If there were no Zero, then judging by Jingliu's life trajectory, her future could be easily predicted.
The Swordmaster of Luofu, renowned for her brilliant military achievements, would leave behind a dazzling mark in the history of the Xianzhou.
Future generations, flipping through the old archives, would cross a hundred or even a thousand years of time and be awed by this astonishingly talented Cloud Knight.
Generation after generation of Cloud Knights would remember this Swordmaster named Jingliu.
They would remember that she was a spirited, glorious hero of the Xianzhou who had achieved countless merits.
She wielded a divine weapon forged by a close friend, slaying monsters time and time again for the Xianzhou. She was close friends with four other prodigies, and was worthy of every word of praise she received.
Zero drew back his wandering thoughts, his gaze settling on Jingliu.
Her expression was blank with surprise, as if she hadn't expected him to say what he just said.
Zero's tone was light; he smiled and said, "After all, fortune-telling for others pays pretty well. Even if you leave me, you won't starve."
Jingliu looked straight at him and sighed.
"I used to not understand what Yingxing meant," she said. "Now I do, you're too easy to fool."
Zero was a diviner, employed in the Divination Commission because of his skills. How could someone like him so easily teach what he was best at to another person?
And why did he always imagine the worst possible scenario in advance?
Just as Dan Feng had said, he would keep testing again and again, and she would have to affirm him again and again.
It was like dealing with a cat that had been hurt too many times, constantly showing kindness, hoping to win its trust little by little.
How truly, terribly insecure he was.
Zero shook his head and said, in a tone full of meaning, "It's not like just anyone can trick me."
"Alright then, go on home."
He urged Jingliu gently, handed her the bag of cat supplies he had prepared, and watched her enter her house before turning to leave.
As Zero quickened his pace, he began to mentally review his assets.
No matter how things turned out, he had to make sure Jingliu had enough credit points.
Maybe he should just give her one of the most profitable resort planets? Oh, and the star-destroyer fleet…
As for a colossus, did Luofu even have one? He didn't know. He'd have to ask Hua.
Thinking along those lines all the way home, he took a shower and scrubbed his hands over and over again.
After his bath, with his hair still damp and a robe around his shoulders, he took out his jade terminal, transferred some credit points to Yingxing first, and urged him to speed up progress.
Then he started a voice call with Hua.
As for whether she was asleep… how could a young person like her possibly be asleep?
He was several thousand years old and missing half his memories, and he wasn't sleeping, so why should Hua be?
The call connected.
Hua's tone was irritated. "Should I be grateful that you didn't call me at one or two in the morning?"
Ignoring that, Zero asked, "Other than those resort planets, do I have any other assets?"
Hua replied, "You also have antiques, jewelry, and paintings temporarily on display in the Xianzhou Museum…"
Zero, "…"
Wasn't that way too high-profile? Even if he took them out, people would probably think they were fakes.
He pressed on. "Anything a bit more low-key?"
Hua sounded confused. "Why are you asking about your assets all of a sudden? I remember you've got plenty of credit points in your account. Even if you spent a few billion a day, it'd still last you hundreds of years."
Zero fell into thought.
Technically, Hua was his successor, the one who inherited the Xianzhou Alliance. Shouldn't she also have a share of his assets?
She had always been straightforward when transferring credits, maybe she just didn't care about material things.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm planning to give some of my assets to Jingliu."
Hua didn't sound opposed, if anything, her tone held disbelief, mixed with surprise and delight.
"So fast? You… already told her the truth?"
"No." Zero answered immediately. "There's no need to tell her."
Hua fell silent.
She knew Zero too well. Once he decided something, he rarely changed his mind.
She understood his worries, how he feared the consequences of revealing everything, how he dreaded that Jingliu would treat him differently after learning about his past.
But… hadn't he already suffered enough in his last life?
He had given everything for the Xianzhou, and now, even after finding someone he loved, he was still hiding his true thoughts, still lying.
Yes, the two of them loved each other sincerely. But if everything was built on lies and pretenses, then what?
Later, when they grew closer and love grew wild like untamed grass, every lie Zero told would become an unbridgeable crack between them.
And when the lies were finally exposed, how would Zero face Jingliu then?
He always viewed everything objectively and rationally. Even after Hua had told him many times, he still couldn't shake off the thinking habits of several thousand years.
Rather than yearning for sweet, everlasting love, Zero preferred to savor the present moment. He didn't believe anyone could accept him completely, and he would never stop preparing for the worst.
Hua, who still possessed a normal person's sense of morality, knew that what he was doing was wrong. She should tell him to be honest.
But facing Zero, she couldn't say it.
There was no use trying to persuade him.
She opened her mouth several times but, in the end, only said, "If you don't want to stay in Luofu anymore, go find Tengxiao."
Zero paused, then said with irritation, "What, are you afraid I'll scare your subordinates? Am I really that unwelcome in Luofu?"
Hua could only sigh helplessly. She knew he understood what she truly meant.
If the worst really happened, then leave Luofu. Go somewhere else.
Just like in his past life, when he had foreseen his own emotional collapse and left the Xianzhou early.
He had always found it hard to reject others' kindness. Whenever he heard something emotional, he'd feel uncomfortable and instinctively change the subject.
So Hua followed his lead and dropped the topic, switching to talk about the assets instead.
"If you don't want to draw attention, but still want to transfer assets to Jingliu, then it'll take some time to process."
As one of the Xianzhou's most overworked corporate elites, Hua couldn't help sighing at the sheer amount of work involved.
"We'll need to have everything inventoried first, then have the lawyers draft transfer contracts to move them back into your name, only then can they be transferred to Jingliu…"
Zero asked, "How long will that take?"
"About three months. The transfers can be completed gradually during that time."
Zero was shocked.
"Three months? Why so long?"
"You really underestimate yourself," Hua said in a weary tone. "Just the inventory and contracts alone will take a month. If you want to draw attention, one month would be enough."
Zero, "…Fine, take your time then."
He hung up, still half-wet from his shower, and went to bed.
When he woke up, washed up, and went to the archives at the usual time, he sat down at his workstation and opened his jade terminal.
Right away, he saw a message from Jingliu.
[Jingliu: Do you want to learn the sword? If you do, I'll come find you every day at five. How about that?]
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