Chapter 48: No More Tears
You nodded, thanked her, and continued along the path indicated by the boatwoman.
You walked along the narrow trail, only to find your feet stepping into empty air—and the scenery around you suddenly changed.
When your feet finally touched solid ground, you saw a tall phoenix tree and, beneath it, a small wooden cabin with its door tightly shut…
You were stunned; the stark contrast was difficult to accept.
"Su Xiaobai…"
"For what reason do you seek an audience?"
A clear, cold female voice came from inside the closed cabin.
Marshal Hua—was she truly a woman?
"The male rabbit's feet pound and kick, the female rabbit's eyes grow dim and blurred. When two rabbits run side by side, how can one tell which is male or female?"
The voice recited slowly, its emotions unreadable.
"Mr. Su's Ballad of Mulan…"
You were stunned again. Could it be that Marshal Hua… also possessed the ability to read the hearts of others?
Though surprised, you did not show it.
"Su Xiaobai of the Divination Commission respectfully greets Marshal Hua."
You bowed slightly and performed a formal salute.
"Dispense with the formalities."
The owner of the voice did not appear, nor did she acknowledge the chaotic thoughts in your mind.
"I seek an audience with the Marshal because my master, the diviner Jing Tian, has calculated that he will eventually die at the hands of my younger sister, Fu Xuan. I cannot bear for my master to die, nor for my younger sister to carry the sin of patricide."
"Therefore, I request to be appointed Diviner of Xianzhou and die in place of my master."
Silence fell within the small wooden cabin.
After a long while, with a creak, the cabin door opened from within.
A figure appeared.
She did not resemble a general of extraordinary bearing, nor an empress clad in yellow, but rather a delicate woman who had lived in seclusion since childhood.
With a wave of her hand, a wooden table materialized out of thin air.
"Sit."
Her appearance was delicate, yet her voice carried an indescribable authority.
You sat.
She also sat, and with another gentle tap of her slender hand, a transparent teapot appeared on the square table.
She poured a cup and gently pushed it toward you.
"For such loyalty, this tea is granted."
"Is your master well?"
She spoke softly.
You looked up. Hua's face was exquisite yet expressionless—easy to forget once seen.
"My master lost an arm for defying his fate," you replied.
"The art of divination can still be performed smoothly, even with one arm missing."
"Since you request the position of Grand Diviner, can you also divine the future of the Xianzhou Alliance?"
"Yes."
You nodded confidently. Though you had not studied the Alliance's methods of divination, your Precognition would allow you to fulfill this role.
"I have a question. If you answer it, the position of Grand Diviner shall be yours from today onward…"
Hua rose, and a golden light suddenly shone in her eyes. The surrounding scenery changed again, transforming into a deep starry sky.
In that sky were seven dazzling stars, shaped like the Big Dipper.
She turned her slender hand, and the starry sky began to rotate, making you slightly dizzy.
Before long, as though a spinning platter had been turned, the sky stopped rotating. Among the seven stars, one suddenly grew dim.
Not only that—the dimmed star suddenly transformed into a meteor, streaking across the sky, leaving only six of the Big Dipper behind…
"Within a century, one General Star of the Xianzhou Alliance will fall. Upon which of the Seven Generals will it fall, Mr. Su? Do you know?"
There was a trace of fatigue in Hua's voice; her recent actions seemed to have consumed much of her energy.
"General Tianji, Commander Yueyu…"
You spoke softly, yet with absolute certainty. You did not even need Precognition; you trusted your memories.
Crash!
The starry sky shattered, and you were once again at the small wooden table.
"Commander Yueyu…"
Hua murmured the name, and her expression seemed to grow faintly sorrowful.
Then she lightly tapped her finger, and a faint glimmer merged into your forehead.
"You may proceed with the handover to Diviner Jing Tian…"
You nodded. With this, your journey was complete.
Just as you were about to rise, you heard: "I offered you tea—why do you not drink it?"
You paused briefly, smiled apologetically, and lifted the tea, about to drink it in one gulp.
But you noticed that your reflection in the clear tea showed even more white hair…
You froze, unsure what had happened.
"Although in that scene only a few breaths passed, in the outside world ten years have gone by."
"For your sacrifice for the Xianzhou Alliance, Hua is immensely grateful…"
"But why, in Hua's eyes, do you seem familiar? Though you are a short-lived species, and Hua has never met you before…"
The doubt in Hua's words did not seem feigned.
"For the survival of the Xianzhou Alliance, Hua has just employed this method. I have a premonition that I will see you again…"
"When you return, Hua will apologize to you then…"
Hua's voice faded, and in a daze, you were once more beneath Black Mountain in the Xu Ling Grotto-Heaven.
"Mr. Su, I will escort you…"
The boatwoman's voice reached you, and you could not help but feel slightly stunned.
How long was I there?
"Ten years and one day, Mr. Su…"
A wave of astonishment washed over you; Marshal Hua's power was unfathomable.
But why had she said she saw your shadow in the past?
And that she had a premonition of meeting you again?
Today she consumed ten years of your life—and when you meet again, she will apologize.
You felt it was very strange, but your objective for this journey had been fulfilled. It was a success.
The boatwoman sent you directly to the Jade Pavilion.
You went to the Divination Commission intending to hand over the position of Grand Diviner to Diviner Jing Tian, but suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
There was no need to relinquish the position now and risk complications. You could wait until the war began—just before Diviner Jing Tian was destined to depart—and then become the Grand Diviner with the "shortest tenure in the history of the Xianzhou Alliance"…
Mm, yes. That was it. You felt brilliant.
However, going to Xuling Xianzhou had taken ten years…
You did not know how to explain this to your younger sister…
You scratched your head, made preparations, and boarded a star skiff bound for the Luofu.
…
Luofu, Sea of the Star Abyss…
For you, ten years had truly passed in the blink of an eye…
But Fu Xuan had nearly become a statue of a sister waiting for her brother at the Sea of the Star Abyss.
From time to time, she would visit the Sea of the Star Abyss, longing, tears streaming down her face…
Sometimes she gathered the courage to board a star skiff and return to the Jade Pavilion.
But then she would be startled by the scene from her dream and, immediately afterward, curl up by the roadside, crying with her head in her hands…
"Miss Fu, your elder brother is occupied with various matters and asked me to convey his regards."
Jing Yuan did not know how to comfort her, so he repeatedly used lies to calm the girl.
Like drinking poison to quench thirst…
The girl could no longer hear it.
And Fu Xuan, unable to contact you through jade slips, her letters vanishing like clay oxen sinking into the sea, did not dare return to the Jade Pavilion herself to find you.
Despair gradually settled in her heart…
My big brother doesn't want me anymore.
Her eyes were dim, utterly heartbroken…
Big brother… doesn't want me anymore…
Waaah!…
Today, as if driven by some strange impulse, the lost girl once again came to the Sea of the Star Abyss.
She watched the starships come and go, tears already welling in her eyes…
Big brother, where are you?
Send a message to your little sister…
Just let your little sister know that you're alive…
I don't ask for your company…
A star skiff slowly docked, and a sturdy figure—now with far more white hair—stepped off.
He looked at her with a trace of apology.
Fu Xuan froze, rubbing her eyes. It was not an illusion; the figure was there.
She took a cautious step forward, afraid it was a dream.
After one step, the apology in the figure's eyes deepened—and Fu Xuan broke into a run.
She ran like the wind toward that figure…