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

He slipped behind a pillar and listened intently, holding his breath.

The footsteps stopped outside the temple gate, followed by a soft "click"—the lock was being opened.

The door was pushed open, and three dark figures flashed in, landing silently and swiftly.

Upon entering the compound, they quickly dispersed, one guarding the gate while two others searched inside. Their teamwork was seamless and demonstrates their high level of training.

They're not government officials. Government searches wouldn't be conducted so furtively.

The two searched very thoroughly, checking corners, beams, behind statues, and even lifting floor tiles to look for something.

One of them, tall and thin, walked to the vicinity of the woodshed, paused, glanced in the direction of the hidden compartment, but did not go over, and continued searching elsewhere.

What are they looking for? Is it also something from the metal box? Or... something else?

After about an incense stick's time, the two finished searching and returned to the courtyard, shaking their heads at the gatekeeper.

"no."

"Withdraw." The gatekeeper hissed, and the three retreated silently, just as they had come, disappearing beyond the wall.

Lin Feng waited for a while to make sure no one was around before coming out of his hiding place.

They climbed over the wall and headed straight for Jinyunxuan in the south of the city.

The main gate of Jinyunxuan was tightly closed and sealed with tape.

He went around to the back alley, and just as he climbed over the wall, a bad feeling arose in his heart again—there were people in the yard!

Looking down from the shadows on the wall, I saw four people standing in the courtyard, also dressed in black and masked, talking in hushed tones.

The leader was a short, stocky man with a gruff voice:

"...Search again! Especially Gu Laosan's bedroom and study, find them even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"

"Boss, we've searched eight times, and it's really not there. Could it be that Gu Laosan sent the ledger away a long time ago?"

"Where to send it? His mistress's been investigated, and there's nothing there!" the short, stocky man cursed.

"Our master has given a death order: the account book must be found. If it isn't, none of us will live!"

Ledger? Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

The account books of Jin Yun Xuan? Before Manager Gu died, the account books disappeared without a trace. It turns out these people were also looking for them.

The four men split up and went back into the house to search. Lin Feng waited patiently.

After about half an incense stick's time, the four returned empty-handed.

"Damn it, this is really weird!" the short, stocky man spat. "Let's go, next place!"

The four of them climbed over the wall and left.

Lin Feng was about to go down when his ears twitched—there was someone else! On the opposite rooftop!

He crouched down and squinted. On the opposite rooftop, a person, also dressed in black, with a slender figure, was lying prone, quietly watching the courtyard.

He watched for a moment, then quietly retreated and disappeared into the rainy night.

Two groups of people? No, three groups? Lin Feng's mind was filled with doubt.

One group from Ciyun Nunnery and two groups from Jinyun Pavilion are both searching for something. Are they looking for the same item, or different items? Are they working together, or are they acting independently?

He rolled out of the courtyard and quickly searched Jinyunxuan.

Nothing was found.

He didn't linger. He left Jinyunxuan, circled the city a few times to make sure no one was following him, and then returned to Ping'an Inn.

Lei Bao was waiting for him, his expression grave.

"Master, we've made progress."

"explain."

"Manager Gu has two lovers in Jinling," Lei Bao said in a low voice.

"But Lao Nian found out that in the past six months, Manager Gu has been secretly keeping a mistress in Qingshui Lane in the north of the city. She is a young woman who fled from the north. Her surname is Yun and her name is Yun Niang."

Yunniang? Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat: "What is Yunniang's background?"

"I don't know. I only know that she fled from the north. She speaks Mandarin with a northern accent. She is pretty, but she lives a secluded life and rarely sees people. Manager Gu hides her very well."

"Qingshui Lane..." Lin Feng stood up. "Let's go take a look."

"Now?" Shen Qingyi asked urgently, "It's late at night, and those people..."

"It's precisely because it's late that we have to go," Lin Feng said to Lei Bao.

"Take two brothers and sneak over there without alerting anyone. First, scout the area from the outside. If anyone is watching, don't make a move, and come back to report to me."

"Yes!" Lei Bao turned and left.

Shen Qingyi grabbed Lin Feng: "I'll go with you."

"No way," Lin Feng refused decisively.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet, so stay at the inn. If something happens, I can only venture out with peace of mind if you're here."

Shen Qingyi knew he had a point, bit her lip, and released her grip: "Then... please be very careful."

"rest assured."

Lin Feng circled around to the north of the city and met up with Lei Bao near Qingshui Lane.

"Boss, there are two wonton stalls at the alley entrance, and their lights are still on at this hour. Something's not right."

Lei Bao said in a low voice, "The third house in the alley is the small courtyard rented by Manager Gu. It's dark, but there are voices coming from inside, more than one person."

Lin Feng squinted and looked over.

The wonton stall was set up under the eaves at the entrance of the alley. The stall owner was a hunchbacked old man who was slowly packing up his tools, but his eyes kept glancing into the alley.

The other was a lean man, leaning against the wall yawning, but his back was straight and his feet were neither too far to the sides, a stance that belonged to someone who had trained in martial arts.

They were being watched. And there were two groups of people? The old man at the wonton stall and the lean man seemed to be working together, but they didn't communicate with each other and maintained a subtle distance between them.

"Old Nian, take someone with you and try that wonton stall," Lin Feng whispered. "Lei Bao, you come with me into the alley."

"Yes."

Old Nian and his brother strolled over and sat down at the wonton stall: "Boss, two bowls of wontons, extra scallions."

"Alright!" the hunchbacked old man replied, starting a fire to cook the wontons.

Lin Feng and Lei Bao seized the opportunity to slip into the alley. The alley was narrow, with high walls on both sides. The third house was a small, black-lacquered door with a faded lantern hanging above it, unlit. Lin Feng pressed his ear against the door and listened. There were very faint footsteps and whispers inside, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

He gestured to Lei Bao, and the two of them climbed over the wall, one on each side, and lay prone in the shadows. The courtyard was a small patio, and the main room was lit. Two shadows were projected onto the window paper, one standing and one sitting, talking.

"...Where is the thing? The master can't wait any longer." The voice standing there was hoarse; it belonged to a man.

"I...I really don't know." The voice sitting down was a woman's, trembling with tears.

"Third Master never gave me any account books. Every time he came, he would just... sit for a while, chat, and occasionally bring me a little something. Really..."

It's Yunniang.

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences!" The man's voice turned stern.

"Gu Laosan treated you so well, wouldn't he give you something before he died? Tell me! Where is it? If you don't tell me, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

"I...I really don't know...ah!"

A short scream, followed by the sound of struggling.

Lin Feng's eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to go down, another dark figure suddenly swept down from the opposite rooftop and landed silently in the courtyard. It was a masked man with a slender figure, the same one from the rooftop of Jinyun Pavilion!

"Stop," the masked man said in a low voice.

The noise inside the house stopped.

The man pushed open the door and came out. He was a scarred man, carrying a short knife with blood on the tip.

He stared at the masked man, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt: "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know," the masked man said calmly. "Let her go and get out."

"Hey, what a big mouth you've got!" the scarred man grinned maliciously.

"Do you know who I work for? Meddling in other people's business? You're asking for death!"

He lunged forward, brandishing his knife.