261: Chapter 261 Without Desire

Three rounds of drinks had passed, and the dishes had been sampled.

The night in the Martial Realm was much quieter than in the Imperial City.

There was no rumbling of volcanoes, no surging of magma; only the occasional clear ringing of ore from outside the Imperial City, clinking and clanging, like wind chimes stirred by the night breeze, or as if something deep underground was tapping gently against the rock strata.

The rear hall was brightly lit with candles, and the fragrance of wine permeated the air; the table full of delicacies remained largely untouched, yet seven or eight empty wine jars were already piled up.

Lin Dong, caught up in the high spirits of drinking, ripped open the collar of his outer robe, revealing his sturdy, bronze-colored chest.

His face glowed with a flush, his voice was a few decibels higher than usual, and his boisterous laughter shook the dust from the rafters, causing it to fall in flurries.

Hun Feng was no better; the sleeves of his dark black robe were haphazardly rolled up to his elbows, his hair crown was crooked to one side, and though his hand holding the wine bowl was steady, the usually sharp, knife-like glint in his eyes had been softened by the intoxication.

"Brother Lin, honestly speaking."

Hun Feng set his wine bowl down on the table, leaned heavily against the back of his chair, and squinted at the northern overlord opposite him, who was equally intoxicated, "Your Martial Realm is now strong with soldiers and horses, and you yourself are at the Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign peak, having left your name on the firmament tablet—have you never thought about taking another step forward? The Great Thousand World is so big, don't you want to seize more territory? Are you content to just hole up in this frozen land selling ore every day?"

Lin Dong lifted his bowl and took a gulp, grinning as he set it down.

That smile was boisterous and open, made exceptionally hearty by the wine, yet it held an indescribable clarity, as if he had long been waiting for someone to ask him this.

"Territory?"

He wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and waved his large hand, "There is a saying in my hometown—even with a thousand mansions, you only need six feet to sleep at night. Even with ten thousand acres of fertile land, you only eat three meals a day. The Martial Realm's territory is big enough now; I couldn't manage any more even if I had it. Back when I was on the Tian Xuan Continent, I cultivated with all my might to survive and to protect the people around me. Later, when I arrived in the Great Thousand World, I founded the Martial Realm to give the brothers who ascended with me a home. Now that I have a home, my brothers are by my side, and I have a wife, children, and a warm bed—what more could I want?"

When he mentioned "wife, children, and a warm bed," his gaze drifted involuntarily toward Ling Qingzhu, who was sitting beside him.

Ling Qingzhu was holding a sobering soup; she lowered her eyes slightly at his glance, a very faint blush rising on her face.

She had also accompanied him for a few drinks tonight, and her usually dignified and elegant face was tinged with a thin layer of wine-induced color, making her skin appear as warm and smooth as congealed fat under the candlelight.

"I don't have any grand ambitions."

Lin Dong withdrew his gaze and looked at Hun Feng. Although his eyes were somewhat muddled by the intoxication, his tone was exceptionally serious, "Whoever wants to fight for the Great Thousand World can do so; if the Extraterritorial Evil Clan dares to come, I, Lin Dong, will be the first to grab my weapon and charge. But as for actively attacking anyone, swallowing anyone, or expanding my territory—I have no interest in that, nor do I have the spare time. Leave the fighting and killing to the young people."

Hun Feng listened while holding his wine bowl, without interrupting.

He believed these words of Lin Dong.

It wasn't the kind of perfunctory diplomatic rhetoric, but rather the truth spoken after drinking—having lived for so many years, he could distinguish between empty pleasantries and sincere words.

This Martial Ancestor truly had no grand ambitions.

But he was not one of those mediocre people waiting to die; he was a powerhouse who had already stood at the peak, experienced countless life-and-death battles, and chosen to return to his original heart.

His drive had not disappeared, it had simply changed direction—from conquering the world to protecting his family.

Thinking of this, Hun Feng felt it was rather tricky—he wasn't afraid of an opponent with ambition, but he was afraid of an opponent with no desires.

With Lin Dong in this state, what could he use to win him over? What could he use to trade? What could he use to sow discord?

"Fine."

He lifted his wine bowl to clink with Lin Dong's, downed it completely, and set the empty bowl heavily on the table, "Then let's not talk about those things. Tonight, we only drink. If the Extraterritorial Evil Clan invades in the future, my Spirit Hall and the Martial Realm will join forces and screw them together."

"Good! That's satisfying to hear!"

Lin Dong laughed heartily and also finished his bowl in one gulp. As he set the bowl down, he suddenly leaned in close to Hun Feng, lowering his voice with a hint of drunken gossip, "Hey, Brother Hun, your primary wife—Lady Cai Lin—truly has great ability. She manages your harem so obediently all by herself; I see that you are quite well-behaved in front of her too."

Hun Feng glanced at him sideways, his lips curling into a meaningful arc: "Likewise. Isn't Brother Lin quite obedient in front of Lady Ling Qingzhu?"

The two men at the peak of the Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign realm stared at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter simultaneously.

The laughter made the bowls and dishes on the table hum; the laughter no longer held the politeness and probing of the earlier drinking, leaving only the mutual understanding that could only exist between two men who were kept perfectly in line by their wives.

"Drink, drink!"

Lin Dong reached for the wine jar again.

The glasses on the table clinked, and the pile of empty jars grew higher and higher.

The night had deepened.

By the time the banquet dispersed, no one knew what time it was.

The clear ringing of ore in the Imperial City had stopped, leaving only the cold air brought by the night wind from the north of the Ice Spirit Continent, wailing low outside the window, mixing with the lingering fragrance of wine in the room.

When Hun Feng stood up, his figure swayed slightly, but he immediately steadied himself.

Cai Lin reached out to support his arm, a trace of helplessness flashing in her purple snake pupils—this man, daring to drink like this even on someone else's territory.

The two walked along the corridor toward the guest room.

The moonlight under the corridor was refracted by the ice crystal pillars unique to the Ice Spirit Continent into countless fragments of cold light, spilling over them and stretching their shadows long and slanted.

Cai Lin remained her dignified and composed self, though her hand supporting Hun Feng's arm used a bit more strength than usual.

Pushing open the door to the guest room, the candles inside had already been lit by the maid beforehand.

The door closed gently behind them, shutting out the sound of the wind in the corridor and all the noise of the entire Imperial City.

Just as Cai Lin was about to let go to light the calming incense by the bedside, Hun Feng suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and pressed her back against the door panel, with a force that was neither too light nor too heavy, just enough to prevent her from breaking free without causing her pain.

The strong scent of alcohol on him, mixed with the unique, scorching body temperature of a man, wrapped around her like a burning wall.

Cai Lin instinctively raised her hand to press against his chest; under her palm was his steady, powerful heartbeat, and she could feel that scorching heat through his clothing.

"You—"

She looked up, her purple snake pupils slightly dilated under the candlelight, and a rare trace of panic flashed across her cold, beautiful face.

The light fell on the golden crown she wore, and the flame-feather patterns cast fine, fragmented shadows between her brows and eyes, making those snake pupils appear exceptionally deep.

"You look so beautiful today."

Hun Feng looked down at her, his voice hoarse from the wine, but the sincerity in his tone was not fake at all.

He raised his hand, and his rough fingertips slid slowly down from the golden forehead ornament between her brows, along the bridge of her nose, and landed on her full red lips, gently stroking them.

His fingertips pressed slightly when they touched her lips, as if confirming that the person before him was real.

Cai Lin's breathing hitched slightly.

She, of course, knew she was beautiful—she had always known.

But Hun Feng's gaze was different from usual.

It wasn't the composure of someone planning strategies, not the certainty of someone with everything under control, but a pure, undisguised gaze of a man looking at a woman.

She was too familiar with that gaze; many years ago, when he was still just the Young Master of the Hun Clan, it was the same when he first saw her.

Domineering, direct, not giving her any room to dodge.

"You are drunk."

She said, her voice trying hard to maintain its usual coldness, but the end of her tone uncontrollably rose slightly.

"Drunk or not, I am still your man."

Hun Feng lowered his head, his nose brushing against her earlobe, his scorching breath spraying onto the most sensitive skin behind her ear.

Cai Lin shivered all over, her fingers pressing against his chest curling involuntarily, grabbing his lapels, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"This is not the Imperial City,"

Her voice had already softened, the golden crown tilting back slightly with her head-tilting movement, revealing her slender, fair neck, with a throat line as beautiful as a swan's, "Keep it down, don't let the people of the Martial Realm make a joke of us."

"What are you afraid of? That brute Lin Dong is busy himself."

Hun Feng chuckled, his fingers sliding down from her lips to the layered golden waist ornaments at her waist. With a flick of his fingertips, he unfastened the outermost waist chain inlaid with blue and white gems and tossed it onto the low table beside them, making a very slight metallic clinking sound.

Cai Lin wanted to say something more, but he scooped her up horizontally and strode toward the bed.

Her platinum battle dress shimmered under the candlelight, the high-slit skirt swaying like water waves with his steps, revealing two long, straight legs. The silver high heels on her feet were kicked off and fell by the bed, making a crisp echo.

The golden crown was also rudely taken off by him and placed at the head of the bed, leaning crookedly against the pillow.

"Hun Feng—"

As he leaned down, she raised her hand, wanting to press against his chest for one last futile resistance, but her fingers were clasped by his five fingers and pressed against the bedside, their fingertips intertwined.

His other hand slid down from her shoulder, his fingertips sliding inch by inch over her arm through the translucent white gauze sleeve, finally landing on the exquisite golden wrist guard on her wrist.

He lowered his head and planted a scorching kiss on the inside of her wrist, where the blue veins beneath the skin were faintly visible, thin enough to be almost transparent.

Cai Lin took a light breath, the moisture in her purple snake pupils trembling slightly under the candlelight.

With a push of his finger, the golden wrist guard was pushed to the edge of the bed and fell to the floor at the foot of the bed, emitting a low thud.

Her long hair had long since been scattered, the ink-black strands spreading across the pillow, setting off her cold, unparalleled face, making her breathtakingly beautiful under the candlelight.

Outside the window, the night wind wailed, the cold air of the Ice Spirit Continent blocked outside the door by the candlelight and body heat.

The room was filled only with the sound of their intertwined breathing, and the occasional light ringing of ore from the distant walls of the Imperial City, clinking and clanging, as if heaven and earth were playing a very light and distant harmony for all the passion of tonight.

On the other side, the main courtyard of the Martial Realm.

When Lin Dong pushed open the door to the sleeping quarters, his steps were a bit unsteady. Ling Qingzhu supported him into the inner chamber, and just as she was about to turn to pour the sobering soup, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

His arms were thick and powerful, clamped around her slender waist, and she could clearly feel the soft and warm body beneath that layer of thin, plain white clothing.

His chin rested in the crook of her shoulder, his stubble pricking her neck, making it slightly itchy, and his scorching breath, carrying the heavy scent of alcohol, sprayed behind her ear.

"Where are you running to?"

His voice was low and hoarse from the wine, carrying a bit of unreasonable dominance.

"To pour you some sobering soup."

Ling Qingzhu's voice was gentle, a trace of helpless smile appearing on her graceful face, but she did not break free from his hand.

She could feel the temperature of his palm seeping through the clothing into her skin, so hot that her heartbeat skipped a beat.

"Don't need that."

Lin Dong turned her around to face him, looking down at her cheeks, slightly flushed from the wine, and the eyelashes trembling under the candlelight.

The candlelight fell on her beautiful and gentle face, as if plating a white jade statue with a thin layer of gold powder; she was glowing.

He raised his hand to stroke her face, his rough palm cupping her delicate jaw, his thumb gently brushing across her cheekbone, and he grinned, with a drunken openness, "Having you is enough for me."

Ling Qingzhu's face turned bright red.

She lowered her eyelashes and said nothing, only raising her hand to gently grab the belt at his waist.

Lin Dong leaned down to pick her up and strode toward the bed.

Outside the window, the night wind of the Ice Spirit Continent was still wailing, but the candles in the sleeping quarters burned for a long time before they were extinguished.