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

Another sandstorm swept in without warning, more violent and longer-lasting than any before.

The wind, like a mad giant, lashed out with its whip of yellow sand, plunging the world into darkness, obscuring the sun and moon. The world was reduced to only one color—a hazy yellow—and one sound—the howling of ghosts and wolves.

"Hold on tight! Don't let go!"

"My horse—!"

"Give me a hand!"

The roars, screams, and the panicked neighing of horses' hooves were all swallowed up by the howling wind.

When the wind finally gave out and retreated with a mournful groan, it left behind a world that had been completely reshaped and was now deathly silent.

The sand dunes moved, and the rocks got new neighbors.

"Ptooey! Ptooey, ptooey!" Lei Bao struggled out of the sand pile, spitting out a mouthful of sand, his eyes bloodshot. "Old Chen! Chen Xiaodou! Where the hell are you?!"

There was no answer. Only the wind seemed to weep.

A headcount revealed seven more missing. No trace of them, neither alive nor dead. Several more water bags were lost in the chaos, and the remaining ones wobbled lightly. The groans of the seriously wounded were weak and feeble; sand had seeped into their wounds, causing them to swell and fester.

Adu knelt on the sand, holding the rusty compass in his hands. The needle spun wildly before finally tilting to one side and remaining still.

He made a strange "hoarse" sound in his throat, and tears mixed with sand and mud rolled down his face.

"It's over...it's all over...the gods are angry...they won't let us live...direction...we've lost our direction..."

Lin Feng leaned against a giant rock riddled with holes eroded by the wind and slowly sat down.

"General," Han Tao moved over, slid down against the rock, and sat on the ground, his face ashen.

"Our rations are almost gone. Four of the wounded... have started to have fevers and are delirious. I'm afraid... they won't make it through the night."

Fewer than eighty soldiers were still standing, each with cracked, bleeding lips and numb, weary eyes, and even deeper... a deathly stillness on the verge of collapse.

At this rate, without the sand foxes lifting a finger, this sea of ​​sand will gradually devour them.

"A-Du," Lin Feng said, his voice like sandpaper scraping against a stone.

The old guide turned his head blankly.

"Blackwind Keep, which direction is it? Do you still know the way?"

Adu's lips trembled for a long time, his cloudy eyes looked this way and then that, and finally he shook his head in despair, tears welling up again: "No... I don't recognize it... The Sand God has taken away the path... We... we've entered its belly... We can't get out..."

Lin Feng took a deep breath of the hot, dry air.

"I'm not looking anymore," he said.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was frighteningly clear in the deathly silence.

Lei Bao suddenly looked up, his eyes wide: "General?!"

"Blackwind Fortress, we're not looking for it anymore," Lin Feng repeated, each word like a shard of ice.

"Going back is not admitting defeat." Lin Feng looked at him and said each word clearly.

"We're going back to find a different way to wipe out the rat, and its owner, all at once!"

He walked into the middle of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over every face.

"Think about it, who is their leader? Even if he's fallen on hard times, would he live in this godforsaken place where it's hard to even get a drink of water or a proper shower?"

Everyone was taken aback.

"The two groups of four young women we captured were completely devoted to him, preferring to commit suicide rather than reveal a single piece of information," Lin Feng continued, his speech quickening.

"These kinds of people are treasures, confidants, eyes and ears, and deadly weapons. Will they just sit in the desert eating sand forever?"

Yan Qing's eyes lit up slightly.

"They have to come out. To do things for their master, to pass on messages, to buy things, and even... to kill people." Lin Feng's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.

"As long as they come out, as long as they show their faces in populated areas, they will definitely leave traces! Footprints, scents, words spoken, money spent!"

"So, let's go back now!"

Soon, two fast horses, carrying the last hope and the heavy secret letter, disappeared into the twilight in the southeast. The remaining eighty-odd people, supporting each other, lifted the makeshift stretchers, took their last remaining belongings, and formed a crooked but unusually silent and determined line, embarking on their journey home.

Lin Feng walked at the front, turning back one last time to look westward. The setting sun, like blood, was splashed on the boundless sea of ​​sand, magnificent yet utterly desolate.

……

The door to the study in the Marshal's Mansion creaked shut, cutting off the last ray of light from the outside.

Han Tao, Lei Bao, and Yan Qing sat at the lower end of the table, their backs ramrod straight, like three iron nails driven into their chairs. No one touched the bowl of tea in front of them, which had long since gone cold.

Lin Feng spoke softly as he explained the situation.

"How do you plan to find it?" Zhao Dechang asked.

"On the surface, our troops suffered heavy casualties and moved to the eastern suburbs to rest and replenish their forces, looking disheveled and exhausted."

Lin Feng spoke at a steady pace, clearly having already planned it out.

"Secretly, send a few of your most capable spies into the city. Teahouses, taverns, inns, gambling dens, pharmacies, pawnshops—these places should be kept under surveillance. But there's one more place—" He paused, "brothels, entertainment venues, and secret brothels."

Zhao Dechang tapped his finger on the table again: "That kind of place?"

"It's a melting pot of all sorts of people. News travels fast, and people are very secretive," Lin Feng said.

"Besides, if I were the master, there would be no cheaper place to put a few spies and informants in the city—it would provide an opportunity to contact all sorts of people without arousing suspicion."

As Zhao Dechang listened, he tapped his fingers on the rosewood table, the sound monotonous and dull.

"Okay, we'll do it your way!"

One day later.

Yan Qing reported: "The scouts reported that a centurion from the Di Rong 'Bald Wolf' tribe secretly sneaked into Shuofeng half a month ago. He stayed overnight at the 'Dark Fragrance Pavilion' in the west of the city, and had a newly arrived pipa player accompany him. He left before dawn the next day. The pipa player is called Yunshang."

"Yunshang..." Lin Feng repeated the name.

"Yes. The scout said that the woman rarely receives guests. She plays the pipa exceptionally well, but the tunes are archaic and unlike ordinary folk music."

The study was quiet for a moment, with only the occasional crackling sound of candle flames popping.

"I'll go and meet this Yunshang myself!"

"You can't see the true situation just by relying on scouts."

Lin Feng said, "It's perfectly reasonable for a border general who has suffered a defeat, lost his brothers, is harboring resentment, and wants to find a place to get drunk to go to a brothel to listen to music and relax."

……

Two days later, night fell.

Shuofeng, west of the city, on the Goulan Street.

The deserted streets during the day are now bathed in a hazy, warm yellow light from the colorful lanterns.

The scents of cosmetics, wine, meat, string and wind instruments, and the banter of men and women mingled in the early winter night breeze, all rushing into people's noses.

The signboard of "Anxianglou" is not the largest, but the facade is exquisite, and the faint sound of pipa and xiao music drifts out, melodious yet carrying an indescribable sense of desolation.

Lin Feng changed into a slightly worn dark blue satin robe, with a black cloak over it. His face appeared paler than usual under the lanterns at the doorway.

He was followed only by a personal guard disguised as a servant, who kept his head down and carried a small wine jar.

The pimp at the door, with his sharp eyes, glanced at Lin Feng's demeanor and immediately broke into a wide smile, bowing as he approached: "Sir, unfamiliar face, first time here? Please come in! Would you like to hear some music today, or perhaps have a private chat with the ladies?"

Lin Feng ignored him and walked straight inside.

The lobby was warm and cozy, with several tables of guests sitting around, playing drinking games and making a lot of noise.

He frowned, his gaze sweeping over the private rooms on the second floor, each draped with beaded curtains.

The pimp trotted up to catch up, bowing obsequiously: "Sir, is it too noisy downstairs? Upstairs is quiet and peaceful, with excellent rooms, freshly warmed wine, and..."

He lowered his voice and winked, "The new courtesan plays the pipa beautifully, and her looks and temperament are top-notch, but... whether she sees guests or not depends on fate."

Lin Feng paused, turned his head, and said indifferently, "I heard there's someone here named Yunshang?"