Jingliu picked up the envelope resting on top of the wooden crate.
'This weight... it doesn't feel like a letter.'
She looked closely.
It seemed to contain a lot of things. The edges of the envelope were almost split open.
Better wait until Zero comes back before opening it.
Jingliu casually placed the envelope on the table and opened the wooden crate.
Inside were exactly six jars of wine.
Considering Dan Heng wasn't on the Luofu, Jingliu only took out three jars and handed them to the attendants.
They moved quickly. Before long, Jingliu's jade abacus received messages from her friends.
In the group chat, Baiheng was the first to share a photo.
She wasn't in the picture. She held up a peace sign in front of the camera, while the wine Jingliu had sent was behind it.
[Baiheng: One look and you can tell this is a rare good wine!]
[Yingxing: Such a pity. I still have to work at the Alchemy Commission tomorrow morning.]
Jing Yuan flooded the chat with cat question mark stickers, filling the entire jade abacus screen.
[Jing Yuan: ?]
[Jing Yuan: I don't want to talk to someone like Yingxing, who works one day and rests ten.]
As usual, the two started bickering.
Not long after, Dan Heng appeared.
He didn't say anything. He copied Yingxing and Jing Yuan's stickers and joined the sticker battle.
Jingliu lowered her head and typed.
[Zero: I didn't leave you out. When are you coming back to the Luofu? @Dan Heng]
[Dan Heng: Around Thanksgiving.]
[Yingxing: Uh, Dan Heng, when you come back... be careful.]
[Dan Heng: Be careful of what?]
[Baiheng: What's there to be careful about? This is the Xianzhou. Dan Heng is a Nameless.]
[Jing Yuan: The Astral Express doesn't need to file a declaration. There's a dedicated route for you. @Dan Heng]
Footsteps drew closer.
It was Zero.
Jingliu turned off the screen, put away her jade abacus, and quickly walked to the door.
Smiling, Zero took Jingliu's hand and gently told her about his conversation with Akivili before they parted.
After hearing it, Jingliu instantly understood what her lover had been thinking.
To provide the Nameless with better material conditions, Zero had hidden it from the Aeon and transferred company shares to the Express.
It was a well-intentioned lie.
Of course, no matter how good the intention was, it couldn't change the fact that it was still a lie.
Rather than letting the Aeon hear about it from someone else one day, it was better for Zero to tell them himself.
So, before parting, Zero deliberately told the Aeon.
No matter how angry the Aeon became, there was no chance to lash out.
Jingliu raised an eyebrow.
"You think They'll calm down by tomorrow?"
Zero nodded and habitually praised his lover.
"As expected of the Sword Champion."
As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help sighing.
"All right, I know this trick won't do much. They'll definitely pursue the matter anyway..."
Jingliu pinched Zero's cheek.
"Then sit down and talk it through."
She led Zero to the dining table, where both of their eyes fell on the envelope.
The envelope looked extremely fragile. A light touch with a fingertip would tear it apart.
Even through the envelope, the contents felt uneven, as though something was engraved on them.
Jingliu carefully tore open the envelope.
Inside was the wedding gift of gold notes.
Calling them gold notes wasn't entirely accurate.
Jing Yuan had sent two gold bars, each as thick as a finger.
He hadn't had time to commission a custom gift, and there weren't many suitable options to choose from.
Perhaps considering the differences between worlds, he hadn't prepared a red envelope, but instead chose universally valuable gold.
The edges were engraved with intertwined flowers, while a dragon and phoenix were carved in the center.
Zero picked up the envelope and took out the letter.
[When we meet again someday, I will welcome you properly.]
[Paper and ink are limited, and I cannot say everything I wish to.]
[Take good care of yourself.]
Jing Yuan's name was written in the lower right corner.
Zero stared at it for a long while before handing the letter to Jingliu and asking, "Are you going to help them?"
Jingliu thought, 'Why do you always think about other people first?'
She lowered her head. Strands of hair slipped down beside her temples, covering most of her face.
Zero couldn't see her expression. He only heard her answer calmly, "No."
"You've already helped them."
Jingliu put away the gold bars and the letter.
Jing Yuan would earn the appreciation of his superiors and the support of the entire Vidyadhara race.
Dan Heng's position on the Xianzhou would also change because of it.
Once the race could continue, who would still remember Dan Heng, who had been exiled?
The only thing Jingliu could do was hide her true age and go along with the other Sword Champion's assumptions whenever she misunderstood.
That other version of herself had fallen into mara, losing all her memories. She seemed to remember only that sword, "Shattered," having forgotten when she met her friends and the details of the time they spent together.
Jingliu told her that everything could still be set right.
Even if she accidentally revealed a flaw... the other her wouldn't care.
Jingliu understood herself.
Other than the goal they had fixed upon, nothing else mattered.
She was only a passerby.
The other her would cut down every obstacle on the road ahead. She would not stop for them, nor would she need their help.
Jingliu continued, "My helping her would only be looking down on her."
"She has already made her choice."
"I believe it was the best choice she could have made."
Jingliu reached out and gently stroked Zero's cheek.
"All right. It's getting late."
"It's time to rest."
The two of them went to the master bedroom on the top floor.
Jingliu closed the door behind them, wrapped her arms around Zero's waist, felt her way upward from his lower back, and when her fingertips touched his hair ribbon, she gave it a light tug. His long hair fell loose.
She gripped the ribbon, rose slightly onto her toes, pressed her lips against the side of Zero's neck, and guided him backward step by step until he reached the bedside, with nowhere left to retreat.
Jingliu placed a hand on Zero's chest and gave him a gentle push.
Zero sat down on the bed. When he looked up again, a silk ribbon completely blocked his vision.
"...Hm?"
His other senses became sharper.
He heard Jingliu open a drawer.
Then his wrist felt cool.
———
Zero gathered the long hair that had stuck to Jingliu's back and swept it over to the side of her neck.
He raised one hand to shield the light for her, while the other untied the silk ribbon he had fastened.
The corners of Jingliu's eyes were slightly red, and her eyelashes trembled.
She slowly opened her eyes with difficulty. Her crimson eyes were unfocused.
After a long while, she shut them again as if giving up and buried her face in the bedding.
Zero couldn't help laughing. He carried her in his arms and went to another master bedroom.
"All right. Get some rest."
The next day, Jingliu was awakened by the vibration of her jade abacus.
She felt around beside the bed and picked it up.
[Jing Yuan: Master, help me ask Zero.]
[Jing Yuan: What's the plan exactly?]
[Jing Yuan: Do we follow the original plan? Or execute them directly?]
After reading the messages, Jingliu immediately sat up.
She hurriedly washed her face, got dressed, and went to the study.
It was already close to lunchtime.
Zero had been in class for four hours and looked as though he wanted to collapse onto the desk and sleep forever.
He glanced at the screen and said, "I don't know."
"I don't want to go."
After a while, he added, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."
Zero had been planning for a thousand years to broaden the Path of the Reignbow Arbiter.
A hundred years ago, the enemy had finally taken the bait.
And now, he didn't want to go.
It wasn't a rational decision.
Even his wording carried personal emotion.
Smiling, Jingliu put away the jade abacus.
That was good.
It meant Zero was gradually beginning to care about his own feelings.
Compared to a Zero who was always rational and never made mistakes, Jingliu preferred seeing his selfish and willful side.
Zero didn't need to put himself in danger.
The Cloud Knights would naturally slay the abominations and protect the people.
By now, only a small number of members who didn't know the truth had received notices of leave.
Some star ports and districts remained open, causing no economic loss to the Luofu.
Jingliu tapped the screen.
[Zero: Pending.]
She took Zero downstairs.
Just then, attendants arrived with the new clothes recently popular on the Xianzhou. They were organizing everything neatly in the walk-in wardrobe.
The two of them reached the first floor.
Akivili was sitting at the dining table.
Gripping a fork tightly, They said unhappily, "My dear friend, you've gone too far!"
"When I get back, you have to take those shares back!"
Zero's gaze shifted to the rolling clothes rack in the attendant's hands.
It was hung with all kinds of Xianzhou outfits.
He turned to the Aeon and suddenly smiled.
"Akivili, I need your help."