Zero kept a blank face, mechanically entering book information into the large jade register at the office.
He instinctively wanted to avoid it, didn't want to keep digging deeper.
Didn't want to keep examining just who the protagonist of this absurdly overblown story was…
Sharing his mood, Tengxiao also felt indescribable suffering.
He couldn't avoid it. He could only brace himself, watch Zero's expression, and try hard to guess this lord's thoughts.
'Was he dissatisfied with the book title? Or with the promotional blurb on the cover?'
Originally Tengxiao had wanted to pick a more conservative name, but he couldn't be sure of Zero's preferences. Thinking that the lord was only in his early twenties now, he had asked Jing Yuan, who was about the same age.
Jing Yuan, widely read in Luofu storybooks, was skilled at naming books and writing summaries. He patted his chest and promised to come up with something absolutely eye-catching.
After seeing the title Jing Yuan chose, Tengxiao was utterly shaken. You can even phrase it like this? Isn't this way too exaggerated?
He didn't understand, but out of trust for his lieutenant, he ultimately used Jing Yuan's plan.
Now Tengxiao's heart was hanging by a thread. While smoothly using tricks of "fooling rhetoric" to fob off Xiao Lin, he carefully observed Zero's face.
He was afraid his gaze would be too obvious, that others would notice, so he could only sneak looks under the pretense of scanning the archives, one glance after another.
Not only did he have to guard against others, he also had to guard against Zero, terrified of locking eyes with him.
And Zero, who clearly noticed Tengxiao staring, "…"
He couldn't understand it. He wasn't some terrible, heinous villain.
'What exactly had Hua said to Tengxiao?'
Finishing up the task quickly, he thought absentmindedly, 'Does Tengxiao also hide in his room to cry?'
Tengxiao stared for a long while, but couldn't read anything from Zero's face. Relieved, he loosened up, and using "handling official business" as an excuse, he got up to slip away.
Zero watched Tengxiao's back as he left and suddenly realized a problem.
That was, Hua's gender.
Was the other male or female?
He thought about it. They had been comrades for a while now. Asking at this point… felt a bit inappropriate.
Better to ask Tengxiao.
Zero picked up his palm-sized thermos cup and followed him out of the archives. Before he could speak, the burly man ahead suddenly turned, stammering, "You… you…"
Tengxiao froze up, but when he saw the cup in Zero's hand, he stopped stuttering, "Why are you even personally getting water yourself?"
Zero looked at the man's sweat-soaked, embarrassed face, and gave up on teasing him, saying calmly, "No need to use honorifics with me."
"Ah haha, com, no, you… not…" Tengxiao panicked, subconsciously spoke with respect, then quickly corrected himself, "You… no, why are you personally getting water yourself?"
Zero, "…No, I have something to ask you."
Tengxiao's brain started running at full speed, CPU nearly burning out.
This lord had something to ask him? About what? Could it be that issue with the Vidyadhara clan?
Of course, it made sense. In the past he'd wiped out three entire clans at the start, yet when bullied himself, he hadn't killed anyone. But now he'd been poisoned and sent to the Alchemy Commission, how could he not be angry?
Rubbing his hands, Tengxiao probed, "Then according to your... your opinion, how do you want to handle it?"
Zero, who had only intended to ask about Hua's gender, fell silent.
'What plot did I just miss? What is Tengxiao talking about?'
"Handle it" … he must mean the Vidyadhara attempting to assassinate the former Marshal, but instead poisoning him in the process?
Zero understood, but he didn't want to think for the Xianzhou anymore. Hadn't he done enough in his past life?
Do your own job yourselves, why ask him?
So he perfunctorily said, "Handle it however it should be handled."
Tengxiao struggled to keep his face steady.
He forgot the former strategist's advice, "don't use your brain when dealing with him", and instead let his thoughts spiral, trying to parse the deeper meaning.
'Handle it however it should be handled?' What did that mean? According to his old rules, exterminate three clans?
But it was the Vidyadhara. Each one of them was fiercely protected by the Dragon Lord and Dragon Elders…
How could he possibly wipe out three clans of Vidyadhara?
Dan Feng would never allow it.
Tengxiao's expression shifted again and again until finally hardening into grim resolve. He nodded firmly, "I will do my best to achieve it for you."
Zero, "…"
'What… did I just say something world-shaking? Why does Tengxiao look like he's ready to throw away his life?'
Unable to stop it, he frowned slightly.
Tengxiao panicked. Looking back, he thought perhaps his use of "you" had angered the lord. He immediately switched from the honorific "you" to the plain form, and repeated what he had said.
Zero was speechless.
This was exactly the same as with his former subordinates, interpreting his words from bizarre angles. He'd say "just take one planet," and they'd compete with each other, ending up taking ten, dozens even.
He had no choice but to patiently repeat his request again.
Tengxiao pounded his chest, promising to comply.
Zero, "…"
He was tired. Whatever. In any case, Hua's subordinate, let her deal with it.
Wait… why had he come again? Tengxiao's derailment nearly made him forget.
So he asked directly, "Your superior, is she a man or a woman?"
Tengxiao fell into deep thought. Was this the former Marshal trying to reclaim his position, planning to turn the Xianzhou Alliance into the Xianzhou Empire?
So he was probing him, to test his stance? Asking which side he planned to stand on?
But the current Marshal was a truly good superior, never a wrong decision, always taking care of Zero too!
He couldn't betray the current Marshal.
After much thought, he decided to speak a few words in her favor. But before he could, Zero sighed and asked again, "I mean, is Hua male or female?"
The mental storm he'd just put himself through had terrified him half to death. At last Tengxiao answered, "…Female."
Zero gave an "oh," then turned and left.
Tengxiao, 'Good heavens, so he really just wanted to ask the Marshal's gender?!'
He was dumbfounded. For a while he didn't know what to feel. To think, Zero's temper was actually not that bad.
After holding back again and again, Tengxiao gathered his courage and asked Zero about Mirrorstream.
Zero blinked slowly.
'No wonder. No wonder Hua had spoken strangely.'
For someone in such a high position to be concerned about the inexplicably revived former superior, in Zero's view, that was only natural.
As for himself, he felt he had already made his stance clear.
After working for thousands of years, there was no way he would keep creating trouble for himself.
Now he just held an idle position at the Grand Diviner's Office, and yet people kept staring at him?
Was he really such a very bad person? Was it necessary?
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