His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

One night passed.

The next day.

Mu Yuan and his group were taken to the ancestral hall again.

On the way to the ancestral hall, Mu Yuan finally glimpsed the true face of Black Cloud Village.

A large number of crops were planted nearby, and many men and women dressed as farmers were working in the fields.

Scattered around were village houses, some with chimneys from which wisps of smoke rose, making it a typical village full of life and warmth.

No wonder the Western Army couldn't find Black Cloud Village when they were suppressing bandits.

No one could have predicted it.

Black Cloud Village is disguised so perfectly that it is actually a village full of life.

We arrived at the ancestral hall.

Li Tai had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Mu Yuan, he went straight to the point and asked:

"What's your decision?"

"Thank you for the fine wine and food served by the head steward. We are willing to join Black Cloud Stronghold and follow the head steward." Mu Yuan changed his attitude of refusing last night and readily agreed to join Black Cloud Stronghold.

Li Tai's gaze suddenly fell on Qin Hongxiu, and he said, "Now that you've joined Black Cloud Stronghold, shouldn't you offer this stunning beauty beside you to me as a sign of your loyalty?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Hongxiu's heart skipped a beat.

However, at this moment, Mu Yuan made an extremely bold move.

He forcefully pulled Qin Hongxiu into his arms, staring directly at Li Tai: "Before, it was a business transaction. Now that you've joined Black Cloud Stronghold, the transaction is over. Such a stunning beauty is naturally mine to enjoy."

"How dare you! You just joined Black Cloud Stronghold and you don't even respect the big boss!" Ever since he lost to Lin Xueshang last night, Zhou Bao had been hostile towards Mu Yuan and his group. Now that he saw Mu Yuan not taking Li Tai seriously, he immediately rebuked him.

Before Mu Yuan could respond, Li Tai smiled and waved his hand:

"A person with courage must have ambition in addition to arrogance, so I will not take away what you love."

"Big Brother!!!" Zhou Bao couldn't understand why Mu Yuan was so presumptuous, while his older brother Li Tai was taking such good care of him.

Li Tai glared at Zhou Bao, then turned to Mu Yuan and said with a smile, "I received word the other day that a caravan carrying goods will be passing through this area tomorrow. You've just joined Black Cloud Stronghold, it's time to earn some merit and show this leader your strength!"

Mu Yuan's eyes darted around, and he nodded, saying:

"Of course, if we don't contribute, wouldn't we just be freeloaders?"

"Second brother, tomorrow you take some men and go out with Mu Yun." Li Tai said to Zhou Bao in an almost authoritative tone.

Even though Zhou Bao was extremely unwilling, he dared not disobey his elder brother's order and had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree.

Another day has passed in the blink of an eye.

The next day.

Mu Yuan and his group reunited with Zhou Bao.

Zhou Bao brought dozens of Black Cloud Village henchmen with him this time.

Such a large procession made Mu Yuan wonder if the passing caravan was carrying valuable goods.

Lin Xueshang, who was standing beside Mu Yuan, asked in a low voice, "Are we really going to rob them with them? What if they massacre the caravan after looting the goods?"

Lin Xueshang may seem aloof, but that doesn't mean she's a ruthless killer.

After all, if they pretended to join Black Cloud Stronghold, they would inevitably have to participate in the raids. But with so many people being mobilized this time, what if Zhou Bao massacred the caravan after the raids? This would completely contradict the plan.

"Let's take it one step at a time." Mu Yuan didn't have any good ideas yet. If Zhou Bao really wanted to kill people after the robbery, he would try to stop him.

Amidst whispered conversations, everyone mounted their horses and left Black Cloud Stronghold, heading towards the location of their raid to lay in ambush.

One hour later.

Amidst towering mountains and lofty peaks.

Mu Yuan and the others hid behind the bushes, using the gaps in the trees to stare straight ahead at a mountain path.

I don't know how much time passed.

The sound of horses neighing could be heard.

Following the sound, a dozen or so carriages were slowly approaching Mu Yuan.

The carriage was loaded with goods.

But when Mu Yuan saw the caravan members escorting the goods, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The caravan members escorting the goods were all dressed in armor, with long swords hanging at their waists, and there were dozens of them.

"They're government troops!!!"

Lin Xueshang's eyes widened.

Mu Yuan also realized that the situation was not good.

They were supposed to rob merchant caravans, but now they've turned into robbing the soldiers escorting the goods!

At this moment, a hunched-over henchman scurried up to Mu Yuan and said to him in a commanding tone:

"The second-in-command said that once the government troops approach, you few are responsible for stopping them. If the troops dare to resist, you must kill them all!"

After saying this, the henchman returned to Zhou Bao's side the way he came.

Mu Yuan looked up at Zhou Bao, who was lying in ambush not far away. The latter had a sinister smile on his face, with an indescribable eeriness in his smile.

"Are we really going to kill the government soldiers?" Lin Xueshang frowned.

Mu Yuan didn't speak, but looked at the approaching troops and carefully observed their appearances.

There's still room for negotiation when robbing caravans. After all, merchants are shrewd; if the goods are gone, they're gone. As long as they're alive, they're not afraid of not making money.

The officers and soldiers are different.

The goods being transported were all extremely important; losing them was a capital offense, punishable by death.

Not to mention the possibility of being robbed by bandits on the road.

Therefore, under such circumstances, when faced with looting, the officers and soldiers would resist with all their might.

In this way...

Mu Yuan and his companions had no choice but to fight the soldiers.

It's tantamount to killing each other!

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Mu Yuan let out a soft exclamation.

Just as Lin Xueshang was about to ask what was wrong, the soldiers were already approaching.

Mu Yuan was the first to rush out.

Lin Xueshang and two members of the Shadow Squad followed Mu Yuan's footsteps and rushed out of the jungle one after another.

The soldiers stopped when they saw Mu Yuan and his group rush out and block their path. One of the middle-aged men leading the group shouted angrily:

"Who goes there, daring to block my border troops! Are you looking for death?!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan drew his long sword, pointed it at the middle-aged man, and threatened, "If you know what's good for you, leave the goods behind and leave on your own. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The middle-aged man burst into laughter:

"Just the few of you?"

Mu Yuan casually pointed to the jungle on both sides of the mountain road and said, "I have men on both sides!"

The words fell.

The henchmen of Black Cloud Village all appeared in the jungle on both sides of the mountain road.

"You bandits are really audacious, daring to rob the border troops' goods. Aren't you afraid that the border troops will come to suppress and wipe you out afterward?" the middle-aged man shouted angrily.

"Stop talking nonsense. Either get out of here, or you'll all die here!" Mu Yuan said menacingly.

Lin Xueshang looked at Mu Yuan in astonishment.

She had only pretended to join Black Cloud Stronghold to investigate the truth behind the massacre of her family, but now Mu Yuan was actually planning to take action against the government troops.