Jingliu could only place her hopes on Dan Feng, praying that the Dragon Lord might find some answers in the records.
She picked up her fork, ready to eat the cheapest dessert on the table, when Zero reached out and switched the plate in front of her.
"I've tried this shop's Taro Roll, it's pretty good."
He pushed the store's signature dessert toward her, then added, "I'm not eating. These are all for you."
Jingliu looked at the whole table full of desserts, her expression slightly troubled.
"Isn't this… too much?"
Zero blurted out, "Too much? But I remember you used to eat this many desserts before."
Jingliu, "…"
Zero instantly realized something was off. Thinking it over, he realized he'd said the wrong thing. Quickly, he changed the subject,
"It's fine, take your time. If you can't finish, you can pack the rest to go."
The Swordmaster's expression revealed no emotion, whether anger or amusement. She slowly set down her fork, which was still covered in taro paste. When Zero didn't bring up her appetite again, she quietly resumed eating.
After a while, Jingliu suddenly seemed to remember something. She looked up at Zero and said, "Before setting out, Dan Feng dealt with those clansmen who tampered with the ginseng. He left in a hurry, so he didn't get the chance to tell you…"
Zero thought to himself, 'Ah, that matter?'
Tengxiao had already contacted his friend long ago and informed him of the result as soon as those people were taken care of.
Normally, under the command of Dan Feng, who was never too strict, once a hefty gift of apology was sent, the whole issue could be closed.
Sure enough, not long after the Cloud Knights went to war, Zero received that generous gift.
Jingliu continued, "Dan Feng invited you to for a drink, saying he wants to apologize in person."
Zero hesitated for a moment before asking, "Just Dan Feng?"
Jingliu shook her head. "You, me, Baiheng, Jing Yuan, and Yingxing."
Zero, "…"
This lineup… sounded way too familiar.
'Wasn't that the exact same group that got poisoned last time?'
He couldn't help asking, "Are you sure it's drinking this time? Not hotpot and wine again?"
Jingliu's thoughts were complicated, she didn't even know how to describe her feelings.
Who could have imagined that the five most famous figures in all of Luofu, and perhaps the entire Xianzhou, would be taken down by a single hotpot meal?
If word of that spread, even the people of Abundance wouldn't believe it.
Clutching her fork, Jingliu said coldly, "Don't worry. That won't happen again. As for the side dishes… not decided yet. When are you free?"
Zero thought for a moment. That war had lasted so long that the Cloud Knights must all be exhausted, especially Jingliu. Even Yingxing, who went along as logistics support, must be worn out and in need of a long rest.
Zero said, "After you all rest up a bit, we can talk. I'm a free man, I can make time anytime."
Once Jingliu heard his agreement, she quickly finished her Taro Roll, set down her fork, and went to the counter to ask for a takeaway box.
Zero, "...?"
He couldn't understand why she'd stopped after eating just one.
Maybe she wanted him to hurry back to the Divination Commission for work?
Still puzzled, he helped her pack the rest of the desserts.
They said their goodbyes.
Later, when Zero stood at the entrance of the Divination Commission holding the wooden box of flowers, realization finally dawned on him.
Maybe women just care more about their image in front of someone they like?
But then, he'd seen Jingliu eating desserts with Baiheng before, and her appetite had been totally different.
How could one Taro Roll possibly be enough for her?
Zero didn't understand. Eventually, he gave up trying to figure it out and went back to the archives to slack off.
After work, he put the wooden box carefully into his system backpack.
———
Soon after, the Cloud Knights began returning to Luofu one after another, and several divisions of the Six Commissions fell into endless overtime hell.
That included Jingliu, Jing Yuan, and the others. By the time they'd finally wrapped up all the post-war matters, another whole month had passed.
Three days before the agreed date, Jingliu messaged Zero, confirming the time and letting him know that Jing Yuan would come to pick him up.
When the day arrived, Zero followed Jing Yuan to drink with others.
By the sea stood a massive parasol, large enough to shade more than a dozen people, looking strangely out of place.
Under it were tables and chairs so finely crafted they wouldn't look out of place in a luxury store.
And finally, a huge barbecue grill, the kind used only in professional barbecue restaurants.
The other four were already busy.
Jingliu, face solemn, was meticulously slicing meat with a knife.
Dan Feng frowned deeply, using Cloud Chanting Arts to wash vegetables.
Yingxing dumped a pile of cleaned shrimp into a basin, gripping a meat mallet with eager anticipation.
And Baiheng, she flicked her ears and concentrated on threading skewers.
Zero, "…"
He was baffled. Turning, he looked at Jing Yuan.
But Jing Yuan was already rolling up his sleeves with great enthusiasm, hurrying over to help Baiheng with the skewers.
Zero stepped forward, intending to help too, but Jing Yuan and Baiheng immediately blocked him.
Baiheng, holding food in one hand and a skewer in the other, firmly refused, "How can a guest do the work?"
Jingliu set down her knife and added, "Just sit back and wait."
Zero was speechless.
None of these five people looked like they could cook.
He couldn't understand, Dan Feng could get his hands on a professional-grade barbecue grill, so why not just hire someone to handle the cooking?
And besides, most of the ingredients were already semi-prepared. Why insist on doing it themselves?
Zero thought about it from every angle and concluded that the other three's tasks probably wouldn't go too wrong. So he stayed beside Jing Yuan and Baiheng, watching them skewer meat together.
When Baiheng started trying to skewer grapes, Zero couldn't help but stop her, "Grilled grapes don't taste good."
Baiheng blinked in confusion. "Really? My friend's barbecue place has a signature dish, grapes with grilled meat!"
Zero no longer had the energy to comment on Baiheng's network of friends.
"…Does your friend's shop also serve grilled cactus?"
Baiheng nodded vigorously, her ears twitching along with her excitement.
"My friend's place also has grilled meat with pomegranate! But the pomegranates are too small, so they're hard to put on skewers."
Zero, "…"
He glanced at the other four, who were all busily focused on their tasks, utterly unfazed by Baiheng's absurd ideas. Suddenly, he felt like the odd one out.
That feeling, of being the only sober one among a crowd of drunkards.
For the first time, Zero felt like his worldview was actually… normal.
Compared to them, he, the one "abandoned by the Aeons," seemed like the only sane person here.
Meanwhile, the Five Heroes of the Clouds, hard at work and completely oblivious to Zero's thoughts, were all driven by a shared determination.
After being poisoned together last time, they'd been holding onto one single burning emotion,
Humiliation. Unbearable humiliation.
How could something as trivial as cooking defeat us?
This time, they swore..... they would wash away their shame in one glorious victory.
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