Jing Yuan held the jade messenger, with absolutely no intention of replying.
Yingxing's eyes lit up, and he gave Jing Yuan a big thumbs up.
"Smart, Jing Yuan. You actually sent the strategy guide to Jingliu."
A cool, clear female voice suddenly came.
"What strategy guide?"
After exchanging dozens of moves, Jingliu and Dan Feng finally settled the outcome.
First, the Dragon Lord could not defeat the Swordmaster.
Second, the Alchemy Commission was going crazy, sending Dan Feng message after message. His jade messenger kept buzzing, killing their interest.
As soon as Jingliu walked over, she just happened to hear her own name from Yingxing's mouth, and immediately asked.
Damn it. Jingliu's wisdom had just linked to the "throwing money around" part of the guide.
Dan Feng hurriedly glanced at the jade messenger, ignored his subordinate's messages, and picked up the conversation, "I, Yingxing, and Jing Yuan wrote the strategy together."
Jingliu shook her head. "I haven't received any strategy guide."
Dan Feng and Yingxing, who thought they had put in so much effort, were unhappy, and both glared at Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan cursed in his heart. 'Do you two even know what trash you wrote? If you've got the guts, why don't you send it to Master yourselves!'
Anger welled up, and he decided to draw a clear line from the guide. He sulked as he said, "It was all Dan Feng and Yingxing's idea."
Jingliu listened for a while, but still couldn't figure out what they were talking about. She narrowed her eyes impatiently, "So what is it?"
Jing Yuan and Dan Feng looked at the sky, looked at the ground, just wouldn't look at Jingliu.
In the end, Yingxing couldn't hold back. He boldly stepped forward and declared, "It's a strategy guide that can get us to drink wedding wine."
Jingliu, "…"
She fell silent for a moment, raised a hand to her forehead, and asked, "So where's the guide?"
The aloof Swordmaster, who had been so resistant back in the milk tea shop, was acting completely natural now. Not only did she not deny Yingxing's "wedding wine" statement, she even looked interested in asking for it.
Hearing that, the three of them were completely dumbstruck.
Jingliu acted so matter-of-fact, it instead made the three of them seem like the ones making a fuss.
Jing Yuan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Under the pressure of the three gazes, he had no choice but to dutifully open the jade messenger and send the guide to Jingliu.
Dan Feng finally dared to lower his head to look at Jingliu, and leaned over with Yingxing.
The two of them, drawing from the romantic "experience" they had gained last night in a crash course, began passing on their "wisdom," one sentence after another, sounding very much like masters teaching.
Jing Yuan, "…"
'Don't you two go overboard.'
Watching this scene, Jing Yuan couldn't help but recall the days back in the academy.
The second-to-last place would teach the last place just like this.
That vow-filled tone, that overconfident expression, it was like they were carved from the same mold!
Yingxing confidently said, "Throwing money absolutely works!"
Jingliu thought about it, then shook her head, "I transferred money to him, but he didn't seem that happy."
Dan Feng remained calm and collected. As the richest dragon among them, he made a decisive judgment, "Then it must be because you didn't spend enough."
Jing Yuan's thoughts churned. He shut his eyes to calm his emotions, then broke in, "Throwing money will never work! Any man with self-respect would never accept that!"
Dan Feng sneered. The look he gave Jing Yuan was like looking at a child who didn't understand a thing.
The Dragon Lord sighed and shook his head, "What does a twenty-year-old kid know? If you don't believe me, ask Yingxing. If someone threw eight figures of credits at him, let's see if he could refuse."
Jing Yuan, 'Why ask Yingxing… He's the kind of fool who'd pay out of his own pocket just to forge iron. Of course he'd accept it!'
Jingliu raised her eyes and asked Yingxing, "If someone threw money at you…"
The moment Yingxing heard that, he immediately remembered all those days he had to spend his own money to use materials early. He nodded fiercely in agreement.
"You mean throwing eight figures at me? Forget just dating, if they asked me to be their son, I'd be fine with it…"
The craftsman of the Artisanship Commission could bend and stretch.
'Dignity? How much is dignity worth? Can dignity let him use rare materials?'
Besides, moving his lips up and down doesn't cost him anything. He'd earn eight figures of credits for nothing.
Yingxing looked at Jing Yuan with great pity, patted his shoulder, and said with a shaking head, "Jing Yuan, you're just too young…"
Dan Feng, wealthy and domineering, struck the final blow, "If he refuses, that just means you didn't throw enough."
Jingliu nodded thoughtfully.
Jing Yuan, "…"
'Master, please don't show such a serious expression like you're really considering this suggestion!'
Utterly helpless, he lowered his head and typed on the jade messenger.
'Better give Zero a heads-up first…'
[Jing Yuan, If someone threw credits at you, would you be unhappy?]
[Zero: Only an idiot would be unhappy. Do I look like an idiot to you?]
Jing Yuan knew full well, the other was just saying it. If someone really gave him money, he would absolutely return it untouched.
That guy Zero, no matter if he learned someone had feelings for him, his first instinct was to pull away.
Jing Yuan thought carefully about the information Zero had revealed himself, and suddenly understood.
'As expected of Master.'
'First transfer money. Then invite him to a meal.'
'You treat him to one meal, he has to return the favor, right? Treat him a few more times and won't you become close?'
Jing Yuan felt that his understanding of his master had been a bit off.
How could it be that he "didn't know how"? It was simply that he knew too well.
Just as Jing Yuan was admiring his master's tactics, his master spoke up.
"Next time after an expedition, I'll send some Abundance monsters to his house."
Jing Yuan, "…"
'Master, could you stop always gifting Abundance monsters!'
He knew Zero wasn't like the people of the Xianzhou. No matter which Aeon it was, that guy had no sense of reverence.
Not to mention Abundance monsters.
Maybe they carried some meaning for Xianzhou people, but for Zero they meant nothing at all.
But Jing Yuan couldn't say it out loud.
After all, his Master had finally met someone she liked. If he opened his mouth now… these iron-blooded Xianzhou folks' thoughts might spiral off in another direction.
Like whether there was something wrong with Zero, or if he was a traitor who had defected to the "Plague Author" or something…
He had spent a lot of time with Zero, had tested him, and both sides knew in their hearts that Zero had nothing to do with the Plague Author.
But that was his understanding. The others didn't know that.
Jing Yuan could only stay silent, watching as the three hidden dragons and crouching phoenixes let their imagination run wild.
By the time he came back to his senses, their topic had already shifted from "throwing credits" to "stuffing credits into monster remains" to give the other a double surprise.
Jing Yuan kept waiting. After they finally finished talking, he spoke in a faint, accusing tone, questioning Jingliu, "I heard the Swordmaster's disciple can receive credits…"
Jingliu's cold face almost cracked.
Jing Yuan continued, "It's been so many years, but your disciple hasn't seen a single credit. Master, any thoughts on that?"
Jingliu irritably opened her jade messenger. Not long after, Jing Yuan received a transfer.
He happily checked it, then put it down again with a face full of grievance.
Jingliu folded her arms across her chest, speaking flatly, "I transferred it. Go buy yourself milk."
Jing Yuan, 'Master, you're way too biased!'
'You gave Zero enough credits to buy more than a hundred bottles, but your disciple only got enough to buy one.'
Dan Feng, finally able to spare some attention from plotting for his friend, tidied his sleeves that had gotten messy from the fight, and asked Jingliu, "So, when do we get to drink wedding wine?"
Jingliu was utterly helpless.
Her friends were being so eager and proactive in helping her, it stirred her heart deeply.
But along with being moved, seeing the three of them with that gossipy look made her feel helpless as well.
"Wedding wine? Aren't you being a little too impatient?" She sighed. "Just let it happen naturally."
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