Chapter 125: Departure for the Divination Commission

The sudden shift in light at the entrance, heralding the arrival of new guests, was just enough to pierce through the haze of Qingque’s concentration. He distractedly glanced up from his game.

With that one look, the hand he was using to draw a tile froze mid-air.

Four people stood silhouetted in the doorway—three women and one man.

The older woman leading them possessed a steady, unshakeable temperament. She adjusted her glasses with a deliberate motion, her entire bearing screaming, I am not to be trifled with. Beside her, a girl with vibrant pink hair scanned the room, her eyes wide with a boundless curiosity. There was also a gray-haired youth wearing a stark white fox mask, standing perfectly still like a silent sentinel.

Finally, there was the black-haired young man… When Qingque’s gaze landed on Chen’s face, his brow furrowed instinctively.

This person… why does he look so damn familiar?

It was a nagging feeling, as if he’d caught a fleeting glimpse of him somewhere before. But for the life of him, he couldn’t place where. He saw countless faces every day in the Exalting Sanctum; perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

Still, the attire and aura of these individuals were clearly not that of the usual patrons who frequented the Jade-Carved Card Parlor. They seemed more like… off-world visitors?

Just then, the jade abacus token tucked in his robes vibrated gently.

Qingque fished it out with one hand and glanced at the glowing characters. It was a confirmation message from Lady Fu Xuan herself. The message stated that the delegation from the Astral Express should be arriving shortly and instructed him to handle their reception.

‘The Astral Express…’Qingque’s mind clicked.’Those must be the outsiders who just arrived on the Luofu, right?’

He looked up again at the four distinctive figures at the door, and everything fell into place. It was almost certainly them.

“Eh, they got here fast…” he muttered under his breath, his eyes lingering regretfully on the excellent hand of tiles laid out before him.

“Qingque, it’s your turn! What are you spacing out for?” one of his fellow players urged, nudging him back to reality.

“Coming, coming!”

Qingque snapped his focus back to the game board, his mind racing. At the same time, without even lifting his head, he jerked his chin toward the entrance and raised his voice in a shout that was both welcoming and deeply unapologetic.

“You folks at the door! You’re the friends from the Astral Express, right? Hang on a sec! Just a moment, I’ll be done with this round in a jiffy! It’ll be fast! Extremely fast, I promise!”

Chen had to physically bite his lip to keep from bursting out laughing. Hearing Qingque’s familiar, perfunctory greeting was like a warm, nostalgic hug.

Man, of course, this guy is still the official contact. He thought, a grin spreading across his face. This work ethic is peak Qingque.

A few mischievous ideas had already begun to bubble up in his mind. He imagined, for a fleeting moment, transforming into Fu Xuan and striding into the parlor just to see if Qingque would be scared into dropping his tiles.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught the profile of Ms. Welt—calm, composed, yet radiating a natural, unforced authority.

He immediately squashed those little schemes.

Forget it, forget it. Aunt Yang is here. I should probably behave.

So, he settled for rubbing his nose and flashing an “I knew it” smile. He leaned over and whispered to Ms. Welt, “Aunt Yang, looks like this is our guy. Shall we… wait a bit?”

Ms. Welt’s gaze settled on the young man at the table, who was so engrossed in his game it seemed he would finish his hand even if the sky itself were to fall. She was silent for two long seconds, then pushed up her glasses with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the universe.

“Yes,” she said, her expression unreadable. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

March 7th leaned in close to Chen, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. “Wow, are all the people from the Divination Commission this… free-spirited? He made an appointment with us, and he’s still playing mahjong?”

“Maybe… this one is just a bit special,” Chen whispered back, suppressing a chuckle. After all, he’s a firm believer in the philosophy of ‘balancing labor and rest.’

Caelus stood quietly to the side, his gaze sweeping across the interior of the card parlor from behind his mask. His attention then landed on Qingque, and he seemed to be observing this peculiar Xianzhou native with detached curiosity.

The game had apparently reached its critical moment.

Qingque’s brow was knitted in concentration, his fingers hovering between several tiles as he muttered calculations to himself. The opponent across from him stared back, his own posture radiating a nervous tension.

Finally, Qingque’s eyes lit up. With a triumphant slap, he slammed a tile onto the table.

“Six of Bamboo!”

“I win! Full Flush, concealed hand, single wait on the pair! Pay up, pay up!” The player across from him immediately pushed over his own tiles and roared with laughter.

Qingque stared at the other man’s winning hand, let out an agonized “Ah!”, and furiously scratched his hair. “Just one tile short! Your luck is way too good today!”

Grumbling, he briskly pulled out his wallet to settle the score.

After the transaction was complete, Qingque finally let out a great, stretching yawn. He stood up from his chair, not forgetting to wave to his fellow players.

“Alright, the balance of labor and rest ends here! Time to get to work!”

His face slid back into its usual lazy smile as he turned and ambled toward the four members of the Astral Express crew waiting patiently at the door.

“Sorry for the wait, sorry for the wait!” he said, cupping his hands in a traditional, if somewhat casual, greeting. His gaze scanned the four of them, finally landing on Ms. Welt, who clearly seemed to be the leader.

“This must be Ms. Welt Yang, correct? And you are the friends from the Astral Express. A pleasure to meet you all!” he announced. “I am Qingque, a humble diviner from the Divination Commission. I was ordered by Lady Fu Xuan to await your arrival.”

His words were polite enough, but the relaxed, almost boneless vibe of someone who had just finished a satisfying game hadn’t quite worn off yet.

“Mr. Qingque, thank you for your trouble,” Ms. Welt replied with a nod. “May I ask what arrangements Grand Diviner Fu Xuan has made for us?”

“Right, right, easy enough!” Qingque made a welcoming “this way, please” gesture. “Lady Fu Xuan has already prepared for the inquiry at the Divination Commission’s headquarters. If you’ll please follow me, we can head over now.”

As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over Chen again, and that vague sense of familiarity resurfaced. He quickly dismissed it, assuming he just had a good memory and had probably caught a fleeting glimpse of the young man somewhere in the crowded city. Official business was more important right now; he had a job to do.

Chen met Qingque’s passing glance with a perfectly calm expression, but inside, he was howling with laughter.

Kid, you never saw this coming, did you? The little ‘Xuan Fu’ who scared you out of your wits earlier and the upstanding member of the Astral Express standing before you now are the very same person!

Of course, he only dared to gloat about this in the safety of his own mind.

“Thank you for leading the way,” Ms. Welt said, her tone formal.

With a leisurely pace, Qingque began to lead the four of them toward the main grounds of the Divination Commission. He still hadn’t quite gotten over the money he’d lost to ‘Xuan Fu,’ and he began muttering under his breath.

“Sigh, my luck is really rotten today. How did I end up running into such a little swindler…”

“Oh? A little swindler?”

Chen’s ears perked up instantly. A perfectly timed, gossipy smile bloomed on his face as he took a couple of steps to close the distance between them.

“Mr. Qingque,” he asked, his tone one of innocent curiosity, “someone swindled you out of money? Here, in a place like the Exalting Sanctum? Who would have the guts to swindle someone from the Divination Commission?”

Qingque was already feeling a bit down, and seeing someone strike up a conversation—someone who seemed quite sharp and was, for some reason, strangely pleasing to the eye—he suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to vent.

“Isn’t that right! It happened just now, not even that long ago!” he exclaimed, gesturing emphatically, a look of pure exasperation on his face. “A little brat, only about this high, with pink hair, who puts on a dead-straight face to imitate Lady Fu Xuan! She pretended to be some new Apprentice Diviner named Xuan Fu!”

He threw his hands up. “She had me completely fooled! Tricked me into playing tiles with her… and in the end, she won every single coin I’d earned today!”

The more he spoke, the more frustrated he became, especially when he recalled his own trembling, cowardly state as he had actively fed her winning tiles.

“The key is, when I went back and checked the registry, there’s no such person! Don’t you think that’s infuriating?” He turned to Chen, his eyes wide, seeking validation. “Little brother, you tell me! In this day and age, have swindlers gotten this arrogant? They even dare to impersonate the Divination Commission!”

Chen was about to explode with joy, but he fought hard to keep his expression straight, arranging his features into a mask of deep sympathy mixed with a hint of righteous indignation.

“Whoa! That really is too much! To dare use the name of the Divination Commission and swindle money! That’s fraud on top of impersonation! Mr. Qingque, you didn’t take her down on the spot?”

“I… I was fooled at the time!” Qingque scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish, before puffing out his chest. “But next time! Next time I run into her, I’ll definitely show her what for! I’ll win against her until… cough, anyway, I can’t just let it go!”

He had almost blurted out, I’ll win against her until she cries and calls me master. Fortunately, he slammed on the mental brakes just in time. After all, he had to maintain some semblance of an image in front of these outsiders.

“Yeah! Absolutely! You can’t let that kind of little swindler get away with it!” Chen nodded vigorously, his expression radiating an “I’m with you” solidarity, while he was already doubled over with laughter in his heart.

You actually want a next time? Well then, I’ll just have to find a good opportunity to put on another performance for you.

March 7th, who had overheard their exchange, blinked in surprise. He leaned over and whispered to Caelus, “Wow, the Xianzhou has swindlers, too? And they even scammed the Divination Commission? That’s really bold.”

Caelus’s expression was hidden by his mask, but he turned his head slightly, indicating he was listening.

Having vented his frustrations, Qingque felt a bit better. Remembering the task at hand, he quickened his pace. “Cough, let’s not talk about that. It’s just a mood killer. This way, please. The Divination Commission is just around the corner. Lady Fu Xuan should be waiting for us.”

Chen smacked his lips, a hint of lingering interest in his eyes, but he knew when to stop. He fell back into a serious, professional traveling posture.

Only the slight, irrepressible smile playing at the corner of his mouth betrayed his excellent mood.

Scammed someone, checked their icon, listened to the victim’s personal venting session, and even stood in solidarity with him… he thought with immense satisfaction. This experience is a perfect ten out of ten!

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]