Although she wasn't entirely sure what had transpired, Phantylia felt that something was off.
She decided to leave the Alchemy Commission to have a look around, hoping to scout out whether any major events were unfolding on the Luofu.
Unfortunately, it hadn't been long since her arrival.
Phantylia had only managed to gain a preliminary understanding of the internal affairs of the Vidyadhara, and she hadn't yet found the time to establish solid connections with them.
Had she more time, she could have simply tasked the Vidyadhara with gathering intelligence on her behalf.
For today, however, she would have to handle things herself.
As she stepped out of the Alchemy Commission, Phantylia began mentally cycling through the most likely possibilities.
Could it be related to that newly established Celestial Sparrow Entertainment? Or perhaps it was linked to the previous visit from the General of the Yuque?
Could that General's divination have actually sensed her presence?
Phantylia couldn't be certain her tracks were perfectly covered. While she was confident in her ability to evade the Luofu's Matrix of Prescience, she wasn't about to bet everything against Yao Guang's eyes.
Was it possible that Yao Guang and Jing Yuan were working together to set a trap for her?
Countless theories flashed through her mind.
Fortunately, she had recently brushed up against both the Seat of Divine Foresight and Celestial Sparrow Entertainment; with any luck, she might be able to fish for some information there.
On the other side of things, 'Huohuo' watched Phantylia sink into anxiety, a slight smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.
The current Luofu lacked the necessary conditions for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus to see a revival, and looking at Phantylia now, it didn't seem like she was making any moves regarding Dan Shu.
If Phantylia was going out of her way to visit the Alchemy Commission, then in 'Huohuo's' eyes, whatever she was planning most likely involved the Vidyadhara.
It wasn't a hard guess.
After all, within the current Xianzhou Alliance, if you wanted to know which faction was the easiest to provoke, it was undoubtedly the Vidyadhara—who had only recently resolved their issues with reproduction.
While not every clansman was capable of it yet, the massive population over on the Fanghu meant that as long as they survived in peace, the future of the Vidyadhara was destined for glory.
Combine that with the fact that many within the race had always been obsessed with their ancient splendor, and now that their existential dread was gone?
It would be far too easy for those folks to start harboring second thoughts.
'Huohuo' figured that if she were in Phantylia's shoes, she wouldn't let an opportunity like this slide. If everything went according to plan, Elio would likely guide the Astral Express to resolve this matter.
After all, according to Elio's script, the primary goal was for the Astral Express to establish diplomatic ties with the Xianzhou Alliance.
So... 'Huohuo' didn't intend to give Phantylia a reality check just yet. Since Elio had put it that way, she might as well let it be.
Withdrawing her gaze from Phantylia, 'Huohuo' left the empty area.
Instead of heading to the parlors in the Exalting Sanctum, she made her way to the Divination Commission to check on Fu Xuan.
Since the issue with the eye on her forehead had been cured, Fu Xuan's temperament had improved significantly. At the very least, she no longer carried that constant, stiff air of solemnity she used to have.
After all, it's hard for anyone to maintain a bright smile when they are enduring non-stop agony.
But Fu Xuan was still Fu Xuan.
Even though her expression had softened and she smiled more during her daily tasks—making her look quite adorable—the fact that she was a total workaholic remained unchanged.
In fact, because the ailment that had tortured her for so long was gone, and her Third Eye and personal power had actually been strengthened, she had been working even harder lately.
Add to that the fact that she'd managed to pluck a high-potential talent like Qingque from the ranks, and Fu Xuan felt that everything had been going her way lately. Life was good.
Thus, when 'Huohuo' found Fu Xuan, the sight of her being so happily immersed in her work was honestly quite a shock.
Even knowing Fu Xuan was a workaholic, seeing her take it to this level was genuinely a bit terrifying.
Having already foreseen the visit through her third eye, Fu Xuan looked up and beamed at 'Huohuo'. She set down her work and walked over, taking 'Huohuo's' hand.
"It's rare for you to come see me, but why have you switched to the Ten-Lords Commission this time? That department is a bit of a headache."
Despite being a workaholic, she was greeting the benefactor who had given her a new lease on life.
As her Emanator, and given there were no pressing emergencies, Fu Xuan naturally prioritized her. Of course, if there were a true crisis requiring her command, Fu Xuan would have offered an apology and focused on the disaster first.
"You were so focused on your work, I felt bad for interrupting. How have things been lately?"
'Huohuo' glanced at the eye on Fu Xuan's brow and added, "I didn't heal you just so you could pull more overtime... your current workload is way too high."
"It is simply my duty, and it isn't much trouble for me," Fu Xuan replied earnestly, her tone both sincere and firm.
'Huohuo' smiled and reached out, tapping the eye on Fu Xuan's forehead.
"It's exactly because you're wound so tight that Jing Yuan isn't comfortable handing the position of General over to you."
At those words, Fu Xuan's expression slumped slightly.
Jing Yuan had, not long ago, once again brushed off her application for promotion. If anyone else had said that to her, Fu Xuan would have scoffed. But since it was 'Huohuo', she felt compelled to listen.
"Why is that? Should a General not lead by example? Otherwise, how could one command the respect of the masses or lead the Six Commissions?"
"That's true, but you know the saying about balance—drawing the bow too tight. If you're constantly at your limit, what will you do when a moment truly requires your all and you find your energy spent?" 'Huohuo' teased, lightly pinching the cheek of her centuries-old little Emanator.
"But then again, now that you're my Emanator, is there even a chance for you to become General?"
Fu Xuan shyly swatted the hand away, feeling a bit flustered by the overly intimate touch of her deity. "It should be fine. The Alliance doesn't seem to have any objections."
Fu Xuan had been worried at first, but later found that whether it was Jing Yuan, her senior sister, or even her master, they all told her that if she wanted to be General, she should just keep working toward it.
While Jing Yuan might brush her off, her senior and master wouldn't lie to her about such things. Fu Xuan had her theories about why, but she didn't care much.
In the end, whether one could become General depended on the Reignbow Arbiter; the Alliance merely granted the permit for the examination. As long as she could pass the test, there wouldn't be an issue.
"That's good. Because if you couldn't be General, I'd definitely end up spiriting you away," 'Huohuo' said with a chuckle, crossing her arms.
It was a joke, but to Fu Xuan's ears, it sounded like a protective declaration for one of her own.
The feeling wasn't unfamiliar to Fu Xuan, but it was certainly nuanced.
Though her deity lacked a certain sense of distance—making it impossible to feel the typical "devotion" or "faith" one might expect—this kind of relationship felt quite nice.
Fu Xuan's face flushed slightly, and she gave 'Huohuo' a grateful smile. "In the future, if Qingque takes over the Divination Commission and I still haven't become General, I might actually go and seek refuge with you."
"When you put it like that, I don't know whether to look forward to it or not." 'Huohuo' shook her head before asking, "Did Qingque ask you for time off yet?"
"Not yet, but she'll be here soon." Fu Xuan glanced in a certain direction, likely tracking Qingque's location.
"Speaking of which, what exactly is the training plan for Qingque? Do you really intend to groom her into a General?"
Hearing this, Fu Xuan shook her head with a laugh.
"Of course not. Since she's busy running that entertainment company, she definitely can't be General. However, my master is planning to fight me for her."
"...Is it that serious?"
"It is." Fu Xuan shrugged helplessly. "Though, honestly, Master would rather I go back and take his position."
While it sounded a bit like self-praise, Fu Xuan and Yao Guang were indeed their master's best students.
But with one running the Divination Commission on the Luofu and the other serving as General on the Yuque, the fact that neither of his star pupils would take the Master Diviner seat on the Yuque was a real thorn in his side.
Strictly speaking, Jingtian wanted to call Fu Xuan back to serve as the Yuque's Master Diviner.
"Back then, I left the Yuque because of a certain prophecy. Now that you've shattered that prophecy, my relationship with Master has smoothed over. Now he's scheming to bring me back just so he can finally retire."
Fu Xuan huffed at that. At the time, Jingtian hadn't expected himself to survive. For the past several hundred years, all his deductions and calculations had been based on himself dying on the battlefield.
Now that he was alive—and while Jingtian didn't hate being alive—having destiny shattered and his divinations overturned was quite a blow to his ego.
Anyway, he wanted to retire, and he wanted to drag Fu Xuan back to the Yuque to take over. As for the Luofu? Well, they had Qingque now.
"Ha~ So Qingque is actually being trained as the successor for the Master Diviner?"
"Pretty much. But I want to be General, so I'm not going back. It's not like my other fellow disciples can't take the job," Fu Xuan huffed.
Leaving the Yuque years ago had been partly out of spite, but after all these years of building a life here, she had grown used to the Luofu. She couldn't just up and leave.
Just as their conversation reached a natural pause, a knock sounded at the door. Qingque's voice drifted in from outside.
"Master Diviner, I have a matter to discuss!"
"Come in."
With Fu Xuan's permission, Qingque pushed the door open. She was just about to speak when she spotted 'Huohuo' in the room.
She started to open her mouth, then paused to carefully check the ring on her left hand.
"Boss! If I'd known you were at the Divination Commission, I would've come looking for you sooner."
"I only just got here. How was I supposed to know you'd be so slow just to ask for leave?"
Qingque scratched her head and grinned. "Hey, that's just how it is in public sectors. All that processing, approvals, and signing... it takes time."
"Ahem—Qingque. You're on the clock. State your business," Fu Xuan interrupted with a dry cough, shooting Qingque a sharp look.
This girl—her own Master Diviner was standing right here, and she still had the nerve to complain about the bureaucracy!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL