It was an extremely blurry silhouette that flashed out behind the pitch-black window lattice. The vague outline made Qin Wan’s scalp tingle, yet she was certain it was a person.

There was no one left in the Hui Garden, so how could there be a human figure in Pang Fu Liang’s study?

Qin Wan frowned deeply, her first thought was of Qing Niang.

But what would Qing Niang be doing in Pang Fu Liang’s study?

As Qin Wan pondered this, she tried to get a clearer view but found it impossible. The room had no lights, and no matter how hard she looked, she could only make out a rough outline. She couldn’t even distinguish the figure’s height or build. Qin Wan grew anxious, wishing her telescope could become more powerful…

“Young Miss, what do you see?” asked Fu Ling, growing concerned upon noticing Qin Wan’s furrowed brow and anxious expression.

“There’s someone in the main house…” Qin Wan said in a low voice.

“Someone? But the garden has been empty all day.”

As soon as Fu Ling finished speaking, Bai Ying quickly said, “Young Miss, shall this servant go take a look?”

Qin Wan shook her head, “No need—”

Just as these two words left her mouth, another silhouette appeared in the slightly swaying telescope cylinder. Qin Wan’s brow furrowed deeply as she held her breath and quickly focused her attention on that window.

She had thought the first figure was Qing Niang, but if it was Qing Niang, why would there be a second figure?

Qin Wan stared intently through the small circular frame of the telescope. When the second figure appeared, the first figure showed no signs of surprise. The first person knew the second was coming, and the second person knew the first was there. Why had these two people sneaked into Pang Fu Liang’s study one after another?

“Where is Pang You De?” Qin Wan quickly asked. Having been in the courtyard all day, she didn’t know about the arrangements outside.

But Bai Ying knew, “Steward Pang was released this morning, but when Master Pang disappeared at noon, he was confined again. He’s now in the north courtyard, being watched by the yamen runners.”

Qin Wan frowned. In the entire Pang residence, probably only Pang You De would dare enter Pang Fu Liang’s study. But now that Pang You De was also confined, who would have the courage to enter Pang Fu Liang’s study?

As Qin Wan’s questions grew more numerous, suddenly, the closed window lattice opened.

As the window opened, the blurry silhouette behind it became clearer. Qin Wan was surprised to discover that the person standing in the room was nearly six feet tall and slightly plump. Her heart jolted—it was a man! It wasn’t Qing Niang at all!

With the window open, the person seemed to stick their head out to look around, and soon, the window was closed again.

Qin Wan’s frown deepened. She suddenly lowered the telescope and turned to look at Bai Ying.

“Bai Ying, do you have a way to find Young Lord?”

Bai Ying was slightly stunned, not understanding why Qin Wan had suddenly become so anxious. “We can send a signal, but we can only find Young Lord quickly if he’s within ten li.”

Qin Wan nodded, “Good, send the message immediately.”

Bai Ying responded with an “Mm” and turned toward the north window. There was a soft “whoosh,” and a white light shot up into the sky like a shooting star before disappearing. Fu Ling watched in a daze, not quite understanding why Qin Wan wanted Bai Ying to find Yan Chi, while Qin Wan had already picked up the telescope again.

When she looked again, Qin Wan was surprised to find that in just that brief moment, a small lamp had been lit in Pang Fu Liang’s study. With this lamp lit, the previously indistinct outlines in the darkness became clearer. On the window lattice, two silhouettes were clearly projected. One person stood by the window, their figure straight and tall, while the other person, after saying something to the standing person, quickly left the study.

Qin Wan frowned slightly. Who would dare not only enter Pang Fu Liang’s study but also light a lamp?

The lighting of this lamp made Qin Wan immediately overturn her earlier suspicions. Earlier, when she saw a man skulking around in the study, she had even suspected that Pang Fu Liang hadn’t left Clear Radiance Garden or had returned halfway. But now, if Pang Fu Liang had returned, how would he dare to light a lamp? And who was that other person?

“Bai Ying, let’s go over and take a look—”

“Young Miss, wait a little longer.”

As Qin Wan put down the telescope and was about to go downstairs, Bai Ying suddenly walked over from the north window and stood hesitantly in front of her.

Qin Wan frowned, and Bai Ying glanced at the north window, “Young Lord is within ten li. He’ll return within two-quarters of an hour. He just sent a response signal.”

Two-quarters of an hour? That wasn’t too long…

Thinking this, Qin Wan picked up the telescope again to look at Pang Fu Liang’s small study. She saw that the lamplight in the room remained unchanged, and that straight figure still stood by the window, seemingly waiting for someone or lost in thought, having not moved for all this time.

Qin Wan’s heart eased slightly. The appearance of someone in Pang Fu Liang’s study at this time was certainly unusual, but as long as that person wasn’t planning to leave, she indeed didn’t need to risk going out now. Bai Ying’s injuries had just begun to heal, and they couldn’t eliminate the danger.

“Alright, then we’ll wait a bit.”

Qin Wan relaxed and stood by the window with the telescope, watching the direction of the main house.

Beside her, Bai Ying also breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Wan was her master; if she truly wanted to go out, Bai Ying couldn’t have stopped her.

Waiting is always lengthy. Qin Wan’s arms were getting sore from holding the telescope, but strangely, the figure in the main house opposite hadn’t moved either. Qin Wan’s brow furrowed again—who could that person be?

Outside, the cold wind raged, and the sky was as black as spilled ink. Just as Qin Wan was growing impatient with waiting, another white light rose into the sky from the northern direction. Bai Ying quickly said, “Young Miss, Young Lord will be here soon!”

Qin Wan’s heart eased, and sure enough, after another moment, two figures landed outside the Small Red Tower. Qin Wan didn’t bother with anything else and hurriedly walked downstairs, lifting her skirts. In her haste, she almost slipped on the stairs, but she couldn’t worry about such things at the moment. By the time she reached the first floor, the door had just been opened.

As the door opened, the light from outside was slightly brighter than inside. Qin Wan looked carefully and saw Yan Chi’s tall, handsome figure standing in the doorway. Her heart relaxed, and she rushed to Yan Chi’s side. However, before she could speak, Yan Chi had already grabbed her hand, “What happened? Why are you here?”

Though Yan Chi’s voice remained composed, there was a barely perceptible urgency in it. Qin Wan understood this, and her heart softened. She quickly said, “I came here following Qing Niang.”

“Qing Niang?” Yan Chi was slightly surprised; he didn’t know there was anything strange about Qing Niang.

Qin Wan nodded and asked, “Have you found Pang Fu Liang?”

Yan Chi shook his head, shifting his position to block the cold wind from outside completely. This blocking also blocked the outside light, so much so that when Fu Ling saw them standing together, she didn’t notice that Yan Chi was holding Qin Wan’s hand.

“No, we’ve searched everywhere outside, but there’s no trace of him.”

Yan Chi’s answer was exactly as Qin Wan had expected. She raised her hand, pointing toward the main house.

“Pang Fu Liang might not have left at all. Someone just entered his study.”

Yan Chi’s breath quickened, “The main house over there?”

As he spoke, he turned around. There was a flower wall in front of the Small Red Tower that blocked people’s line of sight, but due to Yan Chi’s tall stature, he could see over it. Combined with his excellent eyesight and the fact that the lit room was particularly conspicuous in the darkness, he immediately spotted the illuminated study and the silhouette projected on the window.

Though Yan Chi couldn’t make out the figure clearly, he knew someone was standing behind the window.

“There is someone. Is it Pang Fu Liang?”

“I’m not sure, but at this hour, others wouldn’t dare enter his study on their own accord. I saw another person earlier, but they’ve already left.”

Yan Chi pondered briefly, “Bai Feng—”

“Yes, Master, what are your orders?”

Yan Chi summoned Bai Feng, “Immediately check on the guards stationed throughout the mansion tonight. See if anyone has left. When Magistrate Wang returns, report back at once…”

Bai Feng responded with a crisp “Yes” before leaping away. Yan Chi then explained to Qin Wan, “The yamen runners are guarding various parts of the mansion specifically for Pang Fu Liang’s return. You said someone entered and left earlier—as long as they haven’t left the premises, it’s fine. Magistrate Wang is also heading back with his men; I just arrived ahead of him. Let’s wait for his return.”

Qin Wan nodded, “You were already planning to return?”

Yan Chi nodded, “We found nothing outside. I suspect we missed something.”

Qin Wan made an “Mm” sound, “That’s quite possible.”

Yan Chi looked deeply at Qin Wan, then suddenly asked, “Didn’t you say you came in following Qing Niang? Where is she?”

Qin Wan didn’t know the answer to Yan Chi’s question, and for a moment couldn’t explain, “I don’t know. We followed her here and saw her enter the building, but after that, no lights were lit inside, and we didn’t see her leave. We thought something had happened to her, but when we came up to look, there was nobody inside—she had disappeared.”

Yan Chi’s brows quickly furrowed, “Why were you following Qing Niang? Did you suspect her?”

Yan Chi quickly grasped the key point. Qin Wan pondered briefly, nodded with an “Mm,” and lowered her voice to explain her suspicions about Qing Niang to Yan Chi in detail—from her initial doubts to her later conversation with Qing Lan, to Qing Niang’s mysterious movements just now. After Qin Wan finished, Yan Chi said, “This afternoon I received news that Qing Xi’s disciple was named Qing Huan. She did indeed disappear after what happened to Qing Xi’s family. Later, officials concluded that Qing Huan was among those who died in that great fire, but it was later revealed that the number of bodies didn’t match. However, the case had no leads to investigate, and it has remained unsolved all these years…”

Qin Wan silently mouthed the name “Qing Huan,” then said solemnly, “It’s very possible she survived that catastrophe.”

“I hadn’t paid attention to this person before. If not for you, none of us would have thought to consider her. Now that you mention it, everything makes sense.” As Yan Chi spoke, he glanced again toward the study. Looking over, that the straight figure was still standing there. Yan Chi frowned, “Don’t you think something seems off?”

At Yan Chi’s question, Qin Wan also looked toward the study window. Soon, her expression changed slightly.

“He seems to have been standing there the whole time.”

“Since I arrived, his posture hasn’t changed at all.”

Even if lost in thought, standing so long without moving would make one’s legs go numb.

Yan Chi frowned, “Something’s wrong. We won’t wait for Magistrate Wang—I’ll go check.”

As soon as Yan Chi finished speaking and turned to leave, Bai Feng returned, “Master, Magistrate Wang has entered the mansion.”

“Tell him to come to Hui Garden immediately—”

After speaking, Yan Chi continued walking without pause. Qin Wan immediately followed. Yan Chi looked back at her once, intending to ask her to stay put, but seeing the determination on her face, he left the words unspoken.

Bai Feng departed, while Yan Chi led Qin Wan, with Fu Ling and Bai Ying following behind, all moving quickly toward the main house.

Soon, the four arrived outside the study in the main house. Yan Chi gestured for Qin Wan to wait outside while he entered alone. Not knowing what was inside, Qin Wan stood at the door without moving.

Yan Chi’s figure flashed behind the door, and Qin Wan vigilantly scanned their surroundings, her hands tightly clasped together.

Shortly after, Yan Chi emerged from inside—

His expression was even darker than when he went in. Qin Wan’s heart tightened, “What happened?”

Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan deeply, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face, “Pang Fu Liang is dead.”

Qin Wan was stunned—the person in the room had been Pang Fu Liang?!

But how had Pang Fu Liang died? Qin Wan glanced inside, “He’s dead?!”

Yan Chi said, “The scene is rather… do you want to see?”

Qin Wan finally understood the hesitation on Yan Chi’s face. How could a death scene be pleasant to look at? Yet how could she be afraid? Qin Wan nodded without hesitation, and Yan Chi turned, saying, “Come with me.”

Qin Wan followed Yan Chi inside, with Fu Ling and Bai Ying exchanging glances before following.

Entering the main hall and turning left, as soon as they reached the doorway, Qin Wan smelled an intense scent of blood. Her gaze swept across the room to see a meandering stream of blood flowing out from inside. The bloodstream was a shocking bright red, and Fu Ling and Bai Ying, who had followed them in, both drew in sharp breaths. Qin Wan watched the blood that had already reached the doorway as she slowly walked forward.

As she got closer to the door, Qin Wan saw more and more. This was Pang Fu Liang’s study, decorated with extreme elegance and luxury. Now, a single lamp cast dim light inside, and the blood flow at the doorway led to an even larger pool of blood within. When Qin Wan stopped at the doorway, she saw Pang Fu Liang at the end of the blood pool.

Dressed in gray martial clothing, Pang Fu Liang stood straight by the window, a gleaming three-foot sword had carved a huge bloody hole in his chest. Though Qin Wan hadn’t approached closely, she could imagine that the sword must have been firmly pinned to the window frame to support Pang Fu Liang and keep him from falling. His face was deathly pale, his eyes wide open, his hands half-clenched like in spasms. His face still bore traces of undiminished agony, and blood continued to drip steadily from his chest…

Just the expression remaining on Pang Fu Liang’s face sent chills down Qin Wan’s spine. This wasn’t just murder—it was an extremely cruel torture killing. The sword in Pang Fu Liang’s chest hadn’t directly pierced his heart; he had practically watched himself slowly bleed to death. His gray clothes were completely soaked with blood from the sword wound down, now turned an eerie dark red. Below him, the blood had pooled at his feet, forming a lake that snaked like a serpent to the doorway.

This wasn’t the work of a moment—it had begun when she first saw the straight figure at the window.

Qin Wan’s frown deepened, and her hands clenched tightly together.

She had been watching this room the whole time—who had killed Pang Fu Liang?

Another figure had appeared in this room, but Qin Wan clearly remembered that when the second person appeared, neither of the two people inside had shown any unusual reaction. Qin Wan couldn’t believe someone could kill Pang Fu Liang without him resisting or struggling.

But if it wasn’t that second person, then who was it?

Qin Wan didn’t find this horrifying bloody scene frightening; she only knew that someone had killed a person right under her nose.

Thinking this, Qin Wan suddenly narrowed her eyes. Though she hadn’t figured out how the killer had done it, she had followed Qing Niang here—could there be a connection between the mysteriously disappeared Qing Niang and Pang Fu Liang’s death?

Just as countless questions swirled in Qin Wan’s mind, suddenly a jumble of footsteps sounded in the courtyard. The footsteps quickly approached and then directly entered the room. Wang Huai Yu spoke rapidly, “Young Lord, what has happened—”

Before he could finish the word “happened,” Wang Huai Yu, who had walked up behind Qin Wan’s group, froze at the sight of Pang Fu Liang pinned to the window. It took him a long while to recover, “What… what happened…”

Yan Chi glanced at Wang Huai Yu, “He was already dead when we arrived.”

Wang Huai Yu still hadn’t quite processed it, and after a moment muttered, “This… this official was about to tell Young Lord… just now when this official returned, the Pang family’s Second Young Master was caught trying to slip away from the western side by our men.”