In a teahouse in Changletian, Wei Qing pushed the door open and walked in at an unhurried pace.
This was an old haunt—one of those quiet, tasteful places where he and Jing Yuan, two peers of the same generation, often met up. The owner knew the drill and had tact: he never interrupted when they were discussing business… or playing cards.
The moment he stepped inside, Wei Qing spotted Jing Yuan already seated, leisurely steeping tea as if the universe had nothing better to do.
"Oh? You're here." Jing Yuan lifted his eyes, wearing that familiar smile.
Wei Qing dropped into the seat opposite him with a sour expression, grabbed a freshly poured cup, and downed it in one go.
…Scalding. Damn.
"Been so free lately?" Wei Qing asked, forcing the words out through a grimace. "Nothing to do at the General's residence?"
"What's work compared to gossip?" Jing Yuan leaned in, voice lowering. "Dan Feng says it's all true? My master, she…"
Wei Qing shot him a look. Of course. He knew Jing Yuan wouldn't call him out for anything good. He picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup.
This time he'd learned—he blew on it gently before taking a sip.
"What about your master?" Wei Qing tried to play dumb. "Hasn't she been pulling overtime because of the Phantylia mess?"
"Don't give me that." Jing Yuan tapped the table, not hard, but with enough emphasis. "Dan Feng told me everything. Master asked you out—on her own initiative—and she even gave you… uh, that kind of distinctive gift."
"And you, General Wei Qing—you actually washed my master's feet!"
Wei Qing pressed a hand to his forehead.
That bastard Dan Feng. He really told everyone.
"So what?" Wei Qing said, deadpan. "She didn't say anything. Why are you getting worked up?"
"I'm concerned about you two!" Jing Yuan put on an innocent face—while his eyes glittered with pure, shameless schadenfreude.
"But seriously—what are you thinking? You know what my master's like. For her to take the initiative that far… the sun must've risen in the west."
Wei Qing fell silent, idly turning his teacup.
What was he thinking?
He was thinking while lying down.
How could he not feel it? He was a grown man—he wasn't exactly losing out in this department.
Forget whether their "feelings" were deep or not. Jingliu was absurdly attractive. Sure, she ran cold—but her looks, figure, strength, status… pick any category, she was top tier.
The problem was his own identity was a nightmare.
He clearly remembered he was supposed to be a Lord Ravager who'd slipped into the Xianzhou to blend in and coast through the chaos.
So how the hell had his life turned into this?
Wei Qing's head started to ache.
He couldn't even say he felt some powerful sense of belonging to Destruction. Ever since he arrived on the Luofu, he'd basically been left to free-range. And compared to other Lord Ravagers, his whole vibe was… not just different—it was in another universe.
Then again, maybe it would be more accurate to say every Lord Ravager had their own brand of insanity.
If circumstances allowed… honestly, he really wouldn't mind "working until retirement" on the Luofu.
Wife, kids, a warm kang bed—
No, no. Ahem. Building merit, defending the Xianzhou. That's what he meant. Definitely.
"Hey." Jing Yuan waved a hand in front of his face. "What are you spacing out for?"
"I'm asking you. What do you actually want? Give me a straight answer so I can decide whether to prepare you a wedding gift… or reserve you a feng shui-friendly—uh…"
He coughed and corrected himself smoothly.
"I mean, reserve something nice so I can celebrate for you in advance."
Wei Qing swatted his hand away. "You're overthinking it. I've got a pile of problems right now. I don't have time for this."
"Problems?" Jing Yuan arched a brow. "Other than my master, who's even capable of giving you trouble?"
Then something seemed to click. He lowered his voice.
"Is it because of those two from the Genius Society?"
Three days had passed since Ruan Mei and Herta's visit to the Xianzhou.
In that time, Wei Qing hadn't seen either of them again even once.
Jing Yuan rubbed his chin, thoughtful. "The Divination Commission's already received orders from the General's residence—full cooperation with Ruan Mei and Herta to activate the Matrix of Prescience… and apparently they're doing some kind of 'upgrade and refit' too. Big operation."
He looked at Wei Qing. "Do you think those two geniuses can actually pull it off?"
Once upon a time—back when Wei Qing had first arrived on the Luofu and immediately received the Hunt's blessing—the Xianzhou had already tried using the Matrix of Prescience to deduce his future causality.
Naturally… the result was obvious.
They failed.
The Matrix might peer into heaven's secrets, but if it were truly that omnipotent—if it could calculate anything—the Xianzhou Alliance would've unified the cosmos long ago and wiped out Abundance entirely.
"Succeed?" Wei Qing let out a soft laugh. "Who knows."
He paused, then looked at Jing Yuan again, something complicated flickering in his eyes.
"To be honest… the odds probably aren't high. But I actually hope they succeed."
"Oh?" Jing Yuan perked up. "That doesn't sound like you. Aren't you usually the first person to scoff at divination?"
"What—are you curious why the Hunt's Aeon singled you out?"
"Wouldn't anyone be?" Wei Qing replied vaguely, while thinking about something else entirely.
If the Matrix of Prescience—after its upgrade—could truly deduce a deeper layer of "causality" tied to him, even if it was only a blurry direction… it might give him a hint.
About the system.
About that absurd main quest—Become an Emanator of Abundance.
About what his existence, as this strange anomaly, was even supposed to mean.
That beat stumbling around in the dark, getting led by the nose by a brain-dead system.
The risk was huge, sure—but opportunity and risk usually came bundled together.
"Hmph. Who's over here daring to gossip about this genius?"
A voice, saturated with arrogance, cut in abruptly and interrupted their conversation.
Wei Qing and Jing Yuan looked over.
A mature woman with purple hair had somehow appeared at the teahouse entrance without either of them noticing. Arms crossed, she wore an expression that screamed, Caught you.
Wei Qing froze.
She was tall, with a cool, mature aura—nothing like that little puppet body. But the signature arrogance in her eyes and tone…
There was no doubt.
It was Herta.
Apparently, this petty, narrow-minded genius simply couldn't tolerate Wei Qing's "loli-lover" slander. In just three days, she'd brought her real body to the Luofu.
"Herta…?" Wei Qing blinked. "You… switched back to your true body?"
"Hmph. So some ignorant brat doesn't go around thinking everyone in the Genius Society is a short little gremlin." Herta glided over with elegant steps and, without the slightest hesitation, claimed the empty seat at their table.
She lounged back lazily, long legs crossed, and swept a scrutinizing gaze over Wei Qing and Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan smiled and poured her a cup of tea. "I've long heard of Lady Herta. Seeing you today—your presence truly lives up to your reputation."
Herta neither accepted nor rejected the flattery. Her attention snapped back to Wei Qing almost immediately.
"I just heard someone discussing my project with Ruan Mei—like they know what they're talking about?"
At that, Jing Yuan immediately raised his teacup and stared into it with the devotion of a monk contemplating enlightenment—eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, heart on the void.
He had zero intention of getting dragged into this.
This genius's temper looked even more… direct than the rumors claimed.
Join here to read ahead.
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Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
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