"stop!"
Li Mou's expression suddenly changed from laughter to anger.
Muli's words put him in a very awkward position.
The surrounding mercenaries looked at him with some skepticism.
It seems that Li Mou's deliberate provocation is indeed detrimental to Commander Frey!
If they can't get the Lightning Stone, then Captain Frey's chance for promotion will be put on hold.
The mercenaries who had initially joined Li Mou in cheering were now all mute, not uttering a single word, for fear of being dragged into the power struggle among the higher-ups.
"I told you to stop right there!"
Seeing that Mu Li's steps did not stop, Li Mu's temper flared up and he rushed forward.
Mu Li stopped in his tracks, and his fighting spirit erupted instantly.
A green branch fell from Muli's sleeve, which he caught with his other hand.
The withered yellow fighting energy surged continuously towards the tree branch, forming a sharp, needle-like ray.
Thump!
The tree branch, carrying a large amount of battle energy, tore through the sky and arrived in front of Li Mou in the blink of an eye.
The precious sword was drawn, a flash of dark, cold light passing by. Li Mou swung the long sword, attempting to cleave the tree branches.
Unfortunately, he couldn't withstand a mid-level Xuan-rank attack skill with his mere eight-star Dou Zhe cultivation.
boom!
Li Mou retreated at lightning speed, crashing to the ground and raising a cloud of dust.
"Deputy Commander!"
The man in the bloody battle let out a shrill cry and raised his long sword, aiming it at Mu Li.
The wolf-headed men all looked at each other with disdain and murderous intent, ready to slaughter everyone at Mu Li's command.
Hidden at the back of the crowd, Hermon narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling somewhat relieved that he hadn't clashed with Muli earlier.
Otherwise, I'm afraid I'd have to kneel too.
Such fighting skills are at least at the low-level of the Xuan rank. Where did Mu Li learn them?
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Mu Li stepped forward step by step, his hand resting on his long sword, his posture elegant and composed.
Whoosh!
With a flash of light, a hand wielding a long sword cleanly brought it down.
"Ah~ Ah!"
The mercenary standing at the front stared in horror at his severed hand, blood flowing uncontrollably from it.
"Listen to me, put the knife away. I don't like being pointed at."
Muli spoke gently, then walked step by step to Li Mu's side.
The man lying on the ground was motionless. His arm, which was holding the knife, was twisted by the immense force, and half of his body was covered with jagged wooden splinters.
Dead beyond dead.
"Deputy Commander Li, I really didn't mean to offend you, but what can I do? You're just so adorably naive."
Muli said something with pity, then chopped off his head with a single stroke.
"Brothers, leave none alive."
Mu Li stood up, leaning on his long sword, and slowly gave the order.
...
Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
Mu She, who should have been in seclusion, was sitting at the gate, leisurely drinking hot tea.
Surrounding him were more than a dozen veteran Wolf Head mercenaries, all of whom were mid-level fighters, with the highest reaching the seventh star of the fighter class.
Frey, the leader of the Bloodbath Mercenary Group, arrived at the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's encampment with a large force of dozens of mercenaries.
Just as he was about to order his men to charge into the camp, he saw Mu She calmly drinking tea at the gate.
Frey's excited expression froze instantly, then visibly turned ugly.
"Commander Fu, it's been a long time. I've missed you dearly."
Mu She closed his teacup, slowly rose, and walked forward step by step.
"Would you like to come in and have a seat?"
Frey forced a stiff smile onto his face.
"Commander Mu, you're indeed shrewd and experienced."
"Same to you."
"Hmph, let's go!"
With Mu She, a three-star Battle Master, around, it would be impossible for Frey to easily defeat the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
You might even get injured.
Since Mushe didn't fall for the trap, let's just wait patiently for the next opportunity.
...
"Young Commander, it's all cleaned up."
"Um."
Muli looked up and glanced around before walking toward Hermon.
"Thank you for your hard work, Commander He."
Hermon wiped the blood off his boxing gloves and gave a forced, insincere laugh.
"It's just some odd jobs, nothing hard."
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Commander He to lead the way. I'm heading to the Blood Battle Camp."
Hermon's feigned smile vanished instantly, and he said in a deep voice, "Is the young commander joking with me?"
You just killed someone's henchmen, and now you're charging straight into their headquarters?
Is it really necessary to be in such a hurry to walk into a trap?
"Commander He, please be patient and let me explain."
Muli picked up the box that the Blood War Mercenary Group used for trading, and with one slash, he broke the lock and opened the box.
There were no bellflowers inside.
Hermon's chubby face froze for a moment.
"Are the people involved in this bloody battle planning to double-cross each other?"
Muli chuckled and opened his box again.
There was only one ordinary stone inside, clearly not a lightning bolt stone.
"You? What exactly happened?"
Hermon wasn't stupid; he realized there was more to the story.
Muli sighed.
"Father probably guessed that the Blood War Mercenary Group was planning to play tricks, so he stayed at the camp and sent me to scout things out."
"What... what if the people in the Bloodbath didn't use any tricks?"
"If you're not playing any tricks, let me retreat and try to avoid conflict. I don't have any Thunderstones, how can we trade?"
"Then... what happened just now?"
Hermon was completely stunned.
The commander told you not to cause conflict, but you killed them all?
"I had no other choice."
Muli waved his hand.
"There's no time to explain now. Lead the way, or we'll miss our chance once Frey and the others return."
"Are you... sure Frey and the others aren't at the camp?"
"Sure!"
Before Hermon could say anything, Muli kicked him directly.
"Stop talking so much! If you don't leave, I'll beat you up!"
Hermon rubbed his buttocks resentfully, recalling Mu Li's ruthless methods earlier, and dared not utter a word, leading his men toward the Blood Battle Camp.
Muli and his confidants followed closely behind Hermon and his men.
...
"Sister Ling'er, when will my father be back?"
A boy hugged a girl's leg and asked innocently.
"It won't be long. The commander and his men took so many people with them, they'll be back soon."
A girl named Ling'er held the child's hand and comforted him.
The boy seemed to miss his family; his face was gloomy, and he pouted, looking unhappy.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the camp.
Ling'er's face lit up with joy. She looked up at the door and saw a red-haired young man striding in.
Mu Li glanced at Ling'er and the boy beside her, said nothing, and walked into the house.
Standing before a wall, Mu Li pursed his lips, a hint of greed in his eyes.
Several trusted men quickly followed him in, and Mu Li ordered them to search the room for hidden mechanisms.
"ah!"
A girl's terrified scream came from outside. Mu Li frowned, turned around, and walked out.
Hemon stared at Ling'er with a lewd grin on his face.
The boy was clinging to the girl's leg, sobbing and calling out "Daddy."
Muli smirked, stepped forward, and patted Hermon on the shoulder, making the fat man tremble.
"Young Commander, you know my hobbies too."
"Shut up~"
Muli said softly, and the warm smile on his face made Hermon shut his mouth instantly and quickly step back.
"Little friend, tell uncle, when did your father leave?"
The child in front of me was only four or five years old, more than ten years younger than me, so calling him uncle wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Muli, what exactly do you want?!"
Ling'er clearly recognized Mu Li and, relying on her usual spoiled and willful nature, shouted loudly.
Hearing the jarring sound, Muli pursed his lips impatiently. "Hemon, she's yours now."
Hermon laughed and called out "Little Beauty" before rushing forward.
"don't want!"
Ling'er was completely stunned, staring at the ball of flesh in front of her, unable to imagine what it would look like if it pounced on her.
"Little friend, don't be afraid, uncle will take you to find your father."
Muli picked up the boy, whose face was covered in tears, and gently comforted him.
"Young Commander, we've found him!"
A trusted confidant reported.
Muli immediately returned to the house and saw a wall slowly opening.
"Hermon! Get in here!"
Hearing Muli's shout, Hemeng, looking displeased, dragged Ling'er into the house.
At this moment, Ling'er looked terrified, her cheeks streaked with tears, and her arrogant and spoiled demeanor from the beginning was completely gone.
"Ling'er, do you want to go home with Commander He and have a baby?"
Mu Li walked up to Ling'er and asked gently.
"No, I don't want to!"
Ling'er shook her head decisively, while He Meng's face darkened and his fists clenched.
"Alright, you go first, and I'll let you go once I get the stuff, okay?"
Muli pointed to the entrance to the secret room and asked.
"I...I..."
Ling'er hesitated.
Suddenly, she felt a chill on her neck.
Mu Li raised his long sword and pressed it against her smooth neck, his beautiful golden eyes filled with cold killing intent.
"Hurry up and tell me."
Muli said calmly.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"