Chapter 480: But I Can Only Win

The conference of the Dynasty Lords of the Barren Domain was held in a neutral city.

Though it was just said to be a city.

However, this city was very large.

It was said the City Lord was a Spirit Refining Realm wild boar.

At least, that’s what Lin Xun heard from Peony.

But Lin Xun was still quite curious.

A Spirit Refining Realm wild boar… was it really still just a wild boar?

The long procession from Dragon City entered this city named Black Pig City.

Naming one’s own city “Black Pig City”… Lin Xun felt an urge to comment he couldn’t suppress.

Peony slowly stepped out of her palanquin and entered the palace.

Inside the imperial palace, maidservants had long prepared carriages and palanquins.

Peony sat in the palanquin prepared by the City Lord of Black Pig City, which was lifted by attendants.

Lin Xun, meanwhile, dismounted from his horse and followed beside Peony.

After all, Lin Xun was Peony’s personal guard and needed to stick close.

On the way to the main hall, Lin Xun saw over a dozen other palanquins.

These palanquins were all heading to the same place, and beside each palanquin followed a personal guard.

Inside the palanquins naturally sat the various Dynasty Lords of the Barren Domain.

One lord bringing one attendant was the standard.

Lin Xun sensed that the Realms of these attendants were at least at the Late Stage of the Jade Purity Realm.

Quite a few were even at the Middle Stage of the Immortal Realm.

Setting other aspects aside for now.

Just from the perspective of top-tier combat power.

The Barren Domain was significantly stronger than the other two Worlds.

Many of the attendants glanced at Lin Xun.

Lin Xun wasn’t flustered in the slightest.

He calmly wore his black cloak and walked slowly beside Peony, nothing more.

At this moment, Lin Xun had suppressed his own Realm to the Late Stage of the Immortal Realm.

Regarding Lin Xun, this unfamiliar attendant, others felt somewhat surprised.

Because in their impression, the Dragon Lord’s personal guard should have been a headless knight.

But now, unexpectedly, she had changed to someone else.

Moreover, this person’s Realm was actually at the Late Stage of the Immortal Realm.

Who exactly was this person?

When did Dragon City produce such a Genius?

And for some reason, they felt this person in the black cloak gave them a very different impression.

“The Dragon Lord truly has deep fortune.

To have gained another attendant at the Late Stage of the Immortal Realm.”

A crisp, pleasant voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, came from one of the palanquins.

“What kind of person is by my side? What concern is it of yours? Does it require your inquiry?”

Peony responded very impolitely, her tone extremely cold, even carrying a sense that a single disagreement could lead to a fight.

“My, my, my, as expected, our Dragon Lord is still so fierce.

A girl being so fierce won’t make her likable.

It’s been a full twenty thousand years, hasn’t it?

Twenty thousand years, and the Dragon Lord is still alone. It really is pitiable.”

From the opposing flower-adorned palanquin, that woman seemed completely unfazed by Peony’s draconic majesty.

Lin Xun felt, if his senses weren’t mistaken.

The person verbally sparring with Peony was also a Spirit Refining Realm cultivator.

“Young man, would you like to come to my Myriad Flowers Kingdom?

In my Myriad Flowers Kingdom, there are many beautiful maidens.

With your strength, you could at least wander freely among the flowers. If you win my favor, spending a night with me isn’t out of the question.”

The woman stopped paying attention to Peony and instead addressed Lin Xun directly.

She looked as if she wanted to poach Lin Xun away.

“Thank you for your high regard. However, I’ve grown accustomed to Dragon City and have no desire to move. Please forgive me.”

Lin Xun politely declined.

“Ah, what a pity then.

Your voice is also very pleasant; I like it.

If you came to my side, perhaps tonight the two of us could brave the storm together…”

The woman sighed softly, sounding genuinely regretful.

Beside Lin Xun, he could faintly hear Peony in her palanquin click her tongue in displeasure and mutter, “Shameless, wanton thing.”

As for this flirtation from the Myriad Flowers Kingdom’s Lord, Lin Xun didn’t respond, pretending not to hear.

The Myriad Flowers Kingdom’s Lord also said nothing more, directly parting ways with Peony’s palanquin and quickly entering the great hall.

“If you wanted to go, it wouldn’t matter.”

After that Myriad Flowers Kingdom’s Lord left, Peony sent a mental voice message to Lin Xun.

“That wanton thing has a fondness for male beauty.

She must have over five hundred male favorites in her harem, right?

If you went, you might truly gain her favor, and that wanton thing isn’t bad-looking either.”

Listening to Peony’s words, for some reason, her tone sounded like a tsundere little girl.

Like a couple having a quarrel, where the girl says to her boyfriend:

“Why don’t you just go with that vixen? It’s not like I’d be angry anyway.”

Lin Xun naturally didn’t think Peony liked him.

After all, he and Peony had only interacted for two or three months, and there had been no sparks during that time.

Lin Xun felt his attitude towards Peony was just a normal possessiveness, since the Dragon Clan loves treasure.

Or perhaps, in Peony’s heart, he had already been equated with treasure.

It was just that Peony realized he wasn’t truly hers.

Thus, caught between these two contradictions, there was a bit of conflict.

“I don’t particularly like frivolous women.”

Lin Xun wasn’t sure what he should say, but in the end, he spoke these words.

Hearing Lin Xun’s reply, Peony just said “Oh” and fell silent.

But Lin Xun could sense Peony’s mood seemed much better than before.

Arriving at that massive palace hall, Peony stepped out of her palanquin.

Inside the great hall was a huge round table.

This couldn’t help but remind Lin Xun of a round table conference.

Lin Xun followed respectfully beside Peony, attending to her left and right.

At this moment, Lin Xun also saw that Myriad Flowers Kingdom’s Lord.

This Myriad Flowers Kingdom’s Lord was indeed extremely bewitching and beautiful.

But she wasn’t Lin Xun’s type.

“If you dare keep making eyes at my attendant again, Huahuo, I’ll pluck every last petal from your body to brew tea!”

Watching that woman continuously batting her eyelashes at Lin Xun, Peony felt her sovereignty was being severely challenged.

“Fine, I won’t look. Why is the Dragon Lord so agitated? Really, so stingy!”

This Lord, addressed as Huahuo, stopped teasing Lin Xun.

After all, as an old acquaintance of Peony’s, she knew this little lass’s temper well.

Sometimes this little lass would truly fly into a rage over a minor matter.

The great hall suddenly fell quiet.

The other lords also arrived in the hall one after another.

Lin Xun looked up and saw these lords truly had very distinctive appearances, all sorts of looks.

Lin Xun felt as if he had unrolled a scroll of bizarre and magnificent paintings.

Some lords glared at each other, full of enmity.

Others formed cliques, appearing very intimate and harmonious.

Perhaps it was the same everywhere.

Whether among humans or other races.

Wherever interests were involved, there would always be allies or enemies.

Lin Xun was long accustomed to such things.

“Since everyone has arrived, let the conference begin…”

The last to arrive was the master of this city, the very black boar Peony had mentioned.

Actually, how was this like a black boar?

This City Lord of Black Pig City had tusks as long as a mammoth’s and wore armor covered in strange patterns.

His physique was indeed very fat.

His waist alone was as thick as two burly men could embrace.

Moreover, his entire body was pitch black.

In short, if you called him a black boar, Lin Xun felt it would be better to call him a black ball.

Yet, this very black ball’s Realm was actually at the Spirit Refining Realm, something Lin Xun had never imagined.

This City Lord of Black Pig City acted like a host.

With this City Lord of Black Pig City’s announcement, everyone fell into debate.

The content of the debates was essentially just frictions over territories.

Along with mining rights for some areas in other parts of the Barren Domain, plus accumulated grievances over this period.

Listening to everyone’s arguments, Peony was already bored by it all.

Only when her own interests were involved would she, with a silvery bell-like voice and an unyielding, authoritative tone, firmly defend her interests.

Otherwise, Peony was yawning.

Lin Xun even felt that if the others’ voices weren’t so noisy, Peony might have fallen asleep on the spot.

However, through these arguments, Lin Xun learned quite a bit about the Barren Domain.

Among them, Lin Xun realized a City Lord named Feili seemed to be on extremely bad terms with Peony.

The relationship between the two looked extremely tense, as if a single disagreement would lead to immediate war.

While Peony was arguing with this City Lord of Feili City, several other city lords sneered on the side, looking ill-intentioned.

As for that Myriad Flowers City Lord named Huahuo, she just blinked, watching Peony.

“If you want to fight, then fight. Why waste so many words?”

Finally, Peony slammed the table, her voice echoing through the hall.

The scene fell into a prolonged silence.

Many stopped their exchanges, simply watching Peony and that City Lord of Feili City.

Noticing so many eyes on him, the City Lord of Feili City stood up, smiling as he addressed Peony:

“Hahahaha, Dragon Lord, there’s no need to be so agitated.

After all, it’s just a minor friction.

Dragon Lord can rest assured, we will treat your people well.

It won’t be long before we return those few individuals to your side.

As for our few people, shouldn’t the Dragon Lord also return them?”

“You return them, then I’ll return them. Otherwise, there’s no room for negotiation.”

“Easy, easy…”

The City Lord of Feili City quickly said.

“But regarding the mining rights for that area of the Barren Domain, shouldn’t the Dragon Lord and others show a bit more reasonableness?”

“Reasonableness?”

Peony gave him a disdainful look.

“What do you call reasonableness?

According to the rules we established before, that place originally belonged to my Dragon City.

Now you’ve just built a small outpost there.

And you think that gives you a claim to that land?

If we’re really counting like that, then I’ll build a small village next to your city.

Would that mean you should be annexed and become part of my Dragon City?”

“Dragon Lord, regarding such matters, I must ask you to choose your words carefully.”

The City Lord of Feili City narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t like speaking in circles.

Anyway, if you’re still lingering there after ten days, not returning my subjects, or if they lose so much as a single hair, I’ll settle accounts with you… Let’s go.”

Peony said no more, directly rising and leaving.

None of those present dared to obstruct or say anything more.

As for Lin Xun, he naturally followed behind Peony.

Walking beside Peony, watching the girl stride away quickly, her fair, tender cheeks puffed up in anger.

Her pair of golden vertical pupils held a childlike cuteness.

Yet the powerful draconic majesty she exuded made it impossible to ignore her.

“So infuriating, so infuriating, so infuriating…”

The more she thought, the angrier she got; the angrier she got, the more she thought.

Peony clenched her small fists, her little feet in embroidered shoes stomping repeatedly on the ground, causing the earth to tremble continuously.

Lin Xun even felt this Black Pig City might sink a few inches from the girl’s stomping.

Finally, the girl boarded her palanquin and returned to Dragon City.

Ever since the girl returned to Dragon City, she secluded herself.

Originally, Lin Xun intended to continue telling her stories the next afternoon.

But the maidservants said their mistress was resting and asked Lin Xun to forgive them.

Lin Xun didn’t mind.

For Lin Xun, it meant he had more time to wander around Dragon City.

During these days, Lin Xun had left Dragon City to explore the surrounding areas.

In the Barren Domain, there was an established rule.

That within a thousand miles of a city, the area belonged to the city’s master.

So as long as Lin Xun wandered within this thousand-mile radius, nothing major would happen.

Three more days passed.

Just as Lin Xun was planning when to leave the Barren Domain and truly return to the Myriad Laws World, he heard news.

That Dragon City was going to war with that Feili City.

That day, Peony again had someone invite Lin Xun to tell her stories.

After Lin Xun finished a segment of the story, he asked Peony about the reason for going to war.

“There’s no particular reason. War is always inevitable.

From what you’ve said, both the Demon Race World and the Myriad Laws World are full of war.

Then, how could the Barren Domain be any different?

But the difference is.

Others’ wars might end in defeat.

But I can only win.”