I Am an Immortal

Du Yu's eyes widened. So the husband and wife were hiding something...

But what exactly was it?

Du Yu listened more closely, only to find that they had stopped talking. A moment later, the eavesdropping talisman on the wall reached its time limit and crumbled to ash.

He had gained a clue of sorts, but he still couldn't connect the pieces.

So he began making bold guesses.

What exactly was Da Yi hiding?

Could he already be a Half-Immortal Body, yet have kept it secret from everyone?

But that didn't make sense either. According to Heng'e, they had no way of shooting down the suns. If Da Yi possessed divine power, wouldn't the legend fall into place as naturally as water flowing into a channel?

In that case, could the secret have something to do with shooting the suns?

After thinking for a while, Du Yu spoke.

"Sister Qianqiu."

"I'm here."

"Since you're watching the screen the whole time, can you see Da Yi's 'past'?"

"Da Yi's past?" Dong Qianqiu asked. "You want me to investigate what he's hiding?"

"Exactly."

"Unfortunately, the Legend Management Bureau's screens only have two display modes. The first shows only the course of a legend, from beginning to end. Things that happened to Yi before that fall outside its scope. The second shows only the operator, which is the view we're watching now."

"All right, then..." Du Yu shook his head helplessly. It looked like he could only rely on himself.

He pulled out the script and began reading the different versions of the story of Hou Yi shooting down the suns.

What he found was quite a shock.

"So Heng'e was...!"

After reading for a long while, Du Yu had a clearer picture. If he wanted the most complete version, the one closest to a satisfying conclusion, it should go like this:

One day, ten suns suddenly appeared in the sky. They scorched the flowers, grasses, and crops to death, and also gave rise to six monsters: Yayu, Zaochi, Nine-Infant, Dafeng, Fengxi, and the Cultivated Serpent. The people could barely survive; cries of suffering filled the land.

Just then, a hero named Yi appeared. He shot and killed the six monsters and shot down nine suns, saving the people from fire and flood.

Overjoyed, the Queen Mother of the West bestowed the Immortality Elixir upon Yi. Swallowing it would allow him to ascend to immortality. But Yi's wife Heng'e could no longer endure their impoverished life, so she stole the elixir, swallowed it, and successfully ascended.

The Heavenly Emperor named this peerless beauty Fairy Chang'e and granted her the Moon Palace.

"Well played, Legend Management Bureau," Du Yu said. "You sent me here to do 'Yi Shoots Down Nine Suns,' but now it looks like I have to throw in 'Chang'e Flies to the Moon' for free."

"You're overthinking it," Dong Qianqiu said. "Once Yi shoots down nine suns, Chang'e's flight to the moon inevitably follows. I've watched this legend countless times, without a single exception. So you don't need to worry too much about that."

"Really?" Du Yu murmured. "But something about this still feels strange."

"There's nothing strange about it." Dong Qianqiu's tone was flat. "You only need to handle Yi Shoots Down Nine Suns."

Du Yu paid Dong Qianqiu no further attention. After thinking quietly for a while, he got out of bed, walked to the room next door, and knocked softly.

A little later, the door opened. It was Da Yi.

"Brother Pang Meng, what's wrong?"

"I'd like to ask you both a few more questions."

"Come in, then."

Du Yu walked straight inside. Heng'e was mending Da Yi's clothes.

"Have you heard of these six monsters: Yayu, Zaochi, Nine-Infant, Dafeng, Fengxi, and the Cultivated Serpent?"

The two exchanged a glance. Du Yu wasn't stupid; he could tell there was more to that look.

"Brother Pang Meng, who exactly are you?"

Da Yi asked cautiously.

"I..."

Du Yu knew Da Yi was growing suspicious of him. After all, he really was far too suspicious.

After a moment's thought, Du Yu finally spoke:

"The truth is, I lied to you. I am no mortal. I am an 'immortal.'"

The moment he finished, both of them looked at him in astonishment.

"Du Yu, what nonsense are you spouting?" Dong Qianqiu cut in inside his head. "If you're exposed, Da Yi will never trust you again!"

Ignoring Dong Qianqiu, Du Yu stepped forward. "You don't believe me, do you? Then let's try an experiment."

He pointed at Heng'e, who was mending clothes behind Da Yi. "Embroider a few words on the garment, whatever you like. I'll know what you stitched."

Da Yi turned to look at Heng'e. Both their eyes were plainly full of distrust.

"Brother Pang Meng, you..."

"Say no more. Stitch!" Du Yu looked resolute.

Heng'e nodded helplessly. After a moment's thought, she swiftly stitched a few small words onto the garment. With Da Yi standing in front of her, Du Yu couldn't see a thing.

"Du Yu, what exactly are you playing at?" Dong Qianqiu asked irritably.

"Brother Pang Meng, I'm finished. Go ahead and guess." Heng'e hid the embroidery behind her back and looked at Du Yu.

Du Yu stood silently where he was, his eyes half closed.

"Brother Pang Meng?" Da Yi called as well.

"Patience," Du Yu said. "I need an incantation."

Da Yi quietly took a step back. "Oh. Then please work your magic, Brother Pang Meng..."

Du Yu obliged without further ceremony. He clapped his hands, let out a loud shout, then began flailing his arms and legs.

Xie Bi'an watched with relish from in front of the screen.

"Hahahaha! This kid is hilarious!"

Dong Qianqiu turned to glare at him. "Seventh Lord, be serious. What if Du Yu fails? We'll all cease to exist!"

"Really? I think he's got some good ideas." Xie Bi'an folded his arms across his chest, looking utterly confident.

Beside him, Fan Wujiao, the Black Impermanence, merely snorted without a word.

On the screen, Du Yu kept flailing his limbs for quite some time. His movements were hopelessly uncoordinated; he clearly had no talent for dancing.

"Brother Pang Meng... didn't you have an incantation...?"

"Do not interrupt!" Du Yu roared. "This is the critical moment!"

Du Yu spun three more times on the spot, drew a deep breath, and shouted his incantation:

"Hah! Qianqiu help me Qianqiu help me Qianqiu help me quick look quick look quick look take a look for me, obey with all haste!"

Silence.

Not only had the room fallen silent, but the entire Legend Management Bureau had frozen.

What the hell was that?

Heng'e and Da Yi were practically curling their toes into the floor.

Never in their lives had they heard such a sorry excuse for an incantation.

"Hahahaha!" Xie Bi'an roared with laughter. "See? I told you this kid was hilarious."

Dong Qianqiu said helplessly, "Du Yu, if you need my help, you can discuss it with me beforehand. What if I don't react in time to a surprise attack like this?"

Hearing that, Du Yu leisurely spun another three times and bellowed:

"Hah!"

Then he began chanting again, "Then we'll all die together die together die together die together..."

Dong Qianqiu gritted her teeth. Behind her, Xie Bi'an was laughing so hard his sides hurt.

"Ugh..." Dong Qianqiu sighed softly, then rotated the screen and took a careful look. "Heng'e stitched-'The Moon Rises Bright.'"

So that's it.

Du Yu drew a deep breath and pressed both hands downward as though withdrawing his power. Then he slowly told the couple, "Unless I am mistaken, Miss Heng'e stitched-'The Moon Rises Bright.'"

Disbelief covered Heng'e's face as she brought Da Yi's garment out from behind her back.

Da Yi hurried to look as well. Sure enough, the four characters for "The Moon Rises Bright" were embroidered on the collar.

"'The Moon Rises Bright.' The moon shines pure and bright when it rises. Miss Heng'e seems very fond of the moon," Du Yu said, putting on an air of profundity.

"Brother Pang Meng, you even know that?" Da Yi's face changed with astonishment. "You really are an immortal, though the way you work your magic is rather strange..."

"Never mind how I work my magic," Du Yu said. "Can you tell me about those six Demon Beasts now?"

They exchanged a glance, and Heng'e began gently, "Brother Pang Meng, have you come to slay the Demon Beasts?"

"More or less. Slaying Demon Beasts is a side job. I have a main job too."

Da Yi shook his head. "Brother Pang Meng truly is an immortal. Even your words are hard to understand."

"There aren't actually six Demon Beasts, only four. Yayu was originally a divine beast raised by the late emperor. After the emperor died, Yayu returned to the Weak Water. But even its three thousand leagues could not withstand these scorching suns. With no home left, Yayu could only wander the world. With that human head and beast's body, anyone who saw Yayu considered it an ill omen. Over time, rumors turned Yayu into a Demon Beast, and countless warriors went to attack, provoking real fury. As for the Cultivated Serpent, it was always a creature of the water. Now, like Yayu, it can only wander from place to place."

"Well..." Du Yu pondered briefly. "How do you know all this?"

Da Yi sighed and interjected.

"Brother Pang Meng, to tell you the truth, though I'm only a mortal, I still care about the world. When the six Demon Beasts appeared, I immediately went to investigate them all, and... killed three of them."

"Killed three?" Du Yu exclaimed in astonishment. "How could a mortal like you kill three Demon Beasts?"

"Though I'm mortal, I grew up in the mountains and am exceptionally skilled with a bow. Zaochi and Fengtun were only wild beasts, so they posed no threat to me. I shot Fengtun in the Mulberry Grove, and Zaochi in the Fields of Chouhua. As for Dafeng, I killed that one in the Marsh of Qingqiu with help from a 'friend.'"

"A friend...?" There was so much information that Du Yu couldn't take it all in at once.

Da Yi also had a friend whose strength was unfathomable...

"What about the remaining Demon Beasts?"

"Yayu has promised me not to appear before people for the time being. The Cultivated Serpent has changed its name and gone into hiding. Nine-Infant is the only Demon Beast left in the world now."

"Good, wonderful! Let's go kill Nine-Infant right now!" Du Yu suddenly felt that he was only one step away from completing his mission.

"Don't be foolish, Brother Pang Meng," Da Yi interrupted. "Nine-Infant was born when heaven and earth first opened. It's a true savage beast, with an ox's body, a dragon's tail, and nine heads. It can spout water and breathe fire. No mortal could possibly be a match for it."

"Uh..." Just hearing that told Du Yu this creature was definitely trouble. "Don't... don't you have a friend...?"

"My friend?" Da Yi raised an eyebrow, as though suddenly remembering something. Then he asked Du Yu earnestly, "Brother Pang Meng, my friend said that if anyone came looking for him, I should give them a phrase on his behalf. If they could answer it, I should take them to see him."

Du Yu thought for a moment. This person was so mysterious. Perhaps he was the real immortal.

"What phrase?"

Looking into Du Yu's eyes, Da Yi said with utmost seriousness, "To quell the chaos."

"To quell the chaos?"

What was that? A password?

Da Yi looked at Du Yu expectantly, but Du Yu's mind was completely blank.

"Sister Qianqiu, have you heard this phrase before? Is there a second half?"

Du Yu quietly asked Dong Qianqiu, but she didn't answer.

At the Legend Management Bureau.

Dong Qianqiu stared dumbly at the screen, her mouth hanging wide open.

The Black and White Impermanences slowly stood as well.

Fan Wujiao, the Black Impermanence, slowly murmured, "To quell the chaos, one must triumph in battle."

"Heh..." Xie Bi'an, the White Impermanence, gave a bitter laugh. "Old He, Old He. You lied to us."

He Suoyi walked over slowly and asked with a smile, "How did I lie?"

Fan Wujiao pointed at the screen and turned toward him. "Your precious disciple, Zhan Qisheng-how did you report his status back then? You told us he'd transcended heaven and earth and stood outside the five elements. We couldn't find his soul either, so we had no choice but to record it as you said. But he... he's clearly still inside a legend!"

"Really? Xiao Zhan is still inside a legend..." Old He stroked his beard. "Then sorry for the trouble, but would you two explain something to me? Does being inside a legend count as being 'within heaven and earth,' or 'within the five elements'?"

The Black Impermanence gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. The entire Legend Management Bureau began to tremble slightly.

"So you've been playing us on purpose? If Zhan Qisheng is in the legend, how could Du Yu possibly complete his mission? You knew he was in there all along, didn't you?"

"Eighth, sit down." Xie Bi'an's smile vanished, a rare sight, as he spoke sternly to Fan Wujiao. "Don't forget that Old He contributed a great deal to securing the positions we hold today."

The Black Impermanence slowly sat down. After calming himself, he told He Suoyi, "Sorry, Old He. It's just... it's just that man..."

At the mention of the name Zhan Qisheng, an indelible hatred appeared in the Black Impermanence's eyes, as though he and that man could not live under the same sky.

"Relax, Wu Jiu," He Suoyi said with a chuckle. "Who says Xiao Zhan will necessarily interfere with the mission? Didn't he help kill a savage beast too?"

The Black Impermanence said nothing more.

Dong Qianqiu turned back and asked, "Director, what should we do? Should we have Du Yu go find Zhan Qisheng?"

"We can't let those two meet yet," He Suoyi said. "Just make up a password for Du Yu."

After listening for a while, Du Yu quietly checked with Dong Qianqiu. "Really? Sister Qianqiu? Are you sure this password is reliable?"

"Don't worry. Just say it."

Reassured, Du Yu looked up at Da Yi with complete confidence and gave a cold chuckle. "Your friend is quite mischievous. Mortals may not know a password like this, but I'm an immortal. To an immortal, this password is as commonplace as blinking. Listen carefully."

"Yes." Da Yi looked at Du Yu, full of anticipation.

The corners of Du Yu's mouth lifted, and he declared proudly:

"To quell the chaos, one must eat one's fill."

This wasn't the first time Da Yi had curled his toes into the floor.

Why could this man spout such nonsense with such absolute confidence?

"W-what? Is... is that not quite right?" Noticing Da Yi's peculiar expression, Du Yu asked tentatively.

"Brother Pang Meng..." Da Yi rubbed his temples. "It is indeed a little different..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Dong Qianqiu! What's going on?"

Du Yu inwardly cursed, then could only patiently explain to Da Yi.

"Though we're both immortals, I... your friend and I might not belong to the same department. Different departments have different passwords..."