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

As the dark figure threw out the "Crimson Flame Thunder," Feng Ling's soft sword pierced his ribs. With a muffled groan, the shockwave and recoil from the explosion sent him flying like a kite with a broken string, plunging further into the icy lake. After a few splashes, he fell silent.

The aftershocks of the explosion quickly subsided. The warm pavilion was half-ruined, and the air was filled with the smell of burning and sulfur. Some bloodstains and fragments of clothing floated on the lake, but the dark figure had already sunk to the cold lake bottom and disappeared without a trace.

Lin Feng, Feng Ling, Feng Jue, and Mo Xuan gathered at the lakeside. Chen Heng also arrived with his guards upon hearing the news.

"Are they from the 'Golden Hook Sect'?" Chen Heng looked at the lake, his face grim.

"Judging from his skills and hidden weapons, he's at least at the 'Silver Hook' level." Mo Xuan said in a deep voice, walking to the lakeside and carefully examining the floating fragments and bloodstains. "This person has extremely high lightness skills and is skilled in using poison darts and 'Crimson Flame Thunder.' He should be from the 'Shadow Hook' branch of the 'Golden Hook Sect,' which specializes in assassination and sabotage."

The Golden Hook Sect, as expected, refused to give up and dispatched even higher-ranking assassins. "How did he infiltrate the mansion? Chen Heng, immediately take men and search the entire mansion, especially the lakeside and the area around the west wing! See if there are any other signs of infiltration or clues about an inside agent!"

"Yes!" Chen Heng immediately led his men there.

"Although this person is dead, the Golden Hook Sect will not give up." Feng Ling's face paled even more. "Moreover, they even used the 'Crimson Flame Thunder,' it seems they are determined to succeed."

The "Crimson Flame Thunder" is the signature firearm of the "Crimson Abyss," and its appearance in the hands of the Golden Hook Sect assassins speaks volumes. It's likely that the Earth Fire or Lin King have become increasingly allied with the Golden Hook Sect.

Mo Xuan looked at the ruins of the warm pavilion and the messy lakeside. "The enemy failed this time and exposed the 'Crimson Flame Thunder,' so they must have a backup plan. The Grand Commander needs to take precautions as soon as possible."

Lin Feng nodded.

Chen Heng's search of the mansion was also intensifying, but finding one or more potential "insiders" among the hundreds of servants, guards, and military officers and officials coming and going was no easy task.

Lin Feng walked to the bookshelf, triggered the mechanism, and the bookshelf slid open silently, revealing a small secret room behind it.

Lin Feng opened one of the iron boxes. Inside were several secret letters, some maps, and... the parchment he had taken from "Earthfire"—a document depicting the "Flame Valley," the "Eye of the Dragon's Fall," and the "Crimson Flame Crystal" mine. He picked up the parchment and examined it carefully again. ...Could these parchment pieces conceal other secrets? Or perhaps, the target was these parchment pieces themselves?

As he was deep in thought, Chen Heng's low voice came from outside the secret room: "Guard, we've made a discovery."

Lin Feng put away the parchment, closed the secret room, and walked out of the study. Chen Heng was outside the door, his face extremely grim, holding a small object wrapped in oilcloth in his hand.

"Found it by the lake... in the crevices of the artificial rock near the warm pavilion. It was half-buried in snow. It must have been accidentally dropped by the 'Shadow Hook' assassin when he was lying in wait." Chen Heng handed over the oilcloth package.

Lin Feng opened it, revealing a small, exquisitely crafted, crimson-gold hook, about the size of a thumb. The hook's body had a beautiful curve, and its tip gleamed with a ghostly blue, clearly poisoned. On the inside of the hook was engraved a tiny, twisted seal script character, "Shadow." This was the identity mark of the "Shadow Hook" lineage of the Golden Hook Sect.

However, what attracted Lin Feng's attention was not the "Shadow Hook" itself, but the oilcloth that wrapped it. The oilcloth was of ordinary material, but on it, in some dark brown liquid that resembled blood, was drawn a very simple symbol in a crooked manner—three wavy lines with a circle on top.

Lin Feng had seen this symbol before! It had been painted with a similar dark red pigment on the edge of a page in the eerie leather book "Earth Fire"! The annotation in the translation of "Wind and Rain Tower" at the time was: symbolizing "water" and "eye", possibly related to some ancient sacrificial site or observation mark.

Why would the "Shadow Hook" assassin have an oilcloth with this symbol drawn on it? What does this symbol point to? Or does it signify something else?

"Guard, this..." Chen Heng also saw the symbol. Although he didn't understand its meaning, he felt it was strange.

Lin Feng stared at the symbol, his doubts deepening. The Golden Hook Sect, the Earth Fire, the ancient cult symbol, the missing "Earth Vein Flame Marrow"... all of this seemed to be subtly connected by an invisible thread.

"Don't make this public." Lin Feng carefully put away the oilcloth and the "Shadow Hook." "Continue to strengthen security. Also, have Lei Bao send out more scouts to expand surveillance around Fulong Ridge, especially the ruins of the 'Dragon's Eye.' Report immediately if any suspicious persons approach!"

"yes!"

Chen Heng accepted the order and left.

Late at night, the study of the Grand Commander's Mansion was brightly lit by candlelight.

Lin Feng unfolded the oilcloth with the "Water and Eye" symbol again and placed it side by side with the rubbing of the leather book "Earth Fire" on the table. Mo Xuan, Feng Ling, Feng Jue, and Chen Heng also gathered around the table, their expressions solemn.

"The three waves symbolize 'water.' The circle represents 'eye' or 'mouth,'" Mo Xuan said slowly, pointing to the symbols.

"In some esoteric religious totems of the Western Regions, such combinations often refer to the 'eye of the water source,' the 'mouth of the earth veins,' or the 'gateway to the underworld.' Considering the context of this symbol mentioned in the book 'Earth Fire,' it seems to be related to a ritual site that requires a specific combination of 'water' and 'observation' (observation, sacrifice)."

"The Eye of the Dragon's Fall is a deep pool," Chen Heng said. "Could this symbol refer to that place?"

"Perhaps not just in one place." The cool, clear sound of wind chimes rang out as her fingertips traced the leather rubbing of the book. "Look here, the symbols are slightly different. There's a dot inside this circle, and there are four waves... They might represent different 'eyes' or different types of 'water'."

"Mr. Mo, with your knowledge of martial arts and geography, are there any places within the Northern Territory that fit the description of a 'special water source' and might be associated with some ancient legend or sacrificial significance?" Lin Feng asked.

Mo Xuan stroked his beard in deep thought, and after a moment said, "The Northern Territory is vast and sparsely populated, with many strange places. Besides the 'Eye of the Fallen Dragon,' there are several hot springs and boiling lakes deep in the Fulong Ridge, all due to active geothermal activity. At the border of Longxi and the Northern Territory, there is the 'Yin-Yang Spring,' one cold and one hot, flowing side by side without interfering with each other, which is regarded as a miracle by the local people. Further north in the bitterly cold land, there is a rumor of the 'Ice and Fire Lake,' whose center never freezes and from which hot steam sometimes rises... But most of these places have extreme environments and are rarely visited by people."

"Yin-Yang Spring... Ice and Fire Lake..." Lin Feng's mind raced, recalling the map of the Northern Territory and intelligence from various sources. With Di Huo and King Lin on the run, they needed hiding places, resources, and a location for some kind of ritual. These places were all possibilities.

"Chen Heng, immediately order Lei Bao to reinforce the 'Night Owl' elite forces and focus reconnaissance on these areas, especially the 'Yin Yang Spring' and 'Ice and Fire Lake' areas. Look for signs of recent human activity. But be sure to remain concealed and avoid alerting the enemy."

"yes!"

With the arrangements made, everyone dispersed to prepare.

Lin Feng sat alone in his study, his gaze once again falling on the symbol of "water and eye." His intuition told him that this symbol was a key to unlocking the current mystery.

"Knock knock." A soft knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."