"Hahaha! To think our young friend Yu Xian, barely past twenty, already possesses such profound skill! Truly, a future pillar of the Luofu!"
"Such talent, such temperament—in no way inferior to my own disciple, Yanqing. I must arrange for you two to meet. A friendly exchange would do you both good."
Inside the hospital room, Jing Yuan and Yu Xian were conversing amiably—though, to be precise, it was the General who radiated most of the warmth.
The more Jing Yuan observed, the more his satisfaction grew. A talent of this caliber appears on the Luofu perhaps once in a century, and Fu Xuan had actually managed to unearth him? A genuine find.
While the General basked in his delight, Fu Xuan, standing beside him, was a tightly coiled spring of impatience. Watching him engage in idle chatter while Yu Xian lay severely injured in his sickbed made her blood pressure rise. She finally leaned in, her voice a sharp, hushed whisper meant only for his ear. "General. Get to the point."
What is wrong with this old fool? she fumed inwardly. First, he stammers nonsense, and now he's prattling on about trivialities. Has age truly addled his wits?
Had he forgotten why he came? Yu Xian was attacked, nearly killed! This wasn't a social call! Why waste time on meaningless pleasantries—
A quiet sigh echoed in Jing Yuan's heart. Though unvoiced, he could read Fu Xuan's frustration in the set of her shoulders and the edge in her tone. She was demanding he address the assassination attempt directly.
"Diviner Fu, you are still too young," he thought, his expression remaining one of serene appreciation.
But what would pressing the matter achieve now? To have Yu Xian lament his wrongs? To admit that neither the General nor the Master Diviner had any solid leads? To declare that Yu Xian remained a sitting duck? Preposterous. Counterproductive.
And there was more. Through subtle probing, Jing Yuan had sensed the circumstances were more tangled than they appeared. The General himself had visited his bedside, yet Yu Xian, the victim, had not once named his assailant or demanded justice. He had deftly sidestepped the issue. That in itself was telling. There were secrets here Yu Xian was not ready to share with outsiders. Forcing the issue would only breed resistance.
Moreover, the General's presence was a signal in itself: This one is under my eye. Petty schemers would think twice, buying Jing Yuan the time he needed to maneuver. Any subsequent moves would then carry far greater weight.
"So you see, Diviner Fu, in such matters, one must think several steps ahead..."
His internal monologue complete, Jing Yuan held up the wooden prosthetic hand—a parting gift from the simulator—his praise unwavering. "Mm. This prosthetic... the workmanship is exquisite. Fully functional. Even I, Jing Yuan, have seldom seen such fine artistry. Truly impressive..."
Fu Xuan, utterly ignored, was practically grinding her teeth to dust.
"Gen...eral..." The sound was less a word and more the grating of stone.
Clearly, swept up in her indignation, she was in no mood for strategic patience. Her gaze darted between the two men, her jaw clenched.
What are you two doing? What is this farce?!
...
After finally ushering Jing Yuan out, Fu Xuan's agitation slowly subsided. She let out a long breath, the tension draining from her shoulders, and plopped unceremoniously onto the edge of the hospital bed, sitting so close that only the thin blanket separated her from Yu Xian's legs.
"If I'd known it would be like this, I might as well not have invited him at all," she grumbled, folding her arms. "A complete waste of time."
She still couldn't fathom what Jing Yuan had hoped to accomplish. He'd said a few pleasantries, then left, citing pressing duties. 'Hmph! What kind of irresponsible General...'
she trailed off as, she suddenly felt a weight settle clumsily on her head.
It was Yu Xian.
Though his control over the new prosthetics was still unrefined, he had shakily lifted his arm and placed his hand on Fu Xian's pink hair, attempting a gentle, reassuring pat.
"Master Diviner, don't be angry, don't be angry~"
Thwack.
But the gesture was all wrong. The sensation wasn't comforting; it was cold, hard, and surprisingly rough. The mechanical motion nearly scraped a layer off her scalp.
This wasn't a pat—it was an assault!
A rush of humiliation and stinging pain surged through her. Cheeks puffed out in irritation, Fu Xuan swatted away the prosthetic that was still mechanically sawing at her skull.
"If you're not used to controlling it yet, then don't force it!" she snapped. "That hurts... Ugh, Yu Xian, you... don't push your luck!"
She had meant to scold him properly, her patience worn thin. But in the very next moment, when her eyes finally focused on the prosthetic now resting lamely at Yu Xian's side, her words died in her throat. She stood frozen, utterly speechless.
This... how can this be... It can't be...
Fu Xuan's pupils contracted, then trembled violently.
It was as if the last missing piece of a puzzle had clicked into place. An image, heavy with the weight of a past she seldom revisited, surfaced from the depths of her memory.
She knew someone like this.
A young man, a short-life species, who had risen to become one of the most formidable diviners on the Xianzhou while still in his youth. In pure divination skill, even she, without her Third Eye, could not surpass him.
Yet he carried none of the arrogance of a prodigy. In his daily life, he was always exceedingly gentle, even tender, towards her, offering his most sincere trust.
But then, due to circumstances she would rather forget, he lost both his arms and was forced to replace them with wooden prosthetics.
In the end, though she herself held only admiration and fondness for him, this person met a bitter end on the battlefield... a loss that still echoed in the quiet moments.
So, the question echoed, sharp and painful: who was this person...?
"J... J..."
That name, laden with a lifetime of regret, was already on the tip of her tongue, a ghost she had almost given voice to.
...but in the end, Fu Xuan choked it back. She slammed on the brakes at the last possible moment, veering the aborted syllable into an incomprehensible, strangled sound. By the time it left her lips, it was nothing but a desperate, nonsensical chirp.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Life Simulator: Starting in Genshin Impact!
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober