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

He arrived half an hour early.

Old Ghost, leading his elite night scouts, had already laid in ambush beneath the broken walls, withered trees, and snow, crossbows nocked and poisonous caltrops planted in the shadows, forming a hidden death encirclement.

The wind was biting cold, and time passed slowly.

At midnight, three people silently emerged from the shadows of the temple wall.

The person in the lead was of medium build, draped in a thick gray cloak with a low-hanging hood that covered most of his face, revealing only his sharply defined jawline. He moved with light steps, landing silently, clearly possessing superior lightness skills.

The two people behind them, also cloaked, stood on the left and right, forming a subtle protective formation. They moved silently, like ghosts.

The three stopped three zhang away from Lin Feng. The leader slightly raised his head and sized up Lin Feng.

"Commander Lin, I've long admired you." The voice was clear and melodious, with a touch of the soft tone unique to the water towns of Jiangnan. "Commander, you are indeed a man of your word, coming to the appointment alone, your courage is extraordinary."

"So you are 'Linglong'?" Lin Feng's gaze was sharp as a knife, trying to pierce through the hood. "Where is the person I asked for?"

"The person is naturally unharmed. However, it's only proper to inspect the goods before making the exchange, isn't it?"

"How can I trust you?" Lin Feng sneered.

"It seems the garrison commander has no other choice." Linglong's tone carried a confident air of control. "Your friend's life or death rests in the garrison commander's hands."

Lin Feng stared at the shadow beneath the hood, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, though the smile was icy: "You seem to have forgotten, sir, that this is Ironwall City!"

As he uttered the last word, he suddenly raised his hand and let out a sharp whistle into the night sky!

"Whoosh—smack!"

A whistling arrow shot into the sky with a piercing shriek, exploding into a bright red firework in the night sky!

Almost the instant the fireworks lit up the sky, the rooftops and windows of the seemingly abandoned houses and shops around the City God Temple simultaneously lit up with fire and the sound of bowstrings vibrating!

At least dozens of crossbows, from different angles, locked onto Linglong and her two companions in the center of the open space!

The two guards behind Linglong tensed instantly, their hands already on their waists. Linglong, however, remained motionless.

"Well done, Commander Lin! He's indeed meticulous and has a series of backup plans." Linglong clapped her hands and chuckled, showing no sign of panic.

"However, has the garrison commander considered that if I don't leave this City God Temple tonight, my friend, I'm afraid you really won't be able to come back?"

"Are you threatening me?" Lin Feng's eyes were icy.

"I dare not," Linglong shook her head slightly. "If the garrison commander kills me, will he be able to find your friend? Will he be able to stop Linglong Pavilion from investigating the jade pendant and the underground palace? I'm afraid not. On the contrary, it will completely enrage the elders of the pavilion. At that time, the garrison commander will face an endless entanglement, and... your friend's inevitable death. The garrison commander is a smart man and should know what to weigh."

His tone was calm, yet every word he spoke was piercing.

He was gambling, gambling that Lin Feng wouldn't dare risk Yan Qing's life, gambling that Lin Feng wouldn't want to become mortal enemies with the mysterious and powerful Linglong Pavilion.

Lin Feng's mind raced. The other party was right; killing the three people in front of him was easy, but the consequences were unpredictable.

"If the garrison commander doesn't believe me, he can recall whether he has received any messages from Yan Qing recently, and whether they mentioned the appearance of people from the 'South'," Linglong added.

Yan Qing! It really was Yan Qing! Lin Feng recalled Yan Qing's reply. It seemed that Linglong Pavilion hadn't lied entirely; they at least had some information about Yan Qing's whereabouts.

"Within three days, I will ensure Yan Qing's safe return to Ironwall City, and I will also provide detailed blueprints of the explosives planted by Feng Kun in the Gray Fox tribe, along with a method to counter them, as a bonus. What do you think of this sincerity, Commander?" Linglong offered another generous gift.

Blueprints for the explosives' burial and a method to decipher them! This is undoubtedly a very valuable bargaining chip!

If we obtain this map, Urna's actions in the Gray Fox tribe will be much more effective, and she might even be able to destroy Feng Kun's biggest conspiracy in one fell swoop!

Lin Feng's mind raced. The conditions offered by the other party were undeniably generous. Exchanging a tampered rubbing for Yan Qing's safety and the explosives burial map sounded like a worthwhile deal.

"I can show you the rubbing." Lin Feng reached into his robes and took out the rubbing that had been tampered with.

Linglong nodded and gestured to the guard on her right. The guard stepped forward, took the rubbing, and examined it carefully.

Then he stepped back to Linglong's side and said something in a very low voice. Linglong nodded slightly.

"This is one-third of the overall plan for the underground fire burial site, marking the three main detonation points near the royal court and the direction of some of the fuses. Please inspect it, guard." Linglong took out a small roll of paper as thin as a cicada's wing from her bosom and handed it to the guard.

The guard took it and walked up to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng took it and looked at it in the dim light. It was a simple map of the Gray Fox Tribe's royal court and the old mine area, drawn with extremely fine ink lines.

"I've taken the drawings. Three days from now, at this time and place, I'll bring the rubbings, and you'll bring Yan Qing and the remaining drawings," Lin Feng said in a deep voice as he put away the papers.

"It's a deal." Linglong bowed slightly, her posture elegant. "Then, I'll take my leave."

Having said that, she didn't linger. With her two guards, she turned around and, like three wisps of smoke, silently disappeared into the darkness behind the temple wall.

Official post station.

An urgent document, sealed with the Ministry of War's sealing wax and adorned with three goose feathers, was handed to Zhou Yanru, escorted by several dusty-looking knights from the Beijing Garrison.

Zhou Yanru took the letter, opened it, and read it. His face instantly turned ashen, and his hand holding the letter trembled violently.

"M-Master...?" Yan Ying sensed something was wrong and asked cautiously.

"It's over...it's all over..." Zhou Yanru slumped into the armchair. "Eunuch Li...he's completely fallen...His Majesty is furious and has ordered a thorough investigation of his associates...We are all 'remnants of the Li faction,' and are all included in the investigation...The Ministry of War orders us to immediately remove our imperial envoy's seals upon receiving the decree, with the deputy envoy temporarily replacing us, and to return to the capital immediately; those who disobey...will be punished for defying the imperial decree."

Yan Ying turned pale and knelt down with a thud.

"What should we do..." Yan Ying croaked, his eyes filled with fear.

"What else can we do?" Zhou Yanru said dejectedly. "Pack our bags immediately, hand over the official documents... and return to the capital."

"My lord! We can't go back!" Yan Ying suddenly raised his head, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes. "Going back to the capital is certain death! We might as well..."