Zero had already expected this.
A regular diviner from the Divination Office simply did not match the famed Swordmaster of the Xianzhou.
Before the expedition, when he held hands with Jingliu in public as the Swordmaster, not many people paid attention.
After people learned about their relationship, at most they would sigh about the difference in status between them, but no one would openly say anything nasty.
Now, Jingliu had become the Emanator chosen by the "Reignbow Arbiter," instantly becoming the focus of the entire Xianzhou Alliance.
Before this, only the Xianzhou Marshals and Generals could receive blessings from the "Reignbow Arbiter." This time, an exception was made for Jingliu.
No one would question the "Reignbow Arbiter's" choice. Added to Jingliu's repeated military achievements, people quickly accepted the new Emanator.
And as Jingliu's lover, Zero was naturally bound to draw attention as well.
People would be shocked, why would the new Emanator choose an ordinary diviner?
And with that came all the doubts aimed at Zero.
Zero, however, didn't mind.
He had always been emotionally steady. None of the outside comments affected him.
Those rumors were, in the end, just other people's one-sided, narrow-minded opinions. They weren't the real him.
But those opinions could clearly reflect the true faces of those who bore him ill will.
Nine times out of ten, it was because their own lives weren't going well.
Besides, apart from people saying he was "living off his partner," there were plenty of humans and non-humans who disliked him or wished he were dead. Was he supposed to go beat them all up one by one? And if he did, what benefit would that even bring him?
Please, it's not like he was the "Hunt" Aeon.
Those people weren't worth his attention at all.
Zero made up his mind to ignore the rumors entirely, and calmly skipped past the topic.
His coworker cooperated perfectly, considerate of Zero's pride. As he listened, he heard this so-called scheming, manipulative man, rumored by outsiders to have used tricks to "cling to Jingliu", chitchatting with him about property on the Xianzhou.
Once they started talking about real estate, the coworker perked up.
"Good thing I bought early. I went ahead and bought eight units."
Zero paused for a second. He thought for a moment, then decided he should at least address the rumors a little.
They had already reached the Divination Office, what if his coworker formed a bias against him and it affected his work environment?
And since the coworker had a bit of wealth, telling him the truth wouldn't count as deliberately showing off.
Plus, the guy had eight units, there might even be something suitable.
Zero asked, "I was actually planning to buy a few more. Are all eight of yours in Luofu?"
The coworker was quiet for a moment, then said, "I only have one in Luofu. The others are spread across the other Xianzhou ships."
Hearing that, Zero gave up.
He'd better search on his own.
The coworker had been half-believing the rumors, but after chatting with Zero, all his misconceptions disappeared instantly.
Come to think of it, the age difference between Jingliu and Zero was right there in plain sight.
A Luofu Swordmaster on the verge of demonic degeneration, and a coworker who had just reached legal marriageable age…
Zero was only twenty. How was he supposed to outplay Jingliu?
If you translated their ages into the lifespan of short-lived species, wasn't it basically saying an eighty-year-old elder was being manipulated by a five- or six-year-old child? Would anyone believe that if you said it out loud?
The coworker couldn't help grumbling in his head.
'Jingliu, you're really outrageous!'
'If you hadn't made contributions to Luofu and then become the Emanator of the "Reignbow Arbiter," you'd probably have people pointing at your nose scolding you!'
'Zero had just reached legal marriage age, and you went and started dating him… and somehow he's the one being called a freeloader?'
'Look at him talking about buying several units at once, how is he living off anyone? It's clearly this fine cabbage being stolen by Jingliu.'
The coworker remembered an old Xianzhou saying, better to tear down a temple than ruin a marriage.
He didn't say much more and teased Zero, "Buying a few more units… what job still needs you to come in personally?"
Zero joked, "If I don't go to work, I'll get too bored. I might start thinking about destroying the universe."
The coworker assumed he was joking and followed up, "Isn't it working every day that makes people want to destroy the universe?"
Zero nodded earnestly, "Looks like the whole universe owes us its gratitude."
The coworker agreed enthusiastically, "You're right. All races, the whole universe should kneel to thank us. To celebrate the fact that we didn't destroy the universe, how about ordering delivery and adding an extra dish?"
Zero handed him his jade tablet. "Sure, my treat. Pick whatever you want."
They enjoyed a paid meal break together, and after finishing the food, the coworker earnestly told him, "You're still young. Whatever you decide, you must think carefully."
Zero nodded thoughtfully and returned to his desk.
Thinking over his coworker's advice, he realized the age difference between him and Jingliu in this life.
Zero didn't care about how others saw him, but that didn't mean Jingliu could ignore it.
In a way, Lan, and the people calling him a freeloader, had actually done a good thing?
Lan made Jingliu an Emanator, and the people insulting Zero focused on him. That way, no one talked about Jingliu's age; they only criticized Jingliu's "too ordinary" lover.
Thinking about this, Zero couldn't help becoming suspicious.
Was the person behind all this just bored? Or did they have another motive?
If they had another motive, then what was it?
Judging from the outcome they seemed to be steering toward, they wanted him and Jingliu to fall out?
With common values, a grown man hearing he's living off a woman might lose his temper, right? Burn with anger?
Were they trying to provoke him? Or use that anger to make him do something to Jingliu?
Zero lowered his gaze and began searching for listings with his jade tablet.
If the other party had another goal… they would probably come to him soon.
For now, he should hurry and do real work.
Zero ignored décor and price, he only cared about location.
He had to find somewhere close to both the Cloud Knights camp and the Divination Office, right?
He scrolled through listings for most of the afternoon and finally found three adjacent units in a suitable area.
Zero decided to follow Danfeng's suggestion, buy them and then tear them down to rebuild.
Luckily, the Xianzhou had a streamlined property process. He didn't need to meet the sellers; the entire transaction could be done on the jade tablet.
All three sellers were incredibly prompt, but when Zero tried to pay, his bank card hit the limit again, and he had to switch cards multiple times in a row.
Zero immediately messaged Hua.
[Zero: Hurry up and remove the limit]
[Hua: Wait until you establish proper values first]
[Zero: …Your imagination really runs wild! I treat you pretty well normally, don't I?]
[Hua: The first time we met, you didn't have a single credit in your pocket and still took me to eat barbecue and drink. We almost got stuck washing dishes in the restaurant.]
Zero, "..."
'You were so tiny, I just wanted to get you something good to eat!'
'Drinking… that's normal! During New Year, adults dip chopsticks in wine and let kids taste a little.'
And besides, he always cleared out places before going outside, forgetting money was expected, wasn't it?
[Hua: After that barbecue, I spent three days in Alchemy Commission.]
Zero, "..."
'So that's why she's so good at grilling things… and why she knows all sorts of strange little facts.'
'Like how you shouldn't eat something too greasy on an empty stomach… or it'll make you sick…'
'So they all came from painful lessons.'
He felt guilty for one second, then urged Hua again to transfer assets quickly.
[Hua: Some of it's already handled. They happen to be in Luofu right now, can deliver it to you.]
[Hua: Do you want to meet them?]
Zero caught her implication.
She was talking about his former subordinates.
Zero paused, then replied.
[Zero: Okay]
Soon, Baizhu, who hadn't contacted him in a long time, sent him an address.
It was a hotpot restaurant near the Divination Office.
Only one person had ever heard him say he liked hotpot.
The result was obvious.
Zero realized he'd guessed wrong.
Baizhu wasn't Hua's person, she was Daiyang's.
Approaching the end of the workday, Zero dug out the autograph Jingliu had left earlier, clocked out early, and went to the meeting place.
The hotpot restaurant had been reserved entirely in advance.
Zero first encountered Baizhu.
The fox-folk girl had shed her usual coquettish, delicate demeanor. Smiling brightly, she took out pen and paper and came over, "Idol, this time, you finally have time to give me an autograph, right?"
Zero hadn't expected that after all this time, Baizhu still wanted his autograph so badly.
He glanced at the paper she handed him, confirmed it wasn't blank, then took the pen and signed for her.
After fulfilling her wish, Baizhu twitched her ears and enthusiastically led him forward.
"Idol, come with me."
She led him upstairs to the second floor and stopped before a private room.
Turning toward him, she said softly, "Idol, we're here."
Zero nodded.
Baizhu stepped back, waved, and smiled. "Idol, see you next time~"
Zero quietly watched her leave until she vanished from view, then finally turned his attention to the closed door.
He took a deep breath, grabbed the handle, and opened it.
Immediately, the two people inside rushed toward him.
Just as one was about to hug him, the other grabbed her by the back of the collar.
It was Chanzhen and Daiyang.
Both wore tearful expressions, staring at Zero with watery eyes.
Zero thought, from General Yaoqing to Xianzhou Marshal, of all the subordinates who had accompanied him through it all, aside from the strategist, only these two were left.
How should one greet daughters after a long separation?
A hug?
But since Daiyang stopped Chanzhen… in her eyes, hugging wasn't appropriate.
Then… should he pat their heads?
Zero raised a hand and placed it gently on the top of the Chanzhen's head.
Daiyang immediately burst into tears.
Zero had no choice but to raise his other hand and rub Daiyang's head as well.
Chanzhen instantly burst into loud sobs and tried to throw herself at him.
Daiyang grabbed her collar again and said sternly, "No! The Marshal has always been pure and self-disciplined! You can't hug him!"
Chanzhen shivered and stopped talking.
Daiyang spoke as though reciting the Cloud Knights's oath, absolutely firm, "And we have a Queen now! Five thousand years! How did we even live through those five thousand years!"
Daiyang declared, "The Marshal might get married any day now! In the future, we might even have a young prince or princess!"
The more Chanzhen listened, the more excited she became. She instantly turned her head, eyes sparkling at Zero.
Daiyang continued, "So we must be even more careful with our behavior! We absolutely cannot let the Queen misunderstand the Marshal's conduct!"
Zero, "..."
What did she mean by "he has always been pure and self-disciplined"? And what did she mean by "we have a Queen now"?
He did have a lover, but they were far from having a little prince or princess, weren't they?
Zero thought of Jingliu's age.
At that age… it was too dangerous. What little prince or princess?
As for the most intimate things lovers could do, they'd have to wait until after marriage, right? He and Jingliu didn't even have the first official stroke of fate written yet.
'Wasn't Daiyang thinking a bit too far ahead?'
Zero let out a long sigh.
They were really impossible to deal with.
———
Not long after the Cloud Knights returned to Luofu, Hua received a message from her subordinate Tengxiao.
He asked whether the item to be repaired by Yingxing was urgently needed.
After she told him no, Tengxiao then asked whether Yingxing needed to report progress to her.
Considering the item's special nature, Hua made an exception and allowed Tengxiao to give Yingxing her communication ID.
Soon after, she received a friend request from Yingxing.
A few days later, Yingxing messaged again.
This wielder who had defeated a long-lived species had quickly cleaned the blood from the sword and reassembled its basic form.
Yingxing took a photo and sent it to Hua.
Hua stared at the photo, searching her memories, and finally remembered the weapon associated with it.
It was the Heavenly Fangs.
The Heavenly Fangs that could revive the dead, which she had only seen once.
In Scalegorge Waterscape, in a cave that could block the Aeons' gaze, that person had once told Hua the conditions for using the Heavenly Fangs.
Only someone with a compassionate heart could wield them.
Hua couldn't imagine that he would actually use this weapon.
He always thought things through thoroughly, never placing his hopes on slim chances. He would only act after making all necessary preparations.
What mindset had he held when he used it?
Had he resolved to die and wanted to do one last thing for the Xianzhou? Or had his reason returned, gambling once to leave himself a final way out?
Hua thought, he always loved win-win outcomes; naturally this action wasn't meant for a single purpose.
If he still retained his reason, then he would certainly honor his agreement with Marty.
He would not break his promise, nor disregard Marty's feelings.
And Marty, who had likely learned the truth through the neutron gun…
Even on the brink of death, he had wanted to protect Marty's pure, scholarly heart.
How could Marty betray that kindness? How could he die? How could he be dead?
Hua thought that whether or not the Heavenly Fangs could still be used, she would not return them to him.
In their past lives, he could work through the night relying on his regeneration. If this blade ended up in his hands again… the consequences would be unimaginable.
Also, she needed her subordinates to go to Cangcheng one more time.
In scientific research, no one could surpass Marty, but they could still uncover clues.
Hua stared at the image on the jade tablet.
'No wonder... no wonder even the "Lord of Eternal Joy" rarely appeared on the Xianzhou.'
The reason was painfully simple.
They feared him.
Feared that tyrant who might return to the stars at any moment.