Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

"Whoosh!"

A crossbow bolt pierced through the rain and landed precisely on the wooden door of the woodshed. Its tail feathers trembled and made a soft "humming" sound. It was only three inches away from Lin Feng's cheek! The chilling killing intent, carried by the moisture, instantly pierced to the bone.

It's a standard crossbow! Di Rong Shadow Hawks! They've already infiltrated the courtyard, and they came prepared!

"Master Lin! Watch out!" A suppressed growl came from the woodshed, followed by the creaking sound of a taut bowstring.

Lin Feng sidestepped into the door and closed it behind him.

The woodshed was small, with miscellaneous items piled in the corner. Sun He and four other crossbowmen were crouching under the window, crossbows nocked, aiming at the outside, their eyes sharp. Zhou Wu, with his "dart team," stood guard at the other window, gleaming willow-leaf darts between his fingers.

"What's going on outside?" Lin Feng asked in a low voice, leaning against the wall, listening warily to the sounds of fighting outside.

Shouts of battle, screams, and the clash of weapons, mixed with the clamor of the torrential rain, came from the front and side yards. Clearly, there was more than one enemy force, and quite a large number of them!

"At least three routes!" Sun He's voice was tense, filled with suppressed anger. "The front gate is a direct assault, with quite a few people there. Judging by their skills, they seem to be desperate members of the Canal Gang. Master Liu and Zhao Hu are leading the charge. A dark figure has scaled the side courtyard wall; they're incredibly fast, using short swords and crossbows—probably Di Rong dogs! There are also people at the back wall, making less noise, but even more insidious—they're firing sneak arrows!"

"Leave the back wall to me and Zhou Wu," Lin Feng decided decisively. "Sun He, you take your men and guard this area, supporting the front and side yards, focusing on those with crossbows! Remember, conserve your crossbow bolts, fire when they get close! Zhou Wu, did you have your men poison their darts?"

"Quench it! It'll kill on sight!" Zhou Wu gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"Alright! Heed my command!"

Lin Feng said no more and gently pushed open a crack in the back window of the woodshed. Sure enough, there were several dark figures under the back wall, moving like geckos close to the base of the wall under the cover of rain and night. The outline of a short bow was vaguely visible in their hands, and they occasionally fired arrows towards the main house.

"One, two, three, release!"

Lin Feng gave a low shout and attacked at the same time as Zhou Wu! Several cold lights shot out from the cracks in the windows and doors, fast and urgent, silently disappearing into the rainy night!

"Uh!" "Ah!"

Two muffled groans rang out almost simultaneously! Beneath the backyard wall, two dark figures stiffened, then collapsed limply, their short bows falling into the muddy water. Poisoned darts—instant death upon contact with blood!

"Ambush! Scatter!" The remaining shadowy figures were both shocked and furious, and they scattered instantly. One of them raised his hand and shot an arrow at the window of the woodshed!

"Thud!" The crossbow bolt was driven deep into the window frame. At the same time, Sun He snorted coldly in the woodshed, and with a click of his crossbow, an arrow shot out like a venomous snake, piercing through the rain and accurately striking the throat of the dark figure who had fired the arrow! The dark figure clutched his neck, groaned a few times, and collapsed to the ground.

The threat in the backyard has been temporarily averted. But the fighting in the front and side yards has intensified!

"Master Liu! Hold on! Zhao Hu, lead your men to flank from the left!"

"You damned barbarian bastard! Take this!"

"Crossbow bolts! Watch out!"

Shouts, screams, the clash of weapons, and the twang of bowstrings intertwined to create a symphony of death.

Rainwater washed over the bluestone slabs, quickly turning them a dark red.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes as he said to Zhou Wu, "Hold this place! Sun He, you take two men and come with me to the front yard!"

"Master Lin, it's too dangerous outside!" Sun He said urgently.

"Stop talking nonsense! Let's go!"

Lin Feng said no more, opened the woodshed door, and rushed into the rain like a cheetah! The icy rain instantly soaked him, but it could not extinguish the boiling fighting spirit and killing intent in his chest!

Sun He and two crossbowmen followed closely behind.

The front yard has become a battlefield.

Liu Sandao brandished a bronze staff, his one eye blazing with fury, as he fought against three agile men in black wielding curved knives. He was already wounded, and blood mixed with rainwater flowed down his body, but his staff fighting skills remained fierce.

Zhao Hu and Qian Bao, along with about twenty "labor team" brothers, formed a simple circular formation and were resisting the attack of another seven or eight men in black.

Seven or eight people were lying on the ground, including brothers from the "Three Harmonies" gang and men in black, their blood flowing freely in the rain.

Just as Sun He had described, those men in black moved with incredible speed and unpredictability, wielding curved blades with peculiar arcs and slashing angles that were none other than the Di Rong swordsmanship! Moreover, their teamwork was impeccable, clearly indicating that they were well-trained!

"Sun He! Aim at the one with the crossbow!" Lin Feng roared, his body moving without stopping, his short blade slicing through the rain as he pounced on a black-clad man who was sneaking up on Liu Sandao from the side!

The man in black reacted with lightning speed. Hearing the whoosh of the wind, he turned and swung his blade! The curved blade, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slashed towards Lin Feng's wrist!

Lin Feng neither dodged nor evaded. At the last second, his short blade sliced ​​in along the inside of the curved sword. With a flick of his wrist, the blade, like a venomous snake, swept upwards along his opponent's arm!

"Sizzle!"

The man in black had a deep, bone-revealing gash slashed across his arm, and blood gushed out! He groaned in pain, nearly dropping his scimitar.

Lin Feng pressed his advantage relentlessly, advancing forward, lowering his shoulder, and delivering a fierce elbow strike to his chest!

"Bang!"

The man in black was struck as if by a charging bull; his chest caved in, and he spat out blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. He flew backward, crashing into the courtyard wall, and fell silent.

"Master Lin!" Liu Sandao felt relieved and his spirits lifted.

"Don't get distracted!" Lin Feng shouted, and with a backhand slash, forced back another black-clad man who rushed at him.

At the same time, with two "whoosh" sounds, two crossbow bolts shot from the side and rear, accurately piercing the hearts of the two men in black who were trying to sneak up on Zhao Hu from behind! It was Sun He and his crossbowmen!

"Good!" Zhao Hu's pressure eased, and he roared, smashing an opponent to the ground with the short stick in his hand.

With the addition of Lin Feng and the crossbowmen, the battle situation in the front yard was instantly reversed.

Although the Di Rong assassins were fierce and brave, they lost the advantage of surprise attacks and began to retreat steadily under the fearless counterattack of the "Three Harmonies" and the threat of crossbow bolts.

"Retreat! The wind is getting strong, get out of here!" Seeing the situation was not good, one of the men in black, who seemed to be the leader, roared in the Di Rong language. The remaining five or six men in black made a feint to force their opponents away, and then turned around and darted towards the courtyard wall with extremely fast movements.

"Trying to run?!" A murderous glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes, and he was about to give chase when a sudden warning signal struck him! He abruptly lunged to the side!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Several crossbow bolts flew just past his scalp and embedded themselves in the door behind him! The force was so great that the arrow tails hummed!

It's the side courtyard! There are still enemies there! And they're using powerful crossbows from the army!

"Sun He! Suppress the side courtyard!" Lin Feng rolled to his feet and shouted sharply.

At the same time, he heard several short screams and curses coming from the side courtyard, seemingly in the accent of the Caobang people, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

The battle in the side courtyard seems to be nearing its end.

"Master Lin! The side courtyard is taken!" Chen Da's voice came from the side courtyard, panting and excited. "It was scum from the Grand Canal Gang headquarters! More than twenty of them came, but our brothers and the crossbowmen took down half of them, and the rest escaped!"

"Well done!" Lin Feng shouted. "Brother Liu, Zhao Hu, take a headcount and treat the wounded! Sun He, take some men to the wall for guard duty! Chen Da, take a few men and come with me!"

He no longer cared about the escaped Di Rong assassins; his immediate priority was to figure out the enemy's entire plan, and... ensure the safety of that deadly thing!

He led Chen Da and several of his brothers quickly to the woodshed in the backyard. Zhou Wu and the dart team stood guard at the door, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

"Is it safe inside?" Lin Feng asked.

"Safe! We took care of the two who tried to sneak over just now." Friday nodded.

Lin Feng pushed open the door and went straight to the corner. He moved aside a pile of seemingly messy firewood, revealing a bluestone slab underneath. He forcefully lifted the slab, revealing a small pit containing a flat wooden box wrapped in layers of oilcloth—the very secret records of the "Mysterious Scale Guard"!

The items were still there. Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief, but the doubts in his heart grew even heavier.

The joint night raid by Di Rong's Shadow Hawks and the Grand Canal Gang's headquarters—wasn't it for this? Or did they have another objective? Or was this just a probe, or... a feint?

"Master Lin! Master Lin!" Hou Qi stumbled in, covered in mud and water, his face filled with terror and lingering fear. "Damn... something happened at the dockside warehouse!"

"What's going on?!" Lin Feng's heart sank.

"Just now... the brothers who stayed at the dock sent a signal saying that a group of people, in a speedboat, took advantage of the chaos to raid our warehouse! There weren't many of them, but they were all skilled fighters, killing anyone they saw and stealing... stealing three cartloads of goods that were parked at the dock ready to be transported tomorrow, then setting the warehouse on fire and escaping by boat!" Hou Qi said, his face contorted with grief. "Three of our men are dead, and seven or eight are injured! The fire... the fire isn't out yet!"

"What goods?" Lin Feng asked sternly.

"It's...it's a batch of...silk and medicinal herbs commissioned by 'Yongfa' and 'Furuixiang'," Hou Qi said.

Silk and medicinal herbs? Lin Feng frowned. The Di Rong Shadow Hawks and the Grand Canal Gang's headquarters went to such lengths just to steal a few cartloads of silk and medicinal herbs? No! That's definitely not their goal! This is a ruse! To cover up their true purpose! Or… to frame them!

"Is there anything special about those three truckloads of goods? Was there anything unusual during loading?" Lin Feng pressed.

Hou Qi tried hard to recall, then his eyes widened suddenly: "That's right! When loading the cart, Manager Zhao of 'Fu Rui Xiang' came in person and specifically instructed that one of the boxes be handled with care, saying... it was a 'New Year's gift' prepared for the Qi Prince's Mansion!"

The Qi Prince's New Year's gifts?! A thunderbolt seemed to strike Lin Feng's mind! He understood instantly!

A feint to the east while attacking in the west! A diversionary tactic to lure the enemy away from their stronghold!

Di Rong's Shadow Hawks and the Grand Canal Gang's headquarters attacked the "Three Courtyard House" to draw his attention and forces! The real target was another group, whose objective was that batch of "goods"! That so-called "silk and medicinal herbs" probably contained the truly deadly "goods" that Prince Qi was eager to transport out! It could very well be weapons, or... something related to the "Mysterious Scale Guard" and Di Rong!

Their choice to rob "Sanhe" allowed them to obtain the goods while simultaneously pinning the blame on "Sanhe"! After all, it was common knowledge that "Sanhe" had grudges against forces like the Canal Gang! Once exposed, with the evidence and the perpetrators caught red-handed, "Sanhe" would be irrefutable proof of colluding with bandits, robbing officials and merchants, and even secretly communicating with the Di and Rong tribes! At that point, even if Feng Zhen wanted to protect them, he wouldn't be able to!

What a wicked plan! Killing several birds with one stone!

"Master Lin, what do we do now?" Chen asked anxiously.

Lin Feng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The other party's plan was meticulous, proceeding step by step, clearly indicating that they had been planning this for a long time.

Now that the goods have been stolen, the warehouse has been burned, and the other side may have control of the witnesses and evidence, the situation is extremely unfavorable for us.

"Hou Qi, take your men to the dock immediately to assist in fighting the fire, assess the damage, and comfort the families of the injured and deceased. Remember, if anyone asks, tell them it was a group of unidentified river pirates who took advantage of the chaos to rob, and we are investigating them," Lin Feng quickly ordered.

"Chen Da, take a few clever brothers and immediately follow the waterway downstream! See which direction those speedboats went! Don't fight them head-on, just determine their direction!"

"yes!"

"Brother Liu!" Lin Feng said to Liu Sandao, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, "You take Zhao Hu and Qian Bao and immediately search the courtyard to see if there are any survivors, especially the Di Rong assassins and the Canal Gang members. Try to get them to talk! Sun He, Zhou Wu, you take your men and strengthen the defenses to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack!"

The group obeyed and quickly dispersed.

Lin Feng stood alone in the rainy night, gazing at the faint lights in the direction of the distant dock, his eyes as cold as iron.

Di Rongyingyao, the Grand Canal Gang, Prince Qi, Zhou Wenyuan… you've all teamed up to set me up? Fine! Let's see who will have the last laugh!

He turned around, went back to the woodshed, and covered it with the bluestone slabs again to hide the traces.

Then, he went to his desk, spread out the paper, ground the ink, picked up his brush, and began to write a letter.

This letter was written to Feng Zhen.

The letter contained an "anonymous" report about Di Rong's "Shadow Hawk" infiltrating the prefectural capital and contacting Zhou An. Of course, he wouldn't mention the "Mysterious Scale Guard" secret records or the robbery of the warehouse. He wanted to see how Feng Zhen would react to the letter. He also wanted to see whether, under the threat of Di Rong's assassin, this imperial envoy would choose to thoroughly investigate, or... cover it up?

After writing the letter, he sealed it with sealing wax and left it unsigned.

He summoned a trusted confidant who was absolutely reliable and skilled in stealth.

"Find a way to deliver this letter to the base of the third stone lion at the back gate of the prefectural government office. Remember, it must be absolutely secretive; no one can see you."

"yes!"

The brother took the letter and quietly disappeared into the rainy night.

Lin Feng walked to the window and opened it.

The torrential rain continued, but the shouts of battle in the distance had ceased. Only a few torches flickered in the rain, as the "Three Harmonies" brothers cleared the battlefield and treated the wounded.

Overnight, Di Rong was spotted, the warehouse was robbed, and his brothers were killed or injured... suffering heavy losses.

However, the "Three Harmonies" withstood the sudden attack, preserved their core, and also saw more of the enemy's true colors.

This baptism of blood and fire made the new sapling "Sanhe" more firmly rooted, and also made Lin Feng more clearly aware of the dangers and cruelty ahead.

The rain gradually subsided.

But the dark clouds over Qingzhou grew even thicker.

A massive storm sweeping across the city and involving all parties has already begun on this bloody rainy night!