Chapter 153 - There's Nothing That Can't Be Solved by Dying Once
Fu Xuan, or rather, Fierce Flame, saw her expression change. She wanted to refute him, but no matter which of them it was, they could both clearly sense the romantic affection Fu Zhu genuinely held for March 7th.
Seeing Fu Xuan speechless, Fu Zhu leaned close to March 7th's ear and whispered softly, "I'm sorry, little March, for having to say this at a time like this."
"Huh?"
March 7th still hadn't quite processed what Fu Zhu was about to do. But in the next second, she saw Fu Zhu lower his head slightly, his gaze earnest as his eyes met hers.
"March, I like you."
Those six simple words left everyone on the scene with a variety of expressions.
Xing, clutching the melon seeds Huohuo had handed her, couldn't help but clench her fist and let out a low "Ohhhhhhh!"
Sushang, Guinaifen, and Huohuo stared, unblinking, at Fu Zhu and March 7th, their gazes then shifting to the opposing Fu Xuan.
Although they didn't quite grasp the full context, it was obvious this was a dramatic showdown!
A showdown between two Nameless and the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission!
And Qingque, standing in the best seat in the house, directly blurted out a Xianzhou curse.
"Holy hell, the Master Diviner is going to explode now, isn't she? As expected of you, Mr. Fu Zhu, you so easily do what the rest of us would never dare!"
After their initial shock, March 7th and Fu Xuan's faces revealed completely different reactions.
March 7th's face instantly flushed crimson, a shade more vibrant than the setting sun. Meanwhile, Fu Xuan's face darkened, looking as grim as a thundercloud about to burst.
"Fu Zhu, you..." March 7th, like a startled fawn, lowered her head, trying to bury her face in her chest as if that would let her escape reality.
Fu Xuan's expression flickered between anger and confusion, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief as she looked at Fu Zhu.
Seeing Fu Xuan begin to waver, Qingque's eyes lit up. She secretly poked Fu Zhu in the back, signaling him to hurry up and separate Fierce Flame from Fu Xuan's body.
Fu Zhu noticed Qingque's little gesture and gave her a look, telling her not to rush.
Although this matter was troublesome, he had an upper, middle, and lower strategy to resolve it!
The first was to directly use Soul Sand for a forced separation, but he had already tried that and was worried it might harm Fu Xuan.
The second was what he was doing right now: using a factual event to refute Fierce Flame's philosophy and prove that the fate it spoke of was not the only one.
And the third...
Fu Zhu whispered a soft "sorry" to March 7th, then let go of her hand. He took a step to the side, pulled a lava bucket from his inventory, and simultaneously unequipped all the armor he was wearing, storing it back in his backpack.
"Fu Xuan, now, try to divine whether the words I just spoke to March were genuine or not."
Fu Xuan's eyes were filled with turmoil. Even without using the Matrix of Prescience, she could see that Fu Zhu was being serious. Yet, despite this, she stumbled over her words, trying to deny the reality of it.
"No... you, you're just acting, just trying to shake my heart..."
Fu Zhu shrugged and didn't deny her words, which gave Fu Xuan a flicker of hope.
But Fu Zhu's next sentence plunged her heart into the abyss.
"That might be a possibility, but if the future you foresee doesn't include me, is it still the 'fixed' future you speak of?"
Fu Zhu raised his hand and poured the bucket of lava directly at his own feet. His health bar began to plummet, and the rapid drain of life forced a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.
Although he was a bit frustrated by the phenomenon caused by the fusion of reality and MC, at this moment, it was perfectly helping him execute the upper strategy of his three plans!
Since Fu Xuan foresaw that he was her fated person and would spend the rest of his life with her, then if he 'died' right now, would this fate still hold true in her eyes?
Not many people knew he could resurrect. Jing Yuan and Dan Heng would surely keep his secret, and Fu Xuan had had very little contact with him during this period, so she certainly didn't know he could respawn.
"Fu Xuan, wake up. Fate is not fixed. The moment you and I make a choice, our fates change. Just like today, I chose to come to the Divination Commission to wake you up."
After saying this, Fu Zhu waited for the lava to deplete his last bit of health. He would then respawn at the inn, text Xing, and have her press the now-wavering Fu Xuan's hand onto the Soul Sand.
By then, separating Fierce Flame should be easy. Besides, he had seen that Huohuo, a judge from the Ten-Lords Commission, had come with them. She surely had a way to seal a Suiyang.
So, he didn't need to worry about Fierce Flame possessing someone else after being separated.
However, just as Fu Zhu was waiting to die, two soft, warm hands grabbed his own from either side. He turned his head and was stunned to see both March 7th and Fu Xuan.
They had actually stepped into the spreading pool of lava to grab his hands.
"Fu Zhu, get out of there!" March 7th's face was wincing from the searing heat, but she stubbornly kept using her power to shield both herself and Fu Zhu.
Fu Xuan, on the other hand, directly activated a matrix formation at her feet, diverting the vast majority of the damage all three were taking onto herself.
Although the intense pain made her brow twitch constantly, she held on, determined to pull Fu Zhu out of the lava.
"Are you insane? To go this far just to wake this one up... Don't joke around with your own life!"
The moment Fu Zhu heard Fu Xuan use the pronoun "this one" again, he knew she had completely awakened. He quickly let them pull him out of the lava.
Xing, appearing from who-knows-where with a bucket of water, promptly doused the lava, turning it into a block of obsidian.
After dragging Fu Zhu out of the lava, an infuriated Fu Xuan stood with her hands on her hips, looking up at him.
"You... you idiot, are you mad! To do something like that! What if this one hadn't woken up? What would you have done then!"
Fu Zhu took out two golden apples from his inventory and stuffed one into each of their hands, then gave Fu Xuan a playful wink.
"But you're awake now, aren't you?"
Fu Xuan took the golden apple, stunned for a moment. Her face then reddened slightly, and she turned away with a huff.
"Don't misunderstand! Th-this one was woken up by your sheer stupidity, not because of... of anything else!"
Fu Zhu shrugged, not refuting her. Instead, he sincerely thanked them both. "Thank you, March, and you too, Fu Xuan."
March 7th knitted her brows, her hands on her hips as she glared at Fu Zhu and complained, "Who just decides to kill themselves like that! What do you take yourself for! Don't you ever do that again!"
Fu Xuan also wanted to lecture Fu Zhu in the same manner, but the moment she met his gaze, she quickly averted her eyes again.
"Hmph, don't get the wrong idea. This one just doesn't want an important benefactor of the Luofu to die in the Divination Commission. It would affect this one's future campaign for the general's seat. But this one must also remind you of one thing: if you die, you truly lose everything. Don't do something so absurd ever again!"
"Alright, I get it. Thank you both for your concern."
"Th-this one wasn't concerned about you! I was just... just echoing what Miss March 7th said, that's all!!"
Watching this scene unfold, Qingque, who stood off to the side, couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.
"Indeed, a Master Diviner who can't speak a single heartfelt word in a whole day is the normal Master Diviner. Now that's more like it."