If it had been anyone else who suffered such injuries, they could have been saved.
But only Yu Xian—an ordinary man—could not survive wounds like these.
That was the cruel truth.
"…Sob…"
Fu Xuan could no longer deceive herself. She shut her eyes in anguish.
The scene she had first seen upon arriving resurfaced in her mind. She remembered the corpses piled high around Yu Xian—broken limbs, twisted armor, shattered branches. Even now, she could still make out traces of the dead as they were in life.
Madmen from the Denizens of Abundance, subordinates wearing the Divination Commission's robes, and Dragonfolk carrying the salty scent of the sea… The spells etched upon their bodies, the cloud-concealing arts they had used to mask their presence, hadn't even fully faded yet.
There were at least five thousand of them.
Fu Xuan knew—these were the ones who had started the riot, the ones Yu Xian had fought and killed before falling himself.
But as the Master Diviner of the Luofu, she also understood: those people were only the pawns. The true mastermind was somewhere far beyond this bloodstained field.
"…I was too late. I failed you."
She whispered the words as she lifted Yu Xian's body—already light as air from all the blood he had lost—and staggered to her feet.
"Although they disguised this as a mindless terrorist attack, I can see it clearly… Your involvement wasn't coincidence. Those murderers didn't just want to sow chaos—they came for you."
"They set up an inescapable trap just to wear you down, just to kill you."
Fu Xuan's voice trembled. "It was my negligence… during that meeting. If not for me, you wouldn't have…"
The tears she had held back finally spilled down her face.
Her most trusted subordinate.
The one she admired most.
The one destined to surpass her—to inherit the title of Master Diviner, and guide the Xianzhou to a brighter future.
Had died today.
And she bore part of the blame.
"Let's go."
Sniffling, Fu Xuan stepped forward. Her white silk stockings were soaked red with blood, but she didn't care. She held Yu Xian tightly in her arms.
"I'll take you to see General Jing Yuan now."
This must not be buried, must not be forgotten.
Not a single one of those responsible for Yu Xian's death would be spared.
She would have her revenge.
---
Ten minutes earlier.
Qingque was sitting in the parlor, happily playing cards. She was in an unusually good mood, humming softly to herself as she recalled the "very auspicious" fortune she had divined earlier. She had no idea that, at that same moment, Yu Xian was fighting for his life.
"Hehehe, when Yu Xian gets back, I'll make him play a few more rounds of Celestial Jade with me…"
"'Very auspicious'—defeating the Denizens of Abundance, even getting a personal audience with General Jing Yuan… The General's praise must come with a hefty bonus! Maybe Yu Xian will even bring back a commendation banner!"
How wonderful that would be.
Rubbing her little hands together excitedly, Qingque studied the layout of her tiles. Every piece lined up perfectly—it was practically screaming "Qingque Wins."
What was going on today? Not only did Yu Xian have good fortune, but she was winning nonstop too!
Ever since she sat down, she had been on a streak so incredible it bordered on divine. Win after win after win—her partners were grinding their teeth in despair! It was completely different from the miserable losing streak she'd suffered a few days ago.
Ahh, victory felt amazing!
With a triumphant sweep, Qingque pushed her tiles forward. "I win!"
Her bright face glowed with satisfaction. The humiliation of her previous losses had completely vanished—today she was unstoppable!
Hahahahaha—
Ignoring the exasperated looks and middle fingers aimed her way, Qingque basked in her triumph for a moment before suddenly remembering something. She quickly pulled out her phone, intending to call Yu Xian and share the good news.
But before she could dial—
BOOM——!
An immense energy fluctuation erupted in the distance, followed by violent tremors that shook the entire building. The deafening roar that followed seemed powerful enough to shatter the air itself—
—and it did.
The world around her went completely silent.
The screams of her partners, the clatter of falling tiles—all vanished. Only a shrill ringing filled Qingque's head, echoing like an alarm trapped in her skull.
Am I… deaf?
She froze for a moment, then shook her head.
"Eh, it's not that big a deal."
A small injury like ruptured eardrums was nothing.
Within seconds, the Abundance blessing in Qingque's body surged to life, repairing the damage almost instantly. Her hearing returned as if nothing had happened.
Still, the explosion had startled her badly.
Her hands, still trembling from excitement and shock, slipped—the phone tumbled from her grasp and hit the floor with a dull clatter.
She frowned in mild annoyance, bending down to pick it up—
"Ah! It's all over the net!" one of her partners shouted. "The Denizens of Abundance traitors are attacking again! They're slaughtering people in the downtown area!"
"What?! Less than two blocks away from us?!"
Qingque's heart skipped.
She had foreseen that Yu Xian would encounter the Denizens of Abundance, but she had never imagined she might be dragged into danger herself.
Unlike Yu Xian—a Masked Fool capable of overwhelming thousands—she was just a weak diviner. If one of those madmen found her…
Even so, Qingque's first thought wasn't for her own safety.
Her heart clenched.
"Yu Xian… will he be okay?"
Without thinking, she stood, eyes fixed on the direction of the explosion.
Worry clouded her expression. He was still the one she had loved all these years, the one she could never stop thinking about.
What if something had happened to him?
The thought made her chest tighten—until suddenly, she exhaled, forcing a laugh.
What was she thinking?
Hadn't she already read the fortune?
The hexagram had been clear as day.
[Very Auspicious].
Yu Xian would definitely be fine.
-------
A/n: While I am a new translator, I have a Patreon! While it may be a bit empty right now both this and the other book on my page has advanced chapters posted on patreon.
patreon.com/deadlygoober