A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

By the time I finished talking with Qu Cheng, it was already dark.

When Lu Chuci returned from the training ground, Ye Qingxue told him about Qu Cheng's incident, and neither of them looked too happy.

“He certainly won’t sit idly by and wait to die,” Lu Chuci said in a deep voice.

Ye Qingxue: "This is the Martial Emperor's counterattack, so it wasn't really unexpected."

Lu Chuci looked at Ye Qingxue: "What are your thoughts?"

"Since the Martial Emperor has taken action, he must have something in mind. Currently, we are the only ones in the human realm who could potentially threaten him. His use of the people as leverage is only likely an attempt to force us to surrender."

Lu Chuci continued her analysis, following her train of thought: "We are far away in Mocheng. He definitely won't believe us if we pretend to surrender. If we send 200,000 troops to the capital, he will worry that it's a trap."

“Find an army of equal strength to guard and escort us back to the capital, to ensure that we do not make any small moves and that we have no intention of retaliating, so that he will feel at ease.”

Ye Qingxue raised an eyebrow: "So he sent people to Mocheng, firstly to deliver a message, and secondly to escort us back to the capital."

Lu Chuci and she exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Imperial Guards."

“If we clash with the Imperial Guard, it will be our people in the human realm who suffer the loss. The Martial Emperor’s move can be described as killing two birds with one stone.” Ye Qingxue tapped her fingers lightly on the table. “We also cannot bear to harm ordinary people who are also from the human realm.”

Lu Chuci nodded: "So what we need to do now is to turn the Imperial Guards into our side."

Ye Qingxue: "So you have a plan?"

"Guan Fei," Lu Chuci uttered in a deep voice.

Ye Qingxue's eyes lit up: "I'll go ask Miaoxian about the research progress of that potion right away!"

She was about to get up and leave the tent when Lu Chuci pulled her back, his voice filled with helplessness: "Qingqing, it's already 9 PM, even the dogs are asleep. This can't be rushed. Don't panic, I'm here."

Ye Qingxue was embraced tightly by him, and only then did she notice that her heart was beating abnormally fast.

She was so nervous.

As Lu Chuci calmed her breathing, Ye Qingxue said softly, "I'm not afraid, it's alright."

"Okay, let's go to bed first."

—

After that day, Ye Qingxue continued to go to the pharmacy every day as usual, and Lu Chuci also went to the training ground to train the soldiers.

However, unlike before, Ye Qingxue no longer participated in the production of the 'Anti-Spirit' potion, but instead pulled Chi Miaoxian to devote herself wholeheartedly to the research and development of the Beast Antidote.

On Lu Chuci's side, the soldiers also clearly felt that the pressure of training had increased significantly. Moreover, unlike when General Lu was training, when the young general was present, they always felt an invisible pressure enveloping them, which made the training more than twice as difficult.

Lead-like clouds churned in the sky, and sand and gravel were whipped up and flew by the wind.

Gradually, no more civilians came to express their gratitude in the military camp, and the daily activities of the people in the camp became simple: eating, sleeping, and working.

No one had the time or energy to chat anymore; the entire military camp was like a taut string, ready to rush to the battlefield at any moment.

Time flew by, and on an ordinary afternoon, birds chirped as they flew across the sky, and the sound of alarms echoed throughout the military camp.

Lu Chuci was discussing matters with someone in the commander's tent when his expression changed slightly, and he quickly stood up.

Ye Qingxue appeared outside the command tent immediately, and the messenger rushed over shortly afterward.

"General!"

Lu Cheng's expression had calmed down: "Speak."

"The Imperial Guards are here! They're just outside the city."

Approximately how many people did they bring?

"Those in the shadows are unknown, but the commander led approximately ten thousand men."

Lu Cheng chuckled: "How arrogant! You think you can make us surrender with just this few men?"

He looked at Lu Chuci: "What do you think we should do?"

Nowadays, Lu Cheng has gradually handed over most important matters to Lu Chuci.

He believed that his child saw things more deeply and further than he did.

Lu Chuci clenched her fist: "We can't just surround them whenever we want. Now that we're here, we won't be leaving so easily."

Lu Cheng's expression was somewhat subtle: "Do we really have to do this?"

He knew what Lu Chuci was going to do, but he felt that it was a bit disrespectful to him.

Ultimately, we need to discuss cooperation.

Lu Chuci had his own reasons: "Who told him to chase me around the capital all morning?"

"..."

—

Outside the city of Mo, Mu Ying sat on his horse with his eyes closed, feigning sleep. His sharp eagle eyes were hidden beneath his thin eyelids, like a sword yet to be drawn.

His calm and composed demeanor didn't seem like he was there to bring the renowned Longyang Army back to the capital; rather, it looked like he was there for a vacation.

In his eyes, the Longyang Army's formidable reputation was merely due to the fact that his imperial guards had not intervened.

Moreover, what does it matter if a traitor is famous? He already has a lower aura than him, so Mu Ying is naturally not afraid.

besides……

He felt that the Longyang Army had been quite resolute before, and even now, in this situation, they had not abandoned the people and fled. They had resolved the Chi tribe, a major threat to the Wu Dynasty, so they should be able to negotiate.

They can't just start fighting right away... right?

Before the thought had fully settled, Mu Ying frowned and suddenly sensed the sound of wind breaking ahead.

He dodged to the side, barely avoiding the hand that was reaching out to him. But before he could react, the hand turned at an astonishing speed and grabbed at him again!

So fast!

He immediately dismounted, but in the instant he turned around, he saw that hand clinging to him like a maggot.

Who is this person?

Why is it moving so fast?!

Mu Ying was shocked. The moment he landed, he rolled to the side, twisting his waist with all his might.

However, just as he was turning for the first time, the sound of wind breaking came from his outer ear.

Oops!

As he uttered those two words in his heart, his neck was already gripped by that hand.

He didn't know where the hand pressed, but he instantly went numb, followed by an overwhelming sense of pressure.

In an instant, he couldn't breathe.

What kind of power is this?

Mu Ying desperately turned his head, and in the moment before everything went black, he only saw a blurry face.

Everything happened in just a few seconds, so no one had time to react.

The ghost clan members hidden among the Imperial Guards were naturally not as fast as Lu Chuci, who was a Golden Core cultivator. By the time they reacted and prepared to make a move, Lu Chuci had already taken the person hostage.

……

"Cough cough!"

As soon as Mu Ying opened his eyes, his throat felt like it was about to explode, and he couldn't stop coughing.

After he had recovered, he looked up warily and met several smiling faces.

Mu Ying narrowed his eyes, his muscles tensing: "What are you going to do? Do you really want to start a war with us?"

Lu Chuci raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Let's chat."

Mu Ying scoffed: "If you're trying to take me hostage to control the actions of my men..."

"No, let's talk about cooperation."

"..."

Mu Ying looked at himself, bound hand and foot, and felt his body, which was devoid of any sensation.

"?"

Is this a proposal for cooperation?