Chapter 237 The Battle for Favor Among Fierce Beasts

Chapter 237 The Battle for Favor Among Fierce Beasts

The world is at peace, and all is well.

On this day, the central gate of the Regent's Palace was opened wide to welcome the envoy delegation from the southern border.

It is said that in order to curry favor with the powerful regent of Dasheng (mainly to curry favor with the queen who was said to be able to control beasts), the King of Nanjiang specially collected the most ferocious and rarest ancient mythical beast in local legends—the Iron-Eating Beast—as a tribute.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, be careful!"

The envoy from the southern border looked nervous, pointing to the huge iron cage completely covered by a black cloth, his voice trembling:

"This beast possesses immense strength, capable of crushing iron and stone, and is extremely ferocious! Never get too close!"

Pei Yunjing sat in the main seat, casually sipped his tea, and didn't even lift his eyelids.

Brutal?

There are tigers and black bears in this mansion, and a princess who can fly people like kites. What kind of ferocious beasts haven't they seen?

"Lift it up," Pei Yunjing ordered calmly.

The guard used a spear to lift the black cloth.

Inside the iron cage, there were no blue-faced, fanged monsters. There were only two round, chubby, black-and-white...big meatballs.

They were sitting back to back, each holding a tender green bamboo shoot in each hand, eating with obvious delight.

Hearing the noise, one of the smaller ones turned its head, its big, innocent eyes with dark circles staring blankly at the crowd outside.

Then, it yawned, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

Pei Yunjing: "..."

Is this the legendary ferocious iron-eating beast?

However, the moment Tang Li, who was sitting next to him, saw the two little dumplings, her eyes shone brighter than the sun in the sky.

"A bear...a panda?!"

"Two still! And they're still cubs!"

Tang Li was so excited she almost jumped off her chair.

As modern people, who can resist the irresistible temptation? This is a national treasure!

She disregarded all decorum, rushed down the steps, lay down beside the cage, and reached out her finger to poke the soft fur:

"Ahhh! So cute! Quick! Open the cage! I want a hug!"

Pei Yunjing frowned slightly as he looked at his princess's infatuated expression.

cute?

What's cute about this black and white blob that doesn't look very intelligent?

...

It turns out that being cute can be a meal ticket.

Since the two pandas named "Tuantuan" and "Yuanyuan" entered the Prince Regent's Palace, the ecosystem of the palace has undergone tremendous changes.

The first to suffer was Da Bai, the former "Number One Brother of the Prince's Mansion".

As the king of beasts, Big White felt it was necessary to set some rules for these two newcomers.

On this day, while Tangli was away, Dabai strode confidently to Tuantuan, who was sunbathing in the yard.

[Roar—!]

The giant white tiger opened its massive maw and let out a powerful roar:

[New guy! Don't you know the rules? From now on, the meat bones in this yard will...]

Before it could finish speaking, Tuantuan, who was trying to climb the artificial hill, slipped because its legs were too short and it was startled by the roar.

"Gurgle—"

The huge ball of flesh, weighing several tens of kilograms, rolled right down from the artificial hill.

As luck would have it, it plopped right down on the big white face that was tilting its head back, ready to give a lecture.

"Bang!"

Da Bai felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as his entire tiger head was sealed by a soft, yet heavy mass of fat.

【Ughhhhhh!!】 (Help! I'm experiencing sleep paralysis!)

By the time Tuantuan slowly got up and scratched her butt with an innocent look on her face, Dabai had completely given up.

The mighty Tiger King was completely stunned when a black and white bear sat on its bottom!

How can I face the wild animal community if this gets out?

Big White tucked its tail between its legs and slunk away under the bed, not leaving the house for three days.

...

The next to suffer was Regent Pei Yunjing.

Night falls, in the master bedroom.

Pei Yunjing took a bath and changed his clothes, then put on his nightgown and went into the inner room, ready to enjoy a wonderful night of conversation with his wife.

However, when he lifted the curtain, his face instantly darkened.

On the large canopy bed, not only was his queen lying, but also two black and white babies sprawled out haphazardly.

Tangli was embracing two pandas, burying her face in the panda's thick belly and sucking away happily, looking completely lost in bliss.

"...crabapple".

Pei Yunjing's temple throbbed, and his voice was icy cold: "What does this mean?"

"Sh-!"

Tang Li raised her finger and made a stern gesture to him to be quiet:

"Keep your voice down! Yuanyuan just fell asleep. She's not used to the bed and cries when she's away from me. It's so pitiful."

Pei Yunjing: "..."

Are you having trouble sleeping in a new bed?

This thing can sleep soundly in its cage, drooling all the time. Does it have trouble finding a suitable bed?

"Throw it out."

Pei Yunjing could no longer bear it and reached out to grab the panda named "Yuanyuan" by the scruff of its neck: "This king's bed is not for beasts."

"no!"

Tang Li held the little dumpling tightly in her arms, her eyes looking at it like she was looking at a bully who had separated a mother and child: "They're still babies! It's cold outside! And..."

She glanced at Pei Yunjing and said matter-of-factly:

"This bed is so big, it can easily fit four people... no, two bears and two people! Your Highness, would you please squeeze in?"

Squeeze it in?

How could he, the regent, be forced to share a bed with two bears?

Pei Yunjing looked at the two little ones who had taken up his spot and were snoring loudly.

"Is this thing also a bear?"

He sneered and ground his back teeth: "Looks like... really asking for a beating."

Finally, after Tang Li's persistent pleading and cajoling, the Regent, with a dark expression, was forced to sleep on the outermost side of the bed, the kind where he would fall off if he turned over even slightly.

...

In the middle of the night, Tang Li had already fallen asleep, hugging the panda.

Pei Yunjing, however, kept his eyes open, showing no signs of sleepiness. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more outrageous it seemed.

He turned his head and, by the moonlight, looked at the two black and white balls sleeping sprawled out on their backs.

What's so good about this thing?

Lazy and greedy, all they do is eat and sleep, and even their bleating sounds like a sheep, they have no intimidating power at all.

Why does Tangli like him so much? Even neglecting him because of them?

Pei Yunjing sat up and his gaze fell on the bedside table.

There was a plate of fresh, vibrant green bamboo shoots that hadn't been eaten yet. It was a late-night snack that Tangli had specially prepared for the panda.

"bamboo……"

Pei Yunjing narrowed his eyes, recalling the gentle, tender look in Tang Li's eyes as she fed bamboo to the panda.

Could it be because this thing... tastes especially good?

An absurd yet irresistible curiosity (mainly jealousy) drove the Great Sheng War God to reach out his hand.

He picked up a bamboo shoot as if possessed.

This thing is rock hard, is it really edible?

Pei Yunjing hesitated for a moment, then looked at the sleeping Tang Li to make sure she was still asleep.

Then, he brought the bamboo shoot to his mouth.

"Crack".

He tentatively took a bite.

It's hard, astringent, and has a grassy smell.

This is just a piece of wood!

"Pah." Pei Yunjing spat out the bamboo shavings in his mouth with disgust, his brows furrowed tightly.

Is this woman crazy? Is this something she should be feeding like a treasure?

Just as he was about to throw away the piece of evidence that had been bitten off.

"Pfft—"

A suppressed yet uncontrollable laugh suddenly broke the silence of the night.

Pei Yunjing froze, the feeling even more terrifying than being surrounded by thousands of troops on the battlefield.

He mechanically turned his head and saw that Tang Li, who should have been fast asleep, was now half-propped up, her big eyes shining brightly in the moonlight, staring at him without blinking... and the bamboo shoot in his hand that had been bitten.

Their eyes met, and Pei Yunjing, the legendary war god, had never felt so awkward in his life.

"you……"

Tang Li pointed at him with trembling fingers, her face flushed as she tried to suppress her laughter: "Your Highness... are you... hungry?"

"If you're hungry, you can call for food... Why are you fighting with Tuantuan for bamboo?"

Pei Yunjing: "..."

His face turned red from the base of his neck to behind his ears at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"I do not."

He tossed the bamboo aside expressionlessly, attempting to use the regent's authority to mask the moment of the village's demise:

"I was merely... testing for poison."

"Pfft, hahahahaha!"

Tang Li finally couldn't hold back anymore and collapsed into the quilt, laughing so hard she rolled around. Even the panda next to her was woken up by her laughter and stared blankly at the two crazy humans.

"Poison testing? Hahaha... Your Highness, you're so adorable!"

"Are you jealous? Jealous of even a panda?"

Enraged, Pei Yunjing shoved the two obstructive pandas aside and ruthlessly kicked them to the foot of the bed.

Then, he leaned over and pinned the woman, who was laughing hysterically under the covers, down tightly.

"Shut up."

He gritted his teeth and threatened viciously:

"If you laugh again... I'll show you whether bamboo tastes better or I do."

That night, in the Regent's Palace, the laughter stopped, but another kind of sound that made people blush and their hearts race lingered for a long, long time.

As for those two pandas? They're probably questioning their existence at the foot of the bed.