Zero raised an eyebrow and typed a reply.
[Zero: Wake up.]
[In a parallel world, there'll only be one you who's worked for thousands or tens of thousands of years.]
[Hua: ...]
[Is that even something a person would say?]
[Just hearing it makes me want to die...]
[Wait, why is the Reignbow Arbiter here?]
[Zero: ?]
[Hua: ...He left again.]
Zero replied with a string of ellipses, left the chat window, and checked the unread messages from other people.
One of them was a screenshot from Jing Yuan, showing that the Divination Commission had approved a gathering of over a hundred people.
Zero couldn't be bothered typing an explanation, so he simply started a voice call.
As soon as it connected, Jing Yuan sighed.
"Zero, that's not very honest of you."
"Do I look like someone who goes back on his word?" Zero casually placed the jade abacus on the desk, turned on speaker, and leaned back in his chair. "I said sixty-four, so it's sixty-four."
"The extras... are Vidyadhara."
Jing Yuan fell silent for a moment.
"But he's not Dan Feng."
Not the High Elder who had fought bravely and led the Vidyadhara out of hardship.
The Vidyadhara would never get the response they wanted from Dan Heng.
"He's already several hundred years old. Are you still treating him like a child?" Zero laughed. "I talked to him. He agreed."
Jing Yuan was genuinely surprised.
"Dan Heng agreed?"
"Yeah. I told him the Vidyadhara wanted to see him."
Jing Yuan was speechless.
At that point, what was there left not to understand?
He had only said that the Vidyadhara wanted to see Dan Heng.
He hadn't mentioned the time, the place, or the number of people.
'Zero, it really could only be you!'
Zero took the initiative to explain.
"They're looking for Dan Heng because they want him to inherit some real estate."
Jing Yuan thought about it before asking,
"The house that belonged to the Vidyadhara High Elder, 'Imbibitor Lunae'?"
Dan Feng had thought everything through. He erased every opportunity for Dan Heng to come into contact with the Vidyadhara. He only left Dan Heng some Patrol Tokens, while the rest of his assets were given to Yingxing.
One property was especially unusual. No matter what, the Vidyadhara refused to hand it over to Yingxing.
Every previous owner of that property had been the "Imbibitor Lunae."
Its first owner was Yubie, who had made the alliance with the Alliance and led his people to the Luofu, where they settled down.
Not only did the property occupy the best location on the Luofu, it also held extraordinary significance for the High Elder.
At the time, Yingxing had been overwhelmed with work. After learning the truth, he didn't take over the property, and over time it was simply left there.
Now, it was finally time for Dan Heng to inherit it.
Zero confirmed Jing Yuan's guess. Then, thinking of the Dan Heng from the parallel world, he couldn't help frowning.
"Jing Yuan, Dan Feng only left him one hundred thousand Patrol Tokens. Do you think... that's enough for him to live on?"
Jing Yuan: "..."
'I think you're the one treating Dan Heng like a child!'
'What do you mean, only one hundred thousand Patrol Tokens...'
'It's one hundred thousand a day!'
'How is that a small amount?'
'Dan Heng is a Vidyadhara, not some gold-eating beast!'
Jing Yuan's mouth twitched. He hurriedly said goodbye to Zero and ended the call.
The next day, he received a reply from the "Cloud-Wandering Arbiter."
The Aeon had selected two female profiles.
Jing Yuan handed the matter over to the Chief Strategist.
The day before "Gratitude Day," the two women would be transferred to an area with a higher security rating, where the Aeon would take their places.
As the date drew closer, Jing Yuan transferred part of the Cloud Knights and, together with representatives from the Six Commissions, headed to Zhizhong Forest for the final rehearsal.
This time, the strategists at the General's Residence had written him a speech.
Jing Yuan skimmed through it, making changes in his mind.
Thank goodness for Xianzhou education.
Thank goodness he'd taken over a dozen history courses at the academy.
No, dozens now.
Fortunately, he'd graduated early enough.
Even if Jing Yuan were drunk or had just woken up half asleep, he could still praise the "Father of the Xianzhou" and the "Reignbow Arbiter" to the skies.
When it was his turn to go on stage, he casually handed the speech back to the Chief Strategist.
Jing Yuan accepted the three incense sticks handed over by a subordinate. After lighting them at the Everlasting Lamp, he raised them to his forehead, bowed three times before the statue, then placed them into the incense burner.
He had long grown accustomed to the incense offering ceremony.
He no longer burst into laughter whenever he saw the statue.
What did 'the Marshal Zero' have to do with Zero, who stayed home and couldn't be bothered going out?
Jing Yuan turned and walked to the front of the stage, delivering the speech he had already prepared in his mind.
When the rehearsal ended, the six-person group chat began discussing what late-night snacks and drinks to have at dinner.
Jing Yuan couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
He still had work tomorrow, so he couldn't drink too much.
Baiheng thoughtfully offered a solution.
[Baiheng: It's okay, you can drink floating sheep milk @Jing Yuan]
Jing Yuan typed at remarkable speed.
[Jing Yuan: I'm already the General. Why am I still drinking floating sheep milk?]
[Zero: There's non-alcoholic champagne at home.]
Jing Yuan reluctantly accepted the suggestion and put away his jade abacus.
Ten meters away, the Master Diviner Fu Xuan was walking toward him.
Jing Yuan's eyelid twitched. Without changing his expression, he led his subordinates outside.
If it was official business, she could just send him a message.
As for the private matter of urging him to step down...
There was no hurry.
Even if governing hundreds of planets wasn't much different from governing hundreds of realms...
He still didn't want to increase his workload.
Jing Yuan returned to the General's Residence and instructed someone to deliver the newly arrived custom-made clothes and accessories for the Aeons to Zero's residence.
After finishing the remaining official business, he headed over right on time.
Besides his four friends, the "Cloud-Wandering Arbiter" also joined the gathering.
They sat around the round table chatting.
The Aeon grinned at Zero.
Zero pressed a hand to his forehead, looking as though he had a headache.
Jing Yuan walked over and heard Zero say helplessly, "When the time comes, don't make that expression..."
"Either keep a straight face or smile."
"Those two expressions are enough."
Akivili thought for a moment, nodded at Zero, then said, "Let's come up with a code phrase."
The snake-shaped ear cuff delivered to Zero's residence had real-time communication functions. Considering that Akivili would have contact with enemies, they quickly settled on a code phrase and officially began today's gathering.
Jing Yuan ate snacks to go with his drink while sipping non-alcoholic champagne.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the late-night meal, and before they realized it, it was already past midnight.
They had no choice but to stay overnight at Zero's house, each heading to the courtyard they had stayed in before.
Several more days passed.
It was finally "Gratitude Day."
Jingliu lightened her footsteps as she walked to the entrance of the walk-in closet, her gaze traveling from top to bottom over Zero.
Today, her lover wasn't Zero.
He was the eighth member of the Genius Society, Victor Frey.
This was the fake identity that Mr. Zandar had fabricated for Zero.
Just from the name, anyone could tell he wasn't a Xianzhou native.
To play the role better, Zero borrowed the fashion style of the geniuses. His long hair was tied back with a ribbon, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his nose, gemstone cufflinks adorned his sleeves, and a brooch decorated his chest.
The bird formed from diamonds looked lifelike, standing proudly atop the yellow diamond that Zandar had given him.
Jingliu folded her arms and watched Zero adjust his clothes in front of the mirror.
When he took out a shirt garter, she stepped forward and took over.
———
Zero gently stroked Jingliu's cheek with his palm.
Jingliu's eyes were slightly unfocused, her gaze fixed on his glasses.
Understanding what she wanted, Zero lowered his head a little and moved closer, letting her remove his glasses.
Jingliu mumbled indistinctly, "They're in the way..."
———
Three system hours later, the Astral Express arrived at the Luofu.
A thousand years later, the Express had once again reached the star port reserved exclusively for honored guests of the Xianzhou.
Dan Heng gazed out the window.
The increasingly familiar scenery filled him with an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
His jade abacus vibrated.
[Zero: Have you arrived?]
Dan Heng typed a reply.
[We're here.]
He remembered the welcoming banquet Zero had mentioned before and typed a message to dissuade him.
[No need to spend so much. Anything simple is fine.]
Zero didn't reply.
March 7th and Stelle beside him looked especially excited.
Welt quietly asked about the rules within the Xianzhou.
Dan Heng understood.
Dependable Mr. Welt didn't need him to explain.
He looked at March and Stelle, carefully reminding them of the Xianzhou's rules before they got off the train.
The two nodded together.
Then, hand in hand, they rushed outside without looking back, leaving Welt and Dan Heng far behind.
They stepped off the Express and entered the star port.
The moment they looked up, they were stunned by fifty identical skiffs that looked expensive from top to bottom.
March let out a cry of surprise, "Wow, did we... happen to arrive during some special event on the Xianzhou?"
As the skiffs drew closer, Stelle immediately put her hands on her hips, raised her chin slightly, and boldly guessed, "These people are here to welcome us!"
Looking more carefully, March noticed exquisitely carved dragons on the skiffs.
Her imagination immediately ran wild.
"I think..."
She suddenly stopped.
Remembering all the Xianzhou's rules, she hooked her arm through Stelle's and whispered, "This feels just like something out of a novel. The three-year deadline has arrived..."
Stelle nodded hard and declared in a loud voice,
"Welcome back, Dragon King..."
March shook her companion's arm vigorously, "Keep your voice down!"
Understanding immediately, Stelle hurriedly shut her mouth.
They looked more closely.
The skiffs had parked neatly along both sides of the road.
One elegantly dressed person after another, each looking expensive from head to toe, stepped off in perfect order.
March and Stelle were amazed. They estimated there were around a hundred people.
The group stood silently beside the skiffs.
Just as the two had guessed, they seemed to be waiting for the returning Dragon King.
Only the foremost skiff was different.
The person inside moved slowly. Only after everyone else had taken their places did they step out.
The person had long black hair and wore a purple qipao.
After noticing March and Stelle looking at them, they turned their gaze toward the two girls.
The face was beautiful.
But it wasn't the beauty of a delicate flower.
It was the beauty of a deadly serpent, capable of taking a life at any moment.
She smiled faintly at them.
While March and Stelle were still staring blankly, someone suddenly shouted toward the people behind them, "Lord High Elder, you've returned..."
The two followed the person's line of sight.
It was Dan Heng.
March and Stelle's mouths fell open in disbelief.
Welt looked at Dan Heng with a complicated expression.
The others stepped forward in perfect unison, bowed slightly first, then shouted in one voice, "Welcome back, Vidyadhara High Elder, 'Imbibitor Lunae'..."
More than a hundred voices rang out together, loud enough to make all four of their ears ache.
Dan Heng: "..."
'Zero, this is the welcoming banquet you were talking about?!'