Overlord, Don't Rush?

The two of them fled wildly down the street, a bone still clamped between Zhongli Chun's teeth.

A dark swarm of a dozen or so thugs chased after them.

"Well, look at you! Even remembered to take leftovers to go. You've got a bright future!" Du Yu glanced at the bone in Zhongli Chun's mouth as he ran.

"Ooroo, ooroo, roola," Zhongli Chun said.

"I can't understand a single word! Spit out the bone before you talk!"

Du Yu distinctly remembered how it worked in TV dramas: people running criminal establishments wouldn't get too brazen. They were breaking the law, after all, so if they couldn't catch someone, they usually wouldn't dare keep chasing. But they had already pursued them beyond the city walls. Why were these dozen or so men so relentless?

Even when they reached the little river where he had bathed Zhongli Chun, the men still hadn't given up.

"Huh?" Du Yu looked at the river blocking their way, then at their pursuers. "This looks familiar. Am I about to stage Farewell My Concubine ahead of schedule?"

A dozen or so burly men in black slowly surrounded them, wooden clubs in hand. Their leader was the waiter from earlier.

"Dear customer, you left in quite a hurry."

Du Yu asked irritably, "You've already taken all our money. What else do you want?"

"What else?" The waiter shook his head. "Let me be straight with you, dear customer. We're in the same line of work. You're going to sell that girl sooner or later, so why not sell her directly to us? She's pretty. We can offer a good price."

Ridiculous, Du Yu thought. These people think I'm a human trafficker.

Still, on closer consideration, their misunderstanding was understandable. Bringing an unrelated girl in tattered clothes to a tavern for a lavish meal out of the blue did look like giving her one last meal before selling her.

Besides, although Zhongli Chun was only ten, she looked no different from a girl of fifteen or sixteen-the very sort traffickers liked to target.

"Little Zhongli," Du Yu called. "They're bad people. Now I'll teach you how to rob... no, how to punish bad people."

"Hey, hey, hey, Du Yu! Why do I get the feeling you have a lot to do with Zhongli Chun becoming the leader of the Ten Great Villains?!" Dong Qianqiu couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Du Yu's approach to mentoring children.

"Sister Qianqiu, do you know what time it is? We're in a crisis!"

Du Yu pointed straight at the men and told Zhongli Chun, "Now repeat everything I say."

Zhongli Chun nodded with the bone in her mouth, then copied Du Yu and pointed at the men.

"You bunch of villains!" Du Yu snarled.

"You bunsh of villunsh!" Zhongli Chun said around the bone.

"Hand over your money and provisions!"

"Han' over yer money an' provishunsh!"

"And I'll spare your lives!"

"An' I'll shpare yer livesh!"

"Spit out that bone!"

"Shpit out that bone!"

"I'm talking to you, girl! Spit out the bone!" Du Yu grabbed Zhongli Chun. "You're ruining the whole effect! What's the most important thing in a fight?! Presence!"

"Ah...?" Zhongli Chun looked at Du Yu reluctantly, her entire face pleading to be allowed to keep the bone.

Du Yu remained stern. Left with no choice, Zhongli Chun took the bone out of her mouth, carefully wiped the saliva off it, and tucked it into the pocket inside her clothes. She had eaten her fill this time, but there was no guarantee she would next time. At least this bone could help her hold out...

"Boss, that girl's a little dim, isn't she...?" one thug asked the waiter.

"Dim's fine. Easier to control," the waiter said. "In all my years in this business, I've never seen merchandise this good. Don't let her get away."

Ready for action, Du Yu stepped forward. "There's so few of you. Are you sure you want to fight?"

"Oh?" The waiter found that amusing. "There are fourteen of us. How many can you beat?"

"Hmph." Du Yu sneered. "Then don't blame me for showing no mercy."

"Boss, why isn't this guy scared of us at all? Could he really be an expert?"

"An expert?" The waiter looked at Du Yu's clothes. "Would an expert work as somebody's household servant?"

Du Yu calmly turned to Zhongli Chun. "I'll take the boss. You take the other thirteen. No problem, right?"

"Mm!" Zhongli Chun nodded earnestly.

"..."

"Boss, what did this guy just say?" The thugs were bewildered. "Did he get that backward?"

The waiter was bewildered too, but quickly recovered. "Doesn't matter. Grab that girl first. I'll finish this guy in a couple of moves."

The moment he finished speaking, Zhongli Chun leaped up and charged into the crowd.

Before the waiter could react, Du Yu rushed up to him as well.

"You've got some nerve," Du Yu said. "You actually dare fight me."

"Y-you... who exactly are you?"

"If you have any elders at home, I suggest you go ask them what technique defeated Nine-Infant in Emperor Yao's time."

"Emperor... Emperor Yao's time?" The waiter looked at him as though he were an idiot. "Are you sick in the head?!"

"You'll find out soon enough." Du Yu smiled coldly, formed a hand seal, chanted an incantation, and roared, "Thousand-Autumn Divine Art!!!"

"Huh?!" Dong Qianqiu hadn't expected to be sitting peacefully at home only for public humiliation to fall from the sky. "What does this have to do with me?! Fight your own battles! There's... there's only one of him..."

"Ha! Qianqiu, aid me!" Ignoring Dong Qianqiu, Du Yu kept chanting. "My wounds haven't healed. I can't take it, can't take it, can't take it..."

Dong Qianqiu shook her head helplessly. "One day, I'm going to turn you into the White Dragon Horse..."

To the waiter's astonishment, the man dressed like a household servant actually unleashed sorcery after a few casual shouts. For some reason, an impatient woman's voice kept sounding beside his ear, calling listlessly, "Hey, grandson."

Du Yu seized every opening. Whenever the waiter hesitated, he darted to the other side and landed a vicious punch. After seven or eight punches in succession, the waiter's face was swollen and bruised.

"What kind of sorcery is this...?"

"I told you. It's called the Thousand-Autumn Divine Art." Du Yu looked at the waiter. "Still want to fight?"

Knowing he was no match for the man before him, the waiter hoped his lackeys would hurry up, capture the girl, and come help him. But when he turned around, he was shocked beyond words.

Only two of his thirteen lackeys remained standing, their legs trembling. The rest lay unconscious on the ground. The girl walked toward the remaining two and threw a right uppercut. One man shot straight off the ground, spun several times through the air, then crashed down hard.

"She's like a being from heaven..." the waiter murmured.

The last thug screamed, dropped his club, and ran.

"Fine... we really have met our downfall today..." The waiter looked at Du Yu. "What was it you said at the beginning?"

"At the beginning?" Du Yu was puzzled. Why was the waiter asking that?

After thinking it over, Du Yu said, "At the beginning, I asked you-You've already taken all our money. What else do you want?"

"No, a little after that."

Du Yu thought some more. "Little Zhongli, repeat everything I say?"

"Almost there. A little further."

"Hand over your money and provisions, and I'll spare your lives?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that one." The waiter swallowed. "Does that still stand?"

"Uh..." Du Yu's eyes shifted. "It does! Of course it does!"

Only then did the waiter relax. He rummaged inside his clothes for a while, pulled out a string of knife coins, and handed it to Du Yu.

"We brothers came out in a hurry, so this is all we brought. Your bundle's still at the tavern. If you're not in a rush, leave an address and I'll have someone deliver it to your residence..."

"Never mind. There's nothing much in my bundle. The money in it can pay for the food."

"Huh?" The waiter thought he'd misheard. "Wait, boss, I have a question. Does what you're doing count as robbery?"

"Of course!" Du Yu put away the knife coins. "We've already beaten people up. It's definitely robbery."

The waiter didn't dare ask any more questions. These two were robbing them but still paying for their food. What on earth was their game?

"Um... boss..." the waiter asked. "Then, my brothers and I, could we just..."

"Fine. Go." Du Yu waved a hand.

Given permission, the waiter hurriedly woke his lackeys and stumbled away with them.

"Little Zhongli, did you see that?" Du Yu tossed the knife coins straight to Zhongli Chun. "This is called money. With it, you can buy tasty food."

Zhongli Chun caught the string of knife coins. It felt heavy.

So buying tasty food was this easy?

The sun sank, and the evening glow began spilling across the earth. The two sat by the river, quietly watching the water. Neither spoke.

Only after a long while did Du Yu speak. "Little Zhongli, I'll be leaving soon. You have to take good care of yourself until I see you again. Understand?"

Zhongli Chun gave Du Yu a meaningful look, then nodded. "Mm."

A little later, Zhongli Chun asked, "How long?"

"How long? Are you asking how long until I come back? I... don't know either. But I'll definitely come back." Du Yu paused, then added, "Do you know Guiguzi?"

"No," Zhongli Chun answered.

Du Yu began making plans. To put Zhongli Chun's legend back on its proper course, he had to get her to Ghost Valley Mountain to study. But he had little time left and didn't know where Ghost Valley Mountain was. How could he get her up the mountain?

Suddenly, inspiration flashed through Du Yu's mind!

"Right, I've got it! Sister Qianqiu, how long until I go back?"

Dong Qianqiu checked her watch. "Two or three hours at most."

"That's enough," Du Yu said. "I have a way to get Zhongli Chun up the mountain, but it'll mean taking a little risk."

"Oh?" Dong Qianqiu was curious. "Another crafty idea?"

"Exactly. And I'll need your help again."

Du Yu stood up, patted Zhongli Chun's head, and said, "Little Zhongli, I'm leaving. Over the next few days, if someone comes looking for you and wants to take you to Guiguzi, you mustn't refuse. Otherwise, you won't see me again."

"Ah?" Zhongli Chun stood up with him. This was the first farewell she had faced in her life, and she didn't know how to act without looking sad.

"Remember: find Guiguzi," Du Yu said.

Zhongli Chun nodded.

"Guiguzi!"

Zhongli Chun nodded again.

Still worried, Du Yu said, "Say it back to me."

"Guigouzi."

"That's wrong!" Du Yu cried. "He's your future master! You can't disrespect the old gentleman! It's Guiguzi! Guzi!"

"Guiguzi..." Zhongli Chun repeated.

"Yes. Very good."

After settling Zhongli Chun in, Du Yu slipped back into the city under cover of darkness. He wound through the streets until he reached Zhongli Chun's former residence, where her stepfather and birth mother lived.

He went to the bedroom first but found no one, then headed to the main hall. There he saw a middle-aged man teasing a maid, apparently Zhongli Chun's stepfather. Du Yu ignored him completely and hurried off to search the other rooms.

At last, in a shrine room, Du Yu found a middle-aged woman in fine clothes. To his surprise, she was praying.

Presumably, this was Zhongli Chun's birth mother, Hua.

"Queen Mother of the West... please bless me... bless this pitiful woman so that I may never lack food or drink... and enjoy my later years in peace..."

"Hmph." Du Yu snorted. "You abandoned even your own daughter. The Queen Mother of the West would never bless someone like you."

"Queen Mother... if I can enjoy my later years in peace... I'll make sure incense offerings to you never cease..."

Du Yu shook his head. "Sister Qianqiu, well? Can you see her?"

"I can."

"Good. Follow the plan. Repeat everything I say."

Moonlight fell across Zhongli Chun's stepmother's face. Never could she have imagined that the Queen Mother of the West, whom she worshipped day and night, would manifest on this very day.

"Hua, mother of Zhongli Chun, come closer."

"Ah?!" Hua looked up and swept her gaze around. There wasn't a single person nearby. The voice could only belong to the Queen Mother, manifesting her divine presence.

"Queen Mother, you spoke?"

"I, This Dowager, command you to come closer!" Dong Qianqiu's voice kept ringing beside Hua's ear, her tone exceptionally stern.

Not daring to delay, Hua hurried up to the Queen Mother's statue.

"Oh no, oh no, she's too far forward. I can't see her anymore," Dong Qianqiu said anxiously. If she couldn't see her, she couldn't transmit her voice.

"Huh?" Du Yu was a little bewildered. "Fine, fine. I'll move closer. You handle it."

Gathering his courage, Du Yu edged forward until Hua came into view. Dong Qianqiu hurriedly said:

"Hua, sorry, move back a little."

This Queen Mother really is strange, Hua thought. But she didn't dare delay and shuffled backward on her knees.

"Okay, okay, right there. That's fine," Dong Qianqiu added.

"Sister Qianqiu!" Du Yu said hurriedly. "You're the Queen Mother! Don't sound so casual!"

"I know! Leave me alone! Hurry up and tell me what to say next!"

After listening to Du Yu, Dong Qianqiu cleared her throat and addressed Hua again. "Hua, I... This Dowager asks you: why did you put your daughter in the Pigsty and disregard whether she lived or died?"

At those words, Hua burst into tears with a wail. "Queen Mother of the West, I didn't want to either! It was all my Husband..."

"Nonsense. As Zhongli Chun's mother, do you not have the right to let her leave the Pigsty? Your Husband behaves like this, yet you turn a blind eye?"

"Queen Mother, I truly have no easy way out... I can neither farm nor embroider. Without a man to take me in, I would surely die in the streets, so I could only remarry and bring my daughter with me... but even then, my position in this household is low... if I don't obey my Husband, I'll have to pack up and leave too..."

Listening outside the window, Du Yu shook his head helplessly.

In this world, there were women like Xi Shi, who supported their families by selling tofu through their own efforts, and women like Hua, who could only live dependent on men.

"Forget it, Sister Qianqiu. Don't make things harder for her. Let's get to the point."