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

"I understand."

Thinking that Prince Zhu Zheng of Ning and Governor Ma Chengwu could visit the Gao family and perhaps even gain their support, Gao Yan couldn't help but feel excited.

A few more days passed.

That day, Mu Yuan was discussing important matters with the various military commanders when a commotion arose outside the barracks.

"My commander-in-chief is discussing important matters with his generals. Please stop here!"

"Two mere gatekeepers dare to block my way? Do they know who I am?"

An extremely arrogant voice rang out.

Then came a series of crisp, loud slaps.

Hearing the commotion outside, Mu Yuan and the officers present all frowned.

I've seen plenty of arrogant people.

However, daring to utter "stinking soldier" in front of the soldiers in the barracks clearly shows a lack of respect for the entire Xifu Army.

It should be noted that the Chinese character for "soldier" can be broken down into "soldier" (丘八).

And the stinking soldier.

It is clearly meant to belittle soldiers.

"What's all this noise outside?" Mu Yuan asked in a deep voice.

The voice just fell.

A guard strode in, a clear handprint visible on his cheek.

"General, someone outside claims to be the governor's steward and is demanding to see you." The guard deliberately lowered his head to avoid being seen by others about the slap mark on his face.

Upon seeing this, Mu Yuan's face immediately darkened. The officers present also changed their expressions.

"Raise your head." Mu Yuan remained calm and did not rush to get angry. Instead, he ordered the guards to raise their heads.

The guard timidly raised his head.

"Damn it, who dares to be so arrogant and attack my Western Army!"

"I'm going to chop him up!"

Upon seeing the handprint on the guard's face, the officers present became agitated, their eyes flashing with ferocity. Some even drew their swords, ready to kill the arrogant scoundrel outside.

"Quiet down, all of you!"

Mu Yuan's cold gaze swept over the crowd: "With your such agitated state, aren't you just becoming the 'stinking soldiers' he talks about?"

Having swayed the enraged officers, Mu Yuan turned to the guards and gave the order:

"Bring the people from outside in."

"Yes."

With Mu Yuan's permission, the guard turned and left.

After a while.

A tall, thin middle-aged man strode in.

Facing the fierce gazes of the officers inside the barracks, the tall, thin man showed no fear; instead, his eyes were filled with contempt.

"My name is Wei Bao, the steward of the governor's mansion. I have come on behalf of my master to deliver this invitation. Please accept it, Commander."

A middle-aged man named Wei Bao pulled a bright red invitation card from his pocket.

"Absolutely? What a boastful tone!"

"A mere steward of the governor dares to run wild in the Western Army? Who gave you the audacity?"

The officers were furious. If Mu Yuan hadn't stopped them, they would have rushed forward and hacked Wei Bao to pieces.

"My governor oversees all affairs in the southwest, including military matters. In principle, he is of the same rank and status as the commander-in-chief of the Western Army. How can my words be considered arrogant?"

Wei Bao glanced around at everyone present, his words full of sarcasm.

Mu Yuan slowly stood up, walked to Wei Bao, took the invitation from his hand, glanced at it, and said:

"Tell Lord Ma that I will personally attend."

Seeing that Mu Yuan was so easy to talk to, Wei Bao's contempt grew even stronger. "Very well, now that the invitation has been delivered, I'll take my leave."

After saying that, he didn't even bother to bow and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Mu Yuan called out to Wei Bao, who was about to leave.

"Is there anything else?" Wei Bao asked, looking puzzled.

"The invitation issue is resolved, but my issue is not yet resolved." Mu Yuan casually threw the invitation on the ground and called in the two guards standing at the door.

Seeing Mu Yuan casually throw the invitation on the ground, Wei Bao immediately had a bad feeling.

"You actually threw the governor's invitation on the ground, Mu Yuan! How utterly arrogant of you!"

Mu Yuan completely ignored Wei Bao and turned to look at the two guards with handprints on their faces:

"Was it him who hit you just now?"

The two guards exchanged a glance and replied in unison:

"That's him!"

Because Wei Bao was the governor's steward, they had no choice but to endure it. Now that Mu Yuan was personally involved in the matter, clearly intending to stand up for them, the two guards instantly felt more confident.

Mu Yuan's demeanor suddenly changed, and he commanded:

"Send it back!"

At this moment, Mu Yuan was completely devoid of his previous gentle demeanor. His entire aura was sharp and fierce, exuding an extremely frightening aura.

"How dare you!!!" Wei Bao roared at the two guards who were about to attack, "I am the governor's steward!!! If you lay a hand on me, the governor will never forgive you!"

Wei Bao attempted to intimidate his opponent by adopting a "beat the dog to see its owner" approach.

However, the two guards didn't care about any of that. As members of the Western Army, they would only obey Mu Yuan, not any governor!

Since it was the commander-in-chief who ordered them to fight back, why would they hesitate because of Wei Bao's mere mention of "the governor's steward"?

The two men attacked from both sides.

He then proceeded to punch and kick Wei Bao.

Soon, Wei Bao was knocked to the ground, letting out painful howls.

Seeing this, none of the officers in the barracks stepped forward to dissuade them, as if they hadn't seen anything at all; they all looked on with amusement.

As the two guards stopped fighting one after the other.

Wei Bao had already been beaten black and blue, with blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He scrambled to his feet, looking disheveled, but his arrogance remained undiminished.

"Mu Yuan, how dare you instigate your men to beat me! I will definitely tell the governor about what happened today."

Wei Bao became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, then turned and pointed at the officers present:

"And you bunch of filthy soldiers! I'll remember what you look like. When I get back, I'll definitely tell the governor what happened today, and he'll report it to the imperial court!!!"

Despite Wei Bao's threats, Mu Yuan and the officers present remained calm and composed.

"It seems Butler Wei still hasn't learned his lesson." Mu Yuan looked at the two guards: "You two, help Butler Wei and teach him a lesson!"

"yes!"

The two guards rubbed their hands together, and started punching and kicking Wei Bao again.

This time it was clearly more ruthless and forceful than the last.

Wei Bao didn't even have time to shout before he was knocked unconscious by two guards.

Seeing Wei Bao knocked unconscious, Mu Yuan's eyes were full of disdain. He waved his hand at the two guards and gave them an order:

"Throw him out!"

The two guards worked together to lift the unconscious Wei Bao and, like carrying a dead pig, threw him out of the barracks.

Outside the barracks.

It is unknown how much time passed before Wei Bao finally regained consciousness.

The moment he woke up, he felt as if his whole body was falling apart. Recalling what had just happened, he wanted to go in and confront Mu Yuan.

Fearing further beatings, he could only suppress his resentment and slink away.