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

Although Xie Wanqing was startled, she remained calm. She was already on guard and quickly retreated. At the same time, she flipped her wrist, and the short sword she kept close to her body slid into her palm to parry the attacking weapon!

"Clang!" The metal clashed, sparks flew.

In the instant of close combat, Xie Wanqing used the momentum to float back several steps, creating distance between herself and the dark figure, and also saw the other party clearly—a short and stocky man dressed in black water armor, soaking wet, holding a Fen Shui Emei dagger in his hand, his face covered with a black cloth, only revealing a pair of fierce eyes.

The man in black missed his first attack. Upon seeing Xie Wanqing, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which quickly turned into ruthlessness. With a low shout, he pounced again, his Emei dagger transforming into countless cold stars, stabbing her throat, heart, and lower abdomen with ruthless speed.

Xie Wanqing wielded her short sword swiftly, the sword light like a curtain, deflecting all the attacks.

Her swordsmanship was light and swift, completely different from her opponent's hard and straightforward moves, and for a time they were evenly matched.

But the woodshed was cramped, and she dared not make too much noise, lest she alert the guards outside the courtyard, thus hindering her actions. The man in black, however, was clearly intent on killing her with every move, wanting to finish her off as quickly as possible.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Xie Wanqing asked in a low voice while fighting.

The man in black didn't answer, and his attack intensified. Xie Wanqing was gradually forced into a corner, her heart filled with anxiety.

Suddenly, she smelled a pungent sulfurous and fishy odor!

Did they poison the well water? Or... did they trigger something?

We can't delay any longer! Xie Wanqing gritted her teeth, parried the blow aimed at her heart with her short sword, and with lightning speed, pulled out a few copper coins from her pocket and threw them forcefully out of the woodshed door!

The copper coin traced several arcs before striking the pillars outside the door, making several crisp "clang" sounds!

"Who goes there?!" The two guards who had been feigning sleep at the gate were instantly awakened, drew their swords, and charged toward the woodshed.

The man in black paled at the sound, realizing his presence had been exposed. He feinted, forcing Xie Wanqing back, then turned and plunged headfirst into the abandoned well filled with yellowish water! With a "plop," water splashed everywhere, and his figure vanished.

"Halt!" The guards rushed to the door and saw Xie Wanqing standing there with her sword in hand, her face pale. The woodshed was in a mess, and the abandoned well was dripping with water.

"Miss Xie! What happened?" the guard asked urgently, while scanning the surroundings warily.

"There's...there's a spy! They sneaked in through this well, fought me just now, and then jumped into the well to escape!"

"The well water is strange," Xie Wanqing gasped, pointing to the abandoned well. "It's likely been poisoned or tampered with!"

The guards were alarmed, and one of them immediately blew a warning bamboo whistle, the sharp sound piercing the night sky.

The other person cautiously approached the well to examine it. The well water was murky and yellowish, with bubbling bubbles and a pungent, nauseating smell.

The moment the whistle blew, the silent garrison was instantly awakened. Soldiers patrolling the inner courtyard, the front courtyard, and even the nearby areas rushed over armed.

Lin Feng, who hadn't slept well, immediately donned his armor and drew his sword upon hearing the whistle, rushing over with his personal guards Han Tao, Lei Bao, and Yan Qing.

"What's going on?" Lin Feng's gaze swept over Xie Wanqing, who stood with her sword in hand and whose hair was slightly disheveled, and then looked at the abandoned well that was filled with yellow water. His eyes suddenly turned cold.

"Reporting to the garrison! A spy has infiltrated this well, intending to harm Miss Xie, but was repelled by her and escaped by jumping into the well! The well water is strange; it may have been tampered with!" the guard quickly reported.

"Fetch water!" he said in a deep voice.

A soldier carefully drew half a bucket of water from the well using a long pole. The water in the bucket was dark yellow and murky, with a thin, oily film floating on the surface, and the pungent smell of sulfur and fishiness was even stronger.

"Where does this well lead?" Lin Feng asked.

An old soldier said in a trembling voice, "Commander, this well... was dug many years ago. It connects to several main underground canals in the city, and is also vaguely linked to the underground water veins in the direction of 'Wild Wolf Gully' outside the city. If the well water is contaminated, I'm afraid... the water supply to other wells in the city, and even some of the underground canals, will be affected!"

The city's water supply! Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. The defense of a city hinges on its food and water supplies; if the water supply were to be contaminated on a large scale, morale would collapse! The city would crumble without a fight!

"Seal this well immediately! Send men to thoroughly investigate all wells, springs, and underground channels in the city! Stop drawing water from any well connected to this one immediately, and erect warning signs!"

Lin Feng sternly ordered, "Han Tao, you personally lead men to inspect all water tanks and water bags in the city to ensure drinking water safety! Yan Qing, lead men to follow the hidden channels to see if you can find the spies and determine if they have tampered with other water sources!"

"yes!"

"Lei Bao, strengthen security throughout the prefecture and the entire city, especially at water sources, granaries, and armories! Any further negligence will result in your execution!"

"yes!"

The group accepted the order and set off in different directions.

Lin Feng's gaze fell on Xie Wanqing: "Miss Xie, why are you here so late at night? And how did you discover the spy?"

Xie Wanqing composed herself and briefly recounted how she heard the strange noise, came to investigate, fought with the man in black, and threw money as a warning.

"Do you have any way to alleviate or purify this pollution?" Lin Feng asked in a deep voice.

Xie Wanqing frowned in thought: "A large amount of lime is needed to neutralize the toxicity, then activated charcoal is used to absorb the impurities, and finally, the mixture is allowed to settle. This may alleviate the problem."

"Lime, charcoal..."

Lin Feng instructed his personal guards, "Immediately go to the warehouse and allocate all the lime and charcoal, distributing them to each camp and the wells in the city! Have Shen Qingyi lead a team to instruct them on how to purify the water! Also, send people outside the city to find new, clean water sources as much as possible!"

"yes!"

"Thanks to you tonight," Lin Feng said.

Xie Wanqing spoke up: "They are so familiar with the city's waterways, able to infiltrate quietly and act with precision, perhaps... they have accomplices in the city, or perhaps they already have an inside agent who has drawn up a detailed map of the waterways. General, you need to be extra careful, especially... those in charge of the city's civil engineering and water management."

Waterworks… Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. The waterworks of Ironwall City had always been managed by a few elderly residents, the head of whom was an old official surnamed Chen, whose family had lived there for generations and knew the city's waterways intimately. Could this person… be him? Or someone else entirely?

Lin Feng turned to one of his personal guards and said:

"Send men to 'invite' all the officials and craftsmen in charge of water management and civil engineering in the city to the garrison headquarters for separate questioning and verification of the records of recent canal repairs and well digging! Especially that old clerk Chen!"

"yes!"

The atmosphere in the main hall of the garrison was as heavy as iron.

Lin Feng sat in the main seat, with Han Tao, Lei Bao, Yan Qing, and seven or eight old officials and craftsmen from the city's water and civil engineering departments who had been "invited" overnight. The leader was an old official named Chen, with gray hair and beard and a hunched back. He was standing trembling, his face full of fear and unease.

"Uncle Chen," Lin Feng's voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of impending doom.

"You have been in charge of water affairs in Ironwall City for forty years. You should know every open and hidden canal, well and spring in the city like the back of your hand. Last night, the abandoned well in the west courtyard and the well in the east camp were poisoned and contaminated. Furthermore, a newly dug branch canal was discovered in the underground canal, leading directly to the water source of the military camp. What is your explanation for this?"

Old Chen knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "Your Excellency, please understand! I have lived here for generations; how could I have done such a heinous thing, harming my fellow villagers! I am indeed familiar with the city's waterways, but that abandoned well in the west courtyard has been sealed for many years; its walls are rotten and it no longer connects to the external channels. The underground channels of the wells in the east camp were personally reinforced by me three years ago; there are absolutely no detours! Last night's events... I truly knew nothing about them!"

"I don't know?" Lei Bao roared. "Those newly dug marks of earth and stones in the culvert, did they grow there on their own? And that 'Mountain Spirit' bronze plaque, did it just fall in out of thin air?"

"I...I really don't know!" Old Chen kowtowed to the ground.

"Since the Di Rong besieged the city, my disciples and I have been patrolling the waterways day and night, not daring to slacken our efforts in the slightest. If there are any newly dug traces, there is no way we wouldn't know! Unless... unless someone can bypass our patrols and knows the course of the underground channels better than I do..."

Could someone be more familiar with the underground canals than a veteran official who has been in charge of water affairs for forty years? Is that even possible? The crowd looked at each other in disbelief.

"Uncle Chen," Yan Qing suddenly spoke, his voice cold, "you just said that the abandoned well in the west courtyard is no longer connected to the outer canal. But last night, the thieves did sneak into the well and escape, and the well water was also contaminated. What does this mean?"

Old Chen was taken aback, muttering, "Impossible... That well... was abandoned and sealed off back then because the well wall collapsed, blocking the connection to the underground canal. Unless... unless someone from the outside reopened the blockage, or even... secretly diverted the water to another source..."

Suddenly, he realized something, and his expression changed drastically. "Could it be... that after the Jing... after that incident, several abandoned secret passages in the city were...?"

"Jing what? What change? What secret passage?" Lin Feng keenly seized on the pause in his words.