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

The Imperial Guards immediately went to meet them.

Swords flashed and blood splattered.

These personal guards were all elite soldiers that Li Bing had raised for many years. They were skilled in martial arts and, in their desperate struggle, managed to temporarily hold off the Imperial Guards' offensive.

Lin Feng's eyes sharpened, and he drew his sword, ready to step forward.

"Go to the backyard!" Zhou Huai'an grabbed him. "Li Bing is definitely destroying the last of the evidence! Leave this to me!"

Lin Feng nodded, then leaped over the courtyard wall and sped towards the backyard.

The backyard, the entrance to the secret room.

When Lin Feng arrived, he saw two guards carrying a box, hurriedly trying to squeeze into the secret passage behind the artificial hill.

"stop!"

He drew his goose-feather saber and slashed at the box.

With a "crack," the box broke open, and a pile of account books and letters fell out.

One of the guards, his eyes bloodshot, swung his sword at him.

Lin Feng dodged to the side, and slammed the back of his blade hard into the other man's wrist.

"Ah!" the guard screamed as he let go.

Another guard took the opportunity to slip into the secret passage.

Just as Lin Feng was about to give chase, a muffled thud suddenly came from the secret passage, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

He frowned and cautiously approached, knife in hand.

The entrance to the secret passage was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

Suddenly, a cold light shot out from inside!

Lin Feng was prepared and parried with his sword.

"clang!"

An arrow was knocked away.

Immediately afterwards, a second, a third... seven crossbow bolts came from different angles, blocking all his escape routes.

Lin Feng's pupils shrank sharply—this was a standard military crossbow, capable of loading seven arrows at once, and extremely lethal at close range!

Before he could think, his body suddenly leaned back, almost touching the ground, while his goose-feather saber danced in a flash of silver light.

"Clang clang clang clang clang!"

Five crossbow bolts were deflected.

The sixth bullet grazed his cheek.

The seventh branch—

Lin Feng gritted his teeth, and his left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the arrow shaft!

The arrow was only three inches from his throat.

He flipped over and leaped up, throwing the arrow back into the secret passage.

With a soft "pfft," a muffled groan came from inside.

Lin Feng seized the opportunity to rush into the secret passage.

The secret passage was short, and at the end was a stone chamber.

The stone chamber was filled with chests and boxes, and a middle-aged man dressed in brocade was frantically throwing letters into the brazier—it was Li Bing!

There were three other people standing next to him, all dressed in black and with their faces covered with black cloths.

One of them had a crossbow bolt thrown back by Lin Feng stuck in his shoulder, and blood was flowing freely.

"Li Bing!" Lin Feng approached, knife in hand. "Surrender!"

Li Bing looked up, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes: "You?!"

He waved his hand.

The three men in black moved at the same time.

Their movements were eerily fast, unlike ordinary guards, more like... assassins.

The first man in black flicked his wrist, and two short blades slid out from his sleeve, aiming straight for Lin Feng's eyes.

The second one circled around to the side, his soft sword flashing like a venomous snake, aiming for Lin Feng's ribs.

The third one—the injured one—pulled out a palm-sized copper box from his pocket and pointed it at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng felt a chill run down his spine, pushed off with his feet, and forcefully shifted his body three feet to the side.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

Three fine needles shot out from the copper box and landed where he had just stood, causing white smoke to rise from the bluestone slab—it was highly poisonous!

"Yinghu?" Lin Feng's eyes suddenly turned cold.

He held back no longer, his goose-feather blade drawing a sharp arc.

"clang!"

The short blade was cleaved away.

The man in black groaned as his tiger's mouth split open.

The soft sword pierced him from the side, but Lin Feng didn't even look, and slashed back with his own hand.

"Snap!"

The soft sword broke in two.

The third man in black tried to launch a poison needle, but Lin Feng was already close enough to kick him in the chest.

"Bang!"

The man in black was sent flying backward, crashing into the stone wall, and the bronze box slipped from his grasp.

Li Bing's face turned deathly pale. He suddenly pulled a dagger from his pocket and held it to his neck: "If you come any closer, I'll die right here! You won't get anything!"

Lin Feng stopped in his tracks.

"Put the knife down!" Li Bing roared.

Lin Feng didn't move.

"lay down!"

Just then, footsteps came from outside the secret passage.

Zhou Huai'an walked in with his sword in hand, followed by Han Chong and a dozen or so imperial guards.

"Li Bing," Zhou Huai'an said calmly.

"You think this matter will be over once you're dead? We've already made copies of your letters of collusion with the Di and Rong tribes, and your accounts of embezzling military funds. Even if you die, your entire family will have to bear the consequences."

Li Bing's hand trembled, and the dagger slashed a bloody gash across his neck.

"Zhou Huai'an..." he gave a bitter laugh, "You've won!"

Shuofeng City. The Marshal's Mansion.

Zhou Huai'an unfurled the imperial edict, his voice booming like a bell:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Zhao Dechang, the Military Governor of Shuofeng and the Governor of the Northern Frontier, is loyal, brave, and devoted to the country. He is discerning and insightful, and his merits in suppressing rebellions and securing the borders are invaluable to the nation. He is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Zhenbei, a hereditary title, and shall continue to hold the positions of Military Governor of Shuofeng and Governor of the Northern Frontier, while also temporarily serving as the Garrison Commander of Jingzhou, overseeing the military and political affairs of both northern frontier garrisons!"

Zhao Dechang prostrated himself on the ground: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"

"Lin Feng, the captain of the Shuofeng Army's scout battalion, is promoted to deputy commander of the Shuofeng Army, holding the rank of cavalry general, and is officially appointed as the deputy garrison commander of Jingzhou! He is bestowed with one thousand taels of gold, one hundred bolts of brocade, a set of imperial-made fine armor, and a precious sword!"

Lin Feng knelt down: "This humble general obeys the order!"

"The remaining meritorious soldiers will each be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver, fifty bolts of cloth, and varying amounts of land and housing!"

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

The three armies cheered, their voices shaking the north wind.

That night, in the study of the Marshal's Mansion.

Zhou Huai'an took out a sealed letter with sealing wax from his bosom.

"His Majesty's secret decree," Zhou Huai'an said in a low voice.

"Although Li Bing has been brought to justice, he is implicated in the remnants of the previous dynasty. The mechanisms and poisons used by those 'Shadow Stalker' assassins are not ordinary martial arts methods."

He picked up the lotus-shaped bronze component that had been taken from the man in black from the table: "The craftsmanship here is reminiscent of the work of the Imperial Crafts Institute of the previous dynasty."

"Your Majesty suspects," Zhou Huai'an's voice grew even deeper, "that in the past, some of the emperor's sons and grandsons were separated from their families and harbored resentment, forming the 'Shadow Scouts' to plot treason."

The study was deathly silent.

"His Majesty has ordered us to secretly investigate the origins of 'Shadow Swan' and the 'noble person' behind it who may be connected to the previous dynasty."

Zhao Dechang said slowly, "Act cautiously and avoid alerting the enemy."

Zhou Huai'an nodded and added, "There's one more thing. The 'Sand Fox' bandits have been rampant on the Northwest Silk Road lately, robbing caravans and harassing border towns. There are secret reports that the 'Sand Fox' are frequently in contact with some mysterious Central Plains figures."

He looked at Lin Feng: "His Majesty is worried that this band of bandits might also be related to 'Shadow Scorpion'? Lin Feng, you are newly promoted to Deputy Commander of the Garrison and are skilled in investigation. His Majesty has decreed that while assisting Marquis Zhao, you should also keep an eye on the movements in the Northwest. If necessary, you may take the opportunity to travel to the Northwest, ostensibly to assist in suppressing the bandits, but secretly to investigate 'Shadow Scorpion' and the remnants of the previous dynasty."

Lin Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice resolute:

"This humble general obeys the order!"

One storm has just subsided, but an even bigger one is brewing.