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

A fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

The bandits were numerous and powerful. Although they were deserters, they were veterans who had fought on the battlefield for many years.

Their combat strength and troop deployment are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Although Lin Xueshang's family had been escorting goods for many years and each member was skilled in martial arts, they were no match for a well-trained band of mountain bandits.

In the end, not only were all the goods being transported stolen, but the family members were also brutally slaughtered by the bandits.

Fortunately, Lin Xueshang jumped off the cliff and fell into the lake, barely managing to save her life.

"At that time, your sixth brother was suppressing bandits in the vicinity when he encountered Xueshang, who was seriously injured. He brought her back, and the two later got married. Unfortunately, your sixth brother was busy with military affairs, and even after getting married, he was never able to consummate the marriage with Xueshang."

At this point, Old Madam Mu's eyes were filled with regret.

"I never imagined she had such a tragic past. No wonder she's always been so cold and quiet."

Mu Yuan's feelings were extremely complicated at this moment.

He felt sorry for Lin Xueshang's fate, that her family had been killed by bandits.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little smug, because from Old Madam Mu's account, Mu Yuan learned that Lin Xueshang was still a virgin.

After all, it will be a hundred days later.

He will marry the seven widowed sisters-in-law of the Mu family.

No one wants to eat someone else's leftovers, and Mu Yuan was no exception. Lin Xueshang was a virgin, which surprised him and made him secretly pleased.

"Grandma, why did Sixth Sister-in-law leave?" Mu Yuan asked.

"Although your sixth brother carried out bandit suppression missions during his lifetime and eliminated many bandits, none of them were the bandits who killed Xueshang's family."

"Over the years, Xue Chang has always held a grudge and has been secretly investigating the whereabouts of the bandits who killed her family."

At this point, Old Madam Mu made a bold guess:

"Now that Xue Chang has left, I think she must have found out where those bandits are and plans to go alone to avenge her family!"

Mu Yuan nodded in agreement with Old Madam Mu's guess, and said:

"Grandma, Sixth Sister-in-law is still a member of the Mu family. I want to find her and avenge her!"

From learning from Mu Yuan that Lin Xueshang left a letter and departed alone, and then taking the initiative to learn about Lin Xueshang's past, Old Madam Mu had already guessed Mu Yuan's intentions.

She readily agreed:

"Go ahead, I'll look after things here!"

With Old Madam Mu's approval, Mu Yuan had no more worries.

That very day, he set off with Qin Hongxiu and the Shadow Squad on a journey to the border to find Lin Xueshang.

Southwestern border.

This is the border between the Great Qian Empire and Myanmar.

Because of its long border, rugged terrain, and complex landscape, Myanmar has a large number of deserters and wanted criminals who have infiltrated the country to commit crimes.

They became mountain bandits, frequently raiding nearby villages and plundering livestock and property.

Fortunately, the Mu family mobilized the army a few years ago, which suppressed the bandits so much that they dared not show their faces easily.

even so.

Bandit raids still occur here from time to time.

Moreover, having experienced suppression, the bandits have become extremely cunning. Every time they come out of the mountains to rob, they come and go like lightning, their whereabouts mysterious. Few people know the bandits' tracks, let alone their exact strongholds.

After a day of travel.

Mu Yuan and his group finally arrived at their destination—Diancheng!

The city was desolate, with many buildings in disrepair. If it weren't for the few pedestrians walking on the streets, Mu Yuan would have thought he had come to a dead and abandoned city.

It was already dusk.

Mu Yuan said to the group of people accompanying him, "It's getting late. Let's find an inn to stay for the night and inquire about Xue Chang's whereabouts tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

After wandering around the city for half a day, we finally found an inn before it got completely dark.

Festive lanterns hung outside the inn, and the surrounding area was spotless.

The most bizarre one.

Nothing beats the name of the inn.

"Yunlai Inn?" Mu Yuan looked up at the signboard above the inn's entrance, a strange glint in his eyes.

Qin Hongxiu noticed that Mu Yuan was staring intently at the inn's signboard and asked curiously:

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this inn?"

Mu Yuan's gaze did not leave the inn's signboard; he responded softly to Qin Hongxiu:

"After we entered the city, there were only a few pedestrians on the streets, and the buildings in the city were all dilapidated, which means that the people here had already moved away. On the contrary, this inn has a name that means that guests will come in droves, and it is decorated so festively. It's too strange."

Upon hearing this, Qin Hongxiu also looked up at the inn's signboard, but after looking at it for a long time, she still couldn't figure out what was going on.

"Business people naturally hope for a constant stream of customers. The festive decor shows that the innkeeper wants to attract more guests, which makes sense, right?"

Mu Yuan withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Qin Hongxiu:

"Given the dilapidated and desolate state of the city, do you think outsiders would come here on ordinary days?"

After Mu Yuan's reminder, Qin Hongxiu immediately realized that something was wrong. However, it was already getting dark, and she had been wandering around the city for a long time before finally finding this inn.

If we go to look elsewhere, it will be a waste of time, and if there is no other inn, we will have to go back.

Mu Yuan was also weighing the pros and cons. After careful consideration, he looked at everyone and said, "Let's stay here for the night. Everyone, be careful!"

After saying this, Mu Yuan subconsciously felt a pair of eyes staring at him.

I subconsciously looked up.

From the second-floor window of the inn, a middle-aged man stood looking down at Mu Yuan and his group with a gloomy expression.

Their eyes met.

The middle-aged man's expression changed.

The gloom on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a kind and honest smile.

At this moment, a young man dressed as a waiter walked out of the inn, with a long towel draped over his shoulder.

"Gentlemen, please come inside."

The young man was very enthusiastic and invited Mu Yuan into the inn.

Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes. They had been standing there for so long without seeing anyone come out, but just as they realized something was wrong with the inn, this person came out just in time.

This is just too much of a coincidence.

Let's look at the second floor.

The middle-aged man from earlier had vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Mu Yuan was certain that the inn in front of him was no ordinary inn; there was definitely something fishy going on inside.

However, it was already getting dark.

We haven't found a better place to rest yet.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Yuan asked the waiter to lead the way into the inn.

Seeing that Mu Yuan had gone inside, the others also set off and went in one after another.

We arrived at the inn.

The middle-aged man who had just made eye contact with Mu Yuan hurriedly came downstairs, still wearing his honest and simple smile.

"Gentlemen, I am the owner of this inn. My surname is Zhang."

His demeanor and actions conveyed an extremely sincere feeling, coupled with his honest smile, making people...