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

Chapter 357 Goodbye Li Mufeng

As Shen Man stepped into Rongzhou City, the city seemed shrouded in dark clouds, and a sense of oppression washed over her.

The streets were sparsely populated, and those who were there hurried along, their eyes filled with fear.

Most of the shops on the street had their doors half-closed, and occasionally a few shop assistants would peek out from the doorway, but as soon as they saw strangers approaching, they would hurriedly shrink back.

Shen Man was very curious, so she stopped a passerby who looked flustered and asked anxiously, "Excuse me, sir, why is Rongzhou City so deserted?"

The passerby glanced at her in alarm, looked around, and then whispered, "Girl, with your looks, you shouldn't be wandering the streets. Go home right now. If those Japanese pirates see you, you'll be in big trouble!"

After saying that, he bypassed Shen Man's hand and hurriedly ran away.

Upon hearing this, Shen Man was startled. It seemed that the situation in Rongzhou was far more severe than she had imagined.

Seeing that the old man had completely disappeared, she didn't linger on the street and quickened her pace toward the Rongzhou government office.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the government office, they saw a group of soldiers holding long spears, guarding the place with wary expressions.

Just as Shen Man was about to step forward and reveal her identity, a man dressed in armor walked out of the government office.

This person is none other than Chu Zhiyi's uncle, Li Mufeng, who was also Shen Man's martial arts master when she was a child.

After many years, Li Mufeng was still tall and straight, but his once fair and jade-like face was no longer so smooth and flawless. Instead, it was a light tan, which made his already three-dimensional features appear even more profound and resolute.

Sunlight fell on his face, outlining strong, angular lines, as if sculpted by a knife and axe, exuding a mature and composed charm.

This change does not signify aging or vicissitudes, but rather seems like a refinement and sublimation after years of trials, making him appear increasingly resilient and fearless.

"Mr. Li!"

Shen Man recognized Li Mufeng at a glance, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, and she almost blurted out the name.

Filled with shock and joy, she quickened her pace uncontrollably and ran towards Li Mufeng.

She never expected that she would be able to reunite with another master she had not seen for a long time in this Rongzhou government office.

Hearing the sound, Li Mufeng subconsciously turned his head. When his gaze fell on Shen Man, he frowned slightly, his eyes full of doubt.

The woman in front of him had a passionate look in her eyes, but he searched his memory repeatedly and was certain that he had never seen her before.

His hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword, his expression wary, and he said in a deep voice, "Miss, are you calling me? Who are you? I don't know you!"

Shen Man paused, her smile instantly freezing, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

She then remembered that when Li Mufeng left Xiaoyao Village, she was only three years old. Now, more than ten years have passed, and her appearance has changed drastically.

She composed herself and hurriedly said, "Mr. Li, it's me, Man'er! You taught me martial arts when you were a teacher in Xiaoyao Village, do you remember?"

Upon hearing Shen Man's words, Li Mufeng's expression immediately became excited: "Man'er, is it really you, Man'er? It's been more than ten years since I last saw you, and you've grown into a beautiful young woman!"

Mentioning Shen Man, Li Mufeng instantly recalled the time when the Ningguo Duke's mansion was raided and the family exiled. He and his two sons were sent to the remote Fengzhou, where the future seemed bleak and there was almost no hope of survival.

Just then, Chu Zhiyi rushed over with five thousand taels of silver notes, telling him that Shen Man had asked him to bring them to him.

It was this money that enabled them to survive in such a difficult situation.

"Man'er!" Li Mufeng's eyes reddened slightly as he strode towards Shen Man, his voice filled with excitement, "It really is you! You've grown so tall after all these years!"

When Shen Man heard Li Mufeng call her name accurately, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense because of the other party's initial unfamiliarity, instantly settled down, and her eyes also became moist.

"Sir, I never expected to see you here!" Shen Man's voice was choked with tears, the grievances of not seeing each other for many years and the joy of reunion all welled up in her heart.

Li Mufeng looked behind Shen Man and found that there was no one there. He immediately asked her, "Man'er, did you come alone? The border town is a thousand miles away from Rongzhou. How did you get here?"

As Shen Man followed Li Mufeng into the government office, she said, "Sir, I heard that His Highness the First Prince went missing in Rongzhou. I was a little worried, so I came here on my family's eagle."

"Horned eagle? That's an extremely rare and fierce bird of prey. It's amazing that you were able to tame it and make it your mount... You must have had a long journey. Come with me into the government office and we'll talk in detail." After Li Mufeng finished speaking, he led Shen Man into the government office.

Upon entering the inner hall of the government office, Li Mufeng asked Shen Man to sit down and personally poured her a cup of tea. His gaze never left her, as if he couldn't get enough of looking at her.

“Man’er, it’s so good that you can come. Yi’er has been missing for four days. I’ve been sending people to look for him, but we still haven’t heard from him. Sigh…” Li Mufeng’s voice was full of worry.

"Sir, what exactly happened? How many men did His Highness the Crown Prince take to pursue the Japanese pirates? Have the rest returned?"

"In the past few months, we have eliminated a lot of Japanese in Rongzhou. However, just a few days ago, another group of Japanese appeared out of nowhere. They know how to burrow underground and are very skilled. They are very difficult to deal with."

That day, they took advantage of our inattention and secretly sneaked into Rongzhou City, robbed a lot of things, and killed dozens of civilians.

Yi'er led his men to track the Japanese pirates all the way to the vicinity of Mosuo Island. Suddenly, their ship disappeared. Besides him, there were his two guards, Zhimo and Xunyan, on board.

Another ten-man squad that went with him to pursue the Japanese pirates returned that same day.

Shen Man put down her teacup and comforted him, "Don't worry, sir. Leave the search to me. I happen to have a harpy eagle that can carry me on aerial reconnaissance. I plan to ride it to the waters around Mosa Island to look for clues; maybe we'll find something."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Mufeng's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by worry: "The waters around Mosuo Island are fraught with danger. Reefs, currents, and eerie fog—any one of them can be deadly. It's too risky for you to go alone. I'm worried about you."

Shen Man straightened her back, her eyes burning: "Sir, His Highness the First Prince has been kind to me, and now that his life or death is uncertain, I cannot sit idly by."

"And I'm not unprepared. I brought weapons for self-defense, as well as signal flares. If I encounter danger, I will protect myself and send you a distress signal immediately."

As the two were talking, a woman with a slightly protruding belly walked in.

"Husband, weren't you going out to look for A-Yi? Why are you back again... Who is this young lady?"