Chapter 132

"Damn it, this result again."

However, the result was the same this time. She could not glean any information about Bai Jun's fate. Fu Xuan threw the compass and books away in frustration and sat down in the chair in front of her desk with a gloomy expression.

However, this result also brought back some fragments of her past Remembrance for Fu Xuan. She had once had a debate with Jingtian, who was her master.

Everything in the world has a predictable trajectory of development, which is the sad view that "fate is determined by heaven."

Fu Xuan respected his master's intellect, skills, and even character as a diviner, but he could not accept that his master, a diviner who peered into fate, had willingly fallen into the abyss of fatalism and taken it for granted. However, having studied divination since childhood and explored the changes in fate, Fu Xuan was powerless to answer the ultimate question, "Can a predetermined fate be changed?", even if he wanted to refute Jingtian.

Such a situation, where even the Path of an ordinary person cannot be foreseen, is truly unprecedented in thousands of years. I wonder if that guy, Jingtian, will change his expression upon seeing it?

But now, she's the only one who can put an end to this debate...

Thus, a sense of curiosity began to spread within her. She increasingly wanted to know what kind of twisted nature Bai Jun, who was also hidden among normal people, possessed, whether this power had an upper limit, and whether Bai Jun truly had the ability to change fate, or even prove that "fate is not predetermined."

Deep within Fu Xuan's heart, unnoticed.

--She is hopeful.

Just as she hoped that her pursuit of a twisted destiny would have no upper limit, and that she could prove whether "a predetermined destiny can be changed," she also hoped that this person, similar to but different from herself, would have the same will and the power to prove the topic of destiny, and even to break down established viewpoints.

At least this way, my desire to find the answer the diviner most wanted to comfort that person's spirit in heaven wouldn't seem so ridiculous.

"My Lord Diviner, there is someone outside requesting an audience."

Just as Fu Xuan was reminiscing about the past, there was a soft knock on the office door. Fu Xuan's expression quickly changed. She observed her office; such a mess was something she couldn't possibly show to her subordinates, otherwise her image might be ruined.

Who is it?

Therefore, Fu Xuan did not issue any orders, but sat upright at the table and calmly responded, preparing to quietly slip out to receive the guests after seeing off the people outside.

"Uh, it's Mr. Bai Jun."

"--Where?"

Before she could even think rationally, Fu Xuan, unable to contain her excitement, pushed open the office door. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, and her sparkling pale gold eyes were filled with excitement, especially her faint, happy smile—she looked exactly like a girl in love with a one-sided crush!

"Master Fu, Lady Fu Xuan..."

Faced with Mingyue's gaping mouth and speechless expression of shock, Fu Xuan's face immediately turned bright red as she realized the stupidity of her actions. Her delicate features were filled with obvious embarrassment and even helplessness, and her pale golden eyes seemed to swirl with chaotic vortexes.

"N-no, it's nothing. Take him to my office. I don't want to repeat myself!!!"

The atmosphere instantly crumbled. Fu Xuan, his face flushed and steaming, gave an extremely loud order and then fled into the office. The slammed door shut shook the entire wall, and the gust of wind whipped Mingyue's hair into a mess.

"Am I dreaming about Lady Fu Xuan making such an adorable expression? Or have I finally fallen into the dreadful illusion of work...?"

Mingyue pinched her cheek hard, feeling a sense of unbelievable fantasy, and left the corridor in a daze.

The central courtyard of the Divination Bureau seemed to be arranged in a circular pattern around the central magic circle.

Several magic arrays are arranged in parallel around the area, connecting several long corridors and corners. The internal structure of the Divination Bureau is quite complex, and newcomers often get lost. However, with the guidance of a senior diviner, one can remain safe and sound.

"This shouldn't be, this..."

"Miss Mingyue, what exactly have you been babbling about since just now?"

As Mingyue descended the stairs to the courtyard, she walked along the stone path, ignoring Bai Jun following behind. It was as if the image of her idol had suddenly shattered. She covered her forehead and muttered to herself in pain and confusion. Seeing her in this dazed state, Bai Jun's face showed clear disdain, and he moved a few steps to the side without making a sound.

"I can't take it anymore! I've had enough of this feeling!"

She cried out, unable to bear it any longer.

As they approached Fu Xuan's office, Mingyue suddenly stopped, turned around, and shook Bai Jun's shoulder forcefully, pleadingly pleading, "Hey, Mr. Bai Jun, could you please hit me hard? Please, let me escape this damn illusion!"

"Mingyue, what kind of behavior is this, shouting at guests like that! Get out of here immediately!"

Just as Bai Jun was about to slap the guy to wake him up, a stern rebuke instantly brought Mingyue, whose eyes were blurred with tears, back to her senses.

Fu Xuan, who had opened the door at some point, stood in the corridor with his arms crossed. The pink-haired Lord Diviner's cute and delicate face was tense, and his cold and serious expression showed no trace of what it had been just a few minutes ago.

Cool, rational, and powerful—that's probably the first impression others have of Fu Xuan.

"Aha, it was just my imagination after all~ I knew Lady Fu Xuan wouldn't have that kind of expression..."

Mingyue patted her chest with relief. Sure enough, this was the Lady Fu Xuan she remembered. Then she left in a daze. After her figure completely disappeared down the corridor, before Bai Jun could speak, Fu Xuan's small hand tugged at his sleeve.

"What are you still standing there like an idiot for? Is it fun watching my Divination Bureau make a scene?"

After her eyes met Bai Jun's, her pale golden gaze quietly fell on the floor. If you looked closely, you could see her still slightly flushed cheeks and delicate ear tips.

"Hurry up and get into the office, you idiot..."

The pink-haired Lord Diviner complained softly as he entered, displaying an adorable appearance that Bai Jun had never seen before.

Bai Jun hesitated for a moment about how to start the conversation, but then immediately felt there was no need to be nervous, so he abandoned the idea and followed them into the office.

PS:

Let's settle on creating the group for now. I need to find some time to write the extra chapters, which will probably be quite a lot of words.

One more thing, please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!

Chapter 164 Even Death Would Be Worth the Ticket Price

"Just find somewhere to sit, don't be too formal with me."

Stepping into Fu Xuan's office, Bai Jun looked around with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

A faint fragrance filled the air, the table and sofa were clean and tidy, the bookshelves were neatly arranged, and the floor was spotless... The environment here was completely different from Bai Jun's impression. He still vividly remembered the messy scene here last time, as if it had been hit by a storm.

Did you expect Fu Xuan to develop the habit of cleaning his room in such a short time?

"Even for me, if I wanted to, trivial tasks like cleaning a room would be a piece of cake."

Fu Xuan seemed to see through Bai Jun's thoughts. She twirled the ends of her pink hair with her slender fingers and awkwardly explained the changes she had made. Bai Jun nodded repeatedly, revealing the kind of look in his eyes that seemed to be seeing his troublesome younger sister finally mature.

Although Fu Xuan found his gaze unpleasant, she couldn't quite put her finger on why. She sat down in her seat, propping her elbows on the desk and interlacing her fingers, and proactively began to divert Bai Jun's attention:

"Let's get down to business. Bai Jun, you must have come to me with some difficult-to-speak-about request, right?"

Based on Fu Xuan's understanding of Bai Jun over the years, this man rarely took the initiative to contact her; no, more sadly, he had never taken the initiative to contact her at all.

"A request... that's not entirely wrong, but it would be more accurate to say a job transfer."

"Job transfer? Wait..."

Bai Jun placed a piece of white paper with a seal on Fu Xuan's desk. Fu Xuan took it and immediately recognized that the seal was from Jing Yuan.

Fu Xuan's clever mind quickly processed the information before him, and the thought "Could it be?!" flashed through his mind. He raised his small face and looked at Bai Jun expectantly. While placing his left hand behind his head, he said with a slightly troubled expression, "Just as you guessed, I will be working in the Divination Bureau's Office from now on. Then please take good care of me, Fu Xuan... uh, Lord Diviner."

"--Really!?"

The feigned aloofness was instantly shattered by genuine joy from the depths of her heart. Like a little girl who had just received her favorite candy, Fu Xuan's cheeks flushed a soft pink. She leaned forward, almost falling, using the table for support, and looked at Bai Jun with a gaze that seemed to say, "That's wonderful!" deep within her pale golden eyes.

"It's true, Fu Xuan, you should pay a little attention to your image."

"This, this is nothing... I'm just a little happy... Speaking of which Bai Jun, why did you suddenly want to work for me?"

Bai Jun gave her a slightly serious reminder, and Fu Xuan, realizing her current posture, panicked a little. She quickly sat back in her seat, pretending that nothing had happened.

Although she didn't show much reaction on her face, deep down inside, a young Fu Xuan was screaming and clutching his head, eventually jumping up and down in a panic, repeatedly cursing himself for being an idiot.

Before arriving at the Divination Bureau, Bai Jun went to the Shence Mansion this morning to discuss the upcoming work.

While it's certainly relaxing and enjoyable to be able to escape the constraints of work for a short period, it's not necessarily a good thing to relax for too long. Moreover, Bai Jun is quite satisfied with his days working at the Earth-Balance Commission. Although he initially took the job to coast along and rack up moral points in the system, as time went on, Bai Jun discovered that he actually enjoyed the feeling of helping others.

As the lingering blue of the night sky mingled with the crimson dawn, the eastern sky slowly turned white.

Upon entering the Shence Mansion, Bai Jun expressed his request to Jing Yuan. However, the General of Divine Strategy seemed quite satisfied with Bai Jun's work as the acting Cauldron Master in the previous period, so he decisively rejected his request to return to the Earth-Balance Commission Division to coast along, and patted him on the shoulder earnestly.

"No, Qing Yan, it would be a waste of your talents to go back to the Earth-Balance Commission now. The Grand Divination Bureau is currently overwhelmed with work due to the recent events involving the Luofu flagship, so why don't you go there and help out? Master Diviner Fu has been wanting you to work for her for a long time, so this would fulfill her wish."

"Jing Yuan, are you Mara-struck Body? I could forgive you for leaving me with the mess at the Alchemy Commission last time, but what's the meaning of this time with the Divination Bureau? Are you sending an ordinary person like me, who knows nothing about divination, to such a specialized department so that my colleagues will laugh at me for being a parasite who got in through connections?"

"Oh, believe me, I'm just sending you there to fill in for a while and get your face known. Even if the professional fields are different, the official troubles you'll face are the same. It's like how every place needs clerical staff. Doesn't this just prove a saying in the Earth-Balance Commission: ' Earth-Balance Commission staff are like bricks; they're moved wherever they're needed,' right?"

"What do you mean by 'getting to be recognized'...?"

Ignoring Bai Jun's complaints, Jing Yuan smiled and handed him a work transfer document stamped with the general's order. The holder of this seal could be freely transferred to any department in Luofu. However, Bai Jun's expression was still very unpleasant.

For him, it didn't matter whether he went to the Artisanship Commission or the Earth-Balance Commission, or even a department like the Ten Lords Bureau where fighting and killing happened all day long. Even the Sky Tianbo Division, which required dealing with various departments, Bai Jun probably wouldn't have any complaints, since he could at least tease those two foxes every day...

But it happens to be the most troublesome of the Six Commissions, the Divination Bureau.

No matter how hard Bai Jun racked his brains, he couldn't figure out what Jing Yuan's true thoughts were hidden beneath his smile. He simply felt that the days ahead might not be easy.

However, the reality was somewhat different from what Bai Jun had expected. Watching Fu Xuan quickly return to her seat, Fu Xuan small hand covering half her face, Bai Jun found her unusually... adorably strange?

"In short, that's the gist of the matter. Fu Xuan... uh, Lord Diviner, is there anything else you need to instruct me on? If not, then please excuse me."

Bai Jun explained the whole story, his words accompanied by the girl's almost confused gaze. After a while...

"I never expected it to be Jing Yuan's idea. I remember he always refused to hand you over to me no matter what."

Fu Xuan's panicked state just now... no, it was that her rationality gradually returned. Perhaps it was because she had finally calmed down, and her pale golden eyes, which had been caught in a whirlpool, finally regained their brilliance. Subsequently, a powerful and attractive possibility appeared in her heart.

"Could it be that Jing Yuan is finally planning to abdicate?"

Thinking along these lines of reasoning, many of my questions are easily resolved. No wonder he chose to entrust Bai Jun, such a capable lieutenant, to me; was he trying to subtly suggest that I should calm my mind and be ready to shoulder the responsibility of Luofu at any time?

As if imagining the glorious day she would become a general, Fu Xuan's smile grew even brighter. Her mind, which had finally calmed down, was once again filled with a sense of elation. Bai Jun looked at her happy smile and couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

"Fu Xuan... uh, Lord Diviner, you're really obsessed with the position of Luofu General."

"Don't be so formal. You can call me Fu Xuan in private, but is my desire to become a general... really that obvious?"

Bai Jun found it hard to get used to this new title, while Fu Xuan, in high spirits, waved his hand to indicate that he didn't care and was curious about how others perceived him.

"It's not so much obvious, it's practically common knowledge, isn't it?"

"Huh? Is it really that exaggerated!"

Bai Jun did not answer, but naturally showed an "you think?" expression. It was natural and reasonable, after all, apart from Fu Xuan, no one else in the entire Luofu dared to urge Jing Yuan to "step down and give way".

As the only person in all of Luofu who dared to make such a rebellious move, Fu Xuan had long been pushed to the forefront of public opinion. Some people said that she was blinded by power or that she loved conquest, which is why she took command of the troops. However, only Fu Xuan herself knew her true intentions.

Fu Xuan, the person directly involved, had never heard of such a thing before. Feeling ashamed, she directly and concisely confessed her thoughts to Bai Jun: "Forget it, becoming the next Luofu General is indeed my wish. Anyway, I never intended to hide it, so it doesn't matter if others find out."

"Although it's somewhat inappropriate to ask this, Fu Xuan, are you dissatisfied with Jing Yuan's governance and personal abilities during his tenure?"

"No, I have never questioned Jing Yuan's abilities. In fact, it has been proven that every major initiative he has undertaken for Luofu has been of extraordinary significance. Judging solely from the achievements of past Luofu General, I believe Jing Yuan ranks among the best, and I have always respected him as a general. Why would you, Bai Jun, hold such a view?"

Bai Jun hesitated for a moment before asking the question. Upon hearing it, Fu Xuan showed a surprised expression and even found Bai Jun's statement quite strange.

"Since you have no objection to Jing Yuan's abilities, why are you still urging him to 'step down and yield the position'?"

"Abdicating and yielding the throne to a more capable person was a promise Jing Yuan made to me long ago. I was merely giving him a proper 'reminder' so he wouldn't forget his promise. And even though I acknowledge Jing Yuan's outstanding abilities, I don't believe I'm inferior to Jing Yuan in governing Luofu. By the way, in terms of martial arts, you are slightly better than the general. In terms of strategy, I am slightly better than the general. If the two of us join forces, how would we compare to the general?"

"Please don't drag me into this sensitive topic; I'm not interested in politics."

Faced with Fu Xuan's question, which carried a hint of mischief, Bai Jun decisively chose to cut to the chase, then threw out his final question, "So, Fu Xuan, you want to become a general just to prove yourself?"

"Prove myself? Perhaps... No, that might not be accurate. I... I simply want to prove something to someone."

--To prove to the deceased master that one's talents can be put to use, to prove to him that one's so-called destiny can be changed, and to use these ridiculous acts to self-deceive and comfort that person's spirit in heaven.

"I'm sorry, this involves a topic you'd rather not discuss..."

Bai Jun noticed Fu Xuan's expression gradually darkening and quickly apologized, but Fu Xuan gently shook his head, stood up, and said:

"It's alright. In the end, it was just my immaturity. You don't need to take it to heart. Later, you'll go with the diviner to the Divination Bureau for a few rounds, so you can get a general understanding of the Divination Bureau departments and the overall layout, which will help you with your work later... No, never mind, I'll accompany you myself."

"Okay, then I'll trouble you... Uh, speaking of which, Fu Xuan, why is your bookshelf making noise?"

Bai Jun turned around slightly. The two-tiered bookcase next to the bookshelf on the left side of the office had been making a rumbling sound like a boulder rolling down since earlier. However, the noise wasn't too loud, so Bai Jun hadn't paid it any mind at first. But as time went on, Bai Jun noticed that the sound seemed to be getting clearer and clearer.

Just then, the "gurgling" sound of the sand and gravel rolling down turned into a powerful "thumping" sound of mudslides hitting the door, as if something had hit the cabinet door, making a dull but clear sound. The cabinet door, which was originally tightly closed, was squeezed open a little by the impact.

"What is this thing...?"

Bai Jun immediately noticed the half-white piece peeking out from the gap in the cabinet door. Ignoring Fu Xuan, whose expression was becoming increasingly flustered, he walked to the cabinet door and subconsciously reached out to touch the snow-white piece. The delicate and soft fabric instantly reached his fingertips.

This feels so familiar... I think I bumped into someone here before...

"Wait, don't touch it--!!!"

Before Bai Jun could recall and figure out what kind of delicate fabric he was holding, Fu Xuan's mournful cry had already echoed all around. However, her cry came half a second too late, because Bai Jun had already gently tugged at the white fabric.

The next second, like an engine driven by a chain being pulled, it triggered a chain reaction of an avalanche. The bookshelf, which was filled with all sorts of odds and ends, books, and clothes, could no longer maintain its balance as the white cloth was pulled out, and it spat out everything that had been forcibly stuffed into it.

The documents urgently needing completion, the diagram showing the operation of the magic array, the empty coffee cup, the thick book five fingers thick, and the clothes Fu Xuan usually changes into here...

If I had to describe it in words, it would probably be like the scene of a mudslide.

Facing the avalanche head-on, Bai Jun thought to himself, "Just as I expected." He then looked down at his palm, where a pair of white pantyhose lay quietly, identical in style to the ones he had seen when he last visited Fu Xuan's office. No wonder Fu Xuan's office was so clean this time; he had stuffed all the clutter into the bookshelves...