"Leon…"
Fu Xuan murmured the name under her breath.
As a diviner, she performed divinations and believed in their readings, but she would never accept the fate they foretold!
If the matrix told her that her death was nigh tomorrow, was she supposed to just end her own life?
Did the divination come true because she would have chosen to do so herself, or because she followed what the reading said?
One performs divination; one must never be divined by it!
The reading says you'll die, so you just die? What a joke!
If a temple to the Dragon King decrees that the Dragon King should not come to pray for rain, then that temple can be demolished in the next instant!
In Fu Xuan's eyes, the fate divined by the hexagrams should be treated the same way.
When a divination declares your fate is "to die tomorrow," you can believe it, you can prepare for it, but you absolutely must not accept it!
Yet reality was telling her at every turn,
that she was wrong.
Whether it was Jingtian's predetermined death or the fact she was destined to take over as Master Diviner, all these fixed futures were silently telling her…
Either accept fate, or be embraced by it.
There was no other way.
Fu Xuan refused to accept her fate, but reality was pressing down on her spine, forcing her to submit.
Just as her spine was about to break under the weight of destiny, never to straighten again…
Someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
He ended the war and saved Jingtian.
With a single punch, he shattered predetermined fate into a million pieces!
He gave new possibilities to everything whose end had been decided by an invisible hand!
The original trajectory of the story was rewritten, and a book once filled to the brim with ink miraculously turned to a brand-new page!
This perfectly illustrated the philosophy she lived by.
Namely…
Man can conquer destiny!
"Is there anything special about this person?"
Jing Yuan asked, his curiosity about this man named Leon growing.
A name he'd never heard before.
If he was an outside helper, with the power to end an entire war single-handedly, he couldn't possibly be a nobody!
"Master Diviner Jingtian said they successfully used the Sky-Peering Mirror to locate the Reignbow Arbiter's coordinates and managed to transmit the information about the war!"
the Cloud Knight continued.
"In the end, the Reignbow Arbiter did arrive."
"But He did not act directly. Instead, He chose to anoint an Emanator of The Hunt and have him resolve everything."
The Cloud Knight faithfully recounted the beginning and end of the battle report.
"He's that Emanator of The Hunt?"
The news startled Jing Yuan. He truly couldn't imagine the Reignbow Arbiter appointing an Emanator on the spot.
This was incredibly rare.
Looking at all the Heavenly Generals of the Reignbow Arbiter who had ever served in the Xianzhou Alliance, it wasn't as if none had ever received the Arbiter's gaze.
But it was merely a glance, serving only as a sign of acknowledgment.
No one, like Leon, had ever received power personally bestowed by His hand.
A glance and an anointment were completely different. The value of the latter was clearly far greater than the former.
"Yes. Destroying the Ketu-Mirage, saving his comrades, slaying the Abundance!"
"According to Master Diviner Jingtian, this Emanator accomplished all of this by himself. It can only be described as a monumental achievement!"
the Cloud Knight nodded.
"Is this Emanator one of our own?"
Jing Yuan mused, asking about his origins.
"He is not a Xianzhou native."
Regarding this question, the Cloud Knight relayed the words the Master Diviner had specifically instructed him to pass on.
"But he tied a Fanghu banner around himself when heading into battle, so he probably isn't hostile to the Xianzhou."
"The Master Diviner left this specific message for you, General."
"Is that so…"
Jing Yuan could easily read between the lines.
A newly appointed Emanator of The Hunt.
No faction backing him, no place to call home.
And he has a friendly attitude towards the Xianzhou. They absolutely had to try and recruit him!
Even without Jingtian saying it,
the Xianzhou Alliance would certainly try to win Leon over.
He believed an urgent meeting of the Heavenly Generals would be convened soon to discuss this matter.
Given his unique circumstances, perhaps even the Marshal would be alerted.
"Where are they now?" Jing Yuan asked.
"Master Diviner Jingtian said that General Xuanquan is hosting a grand banquet on the Fanghu to comfort the soldiers after the great battle,"
the Cloud Knight replied.
"To show his gratitude,"
"General Xuanquan has insisted that the soldiers sent from the Yaoqing and the Luofu remain on the Fanghu for the celebration, including Master Diviner Jingtian and General Yueyu."
"A victory is indeed worth celebrating."
After a moment's thought, Jing Yuan gave his orders.
"The Luofu will also hold a celebration of the highest standard."
"Our greatest enemy suffered a major defeat in this battle. How could we not celebrate with the people?"
He couldn't let the soldiers feel left out.
A single Xianzhou ship has a limited population capacity; it's impossible for everyone to go to the Fanghu for a free meal.
The frontline personnel performed great deeds.
But the many logistics staff who never saw the battlefield also made indelible contributions to this war.
It was just as he often said.
Without the entire army united as one, what use are even the most flawless strategies?
Besides, the Fanghu was a sensitive location, not suitable for large crowds.
It was a Vidyadhara stronghold.
And due to their reproductive issues, the Vidyadhara were a race whose population only ever decreased, never increased. Every death was a permanent loss.
Therefore, to prevent any nefarious plots, the procedures for an ordinary person to visit were quite extensive.
If it weren't for an emergency like a war, it would be a miracle if Xuanquan could keep so many people on the Fanghu.
"Yes, sir!"
the Cloud Knight responded loudly, bowing before departing immediately.
"Master Fu, would you like to go to the Fanghu?"
After the Cloud Knight left, Jing Yuan turned his gaze to the pink-haired shorty still dazed beside him.
"You and your master have been at odds over a prophecy for so long. It's time to bury the hatchet."
"The fate you've worried about for so long has been broken. There's no need to hold on to your anger."
Jing Yuan smiled with his hands behind his back. "Go see the master who taught you everything. After that, you can accompany him back to the Yuque for a visit."
"I'll give you a long vacation."
"General…"
Fu Xuan met his gaze, her expression complicated.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
She knew what Jing Yuan meant.
Ever since Jingtian had declared, "My destiny will end at your hands,"
she had fallen out with the master she once respected most.
In a fit of pique, she came to the Luofu, and a century had passed since.
She was a stubborn person.
That's why she hadn't returned to the Yuque once in over a hundred years, her contact with her parents limited to conversations on the Jade Abacus.
Jing Yuan was telling her to go back to the Yuque with Jingtian not just so they could reconcile,
but also so she could go home and see the parents she hadn't met in years.
"What's with that look?"
Jing Yuan found her "what will the Luofu do without me" expression rather amusing.
"Master Fu, you're not planning to take a vacation and never come back, are you?"
Jing Yuan shook his head. "I can't allow that."
"You are already the Master Diviner of our Luofu. If you don't return on schedule, I'll have to dock your pay."
"Don't worry. You're the one who will succeed me."
Jing Yuan knew what she was worried about—that he was basically issuing an expulsion order.
"Even if that fellow Jingtian comes asking for you, I won't let him have you."
"If you don't want to, you can go to the Fanghu and not see Jingtian. He's not important, anyway."
Jing Yuan changed his tune. "What's important is to convey the Luofu's gratitude to this new Heavenly General on my behalf."
"Hah. Why don't you just abdicate your position as general to me now? Wouldn't it seem more sincere if I went as the general?"
Hearing this, the hesitation on Fu Xuan's pretty face vanished, replaced by a faint smile.
Jing Yuan smiled without a word.
Neither of them spoke again. After a moment, Fu Xuan's smile faded.
"General, I'll be going now,"
she said solemnly before leaving.
"Master Fu, have a safe trip."
Jing Yuan nodded, still smiling.
____
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