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

late at night.

They left the Gao family mansion.

Will the Gao family behave better in the future?

"If they insist on resorting to underhanded schemes, how should we respond?"

Qin Hongxiu finally understood why Mu Yuan had brought Lin Xueshang and his elite troops with him; it was all to make an example of him.

She genuinely felt that Mu Yuan's performance at the Gao family's house was a brilliant move, but she was still somewhat worried.

"The message has been made clear: if the Gao family father and son remain obstinate, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

Mu Yuan's gaze was deep and cold, containing boundless killing intent.

The Mu family is currently in a predicament.

With pressure from the imperial court and Prince Zhu Zheng coveting military power in the Western Army, and the newly appointed governor Ma Chengwu, a cunning and scheming man, ready to seize any opportunity to act.

These are all external attacks, but as long as we take precautions, we can still cope with them.

The most terrifying thing is the Gao family, an internal local force. They once joined the Xifu Army. Although they broke away decades ago, they still have connections in the army, and these connections are very deep and complex.

Who knew that besides Miao Hengping, there were other people in the military who had close ties with the Gao family in private?

Compared to external intrusions, these internal factors are the most difficult to defend against.

Apart from the Gao family.

Are there other local forces harboring ill intentions towards the Mu family?

Today's reprimand of the Gao family is also a warning to other local forces.

Just as Mu Yuan and Qin Hongxiu were talking.

Lin Xueshang led several elite soldiers and quietly withdrew from the Gao family mansion.

"Sixth Sister-in-law, the elites you've trained are truly extraordinary," Mu Yuan praised Lin Xueshang.

"They were handpicked and are quite skilled. I just provided some guidance and taught them some techniques." Lin Xueshang's cold face showed no emotion.

Mu Yuan was used to Lin Xueshang's personality, and turned his gaze to the elite group.

"You did a good job this time."

Among them, the young man in the lead cupped his hands and said, "General, you flatter us. This is our duty. Besides, all of this is thanks to the guidance of the General and Lady Lin."

Looking at the young man before him, who seemed to have a deep understanding of human relationships, Mu Yuan asked:

"What's your name?"

"My subordinate, Jin Kui, was originally a vanguard officer under Commander Yang."

Jin Kui answered truthfully.

Yang Daye is known for his fiery temper and straightforwardness. Most of the soldiers under his command are similar in temperament. However, Jin Kui in front of him is not only completely different in temperament, but he has also risen to the rank of vanguard officer under Yang Daye, which shows that he is quite capable.

You should know that vanguard officers are those who lead from the front in battle.

Not only must one be brave, but also courageous.

"I'll remember you."

After this brief conversation, Mu Yuan had a very good impression of Jin Kui.

"Commander," Jin Kui suddenly said, "You chose us from so many people, and now that this is our first mission with you, shouldn't we give our team a name, so we have a proper title?"

Mu Yuan suddenly realized that he had only wanted to train an elite force, but he had overlooked the issue of naming the force after it was formed.

Under Lin Xueshang's leadership, the group successfully completed the mission.

To a large extent, it already has the prototype of a modern special operations team.

Given time...

It will definitely be even better.

In addition, choosing a name can give members a greater sense of belonging.

Mu Yuan accepted Jin Kui's suggestion and began to seriously consider the issue of naming.

Just then, the moonlight overhead enveloped everyone, illuminating their shadows clearly.

Mu Yuan said, "Then let's call him Shadow."

His original intention in creating the squad was to make it a stealth assassination team that everyone feared.

A shadow, always there, is unfathomable and unpredictable.

Jin Kui and the others kept repeating it, their eyes growing brighter, clearly satisfied with the name 'Shadow'.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer; let's head back quickly."

Diancheng was ultimately Gao family territory, and Mu Yuan, worried that things might change, urged everyone to leave.

Although this incident successfully put the Gao family father and son in a bad light, making them wary, no one can guarantee that the two might not become emboldened by this and do something crazy.

If that's really the case.

In Diancheng, Mu Yuan and his group had no chance of winning.

They had to travel day and night to get back; every moment they stayed there increased the danger.

at the same time.

Inside the Gao family mansion.

The Gao family father and son were still in shock from what had just happened.

Such an impregnable mansion was somehow sneaked in silently by Mu Yuan's men.

Since they could bypass the guards and sneak in, they could naturally assassinate him.

Even Gao Song, who was experienced and had seen many storms, was still terrified and felt a chill run down his spine.

On the other hand, Gao Yan went from being afraid at the beginning to getting angrier the more he thought about it.

"Father, let's make our move! The Mu family is currently in dire straits, while we are strong and well-equipped. If we unite with other local forces to rebel against them, we can then demonstrate our loyalty to the imperial court. From then on, the southwest will belong to the Gao family!"

"Fool!" Gao Song cursed. "How many years has the Mu family held sway in the southwest? Do you think they can be so easily wiped out? Otherwise, why would the court choose to exert pressure instead of sending troops to suppress them?"

The Mu family is located in the southwest, just like a towering tree.

Now, Mu Yuan is the only male member left in the Mu family, but there is another force behind him that cannot be ignored.

That was Old Madam Mu.

The men of the Mu family were not all dead, and with the addition of Old Madam Mu, the Mu family, like a great tree, only lost some branches but was not damaged at its core.

To destroy the Mu family, we must find the root cause and succeed!

"Father, look at the way Mu Yuan was just now. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was his mansion."

"From beginning to end, he didn't take us seriously at all. Moreover, he dared to send people to infiltrate the mansion, which is clearly a threat. When has our Gao family ever suffered such humiliation?"

Gao Yan was indignant.

Thinking about how he had been slapped hard by Mu Yuan, and what had just happened, he couldn't suppress his anger.

Looking at his simple-minded son who only knew how to act on impulse, Gao Song wanted nothing more than to slap him a few times.

"You better behave yourself lately. It's best if you don't have any contact with those generals in the Western Army who have dealings with us."

Gao Song warned sternly.

This move was to prevent Gao Yan from acting rashly and ruining the important matter, thus allowing Mu Yuan to discover the clues.

"Father, are we just going to stand by and do nothing?" Gao Yan's face flushed red, and he stamped his feet anxiously.

He is always vengeful, and he must get revenge for the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Mu Yuan today.

"Who says we can only watch helplessly?"