Lin Qingya and Ah Man hid in the bushes. Lin Qingya was watching the surroundings with vigilance, while Ah Man held the dagger at his waist tightly, ready to fight at any time. Suddenly, a man in black came out from the bushes. He was agile and light-footed, holding a sharp dagger in his hand, and rushed straight towards Lin Qingya. Lin Qingya was quick-witted and dodged the attack by leaning to the side. She quickly drew the sword at her waist and fought with the man in black.

"Miss, be careful!" Ah Man exclaimed and joined the fight.

The two joined forces to deal with the man in black. Lin Qingya used her mind reading skills to see through the man in black's moves and suppressed him step by step. The man in black saw that the situation was not good and wanted to escape, but Lin Qingya quickly swung her sword and blocked the man in black's retreat.

Seeing that he had no way to escape, the man in black was forced to stop. He raised his head and looked at Lin Qingya, his eyes filled with fear.

"Don't be nervous, I don't want to hurt you." Lin Qingya put away her sword and said calmly.

After hearing Lin Qingya's words, the man in black relaxed his vigilance a little, but still remained alert.

"I am a spy for His Royal Highness Prince Rui. I have been ordered to find the young lady. There is an emergency and you need to return to the palace as soon as possible." The man in black said in a low voice.

Lin Qingya was stunned for a moment. She had never heard that Li Rui had spies, and Li Rui had always taken good care of her, so why would he let her go back to the palace?

"What's wrong with His Royal Highness Prince Rui?" Lin Qingya asked.

"I'm sorry I can't reveal more information, but please believe that this is a decision made by His Royal Highness Prince Rui to protect your safety. I hope you can return to the palace as soon as possible." The man in black said sincerely.

Lin Qingya hesitated for a moment, nodded, and said, "Okay, I understand. You lead the way."

The man in black breathed a sigh of relief, led Lin Qingya out of the woods, and pointed to a path in the distance and said, "Miss, this path leads to the back door of the palace. Please hurry up."

Lin Qingya waved to the man in black, said thank you, and then walked quickly along the path towards the palace alone.

Ah Man followed closely behind, his eyes full of doubt.

"Miss, do we really want to go back? Will it be dangerous?" Ah Man couldn't help but ask.

Lin Qingya remained silent, her heart was full of doubts, but Li Rui's arrangement made it impossible for her to refuse.

"Let's go, it's getting late!" Lin Qingya said in a low voice.

Lin Qingya and A'man quickened their pace and walked towards the back door of the palace.

The trees on both sides of the road are lush and leafy, blocking out the sun. The last rays of the setting sun shine through the leaves, casting mottled shadows in the forest. The air is filled with the scent of mud and grass.

Lin Qingya and Ah Man walked through the woods without speaking to each other, but both were filled with worry.

"You're right. Now we can only take one step at a time." Lin Qingya said in a low voice, staring straight ahead with determination in her eyes.

Ah Man was silent for a moment, but finally nodded and said nothing more.

They quickened their pace, passed through the back door of the palace, and entered a quiet courtyard. The courtyard was full of various exotic flowers and plants, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance, but it did not make people feel lively, but instead revealed a hint of weirdness.

The two walked around the rockery and came to a remote corner, where a half-open stone door appeared before their eyes.

"This should be the entrance to the secret passage." Lin Qingya whispered and kicked the stone door lightly with her foot.

The stone gate made a dull sound, but the pattern did not move.

Lin Qingya's eyes narrowed slightly, and she asked in a low voice: "Aman, can you try to open the stone door?"

"Okay, miss." Ah Man responded and walked forward and pushed the stone door hard, but the stone door remained motionless.

Lin Qingya frowned and whispered, "It looks like this stone door is locked."

"Miss, how about we look for another way?" Ah Man said with some worry, "It's really too dangerous here. If we act rashly, we will be easily discovered."

"No, this is the best way. Do you have any way to pry open the stone door?" Lin Qingya said in a firm tone, staring at the stone door.

Ah Man bit his lip and whispered, "Miss, I have learned how to crack some traps from my master before, but this stone door seems to have been specially designed, and I can't guarantee that I can open it."

"It's okay, just give it a try."

Lin Qingya said, took out a key from her pocket, handed it to Ah Man, and said softly: "Try this, maybe it will work."

Ah Man took the key and examined it carefully. She found that this key was not like an ordinary key. It should be a special key. She asked in confusion: "Miss, this key... where did you get it from?"

Lin Qingya smiled softly and whispered, "This is something I got from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It might be the key to the secret passage."

"Yes, Miss." Ah Man responded respectfully, without asking any more questions, he inserted the key into the lock of the stone door and tried to turn the key.

The stone door made a "click" sound and slowly opened, revealing a dark passage inside.

A damp and cold breath hit my face, making me feel chilled.

"Miss..." Ah Man hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do we really want to go in?"

Lin Qingya's eyes were firm. She did not answer and walked straight into the passage and disappeared into the darkness.