"Friend across generations," is used to describe friends whose seniority or age difference is huge, but who still get along extremely well.
Zero and Jingliu are friend across generations.
Does this sound like a problem at first hearing?
No problem at all.
They knew the other had once instructed Jing Yuan, telling her disciple that when she herself fell into the demonic body, he must not show mercy.
As a Cloud Knight, Jingliu was long used to this kind of thing, and was clear-headed about her own age and the fate she would soon face.
She was thoroughly open-minded about her own death.
Jingliu would never mind her age, nor in the process of interacting with her friends had she ever avoided speaking of what would happen after her death.
Come on now, that's Jingliu, the one who could keep her heart calm and let her disciple put her down with his own hands. How could she possibly care about age?
This was something every friend close to Jingliu understood.
If Dan Feng hadn't heard Jingliu say those words, "Not a lover," even he would have accepted Yingxing's explanation.
After all, the age gap was right there.
Yingxing had a circle of long-life friends, so he was very practiced at converting Zero's age into short-life years.
This person was of the same generation as Jing Yuan, yet also a friend of Jingliu's, wasn't that just an eight- or nine-year-old child?
Wasn't that exactly friend across generations? Never mind comparing with Jingliu, even in front of Yingxing, who was almost forty, Zero was still the junior.
In front of friends, Yingxing was especially relaxed.
Who, when chatting with family or friends, still tiptoes carefully, considering every word? If you have to treat them cautiously, are they even your friends? Better to cut ties early.
So, he subconsciously just blurted it out.
As for the only one who really knew, Dan Feng, he wasn't sure of Jingliu's exact age, only that he could estimate a rough range.
Truthfully, his friend's condition was not optimistic. To put it more harshly, Jingliu was only a step away from falling into Mara Body.
Other than following the army into battle, Dan Feng spent most of his time in the Alchemy Commission. He had seen countless Xianzhou people fall into being Mara-struck.
For this reason, he deliberately collected data related to it.
Nearly 80% of Xianzhou people, after the age of 800, would gradually show signs of being Mara-struck.
And Jingliu?
Wielding her sword to kill enemies was as natural as breathing. She showed not the slightest trace of being Mara-struck. Her current mental state far surpassed that of 80% of Xianzhou people.
Meanwhile, the diviner Zero, caught in the gaze of the Sword Master, was only a few years older than Jing Yuan, just over twenty. Being Mara-struck was something at least eight hundred years away for him.
'Sigh…'
Dan Feng sighed inside. Alone holding this earth-shattering piece of gossip, he felt the loneliness of "everyone else is drunk, only I am sober."
When the atmosphere was just about to explode, a trembling waiter at the side, as if having seen some heinous criminal, shakily crept closer and hung six aprons onto Zero's forearm.
Afterward, the waiter glared at Jing Yuan with a face full of "Xianzhou swearing."
Jing Yuan instantly understood what the other was thinking.
'Waiter, You are a Cloud Knight?! Luofu is finished!'
Jing Yuan, '…What the heck were they talking about behind my back?! How did the waiter mistake me for a murderer?!'
Jing Yuan laughed dryly and pushed the waiter away, taking on the responsibility of salvaging the Cloud Knights' reputation, "I'll go grab a few more ladles."
With the only person who could uncover the truth now gone, Dragon Lord, lonely as snow, could only raise his eyes full of a trace of pity and look at the other protagonist at the center of this gossip, Zero.
Zero, "…"
Zero was sweating buckets.
'Bro. Big bro. Didn't you see Jingliu's eyes?!'
'She wants to cut you down!!'
Even for a shut-in like him, he knew that when dealing with the opposite sex, there was one untouchable landmine that would explode instantly.
And that was, age.
Never mind how old Jingliu was now, even if it were five thousand years, fifty thousand years, that was not something you could just joke about.
The moment Jingliu looked from Yingxing to him, he had already prepared his own funeral arrangements in his head…
His face wore a flawless smile, but in truth his CPU was about to fry. He was like a clueless university student suddenly called on in class by the teacher, completely blank on what to say.
So Zero started babbling nonsense, "Yeah, I'm already five thousand years old. With the Sword Master, you could say we're friend across generations."
If not for the fact that he and Jingliu weren't close, otherwise he might've gone so far as to say, "This year, Jingliu is three years old…"
Perhaps Yingxing finally noticed Jingliu's eyes, because he only laughed and stopped talking.
But Zero's mouth didn't stop. He shifted the topic toward Baiheng, who was sitting right next to him,
"Here, your oil dish and sesame dish, oh, and an apron."
He sat in a row with Baiheng and Jingliu, facing Jing Yuan and the other three.
He set one apron at Jing Yuan's seat, then picked out two more and passed them down to Yingxing and Baiheng, who sat on the outside.
Once they all put on aprons, Zero glanced sideways at Baiheng and Jingliu, and felt relieved.
Their skin at the neckline was now securely covered by the aprons. Good. Finally he could eat in peace.
Zero divided the raw meat rolls evenly into all four pots. Then, he picked up a plate of fried meat and set it in front of Baiheng, who sat in the middle.
Dan Feng, who hadn't spoken much since meeting Zero, suddenly opened his mouth.
The Dragon Lord said to Baiheng, "Didn't you used to always like the seat by the window?"
Baiheng, who was bent over eating the fried meat in front of her, chopsticks in hand, looked blank, "…Huh?"
"Why not switch seats with Jingliu?" Dan Feng added, for some reason with a faint hint of amusement in his tone. "She would be willing."
Jingliu, "…"
Baiheng looked at Dan Feng, then at Jingliu, completely unable to understand their intentions.
Why was Jingliu glaring at Dan Feng? Did they have a fight? But if they fought, why did that mean she had to switch seats?
A bit hesitant, Baiheng asked Jingliu, "Do you want to switch?"
Jingliu was concise, "Let's switch."
Her tone didn't sound like she wanted to change seats, it sounded like she wanted to blow Dan Feng's head off.
Baiheng couldn't hold back, her fox ears twitched like airplane wings. She quickly packed up her dishes, urging Zero to get up so she could move.
Focused only on eating, Zero knew nothing of this. Holding bowl and chopsticks, he obediently stood up, and when Jingliu sat beside him afterward, he didn't think much of it.
Casually, he asked, "Jingliu, what kind of hot pot do you want?"
Jingliu glanced at the pot bases, and chose the spicy pot farther away from her, closer to Zero.
Baiheng was confused, "But don't you hate spicy food?"
At that, Jingliu, still cold-faced, said, "I heard this restaurant's spicy hot pot is very good."
"How about you try it first?"
So Zero used a ladle to scoop out a boiled meat roll from the spicy pot, placed it on a clean plate, and set it before her.
The white-haired beauty stared at the meat roll soaked in red oil, the smell alone choking, and slowly lifted her chopsticks to put it in her mouth.
In an instant, the once cool and aloof flower on the high peak had red-rimmed eyes, her crimson pupils shimmering with tears.
Jingliu instinctively picked up her water cup, but Zero grabbed her wrist and snatched it away.
Puzzled, Zero looked at the seized cup. Normally, the owner's selection of tableware was flawless.
But why was this cup of Jingliu's covered in cracks? Wouldn't it shatter into pieces?
He quickly asked, "Did you just drink from this?"
With tear-stained eyes and a flushed face, Jingliu shook her head.
"I didn't touch this one. You drink it first."
Relieved, Zero immediately passed her his own sour plum juice, and added, "I'll go ask what's going on, how can they serve a cup that's about to break…"
"Cough, cough!"
Before he could stand and confront the waiter, Jingliu covered her mouth and coughed, racking her chest.
Helpless, Zero quickly grabbed tissues to hand to her. Baiheng hurriedly patted her back, unable to stop herself from grumbling, "Sword Master, if you can't eat spicy, then don't eat it…"
Across the table, Yingxing's eyes lit up. He took the cracked glass from beside Zero, clicking his tongue in wonder.
"This material shouldn't crack… To break a cup like this, what kind of godly grip would it take? Dan Feng, why are you stomping on me!"
Yingxing complained, then continued marveling, "At least a thousand pounds of force…"
He seemed to realize something. Mid-sentence, he cut himself off, like a chicken with its neck wrung, falling silent instantly.
As soon as Jingliu recovered a little, she grabbed Zero's shirt and shook her head, "Don't pay attention to that cup."
Zero disagreed, shaking his head, "This isn't a small matter. Luckily you didn't drink from it."
Jingliu was firm, shaking her head again.
Seeing this, Zero had no choice but to go along with her.
Jing Yuan came back, wearing a forced smile, ladle in hand. Sitting down, he immediately whispered to Yingxing and Dan Feng, "What were you talking about just now?! The waiter nearly reported us to the Cloud Knights as criminals!"
Yingxing and Dan Feng both said nothing, burying themselves in staring at the hot pot as though they might divine some secret from it.
Yingxing, baffled, wondered, 'Who on earth made Jingliu angry?'
Dan Feng sighed. As the only one who knew the truth, it was truly too lonely.
Jing Yuan only muttered one complaint, then immediately picked up his chopsticks to eat.
Since Jingliu couldn't eat spicy, all the meat rolls ladled earlier ended up on Zero's plate.
He bent over his bowl, chopsticks clacking as he picked meat and ladled ingredients, casually asking Jingliu, "Can you eat tomato hot pot?"
"I can."
Her tone was very soft, like a murmur by the ear.
Zero used the ladle to scoop cooked food from the tomato pot, placed it on his own unused plate, and set it before Jingliu.
This was the first time he had seen someone like Jingliu, someone who could actually be made to cry by hot pot spice.
He figured that even using a plate that had touched chili oil would make her cry…
So Zero, being extra careful, gave her a brand-new plate and took the chili-stained one away.
He couldn't imagine, how much joy must be lost if you can't eat spicy? No understanding of eternal farewells.
Dan Feng sipped sour plum soup, and was the first to raise a new topic.
"How old are you this year?"
Zero was picking up a springy, delicious shrimp ball. Confirming twice that the Dragon Lord was indeed looking at him, he set down his chopsticks, "Twenty."
The Dragon Lord nodded calmly, still keeping his unapproachable demeanor.
Dan Feng sighed in his heart. 'So young… Jingliu, you… sigh…'
Facing Jingliu's killing glare, he braced himself and asked another question, "Do you have someone you like?"
Zero felt even the shrimp ball in his bowl had lost its flavor. Why did this feel like a blind date? Why was Dan Feng asking this? Was he trying to set him up? Introduce him to a Vidyadhara girl?
He hesitated, then shook his head.
Dan Feng fell silent, asking nothing more. For a simple reason, the Dragon Lord couldn't think of another topic. And it had absolutely nothing to do with Jingliu's icy, knife-edged stare.
Jing Yuan, unaware of Dan Feng's thoughts, chuckled, "He's always shut in at home. How could he have anyone he likes? His bed?"
Zero, "…Forget the bed. If possible, I'd actually like to try dating a human."
"Dating? Dating what." Jing Yuan sneered.
"You never leave your house except for work. Even if you had a chance, you wouldn't seize it. What are you waiting for? A home invader breaking in, and then you fall in love with him?"
Zero bit into the shrimp ball, full of question marks, "When did I ever have a chance?"
Jing Yuan was exasperated, hating iron for not becoming steel, "That boss just now!"
At those words, Baiheng gasped sharply. Her face was filled with shock at such juicy gossip. She almost screamed, quickly pressing Jing Yuan, "Who are you talking about? My childhood friend? You're saying she likes Zero?!"
Jing Yuan nodded. Baiheng was so excited she nearly jumped up.
As an extroverted social butterfly, the moment she heard gossip about her friend, her matchmaking instincts went wild. Baiheng exclaimed, "Zero, you're so lucky! She's loaded! You've struck gold, kid!"
Meanwhile, Jingliu kept her head lowered, chopsticks stabbing repeatedly into the food in her bowl with great focus.
Dan Feng and Yingxing exchanged a subtle glance.
Dan Feng, 'Can't be saved… totally can't be saved…'
Yingxing, 'Why is Jingliu angry again? Who upset her?'
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