The experience with Jingliu that night, was unforgettable.
Even if Zero were to fall into Mara, he probably still wouldn't forget.
If possible, Zero really wanted to put on the watermelon-bar special effect, make a video and ruthlessly complain about this swordmaster who was obsessed with swords.
He had even thought up the caption for the video.
Family, who understands, sending a drunk friend home, only to be forced to spar with her for three hours straight…
A full three hours. That directly maxed out a shut-in's entire year of exercise.
What can you say, worthy of being the Luofu Swordmaster.
He couldn't withstand more than three moves from her hand. No matter how tightly he held the sword in his hand, it would be easily knocked flying.
During three full hours of sparring with Jingliu, he was either picking up his sword, or on the way to pick it up.
It left Zero completely exhausted.
As a clerical worker, the last time he did such high-intensity exercise was probably during school physical exams…
Luckily Jingliu had shown mercy. Other than his clothes suffering, he didn't get a single wound.
His clothes were cut ragged by sword qi. When the wind blew, his whole chest and back felt cold.
If he went out wearing this, he'd either be mistaken for a beggar and given coins, or dragged to the Alchemy Commission by the Cloud Knights as a lunatic…
This sparring didn't end until Jingliu herself collapsed first.
The swordmaster, under the double debuff of drunkenness and fatigue, finally fell asleep.
Hearing the faint sound of her breathing, Zero let out a sigh of relief.
Good thing she slept. Otherwise he would've had to keep slashing.
Thinking of all the cases where people got choked to death by drunks, he didn't care about privacy anymore, picked up his coat from the ground, dusted it off, wrapped it around Jingliu, and carried her into her residence.
The interior decor was very similar to the courtyard.
High EQ, it had a kind of minimalist beauty.
Low EQ, it had nothing but furniture.
Other than necessary furnishings, there was nothing else.
Fortunately, the pillows and bedding in the bedroom were all complete.
Zero took off the coat he had wrapped Jingliu in, casually pulled out a blanket, and adjusted her sleeping posture through it.
After making sure that no "Swordmaster dies from drunkenness" incident would happen, Zero wrapped himself in his own coat, and bolted home at after-work speed.
Zero was numb.
The world did not deceive him.
All that shyness, ambiguity, it was all an illusion.
Jingliu's earlier actions had made him feel cramped, nervous, even made him mistakenly think she liked him.
The sparring afterwards woke him completely.
Like him? Impossible.
Who spars hand-to-hand with their crush?
What kind of iron straight girl would even do such a thing…
It was like finally asking your crush out, only to take her to an internet café date, then solo-kill her dozens of times, cheerfully spawn-camping her. Just as absurd.
Swordmaster, terrifying as always.
Even drunk, every move was engraved into her DNA. Like programmed code, her reflexes alone were enough to wipe out enemies.
No wonder it was Jingliu who became Swordmaster.
At the same time, Zero also felt deep respect for Jingliu's other drinking buddies.
They probably also got forced to practice sword quite often.
When he got home, Zero pulled out the jade tally, only to be bombarded with endless messages.
He automatically ignored the work group, and first opened Jing Yuan's chat box.
Jing Yuan had sent over a dozen stickers of cats beating people up.
Scrolling up, he finally saw the text.
[Jing Yuan: Zero]
[Jing Yuan: This might be the last time I call you that]
Zero didn't understand.
[Zero: ?]
Unexpectedly, Jing Yuan wasn't asleep either, and immediately replied.
[Jing Yuan: ...]
[Jing Yuan: Where are you right now?]
Before Zero could finish typing, another message came.
[Jing Yuan: Forget it, I don't want to know.]
Zero, "..."
'Don't want to know but you have to. Do you know what I just went through for three hours?!'
He really wanted to complain to Jing Yuan about his master.
If it had been Baiheng, he would've taken ugly photos, recorded videos, and used them to blackmail her for a meal. Neither of them would've minded.
But with Jingliu… this was too awkward.
Zero thought about it, and in the end chose more tactful wording.
If it was Jing Yuan, he would surely understand the hidden meaning.
[Zero: Just got home, dead tired. Your master is really amazing.]
[Jing Yuan: ...]
Jing Yuan's status showed "typing" for a long time, but no message came.
[Zero: Worthy of being called a Swordmaster. This is my first time seeing someone get drunk and then practice sword with others, and not even stop once they start…]
[Jing Yuan: You really deserve to die]
[Jing Yuan withdrew a message]
Zero watched as he retracted it.
He was scolded for nothing. Anger rose, but because of his exhaustion, it quickly dissipated.
He couldn't get angry. He simply couldn't.
He felt like a 996 overworked corporate slave, like a worker endlessly satisfying a client's unreasonable demands, like a supermarket butcher who had slaughtered ten tons of fish.
He had no emotion left, typing mechanically.
[Zero: Afterwards she sparred with me for three hours]
[Jing Yuan: ... Are you alright?]
Zero looked at his torn coat, and the shirt underneath that looked indecent, then typed again.
[Zero: I'm okay. Not hurt. Just scrapped one shirt.]
Jing Yuan was very surprised, sending several emojis in a row.
[Jing Yuan: Wait, you're saying, you sparred with my drunk master, it lasted three hours, and came out without a scratch?]
Zero, "..."
Judging from Jing Yuan's reaction, something seemed wrong? Didn't Jingliu hold back?
[Jing Yuan: My master is vicious when drunk… even Lord Dan Feng would struggle to last three hours.]
[Jing Yuan: Before, when I asked you to spar, you always said you had no talent in martial arts. Who knew, you were hiding your skills!]
[Jing Yuan: You're not still trying to play the "ordinary person" card, are you?]
Zero, "..."
Zero angrily typed.
[Zero: Is that the point? I'll beat you up!]
[Jing Yuan: Alright, once you show your full strength, let's spar.]
[Zero: ... Not talking with you. I'm going to ask the Diviners for leave, need to rest a day.]
[Jing Yuan: You didn't check the work group… Tomorrow a big shot is coming to Luofu, don't you dare skip work!]
Zero, 'Whatever big shot… not to mention a general or marshal, even if the Arbiter General herself came, she couldn't stop him from taking leave!'
[Zero: Doesn't matter. I can skip.]
[Jing Yuan: ...]
If being a "shut-in" didn't contradict the ordinary person act, he wouldn't need this job at all…
Zero searched for a leave-request template on his jade tally, copied, deleted, edited, and sent it to the Diviners.
Then, he tossed his tattered shirt into the trash, dragged his exhausted body into the bath.
After a quick wash, Zero, with wet hair not even dried, collapsed into bed.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a massive figure suddenly appeared in his mind.
It was like an indescribable thing, cast from ice.
Its facial features were strangely carved, sharp and chiseled, but blurred and indistinct, with a crown of bead curtains on its head.
It said nothing, only stood there.
The next second, it vanished.
———
In an unknown corner of the universe, a pitch-black humanoid with a gaudy mask laughed.
Aha, "You won't talk to him because you're afraid of being called a riddler, right? Hahahahahahahahaha... "
The massive figure crowned with ice said nothing, but suddenly conjured two Light Cones.
Aha laughed as he leaned closer. But after seeing them, he instantly fell silent.
"No matter past or present, he always refuses to become your envoy. This time too, he might still choose 'The Hunt' instead."
Seeing Aha speechless, Fuli looked at the two Light Cones and continued, "Do you remember? The 'Joy' of the Windmoon place. The tears that 'Joy' shed."
"Only he could make the Aeon of Elation become amusement."
Aha paused a moment, then burst out laughing again, "Interesting, so interesting! I think you could be the Aeon of Elation too!"
Fuli ignored him, vanished instantly, leaving only Aha in place.
Behind the mask that hid whether it was laughter or sobbing, Aha muttered to himself, "My dearest friend, hurry and remember."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰