Fu Xuan didn't leave. She stood alongside the other diviners beneath the Matrix of Prescience Ultima. Dozens of diviners stood in a circle, hands clasped, chanting in unison: "Divination is meaningless; everything is already fated."
"Divination is meaningless; everything is already fated."
"Divination is meaningless; everything is already fated." It was as if they were part of some cult.
The ghost-hunting squad pushed through the crowd and finally reached Fu Xuan. Fu Xuan stood with her arms crossed, exuding an air of omniscience.
"These trivial choices cannot alter inevitable fate. If you still refuse to accept this, I can take the time to demonstrate what 'fated' truly means—in a way your human minds can comprehend."
Stelle spoke up directly, "Bring it on. I'm game."
Fu Xuan gave a light chuckle. "Then follow me."
The next scene shifted to a new setting. Huohuo curiously surveyed her surroundings. Though part of the Luofu's ranks, she had never seen a place like this. "Where… are we?"
Qingque let out a soft hum. "Hmm… this is what we in the Divination Commission call the 'Pathfinding Sandtable.' It's a game used by our members to deduce logic and train their minds. Why did the Diviner bring us here…?"
Stelle rubbed her chin. "This is your demonstration of 'fated'?"
"Exactly. 'Listen to me.' In this small maze, you place a construct, give it commands, and it finds its way to the exit. How similar is this to humans caught in the web of fate?"
Fu Xuan smirked playfully. "But I bet you'll say, 'Humans aren't machines!' or 'The world doesn't have just one path!'"
Stelle blinked, glanced at the script in her hand, and sighed. With a half-hearted tone, she said, "The world doesn't have just one path!"
[Hahaha, they're doing it again?]
[This fourth-wall-breaking shtick gets me every time.]
[Stelle's deadpan expression is basically screaming to the audience, 'I'd love to do more, but the writers and director won't let me!']
[Damn it, miHoYo got me again!]
Fu Xuan wore an expression that said everything was within her calculations.
"We are merely more complex, more intricate machines. Like the constructs in this maze, we can't see many choices… we can only follow the shortest route, traversing the only path available. Begin. Guide the construct to the sandtable's exit. Let me see how you 'choose your fate.'"
Guinaifen felt something was off. "Why does it feel like we're being pulled into the Heliobus's rhythm…?"
"No worries, I'll give it a shot." Stelle stepped forward confidently.
What followed was a puzzle-solving segment. Stelle displayed a surprising level of intelligence, inconsistent with her usual persona, yet somehow the audience didn't feel her character was breaking.
Qingque raised an eyebrow at Stelle. "We solved it!"
Fu Xuan nodded. "Well done. Your choices were exactly as my Lawful Eye foresaw. You should understand now—this puzzle has only ever had one answer, just as fate has only one path!"
Stelle shook her head, unconvinced. "You designed this puzzle."
"Exactly!" Qingque grinned at Fu Xuan.
"For a puzzle designed from the start, any other choice would be a meaningless mistake. But the universe isn't anyone's game. No one sets puzzles for us to solve. The universe doesn't have a single solution… and we, living in it, can do anything. Even in a single day's work, I can hide in the library reading novels or find someone to play cards with. That's freedom."
Sushang, standing behind Qingque, gasped and then gave a thumbs-up.
"Turning slacking off into something so righteous and reasonable… Diviners of the Divination Commission really are cultured!"
Guinaifen quickly grabbed Sushang's shoulders, shaking her. "Sushang, snap out of it! You're about to be possessed by the slacking Heliobus!"
[Whoa, I just saw Qingque schooling Fu Xuan!]
[Good thing Fu Xuan's possessed. If it was the real Lady Diviner, Qingque wouldn't dare say that.]
[Redefining work, huh?]
[Doesn't Nihility owe her a like for this?]
[Haha, Guinaifen's reaction at the end is hilarious.]
[Possess me, slacking Heliobus! I'm just a poor overworked dog!]
Fu Xuan's lips curled slightly. "Qingque, oh Qingque. To you, life seems to offer countless choices. But that's because every choice you make, like every day you live, is a meaningless waste. For me, choices lead to vastly different consequences."
"Uh…" Qingque was momentarily speechless.
"That's such a classic Fu Xuan no-EQ moment…"
Fu Xuan glanced up at the starry sky.
"As the Diviner of the Xianzhou Luofu, I bear a heavy responsibility. Day after day, I must untangle the complex threads of fate to keep this great ship safe. Some seemingly beautiful forks in the road may lead to an abyss of eternal ruin; some paths plunge into incalculable darkness. And in the end… I realized we have no choice. There is only one path, only the optimal solution, even if it's filled with ashes and bitterness. The path has always been singular."
[What's that mean? I didn't catch it.]
[Why's there a whiff of fatalism here?]
[Fu Xuan's backstory explains this. She's had it rough; this must be her subconscious speaking through Keralum.]
[Fu Xuan's backstory? Where do I find it?]
[Bro, haven't you been to the interactive city? Unlock character portraits with points to get their backstories.]
[Bro, I'm on Everest. How am I supposed to get to the interactive city?]
[Oh, never mind then!]
Seeing Fu Xuan's resolute attitude, Huohuo grew worried. "What do we do… I don't think we can convince her."
"How about a more complex sandtable deduction?" Qingque raised an eyebrow at Fu Xuan.
"You can play this game as long as you like, try any tricks you want—I'll indulge you."
Huohuo tugged at Qingque's sleeve.
"Miss Qingque?"
Fu Xuan was curious to see what Qingque was up to. To her, everything was already fated.
Under Qingque's guidance, Stelle solved another puzzle. But Fu Xuan remained unmoved. The board might have changed, but the logic of the solution was predetermined—like 1+1=2, unchangeable no matter what.
"There is only one path in fate, and your choice is the only predetermined answer."
"No, no, no." Qingque wagged her finger.
"Lady Diviner, please reset the sandtable. Let's deduce it again from the start."
Fu Xuan scoffed. "Again? The exact same sandtable, unchanged? Even ten thousand times, the outcome is fated—because there is only one path."
"Oh?" Fu Xuan flashed a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"I see… Qingque, you are an interesting child."
Guinaifen leaned in and whispered to Qingque, "Miss Qingque, I secretly calculated it—this puzzle really only has one solution."
Even Huohuo couldn't help but caution, "This is Keralum's trap… It's useless. There's no second solution. As long as we're entangled in its so-called 'fate game,' it's unbeatable."
But Qingque's expression was deadly serious, a look she hadn't shown even during the Luofu's crises. "No, there is a second choice. Everyone, there will always be choices."
"You need to talk her out of this…" Huohuo tugged at Stelle's sleeve.
"Miss Trailblazer!"
Stelle nodded earnestly. "I'm with you, Qingque."
Huohuo said helplessly, "That's not what I meant by talking her out of it…"
[Huohuo's so perfect, she'd make the best girlfriend.]
[No way, Huohuo's my wife.]
[Haha, Huohuo's already done with this.]
[God, I love Huohuo so much, what do I do?]
[Am I the only one shipping Fu Xuan and Qingque?]
[Why does miHoYo keep pushing yuri vibes?]
[Because… they're good at it!]
Though everyone thought it was a long shot, the ghost-hunting squad ultimately chose to trust Qingque.
Qingque smiled with relief. "We don't need many people—just two."
Under Qingque's guidance, Stelle and Huohuo stepped into the sandtable. And then, Qingque truly created a second solution for the sandtable.
Qingque led the ghost-hunting squad back to Fu Xuan.
"This is the second solution, the second choice. I created a different answer for this sandtable. Lady Diviner, puzzles aren't designed by you alone, and the path of fate isn't walked by me alone."
Fu Xuan closed her eyes, then burst into wild laughter. "Hahahaha, hahahaha!"
"You think bringing in help creates a second path out of thin air? You're just playing with words. I could weave a thousand, ten thousand such paths for you, but they all lead to the same end. What's the point of such choices?"
Hearing this, Stelle's face darkened. "You don't understand Qingque's point at all."
Qingque let out a heavy sigh. "You creature, you don't understand humans at all. The universe is like a game of Celestial Jade at the card table. Once the deck is shuffled, the outcome is often already set. You can calculate what cards are played, what's left in the deck, and what hands others are building. But if it's all just calculations, it loses its flavor. Adapting on the fly, countering every move, navigating twists and turns, finding a way through—it's the mix of calculation, uncertainty, and chaos that makes Celestial Jade, and life, truly fun. If I'm facing a losing hand, are my 'choices' at the table meaningless? No—choice is the meaning itself. Just as I keep choosing to lose gracefully, the Diviner makes her choices for a greater goal."
[It's like, since we're born to die, we can still choose what kind of life to live.]
[When you set out on a journey, always remember the journey itself holds meaning.]
[The most beautiful part of a journey is the scenery along the way, not the destination!]
[Wow, Qingque's amazing! No wonder Fu Xuan keeps her around.]
[This web drama is something else—real, inspiring, and the chicken soup actually tastes good!]
[Is this the caliber of the next Diviner?]
["Choice is meaning itself."]
[Qingque's character is like this—seemingly aimless but profoundly clear-headed.]
[And Qingque's skills are just god-tier.]
[She may slack off, but that doesn't stop her from being a genius!]
[Existentialism vibes.]
[Haha, if IX were here, would Qingque convince them?]
Qingque glanced up at the Matrix of Prescience Ultima. "You just said, didn't you? The Diviner must untangle the complex threads of fate day after day to keep this great ship safe. In this cosmic card game with no winners, she keeps choosing, keeps struggling, just to let the Xianzhou Luofu sail one second longer. Heh, she's the best card player in my book. Someone like the Diviner—how could she be troubled by the illusion of a predetermined fate?"
Qingque clicked her tongue. "Heliobus, you can't grasp human joy. You're trapped in the delusion of fatalism, unable to break free, so you want everyone who peers into the future to suffer the same pain. You, you don't understand humans at all."
Fu Xuan clutched her head, shaking it vigorously.
At that moment, green flames erupted, swirling around Fu Xuan. From the space around them, Keralum's voice echoed: "Aaaah! Don't waver, Fu Xuan! Don't resist me! Don't be fooled by this girl's honeyed words!"
"Auntie, now!"
Stelle and Sushang exchanged a glance, instantly drawing their weapons and striking at the green flames.
The camera zoomed in on Qingque, who shouted with fury: "Keralum, leave the Diviner's body!"
[I'm done, I'm sold.]
[Sparrow treasure is too cool! Qingque fans can die happy now.]
[Goddamn, Qingque's too badass!]
[If these two don't get married, this is gonna be hard to wrap up later.]
[No matter how much Qingque slacks off, Fu Xuan never abandons her, and Qingque protects Fu Xuan at critical moments—love it!]
Keralum, exhausted of all its energy, transformed into the form of a construct. But before any fighting began, it started muttering to itself:
"I see it! I see it! I will fail! I cannot win! Why, why is there no second path? Everything in the universe is already decided! No, I… I cannot defeat them…"
Before Stelle and Sushang could act, the transformed construct exploded on its own!
"Uh…"
Stelle exchanged looks with the group. "Does this count as a win?"
"Who cares? A free victory's a good victory!" Qingque urgently called out to Fu Xuan. "Lady Diviner! Are… are you okay?"
Fu Xuan pressed her temple. "I… I'm fine. Just a slight headache."
She turned to look at the floating Keralum. "This flame is Keralum? It may lack strength, but if it latches onto you, it can truly drag you into endless despair."
Keralum kept muttering incessantly. "Quickly… quickly lock me… into the darkness… I saw it… you'll lock me… in a prison…"