Chapter 619: Chapter 376: Winning This War_2
Inside the first storage stone lay a large pile of gold. In truth, Yan Xiaobao knew that every expert was supposed to contribute an amount exceeding a million gold coins. Looking at another stone, he saw food stacked high. Bags of rice and corn were stored alongside barrels of dried and smoked meats. There was enough food to sustain over ten thousand people for more than a month. Yan Xiaobao felt immense gratitude toward the Saint, and after inspecting the two stones, he gave a deep bow.
"Thank you very much for your contributions," he said with his head lowered. The Saint’s face lit up. Clearly, he was pleased with Yan Xiaobao’s reaction, which showed genuine appreciation for the wealth and provisions he had provided. The Saint nodded again, not for any particular reason but simply because he was satisfied.
"I’ll go find Wan Qiao. I also have some maps to give her," the expert said. As soon as the words left his mouth, the Saint became blurry and disappeared from the courtyard. Staring at the storage stones, Yan Xiaobao smiled, knowing he was getting closer to the day they would set off.
"Wait, wait!" came a shout, stopping Yan Xiaobao in his tracks. He turned around as he heard the voice, and Pan Long appeared. The old man looked just as excited as Yan Xiaobao and was holding a small leather pouch.
"Look at this," Pan Long said with a broad grin as he stopped beside Yan Xiaobao and handed the pouch to the young man. "These are the stones I’ve collected so far. I also saw the old man give you two storage stones earlier. It seems we’ve nearly gathered all the resources and gold coins we need. Are you ready to start planning the route to Siban?" Lord Pan looked at him eagerly, reminding Yan Xiaobao of a child waiting for Christmas. Excitement sparkled in the old man’s eyes as he handed over the bag, a smile playing on his face. Yan Xiaobao quickly accepted it.
"Alright, I best get to it," Pan Long said with an apologetic look as he nodded at Yan Xiaobao and dashed away from the courtyard. Yan Xiaobao stood there, his mind blank, a confused expression on his face. Not long after, a laugh escaped his lips as he couldn’t help but chuckle at Pan Long’s haste. Despite being the Forest King, the expert seemed oddly carefree at times, making Yan Xiaobao feel that the Forest King wasn’t as different from him as he had imagined.
Back in his room, Yan Xiaobao opened the pouch and raised an eyebrow. Inside were numerous storage stones. Some contained specific minimum amounts of gold and food, while others were completely full. They brimmed with gold and provisions, far exceeding the expert’s expectations. Looking at the gold and food, Yan Xiaobao realized he had enough to prepare for war.
Now that he had sufficient gold and provisions, he left his room to find Wan Qiao. The closer he got to her, the more people he saw waiting in the hallway. The young man frowned as he wondered what was happening. He hurried past the servants and finally arrived at the door to her private quarters. Just as he was about to open it, he noticed the door moving closer to him.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, but even so, Yan Xiaobao had no time to react before the door exploded outward. It struck him with a destructive force, sending him flying backward into the wall behind him. The door, shattered by the impact, was forced into the young man’s body.
Behind the door, an expert came flying out. It wasn’t because of martial arts techniques or inherent abilities—clearly, he had been kicked and sent airborne. Witnessing this, not only was the now-injured Yan Xiaobao silent, but everyone present fell completely quiet as well. The expert who had been sent flying slowly stood up and wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Stop being such a hotheaded old hag!" the man roared angrily. "You can’t join the army. We need you here to guard the Divine Domain. Give me your position, and I’ll make sure everything is fine."
"No way!" an enraged voice bellowed from the room. Not long after, a woman stormed through the broken doorway. When she saw the injured Yan Xiaobao bleeding from one wound after another, a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes. The many servants in the hallway gathered, staring at her in shock.
Noticing this, Wan Qiao paused briefly, a frown forming on her face. She turned to the gathered servants. "What are you doing here?!" she scolded harshly, causing the servants to scatter as they suddenly remembered they had somewhere else to be.
"You’re so rough," Yan Xiaobao said with a laugh, seemingly dispelling the heavy atmosphere. A moment later, the boy with white hair stood up and checked himself. Looking down, he noticed his robe had been torn in multiple places, and his brows furrowed slightly. The door had not only penetrated his robe but also the skin beneath, impaling him with its shattered remains.
Seeing this, Yan Xiaobao patiently stood up. One by one, he removed the shards of wood from the door stuck in his body. Everyone present stood stunned as they watched each wound close up on its own. It was as if Yan Xiaobao were healing himself, but his skin showed no visible green aura or signs of active healing techniques. Furthermore, all the lords knew well about the relationship Yan Xiaobao had with his internal force. Understanding the power of their Great Marshall was crucial, but the expert who had been thrown into the door and Wan Qiao were both shocked as they witnessed his body’s self-healing abilities.
Wan Qiao was surprised for another reason. She had heard about Yan Xiaobao’s green pearl, but she never expected the greedy pearl to assist with minor injuries like this. Yan Xiaobao himself was also amazed by the healing but, having grown more composed after the monk’s influence, he didn’t let his surprise show in his expression. What was even more astonishing was his gratitude—he now understood that everything happening within his Dantian had a will of its own.
Rising to his feet, Yan Xiaobao sighed and looked at the two lords, wearing an expression like a parent scolding unruly children. "I’ll return after I’ve changed clothes," he said with a sigh. "Please stop fighting until then. I need to speak with both of you."
With those words, Yan Xiaobao turned and walked toward his room, leaving the two stunned experts feeling slightly embarrassed by their own actions. Moving forward, Wan Qiao reached out to help the Saint to his feet.
"We’d better head to the library," she said, sounding a little lost. She was curious about what Yan Xiaobao had to say but also felt a bit awkward after showing her violent side to the young man again.
As they walked to the library, neither spoke—neither Wan Qiao nor the other man. Watching them leave together was an odd sight for the many servants in the vicinity. Seeing their revered lords acting so subdued was strange. In turn, they began looking at Yan Xiaobao with profound awe, reflecting the importance the Forest King placed on him.
Yan Xiaobao didn’t notice the many servants around him, but as he glanced at his torn clothing, a frown appeared on his face. The damage alone demonstrated the force Wan Qiao had put into her attack. For her to lash out at another lord like this, she must have been truly angry with the other man.
After overhearing part of their argument, Yan Xiaobao quickly understood that Lord Chen was unhappy about being tasked with staying to guard the Divine Domain. He wanted to join the war, and learning that Wan Qiao would be participating only made him more frustrated.
Thinking about it, Yan Xiaobao realized the risks of allowing Wan Qiao to join the war. If he decided to eliminate the wild beasts, Wan Qiao’s presence wouldn’t matter. According to Yan Xiaobao, he was the strongest person in the entire plane. He was the only one capable of defeating the man in question.
"He must be a god," Yan Xiaobao murmured to himself, his gaze turning cold. This man had been an emperor four thousand years ago, but considering his power—even Saints at the Peak Stage, like Wan Qiao and General Frozen, were no match for him—this person had to be a god. There was no other way to explain how they could defeat him.
Thinking about this, Yan Xiaobao felt a bit discouraged. His goal was to defeat An, someone regarded as nothing more than an ant even by the Saints at the Peak Stage, and someone the other Saints looked up to. A Saint could kill the current Yan Xiaobao with just a thought.
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