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

Two days later, the imperial envoy's entourage left Shuofeng, escorting Li Bing and his main cronies back to the capital in a grand procession.

Shuofeng City gradually returned to its usual rhythm, but there seemed to be a new sense of heaviness and undercurrents in the air.

That afternoon, Lin Feng finally managed to escape from his busy official duties and rode his horse to West Back Street.

Yunli's courtyard remained tranquil.

Yun Li was clearly surprised to see Lin Feng visit, but she was more delighted than surprised.

"General Lin... no, now I should call him Commander Lin." Yun Li curtsied, a faint smile on her lips, but a hint of complexity in her eyes.

"Congratulations on your promotion, General."

"Miss Yun Li, there's no need for such formalities. Please just call me Lin Feng."

After exchanging pleasantries,

Lin Feng asked, "Has the young lady been playing the zither lately? If she is in the mood, I would like to listen to her celestial music."

Upon hearing this, Yun Li smiled and said, "General, you are busy with official duties, yet you still have such a refined interest. How could Yun Li refuse? Please wait a moment."

She got up and went inside, and soon came out carrying a slightly old-fashioned seven-stringed zither.

She washed her hands, burned incense, sat upright before the zither, and with a gentle touch of her fingertips, a clear and melodious tune flowed out.

The sound of the zither is like an orchid in a secluded valley, a solitary beauty that appreciates its own beauty, yet it also subtly reveals a sense of resilience and nobility.

Lin Feng didn't have a deep understanding of music, but he could still hear the loneliness and perseverance in the zither music. It was slightly different from Yun Li's usual gentle and graceful demeanor. It was as if beneath this beautiful appearance lay an equally resilient, even somewhat aloof, heart.

He listened quietly, his gaze falling on Yun Li's profile as she focused on playing the zither. The afterglow of the setting sun gilded her with a soft golden edge, making her seem otherworldly.

That focused expression, that solitary, melodious piano music flowing from her fingertips… all these details intertwined, making Lin Feng's suspicions about her background clearer and heavier.

If... she really is that "former noblewoman" and Prince Jing Xiao Jue's person, judging from her age, she might even be Prince Jing Xiao Jue's daughter. How should I face her?

As the music faded away, Yun Li stopped playing, slightly out of breath, a faint blush rising on her cheeks from her focused concentration.

"I'm sorry for showing off. It's been a while since I played, so I'm a bit rusty."

"Young lady's musical skills are extraordinary," Lin Feng praised sincerely.

He sat for a while longer, asked Yun Li if she had been short of money lately, and told her to be careful and to inform her protectors immediately if anything seemed amiss before getting up to take his leave.

Lin Feng mounted his horse and glanced back at the small courtyard hidden among the green trees.

...Yun Li, what secrets are you hiding?

Is your father really Prince Jing, Xiao Jue, who colluded with the Di and Rong tribes, committed countless atrocities, and may now be hiding somewhere in the northwest, harboring a deep-seated hatred for the imperial court?

The desolate plains west of Shuofeng City.

The wind whipped up sand and gravel, lashing at withered grass and bare rocks.

Lin Feng led a team of scouts to patrol this place.

Behind the low mounds in the distance, wisps of black smoke rose, accompanied by a faint yet instantly pungent smell of blood carried on the wind.

"Spread out and be on alert!"

Lin Feng gave a low shout, spurred his horse, and charged up the mound first.

Behind them, scouts spread out in a well-trained fan shape, bows and crossbows nocked.

The sight behind the mound instantly brought tears to the eyes of these border soldiers who were used to life and death.

The oxcart overturned, its crude boxes and cages were overturned, and coarse cloth and pottery jars were scattered all over the ground, mixed with dark red and black bloodstains. The bodies of three adult men lay beside the cart.

Not far away, an old woman lay curled up on the ground, her gray hair stuck to her face with blood, already dead.

Most shockingly, a young woman lay sprawled among the rocks, her clothes torn, a pool of blood already congealed beneath her, and in her arms, she tightly embraced a child of about two or three years old, whose neck was twisted at an odd angle and whose face was bluish-purple...

Judging from their attire, they were refugees fleeing towards Shuofeng City. Perhaps they were trying to take a shortcut but encountered jackals.

"The marks on the Di Rong's scimitar and the hoofprints led north, within an hour!"

Old Dao squatted down to examine the wound, his voice hoarse, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Lin Feng didn't say anything, dismounted, and walked to the mother and child.

He had witnessed too much death, from enemies and comrades.

But the sight of the helpless women and children before him was like a red-hot, dull knife, stabbing deep into his heart and then twisting it.

"Chase!" He suddenly stood up, mounted his horse, and his eyes flashed with a chilling light.

"Catch up with those beasts and leave no one alive!"

"yes!"

The horses' hooves thundered, and they chased after the fresh hoofprints northward.

About half an hour later, a dozen or so Di Rong cavalrymen appeared ahead, their horses carrying a small amount of plundered grain and cloth, and they were emitting strange, barking laughs.

"kill--!"

There was no formation, no shouts, only a chilling killing intent.

Lin Feng took the lead, his long spear like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, instantly piercing and sending the last Di Rong cavalryman flying.

The scouts pounced on the jackals who had committed the bloodshed, like a pack of hungry wolves.

The battle was brief but bloody.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, more than a dozen Di Rong people were killed, their blood staining the wasteland red.

Lin Feng stopped his horse and looked at the scattered corpses of Di Rong on the ground. The violent killing intent in his chest did not subside, but instead turned into a deeper and colder chill.

He waved his hand: "Sever the head and take it back. The body... feed it to the wolves."

"Yes."

On the way back to the city, the group remained silent.

The stench of blood still seemed to linger in Lin Feng's nostrils, and the tragic scene of the mother and child, the child's little hand clutching the hem of his clothes, kept flashing before his eyes.

He thought of Yun Li.

That orphan girl who lived quietly in a small courtyard on West Back Street, content with her lot and only wanting to live a peaceful life.

He sent people to protect her, and Shuofeng City was relatively safe. But what if? What if some of those cunning and ruthless Di Rong stragglers escaped the net, or some other vicious criminals, and targeted her living alone... He dared not think any further.

The hellish scene on the wasteland just now seemed like a terrible omen, scorching his reason.

No. We absolutely cannot allow her to fall into that situation in the slightest.

Upon entering the city and handing over the order, he didn't even return to the scout office, but instead rode straight to the west gate.

On West Back Street, the gate to the small courtyard was tightly closed.

Lin Feng raised his hand and knocked on the door. The knock was quite forceful, making it particularly clear in the quiet alley.

Faint footsteps came from inside the door, paused for a moment, and then the latch was pulled open.

Yun Li stood behind the door and was visibly startled when she saw Lin Feng, whose armor was stained with blood and whose face was ashen. A hint of panic flashed in her eyes: "General Lin? You...you're injured?"

"It's not my blood." Lin Feng's voice was a little hoarse. He looked at his reflection in her clear eyes, and the urgency brought by the lingering fear overwhelmed all his consideration.

"Pack your things and move into my residence. Now."