That hand, capable of easily lifting a sword weighing three thousand pounds, was now lightly, gently covering his eyes.
Zero didn't react for a moment.
Jingliu deliberately softened her strength, as if what she was covering under her palm was something incomparably precious, something fragile enough to break at the slightest touch.
Following her lead, Zero closed his eyes.
Maybe his eyelashes brushed against Jingliu's palm and fingertips, because her hand trembled almost imperceptibly.
When sight is lost, the other senses become sharper. Zero could clearly hear the sound of a sharp weapon slicing through flesh, followed by a heavy thud not far away.
The crowd that had been scattering and screaming suddenly fell silent.
The demonic shadow had already been dealt with.
Just as Zero was about to stand and open his eyes, Jingliu unconsciously pressed down a little, still covering them.
"Don't look."
Her tone no longer carried the casual ease it had when they were chatting earlier.
Zero's instincts told him something was wrong.
Her voice sounded… strange somehow.
He thought about it from every angle but couldn't figure out why.
Jingliu paused for a moment, then continued, "Wait until the people from the Ten Lords Commission arrive."
Squatting on the ground, Zero struggled a bit. "Okay, I won't look, but can I at least change positions?"
Jingliu agreed and released her hand from his eyes.
Zero kept his promise, he didn't open them. Feeling around with one hand holding the snacks and the other tugging on Aha's collar, he slowly stood up and turned around.
Jingliu was right in front of him, close enough that he could smell her faint, cool scent, a scent that made him feel at ease.
When he opened his eyes to look at her, he noticed her expression had turned cold.
Zero knew Jingliu well. Sometimes, she just couldn't help but show that aloof expression.
He fumbled through the snacks he had stashed away, trying to shift her attention.
Before he could take them out, Jingliu spoke.
The Swordmaster, her face cold, deliberately softened her tone and said to him, "It's alright now. It's over."
Zero instinctively raised his head. At that moment, it felt as if his senses had been stripped away, he couldn't hear any noise around them, only the sound of his heart skipping a beat.
Jingliu repeated herself, as though to comfort him, or maybe murmuring to herself, "It's over."
Zero opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Maybe something like, 'With Swordmaster here, what's a little demon shadow to worry about?'
He thought of many words to praise her with, but right now, his intuition told him, don't say anything.
Instead, Zero took out a neatly wrapped dessert, opened the package, and handed it to Jingliu.
"Eat something first."
Jingliu said nothing, simply accepted it and took a small bite.
Soon, people from the Ten Lords Commission arrived. Their footsteps were quick but light, and they efficiently handled the fallen Xianzhou citizen who had turned into a demonic shadow.
One of them noticed Jingliu and took the initiative to greet her.
Seeing this, Jingliu quickly handed the dessert back to Zero and walked toward the person.
Zero's gaze naturally followed her. He saw her and the Ten Lords member step aside, away from the crowd, seemingly talking about something.
He guessed they were discussing the incident that had just occurred.
Jingliu had helped the Commission deal with the demon shadow, so of course she'd need to report the details.
Retracting his gaze, Zero caught Aha watching him from the corner of his eye, smiling faintly, but not kindly.
Lowering his eyes, Zero forced his expression into calm and asked, "What is it?"
Aha shook his head, sounding completely sincere. "Nothing. I'm just very happy."
At once, Zero's heart sank.
Aha looked at his dear friend and took in the flawless, unreadable expression on the other's face.
He sighed inwardly, realizing that Zero still didn't trust him.
Aha had lied to Zero countless times, but this time, this one time, he was telling the truth.
Yes, he loved to watch drama, loved misunderstandings born from coincidence, loved laughter born from absurdity…
But he also loved the goodness humans showed when trapped in extreme hardship.
Once human himself, even after becoming a Aeon, he still couldn't help being drawn to the humanity that revealed itself in struggle.
He had climbed the Tree of Existence, seen the essence of the cosmos, and when he saw a newborn crying, he laughed again.
As for Zero, the man he had tormented and been tormented by for thousands of years… he was special.
That particular human constantly brought him amusement.
Well, except when the man died.
Even as the Aeon of "Joy," Aha could only ever become the joke itself when facing Zero.
How could he describe this man?
Aha couldn't think of the right words. He could only say that if Zero ever became the Aeon of "Joy," Aha would gladly hand over his throne.
Then, once again, Zero's hand pressed mercilessly against the back of Aha's neck.
Without changing expression, Zero shoved a handful of patrol tokens into Aha's hand and ordered him to buy out the snack stall, and torment his believers while he was at it.
Aha stared at him for a moment, then broke into a bright smile and said softly, "Goodbye, dear friend."
Zero answered perfunctorily, "Goodbye." He opened his system map, waited until Aha was gone, then turned his gaze toward Jingliu.
She had finished talking with the Ten Lords Commission and was walking back toward him.
Still silent, Jingliu parted her lips as if to say something, then, noticing that the "child" from earlier was nowhere in sight, asked, "Did that kid find his family?"
Zero's face didn't so much as twitch as he nodded.
He didn't want to talk about Aha anymore, so he said instead, "It's getting late. Let me take you home."
Surely, along the way, he'd figure out why she seemed upset.
So he thought, but to his surprise, the entire walk back, Jingliu looked perfectly calm, as if that earlier flicker of emotion had been nothing more than his imagination.
When they reached her door, Zero handed all the snacks to her.
The white-haired beauty's lips curved slightly; her voice carried a soft hint of laughter.
"So thoughtful," she said. "If you ever have someone you love, you'll probably be even more attentive, won't you?"
Zero smiled faintly, not with flirtation, but with sincerity.
"I'll do everything I can," he said, "to teach her everything I know, to let her live freely and unrestrained."
Even if one day she wanted to leave, he would be able to let go with peace of mind.
Of course, he couldn't imagine why Jingliu would ever want to leave him.
People often use 'until the seas dry up and the stones crumble' to describe eternal love. For him, that vow would probably have to be changed to 'until the stars burn out.'
In this life, Zero had no intention of leading the Xianzhou to ascend to a higher dimension.
It was just habit, he always prepared for the worst.
Even if it was an ending he didn't want to see, he would still find a way to make that ending as perfect as possible.
Jingliu's striking beauty was, in fact, the least important of her many strengths.
This Swordmaster was never a delicate flower that needed protection, never a blossom grown in a greenhouse.
Let others think of him, Zero, as a control-obsessed egotist if they wanted.
No matter how he reasoned with himself, he still couldn't quite put his heart at ease.
He knew, Jingliu was the Swordmaster, a warrior of immense power, someone who had seen life and death on the battlefield, possessing a spirit both strong and unyielding.
In the Cloud Knights, Jingliu was highly valued by her superiors, and in her leisure time, she could drink under the moon with close friends whose personalities were completely different from hers.
Even without Zero… she would still live just fine.
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