Zero closed the pen cap without changing expression, lowered his eyes, and stared at the still-wet ink on the letter.
He had mentioned his own death in front of Lan and Hua before; the attitude of one god and one person made him have no choice but to become cautious.
Zero was only willing to put more thought into things for women.
He didn't care about Lan's emotions, so when Hua was feeling down, he tried shifting Hua's attention by making him angry instead, and ended up almost dying of anger himself.
When Daiyang brought up the past again, Zero tried considering it from the other side and thought carefully.
If it were him traveling with a trusted subordinate, and during their time together he happened to see that subordinate writing something on a piece of paper…
Out of respect for that subordinate's privacy, he wouldn't look closely at the words on it, only to find out after the subordinate died that what they had been writing was a final letter meant for him.
Zero, "…"
Just imagining it felt like he was about to fall straight into demonic corruption.
Zero finally understood Daiyang's thoughts and tasted that same feeling.
What she meant was, if she had been able to see that letter back then, would there have been a chance to save him?
Zero immediately shook his head and denied it,
"How could I have any talent for writing? I just read more books than most. As for the letter I left for you all? That was written long afterward."
Daiyang never expected to hear the truth from the Marshal's own mouth.
A Marshal who doted on his subordinates would never admit it, he would only deny her words.
After hearing this, Daiyang nodded and didn't say anything else.
She began recalling those two lines the Marshal had written.
Even a seasoned heart-breaker would have to praise them.
Whether said to an inseparable lover, or to an estranged ex, they were perfect.
In a certain sense, they soothed the ex's emotions very well, while also making clear his stance that he had no regrets.
At first glance, they didn't seem like something the Marshal would write, they looked more like something she would've written.
Her views were different from the Marshal's. The Marshal didn't care about the process, only the result.
Daiyang didn't care about the result, she only enjoyed the process.
Once she entered an intimate relationship, every minute and every second of her feelings was genuine.
She didn't pursue an ending, nor did she demand walking the same path.
As for what other men and women desired, "once having possessed," or "love"? She paid no attention to any of it.
The star-sea was vast, and very few were qualified to cooperate with the Xianzhou.
And those who could even stand before her, the Luofu General Daiyang, were rarer still.
If fate allowed them to meet, that alone was already a blessing. Why force an ending?
She simply hadn't expected that the Marshal, who clung to results in everything, who was absolutely rational, would, for the sake of soothing his lover's emotions, write something so unlike his usual style.
Daiyang understood now why countless young women became obsessed with the Marshal.
The Marshal possessed an almost perfect appearance, and held achievements throughout the entire star-sea that no one could surpass.
He carried countless labels and halos, omniscient and omnipotent, the person closest to the divine.
The Marshal loved all his citizens equally.
So such a man, who would catch his eye?
Would he fall into love, experience emotional fluctuations because of someone, even develop that uniquely human possessiveness?
Those noble young ladies who saw themselves as the most outstanding in the star-sea naturally grew competitive.
When they came to understand the Marshal, they all knew he would never make an exception for anyone, yet still they pursued him like moths to a flame.
What if? What if the god looked at her?
Daiyang pulled her thoughts back, took the envelope the Marshal handed her, and tucked it into the document folder.
She didn't want to talk further about letters she hadn't opened, so she teased, "Never thought your views would end up kind of similar to mine…"
Zero shook his head, "Not exactly. I just felt this sentence fit best."
He didn't agree with Daiyang's view.
Zero had left Jingliu a massive amount of assets.
He didn't think she would accept it calmly while they were still in a relationship, so he planned to tell her after they broke up.
But… what should he write so that Jingliu would accept it?
Zero pondered for a very, very long time and still couldn't figure it out. He let his thoughts wander and considered the possibility that after the breakup, he would probably go to the Void Terrace to meet Hua one last time.
Most likely, he and Jingliu would never see each other again.
If they wouldn't meet, then Jingliu would have no choice but to accept his assets.
Once he figured that out, Zero immediately began thinking about another issue.
If the two of them broke up cleanly, how should he say goodbye?
Zero felt he should first praise Jingliu, and express that he did not regret their relationship.
He carefully considered the wording and wrote what he thought Jingliu would most want to hear after a breakup.
Just like long ago, when he wrote on that cruise ship, the last line in his will, the words his subordinates needed most to hear.
Beside him, Daiyang asked, "Then are you planning to give it to her personally when the time comes?"
Zero paused.
If the two of them really broke up… meeting again would just be awkward, right?
Zero shook his head, "No. When the time comes, have someone pass it on for me. As for who…"
He paused, immediately ruling out Dan Feng, the Radiant Dragon Lord.
Dan Feng always backstabbed him; his mental state wasn't stable. Who knew what he might do? What if one day Dan Feng had an episode and handed over all the transfer agreements to Jingliu in advance, what then?
Zero was still thinking of candidates when he saw Jingliu and Zhenzhen walking toward them.
He lowered his voice, "Then give it to your junior. Oh, and remember to notify his superior ahead of time."
Daiyang, who had once been Luofu's General, of course understood who the Marshal meant by "junior" and "superior."
The junior was the current Luofu General, Tengxiao; the superior was the current Marshal, Hua.
The Marshal truly hadn't changed, never calling on subordinates after work hours, always following procedure in everything.
This was a small matter; the Marshal could've easily ordered Tengxiao around. Yet he still insisted on doing things step by step, notifying their Crown Princess beforehand.
Daiyang put away the file, smiled at Jingliu and Zhenzhen approaching, and said to Zero, "Alright."
Zero accepted the dipping sauce Jingliu had mixed for him. Once she sat down, he asked, "What were you all talking about just now?"
Before Jingliu could answer, Zhenzhen nearly jumped out of her seat. She spoke at top speed, "That's a secret between us girls..."
Zhenzhen looked at Jingliu eagerly. "Right? Right?"
Jingliu paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Yes. It's a secret between her and me."
With two juniors present, Zero couldn't say much. He had no choice but to pick up the communal chopsticks and swish the meat.
When the meat was cooked, he casually dropped it into Jingliu's bowl.
Zhenzhen and Daiyang, who had been chatting with Jingliu, both fell silent at the same moment. They stared at Zero and Jingliu and let out a synchronized gasp of amazement, "Waaah!"
Jingliu, "..."
Her gaze flickered, and she felt a bit uneasy.
When she was with Baiheng and the others, they always considered her feelings and rarely teased her about her relationship.
But this time, she had met Zero's elders, and the two not only didn't mind her age, they openly showed kindness, acting like they were determined to get along with her.
Faced with elders teasing her… Jingliu couldn't say anything. She could only endure the heat rising in her cheeks and let the two have their fun.
Zero sighed, patted the back of Jingliu's hand under the table to comfort her, then looked at the two trouble-making subordinates and urged, "Alright, alright. Eat the meat before it overcooks."
Zhenzhen and Daiyang instinctively straightened their backs.
Over the long years, they had long grown used to following the Marshal's commands.
Soon they relaxed again, eating while chatting animatedly with Jingliu.
They had seen all kinds of people; by the end of the meal, they had more or less figured out Jingliu's personality.
A well-educated Xianzhou citizen. An outstanding Cloud Knight.
Zhenzhen and Daiyang finally felt completely relieved.
Since Jingliu was a proper, upright Xianzhou person… then she absolutely wouldn't disappoint the Marshal. Otherwise she wouldn't be a Xianzhou person at all.
When Zero was about to pay, Daiyang smiled and said, "Oh, please, every hotpot restaurant in all of Luofu is mine, why would we need you to pay…"
She had once said she wanted to open hotpot restaurants across all of Luofu.
She had accomplished that long ago.
It was just that back then, the Marshal rarely left Yaoqing.
Daiyang swallowed the respectful title with difficulty and continued, "No need for you to pay at all…"
Zero froze for a moment, then laughed, "So it seems I can eat hotpot for free from now on."
Daiyang laughed proudly, "Naturally."
She looked at Jingliu. "Come on, let's go walk around together."
Hearing this, Zhenzhen instinctively looked at Zero. She didn't hesitate long before chiming in, "Yes, yes, just to help with digestion."
Zero, "???"
'Wait, wasn't this just a meal?'
He looked toward Jingliu, only to see that she cooperatively nodded.
Zhenzhen pulled Jingliu out of the hotpot shop. The two walked extremely fast, quickly putting distance between themselves and Zero and Daiyang.
They entered an ordinary-looking shop. Zero followed, and when he looked inside, he saw a very familiar face.
A company executive.
The bearded man was smiling widely as he introduced something to Jingliu and Zhenzhen. When he caught sight of Zero out of the corner of his eye, his expression collapsed instantly, and he looked at him as if begging for help.
But soon the executive forced a smile back onto his face and continued his introduction.
A guess formed in Zero's heart.
He walked closer without expression.
When he saw the various pieces of jewelry he had deposited with the executive laid out in front of Jingliu, the guess was completely confirmed.
'So that's how it was.'
From the beginning, they never intended to give up.
Zero and Jingliu exchanged a glance. He couldn't quite read her thoughts, and just when he was about to ask, she lowered her head again, continuing to examine the jewelry before her.
He slowly turned his head toward Daiyang.
Daiyang smiled back at him.
Zero took a deep breath and walked toward the corner. Daiyang immediately followed.
Of course Daiyang understood the Marshal's bottom line.
He had always disliked subordinates making decisions on their own.
Daiyang knew her actions had earned the Marshal's displeasure. She reacted quickly and lowered her voice as much as possible, "You've always been meticulous, so I assume you must have already begun preparing the betrothal gifts, right?"
'If you already prepared breakup gifts… then how could you not prepare betrothal gifts?'
Zero, "..."
His displeasure at Daiyang's unauthorized move evaporated instantly.
He wanted to say he hadn't planned anything of the sort.
Yet he found he couldn't refute Daiyang's words.
Daiyang spoke with complete confidence, "You need to order things in advance, prepare in advance, right?"
Facing a superior who knew nothing about marriage customs, she began spouting nonsense, "Phoenix crowns and wedding robes, those alone take decades to make!"
"It's not just short-lived races who would grow old waiting, even the love of long-lived races might not survive the production time! But don't worry, we'll handle the burden for you! Just wait a dozen years and we'll definitely have it ready!"
Please, what "dozen years"? They had prepared everything several thousand years ago already.
Zero stared at Daiyang, and finally relented, nodding grumpily.
A dozen years… by then, his relationship with Jingliu would surely have settled into something definite.
He said lightly, "Just this once."
Daiyang nodded rapidly.
The two walked back to the others.
With a sincere tone, Daiyang said to Jingliu, "Sorry, this time I acted on my own. He didn't know about it."
"These jewels are things he prepared for you a long time ago."
In that publicly released will, the Marshal had left new commands, seal all information about him. Cover up all his achievements.
And so, bit by bit, the Marshal was erased from Xianzhou textbooks.
The subordinates didn't know his intent, so they could only follow orders.
Now, he was no longer the Marshal, and he had someone he loved.
So why would the Marshal silently give everything for his lover without letting her know? His lover deserved to know everything.
Long ago, Daiyang and Zhenzhen had thoroughly investigated that company executive.
After arriving in Luofu, they sought him out.
They hadn't originally intended to act against the Marshal's wishes, just to use the opportunity of this meal to catch a glimpse of the Empress.
They had prepared beforehand, having the executive gather all the jewelry the Marshal had bought in one place, and planned to wait until he gave the word, then bring the Empress here.
But they hadn't expected that the assets the Marshal transferred were… breakup gifts.
So after the meal, Daiyang took the initiative to invite Jingliu. Zhenzhen instantly understood.
They divided the work clearly, Zhenzhen would lead the way; Daiyang would keep the Marshal under control.
If not for her and Zhenzhen stepping in… these things wouldn't be given to the Empress until who-knows-when.
Even if it made the Marshal angry, they would grit their teeth and do it.
They had waited five thousand years. Not to mention auction-level jewelry, they had even contacted the Crown Princess and pulled out a large batch of antiques from the museum.
As for why they used museum antiques… the reason was simple.
The Marshal never cared about such items. He would never even glance at them, he always told his subordinates to handle them themselves.
And besides, Daiyang, Zhenzhen, and the Crown Princess had long reached a consensus, they did not approve of the Marshal hiding his identity.
Please, he was the Marshal.
Any properly raised Xianzhou citizen who heard of the Marshal's deeds would become devoted to him instantly.
If someone wasn't moved, they were definitely not a true Xianzhou citizen.
But Daiyang didn't want to directly go against his wishes, so she used the antiques to drop hints to their Empress.
The Empress wouldn't guess his true identity, but she would at least know that the Marshal's identity wasn't simple.
His displayed wealth alone was enough to show his ties to high-level Xianzhou were inseparable.
As for what the Empress would conclude… Daiyang didn't know.
Surely she wouldn't think the Marshal was the Crown Princess's child, right?
In any case, when the time came, the Marshal would definitely confess everything to the Empress himself.
That was what Daiyang believed.