Knock knock knock...
Just as Qingque was about to further test the power of being an Emanator, a series of somewhat urgent knocks suddenly reached the girl's ears.
"Strange, did Yun Fan forget his keys? What a careless god." Qingque shook her head slightly, then dragged her exhausted body, limping toward the door.
"Welcome back, Yun— Huh?! M-Master Diviner?!" Qingque opened the tightly shut door from inside, but to her surprise, the person standing before her wasn't Yun Fan as she had guessed, but the ever-diligent Master Diviner who had worked tirelessly for who-knows-how-many years.
Wait, at this hour, shouldn't Lady Fu Xuan still be working at the Divination Commission? Why would she suddenly appear here?
"Qingque, you..."
The moment Fu Xuan saw Qingque, she felt a sharp pain in her Third Eye. Then, she realized she could no longer see through this subordinate of hers. Moreover, because Qingque had only just reached the level of an Emanator, her control over her own aura wasn't yet refined, causing some Imaginary energy to leak out.
Though it was only a tiny amount, our Master Diviner still noticed it keenly.
This aura... Qingque has reached the level of an Emanator?!
"M-Master Diviner, could you... not stare at me like that...?" Qingque spoke awkwardly as Fu Xuan continued to stare at her. Since she had assumed the person knocking was Yun Fan, she had only thrown on a nightgown before answering the door.
Though the garment was modest, it was still just sleepwear. Even being stared at by another girl made her feel shy. And besides, Fu Xuan's gaze... Qingque couldn't shake the feeling that she was being completely seen through.
"Ah? Ahem." Noticing that her stare was somewhat impolite, our Master Diviner cleared her throat twice before speaking. "Well, I heard you were sick and came to check on you. What, won't you invite me in?"
Oh dear, please just leave! Go somewhere cooler and stay there! Qingque grumbled internally, but her face betrayed nothing as she smiled and said, "Master Diviner, how could I neglect such hospitality? Please, come in."
With that, Qingque gestured politely and walked ahead to lead the way.
However, our dear Qingque had forgotten one thing—she was still injured.
"Hiss—" Sure enough, as soon as she took a step, a tearing pain shot through her, making her legs go weak and nearly causing her to cry out.
"Hm?" This didn't escape Fu Xuan's notice. She narrowed her eyes slightly, scrutinizing Qingque carefully.
When they had first met, Fu Xuan's attention had been mostly drawn to the Emanator-level energy fluctuations emanating from Qingque, and her thoughts had been preoccupied with that. Because of this, she had overlooked one thing—Qingque had taken a sick leave today. So, what exactly was her illness?
"Sorry, Master Diviner, my mistake, hehe..." Qingque scratched her head sheepishly before continuing to guide Fu Xuan. Learning from her earlier misstep, she no longer strode forward quickly but instead took small, slow steps, which helped alleviate the pain from her wounds.
Watching Qingque's somewhat weary back, Fu Xuan's narrowed eyes suddenly widened.
Could it be... Qingque had lost her virginity?!
Thanks to the blessing of the Abundant Aeon, the people of the Xianzhou were all immortals. If nothing unexpected happened, they could easily live for hundreds or even thousands of years. With so many years of life experience, even if our Lady Fu Xuan had never "eaten pork," she had certainly "seen pigs run."
The state Qingque was in now... it was unmistakably... unmistakably... Ugh...
At this thought, Fu Xuan's cheeks slowly turned rosy. This centuries-old Master Diviner was unexpectedly pure-hearted. She was practically a "maiden" whose age equaled her years of singlehood.
"Master Diviner, are you alright?" Qingque turned back and asked with a "puzzled" look at the dazed Fu Xuan. Of course, Qingque knew exactly why Fu Xuan was reacting this way, but right now, she had to play dumb. If she pointed it out directly, she'd be the one left embarrassed.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking about something," Fu Xuan replied, shaking her head, though her mind was racing.
Not long ago, Qingque had just stepped onto the Path of Causality. And now, less than half a month later, she had already reached the level of an Emanator. Such rapid advancement suggested that Qingque had encountered some great opportunity... But what could it be?
As Fu Xuan pondered, her gaze returned to Qingque. When her eyes swept over Qingque's calves, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Could it be... that rumor was true?!
...
"By the way, Mr. Yun Fan, what are your plans next?"
"Plans? Hah, I don't really have anything specific. Our Aeon isn't bound by a Primordial Drive, so we Emanators of Causality don't have any fixed goals or pursuits. Most of the time, we simply follow our hearts. In that regard, we're similar to the Path of Elation—yet we surpass it."
"Not bound by a Primordial Drive?" Himeko was stunned. The Astral Express's archives contained many records, including some secrets about the Aeons. One major reason Aeons rarely interfered in the affairs of the universe was precisely because of their Primordial Drives.
Nanook of Destruction craves the annihilation of all things.
Qliphoth the Preservation builds walls spanning light-years at the galaxy's core to fend off Oroboros the Voracity.
The Hunt spends its entire existence pursuing the Abundant Ebon Deer.
Aha the Elation is either seeking amusement or on the way to find it.
All of this is due to the Primordial Drive. Without it, an Aeon would perish. Yet the newborn Aeon of Causality is already powerful enough to defy this?