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

The old man glanced at her, a hint of reminiscence seeming to flash in his cloudy eyes: "Little girl, the scent on you... is it the 'Night-Blooming Jasmine' from the 'Dark Fragrance Pavilion' in the south? It's been used for many years, it's seeped into your very bones."

Bai Xiaohe was struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale. This old man actually knew she had used "Night-Blooming Jasmine"?!

Lin Feng stepped forward, shielding Bai Xiaohe behind him, his gaze sharp as a knife as he locked onto the old man: "Just who are you, senior? Please enlighten me."

The old man seemed unconcerned about Lin Feng's hostility, instead observing him with great interest.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Strong bones and muscles, blood and qi like a furnace, and a condensed and unyielding killing intent—you're a good prospect. What's even more remarkable is your clear and upright gaze, and your resolute mind. No wonder... no wonder that kid gave you the bamboo token."

That kid? Bamboo plaque?

Lin Feng suddenly remembered the bamboo plaque with the character "Xiao" engraved on it that Xiao Jue had given him! He subconsciously reached into his pocket.

"Looks like I guessed right." The old man chuckled, feeling a sense of relief. "Bring out that sign so I can take a look."

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, then took out a bamboo token from his pocket, but instead of handing it over, he held it in his hand and showed it to the old man.

The old man squinted at the bamboo plaque, then nodded: "Yes, it's his. After all these years, he still prefers to use such simple things."

He looked up at Lin Feng. "Did he send you?"

"Sort of," Lin Feng replied noncommittally. "Does Senior know His Highness Prince Jing?"

"Prince Jing?" The old man tilted his head, seemingly recalling the title, then chuckled.

"What Prince Jing or whatever. In my eyes, he's just a stubborn, awkward, thoughtful, yet stubbornly naive boy."

His tone was casual, even carrying a hint of an elder's familiarity with a younger person and...doting affection?

Lin Feng's mind raced. The old man addressed Prince Jing as "silly boy" in a familiar tone, clearly indicating a close relationship.

He called himself "the mountain watcher," and seemed to know everything about the movements of the White-Clad Guards, Black Wind Stronghold, and even the Plum Blossom Inner Guards... A startling conjecture came to mind.

"May I ask, senior, are you... the 'Guardian of the Mountain'?" Lin Feng asked tentatively.

He recalled a conversation he had with Bai Xiaohe, during which she mentioned a legend within the White-Clad Guards: there seemed to be an extremely mysterious, ancient being who lived in seclusion in the mountains year-round, guarding something or some secret, known as the "Mountain Guardian."

Even among the high-ranking members of the White-Clad Guard, very few had ever seen his true face.

A glint flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes. He stared at Lin Feng for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter echoed in the cave, causing dust to fall from the stone walls.

"The mountain guardian? Heh heh, I never thought that after all these years, there would still be someone outside who remembers that title." The old man's laughter subsided, and he spoke slowly in his hoarse voice.

"That's right, I am the guardian of this mountain. What I guard is this mountain, and also some old things and old people in it."

He looked at the bamboo token in Lin Feng's hand: "Since he gave you a token and asked you to come, he must have encountered some difficulties, or... you took something you shouldn't have?"

His gaze once again drifted meaningfully towards Lin Feng's arms.

Having said all that, there was no point in hiding it any longer. Lin Feng could sense that although the old man was mysterious and unpredictable, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions, at least not yet.

Moreover, the other party clearly knew a lot of inside information.

"Yes." Lin Feng readily admitted, taking out the black lacquered wooden box from his pocket, opening it to reveal the jade pendant and letter inside.

"This item was a memento from His Highness Prince Jing's birth mother, which has attracted much attention and competition. I obtained it by chance and feel that it should be returned to its rightful owner. Therefore, I have come to return it and would like to ask His Highness about the origin of this item."

Upon seeing the jade pendant, and especially the letter, the mountain guardian finally showed a clear emotional fluctuation.

He stretched out his withered, claw-like hand, as if to touch something, but then stopped in mid-air, staring intently for a long time. Complex emotions surged in his cloudy eyes: reminiscence, pain, and melancholy, which finally turned into a long sigh.

"It's it...it really is it..." the mountain guardian murmured, his voice even hoarser.

"I never imagined that after all these years, this thing would still reappear and cause such a commotion. That silly boy's mother... she's had a hard life too."

He looked up at Lin Feng: "Do you know what this is?"

"All we know is that it is a relic of His Highness's mother, and it is of great importance, but the specifics are unknown," Lin Feng said truthfully.

"Important? More than important." The mountain guardian shook his head with a wry smile.

"This jade pendant was once the beloved possession of a favored concubine of the previous dynasty. After the founding of this dynasty, it fell into the hands of the common people and was later acquired by the family of the 'Mother Consort of Prince Jing' that you mentioned, becoming a family heirloom. It is priceless in itself, but more importantly..."

He paused, then pointed to the letter: "It's this letter, and what this jade pendant represents. The Jingwang Princess's family is not an ordinary official family. Their ancestor was the leader of a highly secretive guard force of the previous dynasty's royal family, possessing clues and tokens about a batch of things that were secretly transferred and hidden before the previous dynasty's collapse... enough to make those in power uneasy. This jade pendant is one of those tokens. And the 'former subordinates of the maternal uncle' mentioned in the letter refers to the descendants of those guard forces who were scattered among the people."

Lin Feng, Su Wanyue, Bai Xiaohe, and Lao Zhao were all deeply shaken. This jade pendant wasn't connected to the secrets of the current dynasty's palace, but rather to a relic from the previous dynasty?!

"The previous dynasty has been overthrown for more than sixty years..." Bai Xiaohe couldn't help but say.

"Yes, it's been sixty years," the mountain keeper sighed.

"Of those people from back then, some are dead, some are scattered, and there are probably very few left who know this secret. But the legend of this jade pendant and the 'treasure' it represents continues to circulate in the hearts of some people."

He looked at Lin Feng: "Plum Blossom Guards, do you know whose people they are?"

Lin Feng shook his head.

"The Plum Blossom Guards are assassins and spies secretly kept by Li Song, the Grand Eunuch of the current dynasty," the mountain guard said, making a startling statement.

"Li Song was particularly obsessed with rare treasures and secrets of immortality. He somehow learned of the rumors about this jade pendant and the treasure, and had been secretly searching for it for many years. Now that the jade pendant had appeared in the world and the news had leaked, he did not hesitate to use the Plum Blossom Guards and even colluded with the Black Wind Stronghold, a notorious bandit, determined to obtain it."

"So that's how it is!" Lin Feng suddenly understood.

No wonder the Plum Blossom Guards acted so mysteriously and ruthlessly; they were backed by Li Song! This also explains why they were able to collude with local officials and Black Wind Stronghold.

"Those white-clad guards..." Bai Xiaohe's voice was dry.

"The White-Clad Guards?" The mountain guardian glanced at her. "The White-Clad Guards were created by that foolish boy himself. Even a large tree has withered branches. Perhaps they've also heard rumors of the treasure, or perhaps they want to use this jade to increase their standing in the foolish boy's eyes, or even... they have other ideas. So they're searching for it too."

He looked at Lin Feng: "Kid, now you understand how much trouble you're in, right? This isn't just a jade pendant, it's a powder keg. Whoever touches it could be blown to pieces."

Lin Feng remained silent. Of course he understood.

Li Song, the ambitious faction within the White-Clad Guards, and possibly other forces lurking in the shadows... This jade pendant is like bait, attracting countless greedy sharks.

"What is the meaning of what you're telling me, senior?" Lin Feng asked.

"What do you mean?" The mountain guardian grinned, revealing his few remaining yellow teeth. "First, for the sake of that foolish boy's keepsake, I'm reminding you not to die in a muddle. Second, you can't return this thing."