Chapter 59: Qingque

[Fu Xuan: Qingque, I know you're at the Exalting Sanctum.]

[Fu Xuan: Now! Immediately! Go to the Seat of Divine Foresight. The General needs to see you.]

[Qingque: ?]

Upon receiving the message from her Master Diviner, Qingque, who had been raking in chips and winning big at the Card Pavilion, suddenly snapped to attention.

"The General? What could the General possibly want with me?"

Staring at the message, Qingque's mind swirled with confusion. Still, she didn't dwell on it too much. If it were truly urgent, the Master Diviner would have teleported behind her and dragged her away...

Qingque quickly gathered her winnings, bid farewell to her card buddies, and hurried toward the Seat of Divine Foresight.

Since the Card Pavilion wasn't far from the Seat of Divine Foresight, Qingque soon arrived at the Starskiff terminal.

Without any delays, she boarded the Starskiff and was transported directly to the Seat of Divine Foresight's entrance. A Cloud Knight who had been waiting there led her inside.

"This looks... serious. I hope it's not too bad..."

As Qingque surveyed the atmosphere within the Seat of Divine Foresight, she nervously swallowed, her anxiety growing.

"Please enter, Miss Qingque."

The Lead Cloud Knight guided Qingque to the entrance of the grand hall, gently pushing the door open and gesturing for her to enter.

"..."

Slightly nervous, Qingque stepped inside.

The first thing she saw was a vast hall. At the far end, a woman in white sat opposite General Jing Yuan, leisurely sipping tea and chatting. Qingque couldn't make out their conversation, but judging by the smile on Jing Yuan's face, it couldn't be anything unpleasant.

Even from just seeing the woman's back, Qingque could tell she must be strikingly beautiful.

Without lingering, Qingque approached and saluted Jing Yuan.

"Gene—"

"Please, have a seat," Jing Yuan interrupted before she could finish, gesturing to the empty chair beside the woman in white.

Qingque glanced at the seat and settled down beside Lumina.

"Hello there," Lumina said, turning to greet her as soon as she sat down. "I'm Lumina, a Physician. It's a pleasure to meet you♪"

"I... I'm Qingque, a Diviner from the Divination Commission."

As Lumina turned, her face came into full view. Qingque froze, momentarily stunned by her flawless beauty, a flicker of awe passing through her eyes.

Seeing Qingque's adorable appearance, Lumina struggled to suppress her primal urge to pat her head.

However, determined not to embarrass herself in front of the beautiful girl, Lumina maintained a composed facade, betraying no outward emotion.

After introducing herself to Qingque, she shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Qingque snapped out of her daze and stared at Lumina, finding her increasingly familiar.

Finally, her expression transformed into one of utter shock.

"Y-you're... you're that... that Lumina!"

Hearing Qingque's awestruck words, a faint smile curved Lumina's lips.

She gave Qingque a gentle smile and replied, "Unless there's another Lumina around, then yes, that would be me."

She recognizes me? Lumina thought. This makes things so much easier. Now that she knows who I am, she'll be putty in my hands.

Watching Lumina's tender, almost maternal smile, Qingque swallowed hard.

No way... she thought. How can someone meet two such monumental figures in one day...?

A Xianzhou General and a world-renowned physician... If I took a picture and posted it online, I'd become an instant internet sensation, wouldn't I?

After a moment of silent wonder, Qingque snapped back to reality.

An internet sensation? No thanks. Mingling with big shots? Not my style. I'd rather stick to my daily routine of slacking off and playing mahjong.

Quickly recovering from her initial shock, Qingque turned a questioning gaze to the General before her.

"So, you're the one Lady Fu recommended," Jing Yuan said, pouring her a cup of tea and offering it without immediately stating his purpose.

The word "recommended" sent a chill down Qingque's spine. A sense of foreboding crept into her heart as she forced a strained smile.

"I... I'm not being transferred to the Seat of Divine Foresight, am I?"

Even though the Master Diviner at the Divination Commission is a dangerous presence, being transferred to the Seat of Divine Foresight... No way.

Qingque couldn't even imagine the bleak, hopeless existence that awaited her if she were truly reassigned to the Seat of Divine Foresight. If I actually get transferred there, my life will become an endless, dreary slog.

"Hmm?" Jing Yuan paused, taken aback by Qingque's words, before chuckling.

"If that's how you feel, Miss Qingque, I'll discuss it with the Master Diviner right away."

With that, Jing Yuan theatrically pulled out his phone, pretending to seriously consult Fu Xuan.

"E-eh! No, no, no! I love the Divination Commission, and I adore Master Diviner Fu Xuan!" Qingque waved her hands frantically, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "So, the Seat of Divine Foresight... let's just forget about that."

Relief washed over her as she realized she hadn't been sold off by the Master Diviner.

"I see. My apologies for overthinking it," Jing Yuan said, nodding and putting his phone back down.

Given how fiercely Fu Xuan protected Qingque, Jing Yuan knew that if he actually proposed transferring her to the Seat of Divine Foresight, Fu Xuan would probably bite him in a panic.

Jing Yuan had heard plenty about Qingque the Diviner from Fu Xuan herself—mostly complaints about her laziness, lack of focus, and tendency to slack off during work hours.

Yet Fu Xuan had never once criticized Qingque's talent or abilities.

Jing Yuan felt completely at ease entrusting Qingque with the role of Lumina's "travel diviner."

With a smile, he turned to Qingque and outlined her responsibilities.

"..."

As Jing Yuan spoke, the light in Qingque's eyes grew brighter, and her expression grew increasingly delighted.

This is basically a paid vacation! she cheered inwardly.

Suddenly, Lumina became much more agreeable in Qingque's eyes.

All I have to do is cast a divination each morning? How easy! she thought. Actually, there's no need for divination at all! I'll just head straight to the Card Pavilion—guaranteed fun and safety!

Ding-a-ling-a-ling!

Just as Qingque was basking in her delightful thoughts, her phone rang, instantly drawing the attention of both Lumina and Jing Yuan.

"..."

Feeling her phone buzzing insistently in her pocket, Qingque couldn't help but feel awkward.

Who could be calling at such a terrible time...? she wondered.

Under the intense gaze of these two important figures, Qingque offered a sheepish smile, unsure whether to answer or silence the call.

"Go ahead," Jing Yuan said with a smile, having already guessed who was calling from the look in Qingque's eyes.

"Master Diviner?" Qingque stared at the caller ID on her phone, momentarily stunned. She glanced at Jing Yuan, who nodded, and she answered the call.

Before Qingque could even react, Fu Xuan's voice boomed through the speaker:

"Qingque! Don't think I don't know what you're planning!"

"You think you can just wake up, cast a divination, and spend the whole day at the Card Pavilion?"

"Let me make this perfectly clear: the moment you have free time, you're coming back to the Divination Commission to work—immediately!"

"If I find out you've run off to the Card Pavilion after your divination, you'll never hear the end of it!"

Fu Xuan rattled off her stern reprimand and hung up abruptly, leaving Qingque no time to respond.

Qingque: ...

Once she snapped out of her daze, Qingque was utterly bewildered.

Wait a minute... How is the Master Diviner like a demon haunting my thoughts? How did she know exactly what I was thinking?