I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 347 It was the wrong payment after all
Zhou Yuande was so moved by what he heard that he wanted to persuade Xiao Jingfan to return to the palace.

Saving the Grand Tutor and Prince Rui is important, but His Majesty's safety is even more crucial.

After listening, Xiao Jingfan's furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and he ordered, "Continue on your way."

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Yao asked, "Aren't you worried?"

Xiao Jingfan was worried just now, but a cold smile appeared on his lips: "If Yin Lanci really has such ability, then it wouldn't just be Ji An who came today."

Jiang Yao didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

[It seems the Miao witch didn't tell her junior sister that the price of using the Netherworld Gu was her lifespan; the Tyrant, on the other hand, seems to have guessed something.]

Chu Liuzheng glanced at Xiao Jingfan and continued reading the messages he had retrieved from the system.

The Netherworld Gu is indeed very powerful, truly the king of Gu, but the more powerful the Gu, the greater the price to pay for its use.

The Netherworld Gu resides near the host's heart meridian. While it can keep the host alive, each time the host uses the Netherworld Gu, it gradually erodes the heart meridian. Once it has completely devoured the heart meridian, the host will die.

[Yin Lanci was still planning to overthrow the Great Sheng Dynasty and become empress; how could she possibly use the Netherworld Gu without restraint and ultimately lose her life?]

Chu Liuzheng flipped through the pages.

[As expected! Over the years, Yin Lanci has only raised six Nine-Eyed Gu, all of which have parasitized individuals who were already highly skilled in martial arts. Ji An was the only exception.]

[Hmm... to be honest, Ji An was destined to survive. Although he didn't know martial arts, he just happened to have the constitution that the Nine-Eyed Gu liked.]

When Yin Lanci passed through Xinbao City, the Netherworld Gu suddenly became agitated, affecting the Nine-Eyed Gu, which then ran away on its own. By the time Yin Lanci calmed down the Netherworld Gu and went to find it, the Nine-Eyed Gu had already burrowed into Ji An's body. Not wanting to waste a Nine-Eyed Gu, Yin Lanci reluctantly accepted it and took Ji An away to refine him into a medicinal human.

If Xiao Jingfan was only guessing before, he is now certain after hearing Chu Liuzheng's thoughts.

He had wondered about the Netherworld Gu when Jiang Yao mentioned it before.

Since the Netherworld Gu is immortal, its master can live as long as it exists. Could its master live forever?

But this is obviously impossible.

If the Netherworld Gu could truly protect its master from death, even if it only extended his life by one or two decades, it would have been claimed by his ancestors long ago. Why would it have remained in the hands of the Miao witches and been passed down from generation to generation?

Furthermore, according to Jiang Yao, every Miao witch was extremely cautious when using the Netherworld Gu, and would only use it in matters of life and death.

Jiang Yao thought this was to highlight the importance of the Netherworld Gu, protect the status of the Miao witch, and maintain the mystery of the Netherworld Gu.

Perhaps that's one reason, but Xiao Jingfan felt that the more likely reason was that using the Netherworld Gu would come at a price that ordinary people couldn't imagine.

What price could be more unbearable than lifespan?
After all, even the most powerful person, who sits on the throne, is just like an ordinary person, born with only one life.

After figuring this out, Xiao Jingfan realized that even if Yin Lanci could create medicine people, the number wouldn't be very large.

Even the most skilled martial artist will eventually run out of strength; how can they possibly contend with an army?

Therefore, there is no need to worry for the time being.

Faced with Jiang Yao's question, Xiao Jingfan did not explain, but looked at Chu Liuzheng: "One of the carriages is destroyed, and there is not much distance left. Would you like to ride a horse?"

Chu Liuzheng was a little tempted.

She wasn't afraid to ride with Chenxing; there were only three miles left, and they'd be there in no time, so her butt shouldn't hurt too much.

Of course, the main reason was that she really didn't want to be bounced around in a carriage anymore!
Horseback riding also allows you to enjoy the scenery along the way.

After making the decision, Chu Liuzheng turned to find Chen Xing: "Chen Xing, I'll be with you in a bit—" Before she could finish, Chen Xing quickly interrupted, "I'll be taking a carriage with Doctor Feng to study the poison on Ji An's body, right, Doctor Feng?"

Feng Jing: ?
You don't know medicine, so what can you possibly research?

He refused to work with non-professionals and was about to refuse when Siyue stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve: "We just made an agreement, do you want to go back on your word?"

Feng Jing: ? ?

When was this agreed upon? How come he didn't know?
Siyue winked at him, thinking to himself, "No wonder this guy has been chased by Doctor Qin with silver needles all this time. With his eyesight, he's lucky if he can even get a wife in this lifetime."

Although Feng Jing didn't understand, he thought that Siyue was good at using poison, which was better than Chenxing, so he agreed.

As a result, Chu Liuzheng's second and third ride-sharing partners were no longer available.

Now they want to change their minds and take a carriage. These three, plus Ji An, Ping Yu, Jiang Yao, and maybe Tong Niang, make seven people in total. It'll be a struggle to fit them all.

The only acquaintances she had left were Lü Fei and Zhou Yuande. Although there were also a group of guards, she was afraid of riding horses and didn't feel comfortable letting people who weren't familiar with her ride.

So, she first glanced at Eunuch Zhou's belly, which, although smaller, was still very noticeable, and decisively chose Lü Fei.

Upon receiving a sharp look from his emperor, Lü Fei calmly declined, saying, "I have to be on guard duty, so it's inconvenient for me to bring a lady along."

Zhou Yuande glanced at Xiao Jingfan, whose face had turned ashen, and very consciously indicated that with his weight, the horse would suffer enough carrying him alone, and adding another person would probably cause him to kick up, so it couldn't carry anyone else.

Chu Liuzheng, feeling rejected: "..."

[Sob~ It was all for nothing in the end!]

She tiptoed and peered at the remaining carriage.

The carriage roof is quite spacious; perhaps I should sit on it.

Not only is no one crowding me, but even if I tied myself up with a rope, I wouldn't fall down; I could just sleep there and get there.

If you can't sleep, you can enjoy the scenery. Sitting high up, you can see far and wide, and the natural scenery is beautiful. Add some melon seeds, snacks, and tea, and it's like a spring outing! Absolutely perfect!!

Xiao Jingfan, who was the first to bring it up but was completely ignored: "..."

He gritted his teeth, and seeing that Chu Liuzheng was really about to get a rope to tie himself to the roof of the car, he couldn't help but speak coldly: "Chu Liuzheng."

Chu Liuzheng was just calculating how long of hemp rope he would need when he heard Xiao Jingfan call out. He immediately walked over and looked up at him, asking, "What are your orders, young master?"

Her almond-shaped eyes were clear as water, and her expression was very innocent.

This woman didn't even notice anything was wrong!
Xiao Jingfan felt chest tightness.

Isn't she usually so good at reading people? Where has all her cleverness gone?

"Follow me." He walked coldly toward where the horses were tied up. Chu Liuzheng followed, completely bewildered, pondering to himself.

[Would the tyrant be so depraved as to make me ride a horse alone?]

Looking at the tall, straight figure in front of her, she thought about it more and more and it seemed possible.

[Ugh~ A tyrant wouldn't be called a tyrant if he weren't so heartless! What should I do? What should I do? Am I going to get trampled to death by my horse because I'm such a bad rider?]

Xiao Jingfan, whose ears were filled with constant nagging: "..."

This woman doesn't think about what she should be thinking, but she thinks a whole bunch of random, inappropriate things. It's really... infuriating!
“Go feed it.” Xiao Jingfan stopped and took out two peanut candies from his purse, handing them to Chu Liuzheng.