Dan Feng walked out of the restaurant feeling that this meal had not only wrecked his taste buds, but also wrecked his spirit.
After thinking it over, he concluded that he needed to find someone to accompany him for another meal.
'Yingxing and Jing Yuan, yes, it would be you two.'
As for why not Baiheng?
The reason was simple. First, the five of them ran into each other on the battlefield all the time.
Second, the fox-folk's social circle was far too broad.
On the small side it covered all of Luofu; on the large side it covered the entire Xianzhou Alliance.
Rounded up, that meant the whole universe.
The Sea King's friends were far more than just Dan Feng and the others.
The rest had finally waited for Baiheng to return to Luofu, how could they possibly not roll out the welcome carpet for a fox-folk?
Dan Feng had excellent execution. He immediately took out his jade communicator to send both friends a message, but only Jing Yuan replied.
A dragon and a man met at a well-reviewed restaurant.
Jing Yuan, drooping like a wilted plant, picked his dishes.
He and Yingxing had made a bet on the battlefield, wagering when they would return to Luofu.
Who could have guessed Yingxing would nail the answer on the first try, delivering Jing Yuan a massive blow.
He really didn't want to call Zero "Master-Granduncle".
Thankfully, Yingxing wasn't like Dan Feng; he didn't make things difficult on purpose. Seeing how resistant Jing Yuan was, he didn't insist further, and the bet dissolved on its own.
But Jing Yuan still refused to give up. He kept thinking about that weapon of his that hadn't been forged yet, and specially went to find Yingxing during his break, wanting to hurry him along.
He was brushed off yet again.
The moment he stepped out of the Artisanship Commission, he saw Dan Feng's message and rushed to the appointment.
With Dan Feng, Jing Yuan said whatever came to mind.
After ordering his dishes, he handed the menu to Dan Feng and started complaining about the Commission and Yingxing, "Is the Artisanship Commission seriously that busy? Yingxing just got back to Luofu and he's already rushing work again…"
"When I went there, he was actually preparing to head back to his dorm! I thought red rain was about to fall from the sky, that he was finally willing to get off work on time, but nope, turns out he just pulled an all-nighter and never went home to sleep!"
"And who knows when that weapon of mine will finally be done… maybe the Year of the Monkey…"
While circling the most expensive items on the menu, Dan Feng casually asked, "If he's making Baijie work overtime like this, it must be some amazing weapon. Next time you go to the frontlines, things might be easier."
Jing Yuan shook his head. "Doesn't look like any new weapon. If it were new, how could a Cloud Knight like me even see it? Just a wooden box, maybe it's some rare material."
Dan Feng understood instantly.
'It must be the item the Marshal had given to Yingxing.'
The dragon lord found himself sighing at the way Yingxing seemed hell-bent on outworking every Xianzhou native.
He'd worked 9-9-6 on the battlefield, and now that he was back on Luofu, he'd switched to 0-0-7. He might as well have stayed on the frontlines.
Dan Feng recalled his earlier plan.
He'd originally wanted to hire eight people to take care of Yingxing's daily life, but Jingliu and Jing Yuan stopped him.
Since he couldn't hire caretakers for his friend, he would simply treat him to more meals.
Or perhaps have his own clansmen cook meals and deliver them to the Artisanship Commission cafeteria for the staff to pass along.
After finishing the menu and handing it back to the server, Dan Feng sighed, "I wonder how many nights Yingxing will have to pull all-nighters again this time."
Jing Yuan sighed with him.
After they finished talking about Yingxing, Jing Yuan asked, puzzled, "Why did you come out to eat today?"
This wasn't right. When the dragon lord returned from the frontlines to Luofu, he should have been eating luxurious feasts for at least a month… so why was he eating outside?
Dan Feng's mouth twitched. "Don't bring it up. That last meal was… indescribable."
A meal that truly made a dragon lose interest in food.
Jing Yuan didn't get it. He just assumed Dan Feng had eaten with the Dragon Master and been angered enough to storm out.
A flash of insight struck Dan Feng, he remembered Jing Yuan's relationship with the Marshal.
He couldn't be sure when Zero regained his past-life memories. If it wasn't earlier… then Jing Yuan should know quite a lot of the Marshal's embarrassing history, right?
Dan Feng kept his expression steady and asked, "By the way, you and Zero are friends, aren't you?"
At the mention of that person, Jing Yuan's expression instantly changed, becoming the very picture of "too complicated to describe." "…Yes. What about it?"
Dan Feng took an unhurried sip of tea. "You two are a few years apart. How did you meet?"
Facing the question, Jing Yuan sighed and told Dan Feng what had happened the first time he and Zero met.
Dan Feng used all his strength to control his facial expression.
The moment he heard Zero was bullied, he understood.
At the beginning, the Marshal had no memories.
With how deeply that person doted on the Xianzhou natives and children, he would never let children court disaster like that, he would have controlled the situation early.
Joking aside, those subordinates were not gentle types. After that funeral, their methods became even more extreme.
If Zero had possessed his full memories back then, he would have known that.
As for the sealing talisman that Jing Yuan got in exchange for one patrol dagger, the one that could seal the "Life-Calamity Plague Mark"…
That really was a free gift.
Perhaps it had to do with Jing Yuan's behavior. He had loved reading storybooks since childhood; stepping in to help someone was perfectly normal.
Faced with an honest, upright Xianzhou youth, even without memories, the Marshal wouldn't harbor dislike.
Why did the Marshal regain memories of his past life?
Given how proud and controlling he was, how could he tolerate living an entire life muddle-headed and ignorant?
As for the memories… it must have been a deal between the Marshal and "Fuli."
If that entity could command the "Reignbow Arbiter," rounding up, it could also make a deal with the Aeon of Memory.
Dan Feng considered it and found no flaws.
If it was that person, no matter how difficult or inconceivable, it could be done.
The Marshal was the type to blow up a mountain if he met one, to drain a sea if he came across one, removing any obstacle by any means necessary.
As long as you weren't an enemy of the Xianzhou, you could be entrusted with his full trust.
And that person would never mistreat their own.
After hearing about Zero being bullied as a child, Dan Feng ate with great interest, so much so that he had an extra bowl of rice, and rushed to pay first after the meal.
Jing Yuan protested, "You've treated me so many times. This time I should treat you!"
Dan Feng refused without hesitation.
Jing Yuan wasn't even twenty yet. He was hundreds of years away from financial freedom, of course Dan Feng had to pay.
Jing Yuan asked, "Then when can I treat you?"
Dan Feng paused, choosing his words carefully, "After you achieve financial freedom."
'At the very least, you'd need nine digits, right?' That was the pocket change of his savings; only that level could be called financial freedom.
Jing Yuan, "…"
He didn't even bother asking what exact number that meant.
A dragon lord's idea of "financial freedom"… he didn't need to imagine it. It was something he would never achieve in this lifetime. Damn rich dragons.
Dan Feng said goodbye to Jing Yuan and returned to his residence. After bathing, he lit some sleep-aid incense again. His head hadn't even touched the pillow before his jade communicator vibrated.
He picked it up, it was a message from Zero.
[Dan Feng, are you asleep?]
Dan Feng, "…"
'Yesterday it was Jingliu. Today it's you.'
'The two of you really are a match made in heaven!'
Dan Feng originally planned to ignore the message, but his hearing was sharp, he faintly picked up sounds outside the courtyard. He quickly put on clothes and headed out.
As expected, Zero had arrived uninvited, carrying several bottles of liquor, already seated at the stone table.
Dan Feng's feelings were complicated. After sitting down, he asked, "How about I ask the attendants to make a few dishes to go with the wine?"
Zero shook his head, looked at Dan Feng across from him, and said, "I came to ask you something. If I want to give someone an apartment, what size is appropriate?"
Dan Feng understood immediately.
He was planning to give Jingliu a property.
The dragon lord didn't think it strange at all that Zero, after dating for just over a month, had decided to gift real estate.
To people who had a bit of wealth like them, buying property was as simple as eating or drinking water.
He didn't think the gift was strange. What he thought strange was that Zero had come to him for advice.
Who consults others for something as simple as eating or drinking?
Dan Feng recalled the Marshal's five-thousand-year record of remaining single.
He guessed the Marshal was the type who moved step by step and followed a set order.
The property definitely wasn't meant for them to live in together; nine times out of ten, it was meant for Jingliu alone.
Considering that Jingliu would be the only occupant, Dan Feng answered, "At least a thousand square meters. Anything smaller isn't worth buying."
His own private treasury contained properties with thousands of square meters; how could the Marshal buy something smaller than that for Jingliu?
Zero suddenly found himself stuck.
He had originally planned to do what he did when buying peonies before, Dan Feng said a number, he removed one zero.
But a thousand square meters… how was he supposed to remove a zero? Jingliu's current residence was already over a hundred square meters.
Zero thought for a moment and reluctantly accepted Dan Feng's suggestion.
"You're right. It's just that I looked around today and couldn't find anything suitable. Most are only a few hundred square meters."
Dan Feng didn't care. "Then buy several and tear them down to rebuild."
Zero, "…You're right."
A truly unexpected approach.
Dan Feng naturally picked up one of the bottles Zero had brought, opened it, and poured wine.
He casually asked, "What made you think of giving her a property?"
Zero fell silent for a moment.
At first, he hadn't planned to give property.
It was just that when Jingliu said she'd leave everything to him, he immediately thought of the clothes she wore, those clothes that didn't match his aesthetic at all.
Zero didn't appreciate Xianzhou women's clothing, it always felt a little strange to him.
'As Jingliu's lover, picking clothes for her wasn't a problem, right?'
Of course, he wouldn't force his own aesthetics on her.
Half of the clothing would be bought according to her taste, half according to his.
Thinking like that, his thoughts drifted from clothes to interior decoration, and from decoration to the residence itself.
In the end, he decided, he would simply replace Jingliu's entire home.
As for whose name to put on it, temporarily his own. Jingliu's signature had better uses.
After all, each signature could be exchanged for a star-destroyer battleship or a vacation planet, why waste it on a Luofu apartment?
So after his search for housing failed, he went to Dan Feng for the dragon lord's opinion.
Facing Dan Feng's question, he could only say, "At first, I only wanted to pick out a few outfits."
Dan Feng, "…"
'As expected of a Marshal who always plans ten steps ahead!'
No wonder his thought processes were something normal people like him couldn't understand.
'How did you go from clothes to property?!'
Dan Feng didn't understand, but remembering the Marshal's highly unstable mental state, he didn't think further.
If he could understand the Marshal, he'd probably be close to madness himself.
The dragon and the man chatted idly, finishing half the wine before long.
Suddenly, Dan Feng asked, "What are you planning? Considering her age, you need to be extra mindful."
Facing the Marshal, Dan Feng chose his words with great caution.
Said nicely, it meant "be careful." Said bluntly, it meant things didn't look good.
People Jingliu's age would long have fallen into demon-yin form by now.
Zero drank a small sip and went silent.
There were many ways to extend life, such as that divine heart he could still use once more.
"Always together, live and die with one's beloved"…
Words like that were easy to say during romance.
He had wondered whether he should use the divine heart.
But he didn't want to repeat past mistakes.
He didn't want to kill someone dear to him again, with his own hands.
Zero heard himself say, "According to Jingliu's own wishes… naturally, it would be a peaceful life, free of illness or hurt, dying of old age, buried in Loyal Everforest, receiving the incense and admiration of future generations."
Dan Feng was silent for a long while before saying, "As expected of the Marshal."
He knew the Marshal kept public and private matters separate, but he hadn't expected that even for his lover, he would not break that rule?
Then again, it made sense. A Marshal who led the Xianzhou people for five thousand years must have long grown used to death.
If he broke precedent even once, when would the Xianzhou ever know peace again?
Speaking of life and death, Dan Feng couldn't help thinking of comrades who had died to abominations.
One moment they were laughing with him, insisting they'd never get injured again and wouldn't need his healing arts.
The next moment, they were dead on the battlefield.
Those hard-to-eliminate abominations… truly detestable. When would they all be wiped out?
Dan Feng sank into his thoughts until Zero's voice pulled him back.
Zero stared at his dim, lifeless eyes and subtly reminded him, "Do you remember? My first encounter with the Dragon Lord of Illumination was here on Luofu."
Dan Feng nodded calmly.
He looked at that smile on Zero's face, a smile that made it impossible to tell his true emotions, and followed his words, "Yes. It was in Luofu that we and the Marshal formally established our pact."
The pact stated that the Illuminated Dragons must never betray the Xianzhou Alliance; in exchange, the Xianzhou would spare no effort to help the dragon clan.
Dan Feng lowered his gaze. He knew Zero was knocking on his door, giving him a warning.
Otherwise, why bring this up?
Zero chuckled lightly, refilling Dan Feng's cup. "Come, drink a few more with me."
Dan Feng drained the cup in one go.
Both knew that some things didn't need to be spelled out too clearly.
If spoken too clearly… what difference would that be from tearing their relationship apart?
Cup after cup, he drank with Zero. Seeing that Zero still wasn't showing any signs of drunkenness, Dan Feng muttered, "…Marshal's capacity is absurd."
Zero propped his chin on his hand and chuckled. "Truly drunk? Then why don't you bring out your tail and let me see it?"
Dan Feng, "…"
Even with all his good upbringing, he couldn't help feeling like cursing.
Drunk and overwhelmed, he slumped slowly toward the stone table. He heard Zero sigh and complain, "What, were you raised as some precious young miss of a great family? Why won't you even show your tail?"
Dan Feng, "..."
Right before losing consciousness, Dan Feng had only one thought.
'Yubie, this is your dearest friend?! Your filter must be way too thick!!'
When he woke up the next day, he was still beside the stone table in his courtyard.
Dan Feng, who lived a life of luxury, had been forced to spend the whole night being chilled by the courtyard wind.
He gave a cold laugh and immediately told the attendants to bring Yubie's wine.
Dan Feng knew he couldn't outdrink Zero.
But thousands of years of winemaking weren't for nothing.
Last time, Zero only got drunk because he drank Yubie's wine.
Dan Feng waved a hand. "Send it to Jingliu's residence."
Let Jingliu deal with him, he never wanted to drink with Zero again.
———
At the same time, at the Divination Commission's archives, after failing to see Dan Feng's tail, Zero returned home and took a bath.
Once he washed off the smell of alcohol, he arrived early at the archives. Seeing his colleagues hesitate as if wanting to speak, he went over to chat with them himself.
After chatting for quite a while, they finally revealed the truth.
It was a rumor concerning Zero.
They phrased it tactfully, "The high-EQ version is… your face is very pale."
Zero thought, how amusing.
He nodded and openly said, "The low-EQ version is that I'm living off Jingliu."