CHAPTER 591: CHAPTER 364 FOREST KING AND DIVINE ORIGIN QUEEN

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"I will talk to her about this matter. I agree to send her away, since there’s no reason for her to stay here any longer," Wan Qiao said with a smile. "Now hurry, so I can summon that woman to send her off. Once I finish these documents, I’ll make sure someone sends them to you," she concluded as her stomach started rumbling. Looking down, she chuckled for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Perhaps I need some food before I continue," she said softly, even surprising Yan Xiaobao, who raised his eyebrows.

How could an expert of Saint rank be hungry? The higher the rank they achieve, the more their bodies are nurtured by the essence of the heavens and the earth. Their physical needs grow increasingly elastic. Food is no longer a necessity, let alone drinks, yet Wan Qiao’s stomach was growling, signaling that she was indeed hungry. Hearing the sound caused Yan Xiaobao’s eyebrows to shoot up in astonishment. It meant her last meal had been many years ago, as it had been years since she last ate.

Wan Qiao gently patted the boy’s face, a sad smile flickering across her own. "Long ago, the last normal beast in the Divine Origin’s territory perished. At first, villagers bred the animals they had raised; however, all the magical beasts hunted and consumed the domesticated animals one by one until no beasts were left. The beasts in towns and villages survived on vegetation they planted and by hunting magical beasts simultaneously," she said.

"These beasts can attack other beasts because this is a survival-of-the-fittest world. But as the Forest King and Divine Origin Queen, I refuse to attack and consume any beasts in the forest. As for eating wheat products and fruits, which the Single-Horned Jasmine Hawk deeply despises," she continued, frowning.

"The last time I ate was when I left the Divine Domain. That day, when I met you in Liluo City, was the last time I departed. Since then, I’ve held back," she sighed, grumbling. Yan Xiaobao nodded. He could understand why this woman refused to consume her own kind, but while Yan Xiaobao himself had already turned into a half-beast, he had no qualms about eating other magical beasts.

"You can’t do anything about it," she continued, waving her hand and signaling for Yan Xiaobao to keep walking and not worry about her. Yan Xiaobao complied. Though Wan Qiao was hungry, Yan Xiaobao was fully aware that she had nowhere else to go. Despite her starvation, even after many years without food, she would endure. She could easily last another ten years before it reached a dangerous point.

With that knowledge, Yan Xiaobao turned and left. He returned to his room, sat down, and began cultivating, awaiting news about Li Meilin’s departure or perhaps waiting for the newspapers stacked on Wan Qiao’s desk to bring him updates.

....

"Hello, young lady," Wan Qiao said, looking at Li Meilin as she entered the room. The Single-Horned Jasmine Hawk was sitting at her desk, organizing a towering pile of documents, her back turned to the woman who had just walked in.

As anxiety surged within her, Li Meilin felt her hands trembling. Yan Xiaobao had said he would do his best to help her leave the Divine Domain; however, there remained the possibility that the Divine Origin Queen would refuse to aid her departure, forcing the Emperor to leave on her own. Before making her way back to her hometown in the capital, she would have to pass through the Divine Domain and Xiban.

"I recall telling you that once Yan Xiaobao manages to reach King-level, you may leave the Divine Domain," Wan Qiao said, straightening her back and walking toward the young woman in front of her. Li Meilin greeted her with a gesture before sitting down in a set of chairs. Neither of them spoke, instead waiting for the other to say something first.

Seeing that Li Meilin had no intention of speaking, Wan Qiao let out a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair, gazing at the woman before her.

"You’ve been quite busy these past few days, haven’t you?" Wan Qiao asked with a feigned curiosity. Her words sent a shiver down Li Meilin’s spine. Could Wan Qiao be aware of the efforts she had quietly put into obtaining information and working tirelessly over the past few days? If she had been noticed, who knew what might happen to her? Perhaps she would end up unable to leave the Divine Domain after all—perhaps she might be buried here forever.

"I could kill you, and then you’d no longer pose any threat to me," Wan Qiao said casually, lifting her hand and examining her nails. Each word she uttered sent chills down Li Meilin’s back, and fear filled her eyes. She knew her life was in Wan Qiao’s hands; yet the woman seemed utterly indifferent to the Emperor.

"I could kill you, but doing so would only bring me more trouble," Wan Qiao finally sighed, ceasing her focus on her nails. Instead, she leaned back in her chair and looked at Li Meilin with a faintly sour expression. "Yan Xiaobao personally requested that I grant you permission to leave," she continued, sparking a glimmer of hope in Li Meilin’s heart.

"While he hasn’t explained to me why he wants me to let you go, he was very persuasive," Wan Qiao continued, closely observing every reaction on Li Meilin’s face. The woman displayed significant uncertainty, but after hearing Wan Qiao’s words, hope was visible deep within her eyes.

Li Meilin sat quietly, contemplating her emotions for quite some time. She knew Yan Xiaobao could not have made such a request of Wan Qiao without offering a compelling argument, though it seemed he hadn’t disclosed those reasons to her. This immediately reminded her of the war that Yan Xiaobao had previously mentioned.