"Ehehe, good morning, Grand Diviner."
"It's work hours. Wipe that grin off your face."
Fu Xuan put down her brush. The third eye on her forehead shimmered with a layer of light, its purple aura casting a mysterious and noble air about her, making her seem majestic and sacred.
"Ah, yes, yes, of course."
Qingque said, holding a file.
Fu Xuan frowned, looking at Qingque's dead-fish-eyed expression.
"We diviners foresee all, from the航路 of the Xianzhou above to the livelihood of the people below. We predict fortune and calamity for all. With your mind so scattered and your spirit so restless, how can you ever be entrusted with great responsibility?"
"Ah, right, right, right. I'm just a little sparrow, not like the Grand Diviner with her swan-like ambitions. I'll be fine as long as I do the work right in front of me."
And it would be best if you just ignored me and let me be invisible, Qingque grumbled internally.
Fu Xuan's frown deepened. "Qingque, you are gifted and intelligent, and your work is methodical. If you could only apply that cleverness to your duties, you could surely achieve great things. I could also rest easy... Ahem, in any case, try to look alive during work hours."
Ah, here we go, dangling the carrot again.
Whether this carrot was real or not didn't matter. What mattered was the prerequisite: she had to work hard.
That was a complete contradiction to Qingque's life philosophy.
Absolutely unacceptable.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes."
Qingque straightened her small back and handed over her report. "Grand Diviner, may I be dismissed?"
Her choice of words was very deliberate. Someone looking for a promotion would have asked, "Are there any other instructions?" Making your face seen and doing more work in front of your boss was always the right move.
At the same time, you'd be showing that you were on the same side as the leadership, and an opportunity for advancement might just present itself.
But her current phrasing maintained a professional distance without offending her superior.
If this pink-haired shorty had any sense, she wouldn't press the issue.
Usually, leaders would just let such subordinates be.
After all, if you won't do the work, there are plenty of others who will.
Qingque had always understood this principle well.
However,
"—Wait."
"Hm?"
Fu Xuan stopped Qingque. "The Divine Foresight Matrix is experiencing some 'white omen' static. Go clean it up."
"??"
Me? Alone?
Qingque stared blankly at Fu Xuan.
She saw the Grand Diviner lower her head again, using her brush to mark something on a scroll.
"What are you still standing here for? Get going."
"Ah, yes."
Qingque left the office with a long face. Fu Xuan's brush paused, and the corners of her mouth curled up.
"Little one, you think I can't keep you in line?"
---o---
The reason Ye Feng was so confident he could pull off a "synchronization" attack on his Master, Jingliu, was that his control over this world had advanced another step.
Before, people could only come and go as fate decreed. Now, Ye Feng had some initial control.
This manifested in two main ways:
For anyone who had entered before, if three days passed without them reappearing, Ye Feng could forcibly pull them in.
If someone entered his world, Ye Feng could observe their situation on the other side. He could also repatriate anyone who entered his world.
"The connection between my world and the main world has become much tighter."
A screen of light appeared before Ye Feng. On it, he could see Kiana, Mei, and Bronya sleeping on futons on the floor of a large room.
He could see Bronya not because she had entered his world, but because she was in the same space as Mei and Kiana.
He caught a glimpse of the little duck as a bonus.
He could even faintly hear the voices of Fu Hua and Himeko talking through the door.
"This perspective feels a bit voyeuristic..."
But he had to admit, it was quite exciting.
The only limitation was that his view was fixed on either Mei or Kiana.
"What are you looking at?"
Kiana asked, craning her neck from behind him.
Without Ye Feng's authorization, Kiana couldn't see the contents of the "screen."
Although it was just a blank space in her vision, based on her knowledge of Ye Feng, it was definitely nothing good.
He was probably thinking up new ways to toy with them.
The little bug felt she understood Ye Feng perfectly. She was definitely not wrong.
Ye Feng turned off the screen and looked back at Kiana with a smile.
"Lewd pictures."
"No, it's definitely not that simple. Your expression just now was very serious."
"Oh~~ The little bug observes me so carefully. I bet you don't even pay that much attention to Mei."
Kiana took half a step back, crossed her arms, and forced a look of disgust at Ye Feng.
"Don't be so full of yourself. The bond between Mei and me isn't something you can drive a wedge into."
Ye Feng smiled, took a step forward, and gently traced a finger over her.
Kiana's body instantly went weak, and her breath grew warmer.
"Then do you think Mei understands you better, or do I understand the little bug better?"
"...You, let me go."
"I'm only using the strength of a normal adult. It would be a piece of cake for the little bug to break free. Or is it that you don't want to break free at all?"
"Nonsense!"
Kiana was startled and shoved Ye Feng away forcefully. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.
Looking at Kiana's shy and flustered appearance, Ye Feng asked another question. "Then let's change the question. Who do you think knows Mei better, you or me?"
"Of course it's... huh?"
Kiana froze.
She suddenly realized, did she really know Mei better than this scoundrel?
Ye Feng could cook Mei's favorite dishes.
Ye Feng would watch the cherry blossoms with Mei at the dojo.
Ye Feng could resolve the nightmares that plagued Mei.
Ye Feng would discuss life with Mei...
She hadn't done any of those things!
Oh, Kiana didn't mean doing them with Ye Feng. She meant... she and Mei had never done those things together.
Right.
Thinking of this, Kiana's heart filled with resentment.
Fuck, am I being cucked?!
Why was this dog Ye Feng so obsessed with fucking her, yet so gentle with Mei?
It wasn't fair.
It was super unfair.
Without comparison, there is no harm.
So he was playing favorites!
"That's because I like the little bug, of course."
"?"
Kiana froze for a second, then hugged her chest and took two more steps back. "You're disgusting. Don't say things like that."
"The little bug knows me. When it comes to people I like, I just can't hold myself back."
"You call that 'like'? You're just horny for my body!"
"That's right. Being horny for someone's body is a form of liking. Just look at the cumulative count for this week, and you'll know how much I like you... hmm..."
Ye Feng brought up this week's statistical panel.
Auntie Mei was at the top of the list, followed by the Big Duck Duck.
If he didn't scroll down, he wouldn't even see Kiana's name.
"You scoundrel!"
"A misunderstanding. It's because you told me not to touch you, so the count is much lower this week. You used to be far ahead."
"Misunderstanding my ass! Forget the first two."
Kiana had seen the data from the beginning. Auntie Mei and the Big Duck Duck were always in the top three.
After Elysian Realm opened, Elysia, Aponia, Griseo, and Mebius also occasionally made it to the top.
Then there were Cangxuan, Danzhu, Ji Lin, and Jingliu.
That was when they first appeared.
But—
"Why the hell is the Herrscher of Thunder ranked third?!!"
It had almost never happened that Auntie Mei and the Herrscher of Thunder were both in the top three at the same time.
Is he going to have three Meis hogging the screen in the future?
To think such an old character could still generate so many "tribute coins"!
Kiana was a little indignant.
"And you say you have no designs on Mei!"
"Little bug, are you getting a little too worked up?"
"Of course I'm worked up, I'm definitely worked up! Seeing your predatory ambition towards Mei makes me want to explode on you!"
"Predatory ambition? Such harsh words. Maybe Mei is willing to be eaten by me."
Ye Feng stepped forward and wrapped his hands around Kiana's waist. The smooth, supple feeling was irresistible.
The little bug squirmed in his arms for a moment. Feeling she couldn't break free, she could only tilt her head back and look up at him.
"You wish, you scoundrel. As if Mei would be willing!"
"Didn't Mei eat the noodles I made for her with great relish?"
Kiana said disdainfully, "Hah, that's the only thing you can use to comfort yourself."
"Then why don't you help me eat something?"
"Get lost! I'm not your fleshlight!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Whoever says Kiana has a poor vocabulary, I'll be the first to disagree."
After two months with Ye Feng, Kiana was practically becoming molded into his shape.
An idea suddenly struck Ye Feng. "Little bug, do you hate me very much?"
"Is that even a question!"
"Do you never want to see me again?"
"Hmph, what do you think?" Kiana retorted defiantly.
"Alright, Kiana. Kiana Kaslana."
"—!!"
Kiana's pupils constricted. She felt the same panic as when she was called to the blackboard to solve a problem in class.
"As you wish. From now on, you won't have to suffer through the trials of coming to my world anymore."
"?"
"What..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Kiana saw Ye Feng's large hand cover her eyes. Her vision went black. When she opened them again,
"—do you mean? Explain yourself... eh?"
Kiana opened her eyes in a daze.
"...."
A familiar ceiling.
Oh, this was the room cleared out from her great-aunt's storage space.
Wait.
Did that scoundrel really kick me out?
No, no, what do you mean, "kick out"? This is what I wanted!
Kiana wanted to cheer, but seeing Mei and Bronya sleeping soundly beside her, she decided against it.
She sat up and looked out the window.
The night was hazy, and the dark silhouettes of buildings with a religious air stood in the distance.
As she watched, Kiana couldn't help but draw her knees up, wrap her arms around them, and rest her cheek on top.
The night was long, and Kiana suddenly felt a little... bored?
In Ye Feng's world.
As her consciousness faded, Kiana's body instantly lost its vivacity and began to move like a doll.
Ye Feng, through his connection to Mei's space, could see Kiana sitting on her bed in a daze.
He smiled and raised his hand to summon a panel.
"Settings. Add Kiana to the blacklist. That way, her access can be directly denied. Hehe."
After doing that, Ye Feng looked through his world's "character list."
"The Grand Diviner has an NPC now, too."
It seemed that sending his Master to the Xianzhou was the right decision.
However, Baiheng still hadn't appeared, nor had the Xianzhou map been unlocked.
Ye Feng "invited" Fu Xuan's NPC over.
"You've finally arrived, my Grand Diviner."
Ye Feng had been longing for this for a long time.
Whether it was her pink twin-tails, her traditional-style white silk tights, or her majestic and sacred third eye, everything about her deeply fascinated Ye Feng.
He examined Fu Xuan meticulously.
Fu Xuan's attire was in three layers. The outermost was a long black dress, inlaid with formation gems that glowed with a mysterious light. The front of the dress clung tightly to her petite frame, outlining her perfect curves.
Her back, however, was a stretch of snow-white skin, with only a thin silk ribbon barely covering her perky bottom. Under this outer garment was a white silk bustier, tightly wrapping her budding yet alluring apple-like curves.
Her lower body attire was just as eye-catching. A pair of white pantyhose stretched from the top of her legs to her mid-thighs, outlining her slender limbs. Ruffled garters were tied at her ankles, further accentuating her slimness.
The short black boots on her feet added a touch of heroic spirit, yet they formed a sharp contrast with her delicate appearance.
The entire outfit both highlighted her noble status as the head of the Fu family and exuded a subtle hint of seduction.
At this moment, although Fu Xuan's expression was blank, the charm she radiated was impossible to ignore.
Ye Feng carried her back to the bedroom, getting to work as he walked...
---o---
"I was pulled into the dream again this time!?"
Qingque was utterly shocked.
Today, the Grand Diviner had assigned her a heavy task. Thinking she would deal with capturing Ye Feng after she was done, she had gone to sleep right there in the Divination Commission headquarters.
Who could silently bypass the defensive formations of the Divination Commission and pull her consciousness into a dream while she was right next to the Divine Foresight Matrix?
A Star God?
"What have I ever done to deserve a Star God-level existence going to all this trouble..."
Now, Qingque was truly panicking.
It's over, it's over.
There was no way to fight back.
But she quickly calmed down again.
Because if it really was a being of a Star God's level, panicking was useless.
She had to relax.
At least she understood Ye Feng's intentions. He really just wanted to fuck her.
Okay, it wasn't "just."
As a traditional Xianzhou native, Qingque still cared a great deal about her "chastity."
Forget it. What's done is done. Might as well go back to sleep.
Even after arriving here, Qingque's head was still buzzing.
She had been processing data streams all day. Tomorrow, the day after, and for the next month or so, her life would probably be like this.
Even a beast of burden wasn't used like this.
Qingque lay on the floor in a starfish position.
She was tired.
Really tired.
"Hi, did you miss me? A beautiful day begins with a wonderful encounter."
"...."
A familiar voice.
The person she wanted to see the least had, of course, arrived.
Qingque didn't even open her eyes, just continuing to lie on the floor.
What else could she do?
She couldn't resist the work.
And here, she couldn't resist Ye Feng.
Forget it. Whatever happens, happens. The world could end for all I care.
Right now, she just wanted to give up and slack off.
After a busy day of work, Qingque was mentally exhausted. She had no energy to engage in a battle of wits with Ye Feng right now.
And besides... could she even fight?
It was completely impossible.
Instead of fighting with all her might only to fail in the end, it was better to accept reality sooner.
Maybe the more she resisted, the more excited he would get.