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

Lin Feng felt as if he were sinking in a cold, viscous deep sea. Every attempt to surface was met with a heavy exhaustion and excruciating pain throughout his limbs, a pain that felt like being torn apart and reassembled. His consciousness fluctuated between clarity and confusion, like a lone boat tossed about in a storm. He could vaguely hear anxious calls, suppressed sobs, and Qin Yaosou's steady yet undeniable voice directing the feeding, acupuncture, and wiping...

The first thing to recover was the sense of smell. A strong, bitter aroma, a mixture of more than a dozen herbs.

Next came the sense of hearing. Very close by, the sound of breathing.

Finally, there were the heavy eyelids. Lin Feng used all his strength to finally pry them open a crack.

He tried to move his fingers. Good, he could feel them. He then tried to move his body, and immediately felt a sharp, stabbing pain and an indescribable emptiness, causing him to groan and break out in a cold sweat.

"Don't move." A kind, old, and peaceful voice sounded from the side.

Lin Feng turned his head with difficulty. Qin Yaosou was sitting on a flat stone not far from him.

Qin Yaosou's face looked somewhat tired in the flickering firelight, but his eyes remained clear. He was quietly looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze, and a hint of something almost imperceptible...complex.

In another corner of the cave, Yun Yao, Shi Xiu, and Liu Yun huddled together, seemingly asleep, but their brows were furrowed and their faces still wet with tears. A Yue sat leaning against the shadows near the cave entrance, clutching a hunting fork, her head nodding slightly; she was clearly exhausted and had fallen into a brief nap while forcing herself to stand guard. Uncle Fu remained lying in the same spot, his breathing steady.

"How long... have I been unconscious?" Lin Feng asked, his voice dry and hoarse, like two pieces of coarse sandpaper rubbing together.

"One day and one night." Qin Yaosou picked up a bamboo tube next to him and held it to his lips. "Drink some water first to moisten your throat. You took a potent medicine that forcibly stimulated your blood and qi, and then fought and were injured, exhausting your vital energy. If it weren't for your exceptionally strong foundation and strong will, you would probably be a skeleton with your essence burned away by the medicine by now."

Lin Feng took small sips of lukewarm water from Qin Yaosou's hand. The warm water soothed his burning throat and cleared his muddled mind. Fragments of memories from before he lost consciousness quickly returned—the underground river, the viper, the strange insect, the ironwood box, the fleeting glimpse of bright yellow and golden dragon patterns, the violent burst of the medicine's effects, severing the strange insect, the desperate escape…

A box! A Golden Dragon Token!

His gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked at Qin Yaosou, his expression filled with undisguised inquiry and questioning.

Qin Yaosou seemed to see through his thoughts. He put down the bamboo tube, not avoiding his gaze, but instead sighed softly, a sigh carrying a sense of vicissitude and heaviness accumulated over the years. He didn't explain immediately, but instead picked up the ironwood box from behind him.

The box had been carefully wiped clean, removing all dust and stains, revealing the original dark, iron-like wood and the intricate, mysterious cloud and star patterns carved upon it. The lid was open, and the bright yellow silk lining it gleamed softly in the firelight. Lying quietly on the silk was the palm-sized token, neither gold nor jade, with a warm, smooth texture, and carved with a lifelike five-clawed golden dragon coiled among clouds! The dragon's eyes were fierce, its head raised, its claws sharp, and the flowing cloud patterns seemed to contain some inexplicable majesty and power. Beneath the token, indeed, lay a yellowed, torn letter.

Qin Yaosou's fingers gently stroked the cold surface of the token, his fingertips slowly caressing the patterns on the dragon scales. His gaze became distant and complex, as if he could see the distant past through this token.

"You guessed right," Qin Yaosou finally spoke, his voice low and carrying a desolate feeling of reminiscing about the past. "This is not an imperial edict, but the 'Golden Dragon Token.' It is the highest token bestowed by the former Great Chen Dynasty royal family upon a very small number of people with outstanding merits or special status. Seeing the token is like seeing the emperor. It can mobilize some border troops, grant passage to certain forbidden areas, and even... in some cases, it can be used to execute first and report later."

The former dynasty? The Great Chen? Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. The Great Chen Dynasty had been destroyed for decades, and now the Yan Kingdom ruled. How could a royal relic of the former dynasty be found in this hidden cave in the Western Mountains? Why would Qin Yaosou, an old herb gatherer, need it so urgently? And why did he say he would use it to "save someone"?

Seemingly sensing the deeper doubt in Lin Feng's eyes, Qin Yaosou shifted his gaze from the token to the flickering flames and began to speak slowly. His voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry the power to pierce through time.

"My real name isn't Qin Yaosou." His first words were earth-shattering. "My surname is Chen, and my given name is Miao. I am Chen Miao, the last head of the Imperial Medical Academy of the Great Chen Dynasty."

Chen Miao? The Chief Physician of the Imperial Medical Academy of the Great Chen Dynasty?! Lin Feng's pupils suddenly contracted. Although he wasn't very familiar with the official system of the previous dynasty, he knew that the Chief Physician of the Imperial Medical Academy was the head of the imperial physicians, possessing unparalleled medical skills and a prestigious position that only trusted and important officials could hold. How could such a person be hiding his identity and becoming an old man gathering herbs in the deep mountains?

"Sixty years ago, war broke out in the north. The Di and Rong tribes, along with several other groups, launched a massive invasion southward. The Chen army suffered repeated defeats, and the capital was shaken." Chen Miao (Qin Yaosou)'s voice was calm, yet it contained immense sorrow. "At that time, the emperor was only fourteen years old. With a young ruler, the country was in turmoil, powerful ministers held sway, and the generals in the army each had their own agendas. Although Emperor Ai was intelligent, he was powerless to reverse the situation. On the eve of the fall of the capital, Emperor Ai, knowing he was doomed, entrusted his infant brother, Prince Jing, to the two people he trusted most: one was a loyal veteran general who commanded part of the imperial guards, and the other was me, this old man."

His gaze fell once again on the golden dragon token: "This golden dragon token is the token that Emperor Ai gave me. Firstly, it serves as proof of my identity, and secondly... the token itself contains clues to a secret treasure trove of the Great Chen royal family. Emperor Ai hopes that I can protect the young emperor and, with the token and the resources of the treasure trove, seize the opportunity to restore the country, or at least... preserve the last bloodline of the Chen family."

"That old general, protecting the young lord, led a group of loyal and brave men and broke through the encirclement. His whereabouts are unknown; it is said that he fled into the vast mountains of the southwest. As for me, I took this Golden Dragon Token and another secret decree from Emperor Ai and went into hiding. On the one hand, I secretly contacted the remaining loyal men to raise money, food and medicine. On the other hand, I was also searching for that secret treasure trove, hoping to contribute to the cause of restoring the country."

"However," Chen Miao's voice turned bitter, "times have changed, the fate of the Great Chen Dynasty has run its course, and the people's hearts are scattered. The Di Rong have entered the Central Plains, and although they are tyrannical, they quickly colluded with the powerful clans of Yan and established the present-day Yan Kingdom. The hope of restoring the kingdom is becoming increasingly dim. The old acquaintances I contacted are either dead, scattered, or have betrayed me. The clues to that treasure vault have also become elusive due to the passage of time and the changes in the landscape. This Golden Dragon Token has gradually lost its original purpose and has instead become a death warrant. Countless forces, including the Yan court, the remnants of the Di Rong, and the heroes of the martial arts world, are all secretly searching for its whereabouts."

"To evade pursuit, and to avoid implicating the young emperor who might still be alive and other former associates, I had to change my name, disfigure myself (he pointed to several faint, barely noticeable old scars on his face), and hide in these deep mountains and forests, making a living by gathering herbs. I've been hiding for a full sixty years." He looked at his rough, calloused hands, stained with herbs, and smiled self-deprecatingly. "Sixty years have passed, time has changed everything. The former head of the Imperial Medical Academy has become a true herbalist in the mountains. The obsession with restoring the kingdom has long been worn down by time, leaving only the instinct to preserve my life and pass on what the late emperor entrusted to me."

The cave was silent, save for Chen Miao's aged voice echoing through the air, recounting a secret sealed for sixty years, filled with blood, tears, and helplessness. Yun Yao, who had woken up at some point, along with Shi Xiu and Liu Yun, were stunned by what they heard. Even A Yue opened her eyes, her gaze complex as she looked at the old man whose astonishing identity had suddenly been revealed.

Lin Feng's heart was also filled with turmoil. He hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary old herb gatherer carried such a heavy past, being one of the last witnesses and guardians of the previous dynasty's collapse. Sixty years of lurking and steadfastness, all for a promise, a token that might no longer be of any practical use…

"Then, sir, what kind of person do you intend to save with this token?" Lin Feng asked the most crucial question. Chen Miao had previously stated that this item in the box was needed to save someone.

Chen Miao's gaze shifted to another direction within the cave, where Uncle Fu lay still unconscious, his eyes filled with deep sorrow and tenderness. "The one I must save is none other than... the young master's daughter, my adopted granddaughter—Chen tide."

Granddaughter? Chen tide? Lin Feng, Yun Yao, and the others were all stunned. Uncle Fu? No, Chen Miao was looking at... Yun Yao?!

Yun Yao was struck dumb, covering her mouth in disbelief as she looked at Chen Miao, then at the unconscious Uncle Fu, and finally at Lin Feng. Her eyes were filled with extreme shock, confusion, and a hint of... realization.

Chen Miao looked at Yun Yao and slowly nodded, tears welling in his eyes: "Child, that's right. You are not some woman who has fallen on hard times and sought refuge with distant relatives in the prefecture. Your surname is Chen, your given name is Xi, you are a descendant of the Prince Jing of the Great Chen Dynasty, the nephew of Emperor Ai, and the last bloodline of the Chen royal family. Uncle Fu, whose real name is Chen Fu, was a loyal servant who served your father since childhood and was also one of my former subordinates. After your father grew up, he married and had you. Later, when we were being hunted down, I took you, who was still an infant, and we were separated from the group that escorted your father out of the encirclement. I have been raising you in hiding ever since. To avoid being hunted down, I didn't even dare to let you know my true identity. I only told you that we were fleeing healers and were preparing to go to the prefecture to seek refuge with relatives."

"That day, when you were attacked in Linyuan County, my old subordinates, whom I had been secretly following, sent back a message, and that's how I learned that something had happened to you. I followed the trail to find you, and just then I met my friend Lin Feng, who had taken you to an inn, and witnessed the subsequent pursuit. I originally intended to secretly help you, but I didn't expect the Di Rong people to deploy their elite troops, determined to succeed. Seeing that you left the county and fled into the Western Mountains, I knew that you would eventually enter this mountainous area that I was familiar with. So, I waited here in advance and deliberately left some traces to lead you to this cave."

So that explains it! All the "coincidences" now make sense. Why did Qin Yaosou (Chen Miao) appear at such a convenient time? Why did he know this mountain forest so well? Why did he take such good care of Yun Yao (Chen Xi) and her servant? Why did he possess such profound medical skills yet live in seclusion deep in the mountains? All of this is because he is Yun Yao's grandfather, a remnant of the previous dynasty, and the center of this vortex!

"Grandfather..." Yun Yao, no, Chen tide's tears finally streamed down her face. She rushed to Chen Miao's side, tightly grasping his withered hand, sobbing uncontrollably, "Why...why didn't you tell me sooner? Uncle Fu, he..."

"Telling you will only put you in greater danger and render my years of concealment futile." Chen Miao lovingly stroked his granddaughter's hair, tears streaming down his face. "As for Uncle Fu... he was seriously injured protecting you. If he hadn't risked his life to shield you that day, I'm afraid..."

He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and his gaze hardened again: "The reason why the Di Rong people are so relentlessly pursuing you is not only because of your status as a member of the Chen royal family. It's also because they somehow learned that the clue to the last treasure trove, which may contain resources for the restoration of the kingdom and the secrets of the previous dynasty, is related to this Golden Dragon Token and the last bloodline of the Chen family! They want to capture you, force you to reveal the whereabouts of the treasure trove, or use you to blackmail any remaining forces of the previous dynasty."

Chen Miao picked up the golden dragon token, his eyes sharpening. "This token is more than just a keepsake. Its material is special, and it contains a hidden mechanism. Under specific conditions, when combined with another keepsake, it can reveal the true location of that secret treasure vault. The other keepsake was taken away by the old general who escorted the young master (Chen Xi's father). I searched for it for many years without success. Only recently did I obtain some vague clues, which seem to be related to Zhou Wenyuan, the Prefect of Qingzhou. This is why I agreed to let Xi'er go to the prefectural capital to 'seek refuge with relatives.' Firstly, it's relatively safe there, and secondly, perhaps we can take this opportunity to contact Zhou Wenyuan and investigate the whereabouts of the other keepsake."

Zhou Wenyuan? Hearing this name again, Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. The Prefect of Qingzhou, had he also been drawn into the vortex of the previous dynasty's secret treasure?

"I want to save Xi'er, not just to heal her wounds and escape her current pursuit," Chen Miao said to Lin Feng in a deep voice, "but also to completely resolve the hidden dangers caused by her exposed identity and give her a relatively peaceful future. This Golden Dragon Token is the key. My original plan was to wait until Xi'er safely arrived in the prefecture and made contact with Zhou Wenyuan before trying to retrieve this token, combine it with the other half of the token that I might find, and open the treasure vault. I would then take out some resources that would be enough to intimidate all parties or that could be used to trade for peace, and then completely destroy all clues so that Xi'er could live out the rest of her life in peace with a completely new and ordinary identity."

"But the Di Rong people's relentless pursuit disrupted all plans. I had no choice but to use this last hiding place ahead of schedule, and I also had to let you risk retrieving the token." Chen Miao looked at Lin Feng with sincere eyes. "Young friend Lin Feng, I know you are no ordinary person, and I had no intention of dragging you into the quagmire of the past dynasty's grudges. But you saved Xi'er and retrieved this crucial token for me. I will never forget this kindness. Now that my identity is clear, the road ahead is even more treacherous. I have no other request but that you, out of consideration for our past acquaintance, escort Xi'er one more time, helping her safely reach Qingzhou Prefecture and meet Zhou Wenyuan. After that, whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you. As for the past dynasty's grudges and the secrets of the treasure, I will never involve you again. I will take the secret of this Golden Dragon Token to my grave."

His heartfelt words vividly portrayed a grandfather's deep love for his granddaughter and the final steadfastness and helplessness of a former official. The women inside the cave were already in tears, and even A-Yue's eyes showed a hint of emotion.

Lin Feng leaned back on the straw mat, listening quietly and digesting the massive and astonishing information. Descendants of the former dynasty, loyal servants and old men, royal treasures, Di and Rong pursuers, the prefectural governor... He originally only wanted to escort a pair of masters and servants in distress in exchange for the possibility of gaining a foothold in the prefectural government, but he never expected to step into such an unfathomable historical vortex.

He looked at Chen tide (Yun Yao), who was sobbing uncontrollably, and saw the complete trust and attachment in her eyes. He recalled her companionship and care over the past few days. He looked at the aged yet determined Chen Miao, and remembered his unfathomable medical skills and sixty years of steadfast perseverance. Then he looked at Shi Xiu, Liu Yun, and A Yue, whose fates were also tied to his own, and at the unconscious Uncle Fu.

The road ahead is indeed fraught with danger and uncertainty. The Di Rong pursuers have not retreated, Chen tide's identity has been exposed, and the Golden Dragon Token has reappeared, which will inevitably attract the covetous eyes of even more forces. The journey to the prefecture will certainly not be peaceful.

Moreover, Chen Miao promised not to involve him in the grudges of the previous dynasty, only to escort him to the prefectural capital. The prefectural capital was, after all, his next destination for settling his family. Perhaps the Zhou Wenyuan connection could also be utilized.

Risk and opportunity are always twins.

After a long silence, Lin Feng slowly spoke, his voice still weak but carrying an undeniable firmness: "Elder Chen, I have no intention of interfering in the affairs of the previous dynasty. But Miss Yun Yao... Miss Chen, since I rescued her, I should see it through to the end. I will escort her to the prefectural capital and meet Prefect Zhou."

He paused, looking at the Golden Dragon Token in Chen Miao's hand: "As for this token and related secrets, Lin Feng has neither seen nor heard of them today. After leaving this cave, Lin Feng will merely be a guard escorting his employer to the prefecture, Miss Chen will simply be a woman in distress seeking refuge with relatives, and Old Master Chen will remain the reclusive herb gatherer, Qin Yaosou, living deep in the mountains. Is that acceptable?"

Chen Miao looked deeply at Lin Feng, his eyes flashing with gratitude, relief, and a complex understanding. He knew that this young man had made the wisest, yet most difficult, choice: not to delve deeper, not to get involved, but to keep his promise.

"Good! Good! Good!" Chen Miao said three times, carefully putting the Golden Dragon Token back into the ironwood box and closing the lid, as if covering up that heavy past. "A gentleman's promise is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. Young friend Lin, please accept this old man's bow!" As he spoke, he actually stood up to bow.

"Old Chen, you mustn't!" Lin Feng quickly tried to stop him, but the movement aggravated his injury, causing him to grimace again.

Chen tide quickly helped her grandfather up, then looked at Lin Feng with concern.

"Your injuries require at least five days of rest before you can barely travel." Chen Miao sat back down on the rock, regaining his composure as a herbalist. "During these five days, I will use the best medicine to help you recover. The pursuers outside cannot find this place for the time being, but they must leave after five days. I will plan a relatively safe route out of the mountains for you and prepare some medicine for self-defense and to conceal your identities. As for Xi'er," he looked at his granddaughter with affection, "you should also prepare well these next few days. Remember, from this moment on, you are only Yun Yao, an orphan girl going to the prefecture to seek refuge with relatives. You must never mention the surname Chen again, and you must never reveal the Golden Dragon Token and the treasure vault to anyone, not even Zhou Wenyuan. You must be extremely cautious and test them first."

Chen tide nodded vigorously, wiped away her tears, and her eyes showed less of the bewilderment and more of the resilience and clarity that belonged to the descendants of the Chen family.

Lin Feng lay back down, closed his eyes, and began to silently regulate his breathing, feeling the faint energy slowly recovering within his body. The cooling ointment on his injured left arm seemed to be seeping in, nourishing the damaged meridians.

Unbeknownst to Lin Feng, during the day and night he was unconscious, Chen Miao not only treated him but also secretly disposed of the strange insect and viper corpses using special methods, and completely masked the aura of the underground cave entrance with medicine. That deep cave, which held the secrets of the previous dynasty, would once again be sealed by the dust of time, perhaps only to see the light of day again when the next chosen one appears.

At the cave entrance, dawn was breaking, and the mountain wind howled. A far greater storm, concerning the secret treasures of the previous dynasty, the royal bloodline, and the struggle between various forces, was quietly gathering over Qingzhou, and even the entire Yan Kingdom. Their small group was about to step into the eye of this storm.