The gift Jingliu gave truly caught Zero by surprise.
No matter how he thought about it, he never imagined that during the half month when they hadn't seen each other, Jingliu had deliberately gone to Yingxing and stayed in the Artisanship Commission, busy preparing this ring just for him.
Zero instinctively tightened his grip on Jingliu's hand.
When he thought about the swordmaster who wielded a three-thousand-pound greatsword on the battlefield, killing enemies with it, patiently forcing herself to slow down and personally craft such a tiny ring for his sake… his heart couldn't help but soften.
Compared to that, the ring he had simply had an executive bid on for him… really did seem far less thoughtful.
Since the Artisanship Commission could forge countless divine weapons, the tools used in forging surely weren't ordinary either, right? Had Jingliu hurt herself?
Zero looked over Jingliu's hands, but didn't see any wounds.
Before he could let out a sigh of relief, he remembered that Xianzhou people had healing abilities far beyond ordinary humans. If Jingliu really had been injured… he might not be able to tell at all.
Zero couldn't help asking, "You didn't hurt your hand, did you?"
Jingliu shook her head. "No."
She thought to herself that it was just a pity about Yingxing's forging hammers.
At first, besides rings, Jingliu had quite a few backup options.
For example, the weapon she was best at using, swords.
She quickly ruled that option out.
When giving a gift, you should give something the other person likes, right? You can't just follow your own ideas.
No matter what kind of past Zero had, no matter what special identity he carried… Jingliu remembered what he had once said.
Zero had said that he was very satisfied with his current job and only wanted to stay in the library.
People who stayed in the rear of the Xianzhou didn't need weapons. The dangers at the front would be cleared away by the Cloud Knights, one by one.
So Jingliu eliminated that option.
Neither she nor the Cloud Knights would allow the people they protected to fall to the point of having to pick up weapons and fight enemies themselves.
If she let her lover take up a weapon… then wouldn't she, as a swordmaster and as a partner, be a complete failure?
After ruling out weapons, Jingliu saw a wealth-attracting pixiu ornament on the star network.
When she saw that ornament with its overly complicated lines, Jingliu didn't hesitate and once again ruled out the pixiu option.
As the saying goes, it's important to know your own limits.
Ever since the swordmaster had cooked that indescribable meal with her friends, she had completely come to terms with reality.
Some fields… were better left untried.
In the end, Jingliu chose a ring. She searched the star network for many different ring styles, sketching shapes in her mind.
She remembered the hairpins Zero had given her, which had moon and peach blossom motifs.
After thinking about it, Jingliu decided to sketch a moon shape on the ring.
As for peach blossoms… Zero's views were extremely open-minded. He never judged what people should or shouldn't do based on their age or gender.
For example, in his eyes, men could cry just as well.
But even if Zero was that open-minded, he probably wouldn't like a ring with peach blossoms on it, right?
So Jingliu chose the simplest-lined moon.
She went to Yingxing and told her friend her idea.
Jingliu thought that with the help of the Furnace Master, she would quickly grasp the technique and make a ring Zero would like.
It was only when she actually started making it, and accidentally damaged Yingxing's forging hammer, that Jingliu realized things weren't as simple as she had imagined.
She was used to wielding the three-thousand-pound Sword. On the battlefield, countless abominations had died under her sword.
Once off the battlefield, Jingliu rarely paid attention to controlling her strength. Only when she was with Zero did she deliberately restrain herself.
Facing Zero, she could still control her strength. But facing forging hammers and materials that needed to be hammered…
Jingliu had no choice but to abandon her original plan.
Forget carving a moon on the ring, just making one first would be good enough.
She steeled herself and struggled with it again and again for half a month, finally managing to make a completely silver ring with no decorations at all.
Jingliu wasn't satisfied with this gift. She stared at the ring on Zero's index finger and said, "Next time I'll replace it with a better one."
Zero, "..."
'A gift with such special meaning… and there would be a next time too? Could it be… she meant a proposal?'
The smile on his face gradually froze.
Zero quickly adjusted his expression and chuckled as he shook his head. "My Swordmaster, your hands should still be used to hold a sword."
After saying that, Zero paused almost imperceptibly, then continued, "I really like it, but there's no need, okay?"
Jingliu frowned slightly, staring at the ring on his hand, seemingly very dissatisfied with her own work.
She said, "This ring… isn't good enough."
Zero softly coaxed her, "It's really great. I really like this gift. It must have taken you a long time, right?"
Jingliu didn't want to mention the effort she had put in behind the scenes. She only said, "It didn't take that long."
Hearing this answer, Zero wasn't surprised at all.
Jingliu was exactly this kind of person, she never mentioned what she had paid behind the scenes.
She had brought him flowers on the battlefield twice in a row. When he asked about it, she'd only said she hadn't put in much effort.
Zero gently guided the conversation. "I didn't even know that wearing a ring meant changing your luck and health. Are there any other things to pay attention to?"
Hearing this question, Jingliu answered without hesitation, telling Zero all the various sayings she had seen on the star network.
Zero listened attentively, nodding from time to time.
Jingliu talked for quite a while before she suddenly stopped.
Then her gaze met the smiling eyes right in front of her.
Zero nodded very seriously. "It seems you really didn't spend that much time at the Artisanship Commission, most of your time went into looking up information instead…"
As he spoke, Zero raised his hand and lightly pinched Jingliu's reddening earlobe, then withdrew his hand.
He couldn't help laughing and teased, "Swordmaster, you're really not being honest. You should be punished..."
Jingliu leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.
She stared straight at Zero and asked, "Then what do you want to punish me with?"
Zero met her gaze without blinking. He didn't answer her question, instead asking, "Anything is fine?"
Jingliu was the first to lose. She shifted her gaze away and stopped looking at Zero.
Her voice was barely audible.
"...Mm."
Immediately after, she heard Zero speak to her in a tone that seemed no different from usual, yet carried a faint hint of command, "Change the epiphyllum on your right arm."
Jingliu, "..."
With a blank expression, she tugged open the collar of Zero's robe, leaned in, and bit down on his collarbone.