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

"You..." Lin Feng's throat went dry. "Aren't you afraid I'll hand you over to the imperial court?"

Xiao Jue suddenly laughed. This time, his smile contained a hint of relief, but also a touch of mockery.

"To whom? Li Songyao? He'll only see this as a golden opportunity to wipe out me and my old subordinates, then seize the power he desires and become even more ruthless. As for the people in this valley, they'll likely suffer collateral damage. General Lin, you're a smart man; you should know that sometimes the laws of the court cannot guarantee justice for the people."

He stood up, walked to the window, and his figure appeared somewhat lonely and aloof in the bamboo shadows.

"That's all I have to say. The tea has gone cold; I'll get you two a fresh cup of hot tea, and then I'll see you out of the valley. Five li to the southeast outside the valley, there's a hunter's path that connects to the main road and is relatively safe."

Lin Feng's heart was filled with turmoil.

The Prince Jing before me is more complex than I could have imagined. He is not an innocent saint; he has a shameful past, unresolved old debts, and hidden dangers caused by his soft heart and indulgence. But he is not a pure demon either; he is trying to break free from the shadows of the past and attempting to atone for his sins and protect others in his own way.

"Those women in white..." Lin Feng looked downstairs, where a young girl was carefully bottling up a prepared ointment.

"Most of them are unfortunate people whom we have rescued and taken in in recent years."

Xiao Jue followed his gaze, her eyes softening.

"Here, they learn medicine, literacy, farming, and needlework, living off their own hands. I teach them some basic skills, just to help them strengthen themselves and protect themselves. They respect me, perhaps because I gave them a new life, but what they cherish even more is the life they lead in this valley, supporting each other and relying on their own efforts."

He paused, then said, "This has nothing to do with romantic love. Here, they are first and foremost human beings, and only then are they women."

Lin Feng remained silent for a long time. He recalled Su Wanyue's past experiences and the hardships women faced in this world. This valley might truly be their paradise in despair.

"I will check it out."

Lin Feng stood up and looked sharply at Xiao Jue.

"If what you say is true, I will deal with what those former subordinates did. But if you are hiding something, or are still secretly manipulating things..."

"I'm ready to serve you anytime."

Xiao Jue calmly accepted the offer and handed over an ordinary bamboo plaque with only the character "Xiao" engraved on it.

"If anything happens, or if there is a result, someone can take this token to the 'Huichuntang' pharmacy, which is three miles outside the valley. The shopkeeper will inform them. Although I do not want to get involved in any more disputes, it is my duty to clean up the mess I left behind."

Lin Feng took the bamboo plaque; it felt slightly cool to the touch.

Xiao Jue served them fresh tea, which they drank silently. The tea had a slightly bitter taste, but a lingering sweet aftertaste.

He escorted them to the valley entrance, where the two sword-wielding women remained standing silently. Xiao Jue stopped, no longer wishing to see them off.

"Take care." He nodded slightly to Lin Feng and Su Wanyue, his gaze still clear.

Lin Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute, gave him a deep look, then turned and pulled Su Wanyue into the forest.

After walking quite a distance, Su Wanyue asked in a low voice, "Husband, do you believe him?"

Lin Feng turned back, gazing towards the valley now hidden by trees, and slowly shook his head: "I don't know. But he... is very different from what I thought."

He gripped the bamboo plaque tightly in his hand.

It is more like a complex and unspeakable testimony left behind by a soul after struggling and drifting.

Emerging from the secluded valley, the forests grew denser.

Lin Feng, holding Su Wanyue's hand, followed the southeast direction pointed out by Xiao Jue and hurried for about an hour. Sure enough, they found a small path hidden behind bushes, where traces of people could be vaguely seen.

The road was rough, but barely passable.

Su Wanyue was panting heavily, her face covered in fine beads of sweat.

Lin Feng stopped and said, "Let's take a break."

The two sat down on a large rock by the roadside.

Before long, a covered mule cart came swaying along. The driver was a thin, dark-skinned old man in his fifties, and the cart was piled with mountain goods and furs. Judging from his attire, he was a porter who delivered goods up the mountain.

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, then pulled Su Wanyue to her feet.

The old man was taken aback when he saw them and asked, "You two...where did you come from? What are you doing in this desolate wilderness?"

"Father-in-law," Lin Feng said, clasping his hands in a fist salute, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible.

My wife and I were returning from visiting relatives when we were ambushed by bandits. We managed to escape, but we got lost and lost our luggage and horses. We don't know if there are any villages or towns ahead where we can rest and regroup?

"Have we been attacked by bandits?" The old man exclaimed in surprise, looking them up and down.

Seeing that Lin Feng's sleeves were indeed torn and Su Wanyue's hair was disheveled, she began to believe him somewhat and sighed, "These days are not peaceful. If you walk another seven or eight li, there's a place called 'Kaoshantun'. See if any family has a spare room; you should be able to stay there for a day or two."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir," Lin Feng said, but then asked, "Where are you headed, sir? If it's on your way, could you give my wife and me a ride? We'd be happy to pay you."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "I'm going back to Kaoshantun anyway. Get in the car."

The mule cart traveled for another hour or so, and as the sun began to set, they arrived at Kaoshantun.

The old man contacted Village Chief Chen and got a detached house.

Lin Feng tidied up the house quickly, while Su Wanyue started a fire and cooked porridge in an earthenware pot. The two ate a simple dinner with some pickled vegetables.

At night, the mountain wind howled, and the earthen bed was covered with only a thin layer of dry straw, without even a quilt.

Su Wanyue curled up next to Lin Feng, covered with the only outer robe the two of them shared, but still felt a little cold.

"I'm sorry to have to put you through this," Lin Feng said softly. The dignified eldest daughter of the Su family was now living with him in such a humble abode.

Su Wanyue shook her head and leaned closer to him: "I'm not wronged. With you here, anywhere is home."

Silent all night.

The next morning, Lin Feng dressed himself up, looking like an ordinary hunter or woodcutter. He gave Su Wanyue a few instructions, then left the village alone and headed towards the nearest market town outside the mountains—"Qingshi Town".

The town is small, but it's quite lively because it's a distribution center for mountain products from several nearby villages.

He bought some grain, salt, a small iron pot, and two coarse cloth quilts in the town, and also bought Su Wanyue a set of ordinary coarse cloth clothes and a headscarf.

As he passed the pharmacy, a thought struck him, and he went inside.

Lin Feng's gaze swept across the medicine cabinet, and suddenly he noticed an inconspicuous mark in the corner—a very faint, simple cloud pattern, quite different in style from the "Xiao" character on the bamboo tag Xiao Jue had given him. Could it be...?

Is it a mark of Prince Jing's former subordinates?

He bought a random dose of medicine.

Lin Feng paid the money, picked up the medicine packet, and asked casually, "By the way, shopkeeper, is there a carriage company in this town? I'd like to hire a carriage to go north."

"A carriage company?" The shopkeeper shook his head. "We don't have those in our small town. If you want to hire a carriage, you'll have to ask Liu's Goods Store at the east end. They sometimes have carriages delivering goods, and they might be able to give you a ride."

"Thank you." Lin Feng took the medicine and turned to leave the pharmacy.

He strolled to the east of the town. Sure enough, he saw a large storefront with a faded blue banner hanging at the entrance that read "Liu's Storehouse".

Two mule carts were parked at the entrance of the warehouse, and several workers were loading and unloading goods.

Lin Feng observed from a distance for a while and found that in addition to the shop assistants, there were also some strong men who did not look like ordinary merchants or porters. They had wary eyes and bulging pockets at their waists.

Occasionally, the side door of the warehouse would open, and someone would carry out long wooden crates covered tightly with tarpaulins and load them onto a mule cart.

Judging from how hard the workers struggled to move it, the contents inside must be quite heavy.

Weapons? Or... ore?

Lin Feng's mind was filled with suspicion. This Liu's Goods Store was probably not simple. Could it be that the old forces that Xiao Jue had mentioned, which had "gone out of control," were active in this Qing Shi Town?

Suddenly, a man who looked like a manager walked out of the warehouse and shouted at a man squatting by the door smoking, "Zhao San! Stop dawdling! Hurry up and load that cart of 'mountain goods' in the back. It needs to be delivered to the usual place before dark! If you're late, you'll be in big trouble!"

The man named Zhao San quickly stubbed out his cigarette and urged his assistant to speed up the work.

Lin Feng decided to follow along.

The mule cart left the town but did not take the main road. Instead, it turned onto a more remote path leading into the deep mountains.

Lin Feng's doubts deepened. This was no ordinary delivery route.

After following for about ten miles, a fork in the road appeared ahead. The mule cart went straight to the left, and the road seemed to lead to a valley.

Suddenly, I heard a very faint sound behind me—the sound of a dry branch snapping underfoot!

A sudden sense of danger arose in his mind, and without hesitation, he lunged forward and rolled to the side!

"call out!"