She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

After settling Meng Zhuo and the others in, Shen Man resumed her busy and fulfilling medical practice.

In her spare time, she would occasionally think of Chu Zhiyi, wondering if his trip to Fengzhou with Xun Yan had gone smoothly.

As for the Ningguo Duke's family, who lived in Shangjing year-round, would they be able to adapt to the humid and hot climate of Fengzhou?

After leaving Xiaoyao Village, Chu Zhiyi and Xun Yan retrieved their hidden horses in Qiufeng Town and galloped southeast.

After the poisoning incident, they dared not eat anything from the inn again. Every time they passed through a market, they would buy extra dry food that could be stored and take it with them to eat on the road.

After a two-week journey and with tremendous effort, they finally found the resettlement area for exiles located on the coast of Fengzhou.

Located on the southeastern coast, this place has an extremely harsh environment. It's only mid-April, and the weather is already unbearably hot. The scorching sun bakes the earth like fire, making one feel as if they're in an oven. The sea breeze is damp and salty, carrying a strong fishy smell that makes it hard to breathe.

Looking out, the coastline is a desolate landscape, barren of vegetation, with only rolling sand dunes and craggy peaks.

The ground was covered with sharp rocks and thorns. Walking on such ground was like walking through a mountain of knives. Every step required caution, and if you were not careful, you could be cut by these sharp objects and bleed profusely.

Water is extremely scarce here. The few remaining water sources have long been corroded by various pollutants, emitting a nauseating stench that lingers in the air, making anyone who gets close feel like vomiting.

In order to survive, people had to walk four or five kilometers to the mountains and forests to find clean drinking water.

Because this place is far from any town, and there isn't even a barefoot doctor in the surrounding area, once you get sick, it's very difficult to get effective treatment, and you can only leave it to fate.

Therefore, this place was left unguarded. The environment was so harsh that once someone was sent here, especially officials exiled from the north, almost none had a chance of survival.

In other words, even if Chu Zhiyi finds evidence to prove the innocence of the Duke of Ningguo six months later, his family may not be able to return to the capital alive.

Chu Zhiyi and Xun Yan searched for a long time by the sea before finally finding the dying Duke Ningguo and his wife on a remote shore.

They built a makeshift shelter here, but it was so rudimentary that it could barely withstand the sea breeze and the scorching sun.

Li Mufeng had disappeared without a trace.

"Grandfather, Grandmother!"

Upon seeing this, Chu Zhiyi's eyes widened in horror, and he hurriedly stepped forward to check on the injuries of the Duke of Ningguo and his wife.

Their once fair faces were now sallow and emaciated, and their breathing was so weak that it seemed as if they might stop at any moment, making one hold their breath in fear.

"Xun Yan, quickly bring me water!"

Upon hearing this, Xun Yan quickly took off the water bag he had brought and handed it to Chu Zhiyi.

Chu Zhiyi then took out a pill from his bosom, divided it in half, and gave half of it to the Duke of Ningguo to drink with water.

As he got closer, he fed the other half to Lady Xue, the wife of the Duke of Ningguo.

After a long while, the Duke of Ningguo slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw Chu Zhiyi, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He said weakly, "Yi'er... why are you here?"

Chu Zhiyi said, "Grandfather, I was worried about you being exiled so far away by the Emperor, so I came here to see you. Grandfather, you've suffered so much, I will definitely rescue you. Why are only you and Grandmother here? Where is Uncle?"

The Duke of Ningguo said with a sorrowful expression, "Your uncle risked his life to go into the woods yesterday to find food for us, and he hasn't returned yet."

Chu Zhiyi's heart sank. He and Xun Yan had walked along without seeing any woods around them.

So he quickly asked, "Where's the forest?"

"About ten miles from here, there is a very deep forest. We passed through there on our way here."

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhiyi immediately understood that they must have taken a different route than the Duke of Ning and his group.

"Is there any danger in that forest?"

The Duke of Ningguo shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Chu Zhiyi decided to first search for Li Mufeng's whereabouts in the vicinity.

He instructed Xun Yan to stay and take care of the Duke of Ningguo and his wife, while he himself mounted his horse and rode in the direction the Duke of Ningguo had indicated to find Li Mufeng.

After riding for about half an hour, a dense mountain forest finally appeared before Chu Zhiyi's eyes.

Because the trees were too dense and the thorns too thick, Chu Zhiyi had no choice but to dismount, tie his horse to a tree, and walk into the woods.

As he ventured deeper into the forest, the thick fog grew even denser, like a giant white curtain enveloping everything around him and severely obstructing his vision, allowing him to only vaguely make out the scene not far ahead.

A sense of vigilance welled up in Chu Zhiyi's heart, and he became even more cautious in his steps.

They were extremely cautious with every step they took, afraid of accidentally stepping into a trap or encountering a dangerous wild animal.

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting came from ahead, accompanied by groans and animal roars.

Chu Zhiyi felt a chill and quickly went over to check.

As they got closer, Chu Zhiyi realized that Li Mufeng was fighting with several wild boars.

The wild boars were enormous, covered in stiff bristles, and constantly emitting low growls, making them look quite terrifying.

Li Mufeng already had several wounds on his body, and blood was flowing down his clothes. It was clear that he was at a disadvantage and was somewhat powerless.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Zhiyi immediately drew his sword and joined the battle, fighting alongside Li Mufeng against the pack of wild boars.

His swordsmanship was like a nimble dragon, each swing of the sword carrying a sharp momentum, as if it could cut through all obstacles in the world.

He moved with light and steady steps, his figure flowing like clouds and water through the wild boar herd, his sword flashing, each strike hitting its target precisely.

The wild boars, which had been arrogantly roaring and charging towards them, retreated in terror when faced with Chu Zhiyi's swordplay, which was like a storm.

Soon, several wild boars were forced to retreat, their eyes filled with fear.

"Yi'er, am I dreaming? How did you suddenly appear here?" Li Mufeng asked, panting heavily, his eyes filled with surprise and joy.

"Uncle, this is a long story. Let's leave here first." Chu Zhiyi helped Li Mufeng and prepared to leave.

However, at that moment, more wild boars swarmed in from all directions and surrounded them again.