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

In fact, Shen Man was preoccupied with the matter of Master Wuyang, so what she saw in the illusion was not the enchanting scene that Chu Zhiyi had seen, but a dark and damp dungeon.

The dungeon was gloomy and terrifying, with water droplets constantly seeping from the walls and dripping onto the muddy ground.

In a corner of the cell, an elderly man dressed in a Taoist robe sat cross-legged, as if he were a meditating monk.

Filled with curiosity, Shen Man quickly stepped forward and asked, "Daoist Master, why are you trapped in this dungeon?"

Hearing the voice, the old Taoist slowly opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them: "Little girl, you've finally come! I've been waiting for you for so long!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Man was startled and quickly asked, "How did you know I would come, Daoist Master?"

"Hmph, there's nothing in this world that I can't calculate," the old Taoist said confidently, stroking his beard.

Shen Man couldn't help but question, "Since you have the ability to foresee the future, why are you imprisoned here?"

The old Taoist priest was slightly taken aback when she asked this question, then shook his head with a wry smile: "Although I can foresee many things, human power has its limits. I had long ago predicted this calamity, but in the end, I was powerless to avoid it."

Shen Man's doubts grew stronger, and she pressed on, "Does the Taoist priest know who exactly imprisoned you here?"

The old Taoist priest sighed heavily and slowly said, "When the Taoist temple sculpted the golden statue of our late master in the early years, it made a promise that the person who made the most donations could make a wish at the Five Elements Temple, and when they needed it, our temple would do its best to help them realize it."

Among those who donated alms back then, the Duke of Xingguo topped the list with 50,000 taels of silver. Some time ago, he sent a message asking me to come down the mountain, saying he had a favor to ask. I always keep my promises, so I went as agreed.

Upon hearing this, Shen Man asked with a look of suspicion, "Are you Master Wuyang?"

“That’s right, I am Wu Yang.”

"Oh, what brings the Duke of Xingguo to come down the mountain?"

Master Wuyang glanced at Shen Man and said helplessly, "What the Duke of Xingguo asked for was that I, under the pretense of teaching the Emperor the Dao of Longevity, give him the poisoned pill."

Upon hearing this, Shen Man gasped, her eyes widening in shock as she exclaimed, "To plot against the Emperor? That's defying the heavens! You surely refused, right?"

Master Wuyang smiled bitterly, “I naturally refused, so he became angry and imprisoned me here.”

Shen Man was furious. "How could he be so audacious? Isn't he afraid of being discovered?"

Master Wuyang shook his head. "Now that he wields immense power, what wouldn't he dare to do?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Man deeply agreed with Daoist Wuyang's words. After a moment, she asked again, "But you are trapped here, so who is that person in the palace?"

Master Wuyang looked solemn and slowly said, "The person in the palace is just a wandering sorcerer hired by the Duke of Xingguo. He is impersonating me and plotting to harm His Majesty in the palace."

That traitor harbors treacherous intentions, plotting to seize the throne. He knows I have foreseen his scheme, so he has imprisoned me here to prevent him from ruining his plans.

"Taoist Master, how long have you been imprisoned here?"

“It’s been over a month!” Master Wuyang replied.

"So, the Emperor might already be taking that fake Taoist's pills. No, we must expose that fake Taoist as soon as possible, lest the Emperor continue to be deceived! Taoist Master, do you know where he has imprisoned you?"

Master Wuyang shook his head. "This place is very secluded, and I can hardly judge it. However, there are often strange sounds coming from this area, like the sound of flowing water or the howling of the wind."

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Man said, "Don't worry, Daoist Master, I will definitely find a way to rescue you. Once you're out, the fake Daoist's identity will be exposed!"

"Little girl, I'll leave it to you then. This illusion can only last for a quarter of an hour, and the time is almost up..."

Sure enough, as soon as Master Wuyang finished speaking, the dungeon in front of Shen Man disappeared, replaced by a misty scene.

"Man'er, Man'er, wake up!"

Hearing Chu Zhiyi's anxious calls, Shen Man slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a secret room filled with runes, while Chu Zhiyi looked at her with a worried expression.

"Man'er, we were just caught in an illusion. I was worried you'd get too caught up in it and wouldn't be able to wake up, so I woke you up. What did you see in the illusion? Are you alright?"

Chu Zhiyi recalled what he had seen, and an unnatural look flashed across his handsome face, his ears turning a bright red.

Shen Man didn't notice his strange behavior and quickly sat up, saying to him, "Your Highness, I just saw Master Wuyang. He was locked up in a dark and damp dungeon."

"What? Master Wuyang is imprisoned in the dungeon? Then who is it that is preaching to Father Emperor in the palace?"

"It's true, he told me himself. He said that a month ago he went down the mountain to keep his appointment with the Duke of Xingguo. The Duke of Xingguo asked him to poison the Emperor under the guise of teaching him the Taoist method of longevity. Master Wuyang refused, and the Duke of Xingguo, in his anger, imprisoned him."

The man in the palace wasn't the real Master Wuyang at all; it was a wandering sorcerer hired by the Duke of Xingguo to impersonate him. The elixirs he gave the Emperor were laced with poison!

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhiyi's expression turned extremely grave. "It seems the situation is extremely critical. If Father Emperor continues to take that fake Taoist's pills, his life may be in danger."

Shen Man nodded, her heart filled with anxiety, and said, "Master Wuyang also said that there are often strange sounds around the place where he is imprisoned, like flowing water or the sound of wind. We must find him first in order to expose the Duke of Xingguo's conspiracy."

Chu Zhiyi pondered for a moment and said, "There are several places near the capital that fit this description. One is the abandoned waterwheel workshop in the north of the city, where the sound of flowing water is constant; another is the Wind Valley in the west of the city, where the wind howls."

However, both places are very remote, and it's unknown where Master Wuyang is being imprisoned.

Shen Man said decisively, "No matter where it is, we have to investigate. Let's go now without delay."

"Well, but Man'er, before that, we need to figure out how to get out of here!"

Shen Man looked around, carefully observing the secret room. Suddenly, she noticed that a brick in the wall was slightly loose. She reached out and pushed it hard, revealing a hidden compartment containing a key.

Chu Zhiyi was overjoyed and searched around for the keyhole, finally finding the corresponding lock next to a stone door. After opening the door, he found himself in a dimly lit passage.

The two carefully made their way along the passage and finally arrived at another exit of the secret passage.

After struggling to climb out of the secret passage, the two found that they had already left the Five Elements Temple and arrived in a mountain forest.

Less than half a mile from here is the road that connects the Five Elements Temple to the foot of the mountain.