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

Lin Feng's injuries improved at a visible speed thanks to Qin Yaosou's seemingly ordinary but actually exquisite herbal treatments and the tireless care of the four women.

On the third day after Lin Feng regained consciousness, he felt better and was able to sit up against the rock wall.

Qin Yaosou raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and handed him a prepared pill: "This pill strengthens the body's foundation and clears blockages. Your internal organs have old injuries, and you are deficient in both qi and blood, making it difficult for you to absorb ordinary tonics. This pill can help you. Take one pill daily with warm water for seven consecutive days."

Lin Feng took the dark brown pill, which gleamed faintly, and sniffed it. The rich, intoxicating aroma filled his senses, instantly invigorating his weak and somewhat drowsy mind. He could identify several of the main ingredients, all precious tonics for replenishing qi and blood, removing blood stasis, and promoting new blood circulation; some were even quite rare. This was definitely not an ordinary item that could be obtained casually.

"This pill... is far too precious. I am ashamed to accept it." Lin Feng handed the pill back.

They had only met by chance, and he was already grateful for being saved. To receive such a precious gift made him uneasy, and he also felt that... it was too "coincidental".

Qin Yaosou didn't take it, and said calmly, "Medicinal herbs are inanimate, but people are alive. They are only precious when used in the right place. Using this pill now will be twice as effective. If you feel unworthy of it," he paused, finally stopping, and looked at Lin Feng with clear eyes, "when you're better, do this old man a favor."

They've arrived. Lin Feng's heart stirred slightly.

Indeed, in this world, there is no such thing as a favor without a reason.

"What are your instructions, sir? I will do my best to assist you," Lin Feng said solemnly.

Qin Yaosou did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up a whittled wooden stick and slowly heated it over a fire. Watching the stick change from light yellow to dark brown, he said slowly, "No rush. Let's talk about it after you've recovered. This matter... may not be difficult for you, or it may... be somewhat risky. You can decide for yourself then."

The vague wording only made the matter seem more extraordinary.

Lin Feng nodded, didn't ask any further questions, and swallowed the pill. The pill quickly dissolved in his stomach, and a warm current rose from his dantian, slowly flowing to his limbs and bones, especially to the wound on his left arm and several old wounds on his chest, sending waves of tingling and itching sensations through him, as if something was reviving and growing beneath the dormant soil. His evaluation of Qin Yaosou's background and medical skills rose even higher, and his vigilance deepened.

In the afternoon, Qin Yaosou went out again.

The cave was quiet, with only the faint sound of needle and thread cutting through fabric and Lin Feng's even breathing.

"Miss Yun Yao," Lin Feng suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but very clear in the quiet cave.

Yun Yao paused, raised her head, and looked at him with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Thank you for the attack that day." Lin Feng looked at her calmly.

Yun Yao's cheeks flushed slightly, she lowered her eyelashes, and said softly, "Brother Lin, what are you saying? If it weren't for you and Sister A Yue risking your lives to save me, Yun Yao would have already... It's me who has dragged you down."

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Lin Feng looked at Yun Yao's slender, fair neck and focused profile, recalling her tireless care over the past few days, the trembling of her gripping his wrist in the icy stream, and the silent tears that streamed down her face when she saw him, severely injured and unconscious… This mysterious woman seemed to be quietly integrating into his chaotic and dangerous life in a way he had never anticipated, stirring certain deliberately frozen corners deep within his heart.

"That Prefect Zhou from the prefectural government," Lin Feng changed the subject, lowering his voice, "Miss Yun Yao seems quite confident?"

Mentioning Zhou Wenyuan, Yun Yao's spirits lifted noticeably, and her eyes regained their light: "Uncle Zhou is an upright man, loyal and trustworthy, and he and my father are sworn brothers. As long as we can safely reach the prefecture and see Uncle Zhou, we will surely receive his protection. However..." Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, "The Di Rong people are pursuing us so relentlessly, it's probably not just targeting me, perhaps... it's also related to Uncle Zhou, or even to some recent moves by the court..."

Her words were brief and to the point, but they conveyed enough information. Lin Feng understood.

This is no longer a simple matter of personal grudges or robbery, but involves a higher level of strategic maneuvering.

Escorting Yun Yao to the prefectural capital was far more risky than he had anticipated.

"Don't worry," Lin Feng said, looking at the worry in her eyes. For some reason, he subconsciously softened his voice. "Once I can walk again, I will definitely find a way to get you to the prefecture safely. Old Master Qin also said that this place is well-hidden and the pursuers won't be able to find us for a while. We can take this opportunity to rest and recuperate, and you can also recover your strength."

"Mmm." Yun Yao nodded vigorously, a relieved smile on her face. The smile was so bright and dazzling in the sunlight filtering through the gaps that it made Lin Feng's heart skip a beat.

Just then, the vines rustled at the cave entrance, and A-Yue slipped in silently. She was carrying two pheasants, their feathers bright red, clearly freshly hunted with a hunting fork.

Seeing Lin Feng and Yun Yao sitting opposite each other, she paused slightly. Her dusty face remained expressionless as she silently placed the pheasant by the stove, then walked to her usual corner and began wiping her hunting fork.

Shi Xiu's eyes lit up when she saw the pheasant: "Great! I can make soup for my husband to nourish him!"

Liu Yun also put down her work and happily came over to help process the pheasant.

The atmosphere inside the cave became much more lively because of this "finding".

However, this brief moment of warmth was shattered when Qin Yaosou returned in the evening.

Qin Yaosou returned earlier than usual today, and there weren't many herbs in his bamboo basket, but his expression was more solemn than usual.

He slowly said, "The 'guests' outside haven't left yet."

A single sentence instantly froze the slight warmth that had just begun to rise inside the cave.

"Are they... still nearby?" Lin Feng asked in a deep voice, his eyes sharpening.

"They're not just in the vicinity." Qin Yaosou's voice carried a chill like a mountain breeze. "They're searching the mountains. There are quite a few of them, divided into several teams, with dogs, searching very thoroughly. Judging from the direction they're heading, they're heading towards this mountainous area..."

Lin Feng felt a chill run down his spine.

"I've walked this Western Mountain for decades. No matter where a new group of strangers appears, or where a newly trodden path appears, nothing escapes my eyes and ears." He paused, then added, "Moreover, today, at the foot of Eagle Cliff in the northeast, three corpses were found. Their clothing and appearance suggested they were hunters from the mountains, but the fatal wounds were inflicted by a Di Rong scimitar—clean, swift, and fatal. The time of death was no more than twelve hours ago."

The hunter? Killed by the Di Rong people? Was it to silence him, or because they discovered something? Lin Feng's brows furrowed deeply. The situation was worse than expected. The Di Rong people were clearly determined to find them at all costs, even if it meant indiscriminately killing innocent people.

"How far are they from here?" Shi Xiu asked in a trembling voice.

Qin Yaosou estimated, "The nearest team, at their current search speed, should reach this valley in two or three days at most, if they don't change direction. However," he changed his tone, "the terrain of the mountain wall where this cave is located is special, the entrance is hidden, and there are also water curtains and special earth energy interferences. Even the hunting dogs' noses will fail them when they get close. As long as you don't go out and don't leave any obvious traces, they won't find this place for a while."

But this is only temporary. Once the other party expands the search scope, or adopts a more cumbersome but effective sweeping investigation, exposure is only a matter of time.

A deathly silence fell over the cave. Only the occasional crackling sound of firewood popping from the stove could be heard.

All eyes involuntarily turned to Lin Feng. He was the backbone of this makeshift group.

Lin Feng leaned against the rock wall, his face still pale, but his eyes had regained their usual calm and sharpness. He thought quickly. A direct confrontation was the worst option; in his current physical condition, along with several women, they had no chance against the well-prepared and numerically superior elite Di Rong troops. Relocate? He was still struggling to walk, and Uncle Fu hadn't fully recovered. Moving two seriously wounded men through the forests swarming with pursuers would be tantamount to walking into a trap. Hold out? This cave, though hidden, wasn't a dead end; once discovered, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar.

It seems... there's only one way left.

His gaze slowly turned to Qin Yaosou.

"Old Master Qin," Lin Feng's voice was steady, revealing little emotion, "you just said that once I've recovered, you have something to ask of me. I wonder... what is it? Perhaps I can do my part now in exchange for... further protection from you?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Yao, Shi Xiu, and Liu Yun all looked at Lin Feng in surprise, then at Qin Yaosou. A Yue also stopped wiping her hunting fork.

Qin Yaosou looked at Lin Feng, a hint of "I knew it" flashing in his clear eyes, along with a barely perceptible...admiration. He remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering his words, before finally saying slowly, "This matter is neither difficult nor easy. I need you to go to a place and retrieve something."

"Where? What is it?" Lin Feng pressed.

Qin Yaosou did not answer immediately. Instead, he got up and walked to the deepest part of the cave, where the rock walls were a darker color, seemingly bearing the marks of long-term water erosion. He pressed his hand on a seemingly ordinary protrusion on the rock wall several times in a specific order and with a particular force.

With a soft "click," a seemingly solid rock wall slid inward, revealing a dark cave entrance just wide enough for one person to bend over and pass through! A wind, even colder than inside the cave, carrying with it years of dust and a strange, fishy smell, blew out from within.

Yun Yao and the others gasped in astonishment, covering their mouths. There was a completely different world inside this cave!

Qin Yaosou pointed to the dark hole and said to Lin Feng, "Go down into this hole, about a hundred feet deep, and there's a stone platform beside an underground river. On the platform, there's an ironwood box. Inside the box is something I kept from my younger days. Bring it to me."

An underground river? Hundreds of feet deep? Lin Feng frowned slightly as he looked at the bottomless black hole. Given his current physical condition, venturing into an unknown underground cave was extremely risky.

"Why don't you go and get it yourself, old man?" Lin Feng asked.

Qin Yaosou shook his head: "That place requires a strong, skilled man to go down. I'm old, and if I go down, I might not be able to come back up." He looked at Lin Feng with deep eyes, "Perhaps you can handle it."

Lin Feng was more concerned with another question: "Why does the old man need the contents of that box?"

Qin Yaosou paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Save someone. Save someone...someone who is crucial to this old man. The item in that box is the key to saving her. This matter originally had nothing to do with you. But now, you need a completely safe place to hide until you are fully recovered and the pursuers have retreated. And this old man needs someone to retrieve that item for me. This is a deal."

He put it bluntly: to exchange a dangerous expedition for longer, safer shelter, and possibly even help in fighting off the Di Rong pursuers outside.

Lin Feng stared at the dark cave entrance, feeling the throbbing pain from the wound on his left arm. He glanced at Yun Yao, Shi Xiu, and Liu Yun beside him, their faces filled with worry, and at A Yue, who remained silent but with concerned eyes. He knew he didn't have many choices.

"Okay." Lin Feng nodded, his voice soft but firm. "I'll go. But I need to know more about the situation down there, and I need to make some preparations."

Qin Yaosou seemed to have expected him to agree, showing no surprise on his face. He simply nodded and said, "Alright. Tonight, I will tell you everything I know in detail. I will also try my best to prepare whatever you need."

Night once again enveloped the Western Hills. And the newly opened stone door leading underground deep within the cave, like the mouth of a silent beast, awaited its explorers.