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After Su Qing's suggestion,
Sushang and Guinaifen also became intrigued.
"Qingque," Guinaifen curiously remarked, "I often see you during leisure time or when I'm performing, but never have I witnessed your professional side."
Sushang nodded, "Me too!"
Bailu, ever straightforward, raised her small hand to ask, "Qingque, do you really know divination? Or have you just been slacking all along?"
[Sparkle: Enjoying this drama.]
[Stelle: The skepticism from everyone!]
"Cough, cough, how impolite!" Qingque protested, "Slacking may happen sometimes, but when it comes to work, I take my responsibilities seriously!"
[March 7th: If Qingque hates work so much, why not just quit?]
[Qingque: Let me share a life tip with everyone.]
[Qingque: The prerequisite for slacking off is having a job, mind you!!]
[Qingque: Without a job, it's no longer called slacking off.]
[March 7th: ...Shocked! How suddenly profound and reasonable!?!]
[Qingque: No work means no money to spend. But finding moments of leisure amidst work—that's truly profiting. That's my way of slacking off!]
[Stelle: Amused, @Qingque, is this your justification for being a freeloader at the Divination Commission?]
[Qingque: Freeloader, indeed! In every evaluation, I consistently meet the minimum standards—just enough to avoid promotion or dismissal!]
[Silver Wolf: ? Master of strategic scoring!]
In any case, considering Su Qing's interest and her friends' skepticism about Qingque's professional abilities, Qingque decided to demonstrate her divination skills.
"Recently, Sushang, have you lost anything?" Qingque asked.
Sushang tilted her head, pondering for a moment. "I think I left one of my hair ribbons here last time, but now I can't find it anywhere."
Qingque said nothing, but her gaze conveyed deep skepticism towards Sushang.
"Aiya! It's not what you're thinking, Qingque!" Blushing slightly, Sushang patted Qingque on the shoulder. "Last time, it was raining when I arrived, so I let down my hair to dry off... Alright, alright, go ahead and demonstrate your divination!"
"Oh, okay."
Qingque summoned her fate disk, made slight adjustments, and then began her calculations.
Su Qing watched with keen interest.
Each Xianzhou's Divination Commission naturally had its own unique style of divination. Naturally, Luofu's techniques would differ from those of Yu Que.
Seated nearby, Guinaifen leaned closer to observe. "Shouldn't we ask Shangshang where she went that day?"
As Qingque continued calculating, she replied, "Well, if we did that, wouldn't it become deduction rather than divination?"
Guinaifen chuckled, "Oh, you've got a point there!"
Everyone fell silent, watching quietly as Qingque performed the divination.
It took some time to complete.
Sushang rested her chin on her hands, while Bailu's tail gently tapped against the chair.
Guinaifen, always one for excitement, found it challenging to remain quiet. With her hand resting on her leg, she shifted uneasily, growing restless.
Su Qing observed silently, taking note of Qingque's techniques and gaining a rough understanding of his skill level.
[Qingque (suddenly feeling anxious): Um, @Fu Xuan, Grand Diviner, you see... Is my divination going alright? I'm not bringing any embarrassment to our Luofu Divination Division, am I?]
[Fu Xuan: ...Just wait and see what Master says.]
[Qingque (becoming more nervous): Ah?!]
As the divination progressed, Qingque's eyes suddenly lit up. "Got it!"
Finally able to speak, Guinaifen exclaimed, "Your tone sounds just like winning a game of mahjong!"
Following the divination symbols' guidance, Qingque pointed in a specific direction. "Sushang, your hair ribbon is most likely beneath that cabinet over there, towards the right side!"
Sushang promptly stood up and followed his guidance. She braced her left hand on her knee, crouched down, reached under the cabinet, felt around briefly, and retrieved something.
With the hair ribbon in hand, Sushang rose to her feet, holding it aloft with delight. "I found it!"
"Wow—!!!" Everyone clapped enthusiastically, expressing their amazement. "Qingque, you're amazing!" "Not bad at all!" "Turns out you really can divine!"
Qingque retorted, "Of course I can! I got into the Divination Commission based on my skills, alright?! But..." He scratched his head. "Honestly, that was quite embarrassing earlier. There was one part where I got stuck for ages, for some reason, before I could continue the divination."
Su Qing pointed at the fate disk before him. "Wasn't it because the position of the third divination symbol was incorrect?"
[Silver Wolf: Alrighty, here's my favorite part.]
[Silver Wolf: Watch closely, I'm about to make my move!]
[Sparkle: ?? How does this involve you, Le? Seriously, what's your connection here?]
[Firefly: Silver Wolf is roleplaying as Su Qing again, right?!]
[Seele (roasting): I can understand Firefly projecting onto her little girlfriend, but why does Silver Wolf keep identifying with Su Qing?!]
[March 7th: Ha ha, maybe Firefly just has more of a girlish heart, while Silver Wolf seems to enjoy playing along more.]
[March 7th: Plus, don't forget, Silver Wolf used to idolize Su Qing greatly—it's natural for them to occasionally identify with her!]
[Stelle: Le, isn't little Silver Wolf treating this like an unbeatable power fantasy novel?]
[Black Swan (smiling): Although we're all watching the same content, each person interprets it differently based on their own perspectives and desires, don't they? ~]
[Bronya: ...Even Black Swan suddenly spoke in such a diviner-like manner!]
"The third divination symbol?" Qingque manipulated the fate disk, initiating a retrospective analysis.
With Su Qing's prompt, she quickly realized the issue: "Oh, you're right! I hadn't noticed that!"
"...Huh?"
At this point, Qingque finally comprehended: "Su Qing, do you also practice divination? And to spot such subtle details!"
Su Qing nodded: "Just a slight understanding."
[Silver Wolf: A little knowledge, huh?]
[Stelle: Classic "just a bit" response!]
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Qingque exclaimed, "Aiya, did I truly embarrass myself then? My divination skills aren't refined; please don't laugh at me, Su Qing."
"Not at all," Su Qing reassured her. "I actually find your approach quite ingenious. In several steps of deduction, you demonstrated thoughtful insights."
He elaborated further on these points.
Qingque felt understood and then suddenly realized, "Su Qing, you clearly know way more than 'a bit'! You're far better than me!"
Recognizing him as a fellow practitioner, Qingque eagerly asked for his opinion on her earlier divination.
Su Qing first praised her efforts before tactfully suggesting that perhaps Qingque could improve by dedicating more time to mastering the fundamentals.
[Stelle: High EQ!]
[Fu Xuan: @Qingque, see that? This is your master's assessment.]
[Fu Xuan: Very talented but lacking effort. Less slacking off and more focus on fundamentals could significantly improve you.]
[Qingque: Heh heh...]
[Being praised by Su Qing brought unspoken joy to Qingque, even if she didn't express it outright.]
[After all, as the former Head Diviner of Yuqiu, Qingque was well aware of the profound depth of Su Qing's divination skills.]
[However, despite Fu Xuan and Su Qing pointing out her shortcomings, Qingque felt there was little she could do about them.]
[To diligently strive in divination and solidly strengthen her foundational skills... would truly be a matter of life or death for her!]
[How could she happily slack off then?!]
The others present were surprised to learn that Su Qing also understood divination.
Sushang reacted most strongly, almost incredulous. "Su Qing, not only are you skilled in cooking and swordsmanship, but divination too? How do you excel at everything?"
Guinaifen looked puzzled, her attention suddenly diverted.
Guinaifen's attention shifted abruptly. "Su Qing knows swordsmanship too? How did you find out, Shangshang?"
"Oh." Sushang, straightforward as always, replied, "I once asked Su Qing for guidance on sword techniques, and he personally taught me."
Guinaifen was momentarily stunned.
"You sly one, Shangshang!" Realizing what had happened, Guinaifen instantly pounced on Sushang, tickling her waist. "And here you told Qingque it was nothing, just look at all the secrets you've been keeping from me!"
[Stelle: LOL, your bestie stole a march on you!]
"Ha ha ha, Little Gui, stop it, oh gosh, so ticklish, you know I can't handle this..." Laughing uncontrollably, Sushang pleaded for mercy. "It's not like that, ha ha, we were only learning sword techniques together. Su Qing is truly exceptional in that aspect... Little Gui, seriously, too ticklish! If you keep this up, don't blame me for retaliating... ha ha..."
The two friends continued their playful banter.
Meanwhile, sitting next to Su Qing, Bailu tilted her small head upwards. "Um, let me timidly ask, do you also happen to know healing and medicine?"
Su Qing shook his head. "Not yet."
Bailu sighed with relief, patting her chest. "Phew, good thing my livelihood isn't threatened just yet!"
[Sparkle: Enjoying this.]
[Seele: Amused.]
[Silver Wolf: "For now, at least."]
Through their interactions thus far, Su Qing had gained a rough understanding of Qingque's character.
Qingque possessed exceptional talent in divination. However, unlike Fu Xuan's diligent nature, she was almost entirely its opposite—Qingque fundamentally disliked exerting effort. Moreover, compared to divination, she seemed to prefer playing cards more.
Back at the Yuque Imperial Divination Bureau, apart from mentoring Fu Xuan, Su Qing often guided other diviners as well. As the Grand Diviner, he couldn't bear to see promising divinatory talents go to waste.
After Qingque put away her fate disk, and Sushang, red-faced and breathless from laughter, recovered from being tickled, they resumed their card game. Su Qing observed the Imperial Jade of the Capital on the table, deep in thought.
Following two rounds of play,
Gathering his thoughts, Su Qing began, "Qingque, I'll teach you a method that allows divination while playing cards."
Immediately intrigued, Qingque exclaimed, "Ah? Really? Tell me more!"
"It's easier to understand if shown," said Su Qing. He reached out and proceeded to shuffle and arrange the Imperial Jade of the Capital on the table.
Qingque blinked, initially puzzled. But after a moment, her eyes widened with comprehension. Indeed, she possessed considerable talent; as she watched closely, she quickly grasped the subtleties.
Su Qing correlated each divination symbol with the individual pieces of Imperial Jade. With this approach, shuffling, arranging, and even drawing cards could simultaneously facilitate divination calculations.
The game was chaotic, using non-specialized tools, so naturally, its divinatory accuracy would be far inferior compared to focused use of a fate disk. However, it proved perfect for practicing the foundational skills of divination!
Qingque promptly slapped the table in admiration, exclaiming, "Genius!" But then, as a thought struck her, her tone shifted to disappointment. "But having to think about work while playing cards...that sounds unbearable..."
"Ah, not quite," Su Qing smiled. "Qingque, consider it from a different perspective."
"You can absolutely play cards while at work! This way, you're slacking off yet still performing divinations—a win-win situation, incredibly advantageous!"
Qingque's mouth gradually widened in awe. "Absolutely..."
Bailu, curious, echoed her sentiment, "Absolutely?"
Qingque sprang to her feet, slamming her hands on the table and exclaiming with delight, "...Absolutely brilliant! Su Qing, you're truly a prodigious genius! Who knew it could be like this?!?"
[Fu Xuan: Master!!!]
[Fu Xuan: What exactly are you teaching Qingque?! How could you encourage her to play cards during work!?]
[Sparkle: ?? Hahahaha!]
[Stelle: ? Bursting out laughing!]
[Seele: Laughing so hard.]
[Sushang: ? Fu Xuan never anticipated his master would side with Qingque, actually instructing her how to slack off at work!]
[Kafka (smiling): Truly unsurprising from him.]
[Bronya: By the way, why isn't Fu Xuan using question marks anymore?]
[Sparkle: He's too happy but dares not use them for his own master, right?]
[Sushang: Well played, indeed.]
[Stelle: Then, hurry up! Qingque, seize this opportunity!]
[Stelle: Quickly cling to Su Qing's coattails—it's your only chance to slack off freely without worrying about Fu Xuan getting upset!]
[Fu Xuan: Qingque!!! ???]
[Qingque: ??? Grand Diviner, you're unjustly blaming me here! I didn't say anything at all!] You can't redirect your frustration onto me just because you dare not anger your master!
[Sparkle: ?? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!]
[Sparkle: In the chat, maybe you didn't say anything, but in reality, your excitement is palpable!]
Divining while playing cards! Could there be such a perfect combination?
Qingque immediately turned to Su Qing and exclaimed, "Kindred spirit! It's truly unfortunate we didn't meet sooner!"
[Jingliu: ?]
[Stelle: Laughing - Jingliu says: Becoming kindred spirits by slacking off, huh?!]
Learning about Su Qing's exceptional divination skills hadn't stirred Qingque before. But now, she was genuinely awestruck.
Feeling incredibly animated, she half-joked and half-seriously bowed, saying, "Su Qing! You're incredible! Why don't you take me as your apprentice?"
[Fu Xuan: ?????]
[Fu Xuan: Qingque!!!!?]
[Sparkle: ?? Red-hot, red-hot!]
[Seele: Laughing - @Qingque, feeling vindicated now?]
[Silver Wolf: Not vindicated? Fully guilty!]
[Qingque: Ah... I... This...]
[Qingque (questioning herself again): Seriously! What am I even doing?!]
[Qingque: Not only do I now have this embarrassing history, but I might also become the apprentice of Grand Diviner's master?!]
[Qingque: It'll be unbearably shameful and surely anger the Grand Diviner!]
[Guinaifen: Qingque keeps digging herself deeper into these pits.?]
[Qingque: Oh no! It's all over!?]
[Bailu: If unsure, just ask—didn't Fu Xuan say they were willing for Qingque to become their apprentice?]
[Sparkle: Ha, Fu Xuan: Just joking around, right? Seriously, can you take it seriously?!]
[March 7th: Look at how clingy Fu Xuan was before? If Su Qing really takes on another disciple, she definitely won't handle it well!]
As for Qingque's half-serious, half-joking request to become his apprentice...
Su Qingze responded with a smile, "Sure, no problem."
"Although I won't have much time here at Luofu, occasional discussions would certainly be fine."
[Even though Su Qing seemed somewhat jesting, Fu Xuan instantly felt threatened.]
[Fu Xuan: Why, why is this happening...?]
[Fu Xuan: Master!?]
[Fu Xuan: Master, ah!!!???]
[Sparkle: ???]
[Silver Wolf: ???]
[Stelle: Stop shouting, Wukong—it's decided, your master will indeed accept a female enchantress as a disciple.]
[Sparkle: Hahahahahaha!!!]
[Firefly: Laughing to death, sheer genius!]
[Silver Wolf: Joyous laughter, absolute madness!]
[March 7th: Well, considering Su Qing taught Qingque divination through the Laid-back Fishing Cult's method, isn't that akin to tailoring instruction based on her aptitude? Doesn't it show quite the demeanor of a master already?]
[Himeko: Absolutely correct.]
[Fu Xuan: Qingque?!?!]
[Silver Wolf: Joyous chaos! One seeking apprenticeship and the other accepting - Fu Xuan must be losing his mind!]
[Qingque: ...]
[Qingque: ...Should I consider taking some time off soon? Whenever I next see the Grand Diviner, I have a feeling it might get dangerous.]
[Stelle: Qingque, you can't do this!?]
[Sparkle: I understand now!]
[Sparkle: Remember when they lamented about how tough being a general is? The likely plot twist could be Fu Xuan sacrificing Qingque to ascend to the position!]
[Sparkle: It seems this prediction might actually come true. ??]
[Qingque: ???]
[Qingque: Why does the possibility of this outcome keep increasing so dramatically?!??]
However.
At that moment, the unsuspecting little bird had no idea what she was about to face.
First, she diligently sought from Su Qing detailed guidance on card divination techniques.
Then, while playing several rounds with Sushang and the others, she practiced these skills simultaneously.
As Qingque left, she felt deeply reluctant.
She glanced back at the small shop—filled with delicious treats, entertaining games, and Su Qing, such a remarkable person!
What a wonderful place! She definitely had to visit often in the future!
[Bronya: It seems like Su Qing's place has truly become a gathering spot for everyone to enjoy.]
[March 7th: I want to join the fun too!]
[Stelle: Me too! Sounds exciting!]
[March 7th: Ever since Su Qing arrived at Luofu, why does he always play alone?! He never includes me or Stelle!]
[Black Swan (laughs): Seems you're thinking similarly in reality as well; you'll be showing up soon.]
[Black Swan (glancing briefly)... Huh? Little March appears to still be in the real world and starting to ship couples now?]
[March 7th: Really? Awesome! Not only more fun but also some shipping material, fantastic!]
[Stelle: So, next...]
[Stelle: When will my favorite Asta arrive? I've been waiting anxiously.]
[Sparkle: Asta is my favorite too.]
[March 7th: Yeah right! You don't genuinely love Asta! You just want to see her suffer!]
[Sparkle: What?! Don't slander me!]
[Stelle: Exactly, how could you say such things, March 7th?!]
[March 7th: Your expressions give it away!]
[Silver Wolf: Enjoying this.]
[Black Swan: (laughs) With Herta's assistance, Asta is beginning to counterattack as well. Underestimating her might lead to unexpected consequences, oh~]