He stood up and straightened his collar.

"Let's go. Let's meet the Great Xia's number one female lord together."

Everyone stood up one after another and followed Lin Feng toward the West Gate.

Tie Dun muttered as he walked, "It would be great if they actually took a liking to each other..."

Shadow Snake walked at the very back.

Su Yurou glanced back at her, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn't speak.

The group chatted and laughed as they headed toward the West Gate.

...

The West Gate slowly opened.

Lin Feng took the lead and walked out of the city gate, followed by Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, Su Yurou, and Shadow Snake, who was hidden in the crowd. A Wang and Scarface Liu stayed behind to guard the town and did not follow.

Outside the West Gate, five riders stood quietly.

All five had dismounted and were holding their reins with a composed posture. Standing beside the tall white horse at the front was a person—Jiang Zhaoyue.

Lin Feng's gaze fell upon that figure, pausing slightly.

She wore a suit of form-fitting silver-blue battle armor. The armor's lines were sleek, outlining her breathtakingly curvaceous figure without appearing the least bit fragile.

The joints were covered with fine scales, and a crimson cloak hung from her back, fluttering gently in the breeze.

Her black hair was loosely scattered, with a few stray strands hanging by her ears. Her face was cold and exquisitely beautiful, with brows like distant mountains and eyes like autumn waters; her skin was like jade, and her lips were naturally red without any makeup.

But what flowed within those slightly upturned phoenix eyes was the sharpness and majesty of someone who had experienced the battlefield and commanded thousands.

Soft beauty and heroic valor blended perfectly within her.

She carried a long spear on her back; the shaft was silver-white, and the tip glinted with a cold, piercing light.

Just by standing there, she seemed to draw all eyes toward her.

Great Xia's number one beauty lord truly lived up to her reputation.

This thought flashed through Lin Feng's mind, but his expression remained impassive.

Jiang Zhaoyue was also looking at him.

This young lord was even younger than she had imagined. Looking to be eighteen or nineteen, he had a handsome face and a steady demeanor that didn't match his age.

He wore a suit of dark red leather armor with a dark red spear slung across his back. Standing there, he possessed an aura as unshakeable as a mountain.

There was no arrogance of a youth who had achieved early success, nor the impulsiveness of a young lord.

There was only a certainty that was calm to the extreme.

A flash of appreciation appeared in Jiang Zhaoyue's eyes. She then broke into a smile and took the initiative to approach him.

"Lord Lin!" Her voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying a hint of a smile. "Congratulations!"

"Defeating Baigui County head-on, slaying Umekawa Kojiro, and annexing his territory—this record is enough to be written into the history books of both countries!"

She walked up to Lin Feng and extended her right hand.

Lin Feng shook it and let go immediately. "Lord Jiang praises me too much. It was just luck."

"Luck?" Jiang Zhaoyue's eyebrows arched slightly. "Umekawa Kojiro was Level 20 with a second-tier class and two purple-grade items, yet he died at the hands of you, a Level 19 first-tier lord. You call that luck?"

She smiled, a smile like spring snow beginning to melt. "Lord Lin is too modest."

Lin Feng also smiled. "Lord Jiang didn't come all this way just to praise me, did you?"

Jiang Zhaoyue looked at him, the smile in her eyes deepening. "Lord Lin is a straight talker. I like that."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Lin Feng before she suddenly said, "Speaking of which, I've long heard of Lord Lin's great name in Crescent Moon Territory. Seeing you today, you have... more presence than on the livestream."

Lin Feng was slightly taken aback, then laughed. "Lord Jiang overpraises me. As for you, Lord Jiang, I often heard people on Blue Star mention the title of Great Xia's number one beauty lord. Seeing you today, the real person is even more..."

He paused and smiled, "Even more strikingly heroic than on the livestream."

A flash of surprise crossed Jiang Zhaoyue's eyes, and her smile grew even brighter.

The two looked at each other and shared a smile.

With the pleasantries over, Jiang Zhaoyue turned serious. "Lord Lin, I came this time to discuss some win-win cooperation between Crescent Moon Territory and Beacon Fire Town."

Lin Feng's eyes flickered.

Cooperation?

He nodded. "Since Lord Jiang has come from afar, why don't we go into town to discuss in detail? The Council Hall has already been prepared."

He stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.

Jiang Zhaoyue didn't refuse. She handed the reins to the attendant behind her and followed Lin Feng into the town.

Behind them, Zhao Hu and the others, along with Jiang Zhaoyue's four attendants, followed as well.

...

The two walked side by side on the main street of the West City, followed by the group.

Jiang Zhaoyue's gaze swept over the shops and pedestrians on both sides of the street, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Although the street wasn't very wide, it was clean, tidy, and well-ordered.

Customers went in and out of the shops, and there was a constant stream of pedestrians. Occasionally, children could be seen chasing each other and playing, their laughter [N O V E L I G H T] crisp and clear.

Upon seeing Lin Feng, they all stopped to salute, their attitudes respectful yet natural.

"Lord Lin," Jiang Zhaoyue suddenly spoke, "your Beacon Fire Town is much more prosperous than I imagined."

Lin Feng looked at her.

Jiang Zhaoyue pointed to a shop by the street. "That blacksmith shop has seven or eight people lining up at the door."

"In my Crescent Moon Territory's blacksmith shops, it's already good if there are three to five people normally."

She then pointed to another one. "That wine house has two floors and is packed with people. In my Crescent Moon Territory, the wine houses are at most half full."

She turned her head and looked at Lin Feng with genuine admiration in her eyes. "To be able to manage a newly built town like this, Lord Lin is truly skilled at territory management."

Lin Feng complained silently in his heart.

Skilled at territory management? Aside from killing monsters and leveling up, I'm basically a hands-off boss.

Territory matters are all handled by Zhang Ping, and military matters are led by Zhao Hu. Where would I find the time to manage all this?

But on the surface, he only gave a faint smile. "Lord Jiang overpraises me. It's all thanks to everyone's hard work; I just oversee the big picture."

Jiang Zhaoyue looked at him, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

She didn't say anything more and simply continued walking forward.

...

The group arrived at the Council Hall.

Lin Feng paused for a step at the entrance. With a slight thought, as the Council Hall was a territory core area—

At this moment, his intent swept out, and the invisible barrier quietly withdrew, opening the entire hall completely to Jiang Zhaoyue and her party.

Lin Feng sat in the main seat. Jiang Zhaoyue and her four attendants took seats on the chairs on the left. Zhao Hu and the others sat on the right.

As always, Shadow Snake hid in the shadows of the corner, her gaze fixed on Jiang Zhaoyue, her thoughts unknown.

Su Yurou sat toward the back on the right, curiously observing this legendary number one beauty of Great Xia.

As a fellow woman, she had to admit that Jiang Zhaoyue was indeed beautiful enough to make it hard for anyone to look away.

Jiang Zhaoyue's four attendants, three men and one woman, were all in their twenties. Their auras were steady and deep; they were clearly elites at a glance.

The woman sat beside Jiang Zhaoyue, holding a stack of documents; she was likely a secretary or someone of that nature.