[Age 16 - You bid farewell to Jingtian and leave Yuque for the first time with Fu Xuan, venturing into the wider world.]
Aboard the starskiff, Anming sat by the window, his mature demeanor unable to mask childlike wonder at the starscape.
Outside - infinite galaxies. Beside him - peerless beauty.
Fu Xuan nibbled a candied hawthorn skewer while stealing glances at her junior brother. His radiant smile stirred warmth in her chest. Somehow, his joy had become more precious than her own.
That smile... sweeter than any tea.
"Xuan-jie, the universe is so vast."
"Naturally."
Fu Xuan poured green tea, lips curving gently. "The art of divination lies within. Perhaps you'll find swordplay inspiration too."
"Spare me," Anming groaned. Divination would forever elude him. How his master and sister could study those cryptic hexagrams for days baffled him. He'd rather gaze at Fu Xuan's face for three days straight.
The starskiff offered rare privacy. Though they often shared spaces in Yuque, this felt... different.
Fu Xuan found herself craving Anming's sweet tea. He always teased: "Xuan-jie, you're addicted! What if you can't quit?"
Nonsense! She simply enjoyed it daily. No withdrawal symptoms whatsoever!
Upon reaching Luofu, Fu Xuan stretched languidly. "Finally home. Think Master will be angry?"
"Master's reasonable..."
Anming recalled their farewell.
"Not only leaving yourself, but taking my disciple too!" Jingtian had fanned himself thoughtfully. "What if I offer 100 candied hawthorns?"
"Master, it's not about the treats. I want to see where Xuan-jie lives."
"You... ah, very well."
Jingtian never forgot the divination's ominous portent. But tearing these two apart was too cruel. As their master, he could only watch them grow.
Meteors must streak across skies. But in that fleeting moment - what brilliance!
"Really?"
Fu Xuan's diviner's gaze made Anming avert his eyes. Lying to her was futile.
"Junior Brother~ You've learned to deceive your elder sister."
"Xuan-jie, this is called linguistic artistry."
Anming chuckled nervously, changing topics. "Speaking of which, I haven't tried Luofu's candied hawthorns. Are they better than Yuque's?"
Fu Xuan blinked. Without Anming around, she rarely indulged. In all her time at Luofu, she'd never bought any.
"Wait here. I'll get some."
She hurried off, leaving Anming bemused. Surely his sister wouldn't get lost in Luofu.
"Traveling to Luofu, young man?"
A warm voice startled Anming. Turning, he saw a gray-haired man with bangs covering one eye.
Anming's heart skipped. Silver hair, bangs, squinting smile...
Oh no. Could this be Master and Yaoguang's secret love child?!
Instinct screamed danger. Yuque taught him such appearances meant either Grand Diviner or Arbiter-General.
Saluting sharply, Anming declared: "Greetings, Grand Diviner-General! Yuque Cloud Knight reporting!"
Jing Yuan: "?"
What strange title was this? Xianzhou history held no precedent for combined roles.
Meeting Anming stirred Jing Yuan's instincts honed through centuries battling Abundance abominations. This youth bore Abundance's taint, yet his Yuque credentials seemed genuine.
"Such a young Cloud Knight Captain. Care to spar at the training grounds?"
"General?!"
Fu Xuan's arrival interrupted, candied hawthorns in hand. She stepped protectively before Anming. "This is my junior brother, Anming."
"Jingtian's disciple." Jing Yuan clapped Anming's shoulder. "With Lady Fu's endorsement, I'm assured."
"General, I'm not Grand Diviner yet!"
"Nonsense. The position is yours for the taking."
Watching their exchange, Anming felt inexplicable irritation. Seeing his sister converse so familiarly with another man...
Since when had he become so possessive?
Fu Xuan's crystal eyes softened at Anming's expression - that look of abandonment tore at her heart.
She knew that pain well.