"The waiter isn't the important part."
Yingxing rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"If Dan Heng's companions saw that... what would we do?"
Just as he finished speaking, Yanqing walked over to their stone table, carrying the sword he had just bought.
He had just come from the training grounds and was breathing heavily.
After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he greeted them one by one.
"General."
"Uncle Yingxing."
The five of them had watched Dan Heng grow up, so taking care of Yanqing came naturally to them.
Jing Yuan picked up one of the four cups of fruit tea in front of him, pulled out the straw, and poked it through the lid for Yanqing.
After spending some time at the Alchemy Commission, Yingxing had gotten into the habit of carrying disinfectant wipes, tissues, and similar items with him.
He pulled out a tissue and handed it to Yanqing.
The two of them watched with gentle expressions as Yanqing slowly set his sword on the stone table before wiping away his sweat and drinking his tea.
Jing Yuan picked up a cup of fruit tea, looked at the remaining two cups, and said, "Yingxing, you can drink both of these."
Baiheng was on annual leave and traveling, so only the four of them were on the Luofu.
Counting Yanqing, five cups of fruit tea should have been enough.
When Zero passed by the drink shop, it happened to be running a promotion.
No one could resist the temptation of the second cup at half price.
Not even Zero.
He hadn't considered how many people there were. He had only wanted the discount.
Yingxing didn't refuse and took the remaining fruit tea.
Jing Yuan asked about the details of Jingliu's spar with Yanqing. The more he listened, the more he couldn't help sighing.
"Master is really playing favorites."
Yingxing clicked his tongue.
"Is this... grandparents spoiling the grandkids?"
After thinking about it, he felt it was perfectly normal.
After Jingliu perfected her swordsmanship and earned the title of Sword Champion, she invited Jing Yuan to join her team, and from then on, she had a disciple.
His friend always said she didn't care about passing on her skills and was willing to teach anyone.
But when she came across someone as talented as Yanqing, how could she not favor him?
It was the same as how Yingxing had felt before.
He hadn't expected Dan Heng to be exceptional. Graduating was enough.
But when Dan Heng graduated from the academy with a score close to perfect, Yingxing had still been happy.
Yanqing drank more than half his fruit tea in one go, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Master, why did Great Master..."
Before he could finish, Jing Yuan had already guessed the rest.
Zero spent all his time fishing, causing many people to look down on him as the Sword Champion's spouse.
Even Yanqing, who was still young and met Jingliu every so often, had heard plenty of gossip.
"You want to ask about her and Zero?"
Yanqing nodded.
He hesitated before saying, "Uncle Zero told me he fell in love with Great Master at first sight. He chased after her for a long time before she finally agreed."
Jing Yuan and Yingxing exchanged a look.
Both of them wore amused expressions.
'Well done, Zero.'
'Teasing kids every day wasn't enough for you...'
'Who would've thought you'd spread rumors behind everyone's back?'
Sure, they knew he wanted to protect Jingliu...
But who could resist watching this unfold?
Yanqing continued, "But Great Master told me she was the one who pursued him first."
Jing Yuan understood immediately.
Yanqing was still young and wasn't good at hiding his emotions.
Everything he thought was written plainly on his face.
His master could naturally see through him at a glance.
If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have bothered explaining, much less sharing details of her private life.
But when it came to Zero, everything was different.
She had deliberately used class time to tell a junior about her past with Zero.
As Jing Yuan thought about it, he suddenly realized that he and Yingxing had just been fed another round of affection from those two.
Rubbing his forehead helplessly, he said to Yanqing, "Your Great Master is right."
Yanqing's eyes widened.
Jing Yuan smiled.
"You think they don't suit each other?"
Yanqing shook his head hard.
"No. I just... can't imagine someone like Great Master... actually..."
Yingxing suddenly felt a little guilty.
He remembered the plan that he, Dan Feng, and Jing Yuan had prepared for Jingliu.
They had simply taken every "man pursues woman" trick and switched the genders.
They had been proud of it at first, but later realized it had too many flaws.
Fortunately, it worked in the end.
Otherwise, Jing Yuan wouldn't have been the only one sparring with Jingliu.
Jing Yuan, sitting beside him, couldn't bring himself to say words like love in front of Yanqing, so he vaguely replied, "I guess this is fate."
"When fate arrives..."
"Nothing is impossible."
Yanqing only half understood, but he still nodded politely.
After resting for a while, he picked up his sword and showed Jing Yuan what he had learned that day.
Around dinner time, Jing Yuan kept the two of them at the General's residence for a meal.
After eating and drinking their fill, evening fell.
Sitting alone in the pavilion, feeling the breeze, Jing Yuan took out his jade abacus.
After polishing his words in his head, he immediately began reporting the matter.
Stoneheart Dreambody: Master, Zero has been spreading rumors about you behind your back.
He said he fell in love with you at first sight and chased you for hundreds of years. You finally gave in and agreed to give him a chance.
His master didn't reply right away.
Jing Yuan thought back carefully.
Looking back at every step those two had taken...
It really felt like destiny.
Almost every step had been the right one.
They had met at exactly the right time.
When Jing Yuan was young, there were two people he admired most.
One was General Tengxiao.
The other was the Vidyadhara High Elder, Imbibitor Lunae.
Back then, Jing Yuan treated Dan Feng, whom he knew better and saw more often, as his role model.
As time passed, he came to admire both of them even more.
When Jing Yuan truly became the General himself, he had no interest in romance.
Not to mention Zero, who had been Marshal at the time and carried even greater responsibilities.
If Zero and his master had met earlier...
They would never have ended up together.
What if it had been the Diviner and the Cloud Knight?
Jing Yuan thought the chances were just as tiny.
When he was in his teens, he had earned military merit through his intelligence.
If he hadn't been surrounded by once-in-a-millennium geniuses, his ego would probably have reached the sky.
What about his master, who had been young and at the peak of her fame?
Without the plans the three of them had made for her, how could she possibly have lowered herself and pursued Zero?
And with Zero's personality, even if he liked his master, he would never have taken the initiative!
Even if they stretched things to the extreme and assumed Zero had pursued her...
If this were a novel, it would probably take millions of words before they even held hands.
Zero looked easygoing.
You could chat with him about anything and tell him all your troubles.
But if you wanted him to sincerely open up on his own...
That was incredibly difficult.
Zero lacked nothing.
Anything he wanted, he could have.
Anyone qualified to meet him was outstanding.
As long as Zero was present, he naturally became the center of attention.
People surrounded him and never let the atmosphere grow awkward.
Because of that, his standards for relationships became extremely high.
The moment he felt even slightly uncomfortable, he would immediately distance himself.
Before you even realized what you'd done wrong, you'd already been quietly added to his blacklist.
Only the Diviner and the Sword Champion truly suited each other.
The Diviner had finally put down her burdens and could finally live for herself.
Finally...
Love someone.
His master had been an unexpected variable.
Their roles had reversed.
The one who used to protect others had become the one being protected.
For Zero, that had to be a very unusual experience.
By now, he had long grown used to his master's protection and even looked for her first whenever something happened.
Jing Yuan chuckled.
It just wasn't very friendly toward him.
He was already the General.
He already had a disciple.
Yet his master still wanted to spar with him...
Fortunately, Zero had left behind evidence this time.
Otherwise, how could he enjoy watching the fun?
Jing Yuan patiently waited. He left the pavilion for his study and began reading tomorrow's case files ahead of time.
After finishing one stack, his master finally replied.
[Master: I know.]
On the other side of the jade abacus, Jingliu raised an eyebrow and looked up at Zero.
Wrapped in a bathrobe with a towel over his head, he was sitting by the bed.
Jingliu lifted the blanket, walked over, and hugged him around the waist from behind.
"Well now."
As she spoke, her warm breath brushed against his shoulder and neck, which were covered in bite marks.
"You actually dared to twist the truth behind my back."
Zero asked softly, "What happened?"
"I heard you fell in love with me at first sight?" Jingliu narrowed her eyes and pretended to be unhappy. "You chased me for hundreds of years? Why don't I remember that?"
"My mistake."
Zero smiled softly and placed his hand over hers around his waist.
"This time, I'll be the one chasing you."
Jingliu was surprised, though she didn't show it.
"And how do you plan to chase me?"
Zero searched through his memories.
He only remembered that every step of courting someone had to be done properly.
Holding hands, hugging, and other actions all had to be asked for first. Only after getting permission could you move on to the next step.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Flowers?"
Jingliu rejected it immediately.
"You already give me flowers every week."
"Clothes?"
Her gaze shifted toward the walk-in closet that had long since been filled.
"Every season, you have someone deliver the newest styles."
Zero found himself at a loss.
"Then... weapons?"
Jingliu sighed.
"Do you remember the antiques we received when we got married? Our house can't even hold them all. Many of them are still in the Luofu Museum."
Zero sighed along with her.
"So what should I do?"
Following his words, Jingliu remembered the strategy their friends had prepared for her.
"Cook me a meal?"
Zero froze for a moment before smiling.
"Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"
Jingliu deliberately lowered the difficulty of pursuing her.
"Instant noodles."
Huawei had assigned the two of them a dedicated team to take care of their daily lives.
Part of that team was responsible for their health.
Whenever needed, they prepared meals, planned exercise routines, and regularly arranged health checkups.
Instant noodles naturally weren't part of their diet.
There weren't any at home, so Zero took out his jade abacus, opened a food delivery app, and handed it to Jingliu.
"See what you want."
"Let's... finish this quickly."
"If the head chef finds out, he'll be heartbroken."
Jingliu tapped the screen a few times, ordered two servings of instant noodles, and placed the order.
"Mm. We'll throw them away after we're done. They can't find out."
The noodles arrived soon after.
The two of them went into the kitchen.
Zero started cooking them.
Jingliu leaned against the island behind him.
"I remember you took a baking class before."
Without stopping what he was doing, Zero opened the noodle and seasoning packets.
"What dessert do you want?"
"I should warn you, I only know how to make chocolate, egg tarts, and cookies."
"Then chocolate."
After thinking for a moment, Jingliu tried provoking him.
"At least it won't upset my stomach."
To her surprise, Zero didn't take the bait at all and answered immediately.
"Alright. I'll make chocolate another day."
Jingliu pressed her lips together and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Lord Sword Champion, right now..."
"I'm pursuing you."
Zero looked down with a smile at the hands around his waist.
"What are you doing?"
Jingliu: "..."
'What?'
He wouldn't even let her touch him?
Did they have to sleep in separate rooms tonight too?
She couldn't help asking, "So when are you going to confess?"
Zero smiled.
"The internet says people can never find the perfect moment to confess."
"You have to wait until the other person asks first."
Jingliu lowered her eyes.
When she looked up again, she already had an idea.
Looking at Zero's back, unable to hide the smile on her face, she softly asked, "Ask what?"
The noodles hadn't fully softened yet.
Zero stirred them with his chopsticks.
"You should ask..."
"What are we now?"
Jingliu patted his shoulder, signaling him to turn around.
Zero put down the chopsticks and obediently turned around.
The first thing that greeted him was the familiar scent of the same shampoo they both used.
Jingliu wrapped an arm around his neck and whispered into his ear, "I love you."
Other people might think the one who spoke more sweet words, or the one who gave in first, was the loser.
But why should lovers care about winning or losing?
Why compete with each other?
Jingliu didn't care who said "I love you" more often.
She cared even less about who gave in more times.
Sometimes, a single look was worth more than countless love words.
Zero's eyelashes trembled slightly.
He wrapped an arm around Jingliu's waist and leaned down to kiss her.
The next moment, Jingliu raised a hand and gently pressed a fingertip against his lips.
The corners of her lips lifted.
"What are you doing?"
"You're the one pursuing me."
Zero frowned in pretend distress.
"Lord Sword Champion is so domineering. You only allow yourself to..."
"That's right."
Jingliu interrupted him without hesitation.
"You're the one pursuing me. Everything has to go my way."
Zero's gaze lingered briefly on her moving lips before taking half a step back.
"Alright, alright. I'll do everything your way."
Following Jingliu's request, he finished cooking the instant noodles.
After they ate, she pushed him down onto the bed in the bedroom.
———
Jingliu couldn't hide the smile in her voice.
"Now..."
"You can ask that question."
Zero looked uncertain.
'Which question?'
'The one I'm thinking of?'
Not entirely sure, he asked, "...What are we now?"
Jingliu pinched his cheek and smiled in satisfaction.
"The pursuer and the one being pursued."
The next day, the four of them had a video call.
Baiheng wore a strange expression.
"I mean... they're basically an old married couple."
"So why is Zero suddenly courting Jingliu?"
Jing Yuan looked completely confused.
"What are they doing?"
Yingxing frowned.
"Did they have a fight? That doesn't seem right."
The corner of Dan Heng's mouth twitched.
"I don't understand."
"And I don't want to."
Just as he finished speaking, someone knocked on the Archive's door.
Dan Heng spoke a little faster, "Anything else? My companion is calling me."
The other three said goodbye.
Dan Heng ended the call and opened the door.
Stelle stood outside, holding the long-range controller with both hands, looking completely devastated.
"Dan Heng..."
"I'm dead."
Dan Heng fell into thought.
According to the game's setting, the Empire was the strongest force.
Stelle's character was one of the Empire's top officials.
How had she died?
He couldn't think of an answer.
"What happened?"
Stelle let out a long sigh.
"I tried to assassinate the Emperor."
"And got killed instead."