Dan Feng had originally been drunk, his head spinning. Hearing Zero once again compare his tail to a fish's, a sudden surge of anger flared up in his heart.
For a moment, his head hurt even more.
As the High Elder of the Vidyadhara, Dan Feng had his own pride. No matter how angry he was, he would never curse out loud, much less let anything show on his face.
He maintained the dignity of Lord Imbibitor Lunae, arms crossed over his chest. The next instant, under everyone's gaze, his blue-green tail slowly moved closer to Zero.
With a cold face, Dan Feng looked at Zero, who appeared perfectly calm and was fully focused on petting the cat, and then let out a snort of laughter.
"Heh. Take a good look."
What did "the texture feels about the same as a fish" even mean?
Please. He was a descendant of the "Permanence" Aeon. He was the Vidyadhara High Elder, Lord Imbibitor Lunae.
How could fish scales possibly be mentioned in the same breath as his dragon scales? They weren't even worthy of the comparison, okay?
Did Zero have any idea how many patrolling credits the scale-care oil he used every day cost?
Driven by alcohol, Dan Feng urged Zero on, and in that moment, he actually forgot to mind his wording.
Zero examined the dragon tail in front of him and suddenly realized something.
In the eyes of others, the relationship between one dragon and one human had not reached a level where Lord Imbibitor Lunae would lower himself and offer to bring his tail over like this.
But… that was a dragon. A preference engraved into DNA after countless bouts of amnesia.
Zero didn't hesitate for long. He deliberately put on a troubled expression and looked toward Jingliu, who stood beside him and was close with Dan Feng.
Jingliu looked at Zero, then at Dan Feng, who was clearly acting out of character by allowing someone to look at his dragon tail, and felt that something was off.
Aside from the simple-minded Yingxing, Jing Yuan and Baiheng were also puzzled.
Zero and Dan Feng… were both people with very strong boundaries. Neither would casually let others get close
'Could it be that Dan Feng was drunk and had lost his sense of propriety?'
Zero turned his head and met Dan Feng's stubborn gaze, speaking earnestly, "Lord Imbibitor Lunae, you're drunk."
Dan Feng fell silent for a moment, then coldly urged him on, "Look carefully. See it clearly..."
Zero chuckled and shook his head. "I overstepped."
With that, his gaze fell on the blue-green tail.
Zero had assumed that his clumsy attempt at provocation wouldnome would not actually work on Dan Feng.
He hadn't had much hope to begin with. He just hadn't expected… that it would really work on the High Elder! It had even prompted him to bring his dragon tail right up in front of him.
Dragon scales were different from fish scales.
Dan Feng's dragon scales looked like jade. He just didn't know what they felt like to the touch… Would they feel like jade as well?
The thought passed through Zero's mind in an instant. Considering his surface-level relationship with Dan Feng, he didn't reach out to touch it.
Jing Yuan, standing nearby, stared for a while as well, then quite openly reached out and grabbed the High Elder's tail.
When he had first joined the Cloud Knights, he hadn't been close with Lord Imbibitor Lunae.
The High Elder had heard that Jing Yuan's master was exceptionally skilled with the sword and had come by to spar. Back and forth they went, and in the process, Jing Yuan, the disciple, naturally became familiar with him as well.
At fourteen or fifteen years old, it was an age of reckless courage and no inhibitions.
After figuring out Dan Feng's personality and realizing that he was especially indulgent with children, Jing Yuan would sometimes cling to Lord Imbibitor Lunae, wanting to take a look at his dragon tail.
After all, that was a dragon. Who could say no to a dragon?
Dan Feng was pestered until he had no choice but to manifest his tail. Once it happened the first time, there would naturally be a second.
Jing Yuan always knew how to respect boundaries. Step by step, he managed to see the tail many times. Once, he crossed Dan Feng's bottom line and reached out to touch it.
As expected, Dan Feng didn't get angry. He merely sighed, raised his hand into a fist, and gently knocked Jing Yuan on the head.
After that, Jing Yuan came up with all kinds of excuses to touch the tail, like saying it was unbearably hot and he urgently needed a dragon tail to cool down, and so on. Sometimes Dan Feng would agree, sometimes he would refuse.
This time, Jing Yuan once again saw that long-absent tail.
And it was right within arm's reach, a tail he could touch just by lifting his hand.
How could he possibly hold himself back? Anyone who could hold themselves back wasn't a Xianzhou native.
Besides, he'd touched it plenty of times as a kid. Dan Feng definitely wouldn't be angry.
So Jing Yuan made his move.
This time, he even deliberately changed how he addressed him, smiling as he said, "Brother Dan Feng…"
Dan Feng, "..."
The moment Jing Yuan touched his tail, Dan Feng's drunkenness vanished completely.
'Jing Yuan, do you even know how old you are this year?'
Fourteen or fifteen was one thing, clinging to him to look at and touch his tail, he could treat that as playing along with a kid.
'But you're almost twenty now! Why are you still calling me Brother Dan Feng?!'
Dan Feng took a deep breath and suddenly realized he had fallen for the former marshal's provocation.
Right in front of everyone, he had actually forced the other party to look at his tail.
He should have known. He really should have known. The moment that person said the word "texture," he should have sensed that something was wrong.
Who would have thought that the former marshal would only look and not touch.
Dan Feng's mind raced, and for a moment, he even forgot to respond to Jing Yuan.
He tried to figure out what the former marshal was thinking, but before he could make sense of it, the other party spoke again.
Zero scratched the cat's chin with one hand while meeting his gaze, smiling as he said, "Looks like I need to take back what I said earlier. The High Elder's scales do seem quite different from fish scales."
Dan Feng, "..."
'Just "seem different"?!'
'Did you absolutely have to touch my tail? Did you have to use such a crude provocation?!'
After weighing things for a moment, the High Elder pulled his tail out of Jing Yuan's grasp, ignored his friend's regretful remarks, and placed the tail in front of Zero.
Rather than letting the other man play him like a fiddle, it was better to concede. This was definitely not because of the provocation.
Besides, if he, Dan Feng, didn't agree to the former marshal's request… who knew what new schemes that man would come up with to trap him?
Even if he himself could avoid it, what about his reincarnation? How could that possibly escape?
After all, the marshal was someone who would never give up until his goal was reached.
His future self would definitely be deceived until completely turned around by the former marshal. Forget a dragon tail… he'd probably really be tricked into dropping seafood and even showing his true form, right?
Dan Feng coldly watched Zero put on a troubled expression. Enduring humiliation and bearing the burden, he urged him on. In the end, the other man finally reached out.
Zero had always known his limits. One hand pressed down on Jade, who was eager to treat the dragon tail as a cat toy, while the other lightly touched the tail.
He touched it just once, then cleanly withdrew his hand.
The texture was exactly as Zero had imagined. It felt much like jade.
Having fulfilled a long-held wish, Zero was completely satisfied and went back to petting the cat with Jingliu, no longer messing with Dan Feng's state of mind.
Seeing this, Dan Feng finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He glanced around at his friends. Jingliu had her head down, petting the cat together with Zero, completely unreliable.
Looking again at Baiheng and Jing Yuan, one fox and one human both assumed he was drunk and that he had forcibly made Zero, someone he wasn't familiar with, touch his tail.
In the end, Dan Feng set his gaze on Yingxing, who was wholly focused on drinking.
The craftsman drank cheerfully, seemingly having noticed none of the undercurrents at the table just moments ago.
Dan Feng looked at the only friend who hadn't misunderstood him, his heart softening a little. He immediately removed his wrist guards.
He stuffed them into Yingxing's hands. Seeing his friend's confusion, he said, "This was made by artisans of the Vidyadhara. You should find it enlightening after you take a look."
Yingxing accepted them and smiled. "Then I definitely won't disappoint the High Elder. After I study them for a bit, I'll make you an even better pair of wrist guards..."
He carefully put them away, full of anticipation that he might gain new inspiration from Vidyadhara craftsmanship.
After several rounds of drinking, everyone except Jing Yuan was half drunk.
They chatted about interesting incidents from the front lines, spoke of the sights and experiences they'd had after stepping into the starry sea, and finally talked about their own aspirations.
Jing Yuan picked up Jade and lifted the cat high into the air. "I want to become a Galaxy Ranger! Punish evil, promote good, and see all the wonders of the starry sea!"
Jingliu, as the master who taught Jing Yuan swordsmanship, had no objections to his aspirations.
Whoever wanted to learn her sword, she would teach. She had never been attached to whether her techniques would continue or be passed down.
Jingliu was the Sword Champion. In this life, she would only be devoted to swordsmanship, pouring everything into the pursuit of the ultimate sword path.
She was already half drunk. Subconsciously, she tightened her grip on the hand of the lover beside her and boldly declared, "Even the stars in the sky, I will cut them down."
Zero showed a thoughtful expression. He first turned his head to look at Jingliu, then turned to look at Yingxing.
Yingxing, "..."
[T/N: 🎊 HAPPY NEW YEAR chaps! 🎊 May this year be Healthy and Productive for you! Enjoy~]