"And so... Anming vanished before my eyes..."
"Sniffle... T-Then what happened?"
"Then I wandered the cosmos in SAM, carrying his blessing to live on—until today, when we finally reunited."
"Grandmaster... sob... You're too noble!"
Qingque's eyes were red-rimmed, tissues clutched in her trembling hands.
Liuying was a masterful storyteller. Her gentle voice had transported Qingque to Grammer's rise and fall, to a love that outlasted empires.
With a soft smile, Liuying squeezed Anming's hand, memories flickering like lanterns in her sunset eyes.
How could she ever forget?
She never would.
What Qingque had heard was just the happiest fragments of her life—pieces of a midsummer dream.
Anming subtly gave Liuying a thumbs-up under the table. Who knew Firefly had this in her arsenal? Honesty really was the ultimate weapon.
Liuying hadn't lied. She understood Qingque's hostility—but some lines couldn't be crossed.
By the story's midpoint, Qingque was fully invested, begging for "one more Amber Era of fluff!" like a reader addicted to romance novels.
It felt just like slacking off at the Divination Commission, secretly scrolling through fiction—except this time, Lady Fu Xuan wouldn't catch her.
Then came the line:
"If I return... will you marry me?"
Qingque's tear ducts twitched.
"Wait. You're not gonna stab me in the feels, right?"
But she quickly shrugged it off. With the happy ending right there, past tragedies couldn't hurt her!
...
Five minutes later:
As Liuying described Anming dissolving into starlight, Qingque's "unbreakable" resolve crumbled. Tears plopped onto the snow like hailstones.
If Fu Xuan's tale was about immortal and mortal love, then Liuying's was a firefly's final glow—beautiful, fleeting.
Qingque's earlier sharpness melted into pity. Could she have endured such loneliness?
...
Hold up.
Her brain screeched to a halt.
Hadn't Grandmaster already pulled this "back-from-the-dead" stunt before?!
Grammer's Armored Cavalry was ancient history. So Anming had died once, then reappeared on the Yuque?
...Was her grandmaster some kind of reincarnating Aeon?!
"Grandmaster, I... I was wrong." Qingque bowed her head.
Now that she understood, she couldn't blame him. Timeline-wise, Liuying was first. By any metric, Fu Xuan was the challenger.
After comparing both stories, Qingque couldn't decide which was more tragic.
But her "heavenly justice" crusade was over. Anming wasn't the cosmic scumbag she'd imagined.
The hero who'd defended Yuque wouldn't abandon Fu Xuan without reason.
...Lady Fu Xuan, what do we do now?
Another ancestral-defying decision?
And—just maybe—Liuying's suffering edged out Fu Xuan's. By a hair.
Qingque couldn't even look at Liuying's guileless eyes. How could she possibly call this lovestruck girl "the other woman"?!
Faced with such sincerity, all her sharp retorts withered.
Grandmaster... you really have it rough.
Thank the Aeons this isn't my love triangle.
"Disciple, your understanding moves me." Anming fought back tears.
Liuying's storytelling had won Qingque over—a crucial ally in Fu Xuan's camp. Now he wouldn't have to live in fear of the Great Divination Engine dropping on his head.
"But Grandmaster, you need a solution." Qingque shrugged. Reporting Fu Xuan's movements was her limit.
Anming knew procrastinating wouldn't work—hence his honesty with Liuying. Sooner or later, he'd have to face Fu Xuan.
That conversation would be easier, right? They'd been married for years! Surely no surprises awaited.
He was confident. Their relationship had always been harmonious. Once they talked, everything would settle peacefully.
Sure, he joked about the Great Divination Engine crushing him—but Fu Xuan was kind at heart.
...
Luofu - Divination Commission
"Master Diviner, the furniture destruction rate has been... unusually high lately."
"Your concern is misplaced, General."
Fu Xuan calmly carried the bisected divination table outside, her third eye glowing faintly—masking the faint redness in her own.
Jing Yuan's gaze sharpened behind his bangs, but he changed the subject.
"Your thoughts on the recent Yaoshi remnants?"
"Pretenders. Not even remotely comparable to the true Disciples of Abundance."
Her tone was ice. The Wuming sword hung at her waist, its crimson tassel dark as blood.
"Yet they evade every Cloud Knight ambush—as if forewarned."
Jing Yuan's smile remained lazy, but his eyes pierced.
"I came to request your assistance in eradicating them."
"Unnecessary. My foresight ensures their demise."
A maple leaf drifted between them, landing at Fu Xuan's feet—in shadow.
Jing Yuan studied her a moment longer before turning away.