When Jingliu received Zero's invitation, she wasn't at the Cloud Knights' camp but at the Ten-Lords Commission.
A colleague from the Ten-Lords Commission had specifically sought Jingliu out to invite her to interrogate a major criminal together.
After receiving the message on her jade talisman, Jingliu immediately gave a positive reply.
Then the two of them took action. It didn't take long before the major criminal let out a scream, his previously arrogant attitude instantly collapsing as he became obedient.
Jingliu and her colleague remained calm, both naturally ignoring the noise coming from the prisoner inside the cell, and began chatting.
The colleague joked, "Really troubling you again. Every few days we have to call you over to help. You're a Cloud Knight, yet you're practically becoming one of our Ten-Lords Commission's unofficial staff. Why don't I speak to the general and transfer you from the Cloud Knights to us? How about it?"
Jingliu shook her head.
She was holding a sword her colleague had brought specifically. When dealing with major criminals, she didn't need to use her own sword as the Swordmaster.
Her colleague took the sword from Jingliu's hand, handed it to a subordinate beside him, then looked down at his own weapon and complained, "This guy's teeth are really too hard, he embedded it straight into the blade. Now I have to report repairs to the Artisanship Commission again…"
The two stepped over the puddle of blood on the ground without changing expression. The colleague continued, "This time, same as before, count it as a temporary assignment."
"Later I'll go handle the paperwork. I'll mark you down for triple pay… Ah, these Xianzhou rules are annoying. Work one extra minute and you have to file a report. It's like they're terrified of accidentally paying us one extra patrol arrow…"
The colleague was long accustomed to Jingliu's taciturn nature. Even without a response, he could continue talking naturally.
The two walked out together and happened to run into Luofu General Tengxiao coming their way.
Jingliu and her colleague both stopped at once.
They didn't know why the general would suddenly appear at the Ten-Lords Commission. They were stunned only for a moment before quickly reacting and nodding slightly toward Tengxiao.
The colleague took the initiative to ask, "General, why did you personally come to the Ten-Lords Commission? If you need something, just say it over the jade talisman. Saves you a trip."
Tengxiao's mind immediately fell into chaos.
The former Marshal didn't want his identity exposed, so Tengxiao couldn't reveal anything through his actions.
The former Marshal had said he didn't need Tengxiao to give Jingliu any special treatment.
But Tengxiao knew the former Marshal respected Jingliu's wishes.
The Swordmaster of Luofu had her pride, and naturally wouldn't want special treatment just because of her lover.
But even though the former Marshal said so… Tengxiao truly didn't dare act in accordance.
After Jingliu became the Emanator of the "Reignbow Arbiter," Tengxiao first breathed a sigh of relief, then sharply sucked in a cold breath.
Good news, he no longer had to worry about something happening to Jingliu.
Bad news, since she became an Emanator, she naturally had to bear an Emanator's responsibilities, meaning she'd fight even more dangerous enemies.
Tengxiao was stuck in a dilemma until the Marshal contacted him personally, telling him that no special treatment was needed for Jingliu, and that from now on someone else would handle all matters related to the former Marshal, Tengxiao didn't need to interfere.
At first Tengxiao felt relieved, then he also felt a bit regretful.
How to describe it?
It was like piecing together a historical figure with a fearsome reputation from official records, then learning that this person was right beside you.
You couldn't help but feel uneasy, yet once you actually interacted with them, you discovered they weren't as vicious as the documents described.
At that moment, you would naturally want to interact with them a bit more.
But before you even get the chance, now you're suddenly no longer needed.
Tengxiao's emotions were a tangled mess.
He soon met the successor mentioned by the Marshal, the person who would handle all matters related to the former Marshal.
The two didn't say much and simply took on idle duties within the Ten-Lords Commission.
Shortly after, Tengxiao heard someone say the former Marshal was a freeloader who lived off his partner.
Tengxiao, "???"
Considering that the Marshal had specially sent someone to Luofu, he didn't act rashly.
A few days later, he received a photo and message from the former Marshal.
The other party wrote that the two people in the photo were formerly dogs serving the "Master of Immortality," but were now undercover agents for the "Reignbow Arbiter." He instructed Tengxiao to have people make contact with them.
Tengxiao, "…???"
Tengxiao didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.
He recalled the former Marshal's terrifying reputation, yet also his charisma that could make countless people submit, and quickly accepted the situation.
Tengxiao believed the former Marshal's intent was to follow the trail back and take down all the dogs of the "Master of Immortality" in one sweep. So he didn't suppress the rumors right away.
Not until he sent people to meet the two undercover agents and learned their real plan.
They intended to convert the former Marshal, make him believe in Abundance, and use his special relationship with Jingliu to plant a nail among the upper ranks of the Xianzhou.
Tengxiao, "…"
Truly impressive eyesight, they picked the former Marshal of all people.
Tengxiao had no words. He had people repeatedly confirm the stance of those two newly turned undercover agents.
The two made excuses to stall until the entire group finally gave up on trying to convert the former Marshal.
After deliberation, Tengxiao decided to trust the former Marshal, and those two people.
He thought it through carefully and concluded he needed to inform Jingliu ahead of time, so she wouldn't trace things back and accidentally alert those people.
But when he asked around, he learned she had gone to the Ten-Lords Commission.
So Tengxiao came to the Commission again.
He exchanged a few polite words with the staff, then looked at Jingliu.
Seeing she was about to leave, Tengxiao quickly wrapped up the conversation and took the initiative to walk with her.
"What a coincidence. Let's head back together."
Jingliu was not someone who mulled over her superior's subtext, she was used to carrying out orders and slaying abominations.
Even so, even with her lack of talent in reading situations, at this moment she sensed it. She understood Tengxiao had specifically come to find her.
Walking a few steps with him, Jingliu asked quietly, "General, what do you wish to instruct me?"
Hearing this respectful title, Tengxiao's eyelid twitched immediately, and he let out an awkward laugh, "No need to be so formal with me… You've probably heard some unpleasant rumors recently, haven't you?"
Jingliu was surprised, unsure why the general would bring this up.
She nodded.
Tengxiao continued, "This matter is extremely serious, it involves the 'Master of Immortality.' Don't worry, I've already planted people inside."
Jingliu's expression instantly cooled.
She quickly reacted, and a guess rose in her heart.
Unable to wait for her superior to finish speaking, she interrupted directly, "May I ask… are you planning to send the Divination Commission's diviner, Zero, to go undercover?"
Tengxiao, "???"
'Huh? What did you just say?'
For a moment Tengxiao didn't know what to say.
Should he first tell her to stop using honorifics? Or should he refute her guess?
He had to work hard to control his nearly collapsing expression.
Before he could respond, Jingliu began rapidly analyzing the flaws of sending a diviner as an undercover agent.
The Swordmaster's analysis was flawless, her tone serious, her wording precise. Anyone who heard her would give up the idea of sending a desk-job diviner to infiltrate a hostile organization.
Tengxiao thought, Truly worthy of the Swordmaster title, someone even the "Reignbow Arbiter" pays attention to.
Even when deeply worried about someone close to her, the most she would do was interrupt her superior's words and speak her thoughts as a subordinate.
Never abusing her status as an Emanator to force him to change his mind.
Tengxiao believed that she would always remain an outstanding Cloud Knight. Even if anything ever happened, she would always remember who she was, her sword forever pointed at abominations, never stopping for the sake of love.
He shook his head, letting out a helpless laugh, "You really are a mess when you care too much. I'm not sending…"
Tengxiao couldn't directly say the person's name. He paused, then continued, "The undercover agents are not that diviner."
The chosen undercover agents were the two people the former Marshal had flipped.
Before leaving, Tengxiao said to Jingliu, "Don't worry. In a few days, no one will be saying unpleasant things anymore."
Jingliu nodded, silently watching her superior leave.
She turned and returned to the Cloud Knights' camp. When the time came, she left the camp right on schedule.
When she first saw Zero's message, a slight hesitation rose in her heart.
But the emotion vanished in an instant.
Ever since the two of them met, Jingliu had never heard him talk about any friends besides Jing Yuan.
Thinking back carefully, Zero had quietly melted into her social circle.
But in contrast, she had never met any of his friends.
Therefore, when Zero invited her, she agreed without a moment's hesitation.
They had met too late, she couldn't know his past, but perhaps from the words of his friends, she could piece together the parts of her lover she had never seen.
Jingliu arrived at the hotpot restaurant where she had agreed to meet Zero, and at a glance she saw him.
Only when she walked closer did she notice the two people beside him.
Unexpectedly, both of Zero's friends were girls.
Looking closely, their looks were extremely striking, one tall with long legs, the other petite.
The two walked forward a few steps, maintaining a polite distance, and introduced themselves.
The tall long-legged girl was named Daiyang; the petite one was named Zhenzhen.
They spoke with enthusiastic warmth without being overbearing.
Jingliu could feel that they both seemed to like her very much. When she learned the two were Zero's housekeepers, she froze for a moment.
The two… counted as Zero's elders?
Jingliu, for once, took the initiative to find a topic.
Both sides clearly intended to get along well, and just like that, the three began talking at an oddly quick pace.
By the time all four were seated, the three girls had already moved from introductions to amusing stories from their time with the Cloud Knights.
Zero, "…"
Daiyang and Zhenzhen had once served as Xianzhou generals. They had weathered countless storms and had extremely high emotional intelligence. It was perfectly normal that they could chat easily with Jingliu.
What Zero couldn't understand was, why Jingliu was chatting with them so enthusiastically as well?
Perhaps this was just girl friendships.
Zero didn't understand, but he didn't interrupt the lively conversation. He called a staff member over to order.
After ordering, he looked up, and saw the three of them staring straight at him without blinking.
Daiyang was the first to smile, her tone teasing, "Zhenzhen and I basically watched him grow into a diviner, Jingliu. I've never seen him care so much about any girl before..."
Well, she had read romance novels.
Daiyang was always up-to-date with trends and never missed an amusing meme.
She felt this line fit the Marshal perfectly. No flaws.
It was true, this was the first person in five thousand years the Marshal had fallen for.
'Five thousand years! A once-in-a-lifetime moment!'
She and Zhenzhen had lived long enough to see the Empress-to-be. Compared to their colleagues who never lived to see this day, they could die without regrets.
Zhenzhen nodded wildly, "Yes, yes, you're the first!"
Zero, "…"
This really was fiction leaking into reality…
He took a deep breath and slowly slid the menu toward the two troublemaking subordinates across from him.
Zero smiled, tapping his fingertip lightly on the table as he urged, "Look through it and decide what to eat."
Seeing his expression, the two fell silent instinctively.
They reacted fast, before Jingliu could detect anything amiss, Daiyang lowered her head to the menu, while Zhenzhen remained composed and continued chatting with Jingliu, "Let me tell you about what he was like before."
Jingliu listened intently.
Zhenzhen sneaked a glance at Zero, then openly began slipping in personal commentary, "He never ate properly before."
Their subordinates couldn't stop him back then. But now that there was an Empress, surely she could stop the Marshal?
Zero, "…"
Hearing this, Daiyang immediately added, "Right, not only did he not eat, he didn't sleep either."
Previously the Marshal neither ate nor slept, no amount of persuasion worked.
Just to be safe, it was best to tell the Empress-to-be.
Zero, "..."
He didn't need to turn his head to know Jingliu was staring at him.
Looking at his two subordinates acting so righteously, he let out a long sigh.
Suddenly, Zhenzhen stood up and invited Jingliu, "Come on, let's go mix dipping sauce."
Jingliu withdrew her gaze and nodded. "Alright."
Zero watched them leave, and just as he was about to say something to Daiyang, she produced a thick document folder like performing a magic trick and handed it to him.
"These are the assets already transferred. Please take a look."
Zero swallowed the words he had been about to speak and shook his head, "No need. I trust you."
Whether it was Daiyang or Zhenzhen, he trusted them absolutely.
Zero sighed, "You and Zhenzhen… please stop bringing up the past."
Daiyang deflected, "How about preparing something else? Like flowers? A small card? Just giving a transfer agreement, what's the meaning in that?"
Zero thought for a moment and selectively accepted her suggestion.
He would write something for Jingliu.
"Then I'll write something."
Hearing that, Daiyang immediately pulled out a pen and an envelope.
Zero took the paper and pen, lowered his gaze, and pondered his wording.
After breaking up… what words should he leave for Jingliu?
Soon, he had an idea and wrote two lines on the paper.
Daiyang watched his hand fall, watched him write, and when he finished the sentence, she suddenly let out a soft laugh.
She remembered the detail she had previously overlooked.
The Marshal was always like this, thinking things through far in advance.
He prepared for any possible situation.
When alive, he planned his aftermath.
When in love, he planned ahead for his lover.
The Marshal truly was… thorough in everything.
Daiyang murmured, "Your writing is truly beautiful…"
She fixed her gaze on the Marshal's eyes, her tone inexplicably emotional, "The words you've written for her remind me of the last thing you left for us… and something from long ago."
"Was it on the cruise ship? Back then, you wrote for us…"
Daiyang couldn't bring herself to say the word will. She stopped, then forced the words out with difficulty, "That letter?"