If the hostile forces in the underworld knew, they would cry out in disbelief.
'Who are you shielding from the wind and snow?'
'Zero?'
'Are you sure you don't mean some human who just happens to share the Marshal of the Xianzhou's name?'
'That Zero is a walking disaster!'
'He's the source of every blizzard!'
Unfortunately, whether it was those hostile forces that had long since turned to dust and now wandered the universe, or the three people present, none of them could know Jingliu's thoughts.
Zero subconsciously reached up and gripped his collar.
If Hua were here, that would be nice.
He would smile and say to Hua, "Look at her, then look at you."
One sentence would be enough to turn Jingliu down, easily define their relationship as that of elder and junior, and completely draw the line between them.
Zero weighed his words over and over before ultimately saying nothing.
He put on a flawless smile, nodded lightly to Jingliu, then turned his gaze toward Dan Feng.
The one who had caused the two of them to meet again began, for the first time in a long while, to question his own decision.
'Why did I give Jingliu those storybooks?'
The High Elder, who had always been admired by both his people and his subordinates and had never known frustration, couldn't help sighing inwardly.
His expression remained unchanged as he led the other three toward the pavilion by the lake.
By the time they arrived, a thin layer of snow had settled over them.
The moment they stepped into the pavilion, Jingliu had barely raised her hand when she saw the Marshal quickly brush the snow from his shoulders and shake the snow out of his hair.
Dan Feng fell into thought.
In his eyes, having attendants help dress someone or tie up their hair was perfectly normal.
But the Marshal wasn't used to attendants waiting on him.
The attendants at the Marshal's residence had never had the chance to attend to him personally.
Yet if one of his subordinates clung to him and said a few nice words...
The Marshal would never refuse.
But this time...
Even after Jingliu had confessed her feelings...
The Marshal's reaction was simply too strange.
Was he still that decisive, crownless emperor?
The High Elder quickly reached a conclusion.
There's hope.
Those storybooks weren't wasted.
Just then, the jade communicator in his sleeve vibrated repeatedly.
Dan Feng turned away. While shaking out his sleeve, he slipped out the jade communicator and opened the chat app.
One chat was the work group for Luofu's senior officials.
The other was the private group for the Vidyadhara High Elders.
Dan Feng skimmed through them.
They were discussing the same thing.
People from the Marshal's residence had arrived.
When the Marshal reached the Luofu, he had already brought quite a few people.
Why had another group of guards arrived?
Was this the Marshal's order? A test for them?
Or did the Marshal's residence simply not trust the Luofu and act first without informing them?
Everyone had their own guesses and voiced them in the work group.
'Don't worry, General Tengxiao! We absolutely won't drag the Luofu down!'
———
Meanwhile, the High Elders' group chat had completely abandoned its usual style and was flooding the chat with stickers.
[Dragon Kitty Screaming.jpg]
[Lord Marty has arrived at the Luofu!]
[We'll finally get to meet Mr. Marty...]
[Shall we all go welcome him? @Imbibitor Lunae]
[Yeah, talk it over with General Tengxiao. Let's all go together.]
Dan Feng turned his head, looked at Jingliu, then at the Marshal.
Immediately afterward, another message arrived.
[Tengxiao: Come to my residence]
Dan Feng tapped the screen to reply to Tengxiao, then switched back to the private group to decline the other High Elders.
[No need. I'll go.]
He first put the jade communicator back into his sleeve, then furrowed his brows and turned around with a troubled expression.
Zero: "..."
'No way.'
'Dan Feng, you're not trying to leave me alone with Jingliu, are you?'
His eyelid twitched. Smiling without any warmth, he asked, "What? Something urgent?"
Dan Feng looked apologetic and nodded.
Marty was the Vidyadhara's benefactor.
How could that not count as a major matter for their entire race?
Unfortunately, their benefactor had no interest whatsoever in wealth and disliked social occasions. Whenever he had free time, he ran off to the Yaoqing.
The High Elders could only briefly meet Marty during gatherings or when visiting the Marshal.
This time, the Marshal had come to the Luofu to attend the Martial Ceremony, so naturally Marty had come as well.
Dan Feng knew that once Marty arrived, the two people before him would hardly have any chance to be alone together.
So he only told half the truth, saying there was an important matter concerning his people.
The Marshal smiled faintly and glanced at Jing Yuan, who had been standing beside Dan Feng like a decoration.
Dan Feng remained perfectly calm.
'What excuse should I use? General Tengxiao?'
'No.'
'This was the Luofu, not a battlefield. Why would Tengxiao go out of his way to find Jing Yuan?'
'It couldn't involve the Luofu.'
'Then it could only be Jing Yuan's family matters...'
The High Elder forced himself to make up a lie for Jing Yuan.
Life really was unpredictable.
It wasn't that they intended to neglect the Marshal.
How could it happen to be such a coincidence?
Dan Feng sighed as he spoke.
Only after he apologized repeatedly did the Marshal finally relent.
As if granted a pardon, Dan Feng hurried away with Jing Yuan.
Behind him, he heard the Marshal first praise Jingliu for taking in such a fine disciple, then express concern that the young Cloud Knight was still too young to handle his family affairs.
The implication was that Jingliu should leave with them and help her disciple.
Jingliu replied, "I have something more important to do."
Dan Feng instinctively wanted to turn around and see the Marshal's expression.
Fortunately, he held himself back.
Seeing that the Marshal didn't answer, Jingliu smiled.
"Your safety is the most important matter in all the Xianzhou."
Halfway there, Jing Yuan, who had been walking half a step behind Dan Feng, suddenly stopped.
He stammered, "Brother Dan Feng..."
"Master... Master really wants to..." pursue that person?
Dan Feng's expression froze.
'Wait.'
'How does Jing Yuan, who's still a minor, know about this?'
'Did he figure it out himself? Is it really that obvious?'
"We'll talk later."
Dan Feng glanced at the time and began introducing the two great figures, whose names had already been written into the history books, who had arrived at the Luofu.
"The Chief Strategist... there's nothing in particular you need to watch out for."
"When you meet Marty, remember to praise the Marshal along with him."
"Remember, you can only praise him. Don't discuss the details of your interactions with the Marshal."
Jing Yuan's mouth twitched.
How had a genius revered throughout the Xianzhou become, in Dan Feng's words, a child competing for an elder's affection, getting jealous and envious?
Considering Marty's relationship with the Vidyadhara, Jing Yuan didn't press for an explanation.
Soon, the two arrived at the General's residence and, under the guidance of a guard, walked down a path they had never taken before.
General Tengxiao wasn't like Dan Feng. He had never cared much about food, clothing, or where he lived.
For example, his residence had originally been a prize he won in a year-end drawing shortly after taking over the Luofu.
It was an elaborate garden estate that required regular maintenance.
Yet Tengxiao only used a handful of its courtyards.
Dan Feng guessed that Tengxiao simply didn't want to waste credits.
Perhaps even the General himself had only seen the entire residence a few times.
They crossed the threshold, passed through covered corridors, and walked by jagged rocks and flourishing flowers.
After who knew how long, the guard led them to the courtyard Tengxiao was using to receive guests.
Once they stepped through the gate, they would meet the two legendary figures from the textbooks.
Jing Yuan subconsciously held his breath.
Dan Feng gently patted the boy's shoulder and walked forward beside him.
The first person they saw was Marty.
The blond young man leaned lazily against the railing.
His head was lowered as he stared blankly at the koi swimming in the pond.
Because of his posture, his curled low ponytail naturally hung behind him.
The next moment, the young man looked up.
His features were deep and well-defined, far more handsome than in photographs. His expression was neither happy nor sad, like a living statue.
His emerald-green eyes held no warmth whatsoever. Even when he noticed Dan Feng and Jing Yuan, his gaze didn't linger before he casually turned away.
Neither of them found that surprising.
They climbed the steps and entered the pavilion.
Opposite General Tengxiao sat a black-haired man.
Tengxiao laughed heartily and took on the task of introducing everyone and easing the atmosphere.
First was Guanliang, the Chief Strategist who had accompanied the Marshal the longest.
His expression was cool as he gave a slight nod.
Next came Marty.
The genius heard his name, but didn't immediately turn around.
He slowly turned halfway, his eyes still fixed on the fish churning in the pond, and casually answered with an "Mm."
A moment later, Marty looked toward Guanliang.
He silently asked him with his eyes.
'When does this end?'
Guanliang cursed inwardly.
'Are you some little kid forced to accompany your elders to social events?'
'It's only been this long, and you're already looking for your dad?'
Unaware of the situation, Tengxiao looked at the trace of worry on the genius's face and assumed something major had happened inside the Institute. He immediately stopped talking.
The corner of Guanliang's mouth twitched.
No wonder Marty and Zero were father and son.
The two of them both had incredibly deceptive faces.
Zero looked gentle, but rarely acted like a normal person.
Marty looked refined and respectable, and every movement was extremely convincing.
Watching him frown now, anyone who didn't know better would think Marty had encountered a crisis capable of destroying the entire universe.
Guanliang ignored him and instead discussed serious business with Tengxiao.
He hadn't come here just to watch his superior's entertainment.
He had come to the Luofu to help Zero out.
Although the Martial Ceremony had consumed countless credits and represented the efforts of hundreds of millions of Xianzhou citizens...
Who could possibly predict what Zero was thinking?
If his superior returned to the Yaoqing, Guanliang would attend the Martial Ceremony in his place.
While thinking this over, Guanliang carefully asked about the temporary guard unit the Luofu had assembled.
He heard Tengxiao mention a familiar yet unfamiliar name.
Jingliu.
Understanding immediately dawned on Guanliang.
So Jingliu was the junior Zero had described as mentally unstable and even in love with him.
Thinking back, Guanliang realized Jingliu's life could be described as smooth sailing.
Not long after entering the academy, she had been chosen by the Marshal of Cangcheng and recommended to the Marshal's residence.
Her swordsmanship was exceptional. She had won first place at the Martial Ceremony three times in a row, forcing the Xianzhou to change the rules.
Now her rank was only one level below Tengxiao's.
'Could it be because of her family?'
Guanliang simply asked about Jingliu's parents.
From Tengxiao, he learned that Jingliu's father had never been absent from raising her.
The couple had loved Jingliu dearly. They both died of old age and were buried in Cangcheng's Forest of Supreme Loyalty.
Guanliang became even more puzzled.
'How strange.'
'How could she fall for Zero?'
Should they temporarily transfer Jingliu elsewhere and move her back after the Martial Ceremony ended?
After calculating Jingliu's age, Guanliang dismissed the idea.
At her age, and having risen all the way to commanding the Cloud Knights, how could she let something like romance affect her work?
He couldn't help sighing inwardly.
If only there were one normal person...
Then he wouldn't have to worry about his superior's love life.
Guanliang almost numbly comforted himself.
Things were already much better.
At least Zero now understood the difference between men and women and no longer did foolish things like visiting a widow and her orphan in the middle of the night.
After thinking for a long time without finding a suitable solution, he simply said, "Make sure postwar psychological counseling is properly carried out."
Especially that Sword Champion.
Make absolutely sure to repeatedly confirm her condition and give her several rounds of counseling.
Tengxiao nodded repeatedly and immediately passed the task to the Alchemy Commission's Cauldron Master.
As he discussed the details with Dan Feng, Marty turned around again and casually asked, "When does this end?"
Tengxiao had only met Marty a handful of times and wasn't familiar with his personality. Hearing such blunt words, his expression froze, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Dan Feng, on the other hand, had long since gotten used to it.
The Vidyadhara had spent over a thousand years trying to grow closer to Marty.
Unfortunately, the genius had always been self-centered.
Aside from research, Marty only used his precious brain while spending time with the Marshal.
As for social etiquette?
Could it bring any benefit to the Marshal?
After thinking for a moment, Dan Feng said that he and the other High Elders wanted to prepare a surprise for the Marshal but had no idea what gift to choose, so after much consideration, they had decided to ask the person who understood the Marshal best, Marty, for help.
Hearing this, Marty's brows relaxed and his eyes lit up.
"A surprise..."
He nodded repeatedly.
"Sure."
Guanliang suddenly felt something was off.
Without thinking much about it, he casually said to Jing Yuan, "Isn't this boring? Go play with Marty."
Jing Yuan immediately understood that Guanliang simply wanted to discuss important matters with the General, so he smiled and agreed.
Once only two people remained in the courtyard, Guanliang declined the physician the Luofu had arranged and, while reviewing his superior's schedule, crossed out every activity that might involve seeing blood or coming into contact with the Abominations of Abundance or mara-struck individuals.
After finishing the schedule, Guanliang began checking the list of Abominations imprisoned by the Ten Lords Commission.
After thinking for a moment, Tengxiao said, "The Arbiter-General has a death row prisoner."
Guanliang's eyelid twitched.
"Shuhu?"
Tengxiao nodded.
The Nameless had always been honored guests of the Xianzhou.
Whenever they arrived, they received the best possible supplies.
The Marshal had left the Astral Express and handed Shuhu over to the Arbiter-General.
Since then, they had gained one more duty.
Checking the potted plants.
An hour ago, the Luofu had received word that the Astral Express would arrive in a few days to attend the Martial Ceremony.
After a moment of silence, Guanliang said, "Why did it have to be at a time like this..."
Why the Luofu?
Why did Zero have to run into them now?
Hearing his tone, Tengxiao assumed he simply disliked the bad omen of the Abominations and agreed, "Yeah, why did it have to coincide with the Martial Ceremony?"
He then asked, "Should we retrieve the Abomination?"
Guanliang shook his head.
Zero had an excellent relationship with the Aeons. The moment they approached the Express, the Aeons would immediately tell Zero.
Wouldn't that just alert him?
Guanliang stood up and let out a long sigh.
"Tengxiao..."
"Do you think the Xianzhou can do without him?"
Tengxiao froze on the stone bench at those words, staring up at him blankly.
Guanliang turned his head toward the koi leaping from the water.
"At his age... he can't handle any kind of shock."
"If anything goes wrong with this Martial Ceremony..."
Guanliang patted Tengxiao on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Then all we can do is..."
"...apologize with our deaths before the Forest of Supreme Loyalty and every generation of the Xianzhou."
After giving Tengxiao that warning, Guanliang declined the manpower he had offered and led the guards he had brought from the Yaoqing to the residence prepared for Zero on the Luofu.
No one stopped him, and he quickly reached the top floor.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a light-colored garment lying on the sofa in the reception room.
It was a Cloud Knight cloak.
Realization dawned on Guanliang.
No wonder.
No wonder Dan Feng wanted to prepare a surprise for Zero.
He'd tricked Marty into helping prepare the surprise so Zero and Jingliu could be alone together.
Guanliang walked through the reception room and continued farther inside.
He found his superior standing by the bar in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Zero wasn't surprised by his arrival. Calmly, he asked,
"What is it? What could be important enough for you to come here yourself?"
Guanliang sat down beside him, suppressing a laugh.
"I came to get you out of trouble."
Zero didn't react. He lowered his eyes to the streets below.
"You obviously came to watch the show."
Rarely getting the chance to enjoy Zero's predicament, Guanliang naturally wouldn't let it pass.
His eyes rolled as he asked, "Don't you know magic tricks? Can't you make things appear out of thin air?"
"So why did you bring that young lady's clothes back this time?"
Zero glanced at him.
"...Otherwise? Should I have put it away?"
'Wouldn't that be even stranger?!'
Guanliang thought to himself, 'You could have just refused her!'
But saying that was pointless.
Getting Zero to refuse someone from the Xianzhou... had lower odds than the Destruction Emanator saving the universe.
Pretending to recall something, Guanliang deliberately picked one condition that Jingliu happened to satisfy.
"Let me think. What was your ideal type again?"
"Someone who sees your glory in public yet understands how hard your life really is..."
"Even the Cauldron Master said the Marshal's pulse is steady. Slaughtering ten thousand Abominations doesn't even tire him."
"See? She even put a cloak on you because she was afraid you'd get cold. How thoughtful."
"And besides, she's quite beautiful..."
Zero frowned.
For once, his expression toward Guanliang turned cold.
"She is a Cloud Knight. A warrior."
"Not a topic for people to gossip about."
Guanliang shrugged.
He was already used to Zero's attitude.
His superior could accept Guanliang joking about him, but he wouldn't allow anyone to discuss the women pursuing him.
Even if it was just a harmless comment, Zero would seriously refute it.
Guanliang couldn't help asking, "So what do you think?"
"Have you never considered... saying yes to her?"
"After getting married, you'd have children connected to you by blood."
Resting his chin on one hand, Zero looked straight ahead toward the Ambrosial Arbor that the Xianzhou researchers had yet to remove.
"I have Marty and Hua."
"As for blood relatives... Mr. Zandar said there's already new technology in the universe."
"With just a tiny bit of blood, you can have a child."
The muscles on Guanliang's face twitched faintly, and his expression became unnatural.
Fortunately, Zero didn't notice.
Guanliang quickly adjusted himself and naturally shifted the topic to the Genius Society.
After thinking for a moment, Zero said, "I think only Mr. Zandar will attend the Martial Ceremony..."
"You'll be responsible for receiving him."
A deeper look appeared in Guanliang's eyes as he accepted the order with a smile.
On the day the Martial Ceremony was about to begin, Zandar arrived at the Luofu as promised.
He wore a wide-brimmed felt hat and a black formal suit. Both his collar and cuffs were adorned with exquisite gemstone accessories.
Without removing either his hat or his gloves, Zandar enthusiastically took the initiative to extend his hand to Guanliang.
"The Xianzhou people are truly too welcoming."
"The artillery fire hasn't stopped the whole way here."
Guanliang's expression remained blank.
When two sides shook hands, the one with higher status and seniority should normally extend their hand first.
Likewise, when a host welcomed guests, it should be the host who reached out first.
After a brief silence, Guanliang shook Zandar's hand.
"You jest."
Faced with a genius who had already reached his own conclusions, Guanliang didn't argue. He merely smiled and said,
"Those were clearly fireworks."
He stepped back a few paces, signaling the Cloud Knights to begin the security inspection.
"Mr. Zandar, please cooperate with our work."
Zandar nodded and voluntarily handed his suitcase to one of them.
"Be careful. Don't bump it."
After the inspection, they boarded the Radiant Arena Ship together and arrived at Zero's lounge.
Zero had been sitting on the sofa. The moment he saw Zandar, he immediately stood to greet him.
The scholar looked him over briefly, then narrowed his mist-blue eyes, set his suitcase by his feet, and, as if performing a magic trick, produced a red party popper smaller than the palm of his hand.
Holding it with both hands, he gave it a quick twist.
Countless colorful confetti drifted slowly down through the air.
Zandar leaned close to his student and lowered his voice as much as possible.
"To celebrate your first date, I prepared confetti for you."
Picking up his suitcase, Zandar continued, "Oh, I also brought a huge Black Forest cake. Would you like some?"
Keeping a straight face, Zero reached up and removed a heart-shaped piece of confetti from his hair.
"...No thank you, Zandar. I don't like cream."