“Hua Rong Dao?” When Qin Wan heard these three words, they felt somewhat familiar. “Is this the story of Cao Xing from the Wei Dynasty?”

At Qin Wan’s question, Qin Shuang blinked in confusion, but Pang Jiayan nodded, “You know about it?”

Qin Wan smiled, “More than three hundred years ago when the Wei Dynasty was divided into three major powers, Cao Xing was the ruler of Wei. He fought a battle at Yan River against the other two powers but was defeated. Legend says the path he escaped on was called Hua Rong Dao, and this story has inspired many theatrical performances.”

Qin Shuang looked at the game board in her hands, “I see, so I need to help this person escape?”

She pointed to a piece in the upper left corner of the board. Pang Jiayan nodded, “Here, let me teach you…”

Pang Jiayan, who usually had no one to play with, was now quite enthusiastic. As she eagerly taught Qin Shuang how to play Hua Rong Dao, Qin Wan’s attention shifted to Pang Jiayan’s box.

Qin Wan couldn’t help but look at the performing puppet dolls, “Did Qing Niang make these herself? They’re truly exquisite.”

Qing Niang smiled bashfully, “This servant only knows a bit of needlework.”

Qin Wan took a few steps toward the window, “How is Madam doing?”

Hearing this, Qing Niang quickly replied, “Madam is much better now. She wanted to thank Ninth Miss properly, but it wasn’t convenient. Madam feels very grateful, and Young Master is also someone who knows gratitude, though these small toys must seem trivial to Miss.”

Qin Wan shook her head as she looked over at Pang Jiayan, who was acting like a little adult while instructing Qin Shuang and sighed, “Third Young Master’s good manners at such a young age show that Madam has raised him well. These little toys are quite lovely.”

Saying this, Qin Wan walked to Pang Jiayan’s box and picked up a puppet, “Then I’ll choose this one!”

The puppet in Qin Wan’s hand was holding a long spear. Though it was meant to represent a martial arts performer from an opera troupe, seeing the spear reminded Qin Wan of her first encounter with Yan Chi that night…

“Thank you, Ninth Miss. You are too kind.”

Since Pang Jiayan had come to express gratitude, if Qin Wan refused to accept anything, he might still feel indebted. Now that she had taken one item, Pang Jiayan could feel at ease.

Hearing that Qin Wan had taken a puppet, Pang Jiayan quickly turned to look and seemed relieved when he saw she had taken the martial arts performer’s puppet. He then continued teaching Qin Shuang. This small gesture didn’t escape anyone’s notice, and even Bai Ying couldn’t help but smile.

After teaching for a while, Pang Jiayan frowned, “Why are you so slow to learn…”

Qin Shuang’s eyebrows shot up, and she looked pleadingly at Qin Wan, “I don’t know how to move anymore. I’ve been going in circles for ages.”

Qin Wan raised an eyebrow and went forward to look at the uniquely designed “game board.” Due to the varying sizes of the pieces, it wasn’t something that could be solved by random moves. After looking for a moment, Qin Wan suddenly pointed to one of the pieces.

“Move this one up—”

Though Qin Shuang wasn’t exceptionally clever, she wasn’t stupid either. As soon as Qin Wan finished speaking, her eyes lit up with understanding. She stared intensely at the board, and before long, she had helped “Cao Xing” escape.

Qin Shuang rejoiced, “How about that?! I did it, didn’t I?”

Pang Jiayan let out a light snort, “Only because someone helped you… Fine, you can choose one…”

Qin Shuang had only been playing for fun, “Who wants your things? I was just teasing you.”

Pang Jiayan’s frown deepened, even more displeased. He glared at Qin Shuang, took back the Hua Rong Dao board, walked to his box, took out a jade thumb ring, and placed it on the table, “For you.”

Having said this, he didn’t linger, but closed his box and left with it.

Qing Niang smiled awkwardly at Qin Wan and Qin Shuang, gave a quick curtsy, and hurried after him.

Qin Shuang picked up the thumb ring with a laugh, then exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, this is of very good quality…”

She felt somewhat embarrassed – hadn’t this turned into her coveting Pang Jiayan’s possessions?

Though the quality was good, it was still just a child’s jade thumb ring. Qin Wan said, “Since he gave it to you, just keep it. Think of it as a small trinket…”

Qin Shuang thought this made sense, “This Third Young Master is quite interesting.”

After this delay, Qin Shuang no longer insisted on going out and instead stayed in Qin Wan’s room to watch her prepare medicines.

In the evening, Yan Chi and Yan Li arrived at Qing Hui Garden with Wang Huaiyu.

“Your Highness, there are still no clues.” In De Yue Tower, Wang Huaiyu’s brows were deeply furrowed. “There was an hour and a half between when Qing Qin left De Yue Tower and… during this time, everyone was occupied with their activities.”

“What about the tea?” Yan Chi suddenly asked, “Have you questioned the person who delivered it?”

“The person who delivered the tea was an attendant under Manager Pang. When Qing Qin was leaving, Manager Pang personally saw her off. At the door, Qing Qin asked for tea, so Manager Pang had one of his attendants deliver it. We questioned the attendant – he delivered the tea to the room and left immediately, this was about fifteen minutes after Qing Qin left De Yue Tower.”

Though Qing Hui Garden was large, there weren’t many servants, and because the paths throughout the garden were interconnected, it was impossible to determine the murderer’s route. Yan Chi narrowed his eyes, “Has the entire garden been searched?”

Wang Huaiyu nodded, “We’ve searched around Qing Qin’s courtyard.”

Yan Chi shook his head, “Not just around the courtyard, search the more distant areas as well.”

Wang Huaiyu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded, turning to Pang Fuliang who was waiting nearby, “Since we can’t find any answers, we’ll need to search the garden again.”

Having one’s home searched was never pleasant, but there was no alternative now.

Pang Fuliang quickly agreed, “Please proceed as you see fit, Magistrate.”

Wang Huaiyu showed some satisfaction and hurriedly summoned the chief constable to give orders.

Seeing this, Yan Chi walked outside, with Yan Li quickly following, “Seventh Brother, are you going too?”

Yan Chi nodded, “Just going for a walk—”

By now, dusk had fallen, and all of Qing Hui Garden was shrouded in dim light. As darkness was about to descend, the yamen runners quickened their pace. Yan Chi went outside, looked around, and headed north behind De Yue Tower.

Yan Li followed Yan Chi, and Wang Huaiyu, having finished giving orders, also followed. “Your Highness, it’s quite remote back here. Manager Pang says no one lives in this area.”

Yan Chi frowned, “Let’s search anyway. It doesn’t need to be too thorough, but we should look for anything suspicious.”

Wang Huaiyu nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, Your Highness makes a good point.”

Yan Chi walked a few more steps before stopping. Wang Huaiyu had some yamen runners go ahead to investigate. Standing still, Yan Chi said, “Magistrate Wang, I heard the deceased Qing Qin didn’t have any family.”

Wang Huaiyu nodded, “That’s correct. She originally lived in Ding Zhou, and I’ve already sent people there.”

Yan Chi casually remarked, “But I seem to remember she had a senior apprentice sister.”

Wang Huaiyu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up as he recalled something, “Yes… she did have a senior apprentice sister, but she’s married now. I’ll ask the Shuang Qing Troupe about this later.”

Speaking of the Shuang Qing Troupe, Wang Huaiyu sighed again, “Qing Xian and Yang Ying intended to frame Qing Lan, but they won’t admit to having anything to do with Qing Li’s death. Qing Li’s death will likely be ruled an accident.”

Yan Chi’s eyes darkened, “If it can’t be proven as murder, then it can only be ruled an accident.”

Just then, a guard suddenly ran up from behind, “Your Highnesses, Sir, we’ve found a strange courtyard in the back…”

“Oh?” Wang Huaiyu’s attention was immediately caught, “Where is it?”

“Just behind here, please follow me—”

Wang Huaiyu looked at Yan Chi, and Yan Li was also intrigued, “A strange courtyard? Where is it? Lead the way!”

At Yan Li’s command, the guard naturally dared not delay. He turned and led Yan Li forward, with Yan Chi silently following and Wang Huaiyu walking behind Yan Chi. Before long, they arrived at a locked courtyard.

The area where the three now stood was very remote, and the small courtyard before them appeared cold and desolate. Wang Huaiyu frowned as he stood before the courtyard gate, “What’s strange about this courtyard? The doors are all locked…”

“Sir, though the doors are locked, there are people inside.”

Wang Huaiyu’s eyebrows shot up, “People?!”

“Yes, sir. When we were searching here earlier, there were sounds from inside.”

The yamen runner spoke seriously, and Wang Huaiyu, believing him, walked to the door and pressed his ear against it.

However, after holding his breath and listening for a while, he heard no sound at all.

By this time, night had fallen, and just as Wang Huaiyu was about to turn and question the runner, suddenly, a young girl’s voice rang out—

“Little child, playing hide and seek, giggling behind the big door…”

The girl’s voice was childish and ethereal. In this quiet, desolate place, its sudden appearance made even Wang Huaiyu’s spine tingle.

He quickly stepped back, looking at the courtyard gate in disbelief.

He had heard clearly – that strange voice had come from behind the gate.

Yan Li, standing beside Yan Chi, was also slightly startled, “Who’s in there?”

“Little child, playing hide and seek, giggling behind the big door…”

Perhaps hearing people speaking again, the person inside spoke once more, repeating the previous words, but this time with an eerie, maniacal laugh…

Wang Huaiyu couldn’t help stepping back again. Gritting his teeth, he ordered, “Someone, go fetch Master Pang to open the courtyard gate!”

At his command, the yamen runners quickly departed. Wang Huaiyu glanced at Yan Chi, then at Yan Li, still feeling a chill down his neck, “Your Highness, this—”

“Little child, playing hide and seek, giggling behind the big door…”

Before Wang Huaiyu could finish speaking, the person inside called out again. Wang Huaiyu felt goosebumps rising on his arms; even that night performing the autopsy with Qin Wan hadn’t given him such an eerie feeling.

The person behind the gate clearly heard them talking but showed no normal reaction, instead repeatedly chanting this strange nursery rhyme. Either this was deliberate, or there was something wrong with their mind—

Looking at the desolate courtyard, Wang Huaiyu frowned as he recalled some rumors he’d heard before.

While Wang Huaiyu was deep in thought, Pang Fuliang and Pang Youde approached from the back path one after another. Seeing Yan Chi and the others standing at the gate, Pang Fuliang naturally understood what had happened. He came over, breathing heavily, “Your Highnesses, Magistrate…”

Wang Huaiyu pointed at the gate, “Master Pang, who’s inside?”

Upon hearing this question, Pang Fuliang’s face immediately showed discomfort. After a moment’s hesitation, he replied, “Sir, inside is my elder daughter, Jiayun.”

Wang Huaiyu’s expression became awkward. Pang Fuliang had no biological daughters but did have a stepdaughter—a fact most people in Yu Zhou knew, including him as the local magistrate. However, he had never seen Pang Fuliang’s stepdaughter and naturally never inquired about others’ family matters. He hadn’t expected to encounter this situation under such circumstances.

“Little child, playing hide and seek, giggling behind the big door…”

Just as Pang Fuliang finished speaking, the girl’s nursery rhyme chanting sounded again from behind the door.

Pang Fuliang’s face alternated between pale and flushed. Yan Chi raised an eyebrow, “If she’s a young lady of the Pang household, why does she live in such a remote place? And why is her courtyard locked?”

Beads of sweat appeared on Pang Fuliang’s forehead, “I dare not hide this from Your Highness. My elder daughter somehow became mentally ill four or five years ago. Since then, she’s been… unstable. I sought many doctors, but none could cure her. Eventually, having no choice, I had her moved to this back courtyard. Later, she would scream endlessly at the slightest sound, so we had to lock the gate. Usually, we don’t let servants disturb her…”

Pang Fuliang gave a bitter smile, “Family shame should not be aired publicly. I’ve embarrassed Your Highnesses and the Magistrate.”

Yan Chi glanced at the gate, “Open it—”

At this, Pang Fuliang quickly turned to Pang Youde, who immediately took out his keys and stepped forward. With a “click,” the lock on the gate was opened. As soon as the lock fell, rustling footsteps sounded from behind the gate. Pang Youde pushed the door open, and Yan Chi only caught a glimpse of a thin shadow quickly hiding inside the house.

Pang Fuliang explained, “Did Your Highness see? Jiayun fears people. When there are many people around, she first hides, and if she can’t hide, she screams.”

Yan Li frowned, “What was that she was saying earlier?”

Pang Fuliang quickly replied, “Your Highness means the nursery rhyme? That’s something Jiayun used to sing with Jiayan when they played together when he was small. Jiayan was only two or three at the time…”

The courtyard was pitch black—enough to frighten even an adult, let alone a young woman. Moreover, Yan Li had seen clearly that Pang Jiayun appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old, yet her voice when reciting the nursery rhyme was childishly young, as if she were still seven or eight. Thinking about this, Yan Li felt an uncanny chill.

It was impossible to see one’s hand in front of one’s face in the courtyard or the house. Yan Li couldn’t imagine how a young woman could live here alone.

“There’s not even a single lamp in here. How could you bear to let her live like this?”

Pang Fuliang smiled bitterly, “It’s not that I’m heartless. Jiayun herself prefers to hide in dark places, and she never goes out during the day…”

Yan Li’s frown deepened. How could there be such an illness in the world?

Pang Fuliang lowered his eyes and added sorrowfully, “These are just my family matters. I’ve embarrassed Your Highness.”

Indeed, these were Pang household matters. Yan Chi frowned, “Since these are Master Pang’s family affairs, we won’t interfere further.”

He turned to Wang Huaiyu, “Let’s check other places…”

Wang Huaiyu acknowledged and followed as Yan Chi turned to leave. Seeing this, Yan Li also followed. Pang Fuliang stood still for a moment, looked at the pitch-black courtyard, and instructed Pang Youde, “Lock the gate.”

……

……

“Seventh Brother, don’t you find it strange?” Yan Li caught up to Yan Chi in large strides. Seeing Wang Huaiyu leading the yamen runners toward another courtyard, he quickly moved closer to ask Yan Chi in a low voice.

Yan Chi nodded, “Strange indeed.”

Yan Li furrowed his brows, “Then why not investigate?”

Yan Chi replied calmly, “How would we investigate?”

Yan Li smiled bitterly, “We could call the young lady out to see if she’s mad. Besides, even if she is mad, how does a perfectly normal young woman suddenly become mad? There must be a reason.”

Hearing this, Yan Chi sighed, “These are Pang Fuliang’s family matters, and that young lady has no connection to this case. How can we forcibly examine her? Even if we discover something, her parents are both in this mansion. If her mother doesn’t care for her, how can we interfere?”

Yan Li was stunned for a moment, “Yes… why doesn’t her mother care…”

Yan Li lowered his head, lost in thought, his expression becoming somewhat dejected.

Yan Chi seemed to feel some sympathy and said, “Don’t rush. This matter may yet have a turning point.” Looking out at Qing Hui Garden in the encompassing night, he added, “This garden… the strange occurrences keep mounting.”

Yan Li snorted lightly, “Indeed—a death, and now a mad stepdaughter.”

Yan Chi said nothing more, merely striding toward the eastern side of Qing Hui Garden. Seeing his direction, Yan Li’s lips curved slightly, “Seventh Brother is going to see Ninth Miss?”

Walking briskly ahead, Yan Chi responded with an “Mm.”

“What does Seventh Brother need to ask Ninth Miss?”

“There’s something I’m not quite sure about. I want to ask her opinion.”

Yan Chi spoke and walked quickly; Yan Li had to almost jog to keep up.

Yan Chi suddenly turned back to look at him, “If you find it inconvenient to follow me, you can go enjoy yourself at Tian Xiang Tower.”

Yan Li laughed with a “heh” and said, “How could Tian Xiang Tower be more interesting than following Seventh Brother? Seventh Brother has been in Shuo Xi for so long, now that you’re finally back, of course, I want to stay with you…”

Hearing these words, Yan Chi felt his ears grow warm. He shook his head and said nothing more.

Since Yan Chi was here about the case, visiting Qin Wan wasn’t inappropriate. Walking quickly to her guest quarters, he saw Fu Ling coming out. Upon seeing Yan Chi, Fu Ling hurriedly bowed.

“I need to see your mistress.”

Yan Chi spoke directly, and Fu Ling acknowledged before rushing back inside.

Yan Li said mischievously, “This little maid seems somewhat afraid of Seventh Brother…”

Yan Chi made no response. Soon after, Qin Wan came out from inside.

Qin Wan hadn’t expected Yan Chi to come at this hour; she came out in such a hurry that she hadn’t even put on a cloak.

The snow outside the courtyard hadn’t melted yet, and with evening approaching, the cold wind was piercing to the bone. When Yan Chi saw she wasn’t wearing a cloak, his brows immediately furrowed. Behind her, Fu Ling hurriedly came out with a cloak, “Miss—”

Qin Wan turned back as Fu Ling stepped forward to help her put on the cloak. Qin Wan shook her head, “It’s fine.”

She walked toward Yan Chi while fastening the silk ribbons of her cloak.

“Greetings to Your Highnesses—”

Qin Wan’s manners were impeccable. Yan Li said cheerfully, “Please rise, please rise. Ninth Miss must have been startled too, coming out without a cloak in such cold weather isn’t good.”

Qin Wan’s lips curved slightly, “I was a bit hasty. When Your Highnesses suddenly came, I thought something urgent had happened.”

Yan Li glanced at Yan Chi for a moment, “Whether it’s urgent or not, Ninth Miss will know when she hears it.”

With that, he walked to one side, clearly giving them privacy.

Qin Wan didn’t hesitate and asked once Yan Li was far enough away, “What happened?”

Yan Chi stepped closer to Qin Wan, turning slightly to block the cold wind coming from upwind. Qin Wan noticed this, and her eyes filled with warm, clear light.

“I found out something about Qing Qin’s senior apprentice sister.”

Qin Wan’s eyes brightened, “Oh? Where is she now?”

Yan Chi’s gaze darkened momentarily, “She’s dead.”

“Dead?” Qin Wan frowned, “Was she very old?”

Yan Chi shook his head, “No, she was about the same age as Qing Qin, perhaps three years older at most. She died fifteen years ago.”

Fifteen years ago—that was when Qing Qin was the troupe leader of Shuang Qing Troupe, at the height of her fame.

Looking at Yan Chi’s expression, Qin Wan knew there must be a story behind Qing Qin’s senior apprentice sister’s death.

“Qing Qin’s senior apprentice sister was named Qing Xi. Back then, she and Qing Qin took over the Shuang Qing Troupe together as joint leaders—it was the troupe’s traditional practice. However, after leading the troupe for just over a year, Qing Xi left because she married. All the girls and workers in Shuang Qing Troupe came from humble backgrounds, and because of their lowly profession, they usually couldn’t marry into good families. Moreover, since the first generation, none of Shuang Qing Troupe’s leaders had ever married.”

Qin Wan’s eyes widened, “If one hasn’t met a good match, then not marrying is understandable. But if one meets a good person, isn’t it a shame not to marry?” She quickly asked, “Did Qing Xi marry well?”

Yan Chi lifted his chin, “Do you know of the position of Zhen Wu General in the Northwest?”

Qin Wan tilted her head in thought, “Zhen Wu General… isn’t that a Fifth-Rank position on the Northwestern route?”

Yan Chi’s eyes brightened slightly, “Exactly. The one who earnestly pursued and married Qing Xi was General Zhang who held that position… So you could say Qing Xi married very well indeed.”

Qin Wan’s eyes lit up, “Isn’t that wonderful?”

Yan Chi shook his head, “It started well, but later… it wasn’t good.”

His tone grew heavy, “In the 224th year of Da Zhou, a major case occurred on the Northwestern route that caused quite a sensation at the time. I suspect you might have seen it mentioned in some archives or some of Shen Yi’s writings.”

An old major case? Qin Wan grew serious, her heart tensing.

Yan Chi looked at her bright eyes and continued gravely, “That year, the Rong enemies launched a major invasion in the West. Over 200,000 troops from the Shuo Xi Army and Northern Command were stationed at the northwestern border, preparing to counter the Rong attack. With war imminent and the central treasury unable to dispatch military funds quickly enough, they had to release 100,000 taels of gold from storage. This gold was transported from Lin’an Prefecture westward.”

“When they reached Ding Zhou, due to rampant bandits in the west, the commanding officer in charge of the escort split their forces into four routes. Two groups carried no gold and traveled through the areas most plagued by bandits as a diversion. The other two routes, led by two commanders pretending to travel with their families, each carried half the gold—one route through Liang Zhou, the other through Meng Zhou.”

“They thought this strategy would keep the gold safe, but the 50,000 taels being transported through Meng Zhou vanished without a trace. The commanding officer’s entire family and dozens of soldiers disguised as servants were all murdered. The crime took place at a post station west of Meng Zhou. Afterward, the station was burned to the ground, leaving no traces behind.”

“This case caused a huge sensation at the time, but the true culprits were never found.” After a slight pause, Yan Chi continued, “The commander who died was Qing Xi’s husband. Qing Xi and her two children also perished in that fire.”

Qin Wan held her breath, unable to process this for a long while.

She had thought that Qing Xi, having left Shuang Qing Troupe for a good marriage, must have lived the best life among them all. Yet the ending was so tragic. As Yan Chi mentioned, she did know of this case.

When it happened, she was only two years old, barely learning to speak, and naturally couldn’t remember it. But about seven or eight years ago, when her father was stationed in Yun Zhou north of Yu Zhou, he had reviewed unsolved cases from the Northwestern route, and this gold heist was among them. She remembered seeing her father worried about it, but she hadn’t looked into the details then. She never imagined that seven or eight years later, she would learn about the case in this way.

“This case remains unsolved?”

Yan Chi nodded, “Unsolved. The two diversionary forces served their purpose, but somehow, General Zhang’s group was still discovered. Not only was the gold stolen, but everyone was killed.”

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed tightly, “Given their strategy, could someone in the escort party have leaked information?”

Yan Chi shook his head, “That’s impossible to know now. The case was ultimately blamed on the fierce bandits of the Northwest. After the difficult victory against the Rong enemies, the Shuo Xi Army conducted several bandit-suppression campaigns in the west. That area is peaceful now, but this case was never solved. I don’t know the specific details, but they did investigate during the bandit suppression.”

Meng Zhou was north of Ding Zhou, even further than Yu Zhou. Because of the great distance, Qin Wan didn’t develop any ambitious desires to solve the case for her father. She only sighed at the fate of Qing Xi’s family and those soldiers, then said, “Since Qing Xi is gone, Qing Qin truly has no relatives left. For now, we can only wait for news from Ding Zhou and ask the elders of Shuang Qing Troupe.”

Yan Chi nodded, “When I learned of this in the afternoon, I was very surprised to find that the events from back then were connected to someone from Shuang Qing Troupe.”

“Is that why you came?”

Yan Chi made an affirming sound, then added, “Earlier while searching Qing Hui Garden, we found a mad young girl in a dilapidated courtyard in the north. Pang Fuliang says she’s his stepdaughter.”

“A mad young girl?”

Qin Wan’s heart skipped a beat as she immediately thought of the shadow that had teased them that night.

“What does she look like? How does her voice sound?”

Qin Wan asked instinctively, and Yan Chi replied, “I couldn’t see her clearly—she ran into the house as soon as the gate was opened. But she seems to only recite a children’s nursery rhyme about playing games…”

“Hide and seek?” Qin Wan responded quickly.

Yan Chi showed slight surprise, “How did you know?”

Qin Wan immediately told him about being teased that night, and Yan Chi asked curiously, “But when we saw her today, her courtyard was locked. How did she get out that night?”

Qin Wan felt a chill down her spine remembering that night, and shook her head, “I don’t know. It’s just strange.”

Yan Chi nodded, “Strange indeed. Somehow, I feel this mansion is hiding some secret, and more things might happen. You must be careful here.”

Seeing the deep concern in his eyes, Qin Wan quickly agreed, “I understand, don’t worry. Bai Ying’s injury is almost healed, she’ll accompany me when I go out. Besides, I rarely leave my quarters. You needn’t worry—just let me know if you learn anything new.”

After a pause, she added, “There’s one more thing. Third Brother said we might not wait until this case is solved before leaving. As long as it’s confirmed that we have no connection to the case, that would be enough. At this rate, who knows when the case will be solved, and Third Brother doesn’t want to return too late.”

Yan Chi naturally nodded, “I understand. When you decide on a time, I’ll know.”

Seeing they had been standing outside talking for so long, Yan Chi said no more and asked Qin Wan to return to her room. Only after watching her enter the courtyard did he turn to leave.

The night was deep, and Qing Hui Garden only returned to peace at midnight.

Wang Huaiyu and the others left Qing Hui Garden empty-handed.

Qin Wan never imagined that Yan Chi’s warning about “more things might happen,” which he had said just to caution her, would come true early the very next morning.

As dawn’s first light appeared, a piercing scream cut through the air above Qing Hui Garden.

Two cups of tea’s time later, Qin Shuang ran into Qin Wan’s room, “Quick, wake up… there’s another death… that Liu Yuntong, Liu Yuntong fell into the lotus pond and drowned!”