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

The Black Cloud Stronghold henchmen had never seen Li Tai so flustered before, so they dared not delay and immediately went to find Su Su.

"Damn it!!! They managed to slip away right under my nose while my Black Cloud Stronghold was undefended!"

Li Tai cursed under his breath, then called over another henchman and said menacingly, "Go find the second-in-command right now and tell him to kill Mu Yun on the spot!"

Mu Yuan's men escaped without a sound, which means that Mu Yuan and his entourage must be of extraordinary status.

When dealing with suspicious individuals, Li Tai always believed that it was better to kill a thousand innocent people than to let one guilty person go free!

If we failed to kill Mu Yuan's companions this time, then let Zhou Bao kill Mu Yuan!

To prevent future troubles!

"Boss, something terrible has happened! Miss Susu has also disappeared!"

Just then, the henchman rushed in, his face full of panic.

"What?"

Upon hearing this news, Li Tai was struck dumb, frozen in place, repeatedly muttering "impossible."

Seeing Li Tai's seemingly crazed state, the henchman was worried and cautiously called out, "Boss... Boss, are you alright?"

Li Tai forced himself to calm down and asked:

"Besides Miss Susu's room, have you searched anywhere else?"

The henchman, with a mournful face, said, "We've searched other places too, but there's no trace of Miss Susu."

Upon hearing this, Li Tai seemed to have all his strength drained away, slumping into his chair with vacant, lifeless eyes, muttering to himself:

"It's over, it's over, everything is over!"

The fact that Mu Yuan's companions escaped suggests that Mu Yuan's identity is suspicious, while Su Su's departure without saying goodbye indicates that the Emperor has abandoned Black Cloud Village.

After all, Su Su is the Emperor's person, and every move she makes represents the Emperor's will.

At the same time, Li Tai also realized what was going on.

This attempt to seize the jade Buddha will not only fail, but it is also likely that the two brothers and ninety percent of the Black Cloud Stronghold will be implicated.

Seeing Li Tai like this, the henchmen stood there helplessly.

Just then.

A series of sounds of fighting and screams could be heard outside.

Hearing the sounds of fighting and screams outside, the henchmen hurriedly urged, "Boss, someone has broken into the stronghold! There aren't many people left to defend it; we should retreat!"

Despite the henchmen's reminder, Li Tai remained slumped in his chair, showing no intention of getting up or running away.

The sounds of fighting and screams grew clearer.

next moment.

Mu Yuan led a large group of people into the ancestral hall in a grand procession.

The henchmen had never seen anything like it before, and they were so frightened that they immediately knelt down and surrendered.

"Boss, I'm back."

Mu Yuan looked at Li Tai, who was slumped in a chair, with a half-smile.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Li Tai's eyes gradually brightened. He stared intently at Mu Yuan, surprisingly showing no anger, but instead offering a self-deprecating smile:

"I've misjudged him after all!"

"It's not too late to find out now," Mu Yuan said with a calm smile.

Li Tai's face was ashen. He asked, "Where are my two brothers?"

"I reckon they're already in the Diancheng prison. You'll see them soon," Mu Yuan answered every question.

Upon learning the whereabouts of his two brothers, Li Tai's face revealed a fierce expression:

"Who exactly are you?!"

"Who I am is unimportant." Mu Yuan shook his head, then pointed to Lin Xueshang beside him: "Do you remember her?"

"What? Does this woman have a grudge against me?" Li Tai squinted.

The voice just fell.

Lin Xueshang cursed, "You dog! I remember clearly how your Black Cloud Stronghold killed my family years ago!"

To everyone's surprise, Li Tai remained calm upon hearing this.

"I've killed so many people. If I could remember them all as clearly as you do, wouldn't that be exhausting?" Li Tai smiled, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.

Seeing that Li Tai not only showed no remorse but also made sarcastic remarks, Lin Xueshang was about to take action.

At this moment, Mu Yuan quickly stopped him.

"If we kill him now, the truth about why your family members died will never come to light!"

Lin Xueshang then stopped.

Based on the information provided by Lin Xueshang, Mu Yuan asked Li Tai again, "Do you still remember the Lin Family Escort Agency from back then?"

Upon hearing "Lin's Escort Agency," Li Tai's expression changed slightly. Then, he shook his head and said, "Having robbed so many merchant caravans and escort agencies over the years, how would I know anything about Lin's Escort Agency!"

He denied it verbally, but Mu Yuan noticed the subtle change in his expression just now.

In order to extract useful clues from Li Tai, Mu Yuan took the initiative, "Your identity, on the surface, is that of a bandit, but secretly, you serve the powerful and influential people in the capital. Am I right?"

Li Tai's face stiffened, his eyes fixed on Mu Yuan, as if trying to find some clues on Mu Yuan's face.

However, Mu Yuan remained calm throughout, his gaze neither darting away nor faltering.

"Who exactly are you?"

Unlike the casual question he asked last time, this time Li Tai frowned and asked about Mu Yuan's identity in a questioning tone.

Mu Yuan still didn't answer Li Tai's question, but instead smiled and said, "It seems I was right, you are actually working for those powerful and influential people in the capital!"

"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?" Li Tai gave an ambiguous answer.

Mu Yuan sneered and said, "It's fine if you don't want to talk. Your two brothers aren't as open-minded as you are. I can get what I want to know from them just the same!"

After saying this, Mu Yuan looked at Lin Xueshang and said earnestly:

"You can avenge your family now!"

Lin Xueshang drew her long sword and approached Li Tai step by step.

"You won't kill me until you get the information you want!" Li Tai said with absolute certainty.

However, Mu Yuan did not respond.

Seeing Lin Xueshang approaching with murderous intent, Li Tai, who had been so confident just moments before, panicked. Just as Lin Xueshang raised her long sword, about to strike,

Li Tai immediately chickened out.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!"

The moment he finished speaking, Lin Xueshang stopped her knife in time.

The sharp blade was only an inch away from Li Tai's face; if it had come any closer, Li Tai would have been decapitated.

Staring at the gleaming blade, Li Tai swallowed hard, his voice trembling:

"Put the knife away!"

Lin Xueshang sheathed her long sword expressionlessly, giving Li Tai a disdainful look: "I thought you had some backbone, but it turns out you're just a spineless coward!"

Faced with Lin Xueshang's merciless mockery, Li Tai dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

Mu Yuan then spoke up:

"You're a smart person, I don't need to explain further!"

Li Tai sat up straight and said, "I remember the Lin Family Escort Agency you mentioned very clearly."

These words were spoken.

Mu Yuan and Lin Xueshang exchanged a glance.

A flicker of grief crossed Lin Xueshang's eyes. Her mind preoccupied with the truth behind her family's deaths, she immediately pressed, "Stop stammering! Tell me everything you know! Otherwise, I'll kill you right now!"

Faced with the overwhelming pressure emanating from Lin Xueshang, Li Tai took a deep breath and slowly said: