The moment Dan Feng saw Daiyang and Chanzhen, the tension in his heart eased slightly.
Since the two former generals were not by Zero's side… then that person was likely unharmed.
'Perhaps Jingliu is with him right now?'
Dan Feng pulled his thoughts back and began considering what to do next.
At least he had made it past the Ten-Lords Commission.
What came next… was facing the current Marshal.
Every word Dan Feng said from this point onward had to be weighed carefully.
Every expression had to be flawless.
'What exactly was the relationship between the current Marshal and Zero?'
Dan Feng did not know the details, but he understood Zero.
Zero had always been rational. During his tenure as Marshal, he cared equally for every subordinate under him.
And beyond treating everyone fairly, Dan Feng believed there was another reason.
As a leader, once Zero showed different treatment toward a specific person or group in public, everyone else beneath him would inevitably begin adjusting their attitudes as well.
That was absolutely not something Zero wanted to see.
After choosing his successor, Zero would definitely pave the way for them. Even if he disliked the current Marshal, there was no way he would let anyone notice it.
'If their relationship was merely ordinary…'
Sacrificing Zero alone... sacrificing a former Marshal who very likely threatened her own position... in exchange for saving every Xianzhou native…
How could the current Marshal possibly refuse?
Given Zero's current mental state, he would probably cooperate willingly too.
But if the two were close…
Then as the instigator, Dan Feng would undoubtedly face severe punishment.
Death? Or cruel torture? He did not care.
He had committed a grave mistake.
Shuhu slipping into the Luofu's Scalegorge Waterscape had been his momentary lapse.
That was an indisputable fact.
The proud High Elder would not waste a single word defending himself, much less stoop to lying.
But too many things were entangled in this matter... the Vidyadhara race, Yingxing, and… Zero.
Dan Feng was not worried about Yingxing.
Ever since the death of Marty, the genius who developed the jade abacus, the Xianzhou had not produced another talent worthy of being mentioned alongside him.
Restricted by his short-life species status, as well as his dislike for political niceties and empty formalities, Yingxing had not become the Artisanship Commission's chief craftsman after earning the title of "Master Craftsman," unlike his predecessor.
Now, however, the weakness of his lifespan had already been remedied.
The current Marshal would definitely make full use of Yingxing.
Aside from the Vidyadhara, the person Dan Feng worried about most was Zero.
In the end, he was no different from the greedy masses who devoured Zero's flesh and blood.
Zero and the current Marshal had only spent ten years together. After centuries... nearly a millennium... after experiencing power and authority, would the successor he personally selected still retain the same attitude as before? What exactly was their relationship now?
The answer no longer mattered.
Dan Feng only had one option...
Conceal the special properties of Zero's flesh and blood.
He acted as though he had not heard the deliberate warning aimed at him. Expression unchanged, he rose and inclined his head toward the person surrounded by the others.
"Marshal."
Hua's smile did not change. After an attendant pulled out her chair, she sat down.
She lightly tilted her chin toward Dan Feng.
"Sit."
Once Dan Feng sat, Hua seemed to finally notice the bandages wrapped around his neck and paused in surprise.
"Lord Imbibitor Lunae… how did you injure your neck?"
Before Dan Feng could answer, Hua turned toward Daiyang at her side, frowning slightly in reproach, "I said we were only asking Lord Imbibitor Lunae a few questions... "
Daiyang's expression stiffened.
That wound on Dan Feng's neck had nothing to do with her at all. He'd done it to himself with a knife.
Still, she quickly returned to a composed expression, lowering her eyes silently.
Everyone present understood that Hua was not truly blaming Daiyang.
Shuhu infiltrating the Luofu and entering Scalegorge Waterscape was not Lord Imbibitor Lunae's fault.
If they really traced things back to the source, then from the Xianzhou leadership who established the rules to the logistics personnel handling the battlefield aftermath… all of them would face punishment.
Ordinarily, this matter should have been handled by the Luofu General, Teng Xiao.
Yet now, instead of seeing Tengxiao, Dan Feng was facing the Marshal of the Xianzhou herself... Hua.
Dan Feng understood why she had lowered herself to meet him personally and was even speaking to him pleasantly.
The primary reason was that he was Zero's friend, forcing the current Marshal to handle the matter carefully.
A smaller reason was his identity.
The disturbance caused by Shuhu was insignificant compared to even one-thousandth of the appearance of the Reignbow Arbiter.
Only a handful of people knew Shuhu still existed.
Most believed Shuhu had long since died on the battlefield.
And yet? Lord Imbibitor Lunae of the Vidyadhara, hero of the Xianzhou and ally of the Alliance, had entered the Ten-Lords Commission immediately after returning from war.
If it were merely questioning, that could still be explained. But the wound on his neck? Surely that had not happened during questioning.
So the current Marshal questioned Daiyang in front of Dan Feng.
Of course, it was all just formalities.
Following Hua's lead, Dan Feng voluntarily spoke up for Daiyang.
He stated that the injury on his neck had nothing to do with her and that he had accidentally hurt himself.
It was not a convincing lie.
How could the battle-hardened Lord Imbibitor Lunae injure such a vital spot? And why had the Alchemy Commission's chief healer, whose arts excelled at recovery, not fully healed the wound?
The explanation was riddled with holes and suspicious points, yet no one pursued the matter further.
Hua dismissed everyone except Guanliang and the man named "Lan."
As if by mutual agreement, they skipped over the topic entirely and exchanged the usual polite formalities instead.
With a nostalgic expression, Hua brought up her first meeting with Lord Imbibitor Lunae.
At the appropriate moment, Dan Feng matched her expression with one of similar sentiment and played along.
Patiently, Hua chatted with Dan Feng, moving from the Xianzhou annual assembly to the Cloud Knights, then from the Cloud Knights to the customs and scenery of the Luofu.
While casually conversing, she replayed every detail from earlier in her mind.
Father pushing Marty toward Zandar had been him arranging matters after his death.
Yes, Marty had accompanied Father for thousands of years.
Neither the Reignbow Arbiter nor Hua herself could compare to Marty.
After uploading his consciousness, Marty was no longer human.
That was why Father had intentionally tried to bring mechanical lifeforms into the Galactic Society and personally introduced Marty to Zandar... he had been paving the road for Marty's future.
Marty had learned the truth first.
He had not given up. He had wanted the generals and Hua to have a happy, complete Thanksgiving and birthday celebration.
But no one expected the Reignbow Arbiter to expose the truth personally.
To be honest, Hua had never really held any opinion of Marty.
If people could not get along, then there was no point forcing it. In Hua's view, maintaining surface-level civility was enough.
Marty had witnessed the cruelest possible scene imaginable for him.
Hua herself had also received the sword her father used before his death.
After chatting only briefly, her patience had completely run out.
Ever since becoming Marshal of the Xianzhou, Hua had never relaxed for a single moment, and the Xianzhou had never encountered any major trouble.
And yet? The moment Father regained his memories, problems immediately began appearing on the Luofu.
For nearly a thousand years, Hua had continuously handed in perfect results without pause.
Then, just as Father came to inspect her work, he happened to discover the blank assignment she had forgotten about.
How was that any different from studying tirelessly for years, only to get caught cheating during the final exam?
Shuhu sneaking into the Luofu was already humiliating enough... Did the Vidyadhara have to jump into the mess too?
Wouldn't that make her nearly thousand years of work meaningless?
After handling this matter, she still needed to pry information out of the Reignbow Arbiter.
If "Feather Dust" could not erase Father's memories… Then she could only try borrowing the power of an Aeon.
From this point onward, Hua needed to act just as extreme as Father.
She withdrew from her thoughts and abruptly changed the subject.
"Dan Feng, I've realized that subordinates like you... people with initiative who actively share their superior's burdens... are truly rare…"
At those words, Dan Feng's expression shifted slightly.
Hua took out her jade abacus, tapped it a few times, pulled up Yingxing's blood test report, and handed it to him.
Dan Feng glanced at the jade abacus once.
His body instantly froze rigid, his mind went blank.
Even his breathing and heartbeat seemed to stop at the same time.
What was Zero's relationship with the current Marshal?
Dan Feng finally had the answer.
After a long while, he finally thought of a way to break the deadlock.
With difficulty, Dan Feng spoke, "I've heard… that you possess a treasure called 'Feather Dust'…"