I, Qingque—
Renowned sword prodigy of the Xianzhou Luofu, star disciple of the Divination Commission's Grand Astrologer, and the Jade Gate's last closed-door disciple.
When it came to worldly knowledge, was there anything this Sparrow Deity hadn't seen?
Nothing could possibly surprise her anymore.
"Lady Fu Xuan, I know you and Grandmaster haven't met in centuries, but must you be this excited?"
Qingque had truly never witnessed such a scene before. The usually stern and composed Fu Xuan was now blushing fiercely in Anming's arms, her robe torn from sword strikes revealing glimpses of pale skin, her hair disheveled.
The young sparrow stood at the edge of the Divination Commission's shattered floor, squatting down to wave at the two below.
So much for an emergency—they were just 'shaking the array' after all.
Qingque felt a pang of bitterness. Why did I rush here to eat dog food? Then again, Fu Xuan and Anming's love story was legendary across the Jade Gate.
Sure, it had a tragic ending, but the middle part was sweet! Clearly, I overthought this—since when did Lady Fu Xuan scheme so deeply?
Qingque sighed. Fu Xuan only needs to hug and kiss Grandmaster. Meanwhile, I have to worry about things like timing my arrival to avoid being a third wheel.
"Disciple! You came at the perfect time!"
"Huh?!"
Qingque blinked and took a step back. "Grandmaster... you're not about to say 'You're both my wings,' are you?"
Please, no! Just imagining being caught between "Burning the Seas" and the Great Divination Array made her scalp tingle.
A shura field of this magnitude would reduce even the Arbiter-General to dust—let alone a poor little sparrow like her.
"No! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Anming was genuinely exasperated. If he let go now, Fu Xuan might revert to her Mara-Struck state. At least with Qingque as a witness, there was some insurance.
Xuan'er wouldn't want her disciple seeing this side of her anyway.
"Let go," Fu Xuan bit her lip, secretly pinching Anming's arm. "We'll stop here for today."
Anming raised an eyebrow. "So the Grand Astrologer means there'll be a second round? Are we doing a best-of-three?"
Rules were written by the victor—he wasn't about to let Fu Xuan dictate terms.
"You—!"
Feeling Anming's grip tighten, Fu Xuan's voice softened slightly as she pressed a finger to his chest. "T-This one admits defeat."
"Couldn't hear that."
Anming whistled, looking up at the sky with an exaggeratedly mournful expression. Fu Xuan gritted her teeth, this close to biting his arm.
But with Qingque watching, she had some dignity to maintain.
"I-I'm sorry, okay?!"
Her meek apology sent waves of joy through Anming, though he kept his face stoic, merely nodding.
"Hmph. Don't let it happen again."
The moment the words left his mouth, Fu Xuan's elbow smashed into his face. "Anming! Do you want to die?!"
Red. She was officially redlining.
"Xuan'er, don't be so petty. You stabbed me earlier and I didn't complain," Anming chuckled, ruffling her hair before leaping out of the crater with her in his arms.
Fu Xuan could only watch in horror as the Great Divination Array—the very foundation of the Commission—shattered beneath Anming's feet.
Not just cracked. Obliterated.
Qingque's jaw dropped.
"So, disciple—how cool was that?"
"Fun fact: The 'Divination Commission's Celestial Cycle Astrological Calculation Grand Array' was completed seven years ago..." Qingque was already sweating bullets, mentally drafting her resignation letter. If this got out, every Commission employee's salary would be docked by a third.
"Cost? Just a one followed by... many zeros."
She glanced at Fu Xuan's ashen face and sighed. The Grand Astrologer's lifelong reputation—ruined in one 'array-shaking' session.
"Xuan'er?"
"ANMING!!!"
Fu Xuan completely ignored Qingque's presence, brandishing Wuming as she lunged at Anming.
Why did the array shatter?
Even centuries later, Fu Xuan would never find the answer.
"Hey, Sparrow—do arrays get stronger the longer their names are?" Anming mused, adjusting his grip on the fuming (now unconscious) Fu Xuan. If that were true, he could just casually name some "Ten-Thousand-Word Divine Array" and call it a day.
"The Great Array of Thunderous Kicks and the Mystery of Why Birds Can Fly!" Activate!
"Not really. Lady Fu Xuan just didn't want to rely solely on the Great Divination Array. She's designed new formations for other Xianzhou ships too," Qingque explained, waving a hand in front of Fu Xuan's limp form with a smirk. "Grandmaster, need directions? I know Lady Fu Xuan's quarters very well!"
"My worthy disciple! Your master is moved to tears!"
Finally—Qingque's most useful moment! This little spy he'd planted in the Commission was actually paying off.
As they walked, Qingque couldn't resist asking, "So, Grandmaster... how was it?"
"Hmm... rough at first, but manageable later."
Qingque's eyes widened in realization. "Ohhh! So Lady Fu Xuan is the tsundere type who talks big but—"
"Wait. What?"
Were they even having the same conversation?!
Sure, the fight had been tough initially, but after summoning SAM, it was fine. Yet Qingque seemed to have interpreted things... differently.
What exactly goes on in this kid's head?!
"Here we are—Lady Fu Xuan's room!" Qingque stepped aside, grinning. "I'll go entertain Miss Stelle and March. Don't forget about the Stellaron crisis, okay?"
She really didn't trust Anming not to get distracted until doomsday alarms started blaring.
"Relax! Don't you trust your grandmaster?"
"That's exactly why I don't." Qingque muttered under her breath.
Watching Anming carry Fu Xuan inside, Qingque debated whether to return later with food.
What if they're... busy? Would it be awkward to walk in? Should she flee? Or cheer "Go Grandmaster!"?
After much deliberation, Qingque decided ignorance was bliss—she'd come back tomorrow.
They haven't seen each other in centuries. If something happens, it's natural!
After all, they were legally married in their past life. Rekindling things now was just... fate.