Chapter 40: The Furious Mu She
"What did you say? Gan Mu is dead?!"
In the main hall of the Wolfhead Mercenary Group's headquarters in Qingshan Town, Mu She looked at the few men kneeling before him, their hands missing, and slammed his hand on the wooden table beside him, shattering it in fury. He roared, "What did you say?!"
The men trembled as they cried, "We were about to capture Xiao Yixian, but suddenly, a young kid appeared out of nowhere! He not only gravely injured us but also grabbed the second commander by the throat and killed him instantly!"
The higher-ups of the Wolfhead Mercenary Group, standing around, frowned upon hearing this. However, seeing Mu She's rage, they remained silent, not daring to provoke him at this moment.
Mu Li, who was standing nearby, spoke up, "Are you saying that a mere boy severely injured you all with one strike and killed the second commander?"
The men hurriedly nodded, but Mu Li sneered, "Nonsense! The second commander was a Nine-Star Dou Practitioner. According to what you're saying, that boy must be at the Dou Master level. Do you believe that yourselves? This is the Wolfhead Mercenary Group! We won't tolerate such absurd lies!"
Hearing Mu Li's words, the others in the room began to regain their senses. It made sense — the second commander was indeed a Nine-Star Dou Practitioner, second only to Mu She in the Wolfhead Mercenary Group. If one of the other mercenary leaders had been involved, it might be believable, but now, it just seemed like these men were making excuses to escape blame.
"No, no! That boy was really strong! He injured us with just one move. He must be at the Dou Master level. Captain, please believe us!" The men quickly defended themselves.
Mu Li scolded, "It seems you encountered an ambush from the other two mercenary groups in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, didn't you? And you left the second commander behind to escape!"
Turning to the captain, Mu Li suggested, "These cowards are traitors who abandoned the second commander. In my opinion, we should kill them and be done with it."
Hearing this, the men's faces turned pale. They understood now — Mu Li was giving Mu She an excuse to have them killed. With their hands gone, they were now crippled, a burden to the mercenary group. Letting them go would invite criticism, but branding them as traitors provided a perfect pretext for their execution.
Even though they had hidden the fact that they had abandoned the second commander, it was now clear that Gan Mu had died at the hands of that boy. And now, Mu Li's words were sealing their fate. Panic set in.
"Captain, we didn't do anything wrong! Please, spare us!" They fell to the ground, begging for their lives.
Mu She shouted angrily, "Enough! Mu Li is right. The Wolfhead Mercenary Group does not tolerate traitors! Men, take them out and execute them as an example!"
With Mu She's command, their fate was sealed. Several mercenaries entered, dragging the men outside. Moments later, the sound of cursing could be heard, followed by the muffled sound of blood splattering. The curses quickly faded into silence.
The remaining leaders of the Wolfhead Mercenary Group were all on edge. One of them asked, "Captain, what should we do now?"
Mu She's face was dark as he said, "If what they said is true and it was a boy who killed Gan Mu, then he's most likely dead now. But the boy can't possibly be at the Dou Master level — at best, he's a Nine-Star Dou Practitioner. Still, that's strong enough to warrant caution."
Gradually calming down, Mu She realized this situation was likely real. The other two mercenary groups had no reason to stir up trouble right now. After a moment of thought, Mu She said coldly, "They won't stay in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for long. Order the group to withdraw from the mountains. Keep an eye on Xiao Yixian's movements near the outskirts, but don't act hastily. Report back as soon as you spot her."
"Yes, Captain!"
"By the way, where's He Meng?" Mu She's gaze swept the hall as he frowned and asked.
One of the subordinates hesitated but answered honestly, "Third Commander He Meng was last seen preparing to take some brothers into the Magic Beast Mountain Range to accompany Madam Lan from the Blue Flower Tavern in her search for a snow fox."
Mu She cursed angrily, "That idiot! Go stop him! Tell him that Gan Mu is already dead in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. If he's not afraid to die, let him go ahead!"
"Yes, Captain!" The subordinate immediately ran off to notify He Meng.
Meanwhile, just as He Meng and his group were about to enter the mountain range, a mercenary ran over hurriedly, panting.
"Third Commander, the captain says you shouldn't go into the mountains right now. The others have already been pulled out."
He Meng frowned and muttered in dissatisfaction, "What's big brother trying to pull?"
Just then, a seductive woman with a curvaceous figure and fox-like features approached from a distance. Swaying her hips as she walked, she leaned against He Meng's body, her soft and delicate frame pressing close. Her voice was sweet, "Are we going into the mountains or not, Third Commander?"
He Meng's eyes burned with desire as he responded, "Of course we're going. Wherever you want to go, Madam, I'll take you."
The mercenary beside him interrupted, "But the captain said that even Second Commander Gan Mu—"
Before he could finish, He Meng slapped him across the face and cursed, "Don't bring up the second commander! Get lost! I'm going into the mountains, and I'd like to see who dares to stop me!"
The mercenary, holding his face, dared not speak further and could only watch as He Meng led a dozen of his men swaggering into the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Hearing the report, Sa Gan sneered, "Advice is wasted on the doomed. He Meng has always been arrogant, and now he's even ignoring the captain. Let him go — hopefully, he stays in the mountains for good."
He sighed, "If they really run into that boy, it'll be a shame for the fifteen men with him." Shaking his head, Sa Gan headed toward the captain's room.
---
Meanwhile, Xiao Yu was deep in cultivation in a valley. The dou qi here was abundant. If he could stay here for ten days or half a month, he might be able to push his strength even further.
Xiao Yixian didn't disturb him, though she couldn't help but feel a mix of curiosity and admiration as she watched him train so diligently. Taking advantage of the time, she planned to gather some herbs in the valley to refine more poison. After all, she had just acquired the "Seven-Colored Poison Manual," and now was the perfect time to study it in depth.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone