During the time Zero served as Marshal, he received many gifts sent by different nations.
He didn't pay them any mind and directly handed them over to his subordinates to handle as they liked.
When Zero saw those two crowns he had never seen before, he immediately felt suspicious.
He suspected they were artifacts from the Xianzhou Museum, suspected that Chanzhen and Daiyang were up to something behind his back again.
Wait, no matter who Zero suspects, he shouldn't be suspecting those two, right?
Besides, if you want to take something out of the museum, you'd have to get Hua's approval first, wouldn't you? How could Hua possibly accompany those two in their nonsense?
Very soon, Zero dismissed his doubts.
Well, thinking about it, jewelry styles only come in so many variations… odds are these were just made in imitation of Xianzhou artifacts.
Until Jingliu spoke, saying that crown looked exactly like one she had seen in the museum, only then did Zero overturn his earlier assumption.
Zero didn't even need to think about it to know exactly how those two would react when he questioned them.
They would definitely be thinking about tearing the roof off the house just to force him to agree to add new windows.
The two of them would only look at Zero with firm expressions and say, "Just a few artifacts, how could those be worthy of a queen? If you ask us, we should bring Her Majesty to the museum and let her choose for herself!"
Zero had only one thought in his heart.
'Hua! Why are you joining Chanzhen and Daiyang in their nonsense too?!'
While his mind churned with countless thoughts, his expression didn't shift at all. He took out his jade terminal, turned slightly to the side, and smiled at Jingliu, "Looks like you really like the artifacts in the museum, huh? Then I'll have the company executives keep an eye out for upcoming auctions. Maybe they can find quite a lot of similar pieces."
Zero made a show of getting ready to message the executives.
The moment Jingliu heard that, she couldn't even think about anything else.
After hearing the explanations from the company executives and from Chanzhen, the swordmaster who only ever focused on swordsmanship finally had a rough idea of how valuable those jewels were.
Every piece laid out before her was a top-tier item that would appear at an auction. Just picking out one at random was enough to let an ordinary person instantly live a life without worrying about food or money ever again.
Thinking about it now, perhaps it really was like the executives and Zero had said, they were probably jewels crafted in imitation of artifacts.
Jingliu quickly raised her hand and pressed down the one Zero was using to hold his jade terminal, her tone somewhat helpless, "No need. You've already given me enough jewelry."
After saying that, she seemed to think of something else and asked, "A while back, Baiheng said the customer she introduced to the company executives bought a bunch of rare and unusual items, and she even got a huge commission because of it…"
Zero nodded without hesitation. "That was me."
For a moment, Jingliu didn't know what to say.
Not only did he choose expensive jewelry for her, he even thought of helping the debt-ridden Baiheng?
Zero squeezed Jingliu's hand, speaking softly, "You don't need to feel pressured. To me, this is nothing."
Considering that Jingliu was someone with normal moral values, he deliberately tried putting himself in her shoes, trying to reassure her.
Zero thought for quite a long time before finally thinking of a sentence that might comfort someone, "Don't worry. No matter how many jewels I buy for you, it won't make my savings even lose a single zero."
Jingliu, "…"
Faced with such extravagant gifts, she didn't know how to respond.
What kind of return gift could she possibly prepare to match the sincerity her beloved had offered?
It would've been better if Zero hadn't said anything, after hearing that, she felt even more pressured.
As if reading her mind, he lightly squeezed her palm and added, "Don't think about giving me anything in return. I prepared these jewels for you simply because I want you to be happy. If they end up making you worry… wouldn't that mean I gave them for nothing?"
Jingliu's feelings were complicated. She nodded.
Even though Zero said that, she still wanted to seriously consider what kind of gift she should give back.
For the moment, Jingliu had no idea, so she could only start digging through old accounts in her mind.
Previously, Zero faced rumors alone and refused to tell her.
After she talked with him, he said that if anything happened again, he would tell her immediately.
But… Zero went behind her back and bid on such expensive jewels.
Wait, bidding on those jewels was something Zero had decided long ago… so he didn't actually break their agreement.
Jingliu immediately sorted out her thoughts. Her expression cooled in an instant, her tone dangerously low, "Besides these jewels, did you buy anything else for me?"
Zero had promised Jingliu that he would tell her things right away from now on.
But deciding to buy property for Jingliu was something he had gotten her permission for a long time ago.
She did say she'd leave it all to him.
Strictly speaking, the property didn't belong to Jingliu. He had taken all her signatures to forge donation agreements, so technically the property wasn't bought for her.
Zero quickly sorted through this logic and felt, there was nothing wrong with it.
Even if Jingliu heard it, she wouldn't have a reason to be angry.
Zero said, "No. The gifts I prepared for you are only these jewels."
Jingliu raised an eyebrow, sounding unsure, "Really?"
Zero nodded. "Really. That's all."
Jingliu believed him.
She thought back on all the little details from her earlier interactions with Daiyang and Chanzhen.
The two of them spoke passionately about the Cloud Knights; they must've been outstanding Cloud Knights fighting for the Xianzhou in the past.
One of them even owned all the hot pot restaurants in the Luofu, Daiyang's wealth was clearly nothing to scoff at.
And now… two people who had retired from the Cloud Knights had become Zero's housekeepers.
Zero's identity clearly wasn't simple.
Hand in hand with her beloved, Jingliu walked along the streets of the Luofu.
She teased, "Looks like I've met a lover with quite an impressive background."
Zero thought about it. The lottery excuse could no longer properly explain his wealth.
He didn't want to lie to Jingliu, so he said, "I said before that I won the lottery. But that wasn't it… it was inheritance."
Jingliu, "…"
Her expression instantly froze.
Zero caught it out of the corner of his eye and immediately stopped walking.
"Jingliu, don't overthink it. It's not something sad…"
He carefully chose his words, "Actually, according to ancient customs, at that age… it would be considered a happy death, you know? Really, I wasn't sad at all. On the contrary, I was actually kind of happy."
Zero talked for quite a while, all the way until they reached the gate of Jingliu's residence, before finally closing his mouth.
Before he left, the long-silent Jingliu spoke, "In two days, you and I will go to the Scalegorge Waterscape together as agreed."
The moment Zero heard that, he understood.
Wasn't that just going to see Dan Feng's tail?
His tone brightened, "Alright, we'll go together."
Jingliu watched Zero leave. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
So she began thinking about what gift she should give Zero in return.
Jingliu mentally listed her friends, Baiheng and Yingxing were always emptier than their faces by the end of the month, Jing Yuan was still young and earned very little.
Only Dan Feng, only the wealthy and extravagant dragon lord, could give her a proper answer.
Jingliu sighed softly and went to ask the dragon lord again.
She waited for quite a while but never received a reply from Dan Feng.
Looking again, she realized it was already late into the night. Her very particular friend had probably already applied his scale-care essential oils and drifted off to sleep surrounded by incense.
With no hope of sleep herself, Jingliu simply got up to practice swordsmanship.
When it reached the Six Ministries' working hours, Imbibitor Lunae, Dan Feng, arrived at the Alchemy Commission right on time.
There was no war in the Luofu, so he didn't need to go to the front lines. He only had to stay in the Alchemy Commission and solve the medical problems no other healer could handle.
Dan Feng loved spending time in the Alchemy Commission the most.
Here, he didn't have to look at the annoying old faces of the dragon teachers.
With idle time, the dragon lord took out his jade terminal, and immediately saw two names he didn't want to see, each having sent him a message.
[Jingliu: Dan Feng, you're well-traveled and knowledgeable. What should I give as a return gift?]
[Zero: When you go to the Scalegorge Waterscape tomorrow, ask for me, what kind of interior design does Jingliu like?]
Dan Feng, "…"
How many times has this happened?
He looked at the time Jingliu sent her message and sincerely felt relieved at his own foresight.
Good thing he turned off his jade terminal earlier! Good thing he wasn't a Xianzhou native!
Otherwise this couple would've driven him into demonization from sheer frustration!
If it weren't for respecting the former Marshal… Dan Feng truly wanted to just create a group chat, forward both of their messages into it,
And then leave the group.
You have problems? Solve them yourselves! Stop coming to him!
But all Dan Feng could do was imagine it in his mind.
With a dark expression, he stared at the messages on his terminal and, with monumental patience, began planning solutions for the two of them.
Dan Feng replied to the former Marshal with a single word, "Alright."
No need to rush; he'd ask when the time came.
He had to deal with Jingliu's issue first.
The dragon lord dug through his inherited memories, thinking for a long time, but came up empty-handed.
The former Marshal… didn't seem to especially like or dislike anything.
Dan Feng thought carefully.
Considering the former Marshal had exhausted himself for the Xianzhou for five thousand years, and could even calmly accept the Xianzhou people forgetting him…
Someone who could so decisively erase his own achievements…
How could such a person care about what gift he received?
Dan Feng figured that even if his friend added a few zeros to her savings, it still wouldn't match a fraction of the former Marshal's wealth.
Competing with the former Marshal's assets? Probably no one in the entire starsea had the qualifications to compare.
If money couldn't win, then it was better for Jingliu to give up on returning an expensive gift altogether.
Thinking this, the dragon lord typed his reply.
[Dan Feng: Whether the gift is expensive means nothing to him]
[Dan Feng: What matters is whether it's heartfelt]
After helping Jingliu, next came the former Marshal.
Just one look at the message told Dan Feng that the other had already purchased the residence. He just didn't know Jingliu's preferences, and didn't want to ask directly and expose his intentions, thus he came to Dan Feng.
To outsiders, Zero was just an ordinary diviner of the Divination Commission.
And Dan Feng was the illustrious dragon lord and head of the Alchemy Commission.
There shouldn't be even the slightest connection between an ordinary diviner and Imbibitor Lunae.
They only knew each other because of Jingliu.
So when the time came, Dan Feng would bring up the topic at the drinking table and ask everyone about their preferences. That way, Jingliu wouldn't notice anything strange.
Thus, the next day, Dan Feng had the attendants prepare side dishes and wine in advance.
His four friends, plus the former Marshal who always wanted to see his tail and true form, soon arrived at the Scalegorge Waterscape.
The former Marshal was even carrying a cat backpack. When he unzipped it, a plump and fluffy cat slid out smoothly.
Dan Feng stared at the cat that looked nothing like the one in his memories and couldn't help asking Zero, "How many meals are you feeding it per day?"
Zero fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Don't ask."
Honestly, who could resist a soft, clingy little cat?
The moment she rolled on her back in front of him, his can-opening hand simply couldn't stop.
Jing Yuan was equally shocked. Staring at the balloon-like cat, he said to Zero, "You need to put her on a diet."
Zero, "She's on a diet, she's on a diet."
He really liked Chaoyan's cat, so of course he wouldn't let Jade get too out of control.
If she got too overweight, it would shorten her lifespan.
Jing Yuan crouched down and picked Jade up. Feeling her dense, uncompromising weight, he immediately put aside the awkwardness in his heart and asked, "So how are you planning to make her slim down?"
Zero sighed helplessly, "I bought a treadmill specifically so Jade could exercise more, but…"
He sounded utterly disappointed, "The moment I put her on the treadmill, she just lay there motionless. I had no choice but to hold her, and then she learned how to roll. As soon as she gets on the treadmill, she starts rolling forward."
'It was completely useless!'
Everyone sighed after hearing that.
What a plump yet agile little cat. She even knew how to roll forward to avoid exercise.
After talking about the cat, Dan Feng invited his friends to drink, except for Jing Yuan, who was under twenty.
The dragon lord subtly guided the conversation, taking the initiative to talk about his preferred interior style.
As expected, his friends shared their ideas one by one.
Yingxing took a sip of wine. "As long as I can live there, it's fine. But if I could bring my workstation from the Artisanship Commission home, and place a few Mara-struck around, that'd be even better."
Really, what artisan could resist Mara-struck?
Everyone else was shocked and impressed by the workaholic attitude of someone from the Artisanship Commission.
Yingxing didn't care. "If I save more time, maybe I could forge another legendary weapon..."
Everyone was already used to the fact that Yingxing was a short-lived species and understood his ambitions, so they didn't react much.
Only Dan Feng's face darkened, but when Zero glanced over, his expression returned to normal.
Baiheng twitched her ears and laughed, "I'm not picky at all, anywhere I can live is fine. Of course, if there's a cabinet filled with fur-care oils, that'd be even better!"
Foxfolk, other than caring for their fur, they had no other real desires.
Jingliu quickly gave her answer, "I don't have any particular preferences. As long as there's a place for sword practice, that's enough."
Zero was stumped.
That request was way too simple…
Jing Yuan placed Jade on the stone table and pinched the cat's pink paw pads, "There must be a study for storing my storybooks, and a room dedicated to the cat, "
Everyone kept chatting casually.
As they drank, someone brought up the topic of what they wanted written on their epitaphs. One person spoke, then another, until it became a group discussion.
Dan Feng said, "If it were me, I'd leave only one sentence…"
He cast a meaningful glance at the former Marshal and recited the last line left in the other's publicly released will, "If you think of me, then I have lived once more because of you."