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

The training continued until noon, just like yesterday.

Everyone was so tired they wanted to collapse, but no one complained.

After all, the weakest commander was still standing at the front of the team, his face pale and his body swaying, but he did not fall.

Lunch was still sorghum porridge and spoiled steamed buns.

Mu Yuan picked up his bowl, found a secluded spot, and sat down to eat.

At this moment, Qin Hongxiu walked over, sat down next to him, and silently handed him a paper package.

Mu Yuan opened it; inside was dried meat.

"Eat quickly." Qin Hongxiu turned her head away, her voice a little unnatural: "My second sister-in-law asked me to bring this to you."

Mu Yuan glanced at her, then immediately picked up a piece and took a bite.

This jerky is quite hard, but it smells delicious and is much better than steamed buns or porridge.

Qin Hongxiu watched him eat, her lips moved, but she finally spoke: "You're risking your life, what is it all for?"

Mu Yuan swallowed the dried meat and casually said, "Survive."

"Survive?" Qin Hongxiu frowned. "If you continue like this, you won't survive."

"It's just a choice. Is it certain death soon, or a glimmer of hope?" Mu Yuan turned and stared into her eyes: "Sister-in-law, how long do you think the Mu family can hold on?"

Qin Hongxiu was speechless.

She knew better than anyone else the Mu family's predicament: their father and brothers had died, the imperial court harbored ill intentions, and powerful enemies were pressing in from the outside.

The Mu family, however, only had a little over a hundred days to fight back.

"I understand you don't think highly of me," Mu Yuan said to himself, "that you think I'm just good at playing tricks. But sister-in-law, war isn't won by wishful thinking. The army must first see that I won't just hide in the back, but stand with them, sharing their joys and sorrows. Only then will the soldiers truly obey my commands."

Qin Hongxiu's expression became complicated; her brother-in-law was indeed right.

However, I still think that risking one's life like this is too risky.

"Have you ever thought that you might really die?" Qin Hongxiu asked.

Mu Yuan's lips curled into a slight smile: "Who isn't afraid of death? But compared to living a humiliating, undignified life, I'm more afraid of dying a death as insignificant as a feather."

After saying that, he got up, dusted himself off, and strode toward the training ground.

Qin Hongxiu sat there, staring blankly at his retreating figure, a strange emotion suddenly welling up in her heart.

My brother-in-law has really changed completely.

In the afternoon, the drills showed no sign of showing any mercy.

Everyone had to carry sandbags and run ten laps with the weight on their backs.

Mu Yuan was no exception.

The sandbag weighed about thirty pounds, and just placing it on his thin shoulders almost made him fall over.

But he gritted his teeth and persevered, running just like everyone else.

Running the first lap around the training ground was alright; I managed to keep up.

But he fell behind at the start of the second lap, and soon found himself at the back.

Yang Daye followed behind him the whole time, and seeing the general's disheveled appearance, he was both anxious and heartbroken.

"General, let's take a break first," Yang Daye stepped forward and couldn't help but say.

Mu Yuan ignored him and gritted his teeth to keep running.

His legs felt like they were made of lead; every step he took felt like pushing a mountain.

My throat felt like it was on fire, and the burning sensation seemed to extend all the way to my lungs.

But we can't stop no matter what.

Once you stop, all your previous efforts will be wasted.

Even if you have to climb, you must climb to the end.

……

After everyone else had finished running, Mu Yuan ran the last lap, still seething with anger.

Everyone was looking at him, but no one laughed; their eyes held only deep respect.

Mu Yuan moved almost step by step. He had no strength left, his vision was blurred, and all he could hear was heavy breathing.

But he did not give up.

When he finally reached the finish line, everyone erupted in thunderous cheers.

"The commander is valiant!"

"The commander is valiant!"

Yang Daye quickly stepped forward and helped Mu Yuan, who was about to fall.

"General, please take a rest." Yang Daye's voice was slurred.

Mu Yuan waved his hand, panting heavily, and said, "The training isn't over yet, let's continue."

Wang Lie also walked over, his eyes filled with respect: "General, the training ends here for today. You've done more than enough."

Mu Yuan then fell silent.

That night, Mu Yuan returned to his command tent and collapsed onto the bed.

My muscles were twitching all over my body, and my bones felt like they were falling apart. Even the slightest movement caused me pain.

That feeling, if things continued like that, would really kill me.

However, the real suffering is yet to come.

When the time came, Su Wanqing, Qin Hongxiu, and Fang Yuyan appeared on time.

"It's about to begin." Su Wanqing seemed to be hinting to him that he could give up.

Mu Yuan nodded.

Su Wanqing said no more and began preparing the medicine.

The cleaned wooden tub was already prepared, and soon the black liquid inside began to churn again, filling the air with a pungent, unpleasant odor.

Mu Yuan took off his clothes and, with the help of Qin Hongxiu and Fang Yuyan, came to the tub. He then took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"boom……!"

The excruciating pain resurfaced once again.

Mu Yuan was completely hunched over, his face flushed, like a boiled shrimp.

Qin Hongxiu stuffed the wooden stick into his mouth and pressed her delicate hands on his shoulders.

"Hold on!" she shouted.

It sounded like she was speaking to Mu Yuan, but it also sounded like she was speaking to herself.

Mu Yuan bit down hard on the wooden stick, making a squeaking sound. The wood cracked rapidly.

Su Wanqing stood calmly, even coldly, to the side, carefully observing his reaction, occasionally adding some medicinal herbs to the bucket.

Just like yesterday, Fang Yuyan's pretty face turned deathly pale as she watched.

Who else in this world would willingly step into hell twice?

Time passed by unhurriedly.

When Mu Yuan's body convulsed in the water like a dead fish turned belly up, and black blood beads began to seep from the pores of his red skin, his consciousness blurred again.

At this point, once they fall into a coma, they will never wake up.

After a long time, the color of the liquid in the bucket gradually faded.

Su Wanqing finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to Qin Hongxiu and the other woman, "Alright, help him out."

Qin Hongxiu and Fang Yuyan quickly stepped forward and carefully helped Mu Yuan out.

When Mu Yuan collapsed onto the bed, soaking wet, Su Wanqing used her silver needle technique to insert the needles and then fed him some medicine.

"That's enough for today," Su Wanqing said. "We'll continue tomorrow."

Qin Hongxiu and Fang Yuyan rushed forward, one wiping the sweat from his forehead and the other covering him with a blanket.

Mu Yuan seemed completely unaware, only focusing on panting heavily.

All he knew was that, despite the immense pain, he had survived a day.

He passed two levels in two days, but forty-seven more awaited him.

Qin Hongxiu sat on the edge of the bed as if possessed, staring at his pale face, and finally couldn't help but speak.

"You're really not afraid of death."

Mu Yuan forced his eyes open, a weak smile appearing on his lips: "You know?"

Qin Hongxiu remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently.