---o---
Bronya was undergoing a triple trial in a virtual data world. Regardless of success or failure, she would be met with a [Congratulations, you have cleared the stage], and thus obtain the Core of Reason. This was predestined.
Mei, on the other hand, was being explored by Ye Feng. At times, she became the "Annihilator who pursues the eternal, lonely path," and at others, she transformed into the "Self-Immolator who returns from the shadow of 'IX of the Void'." Her body would sink into a scorching abyss, while her consciousness floated to the clouds of ecstasy.
Only Kiana, after being swept by Snake-Snake's powerful, shadowy tail, fell onto the cold floor and went straight to sleep.
A world where only Kiana gets hurt had been achieved.
---o---
The Xianzhou Luofu.
Night fell once more, and a faint, dim mist rose in the sky.
Within an elegant and tranquil courtyard, the lights were brightly lit.
The Grand Diviner sat before a diamond-shaped window, cupping her snow-white chin, her gaze vacant as she watched the falling flowers in the courtyard.
The chrysanthemums wither, the ground is covered in wounds.
Fu Xuan's legs were pressed together, her white-stocking-clad jade feet resting on the mirror-smooth floor. Her delicate and elegant toes squirmed unconsciously, as if stepping on something scalding hot.
"Qingque, that great villain! I will bring her to justice sooner or later!"
Fu Xuan clenched her silver teeth, the scene of being threatened by her subordinate during the day replaying endlessly in her mind.
She had clearly valued her so highly, grooming Qingque as her future successor, only to be met with that person's cold backstabbing.
Midway through, not only did Qingque show no remorse, she even intensified her efforts, riding on top of her and lording it over her.
However, what Fu Xuan found most impossible to get over was that even after returning to the Xianzhou, she was still helpless against Qingque.
Just as that person had said, Fu Xuan no longer represented just herself, but the face of her entire family, a symbol of the Grand Diviner's lineage.
Her personal shame didn't matter, but she absolutely could not implicate the Divination Commission and her family.
The Xianzhou was already in a troubled period, battered by storms. In the shadows, the Abominations of Abundance were causing trouble, while externally, the Antimatter Legion watched with predatory eyes.
But the thought of letting Qingque get away scot-free gave Fu Xuan a throbbing stomachache.
How could she possibly deal with her?
An idea suddenly struck Fu Xuan, and her eyes lit up. "Perhaps, Lord Ye Feng has a way."
Although Lord Ye Feng had taken her first blood… no, she was still a virgin now… In any case, if it was Lord Ye Feng, he could be trusted.
Fu Xuan lit some calming incense in a censer, lay down on a soft couch draped with pink gauze, and slowly closed her eyes.
The Dharma Eye on her forehead shone with a strange, pinkish-purple light.
When she opened her eyes again, a familiar ceiling greeted her.
No, it was more accurate to say, they were familiar wooden beams. Fu Xuan had been hung from them three times, one of which was due to her subordinate's betrayal…
"Fu Xuan, you're here so early today?"
Before Fu Xuan could finish her sentimental thoughts, a familiar voice called out.
She turned her head and saw Lord Ye Feng standing in the sunlight.
His smile was as gentle as a soft breeze, capable of sweeping away the complex matters of the heart. His eyes were as clear as a pure spring, able to wash away the filth of the mortal world.
"Good evening… No, it should be good morning?" Fu Xuan said, correcting herself as she looked at Ye Feng, who was bathed in the light of the rising sun.
"It's all the same," Ye Feng said with a smile.
After the simple exchange of greetings, the air suddenly fell silent.
Fu Xuan had originally thought she could face Ye Feng calmly, but upon truly meeting the man who had used the ancient method on her three times over, the pure-hearted Grand Diviner's mind turned into a complete mess.
—This is completely different from what I simulated in my mind!
The images of yesterday's grueling battle replayed in her mind, and Fu Xuan now lacked even the courage to look at Ye Feng's face.
"Sorry, did I hurt you yesterday?" Ye Feng asked softly, his tone seemingly filled with self-blame.
"…N-No."
With the topic brought up so directly, Fu Xuan's shoulders trembled.
The high and mighty Grand Diviner of the Xianzhou had now completely turned into a frightened little rabbit.
She lowered her eyes, her gaze drifting. "…I have no intention of blaming you, Lord Ye Feng. You were just doing your duty. It's all Qingque's fault… Yes, it's all Qingque!"
At the mention of Qingque, Fu Xuan's spirits lifted.
She clenched her fists, giving herself a pep talk: Here, you are just an ordinary Xianzhou native. You neither carry the future of the Xianzhou nor have to bear the earnest expectations of the masses.
You don't have to follow the rules so strictly, and you certainly don't need to care about what others think.
My body feels so light. There's nothing to be afraid of.
Fu Xuan raised her head and met Ye Feng's gaze.
—But, is that really the issue?
The courage Fu Xuan had just mustered was instantly crushed. She immediately wilted, her gaze evasive and her face burning hot.
This was the man who had shared negative-distance, skin-to-skin intimacy with her just last night!
How could she possibly face him calmly as if nothing had happened?!
"Miss Fu Xuan, have you ever fantasized about your own wedding night?" Ye Feng asked calmly.
"Eh?"
Fu Xuan's eyes glazed over. Her brain, which was already on the verge of crashing, now felt like it was about to emit smoke.
Wh-Wh-Wh-What… What kind of question is that!
However, thinking back carefully, in her centuries of life, Fu Xuan had truly never thought about romantic love. Perhaps she had during her youth?
But she was born into the Fu clan, a family of stargazers from the Yuque Xianzhou, and she stood at the head of the Xianzhou Luofu's Divination Commission.
Fu Xuan devoted her limited time to the infinite pursuit of divination.
As a child, she sat prim and proper, never letting a book leave her hands. In her youth, her father would lovingly tap the space between her brows, proudly praising her for her intelligence and spiritual grace. When she grew a little older, her elders showed her the glorious history of the Fu clan. When she was learning her craft, Fu Jingtian personally promised to supervise her studies…
All her past memories overlapped in a fog of probabilities, seeming both dreamlike and real, shifting back and forth at the edge of her consciousness, extending into countless futures.
Fu Xuan was profoundly knowledgeable, having read ten thousand scrolls, all to break free from the shackles of "predestined fate."
Under such a "grand proposition" and the legacy of her family, the small matter of romantic love was like a single star among the countless multitudes in the sky—yearned for, but inconspicuous.
Despite all that, being asked such a question by the man who had just "developed" her body, all of the Grand Diviner's wisdom melted away, manifesting as a scorching heat on her smooth face.
Fu Xuan's face turned visibly crimson.
"You actually haven't?" Ye Feng looked at Fu Xuan in surprise. He had thought she was the type to appear dignified and cold on the surface, but would secretly be daydreaming about love.
"Still," he thought, "for a Fu Xuan who is so easily flustered and so hopelessly pure to also be a diviner devoted to the Path with a resilient mind—that contrast is also quite moe."
"In that regard," Ye Feng said, "you and I are the same."
"…The same? What's the same? We're not the same at all." Fu Xuan's heart tightened.
After all, Ye Feng had just asked a question like, "Have you ever fantasized about your wedding night?" and then suddenly said they were the same…
"In the aspect of being devoted to the Path," Ye Feng said with a smile, affirming his statement.
"Eh? Is that what you meant, Lord Ye Feng… Mm, every Pathstrider will firmly walk their own path. That's all there is to it."