"Yan'er, I have something to ask you."

As soon as he entered the room, Shen Muzhi's expression turned serious.

Yan Xiao glanced at him and roughly guessed what he wanted to ask:

"Go ahead and ask."

Shen Muzhi hesitated slightly, worried that Yan Xiao might be offended. After organizing his thoughts, he asked with a concerned expression:

"Tell me the truth, is using these blood vine berries harmful to your body? If so, you must not hide it from me."

I know there's no point in stopping you from doing what you want, but at least give me some advance warning so I won't be anxiously waiting helplessly when the time comes.

Yan Xiao understood Shen Muzhi's meaning. Just as Shen Muzhi said, Lou Guyu had already left the city, and the Blood Vine Berry was already in her hands. No one could stop her from doing whatever she wanted.

So she just told the truth:

"There was indeed some damage."

As she spoke, she briefly explained to Shen Muzhi how to use the blood vine berries.

When Shen Muzhi heard that Yan Xiao's blood would be used as a medicinal ingredient and that it needed to be used continuously, his brows furrowed, and his face was full of disapproval.

"Since we need blood, why don't we just have Gu Yu release a little each day and store it up? Why do we need yours?"

Fortunately, Lou Guyu didn't hear this. Otherwise, if he had known that Shen Muzhi's first reaction was to treat him like a blood bank, he would have definitely held a grudge.

Yan Xiao found it amusing and retorted:

"I'm not stupid. If this method were feasible, would I not have thought of it?"

The reason why my blood and Gu Yu's blood can be used as a medicinal ingredient is mainly because our blood contains the energy of our bodies.

But this stuff loses its effectiveness if it's out of the body for too long, so it has to be fresh; storing it in advance simply won't work.

After Yan Xiao finished speaking, seeing that Shen Muzhi looked unconvinced and clearly wanted to say something more, she directly raised her hand to interrupt him, her tone more serious than ever before:

"General Shen, this is war, not child's play. There is no war without bloodshed."

You may shed blood, your soldiers may shed blood, even lose their lives, so why can't I? Don't forget, this world is what I, Yanxiao, desire.

Seeing that Yan Xiao's expression was serious and that he clearly wouldn't change his mind, Shen Muzhi felt somewhat discouraged.

Knowing Yanxiao's temperament well, he didn't say anything more in the end, but secretly decided in his heart that he must keep a close eye on Yanxiao and not let her lose too much blood and damage her health.

The Miao King was unaware of all of Yan Xiao's plans, while Yan Xiao knew everything.

She heard her subordinates report, "Master, your foresight is uncanny. Shen Muzhi has already sent Lou Guyu out of the city, and he will arrive here soon. As long as you give the word, Master, we can immediately bury him here."

Upon hearing this, the Miao king's face revealed a confident expression:

"No rush. The main objective this time is to take Jiangbei first and kill Shen Muzhi. As for that little bastard Lou Guyu, once he loses Shen Muzhi as his backer, isn't he just meat on my chopping block?"

"My lord is wise. Now that you have successfully mastered the 'Ten Thousand Insects Devour the Heart' technique, and with the cooperation of the barbarian army, we will surely be able to destroy Jiangbei on this mission."

After one person finished flattering, another quickly followed suit:

"Yes, Qi Chengfeng is dead. Prince Qing was useless to begin with, and now he has gone completely mad, allowing a woman to rule from behind the curtain. The Qing court has long been a mess, and it will break at the slightest touch."

Now, the only one who can truly be considered your match, Master, is Shen Muzhi. Once Shen Muzhi is dead, the other forces that have already submitted to him will be utterly vulnerable. You can then claim half of this world.”

"half?"

The Miao king snorted coldly upon hearing this:

"I have mastered the art of Gu poison, and I have no equal in the world. If the Barbarian King were still alive, he might be considered one, but his eldest son... heh heh~"

The Miao king chuckled, his tone growing colder as he spoke:

"If he's smart enough to submit to me, that's fine. Otherwise, after I deal with Shen Mu, he'll be next."

The Miao King's confidants were all shocked to hear this. They all knew that the Miao King was ambitious, but they did not expect that the current Miao King was no longer satisfied with just half of the country.

But on second thought, now that the Miao King has mastered the art of "ten thousand insects devouring the heart," it seems reasonable for him to contend for the throne.

The Miao Queen is now full of confidence, feeling that the world is within her grasp. She can dream of herself as the ruler of the world whenever she closes her eyes.

For this day, she was willing to refine herself into a human gu, and she would definitely not give up until she achieved her goal.

Anyone who dares to obstruct her will only become a dead man in her eyes.

Just then, someone came to report:

"Master, news has arrived from the barbarians. They are ready and can cooperate with us at any time."

"good!"

The Miao king rose excitedly, waved his hand triumphantly, and loudly commanded:

"This is an opportunity not to be missed. Immediately issue the order to have intermediate and above Gu practitioners take action without delay."

"yes."

With a single command from the Miao King, the war officially began.

They all knew very well that this battle would be a fight to the death, with the victor becoming king and the loser reduced to a bandit.

Yan Xiao had already made preparations, just waiting for the Miao King and her confidants to come and walk into her trap.

Yan Xiao and Shen Muzhi were already sitting on the city tower, drinking tea and looking out of the city, occasionally exchanging a few words.

While Yan Xiao was talking to Shen Muzhi, she was also confirming some information with the guardian deity:

"Are you sure everything's alright with Qiu Shanjun?"

"No problem, at least for now we are sincerely cooperating."

"Okay, that's good." Yan Xiao was satisfied with the answer.

As long as Qiu Shanjun is genuinely cooperating now, he will pose no threat after this matter is settled.

Yan Xiao already knew the whole story of the conversation between the Miao King and her confidant from the guardian deity. All she could say was that the woman was ugly but had beautiful dreams.

With her laughter and chatter, there's no place in the world where she can possibly be. To dream of becoming an empress is just wishful thinking.

Just then, a pigeon flew down in front of the two of them. Shen Muzhi skillfully caught it and then opened it in front of Yan Xiao.

After reading the contents of the letter, he raised an eyebrow slightly and then handed the letter to Yan Xiao.

Yan Xiao took the letter and saw that it simply read: Everything has been arranged and everything is brand new.

The letter came from Kyoto, and the writer was Su Yuanyuan.

The letter meant that Yanxiao had done what she asked him to do. Now, Consort Liu was ruling from behind the curtain, and although she seemed to be issuing orders haphazardly, she was actually cooperating with Yanxiao.

Several of these orders were aimed at eliminating the King of Qi's henchmen and intentionally supporting people from Jiangbei to take control of important affairs in the court.

Although many people tried to stop them, all it took was to let the King of Qi take a bite or two, and those who had already lost their fighting spirit would gradually become obedient.