Hua met Dan Feng's gaze with those calm blue eyes that resembled a still lake, waiting for his explanation.
Dan Feng knew that if he hadn't been close friends with Zero…
If he hadn't been one of the Xianzhou's heroes…
Then this time, he would undoubtedly have died.
The reasoning was simple.
Take Yingxing, who had been transformed into a Vidyadhara, for example.
If the Vidyadhara elders intended to make use of Yingxing…
Dan Feng likewise would not have shown mercy.
He would eliminate every single person who knew the truth.
As the saying went, only the dead could keep secrets.
But Dan Feng was the Vidyadhara High Elder. How could he possibly kill his own people?
He would only send those who knew to undergo rebirth. Once they reincarnated again, they would forget the memories of their previous lives.
Only then would Dan Feng feel at ease.
However, the one who learned of Zero's uniqueness was not some ordinary Vidyadhara clansman.
It was the Vidyadhara High Elder.
High Elders inherited memories from dreams in order to pass down the secret arts of the Vidyadhara.
Dan Feng would never use Zero's flesh and blood.
But would the current Marshal believe that? Would she feel reassured?
Dan Feng didn't think so.
Thousands of years ago, the Xianzhou and the Vidyadhara formed an alliance to seal the "Plague Author's remnants."
Now, "Imbibitor Lunae" Dan Feng had broken his oath and committed a grave crime, while the current Marshal had investigated Yingxing's blood…
How could she possibly trust him?
The current Marshal cared about Zero's feelings, and combined with the past achievements of "Imbibitor Lunae," there was a chance she might spare his life.
But what about after Dan Feng underwent rebirth? Would the next "Imbibitor Lunae," Dan Feng's reincarnation, still honor the promise?
He didn't dare gamble on it.
Meeting Hua's gaze, Dan Feng spoke of the Vidyadhara's reincarnation and rebirth, then moved on to the mara-struck condition of Xianzhou natives before abruptly changing the subject to the assassin prepared by his people for the High Elder.
The assassin would kill Dan Feng once he fell into draconic madness.
Finally, Dan Feng once again sincerely brought up the "Feather Dust."
Hua thought to herself, 'As expected of "Imbibitor Lunae."'
In the blink of an eye, he had already come up with a countermeasure.
Under Father's instructions, the Vidyadhara would resolve their population issue.
For Dan Feng, the top priority was naturally preserving the relationship between his people and the Xianzhou.
Hua let out a quiet laugh and withdrew the jade abacus placed before Dan Feng.
"'Imbibitor Lunae,' you've really given me a difficult problem."
Though she said it was troublesome, her expression looked extremely relaxed.
Hua spoke unhurriedly,
"The Vidyadhara High Elders inherit their legacy through dreams. 'Imbibitor Lunae,' are you truly willing to give that up?"
Dan Feng only said, "Once draconic madness sets in… the consequences would be unimaginable."
Hua cooperated readily and gave her promise directly.
"The next 'Imbibitor Lunae' will never fall into draconic madness again."
Dan Feng understood the hidden meaning in the Marshal's words.
She would not make a move against him.
She would only use the "Feather Dust" when he neared rebirth.
Dan Feng fell silent for a moment before speaking seriously.
"You ask whether I can bear to part with it…"
"There are some things far more important than the Vidyadhara inheritance."
Hua stared fixedly at the man before her and let out a soft sigh.
"I've seen your loyalty."
Whether those words were true or false no longer mattered.
Hua smiled, "Then swear it."
"Swear it in the name of the Vidyadhara."
"If you violate this oath…"
"Then pay for it with death."
Hua's gaze landed on the bandages wrapped around Dan Feng's neck.
"As for the method of death for your entire race…"
"How about suicide?"
The moment those words fell, Lan's expression changed slightly.
Ever since that person left, the Aeon rarely met with Hua and thus knew little of her current style of handling things.
Because of that, only one thought appeared in Their mind.
Was Hua being a little too extreme?
Guanliang silently cursed his former superior in his heart.
'A perfectly good successor, and look what that guy had turned her into?!'
One god and one human both remained silent.
After hearing this, Dan Feng's expression did not change in the slightest.
The current Marshal could say whatever she wanted.
Judging from the outcome, Dan Feng's friend had become long-lived.
The clansmen of "Imbibitor Lunae" no longer had to worry about their population issue.
From beginning to end, Dan Feng had been the greatest beneficiary of this incident.
And the price he paid was merely part of his memories and part of the Vidyadhara secret arts.
Hua gave Dan Feng no time to respond and immediately began dismissing him.
When Dan Feng stood and walked to the door, Hua casually spoke again.
"Dan Feng, his status is precious."
"When you welcome him, you should put some thought into it."
Dan Feng turned around and calmly asked in return, "What do you mean?"
Hua raised a brow.
"At the very least, it should match his status, shouldn't it?"
She said seemingly offhandedly, "I heard that 'Imbibitor Lunae' has sixteen attendants…"
The moment he heard this obvious hint, Dan Feng instantly understood.
'So when the bosses fought, the subordinates suffered, huh?!'
Dan Feng's expression turned complicated, but in the end he could only nod.
Hua, along with the god and the human, watched Dan Feng leave.
Once the private room door closed again, Hua finally let out a long breath internally.
When dealing with "Imbibitor Lunae," she had deliberately acted as extreme as Father.
Next, she would be able to get the answer she wanted from the Aeon.
Resting her cheek against one hand, she tilted her head toward the Aeon.
"Out of boredom, I reviewed Cloud Knight work logs from nearly a thousand years ago."
"A man named Eric traveled alongside the 'Cloudstrider Arbiter' and arrived at the Xuling Xianzhou, entering a certain teahouse."
"Besides them, there was also an outworlder present."
"This outworlder openly spoke disrespectfully to the 'Reignbow Arbiter' in front of everyone, referring to Them as the Aeon of the Hunt."
"In the end, a civic-minded citizen reported this outworlder to the Cloud Knights."
Guanliang's expression turned strange.
He only knew that before his former superior ran into trouble, the Aeon had met that person once…
He had no idea the Aeon had once been suspected of being worth five hundred thousand patrol tokens!
Hua gently asked, "Lan, do you have any leads?"
Lan, "..."
Hua took the initiative to skip over the topic.
"After you left Scalegorge Waterscape, I met with him."
"A person like him…", Hua spoke somewhat incoherently.
"Someone who would think sealing off the Starskiff Haven for even a single second was wasteful… for your sake, just to give you one more enemy…"
"He willingly turned the entire Luofu into a stage..."
Lan's expression shifted faintly.
Hua seemed to recall something.
"You once told me that if you were able to save someone, you naturally would."
"May I ask, what were you doing at that time?"
She enunciated each word clearly, "You broke your promise."
The Aeon was left speechless.
Hua frowned slightly, disappointment filling her eyes as she looked at Lan.
"You once asked me, if a patient suffers from a severe illness with no cure, should treatment still continue? What if they themselves are unwilling?"
"Now, my answer is this, it doesn't matter whether they're willing or not."
Lan asked, "What do you intend to do?"
Hua's expression remained cold as she added, "And whether you're willing or not doesn't matter either."
She looked at the Aeon.
"'Reignbow Arbiter,' I want to know how to make him lose his memories."
The human and the Aeon stared at one another. In the end, Lan was the first to yield.
The Aeon shifted Their gaze away, voice nearly inaudible.
"…Death."
The atmosphere froze instantly. No one spoke again.
Hua's fingertips trembled. She lowered her eyes and stared blankly into space. After a long while, she finally broke the silence.
"…I understand."
Guanliang felt increasingly uneasy.
"Hua, what exactly are you planning to do?"
Hua did not answer. 'Allow Father to die?'
'Or… kill him?'
'I can't do it.'
'If medicine truly cannot save him, then forcibly keeping him alive with one final breath…'
'Is that a good thing or a bad thing?'
Hua sank into her thoughts.
She thought for a long time before finally coming up with a solution.
'Bring him to Xuling and keep him under strict watch.'
'As for how long...'
'Ten years.'
'Ten years later, no matter what choice you make, I won't stop you.'
Hua looked back at Guanliang.
"What I do isn't important."
What mattered was that person's choice.
She turned toward the window and casually remarked, "So it's a new moon tonight."
Beneath the same moonlight, Jingliu held Zero's hand while thinking about what luggage she needed to bring for the trip as they returned to her home.
When they reached the courtyard, Zero suddenly stopped walking.
Before Jingliu could speak, she heard him say, "Jingliu, I can't give you what you want."
Jingliu thought, just as expected.
She tightened her grip on Zero's hand and asked, "If I said those words to you, how would you answer?"
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