Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

"fur?"

Thirteen frowned slightly.

"Now the southern barbarians are eyeing us covetously, and Nanyang itself is embroiled in internal strife. It seems we are destined to lose this battle."

Zhou Jinghuai was originally the General of Xichen, and he had some experience in military campaigns.

The crude and shoddy workmanship of the Southern Barbarians was utterly insignificant in his eyes.

Unfortunately, the crown prince was constantly bickering with General Weiyuan and had no idea that the southern barbarians had secretly infiltrated the city.

"The Emperor of Nanyang dispatched an army of 100,000. Could it be that they couldn't defeat a cavalry force of less than 50,000?"

Thirteen found it somewhat amusing. He knew that this force of 100,000 troops was the Emperor's confidence in giving the Crown Prince the throne. If they won this battle, Duan Yuqing would have secured his future throne.

"As I just told you, the fact that those two Nanman warriors were able to appear in Philadelphia at this time means they are bound to make a move."

"You mean they'll interfere in the conflicts of the mortal realm?" Thirteen's expression was somewhat grave.

"Perhaps Shen Mu didn't tell you at the time that Sun Youzhi persuaded the Emperor of Nanyang to build the Mingyue Palace in order to absorb the essence of the mortal world to restore his divine body."

"He mentioned this once. I originally thought that the Bright Moon Palace was just a pretense for the emperor to achieve immortality, but I never expected that you would burn it down."

Thirteen remembered that she had inadvertently revealed her identity as a female prime minister at that time, and perhaps Zhou Jinghuai had already recognized her at that moment.

"One of the ways Chongming restores his divine body is to cause bloodshed in the mortal realm. The more mortals die, the more blood and essence his so-called 'Tong' will collect to aid in the restoration of his divine body."

"So you mean the more people die in this battle, the more advantageous it will be for him? But we don't even know the names of those two incarnations, so how can we stop it?"

The moment Chongming was mentioned, Thirteen's expression betrayed his indignation.

"If this battle were only fought with Nanyang overwhelming the Nanman, perhaps the Nanman would only suffer 50,000 casualties. But what if the Nanman win?"

Zhou Jinghuai's voice was solemn and cold, devoid of any emotion.

"The Southern Barbarians have won... They will inevitably head north to attack Nanyang. Feicheng is a heavily guarded pass by Nanyang. If it is breached..."

Thirteen paused, her breath catching in her throat. She finally understood why the Demon Lord's avatar had suddenly intervened in this war. If the Southern Barbarians were to succeed, Nanyang would inevitably suffer the loss of several cities and countless deaths.

The more mortals die, the more essence and blood they produce!

The demon lord's power naturally increased greatly...

This made it even more difficult for them to subdue the Demon Lord!

Thinking of this, Thirteen suddenly felt a chill spread rapidly from the soles of her feet to her entire body.

Throughout this journey, her primary concern was slaying the Demon Lord's avatar; she could have easily maintained an indifferent attitude towards the wars in the mortal realm.

But now, this battle is crucial to preventing the Demon Lord from regaining his divine body.

Then she naturally couldn't just ignore it.

Can……

Thirteen slowly lowered her eyes to look at her hands. At this moment, she had no divine power. How could she possibly kill the Demon Lord's incarnation?

Zhou Jinghuai noticed her concerns and couldn't help but gently comfort her.

"Leave the matter of the incarnation to me and Shen Mu. Your most important task now is to resolve the internal strife in Nanyang. If the Southern Barbarians are at the gates and the Crown Prince and the old general have not yet reached an agreement, I'm afraid this battle will truly be lost."

Zhou Jinghuai filled the teacup in Thirteen's hand, and with a somewhat subtle expression, he merely glanced at her.

Thirteen paused, staring at the gradually filling cup of tea, and said in a deep voice...

"But I always felt that this matter was not as simple as we thought."

Her already furrowed brows tightened even more; they now seemed to be standing in a fog, utterly bewildered.

What do you mean by "not simple"?

Zhou Jinghuai raised an eyebrow slightly and placed the teapot on the table beside him.

Thirteen withdrew her gaze, then looked up at him, her tone gradually becoming firm.

"You said the Crown Prince was always humble and kind, so why did he fall out with the old general as soon as he arrived in Philadelphia?"

"Naturally, it's because the Crown Prince interfered in military affairs, which displeased General Weiyuan? But it seems unlikely that the Crown Prince would do such a thing..."

Zhou Jinghuai slightly composed himself, his slender fingers tapping on the table, producing a dull sound.

"What if this internal strife is orchestrated by someone behind the scenes? Who would benefit most?"

Thirteen pressed on somewhat stubbornly.

"Southern barbarians? If this internal strife cannot be resolved, it will inevitably affect the morale of the army."

"You're only half right."

Thirteen slowly shook his head, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

"Half? The Southern Barbarians, the Western Regions, and Nanyang. Logically speaking, people from the Western Regions wouldn't be doing such a thankless task at this time."

Zhou Jinghuai remembered the Khan of the Western Regions; from his appearance, he felt that he was a good person.

They shouldn't be capable of doing something like that.

"But what if someone in Nanyang wants to collude with the Southern Barbarians?"

"Nanyang? The Emperor certainly hopes to win this battle the most. Prime Minister Pei is an upright man who was suddenly sent to Feicheng, so naturally he didn't have time to make any plans. That leaves only..."

Zhou Jinghuai suddenly turned to look at Thirteen, his face filled with disbelief, and exclaimed in shock.

"You mean the An family is behind this?"

Thirteen smiled slightly, then nodded.

"You said that Sun Youzhi might be related to the An family. Haven't you ever thought about why the An family never questioned the Crown Prince's command of the troops from beginning to end during this battle? Isn't it because the An family knew there was something wrong with this battle?"

"You're saying the internal strife between the Crown Prince and the old general was orchestrated by the An family?"

Zhou Jinghuai naturally hadn't expected the Thirteenth to have such an idea. Although it seemed absurd, upon closer examination...

That is indeed reasonable.

Thirteen continued

"I had my suspicions about Prime Minister Pei's strong admonition against the Crown Prince leading the troops. Perhaps he already knew then that this battle wouldn't be as simple as it seemed. What if it was a trap set by the An family..."

"If we lose this battle, then naturally no one in the court will continue to support the Crown Prince."

Zhou Jinghuai felt as if his back teeth were about to be ground to powder. Although he was a person from the divine realm, he had lived in the mortal world for the past two years and had more or less heard about the An family's methods.

It's really something that can't be presented in public!

"If we lose this battle, the Emperor of Nanyang will inevitably have to negotiate peace with the Southern Barbarians. With the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace falling from power, all that will be left is the Third Prince, supported by the An family faction... and the child in Consort An's womb that is still unborn."

Thirteen breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had finally understood the An family's intentions after deducing this far.

"No wonder the An family has been holding back; they've been focusing all their attention on this."

Zhou Jinghuai smiled helplessly; he had underestimated his opponent's cunning.

"If the An family is indeed planning this, perhaps we can follow the An family's trail to find the two 'Tang' behind them, which are the other two incarnations of the Demon Lord."

Thirteen nodded; naturally, she had her sights set on capturing the Demon Lord.