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

"Ulna is my savior; we must do everything we can to save her. The jade pendant..."

Lin Feng's gaze was deep. "Now it's a hot potato, and also a crucial piece of evidence. We absolutely cannot let Yan Ying get his hands on it, but we also can't let it be destroyed or disappear without explanation."

When Princess Ulolan entrusted the jade pendant to him, she said it concerned secrets of the previous dynasty and was also an heirloom from her mother. What exactly are these "secrets"? And are they related to Prince Jing's capture in the north?

He thought of Xie Wanqing. Did she know more about the past events of the previous dynasty and Prince Jing's past? And Bai Xiaohe, who had once been Prince Jing's bodyguard, had she ever heard of the "Panlong Jade Pendant"?

Amidst her jumbled thoughts, a slight noise came from outside the door. Bai Xiaohe had arrived.

"Brother Lin..." Bai Xiaohe hesitated slightly, "Miss Xie asked me to tell you that her father vaguely mentioned in his notes that when the previous dynasty fell, a royal secret guard seemed to have hidden in the northern border with a great treasure. The token they used was an ancient jade with a dragon pattern. But the details are unknown, it is too old, or it may just be a legend."

Dragon-patterned ancient jade... a coiled dragon jade pendant! Lin Feng's eyes narrowed.

Xie Jingran's notes, along with Princess Wuluolan's words and Li Song's request, all subtly point to the same thing! This jade pendant is probably not just a key, but may also represent some kind of hidden inheritance or power.

"Okay, Xiaohe, you should go and rest too."

Bai Xiaohe nodded and withdrew.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the front yard again, and a guard outside the study urgently reported: "Commander! There's something strange going on in the direction of the post station! Yan Ying's subordinate, Leng Mian, is leading two men towards the West Market, and they're in a hurry!"

The West Market? It's a bustling place with merchants and a diverse mix of people, making it an ideal location for exchanging messages and making meetings.

"Understood. Keep a close watch and see who they contact and whether they pass any items. Remember, just keep watch, don't alert them."

"yes!"

Lin Feng returned to his desk, picked up his pen, and began writing a reply to Zhao Polu.

Some decisions need to be communicated to those in the rear, and some resources need to be mobilized in advance.

At that moment, Han Tao's deliberately lowered voice came from outside the door: "Commander, there's news."

Lin Feng got up and left the study. Han Tao, seeing Lin Feng emerge, immediately stepped forward and whispered, "The brother who was keeping watch reported that Leng Mian took his men to 'Old Chen's Teahouse' in the West Market and stayed in a private room on the second floor for about fifteen minutes. When they came out, the teahouse owner personally saw them off at the door, his attitude very respectful. The teahouse is a branch of 'Chen's Goods Storehouse' in Shuofeng City, and its background… seems to have some connections with the capital, but they are very secretive."

"Are there any other suspicious individuals coming and going around the teahouse?"

"Yes. About half an incense stick later, a man in blue robes wearing a bamboo hat and whose face was obscured hurriedly left through the back door of the teahouse and went into a small inn in the eastern part of the city. He never came out again."

"Well done. Keep a close eye on the teahouses, inns, and post stations. Any further activity from Yan Ying?"

"Yan Ying has stayed in the post station and hasn't come out, but his strongmen have been sent out in several groups to wander around the city, as if they are surveying the terrain or looking for something. Also, two carrier pigeons flew out of the post station this morning, both heading south."

"Understood." Lin Feng instructed in a deep voice, "Allocate some silver from the treasury and, under the guise of 'purchasing,' give some incentives to the shopkeepers and clerks in the West Market and East City, so that they can also help keep an eye out for unfamiliar faces and unusual activity."

"Understood!" Han Tao understood immediately; this meant mobilizing the local informants. Ironwall City wasn't large, and it was difficult to completely avoid the eyes of these local tyrants with unfamiliar faces and unusual transactions. As long as enough benefits were offered, someone would naturally be willing to tip them off.

Han Tao hurriedly left to make arrangements.

Lin Feng turned around and saw Bai Xiaohe appear silently in the shadow of the corridor pillar.

"Brother Lin, Miss Xie from the West Courtyard asked me to tell you that she just remembered that besides mentioning the dragon-patterned ancient jade in my father's notes, there was also a vague record that the leader of the secret guard who carried the treasure when the previous dynasty fell seemed to have the compound surname 'Huyan,' which was not a Central Plains surname. She hadn't paid attention to this matter before, but just now she heard that the garrison commander brought back a seriously injured Di Rong girl named 'Urna,' and suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a 'Huyan' clan among the Di Rong clans, but she didn't know if it was related to this."

Huyan? Ulna?

Lin Feng was deeply shaken! Ulna had never mentioned her surname, and women on the grasslands were usually addressed by their given names. Was Princess Ulolan's mother, the late Khatun, from the Huyan clan? That dragon-patterned jade pendant was a keepsake Khatun left to the princess…

The clues, like scattered beads, were suddenly linked together by the surname "Huyan"! The former dynasty's secret guard leader was surnamed Huyan, and he hid in the northern frontier carrying a precious treasure. Ulna, whose surname is Huyan (highly probable), was the head of the guards protecting the princess who possessed the jade pendant. The jade pendant was a treasure of the previous dynasty, containing secrets…

Could it be that Urna's family is connected to the secret guard of the previous dynasty? Is she a descendant of the secret guard? Is that why she is so loyal to the princess, even willing to risk her life to protect her?

Li Song's frantic search for the jade pendant was not merely for wealth or secrets, but also to find and control the descendants of the "Huyan" secret guards, who might still exist and wield some kind of power.

This conjecture sent a chill down Lin Feng's spine. If it were true, Urna's identity and importance far exceeded his imagination. And did she herself know all of this?

"Xiao He, who else have you said this to?" Lin Feng asked urgently.

"No one knows except Brother Lin. Miss Xie also asked me to pass on the message alone," Bai Xiaohe said.

"Alright. This matter must never be mentioned to a fourth person, including anyone else in the household." Lin Feng's expression was stern.

"Yes," Bai Xiaohe replied and turned to leave.

Lin Feng walked towards the warm pavilion.

However, when he pushed open the door and saw Urna still unconscious on the bed, a thought suddenly struck him—Yan Ying and "Shadow Wolf" both knew of Urna's existence and might even have guessed her connection to the jade pendant.

The next conspiracy or attack may come very soon!

The night was as dark as ink; it was just past midnight.

Inside the garrison's mansion, the lights in the east wing's warm pavilion had long been extinguished, leaving only a single lamp burning dimly in the corner, emitting a faint yellow glow.

Lin Feng, fully clothed, leaned back in the armchair beside the couch, closed his eyes to rest, and placed his long sword horizontally on his lap.

He appeared to be asleep, but his muscles were poised to explode at any moment, and his breathing was long and shallow.

Suddenly, a very faint rustling sound, like a night bird skimming across the roof tiles, came from the west courtyard. Then, a barely audible cracking sound, like tiles being gently stepped on, came from the roof of the east wing.

Here it comes! Lin Feng's eyes snapped open, a cold glint flashing in them, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword.

Almost simultaneously, warning whistles and angry shouts rang out from all over the garrison!

Immediately afterwards, the sharp sounds of weapons being drawn and bowstrings vibrating pierced the night sky!

"There's an assassin!"

"West courtyard! There's someone on the roof!"

"Protect the defenses! Protect the inner courtyard!"

The garrison headquarters instantly erupted into chaos, like a pond tossed with a boulder!

But amidst the chaos, order was revealed. Han Tao's previously deployed sentries, both visible and hidden, reacted swiftly. The sounds of crossbow bolts piercing the air, the crisp clash of weapons, roars, and screams mingled together.

Lin Feng did not rush out immediately, but listened attentively.

The attackers came from multiple locations; there was activity in the west courtyard, the front courtyard, and even on the inner courtyard wall. Clearly, they wanted to spread the attack across multiple points, creating maximum chaos, and this was their main direction of attack…

"Bang!" The window of the warm room was suddenly smashed open, and two dark figures rolled in like ghosts, landing silently. The short blades in their hands gleamed with a ghostly blue luster under the dim light, and they rushed straight at Urna on the bed!

As expected, it was a feint; their main target was Urna!