Qingque still held Yu Xian in her arms, her eyes vacant, her mind lost in a world consumed by sorrow.
Jing Yuan, standing nearby, said nothing. He had seen this scene countless times before — centuries of war had shown him more grief and loss than any one person should ever have to witness. Entire generations of Cloud Knights had fallen under his command; he had heard every kind of wail and seen every kind of despair.
So when he looked at Qingque and the lifeless man she cradled, the great general made no move to interrupt the final act of their tragedy.
But not everyone could remain silent.
Fu Xuan couldn't.
Rage and sorrow twisted within her like fire and ice clashing in her chest. Watching Qingque's empty expression — the lifeless eyes, the trembling hands — something inside the pink-haired Master Diviner finally snapped.
Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she strode forward. The white silk of her stockings, marred by ash and streaks of blood, brushed against the floor with every step.
And then—
Slap!
The sharp sound cut through the chamber like thunder.
For the first time, Fu Xuan had struck Qingque. The blow sent the girl's head snapping to the side, a red mark blooming across her cheek.
Qingque blinked in confusion, still dazed — until Fu Xuan's hands seized her face and forced her to look up.
"Enough!" Fu Xuan's voice trembled with restrained fury. "Enough, Qingque! Stop sitting there like you've already died with him! If Yu Xian were still alive, he would never want to see you like this!"
Qingque's lips parted, but no words came out.
Fu Xuan's grip tightened. Her next words came low and heavy, each syllable carrying the weight of unbearable guilt.
"Yu Xian... could have lived."
Qingque froze. "...What?"
Before she could even comprehend what she'd heard, Fu Xuan's voice struck again, sharp and unforgiving.
"If I had been more cautious... if I hadn't spoken so openly about my expectations for him — if those words hadn't reached certain traitorous ears — Yu Xian would not have died."
Her nails dug lightly into Qingque's skin.
"And you," Fu Xuan said, her voice cracking, "if your divination had been more precise... if you had foreseen the true danger he faced...Yu Xian would not have died, either."
Fu Xuan's eyes shimmered with light — the faint, sorrowful glow of her Law-Enforcing Eye.
"If you had gone to him just a little earlier... even by a few moments... Yu Xian might still be alive."
Qingque's eyes widened. "Master Diviner... what do you mean?"
Fu Xuan pressed her lips together, her tone softening but no less grim.
"I saw it," she said quietly. "Yu Xian fought bravely against the Denizens of Abundance. He sustained wounds, yes — but none fatal. What killed him... was an assassin. A Vidyadhara assassin."
Qingque gasped, trembling.
"The assassin concealed themselves using cloud-chanting magic," Fu Xuan continued, her voice bitter, "but that wasn't all. Someone — another diviner — had cast a secret technique upon the assassin. A technique designed specifically to blind Yu Xian's sight, to render his observation and divination useless."
She looked away, guilt shadowing her expression.
"He never had a chance to detect it. Perhaps he was exhausted, or perhaps he simply didn't expect an attack like that. Either way... he realized the danger too late."
Fu Xuan's gaze returned to Qingque.
"If you had been there — if you had helped dispel that concealment — no assassin could have touched him. He would have survived."
Qingque's breath caught in her throat. She stared blankly, trying to process the words that tore through her heart like a blade.
"So... you're saying... if I had gone to find him back then... he wouldn't have..."
Fu Xuan didn't answer aloud. She only gave a faint nod.
The truth hit Qingque harder than the slap ever could.
If she had gone to help...If she had checked her readings one more time...If she hadn't ignored that uneasy feeling in her chest...
He would still be here.
"Then tell me, Qingque," Fu Xuan said suddenly, her voice trembling as her anger began to give way to grief. "While Yu Xian was out there fighting to protect the Luofu... what were you doing?"
Qingque's mouth moved soundlessly before the answer left her lips, so soft it was barely a whisper.
"I... I was... playing cards."
The words shattered what little strength she had left.
Images flashed through her mind — the laughter, the victories, the pride she'd felt just hours ago. She'd been so happy, boasting about her luck, bragging about her "Greatly Auspicious" omen, thinking that meant Yu Xian was safe.
But while she was shuffling tiles...
He had been dying.
The realization crushed her.
Qingque had always known she was lazy, even irresponsible. She'd always laughed it off — a little trickster who dodged work and talked her way out of punishment. She could turn any trouble into a joke. She'd always believed things would somehow work out in the end.
But not this time.
Now, there was no way to turn this into nothing. No smile could erase this mistake.
Her tears came in a flood, blurring the world before her eyes.
If only she had gone to him. If only she had seen the real danger. If only she hadn't trusted that single, stupid omen.
Her own words echoed mockingly in her mind:
"Haha, today's divination result is also greatly auspicious!"
"Today was so much fun!"
"Much happier than living a thousand years!"
The memory of her own laughter twisted into something unbearable.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry..."
She pressed her forehead against Yu Xian's cold chest, clutching him tighter as her body shook with sobs.
In that moment, Qingque no longer saw herself as the lucky girl who could laugh her way through anything.
All she saw was the woman who had failed him.
The one whose hands — the same hands that once shuffled tiles so effortlessly — now held only the man she'd never save.
The divination had said Greatly Auspicious.
But in the end...
It had all been a lie of her own making.
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Life Simulator: Starting in Genshin Impact!
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober