me think of something. I can't lose face in front of my men!"

Xie Bi'an gave a wicked smile. "Third Brother, isn't that easy? Ask who her accomplice is, then beat the accomplice up."

"Right! Seventh Brother, you really are the clever one!" Ox-Head slapped his forehead and turned to ask the Underworld Enforcers, "I'll deal with this woman later! Tell me, has anyone else been giving you trouble?"

"Ah!" Hearing their boss say that, Bu Zushuo and the others instantly found their courage. They pointed at Du Yu and shouted, "Him! He was stopping us from arresting this villain earlier!"

"Well, now!" Ox-Head glanced at Du Yu and, seeing that he was only a mortal, immediately puffed himself up. "So you've been giving my men a hard time too?"

"Me?" Du Yu glanced at Xie Bi'an, who was still suppressing his laughter, then nodded. "I certainly don't like the look of them."

"Let me give you a good slap!" Ox-Head swung his hand up.

"Hey! Third Brother!" Just as the slap was about to land on Du Yu's face, White Impermanence called out to stop Ox-Head.

Ox-Head's hand stopped instantly. He turned to Xie Bi'an. "What?"

"Hmm..." Xie Bi'an thought for a moment. "Actually, it's nothing. Why don't you hit him first... we can talk afterward."

"Oh! All right!" Ox-Head nodded and raised his hand to strike again, but his eyes shifted as he realized something was wrong.

He slowly lowered his hand, turned to Xie Bi'an, and flashed an honest, guileless smile. "Seventh Brother, you're pulling your third brother's leg again, aren't you? If I hit him, I'll be in big trouble, won't I? Tell me, who is he?"

Xie Bi'an finally lost control and burst out laughing. "Oh, Third Brother, it's been ten years, and your intelligence has shot straight up!"

"Heh heh! Of course it has!" Ox-Head said proudly. "I'm no fool!"

Xie Bi'an covered his mouth and laughed for a good while before finally saying, "You'd be in trouble if you hit this man. He's the Legend Management Bureau's new Operator-Du Yu."

"What?!" Ox-Head's bull eyes went round, and even his nostrils flared wide. "The Operator?!"

Good grief! A wave of belated fear swept through Ox-Head. If that slap had landed, the consequences would have been disastrous! The Operator could go back into the past and make a few adjustments, and he might vanish from the world altogether.

"Oh, my! Oh, my!" Ox-Head immediately broke into a broad smile. "So you're the Operator! A misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding!"

Du Yu was rather speechless too. "You're really easy to read," he muttered. "Every thought in your head is written on your face."

"You little brats, get up and apologize to Brother Du!" Ox-Head shouted at the Underworld Enforcers kneeling on the ground.

The Underworld Enforcers were baffled too. Their boss Ox-Head had just promised to stand up for them, but now he was all ingratiating smiles. Just how important was this man?

The brothers Bu Zudao and Bu Zushuo also knew they were probably in deep trouble. Bu Zushuo had given a vicious shove to someone even their boss Ox-Head didn't dare touch.

Ox-Head walked up to Du Yu with a fawning smile. "Hey! We're all friends here, Brother Du. Remember that Origin-Returning Pill I sent you?"

"Don't go saying things like that." Du Yu shook his head. "I sent all the pills back to you lot. I didn't keep a single one."

"Ah!" Ox-Head laughed awkwardly. "You might not have accepted the Origin-Returning Pill, but the goodwill was still there!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ox-Head suddenly turned and kicked Bu Zushuo in the backside. It came so unexpectedly that neither Du Yu nor even Bu Zushuo himself had time to react.

"Huh? Boss, why did you kick me?"

"You little calves do nothing but get me into trouble. Get out of here." Afraid Du Yu would retaliate, Ox-Head wanted to hurry his troublemaking subordinates away.

"Wait!" Du Yu stopped Ox-Head.

"Huh? Brother Du, you're a generous man. Don't be angry with these worthless subordinates of mine."

Du Yu was indeed a little angry. The sight of Zhongli Chun's injuries filled him with guilt. Although she had struck first, she should never have been surrounded and beaten by a group of law enforcers. These scumbags were the real culprits.

He glanced at Xie Bi'an, who looked thoughtful. Du Yu knew he had only known Xie Bi'an for a few days, while Xie Bi'an and Ox-Head had been brothers for thousands of years. If a conflict really broke out... would Xie Bi'an stand on his side?

Xie Bi'an paused for a while, as though something had occurred to him, then said, "Third Brother, the Operator can let these men go, but you'll need to send him their 'life histories.' He mentioned having nothing to do these next few days and wanting to take a stroll through the 'past.'"

Ox-Head froze, then hurried forward. "Brother Du! Wouldn't that mean taking my men's lives? They've been with me for over a thousand years..."

"Huh?" Du Yu was a little bewildered. He lowered his voice. "Seventh Master... I am angry, but these people don't seem to be legendary figures..."

Xie Bi'an ignored Du Yu and continued, "Fourth Brother, think about it. If we 'Underworld Enforcers' can abuse our authority to inflict punishment... why can't the 'Operator'?"

The Underworld Enforcers pleaded in tearful voices. They frantically knocked their heads against the ground, dull thuds sounding one after another, until enormous lumps swelled on all their foreheads.

Only after waiting a long while did Xie Bi'an slowly step forward, a faint smile on his face. "All right, this was just a little lesson. You may enforce the law, but you absolutely must not bully people. Third Brother wants to protect you, so you should make him proud too. Fights between souls are for the Office of Yin Law to handle. Now that you've given her a vicious beating, we're the ones in the wrong. What grounds do you have left to arrest her?"

The Underworld Enforcers could only keep knocking their heads against the ground, too frightened to speak.

Seeing that they had suffered enough, Du Yu felt his anger ease. After all, he was only a mortal. If he kept pressing the matter, Ox-Head might not keep indulging him forever. He slowly said, "Sigh. The Seventh Master has said exactly what's on my mind. Mind how you conduct yourselves from now on."

As though their lives had been returned to them, the officers hurriedly thanked Du Yu and Xie Bi'an, then ran off into the distance, clutching their foreheads.

"Ah, Brother Du!" Ox-Head waved his arms and stamped his feet with delight. "You're a pretty decent fellow! How about we go have a couple of drinks?"

"No," Du Yu said flatly, then walked straight over to Zhongli Chun.

"I... didn't move..." Zhongli Chun seemed badly injured, but she still gave him a smile that stirred the soul.

"I know... I know..." Du Yu looked at her with concern. Though he didn't know exactly what had happened, there was something strange about the feeling Zhongli Chun gave him.

"Heh..." Zhongli Chun gave a silly smile, lost consciousness, and pitched headfirst into Du Yu's arms. He caught her at once. Despite her tall frame, she felt remarkably delicate in his arms. He had no idea where that tremendous strength of hers came from.

"Seventh Master, what exactly is going on?" Du Yu looked at Zhongli Chun beside him, utterly puzzled.

"What's going on? You mean Zhongli Chun?" Xie Bi'an scratched his head. "She's the foremost of the underworld's ten great villains. She hasn't done anything utterly unforgivable, but she's notoriously dangerous to cross. She can scatter a soul with a casual blow, and she has a whole basketful of cases against her. Even if we arrest her, there's not much we can do with her. Her soul is extraordinarily tenacious. Even the harshest torture can't break it apart. What's the phrase you use in the mortal world...?" Xie Bi'an thought for a moment. "Ah, right. 'Deep-seated resentment.'"

"That's not what I'm asking..." Du Yu shook his head. "I want to know why such a great villain listens to me so obediently."

Xie Bi'an had indeed noticed it. In front of Du Yu, Zhongli Chun seemed like an entirely different person.

"That I don't know." Xie Bi'an thought for a moment. "Perhaps there's only one possibility... she's met you before."

"She's met me before?"

"That's right. Now that you're the Operator, it wouldn't be strange for you to turn up in anyone's memories," Xie Bi'an said with some certainty.

"But who is Zhongli Chun? Is she a legendary figure?"

"Who is she? Hahahahaha." Xie Bi'an laughed. "Assistant Dong said she'd help you brush up on your knowledge of legends. Clearly, she hasn't done enough yet. Zhongli Chun: compound surname Zhongli, given name Chun. Because she was born in Wuyan City in Shandong Province, she's also called Zhongli the Saltless Woman. For convenience, later generations mostly preferred to call her Zhong Wuyan. Some also claimed she was extremely ugly, so they called her Zhong Wuyan as well. There are all sorts of legends about her."

"Zhong Wuyan?!" Du Yu looked at Zhongli Chun sleeping quietly in his arms. "She's definitely even more beautiful than Heng'e. How could she be Zhong Wuyan, the famous ugly woman?"

"Don't know."

"What exactly happened to Zhong Wuyan?"

"Don't know."

"Why does she trust me so much?"

"Don't know."

Du Yu looked up helplessly at Xie Bi'an. "Seventh Master, why don't you know anything?"

"Come on, Little Du, these questions are ridiculous," Xie Bi'an said, speechless. "You're the one from the Legend Management Bureau. Why do you keep asking me?"

"True." Du Yu nodded and scooped Zhongli Chun into his arms. "I'll get to the bottom of it sooner or later. Right now, the priority is treating her injuries."

Watching Du Yu lift Zhongli Chun, Xie Bi'an looked puzzled. "Where are you going?"

"There happens to be somewhere nearby where she can recover."

"Don't go doing anything reckless. She's a girl covered in injuries. What can a grown man like you do?"

Du Yu looked down at Zhongli Chun. Xie Bi'an had a point. He couldn't even examine her injuries, but what else could he do? Sister Qianqiu, the only woman he was on reasonably good terms with, was injured too. He couldn't ask her to help care for Zhongli Chun.

"Seventh Master, could you do me a favor and bring Fan Xiaoguo here?"

"Fan Xiaoguo?"

"That's right." Du Yu nodded. "Bring her here and wait for me. I'll be right back."

With that, Du Yu hurried away with Zhongli Chun in his arms.

Before they reached the hotel, Zhongli Chun woke up. Finding herself lying in Du Yu's arms, she couldn't help feeling her heart race.

"You're awake?" Du Yu asked. "Just wait a little. I'm taking you somewhere to treat your injuries."

"You... put me down first... I'm fine..." Zhongli Chun said softly.

"It's all right. You were injured because of me. I'll find someone to tend to you."

Soon, Du Yu carried her into Must-Sleep-to-Die. Seeing him holding an extraordinarily beautiful woman, the hotel owner couldn't help feeling puzzled.

Didn't this fellow come by earlier? That wasn't the woman he brought then.

"Sorry, boss. I paid earlier," Du Yu said as he passed the front desk.

The owner gave a perfunctory nod, wondering, Who on earth is this guy?

Du Yu carried Zhongli Chun into the room. Dong Qianqiu was still sitting in meditation.

"Sister Qianqiu, for certain reasons, I need to leave Zhongli Chun here to recover."

Dong Qianqiu looked at Du Yu and Zhongli Chun, puzzled. First, she couldn't understand why Du Yu would help this villainous woman recover. Second, with Zhongli Chun's level of cultivation, who could possibly have injured her so badly? Had Lady Houtu manifested in the world?

"Even if she lies here, I can't examine her injuries," Dong Qianqiu said.

"I know. I've found someone else to help. Wait here a moment. I'll be right back."

With that, Du Yu ran out of the room.

Outside the café, Xie Bi'an made two spatial jumps and brought Fan Xiaoguo there in an instant.

Fan Xiaoguo had been queuing for milk tea when Xie Bi'an descended from the sky and snatched her away. Even now, she still looked utterly bewildered.

"G-Great Ancestor Seven... what are you doing?"

"Don't call me Great Ancestor Seven. Call me Brother An." Xie Bi'an slowly landed with Fan Xiaoguo in tow. "Someone you know needs your help."

Fan Xiaoguo turned her head and unexpectedly spotted the Third Master, Ox-Head. Frightened, she hurriedly paid her respects.

"No need to stand on ceremony with me. I'm not the one who needs help." Ox-Head waved a hand. "But Seventh Brother, why are you making this little granddaughter call you Brother An?"

"Why not? I've taken her as my sworn younger sister," Xie Bi'an said firmly.

"You absolutely mustn't..." The situation Fan Xiaoguo feared most had come around again.

"That's right. How would that work? If you call her your sworn sister, what do I call her?" Ox-Head thought for a moment. "To keep the generations straight, let's each use our own terms. You call her little sister, and I'll call her granddaughter."

"This is why I say you've been clever since childhood, Third Brother," Xie Bi'an said sourly. "You've made me a grandson with a single sentence."

While the two were talking, Du Yu came running over from the distance.

"Great! Sister Underworld Enforcer!" The moment Du Yu saw Fan Xiaoguo, he grabbed her arm. "Quick, come with me!"

Before Fan Xiaoguo could figure out what was happening, Du Yu was dragging her along at a run. Before long, they arrived at the entrance to Must-Sleep-to-Die.

"Sister Underworld Enforcer, this is a special situation. You have to help me."

"Huh?!" Fan Xiaoguo looked at the sign above the entrance and nearly fainted. "What kind of woman do you take me for?! No matter how special your situation is... we can't move this fast..."

"Huh?" Du Yu was confused too, but he quickly realized what she meant. "What are you thinking?! Help me save someone!"

"Save someone?"

Du Yu pulled Fan Xiaoguo past the front desk once again.

Watching Du Yu bring three different beautiful women into his room within half an hour, the hotel owner said enviously, "Heroes have always risen young..."