Zero stared intently at Jingliu, a sly smile in his eyes that was different from usual.
The tips of Jingliu's ears reddened slightly. She was the first to lose the staring contest, shifting her gaze away from Zero and turning instead to the bowls and chopsticks in front of her.
Seeing that he didn't get a response, Zero didn't mind.
Just as he was about to pull his hand back, Jingliu's hand under the table tightened slightly and hooked his pinky finger firmly.
Jingliu said softly, "Winning or losing doesn't matter."
What could she possibly need Zero to do for her?
When the two of them had just confirmed their relationship, Jingliu had immediately turned back to the frontlines, unable to properly stay with him.
When she finally returned to Luofu, Zero had carefully prepared a thousand peonies, along with three custom-made hairpins he'd somehow asked Yingxing to craft for her.
And the ring, one that had almost caused Jingliu to misunderstand his true intention.
On the night she received the gifts, Jingliu put the hairpins and ring away, then carefully carried that huge bundle of peonies back to her room and preserved them little by little with ice.
Zero had already given her more than enough.
Now… every time Zero met Jingliu, he would remember to bring her a flower, even making a point to pack it inside a paper bag.
This gesture fit Jingliu's heart perfectly.
If their friends saw Zero handing that flower to Jingliu in front of them, they would all smile knowingly and tease them with the right amount of restraint.
However, Jingliu didn't want to show her intimacy with Zero in public.
How could Zero not know that?
By rights, Jingliu should have been the one more tolerant of her much younger lover. Yet unexpectedly, Zero did even better.
He thought things through so thoroughly, considered her feelings, and quietly placed the paper bag with the flower behind her.
In front of others, Zero was always proper. The most intimate gesture he made was simply holding hands.
This time, using the table as cover, he hooked her finger beneath it.
A secret just for the two of them.
Jingliu paused, still keeping her pinky hooked with his, and reminded him, "Drink a little less."
Zero chuckled and nodded. He then asked Yingxing, "Between you and Dan Feng, who holds their liquor better?"
Hearing this, Yingxing absolutely refused to concede and immediately snorted, "Of course my tolerance is better!"
Upon hearing this, Dan Feng gave Zero, who was obviously stirring trouble, a sidelong glance and replied with a mocking smile, "And who was it earlier that got drunk, crying and yelling about grabbing a forging hammer to beat aberrations?"
Yingxing choked and instinctively glanced at Zero.
He'd stayed up seven nights straight forging those hairpins, only for them to be useless against aberrations.
Was he not allowed to be mad?
Yingxing then turned his fire toward Dan Feng again, "That's only because you cheated! Seriously, who heals their own drunkenness with Cloudhymn Magic while drinking?!"
Dan Feng, prideful and never willing to lose, refused to think of himself as a cheater.
Could something done by the Dragon Lord be called cheating?
Using Cloudhymn Magic, what about it? Whether in battle or at the drinking table, if he could use it, he would. What was the problem?
Dan Feng's expression remained unchanged. Even being exposed by Yingxing didn't cause a hint of embarrassment.
Zero nodded as if enlightened and fanned the flames, "So that means Yingxing's capacity is better than Dan Feng's, Dan Feng just cheats all the time, right?"
Dan Feng felt like his blood pressure was rising.
His rational side told him over and over that the Marshal was doing this on purpose.
His emotional side pushed him to prove himself against Yingxing. Could he tolerate this? Absolutely not.
Even knowing Zero was deliberately provoking him, he still willingly took the bait.
Being unable to outdrink Zero was one thing, but Yingxing?
Dan Feng picked up the cup beside him and coldly told Yingxing, who was immediately echoing Zero's words, "Even without using Cloudhymn Magic, you still can't outdrink me."
Yingxing refused to back down, downing his cup right after Dan Feng.
When both of them finished their drinks, they turned their heads sharply toward Zero, saying in unison, "Drink."
Zero thought to himself, He hadn't even stoked the fire that much yet.
He lifted his cup and downed it in one go, using it to hide the smile threatening to break free at the corner of his mouth.
'These two… really are something else.'
At the table, Dan Feng and Yingxing stared at each other's cups without blinking, terrified that one of them might cheat.
Compared to the two men fixated solely on beating each other, Zero looked especially relaxed.
He drank with one hand, and the other hand slid from hooking fingers to holding hands.
With their fingers interlocked, Zero noticed something wrong. He lowered his gaze and saw that the ring he'd given Jingliu wasn't there.
Maybe she didn't like it.
He had bought plenty before, he'd just give her a different one next time.
Zero withdrew his gaze and continued drinking.
During that time, worried Jingliu might be bored, he stroked the back of her hand lightly with his thumb and reminded her, "I brought desserts. Why don't you share them with Jing Yuan and the others?"
Jingliu nodded, pulled back her hand, stood up to get the desserts, and when she returned, she took the initiative to hold Zero's hand again.
After the three of them finished several jars of wine, Dan Feng and Yingxing finally had a winner.
Normally, Dan Feng relied on Cloudhymn Magic to remove drunken debuffs, but this time, he couldn't hold on.
The Dragon Lord's pride refused to accept defeat; he forced himself upright and muttered, "Heh… keep going…"
Yingxing struggled to keep his eyes open, wobbling as he said, "You lost, Dan Feng..."
As usual, Zero added fuel to the fire, "Dan Feng, stop pretending. You can't even hold your cup steady."
Jingliu, Baiheng, and Jing Yuan didn't join the chaos. They ate the desserts Zero brought while watching the three drink.
Jing Yuan glanced at Yingxing's flushed red face, then at Zero, who looked like he could still drink another dozen jars, and felt extremely pleased.
His weapon was secure.
The well-mannered Dragon Lord suddenly stood.
The Dragon Lord refused to show unsightly behavior in public and instantly used Cloudhymn Magic, dispelling all the drunkenness at once.
Zero unhurriedly poured himself another drink and reminded Dan Feng,
"Dan Feng, you said earlier you wouldn't use Cloudhymn Magic this time. You lost."
Once sober, Dan Feng noticed that he reeked of alcohol and immediately couldn't sit still.
But this wasn't his residence, he couldn't bathe or change. He could only wash his face a bit.
Still unwilling to admit defeat, he flicked his sleeve and headed for the exit of the private room, leaving behind only one sentence, "Baiheng, think it over carefully."
With Dan Feng gone, only Yingxing and Zero remained without a victor.
Under Jing Yuan's hopeful gaze, Zero looked at Yingxing, who was nearly collapsing onto the table, and said, "I can't drink anymore. Yingxing, you're amazing, "
Jing Yuan, "…"
Proud Yingxing immediately burst into laughter upon hearing Zero concede. Then he collapsed onto the table, smiling.
Jing Yuan couldn't believe it. Then he saw completely sober Zero leaning on his hand, head tilted as he asked his teacher, "I've been listening to your words. Have you decided? What do you want me to do?"
Jing Yuan, "..."
An unexpected path.
'You could've just admitted defeat earlier to drink less?!'
Expression stiff, Jing Yuan took the desserts Zero brought, stabbed a piece of cake with a fork, and shoved it viciously into his mouth.
Seeing this, Baiheng twitched her fox ears and sweetly shared her untouched dessert with him.
Jing Yuan was moved, "Sister Baiheng…"
Baiheng comforted him, "Don't worry. Once Yingxing's done with work, he'll definitely make your weapon. Why don't you help me think about what I should make the Dragon Lord do?"
Zero had been squeezing Jingliu's hand, urging her to make her own request. Hearing Baiheng say this, he suddenly grew very interested.
He casually said nonsense, "Speaking of which, I heard before that Lord Imbibitor Lunae transforms into a dragon on the battlefield to clear out aberrations. Is that true?"
Jingliu answered helplessly, "No. Where did you even hear that? Why do you believe everything?"
Baiheng also denied it, "No, Dan Feng has never, in front of us..."
As she spoke, the fox-woman paused.
Her eyes lit up as she looked at Zero, "You reminded me! How about we ask him to transform into a dragon and let us see?"
Normally, the enemies they encountered weren't worth Dan Feng taking dragon form to fight.
If they couldn't see it on the battlefield, they could at least see it now, right?
The more Baiheng thought about it, the happier she felt.
Jing Yuan, who had long known Zero's true nature, suspected Zero had done this on purpose, but he had no evidence.
Baiheng didn't notice Jing Yuan's strange expression and thought to herself, What a brilliant idea.
Everyone waited and waited until Dan Feng finally returned after washing up.
Baiheng eagerly presented her request, "We want to see you in dragon form!"
Dan Feng, "…"
He never expected such a request to come from Baiheng.
The Dragon Lord took a deep breath.
'Marshal, this must be your doing.:
'Baiheng couldn't possibly be at fault. It must be the Marshal corrupting her!'
Dan Feng forced his expression to remain composed and refused to look at the culprit, Zero. He explained to Baiheng, "My size is far too large. Another time."
Baiheng didn't push and immediately made a compromise, "That's fine! If we can't see the dragon, then show us the tail!"
Dan Feng, "..."
He recognized her attempt to compromise.
If Zero weren't here, he would've been grateful.
Dan Feng swallowed his pride and agreed.
If he didn't, who knew what tricks the Marshal would pull next.
Sweeping his gaze aside, he noticed Yingxing passed out on the table and immediately found an excuse, "Yingxing is drunk. We'll show you another day."
Thinking about Yingxing's constant overtime, and the fact that he'd have to forge a weapon for Jing Yuan soon, Dan Feng figured he wouldn't get any rest.
Wanting someone to suffer with him, he casually asked, "And Yingxing? He's making Jing Yuan's weapon?"
Zero lifted his gaze toward Dan Feng and smiled, "Nope. Yingxing won."
Dan Feng, "...You really can't tell."
Neither he nor the others intended to make Zero carry out any deal.
It was a matter between lovers, they wouldn't interfere.
Dan Feng glanced at Jingliu, trying hard to hint with both eyes and words, "Zero, your drinking tolerance is incredible. I suppose only thousand-year-old wine could get you drunk."
He had given all of the Marshal's and Rainbrew's wine to Jingliu.
Jingliu, you have to stand up for him.
Jingliu didn't catch the hint at all, simply assuming her friend was drunk. She nodded lightly.
Zero, unaware, replied casually, "Maybe."
Even drunk, he could remain rational and remember everything that happened.
Before they parted, there was still half the dessert left. Without hesitation, Zero handed it to Jing Yuan, "If you like it, take it home."
Jing Yuan responded with a dry "Oh" and took it.
Just as he was about to say something, Zero waved a hand and left with Jingliu.
Jing Yuan thought that even if his seniority had been lowered, it wasn't so bad.
His master had kept distance deliberately, afraid Jing Yuan wouldn't be able to strike him down if he ever fell to demonization.
As for Zero… he was similar to his master yet different. Zero always kept a distance from others, if Jing Yuan hadn't taken the initiative, they might've stopped contacting long ago.
Such a master and such a friend… had become lovers.
Pretty good.
Holding the desserts, Jing Yuan thought this.
His thoughts drifted again, to his weapon.
Jing Yuan, 'Zero! How could you do this to me!'
He looked up at the moon hanging over Luofu and resolved to visit the Artisanship Commission more often.
He had to make Yingxing finish it sooner.
Under the same moonlight, Zero and Jingliu walked toward her residence hand in hand.
Jingliu talked about amusing stories she'd heard in the camp lately. Zero listened quietly, responding here and there, then told her stories he'd read from the library.
When they reached the residence gate, neither spoke for a moment.
Jingliu opened the door and stepped inside.
Zero didn't follow; he still stood outside.
With that familiar warm smile that made people feel close, he looked at Jingliu, "This time… is holding hands all I'm allowed?"
Jingliu didn't look at him, only at their joined hands.
It was always like this.
Zero always double-checked her thoughts and respected her feelings.
Jingliu said softly, "I told you, you decide."
With her answer, Zero stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.
He let go of her hand, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her closer.
He smelled that familiar cold fragrance.
Lowering his eyes, he gently bit the lips of his lover right before him, imitating the way Jingliu had kissed him before as he tentatively brushed forward with the tip of his tongue.
She reacted quickly, closing her eyes, rising slightly on her toes, and hooking her arms around his neck.
Zero quietly watched Jingliu.
He watched her cheeks gradually redden in his arms, watched her slowly sink into the kiss, watched the expression tinted with desire that she showed only before him.
After a long moment, Zero loosened the arm around her waist and ended the kiss.
His gaze fell on the collar of her clothes.
It had only been a bit over a month. If he left a kiss mark now… would that be too much?
Zero said, "I think… I'm about to do something excessive."
Jingliu was still holding his neck, her breathing unsteady. She glanced at him lightly and said, "Don't make me repeat myself a third time."
Having received permission, Zero leaned in and lifted his hand to grab the fabric at the back of her collar.
Whether it was the alcohol or something else, he couldn't find the zipper.
Zero murmured, "Your clothes are so hard to take off."
Jingliu, "…"
Did he mean what she thought?
No, Zero was drunk.
Jingliu hesitated, loosening her grip on his neck as she thought about how much force she should use to push him away.
Zero was always so restrained. If she didn't stop him now, once he sobered up… he would definitely blame himself and feel guilty.
Jingliu suddenly felt a chill at the back of her neck.
Zero had opened the zipper at her collar and leaned down against the side of her neck.
He used almost no force.
That slight sting meant nothing to Jingliu.
Just as she was deciding when to push him away, he lifted his head, and zipped her collar back up.
Zero stepped back, looked her over carefully, and after confirming the kiss mark couldn't be seen, let out a quiet breath.
He tucked Jingliu's slightly messy hair behind her ear and reassured her, "Don't worry. I picked this spot on purpose. No one will see it."
Jingliu, "..."
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