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

They finalized the date for going to Black Cloud Village with Wang Mazi.

Mu Yuan watched him leave.

Wang Mazi had just reached the door when he suddenly remembered something, stopped, turned back to look at Mu Yuan, and asked:

"By the way, I haven't seen Old Zhang or any of the inn's staff since I came in."

The "Old Zhang" that Wang Mazi mentioned refers to the owner of Yunlai Inn.

He asked casually.

But this made everyone present feel uneasy.

If Wang Mazi notices something is wrong, all our efforts these past few days will have been in vain.

The atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point.

At this moment, Wang Mazi noticed that Mu Yuan and the people around him looked a little off, and he immediately became alert.

Just then.

"Old Wang, you were looking for me?"

Mr. Zhang walked into the main hall from the backyard with a smile.

Mu Yuan and Lin Xueshang's expressions changed slightly.

Zhang Dongjia and his accomplices were clearly tied up and locked in the backyard, so how did they suddenly appear?

If he were to inform Wang Mazi and ask for help at this time, it would not only disrupt the plans and deployments, but it would also make it even more impossible to find the Black Cloud Village's lair in the future.

Lin Xueshang's gaze darkened, her eyes filled with growing killing intent, and she held several silver needles in her hand.

If things go wrong, she will immediately unleash her flying needles to kill Zhang Dongjia, then capture Wang Mazi alive, and interrogate him to force him to reveal the exact location of Black Cloud Village.

Of course, this is a last resort, and she wouldn't do it unless it's an extremely urgent situation.

Just when everyone thought the plan was going to fail.

When we are ready for battle.

Mr. Zhang said with a smile:

"This inn has been bought by this guest. The staff and I have all moved to the back. If I hadn't heard the noise in the front hall, I wouldn't have bothered to come out."

Upon hearing Zhang Dongjia's words, Wang Mazi's doubts were dispelled, and he chatted with him for a few moments before leaving.

After Wang Mazi left, Mu Yuan instructed the members of the Shadow Squad to go outside and keep watch.

To prevent Wang Mazi from turning back.

"How did you get out of here?"

Mu Yuan stared coldly at Zhang Dongjia.

Zhang Dongjia trembled with fear at Mu Yuan's gaze, and just as he was about to explain to Mu Yuan...

"I was the one who let him out."

Qin Hongxiu walked in.

It turned out that Qin Hongxiu had been eavesdropping on Mu Yuan and Wang Mazi's conversation at the stairwell early in the morning.

Upon hearing Wang Mazi mention Zhang Dongjia, she immediately ran quietly to the backyard, released Zhang Dongjia, and then threatened him to cooperate.

Having witnessed Mu Yuan's methods, how could Zhang Dongjia dare to disagree?

That's when what just happened occurred.

Know the ins and outs.

Mu Yuan couldn't help but look at Qin Hongxiu with new respect.

Taking advantage of his newfound merit, Zhang Dongjia quickly pressed his advantage, pleading with Mu Yuan, "Great hero, I've done a good job this time, haven't I? Could you spare my life?"

"Let's talk about it after we've finished taking care of things."

Mu Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed, but gave Zhang Dongjia an ambiguous answer.

He then instructed the Shadow Squad members to tie up Zhang Dongjia again and imprison him in the backyard.

"Jinkui!"

Mu Yuan looked at Jin Kui, who had come with him.

Jin Kui clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression solemn: "What are your orders, Commander? I will obey even unto death!"

"Hold on a fast horse and head back immediately. Have Yang Daye mobilize his troops and make sure they reach Diancheng within three days. Remember, be discreet on the way and do not alert the enemy!"

Mu Yuan assigned the task of troop deployment to Jin Kui.

To ensure Yang Daye could complete his mission smoothly, Mu Yuan also handed the Xuan Tie Token to Jin Kui. This way, Yang Daye wouldn't become suspicious upon seeing the Xuan Tie Token, thus preventing any delays.

After all, Diancheng was far from the Xifu Army's garrison, and it would take a whole day just to make the trip.

With so many people coming, they had to avoid being noticed and alerting the enemy along the way, which made the task extremely difficult.

Jin Kui carefully placed the black iron token in his hands and put it into his robes, then said solemnly:

"Your subordinate will certainly live up to the Commander's expectations!"

After saying this, Jin Kui didn't even go upstairs to pack his luggage. Instead, he went straight to the stable, mounted a fast horse, and rushed back to the Xifu Army's garrison to call for reinforcements.

Mu Yuan looked at the people who had come with him with a solemn expression.

Besides Qin Hongxiu and Lin Xueshang, there are only six members left in the Shadow Squad.

He had been here for several days, but he had very little information about Black Cloud Village.

Moreover, Black Cloud Village has remained shrouded in mystery over the years.

In previous years, the sixth son of the Mu family led the Western Army to suppress bandits, wiping out most of the mountain bandits near Diancheng. However, Black Cloud Village remained intact, and their hideout could not even be found.

Secondly, Lin Xueshang's family were in the escort business, and all her relatives were highly skilled. However, when they encountered the bandits of Black Cloud Village, they were all killed, leaving only Lin Xueshang as the sole survivor.

It is evident that the bandits of Black Cloud Village were quite formidable in combat.

In addition, Mu Yuan also learned from Wang Mazi that Black Cloud Village had strict village rules.

This is a group of mountain bandits who are shrouded in mystery, possess formidable fighting power, and were so elusive that even the Western Army had failed to find them in previous years.

If Yang Daye cannot arrive within three days, they have absolutely no chance of winning with just these people.

Thinking of this, Mu Yuan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

In the blink of an eye.

Three days have passed.

Mu Yuan got up before dawn.

He stood by the window, looking down at the empty street, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

Today is the agreed-upon day.

However, reinforcements were slow to arrive.

At this time.

There was a knock on the door.

Mu Yuan seemed to guess who was knocking on the door, and said in a calm tone, "Come in."

The voice just fell.

The door slowly opened.

Lin Xueshang walked in.

"Getting up so early, are you waiting for reinforcements?" Lin Xueshang walked to Mu Yuan's side and asked softly.

Mu Yuan didn't speak, he just nodded.

Lin Xueshang sighed, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, and said, "If reinforcements don't arrive, will you... still go to Black Cloud Stronghold?"

"Of course," Mu Yuan replied without hesitation.

Hearing this, Lin Xueshang's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice choked with emotion: "Without reinforcements, even if we reach Black Cloud Stronghold, we have no chance of winning; we'll never return!"

"You only get one chance." Mu Yuan turned to look at Lin Xueshang, his gaze unwavering.

If the operation is canceled because reinforcements haven't arrived, Wang Mazi will definitely become suspicious, making it difficult to go to Black Cloud Village again.

Lin Xueshang, who was always aloof, immediately teared up when she heard Mu Yuan's words and saw his determined eyes.

"You don't need to be so nice to me."

"We're family, it's only right that I treat you well!" Mu Yuan smiled faintly. "Regardless of whether reinforcements arrive or not, I'm going to Black Cloud Stronghold today. I'll find an opportunity to avenge you!"

As soon as Mu Yuan finished speaking, Lin Xueshang threw herself into his arms.

Lin Xueshang's sudden and bold move caught Mu Yuan off guard. He looked astonished and stood there like a wooden statue.