The soldiers beneath him already looked ashen-faced upon hearing this commotion.

Even Bald Zhang, who had been afflicted by the gu, grabbed a knife and stood at the front, though his hands were shaking.

To Bald Zhang, the Bamboo Formation Army under the King of Chaos seemed like a nightmare. These troops, clad in blue dresses and fond of wearing silver accessories, carried bamboo tubes on their backs and moved through the deep mountains like phantoms.

Previously, Lao Guang's ten thousand soldiers, along with tens of thousands of farmers who could grab weapons and join the battle formation, died at the hands of these Bamboo Array Soldiers.

Their battle formation skills weren't particularly powerful, but the bamboo tubes they carried were extremely sinister.

In combat, once they started knocking on the bamboo tubes, even the fiercest men had to clutch their heads and roll on the ground in pain.

Not only did those who fell at their hands suffer miserably, even those who were saved were covered with strange bugs, resistant to both medicine and treatment.

The sound of the willow whistle was a sign they had spotted the enemy, akin to King Yan calling out names to those under Zhang's command.

"Sir... Sir..."

Although he himself was a venerable Master of the Shousui Sect, with a sturdy knife in hand, Bald Zhang was indeed terrified at this moment, wielding the knife at the front yet feeling utterly cowardly.

He kept turning his head back to look at Wu Song, his face pleading.

"I understand!"

At this time, Monkey Wine, sitting in the ox-cart, lightly nodded.

Then, tilting his ear slightly, he murmured to himself: "Is this the Bamboo Array Soldiers?"

"How many have come?"

"..."

Upon hearing the question, Bald Zhang immediately replied tremulously: "The Bamboo Formation Army hides in the mountains, rarely revealing themselves easily, but I've fought them several times and know they have at least two or three thousand people. Although not numerous, they are so sinister that even ten thousand can't resist them!"

"Not that many..."

From the side, Sweet Potato suddenly raised her head as if having received some report, saying, "Just seven or eight hundred people."

At this moment, Monkey Wine also withdrew his gaze, saying, "Eight hundred and thirty-two people."

Everyone was stunned, uncertain how he could be so sure, but Monkey Wine offered no explanation, slowly retrieving a tobacco pipe from the cart.

While packing tobacco into the pipe, he said, "These Bamboo Array Soldiers can be considered the most dim-witted soldiers cultivated by the Zhu Family."

Listening to this, Bald Zhang shivered: How has my troop been so tormented by this Bamboo Formation Army? Yet, you claim they are dim-witted?

Three of the eight disciples under me died because of their strange bamboo tubes...

Monkey Wine continued, "Among the Witches, those who know how to use gu can easily find eight hundred people, but having them all refine the same kind of gu, and commanding them like an army is impossible."

"This is determined by the nature of the gu insect and the person refining the gu, so these Eight Hundred Bamboo Array Army members were originally soldiers whose gu were refined by others."

"Using someone else's gu, yet guarding against it turning against them requires a unified method for the gu to recognize them."

"Once that method is seen through, they will reap what they sow."

"..."

Though Bald Zhang was afflicted by gu, the gu was sophisticated, so aside from following Monkey Wine's words, his cognitive abilities remained intact.

Hearing this, he rejoiced: If the method of preventing the gu from turning against the Bamboo Formation Army is understood, couldn't this be applied to his own troops, effectively breaking the enemy's gu? Of course, this method is surely a secret among the Bamboo Formation Army, hard to uncover.

Others listened to Monkey Wine's explanation while pondering, yet after these words, he struck a flint to light the tobacco, smoking slowly, waiting without further elaboration, feeling curious again.

Someone gathered courage: "Sir... Sir, since you suspected the Bamboo Formation Army's skill, do... you have a way to defeat them?"

Monkey Wine slowly smoked the tobacco until someone asked, then lightly knocked the ash from the tobacco pipe, saying: "Already finished off."

"What?"

Everyone was shocked, hearing it as if it were an incredible tale.

But soon someone mustered courage and rushed into the forest, seeing corpse after corpse lying behind the grass, clearly dressed as Bamboo Formation Army soldiers.

At this moment, one by one, their faces were black, mouths foaming, with bizarre gu insects crawling in and out of their Seven Apertures, long dead beyond hope.

Moreover, not only had those nearby died.

As the smoke rose from that pipe, wafting into the forest, it seemed to merge with the mist, indistinguishable.

Bald Zhang and his troops hadn't the slightest awareness, yet deep within the forest, chaos broke out as those Bamboo Formation Army troops ordered to approach Zhang's group.

Someone had already brought the bamboo tube held behind, while others were blowing the willow whistle to convey messages.

Yet as the smoke drifted apart, their faces instantly changed, the bamboo tubes behind them stirred by agitated gu insects, crawling chaotically within, disobedient.

Furthermore, from all directions in the forest came rustling sounds, with numerous bugs emerging from trees, ground, fallen leaves, and wild grasses.

The Bamboo Formation Army troops wanted to shout but couldn't make a sound, their bodies covered with gu insects.

They tried to flee but saw themselves increasingly surrounded by snakes and bugs.