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

"Anyone who dares not go will face the consequences!"

Only then did everyone steel themselves and disperse to search.

But their formation was loose and their eyes were darting around, clearly they were terrified.

Lin Feng, standing in the shadows behind the door, curled up a cold smile.

He killed the horse, and he also hanged the man on the watchtower. He strangled him in his sleep with his own bandit belt, then disguised it as a hanging.

It's a very simple technique, but very effective.

Fear can sometimes be sharper than a knife.

Taking advantage of the chaos, he climbed out of the back window and disappeared into the darkness at the edge of the village in a few leaps.

When we returned to the cave, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

Lin Feng moved the stones and crawled into the cave. Su Wanyue had already woken up and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was him.

"Lin Engong, are you...are you alright?"

"It's alright." Lin Feng sat down. "Let's go now."

Morning light filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the rugged mountain path.

The two had been walking for more than an hour and were not far from the exit of the mountain.

The journey was unusually peaceful; we didn't encounter any bandits searching the mountains, and even the sounds of birds and animals were rare.

"Benefactor Lin," Su Wanyue suddenly stopped, turned to look at him, her face showing hesitation.

"The exit from the mountain is just ahead. I... I can get back by myself. Don't bother seeing me off."

"Send them to the official road." Lin Feng's tone left no room for argument.

After burning another incense stick, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

In the distance, fields, villages, and the faint outline of city walls can be seen—this is Yingchuan Prefecture City.

"We've arrived." Lin Feng stopped in his tracks.

"If you follow the official road eastward, Yingchuan City will be in twenty li. You know the way, right?"

Su Wanyue nodded, but stood still. She looked at Lin Feng, her eyes reddening again.

"Lin Engong," she said, her voice trembling.

"I don't know when we'll meet again after this parting. Wanyue... Wanyue, do you know where you live? I'll... I'll repay you in the future."

"No need to repay me."

Lin Feng took a small cloth bag from his pocket and put it into her hand.

"There's some loose silver here, let's go back."

Su Wanyue clutched the cloth bag, and tears finally fell.

She suddenly bent her knees and was about to kneel down.

Lin Feng grabbed her arm and asked, "What are you doing?"

"My life was saved by my benefactor. I have no way to repay him, so I can only..." Su Wanyue sobbed uncontrollably.

"Get up." Lin Feng helped her up, let go of her hand, and took a step back.

"Miss Su, saving you was just a favor. Don't worry about it. Go home and live your life well. Just think of it as... a nightmare."

Su Wanyue nodded emphatically, wiped away her tears, gave him a deep look, and turned to walk onto the official road.

After walking a dozen steps, he turned back.

"Lin Engong!" she suddenly cried out, "You...you must stay safe!"

Lin Feng didn't answer, he just waved his hand.

Su Wanyue bit her lip, turned around and left quickly.

Lin Feng stood at the entrance of the mountain path, watching her receding figure until she became a tiny dot and disappeared at the end of the official road, before turning around and disappearing back into the forest.

He still had things to do. The iron ore... this line had to be investigated further.

But for some reason, a strange feeling swept through my mind.

He turned and followed in the direction Su Wanyue had gone.

Dusk. Yingchuan City, Su Mansion.

Su Wanyue knelt in front of the hall, head bowed, listening to her father Su Baiwan's angry rebuke.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!" Su Baiwan slammed his fist on the table, his face turning ashen.

"An unmarried young woman spent the night in a bandit's den! What about her innocence? What about her reputation? Where do you expect the Su family to put their faces?!"

"Sir, please calm down..."

Madam Su wiped away her tears, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but Su Baiwan glared at her and shut her up.

"Calm down? How can I calm down!"

Su Baiwan pointed at Su Wanyue, "The marriage with the Li family is off! This morning, the Li family sent someone to say that your daughter was kidnapped by bandits, and who knows if she's even clean. This marriage is off!"

Su Wanyue trembled and lowered her head even further.

"Tell me! What exactly happened? Did those bandits...?"

Su Baiwan couldn't continue speaking; his face turned ashen.

"No!" Su Wanyue suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with tears, but her gaze was firm.

"My daughter is innocent! It was my benefactor who saved me!"

"Benefactor? Which benefactor?"

"A passing swordsman, surnamed Lin, given name Feng," Su Wanyue said.

"He rescued my daughter from the bandits and escorted her out of the mountains. Without him, my daughter would have already..."

"Surname Lin? Lin Feng?" Su Baiwan frowned.

"Never heard of him. Is he a member of the martial arts world?"

"My daughter doesn't know. But my benefactor is highly skilled in martial arts, an upright man, and certainly not a bad person."

"Highly skilled in martial arts?" Su Baiwan sneered.

"So what? It's a fact that you were kidnapped by bandits! It's a fact that you were stuck in the mountains! It's a fact that the Li family broke off the engagement! Now the whole of Yingchuan City knows this. How am I supposed to face anyone after this!"

Su Wanyue's face turned pale, she bit her lip and stopped talking.

Madam Su cried, "My lord, what's the use of saying all this now? It's already a blessing that Yue'er is back safe and sound. As for the Li family... let them go. They are so heartless and ungrateful; it's better not to marry into their family at all!"

"What do you know!" Su Baiwan retorted angrily.

After a long while, Su Baiwan sighed and slumped down, saying, "That's enough. It's too late to say anything more. Yue'er, go back to your room and rest. Don't go out for the next few days."

"Yes."

Su Wanyue responded softly, stood up, and staggered out of the main room.

Back in her room, she closed the door, leaned against it, and slowly slid down to sit on the floor. Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.

She knew she had become the laughingstock of Yingchuan City.

Lin Engong...where are you now?

That afternoon, Su Baiwan suddenly summoned her to his study.

Besides his parents, there was also a middle-aged woman he didn't know in the study.

"Moon, this is Matchmaker Wang," Su Baiwan said.

"Aunt Wang has a family that doesn't mind your situation and is willing to marry you."

Su Wanyue's body stiffened.

"Mr. Liu, who runs a silk shop in the west of the city, is forty-eight years old this year. His first wife passed away last year, and he wants to remarry. Mr. Liu said he doesn't mind Miss Su's situation," Matchmaker Wang said with a smile.

Forty-eight... remarriage... Su Wanyue's vision went black.

"Moon, what do you think?" Su Baiwan stroked his beard.

Su Wanyue suddenly looked up: "I won't marry him."

"You've gone against the grain!" Su Baiwan slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"I'm telling you, you have no choice but to marry into this family!"

Su Wanyue slumped to the ground, her face ashen.

A hint of smugness flashed in Wang the matchmaker's eyes as she stood up and said, "Then this old woman will go back to deliver the good news. Master Su, Madam Su, please wait."

She walked away, swaying her hips.

Only the family of three remained in the study.

Madam Su held her daughter and wept bitterly, while Su Baiwan, his face ashen, slammed the door and left.

At night, Su Wanyue sat by the window, looking at the cold moon in the sky, clutching the small cloth bag in her hand.

Inside the cloth bag were the spare change Lin Feng had given her for the journey that day.

She stroked the broken silver pieces, a wave of despair washing over her.

Am I really going to marry that fifty-year-old man and spend the rest of my life with him?

No, she would rather die.

She got up, took out a pair of scissors from her vanity case, and aimed them at her heart.

But my hands are shaking, and I can't bring myself to do it.

Suddenly, a very faint "tap" sound came from outside the window, like a pebble falling on a tile.

Startled, she looked up and saw a dark shadow drift into the window like a falling leaf, landing silently.