Yingxing felt that even the wine in his hand no longer tasted good.
'Zero, why are you looking at me?'
'Don't tell me you've suddenly had another idea and want me to work overtime again?'
'Letting me make a hairpin last time was one thing, after all, that was your confession gift.'
'But this time… what are you planning to do now?
'What? Could it be because Jingliu said she would cut down the stars in the sky?'
Yingxing couldn't help but associate this with some lectures he'd heard before.
Back when he hadn't yet earned the title of "Furnace Master," some long-lived folk had spoken to him in a strange, sarcastic tone, saying things like how one should keep one's feet on the ground and not aim unrealistically high.
Now, Yingxing really wanted to pass those words on to Zero.
'You have to keep your feet on the ground. You can't aim unrealistically high!'
'Just because Jingliu said one sentence, you're thinking of making me work overtime? Handcrafting a colossus or something?!'
Of course, for something as trivial as a star-destroying–class weapon, as long as he, Yingxing, got the chance to lay his hands on it, had some time to research it, and was given the required materials…
He wouldn't say he could surpass the original weapon, but at the very least, he could probably develop something on a similar level.
But he didn't want to work overtime. Just repairing that broken sword the people of Xuling had sent over was already more than enough to wear him out.
Yingxing pretended he hadn't noticed Zero's gaze and stared hard at his wine cup.
Seeing this, Zero had no choice but to look away and instead squeeze his lover's hand at his side.
Jingliu was now an emanator of the "Reignbow Arbiter," so naturally, cutting down stars in the sky would be an easy matter for her.
Outsiders called Jingliu a swordswoman rarely seen in ten thousand years, yet she still felt it wasn't enough and boldly declared that she would cut down the stars in the sky.
Even if she hadn't become an emanator… she would still be fixated on the pinnacle of the sword path.
Now that she had received Lan's blessing… she would probably work even harder.
Zero had originally wanted to approach Yingxing and ask this craftsman to forge another star-destroying–class weapon.
After thinking it over, he decided to give up on the idea.
When Chanzhen had proposed forging a weapon for Jingliu, Zero had probed her indirectly, but she had seen through his intentions at a glance and stated that she didn't need one.
Thinking about it now, the star-destroying battleship he'd left her wasn't bad either.
Taking a step back, even if Jingliu's swordsmanship were to stagnate, Zero had given her a star-destroying battleship. Rounding it off generously, that still counted as fulfilling her wish, right?
Zero raised his hand and tidied Jingliu's slightly messy bangs, revealing faintly flushed cheeks and reddened ear tips.
When Jingliu noticed his movement, she tilted her head slightly. With those crimson eyes tinged with haze, she looked at him and smiled faintly.
Perhaps because she was drunk, her smile carried a gentleness rarely seen on ordinary days.
Zero accidentally brushed her cheek, and even his fingertips grew hot.
He thought to himself that Jingliu really was drunk.
Keeping a straight face, Zero withdrew his hand and shifted his gaze to Baiheng, who stood nearby with her head held high, looking full of spirit.
The foxian woman let out a smug chuckle and waved her hand.
"My goal? Pretty much the same as Jing Yuan's! After all, the relationship between Galaxy Rangers and Nameless has always been great!"
She looked at Dan Feng and asked, "What about you, High Elder?"
Dan Feng, already half drunk and propping his head up to the side, slowly lifted his gaze after being called out by name.
Baiheng pressed on, "Dan Feng, what about you?"
A flood of thoughts flashed through Dan Feng's mind, and he suddenly recalled that inexplicable question Zero had asked earlier.
He had asked, "Who are you? Are you Dan Feng, or are you the Vidyadhara High Elder, Lord Imbibitor Lunae?"
Dan Feng understood why the former marshal had given up on using "Feather of Dust."
If the other man were a marshal, then erasing his memories was undoubtedly the best choice. That way, he could continue serving as marshal and lead the Xianzhou onward.
But what if he were to step away from the identity of marshal? What if he gave up erasing his memories and quietly waited for himself to fall into mara… From that perspective, how could death not be a kind of release for him?
Just thinking about the former marshal's mental state made Dan Feng's head hurt even more.
Now that the man was stationed at the Luofu, Dan Feng couldn't tell whether he should relax or grow more tense.
Even if all the gods were to fall, the Xianzhou would not be harmed, but… what if that man had another episode? What should they do then?
Dan Feng was indeed a physician, but he wasn't good at treating mental illnesses.
He took a deep breath, forcibly pulled his thoughts away, and began to think about Baiheng's question.
He needed to seal the Ambrosial Arbor, contend with the dragon elders who angered him, and, finally… deal with the reproduction of the Vidyadhara.
But these were all problems faced by Lord Imbibitor Lunae, not by Dan Feng.
Dan Feng looked at his friends and said softly, "Right now is very good."
Together with him, they all turned their gaze to Yingxing.
Yingxing smiled broadly and unchecked. "My ideal? You all know it already. There's no need for me to repeat it."
Yingxing's ideal was as simple as it got.
Nothing more than staying in the Artisanship Commission, forging weapons for the Xianzhou and for his friends, weapons worthy of being recorded in Xianzhou history, so that his name would be left behind in the chronicles, letting future Xianzhou people know the name Yingxing.
They would know that long, long ago, there had been a short-lived artisan who created divine weapons that long-lived species could not surpass even after spending hundreds or thousands of years.
Short-lived species couldn't compare in lifespan to long-lived ones or foxians, so he could only give it his all, seize every second and every minute, and immerse himself in the Artisanship Commission.
Yingxing could no longer accompany his friends, but the weapons he forged could.
Using words Dan Feng had mentioned… he could be considered immortal as well, couldn't he? After all, his friends would always use his weapons, and when they picked them up, they would think of him.
Thinking of him meant he had lived once more. Wasn't that far better than those long-lived species who lived aimlessly yet looked down on his status? Living longer in a more meaningful way?
Yingxing crossed his arms and looked at his friends.
"I've already thought it through. I'll just use that line Dan Feng mentioned as my epitaph. When the time comes, don't forget me..."
Dan Feng spoke up to correct him. "Those were the former marshal's words, not mine."
Hearing this, Yingxing nodded.
He wasn't from the Xianzhou. Previously, when he had heard Jing Yuan and Dan Feng talk about that man's deeds, it hadn't felt very real.
It was like hearing about the "Reignbow Arbiter", he'd treated it as listening to a story.
This time, upon hearing words that resonated with him, Yingxing couldn't help but grow curious.
Pressed by Yingxing's questions, Dan Feng thought for a moment, then dug through his memories and pulled out the two most representative jokes.
Dan Feng said, "I'll tell two jokes. When traveling through space, if you lose your identification documents, don't panic. You just need to go on the Xianzhou people's forum and curse the former marshal once. In less than a minute, all your personal information will be dug up by Xianzhou people. That way, it won't affect your normal travel."
Zero, "..."
Setting aside how bizarre it was to go on a forum and curse him… the actions of the Xianzhou people in that of y were way too exaggerated. This was definitely deliberate slander.
Dan Feng paused, then told the second joke,"If you encounter an invincible enemy on a remote planet, don't be nervous. You just need to curse the former marshal one more time..."
The corner of Jing Yuan's mouth twitched. Thinking of the former marshal's various deeds, he tentatively said, "The enemy will unite in shared hatred? Give up on fighting you?"
Dan Feng shook his head. "No. The omnipresent Galaxy Rangers will ensure you don't suffer and let you die more quickly."
Zero, "..."
He couldn't believe it.
'Who are you talking about? Are you talking about the Galaxy Rangers, the very ones he had personally instructed Akivili to look after and protect?!'
'This was definitely slander! It was all the fault of the sapient machines!'
[T/N: So guys, I was thinking, what if I publish 14 Chapters every Sunday instead of 2 daily? Someone recommended it to me in my other Account and I am testing if it suits to your all tastes better.]