Tengxiao hesitantly looked toward the Arbiter-General.
"These days, he actually seems to have gained a bit of human warmth."
The Arbiter-General gave a faint smile, lowered her eyes, and took a sip of wine.
Her tone was extremely flat, yet the words landed like thunder out of a clear sky, stunning Tengxiao on the spot.
'Who? Who had human warmth?'
'Oh… the former Arbiter-General who had been dead for several hundred years…'
'Wait, did that mean he wasn't actually dead? Then why had he disappeared from the universe for centuries?'
Tengxiao trusted his superior. Realizing her implication, he first ruled out any connection between the former Arbiter-General and the "Lord of Abundance's Calamity."
Forcing a smile, he said, "…People don't just die and come back to life, right, Arbiter-General?"
Her expression didn't change, those smiling blue eyes still fixed on her subordinate.
Tengxiao's unease grew stronger, "Right?"
But the Arbiter-General simply continued drinking unhurriedly. When she spoke again, she shattered his last hope of wriggling out.
"Don't worry about it. In this life, just think of him as a retired idler."
'A retired idler…'
'The kind who had once wiped out who knew how many planets?'
Tengxiao felt dizzy, a chill racing up his spine.
Even without the "Mara," he was about to collapse.
To put it crudely, wasn't this the same as letting the "Swarm's Great Lord of Extinction" live freely on the Luofu?
Of course, in terms of destructive power, the former Arbiter-General far surpassed the Great Lord of Extinction.
As the Luofu's general, Tengxiao deeply respected the former Arbiter-General, and felt grateful for everything he had done for the Xianzhou.
But that was one thing, this was another. Even if this devastating weapon was on their side… still…
Having such a killing god stay on the Luofu left Tengxiao feeling a thorn in his back.
He just couldn't accept it.
Tengxiao gave a pained laugh, "You've really given me a headache this time… Does anyone else know of this?"
"This matter is known only to the two of us." Seeing his growing distress, the Arbiter-General hesitated, then asked, "What's wrong?"
Immersed in torment, Tengxiao even forgot to mind the relationship between her and that man. His hand gripping the wine cup bulged with veins.
He forced a bitter smile, "Don't laugh at me, but right now I feel like I'm sitting on needles. Do you know why he went to war with the Swarm?"
The Arbiter-General nodded lightly.
Tengxiao's anguish deepened. This broad-shouldered man, with a beard and a frame like a double-door refrigerator, now had tears brimming in his eyes, words tumbling out brokenly,
"He said the Swarm was too ugly! That such hideous creatures shouldn't exist in the universe! Right now, I'm terrified he'll think I'm ugly too…"
Maybe he shouldn't sit in the Luofu General's seat anymore. Better to give it up on the spot.
The Arbiter-General sighed helplessly, "He won't. Back then, the extermination of those planets was mainly to deal with the Swarm disaster."
Tengxiao's mind was split, half drowning in misery, half desperately trying to reason.
'With that man's ability to stir things up, shouldn't he have already made a name for himself on the Luofu? Could it be… he hasn't even joined the Six Commissions?'
'Had he not taken the exams yet, or did he actually fail?'
'Damn it all, who made those exam questions?!'
He completely forgot what his superior had just said. Speaking in a jumble, he sought confirmation, "Did he pass the exams? Or does he still need to…"
The more he spoke, the more wretched he became, "If that one wanted to be the Luofu's general, that's fine. What I fear is, if some fool offends him, or if he holds a grudge because he wasn't admitted, or because his salary was docked or something like that… What if he comes to hate the Luofu?"
'Wouldn't that trigger a universe-level conflict in minutes?!'
Then wouldn't Tengxiao himself become the greatest sinner in the entire cosmos?
"He already passed the Divination Commission long ago. He won't take action against the Xianzhou. There's no need to worry."
The Arbiter-General rubbed her forehead helplessly. "He doesn't need any special attention."
Looking at his subordinate, who seemed ready to retire on the spot, the Arbiter-General gave a quiet sigh and repeated, "All he wants now is to live as an ordinary person. If anyone violates his will..."
At these words, Tengxiao immediately dropped the idea of giving up his seat to the ultimate weapon. Beating his chest, he swore to guarantee the former Arbiter-General a completely ordinary life.
Hearing his promise, the Arbiter-General finally smiled faintly.
If that man were to hear how outsiders described him, he would surely bristle with indignation, saying, "What nonsense! I didn't lose! Why call me a sinner?!"
Back then, the Xianzhou people saw him as their faith. Their enemies saw him as an invincible madman, a criminal who stirred chaos and committed unforgivable atrocities.
But to her, it had never felt real.
Rather than his awe-inspiring reputation, what she recalled first was that rainy day when they met.
Seeing her taking shelter from the rain, he had poured out lavish praise, complimenting her to no end.
She never would have imagined that such a man, so like one cursed with Mara, was actually the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou.
Even less could she have imagined that he would train her as his successor.
This man, unworthy of respect and hardly a responsible leader, had crouched down to look a child in the eyes.
[His gaze was tender, his tone solemn, "I have no requirements for the Xianzhou's successor. But for you, Hua, I do."
"I want you to accept everyone's love and protection without guilt. I want you to be selfish and willful, to live lightly and happily, to gain whatever you desire without effort."
"And finally, I want everyone on the Xianzhou to forever, eternally, remember your sacrifices."]
After meeting just once, he had so casually declared that he would hand over the entire Xianzhou Alliance to her.
Whether as Arbiter-General or as leader, it was far too irresponsible.
He was impossible to define as purely good or evil. To trick her, he had glossed over tens of thousands of planets, calling them merely hundreds.
Arrogant by nature, he could not bear to let his people suffer the slightest hardship.
Even if his pursuit of justice was misunderstood, even if the whole universe called him a villain, he disdained to explain.
What Hua never expected was that, even centuries after his death, his name alone could still terrify countless people.
If they knew how leisurely he was living now, they would be utterly dumbfounded.
Once everything was ready, she would use his name as bait to fish a few more catches…
———
At that moment, Zero, who had been single-mindedly craving spicy-soup milk tea, arrived at the shop's entrance.
As an ordinary worker enjoying his day off, he carried a natural sense of superiority. All along the way, every time he saw the tired faces of passersby, he felt thoroughly pleased.
'Earn money? Earn what money? Paid vacation and slacking off at work, that's what really counts as earning!'
As he reached the shop entrance, a wave of sweet yet spicy aroma hit him in the face.
Right then, he saw someone holding a cup of the brand-new spicy-soup milk tea, about to leave.
Zero's eyes lit up. He asked, "Is this new drink good?"
At those words, the person's expression instantly changed.
Zero hesitated, "Not good?"
The other quickly shook his head, answering earnestly, "No, it's too good! Hurry, go buy it."
Seeing Zero still doubtful, unwilling to believe, the man grew even more intense, "It's true, believe me! Anyone who hasn't tried spicy-soup milk tea will regret it for life!"
Half-convinced, and under the temptation of the clerk's "second cup half-price" deal, Zero ordered two cups of spicy-soup milk tea.
He planned to give the extra cup to Jing Yuan.
But as the pungent, spicy smell wafted around the shop, Zero grew uneasy, and so he also ordered one normal milk tea.
When the clerk placed all three cups on a tray, Zero fell silent.
Pointing at the fried dough sticks that looked completely out of place in the milk tea shop, he asked the clerk, "Excuse me, what's this?"
The clerk answered matter-of-factly, "That's churros. You can dip it in the milk tea or in our special cream."
Zero muttered inwardly, 'What kind of weird pairing was this? Wasn't it the same as strawberry-flavored mapo tofu?'
But since he was already here…
He picked up the tray, brushing past three people on their way out.
The three looked ordinary, except for two whose silver hair stood out, one of them with an especially thick mane, enough to make every tired worker jealous.
Zero sighed inwardly. 'That hair volume rivals Jing Yuan's.'
Thinking so, he headed for a seat by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Just as he sat down, those three showed their tickets from the clerk and sat right beside him.
Lifting his head, Zero suddenly spotted a familiar figure outside the glass window.
The silver-haired beauty outside was glancing at her jade device. She looked around, and by chance, her gaze met his.
Those cold red eyes softened instantly the moment they fell on him, as though her frosty demeanor had all been an illusion.
'Jingliu? Why is she here?'
There weren't any famous restaurants or taverns nearby.
Zero puzzled over it, unable to guess her reason for appearing here. Smiling, he raised a hand in greeting.
He thought Jingliu would soon leave. Unexpectedly, she headed straight for the milk tea shop.
Until she sat down right beside him, he still hadn't recovered.
A refreshing fragrance swept over him, instantly washing away the cloying sweetness that filled the shop.
It was like the night wind of late autumn brushing through a corridor.
Then like standing in a forest after rain, the crisp scent of greenery and jasmine mingling, soothing body and mind.
Jingliu first leaned in to examine him, making sure none of his exposed skin was injured. Only then did she sigh in relief. Turning her face slightly, she seemed almost embarrassed.
In a soft voice, Jingliu said, "About last night's incident, I am very sorry, "
"Cough, cough cough!"
Before she could finish, the one with hair volume rivaling Jing Yuan's erupted into a thunderous coughing fit.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰