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

Upon hearing the voices, Shen Man immediately came out of the house. "Senior brother, you just said that Master has been captured? What exactly happened?"

Shun'er, panting heavily, said urgently, "Man'er, half an hour ago, we were busy in the clinic when a group of men in black suddenly rushed out and kidnapped Master without saying a word. They also left a letter for us to give to you!"

As Shun'er spoke, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Shen Man.

"Who is so bold as to kidnap someone from a clinic in broad daylight..." Shen Man said as she opened the letter.

The letter read in bold: "Ding Man, if you want your master to live, you must reach Liuyun Temple outside Tongan County alone before noon tomorrow. If there is the slightest mistake, I will make sure he dies a gruesome death!"

Shen Man frowned, thinking to herself, if this was really Cui Jinrong's doing, then his actions were far too swift. But besides him, she couldn't think of anyone else.

"Man'er, what did the letter say?" Shun'er asked quickly when she saw Shen Man's worried face.

"My master has been kidnapped and taken to Liuyun Temple outside Tongan County. They told me to go there alone tomorrow, or they would kill him."

"Man'er, why don't we report this to the authorities?" Shun'er said anxiously, her eyes filled with worry and urgency. Her bangs were soaked with sweat and stuck messily to her cheeks.

Shen Man bit her lower lip tightly, the letter in her hand crumpled slightly. After a moment of contemplation, she slowly shook her head: "No, these people dare to kidnap people so blatantly, they must have made preparations. Besides, they specified in the letter that I should go alone. If we report to the authorities, and they discover something, my master's life will be in danger."

Her voice was filled with deep worry, and her beautiful eyes were fixed on the distance, as if trying to pierce through the darkness to find her master.

Shun'er stamped her feet anxiously, twisting the hem of her clothes incessantly with her hands: "But it's too dangerous for you to go alone! Those men in black are highly skilled in martial arts. Today at the clinic, we couldn't even withstand a single move from them. If you go, wouldn't you be like a lamb entering a tiger's den?"

Shen Man gently patted Shun'er's shoulder, trying to soothe his panicked emotions: "Senior brother, don't panic. I know what I'm doing. Master has been kind to me, and now that he's in trouble, how can I back down? Don't worry, I've practiced martial arts since I was a child, and I'm not without the strength to fight back."

Hearing the commotion, Meng Zhuo and Lan Xiang, who were inside the house, also hurriedly came out.

Lanxiang's eyes reddened, and her voice trembled slightly: "Man'er, what happened? I heard you say that Master was kidnapped, what should we do?"

Shen Man took a deep breath and briefly explained the whole story.

After hearing this, Meng Zhuo immediately said, "Man'er, you can't go on this risk alone. We need to discuss this matter carefully."

Shen Man shook her head slightly, her expression resolute: "Uncle, it's too late. The deadline in the letter is urgent, and tomorrow noon will arrive in the blink of an eye. Master is in imminent danger, and I cannot joke with his life."

Lanxiang burst into tears, clutching Shen Man's hand and pleading, "Man'er, you are the apple of my eye. If anything happens to you, how can I live? Let's think of another way, there must be another way..."

Shen Man gently pulled her hand away from Lanxiang's and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Mother, don't cry. I know you're worried about me, but I can't just stand by and watch Master suffer. Don't worry, I will be careful and return safely."

Then she said to Shun'er, "Senior brother, you should go back first. Tell your senior brothers not to worry. I will definitely find a way to rescue Master. Also, you should be careful to prevent those people from causing trouble again."

Shun'er wanted to persuade her again, but seeing Shen Man's resolute eyes, she swallowed her words and could only nod heavily: "Man'er, you must come back safely."

Shen Man returned to the room, quickly packed her belongings, and put in her usual medicine and some dry food. She sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking her sword, silently considering the various situations she might encounter tomorrow.

That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her master's voice and smile kept appearing in her mind, and her worries for him surged like a tidal wave, but it also strengthened her determination to rescue him.

The next morning, as sunlight shone through the thin mist onto the earth, Shen Man got up early, bid farewell to the tearful Lanxiang, and set off alone on her journey to Liuyun Temple.

However, just as she stepped out of the village, she discovered that Meng Zhuo was riding a tall horse, carrying a large knife on his back, waiting for her by the roadside.

“Man’er, I’m really worried about you going alone. I’ll go with you. Don’t worry, I’ll follow you quietly and they won’t find out.”

Shen Man thought for a moment. If the person who kidnapped her master was indeed Cui Jinrong, then if Meng Zhuo went along, perhaps there would be a way to persuade him to stay. So she nodded and agreed.

They traveled non-stop along the way, and by noon, Liuyun Temple outside Tongan County was faintly in sight.

"Uncle, you should stay here to avoid being discovered by them, which would be bad for Master."

Meng Zhuo nodded and found a place to hide the horse.

Shen Man told Wan Feng to slow down, while she cautiously observed the surrounding movements.

The gates of Liuyun Temple were tightly shut, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, without even the sound of birds chirping.

Upon arriving at the temple gate, Shen Man dismounted, took a deep breath, and steadily walked forward, raising her hand to knock on the temple gate.

"Knock, knock, knock," the dull knocking echoed in the silent air, but no one answered for a long time.

She frowned slightly, knocked harder, and called out loudly, "Is anyone home? I'm Ding Man, here as promised."

As soon as he finished speaking, the temple door creaked open, and a musty smell wafted out.

Shen Man looked closely and saw that the person who opened the door was an old man dressed in a black robe. His face was withered and his eyes were deep and unfathomable.

"Young lady, come with me." The old man's hoarse voice rang out, and he turned and walked into the temple.

Shen Man clenched her fists tightly inside her sleeves and followed cautiously behind.

The temple was overgrown with weeds, the Buddha statues were dilapidated, and cobwebs covered the ground, giving it a desolate and ruined feel. The two passed through several main halls and arrived at the door of a meditation room in the back courtyard.

"Your master is inside." After saying this, the old man quietly left.

Shen Man's heart raced. She slowly pushed open the door to the meditation room. The room was dimly lit, and a damp, musty smell filled the air. She squinted, adjusting her eyes for a moment before she could make out the scene inside.

Dr. Yu was seen tied to a chair, his hair disheveled, and his face covered in bruises, clearly having suffered some torture.

"Master!" Shen Man exclaimed, rushing forward to untie the ropes binding Doctor Yu.

Just then, a cold laugh suddenly came from behind: "Ding Man, you actually dare to come!"

Shen Man turned around abruptly and saw Cui Jinrong slowly walking out from the shadows, followed by several men in black who surrounded her in a fan shape.

Shen Man glared angrily, the soft sword in her hand humming and vibrating. "Cui Jinrong, what exactly do you want?"