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

The hoofbeats shattered the lingering smoke of midnight, echoing clearly through the empty streets and alleys.

The closer one gets to West Back Street, the fainter the traces of fighting and the stench of blood become, as if the battle and flames that had just taken place and determined the fate of the city were just a nightmare in the distance, unrelated to this quiet alley.

The courtyard is just ahead.

Lin Feng did not knock on the door immediately. Like a ghost, he silently approached the courtyard wall and listened intently.

Inside the walls, there was only the rustling of the wind through the withered vines, and... an extremely faint, almost imperceptible, suppressed breathing sound. The breathing was short and trembling, like a small, frightened animal huddled in a corner, desperately trying to hold its breath.

She's still alive. At least, she's still in the yard right now.

Lin Feng felt a little relieved, but his doubts and worries only intensified.

Without further hesitation, he raised his hand, bent his knuckles, and knocked three times on the simple wooden door, neither too hard nor too soft. The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

The suppressed breathing in the courtyard suddenly stopped, and a deathly silence spread, as if what had just happened was merely his imagination.

Lin Feng waited a moment, then knocked three more times, this time with slightly more force. "Miss Yun Li, I am Lin Feng. I was patrolling the city and found your place unusually quiet, so I came to check on you. Are you alright?" His voice was not loud, and he deliberately kept it steady.

There has been no response from inside the hospital.

But Lin Feng's keen hearing picked up a very slight rustling sound of clothes rubbing together, and a gasp that was almost swallowed back.

She was there, awake, and terrified.

Lin Feng softened his tone and said through the door, "Miss, don't be afraid. The riots in the city have been quelled, and most of the thieves have been brought to justice. I meant no harm, but the city was not peaceful tonight, and I was worried that you might be frightened living alone, so I came to check on you. If you are alright, I will leave now."

Another moment of suffocating silence followed.

Then, faint footsteps finally came from inside the courtyard, slow and hesitant, as if each step was taken with all one's might.

"Squeak—" The sound of the latch being gently pulled open.

The courtyard gate opened a crack, just wide enough for one person to pass sideways. A small, pale face, devoid of any color, appeared from behind the crack. She still wore the same faded headscarf, wrapping her black hair and revealing only her eyes. But now, the clarity in those eyes was replaced by deep fear; her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying and was desperately trying to hold them back. She gripped the doorframe tightly, her knuckles white from the force, her thin body trembling slightly in the night wind, like a leaf falling in the autumn breeze.

Her gaze swept quickly over Lin Feng, then she abruptly lowered her eyes, unable to look any longer. Her lips moved a few times before she uttered a voice barely audible: "Thank you...thank you for your concern, sir. I...I'm fine."

His voice was dry and hoarse, with a noticeable tremor.

Nothing wrong? Lin Feng's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's. Even in the dim light, he easily caught the tear stains on her face and a faint, fresh bloodstain on her cuff that she had instinctively covered with her other hand. The color was so similar to the brown "ink" on the handkerchief!

His heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.

Sure enough it was her!

The blood-stained handkerchief, the clumsy yet clearly pointed design, the wooden button… all these were made by the seemingly frail woman before us, now as terrified as a fawn! How did she know about those conspiracies that could overthrow Shuofeng City? And why did she choose such a subtle, self-destructive method to warn us? Was the fear she was desperately trying to conceal due to the turmoil she had just experienced, or because… he had come to her door and discovered something?

Countless questions churned in his mind, but Lin Feng showed no sign on his face. He simply nodded slightly, his tone remaining calm: "It's good that nothing's wrong. There were indeed spies causing trouble in the city tonight, but they have all been wiped out. As you live alone here, you must be careful around the house. If anything seems amiss, you can call the night patrol soldiers at any time."

"Yes... thank you for the reminder, sir." Xiao Qingli lowered her head even further, her voice barely audible.

Lin Feng changed the subject, his tone seemingly casually inquisitive: "Miss Yunli's embroidery skills are exquisite. I happened to acquire a handkerchief embroidered with orchids; the embroidery is extremely lifelike, quite similar to the sachet you gave me last time. I wonder if you've embroidered a similar handkerchief recently?"

Xiao Qingli's breath caught in her throat, her blood seemingly freezing. He saw it! He really saw the handkerchief! He recognized it! He was testing her! A wave of overwhelming fear washed over her like ice water, leaving her limbs cold and her teeth chattering uncontrollably. Should she deny it? But the handkerchief, the wooden button… how could she deny it?

Just as her mind went blank and she was about to collapse, a strange force—perhaps the instinct for survival, or perhaps a kind of resilience honed from long-term concealment of her identity—made her suddenly raise her head and look directly into Lin Feng's eyes. Although those eyes were still filled with fear, there was also a kind of desperate, all-or-nothing glint in them.

"Sir, you jest." Her voice still trembled, but it carried a strange calmness, or rather, emptiness.

"I make a living by embroidery. I have embroidered dozens, if not hundreds, of handkerchiefs. Orchids are a very common pattern, and there are countless similar ones in the embroidery workshop. If you like it, sir, I will embroider a new one for you another day. But today... I was really frightened and I am still unsettled. Please understand, sir."

Her words were watertight, neither admitting nor denying anything.

Eyes facing each other.

Lin Feng saw the turbulent emotions hidden deep within her eyes, and also that almost desperate persistence. She was afraid, terrified to the extreme, yet still forcing herself to hold on. She didn't want to talk about it, or rather, she couldn't talk about it.

Silence spread between the two. Only the rustling of withered leaves in the night wind as it passed through the alleyway, and the faint distant commotion of cleaning up the battlefield.

After a long while, Lin Feng sighed almost imperceptibly.

"I apologize for my abruptness." He withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to its previous calm.

"The city is in turmoil tonight. You must be frightened, young lady. Please rest early. Make sure the doors are locked. If you need anything, you can go to the West City Garrison and find the officer on duty. Just mention my name, Lin Feng."

Having said that, he didn't linger. He took a step back, clasped his hands in a slight salute to the thin, trembling figure inside the door.

Then he turned around and strode toward the old tree at the alley entrance where horses were tethered.

She slowly closed the courtyard gate and bolted it. Leaning against the cold, rough door, her body slid down, unable to support herself any longer. She buried her face in her knees and trembled silently. Fear, terror, relief, bewilderment, and a strange, unspoken tremor she herself didn't want to delve into, all surged through her like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing her.

Outside the door, the long street was deserted.

The cold moonlight cast long shadows of Lin Feng and his warhorse. The wound on his shoulder throbbed faintly in the chill of the night, but what troubled him even more was the blood-stained handkerchief in his arms and the pair of terrified yet forcibly strong eyes behind the door.

He knew that the real mystery had perhaps only just begun to unfold. The woman named "Yun Li" was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirring up layers of mist in a situation he thought was clear and straightforward.