Aha was stunned for quite a while before stammering out, "Dearest friend, is this the welcome ceremony of our long-awaited reunion? Too passionate, I really cannot withstand it…"
Zero, furious to the point of laughter, was overwhelmed by rage.
As the saying goes, judge deeds not intentions.
The Masked Fools and Aha had stirred Xianzhou into a total mess, then afterwards handed out sixty billion.
No matter what schemes the other side was harboring, judging only the outcome, this money had indeed resolved Xianzhou's urgent crisis.
Consider it all written off.
In fact, Zero had even thought, if the other side only wanted to seek some harmless fun that would not affect Xianzhou, he would be happy to accompany.
And facts proved, in memory Aha had not affected Xianzhou.
But now Aha was picking on him.
He only needed his toes to think, to know what new trick Aha had pulled on him.
It was surely pretending to be his child, acting pitiful, in front of all the Xianzhou people, viciously destroying his reputation.
Forced with no way out, he could only swallow this dumb loss, treat Aha like his own child, and properly provide for him in the General's residence.
At this moment, Zero had no time to consider whether the appearance of "Elation" in Luofu would stir up a storm, or whether it would affect his peaceful slacking-off life.
Right now he only wanted to throw Aha into the toilet.
Seeing this, Aha hurriedly said again, "I am your best friend! I have shed blood for you, exerted strength for you! You cannot treat me like this!"
Zero burst out with an Immortal Boat curse.
'Dearest friend your hammer!'
Just thinking of how Aha treated Xianzhou, Zero only felt his scalp go numb, but he still had things he wanted to know, so he could only forcefully suppress his anger.
His thoughts were torn in two halves, one half egging him to beat Aha, the other urging him to seize this chance to extract information.
In the end, the rational half prevailed.
With a face ugly even without pretending, he forced out a clumsy provocation, disdainfully saying, "What strength can you even exert?"
Sure enough, Aha panicked, speaking extremely fast, "The Xianzhou people all know! I am your child, also your old flame who bore children for you!"
Zero's CPU was about to burn up.
'What the hell? What child? What old flame?'
What, Aha being his child wasn't enough? Also specially crossdressing as a woman to act as him?
What virtue or worth did he have, that a Aeon would expend such effort?
"They all know, that you were someone I met when I was a teacher."
Zero, "…"
He never expected, this boomerang would pierce into himself in such a way.
His reputation.... 'ahhhhh!'
The string representing reason in his brain completely snapped.
'To hell with reason!'
Zero laughed coldly a few times, holding the head in hand, viciously throwing it toward the toilet, "Today this toilet, I must flush!"
Aha let out a sharp shriek, disregarding the tearing pain from his scalp, abandoning the last tuft of hair, and in utter disgrace broke free from Zero's hand.
Aha screamed, "Joking! I was joking! Really! I wasn't lying, I only pretended to be your child!"
Zero had clashed with Aha many times, he knew all too well the other's character.
Aha not stirring trouble? Still treating him as best friend? Simply a joke!
How could an Aeon take humans as friends? The way they saw humans was probably like how humans saw cats and dogs.
Humans were only diversions when Aeons were bored.
Zero spoke word by word, "Your words, I will not believe a single one."
The head floating in the air, dodging left and right, suddenly halted.
Aha's tone became very dejected, voice low, "Yes, you do not believe my words. Clearly I was the one who came first, yet you would only believe Akivili… And the result? He would never die for you, not shed even a single tear!"
Aside from Aha, had he previously known the Aeon of "Trailblaze"? And from the sound of it, their relationship was very bad?
Hearing this, Zero froze for a moment, lowered his gaze, waiting for Aha's unfinished words.
He waited for a long time, but Aha made no sound.
Looking up again, that head flew toward the living room.
Aha, not polite at all, tilted his head, trying to press the TV switch with his chin.
But with only a head, he tried several times, never succeeding, so he raised his high-pitched voice calling, "Best friend, lend a hand!"
After watching enough of Aha's ridiculous motions, Zero finally stepped forward and turned on the TV.
Seeing the TV on, Aha immediately occupied the remote, assuming the posture of a landlord in his own house, urging Zero to sit.
Zero sat down beside the sofa, saying crossly, "You really are shameless."
"Heh heh." Aha chuckled foolishly, casually pressing the channels with his chin. "Dearest friend, your temper now is much better than before."
Zero leaned against the sofa, with no intention of responding.
"Those who offended you before, all were stripped clean of their wool and thrown out of Xianzhou. And now, why is it only wool-stripping?"
Aha, not caring about his coldness, continued, "But, now is fine too. That child you raised, if he knew, surely he would be very gratified!"
Zero was astonished in heart. The child he raised? Who? That one first seen in dream, gray-haired blue-eyed child?
His own behavior in the dream, calling it mere mental illness was already conservative.
That mental state at the time, wasn't it nearly the same as a demonic shadow?
That child not calling the Cloud Knights to arrest him was already good enough, how could he be willing to be raised by him?
Just as Zero was immersed in thought, the Aha frantically pressing the remote with chin suddenly stopped, the TV channel fixed on a Luofu news broadcast.
"If you want to see, today you can see!"
Zero subconsciously looked toward the screen.
On screen, a person with long gray-blue hair, surrounded by a crowd, walked toward the distance.
The footage captured only a blurred back, he could not even discern the person's gender.
Next, a beautiful foxian appeared on screen, smiling brightly, "My current position is in the Divination Commission."
Zero snatched the remote, and decisively turned off the TV.
["Today, General Tengxiao accompanied..."]
The TV sound abruptly ceased.
Aha, puzzled, tilted his head and asked, "Dearest friend, is this… feeling timid when near home?"
Fearing the other might cook up another trick, Zero bluntly said, "No meaning."
Putting aside what kind of waves resurrection would stir, he had no memory, so what then if they met?
No matter what relationship the other once had with him, now it had no meaning.
Even if he still remembered, meeting again would only add awkwardness.
When he was General of Xianzhou, the Immortal Boat had not yet encountered the Alchemy Commission. From then until now, at least five millennia had passed.
Even if Zero's lifespan was longer than a turtle's, even if before death he had taught this child, that was far too long ago, suddenly jumping out now, what sense did that make?
If their relationship had been poor, then as a poor relative, what need to recognize each other? It would only cause displeasure.
If their relationship had been close, then he should all the more treat it cautiously.
Like old friends whose life paths diverged, at parting they had countless visions of the future, endless topics, but due to grades, talent, and various factors, were forced apart, and each walked a different path.
Some achieved fame and success, some settled for ordinary life. When meeting again, the old intimacy was gone.
Was it that they no longer cherished this bond?
It was precisely because they cherished it too much.
They had missed out on each other's lives, did not know each other's landmines, so could only probe carefully, trying to find traces of the past in hints revealed.
Just thinking of it made one sigh.
If Zero recalled those memories, perhaps he would contact the other.
But now, having lost all memory of this old friend, what probing could there be? What meeting?
If the other was someone he had raised, surely their thoughts would be similar to his.
To him, whoever it was, to have been lucky to spend some time together was enough.
When he remembered how he had interacted with the other, then he'll decide.
If chance arose, he'll meet them once.
Aha gave a dry laugh, interrupting Zero's thoughts.
Zero narrowed his eyes, arms crossed, "You're not secretly causing trouble again, are you?"
"No!"
Aha's possessed head spun like a top, shaking to deny Zero's words.
Zero muttered inwardly, 'This guy must have made more mischief.'
Asking would gain nothing, so he could only skip the topic, perfunctorily responding with an "oh."
"Dearest friend, you don't need to probe words out of me." Aha suddenly said.
"How does the Xianzhou saying go? Oh, 'leave no knowledge unspoken, leave no words unsaid'."
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