Qin Shuang felt a chill run down her spine. “What? Did she die? How did she die?”

Wei Changfu sighed again, “As I mentioned before, about half a year ago, several people in the village died one after another. The Zhang family’s daughter was among them. Their craft was passed down from her father to her. Her father had passed away from illness several years ago, and now that she’s gone, their family no longer makes tea shortbread.”

The fragrance of tea shortbread still lingered in Qin Shuang’s mouth as she sighed, “What a pity. I wonder what illness she contracted.”

Wei Changfu coughed lightly at her words, “There are many rumors about that, but I’m not certain what illness it was.” After a pause, Wei Changfu continued, “I thought I would never smell their tea shortbread again, but who would have thought Doctor Sun could make it? He must be an expert at making tea shortbread too.”

Qin Shuang shook her head, “Not exactly…”

She didn’t directly say that Aunt Lin had never made tea shortbread before.

Wei Changfu smiled and shook his head, “Don’t underestimate this pastry, Miss Qin. It’s a specialty of Cloud Mist Mountain and the Yanjiang riverside. Everyone makes it, but few can make it as delicious as the Zhang family. When Miss Qin’s tea shortbread was displayed, I could tell from the aroma alone that it was identical to the Zhang family’s. Such skill is not easily attained.”

Qin Shuang was surprised by Wei Changfu’s words. Had Aunt Lin accidentally recreated Cloud Mist Mountain’s signature delicacy?

While Qin Shuang was caught up in her surprise, she failed to notice Qin Wan’s slightly furrowed brows.

Qin Wan thought that she hadn’t had the chance to inquire thoroughly about what illness the patients in Three Yuan Village had contracted, and it seemed that Sun Muqing didn’t know either. Her eyes flickered as she asked, “Did Doctor Sun later appear and save those people?”

Wei Changfu nodded, then shook his head, “Not exactly. Not everyone was saved. Some of the severely ill still died, but seeing that some people survived, everyone finally realized it was an illness rather than ghost possession or an epidemic.”

Qin Wan’s lips tightened slightly, “The people who died half a year ago – does no one know how they died?”

Wei Changfu’s face showed a bitter smile, “Well… Although I’ve been here for many years, my successful business in the past drew jealousy, and after the incident, people disliked that foreigners stayed at my place. Eventually, I stopped associating with them, so I’m not clear about these village matters…”

Wei Changfu was an outsider, and when he first came to do business, during the years when many tourists visited, his inn was very prosperous. Seeing an outsider make money here, the people of Three Yuan Village, with their unsophisticated customs, naturally disliked Wei Changfu. Later, when trouble occurred in the village, Wei Changfu still dared to accommodate outsiders, which was tantamount to being an “accomplice.” Qin Wan still remembered the scene when the Village Chief came that day – the villagers showed no kindness.

“Why are you curious about this?” Qin Shuang asked Qin Wan while eating tea shortbread.

Qin Wan shook her head, but her doubts grew stronger. Turning her gaze, she looked at Zhou Huai, who also wore a solemn expression, “Manager Zhou, what should we do now?”

Zhou Huai’s brows were furrowed. Apart from the path Qin Yan took from Baicao Garden, Three Yuan Village was the only exit. Going from Three Yuan Village to Guanyin Town and then to Yuanzhou City was the quickest route. There was only one main road in Three Yuan Village. Though it was possible to bypass the village through the wilderness, those were paths impassable by carriage. Zhou Huai didn’t think Qin Xiang would dare to take those routes alone.

“I’m afraid… she didn’t take this road.”

Seeing Qin Wan and Zhou Huai talking, Wei Changfu tactfully took the teapot and retreated to the inner room behind the counter.

Zhou Huai quickly lowered his voice and said directly, “Either she went the Young Master’s way, or she’s hiding somewhere, or… something happened…” After a pause, Zhou Huai asked, “What does Ninth Miss think?”

Compared to Qin Shuang, who was happily enjoying her tea shortbread, Qin Wan appeared particularly composed. Zhou Huai hesitated slightly before asking for Qin Wan’s opinion. Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “Third Brother’s speed is more than three times ours, but he hasn’t caught up yet, which suggests he hasn’t found her either. I suspect Fifth Sister might still be somewhere behind us.”

Zhou Huai’s eyes darkened, unsure of what to do. Right now, they were separated from Qin Yan. If he changed his plans temporarily, they wouldn’t meet up with Qin Yan, but if he didn’t change plans and Qin Yan did, the two groups would miss each other again.

Qin Wan could tell from Zhou Huai’s expression that he was also very hesitant. Meanwhile, Qin Shuang had finished her tea shortbread and, seeing that Qin Wan hadn’t touched hers, said, “We’ll be traveling later, you should at least eat something.”

Qin Wan shook her head; she had no appetite at the moment.

Wei Changfu came out with a fresh pot of tea, followed by an attendant carrying two plates of preserved fruits. “We don’t have anything good left here. In a few days, I’ll be closing the inn and returning home for the New Year. I probably won’t reopen next year – these past six months have been a huge loss.”

As the attendant behind him was about to leave after setting down the preserved fruits, Wei Changfu suddenly said, “Oh wait, Li Cai, you must know how the Zhang family’s daughter and the others died in the early days. Tell us about it?”

Li Cai was the inn attendant whom Qin Wan and the others had seen earlier. He appeared very honest and seemed somewhat flustered at the question. “I… I was in the shop at the time, so I didn’t see it firsthand, but later I heard from others that the Zhang family’s daughter died in the tea garden, covered in blood with her eyes wide open…”

Seeing Qin Wan and the others frown, Li Cai quickly added, “None of them saw it personally either. There were many versions of the story being passed around, but nothing definitive. Some said the Zhang family’s daughter was murdered by outsiders, others said their tea garden was built on a burial ground and she was killed by ghosts, some said that during the New Year, mountain monsters that specifically eat human hearts came out, and others said it was an epidemic…”

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed, “What did you say?”

Li Cai was afraid of saying something wrong in front of the noble guests, so he had just blurted out everything he’d heard. When Qin Wan suddenly questioned him, Li Cai’s heart jumped, and he hurriedly said, “They said it was an epidemic…”

Qin Wan stood up abruptly, “No, the sentence before that.”

Li Cai rolled his eyes in thought, “Oh, some people said that during the New Year, monsters that eat human hearts come down from the mountains.”

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed slightly, “A monster is just a monster, why specifically mention that it eats human hearts?”

Li Cai shrank his neck, “Because the Zhang family said their daughter had an injury on her chest when she died, and there was a lot of blood.”

Qin Wan’s expression changed immediately, but Li Cai quickly added, “However… as the matter grew bigger, the Village Chief forbade people from spreading rumors, and when people asked again, the Zhang family refused to talk about it. After that, rumors about epidemics and ghosts became more prevalent.”

Qin Wan’s lips were pressed tightly together. Even so, among all the rumors, the story about the heart-eating monster seemed most credible, since the Zhang family themselves had mentioned it. But how could there be monsters that eat human hearts in this world?

Seeing Qin Wan’s grave expression and that she had stopped asking questions, Li Cai looked at Wei Changfu, and only after seeing Wei Changfu nod did he leave.

Wei Changfu also sensed that Qin Wan seemed very interested in this matter and hesitantly said, “Miss Qin…”

Qin Wan shook her head, “It’s nothing, I was just curious and asking casually.”

Wei Changfu poured fresh tea for them and went to attend to the Qin family guards and carriage drivers outside. Once he left, Zhou Huai looked at Qin Wan and asked, “Does Ninth Miss think there’s something strange about the deaths in Three Yuan Village?”

Qin Wan nodded, but Zhou Huai said, “Even if it’s strange, we can’t do anything about it now. Right now, we need to find Fifth Miss.”

Qin Wan certainly knew this, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the strange events in Three Yuan Village weren’t so simple.

“Ninth Miss, let’s go to Guanyin Town first. If we reach Guanyin Town before dark, we should first ensure we meet up with the Young Master. If there’s still no news by then, I can return here with the Young Master to search. We need to ensure your and Sixth Miss’s safety first.”

They were only making a brief stop at the Changfu Inn, and who knew what the villagers might do if they were still here by nightfall. Without a better plan, Qin Wan decided to follow Zhou Huai’s suggestion.

“Alright, then let’s hurry—”

After Qin Wan finished speaking, Qin Shuang also understood the urgency of the situation and immediately got up to instruct the servants. After the food boxes were packed and returned to the carriage, Qin Wan and the others walked out of the courtyard, preparing to continue their journey.

Wei Changfu eagerly escorted Qin Wan’s group out of the courtyard gate. However, just as they stepped out, they saw several villagers hurriedly walking toward them on the main road, carrying hoes. Seeing their manner, Qin Shuang instinctively hid behind Qin Wan, “They’re coming again—”

Qin Wan was also startled by Qin Shuang’s reaction, but she quickly realized these villagers weren’t heading toward them. Wei Changfu, seeing this, also breathed a sigh of relief, “Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with Miss Qin.”

As he spoke, the villagers turned a corner toward the back of a house across the main road. As they walked, they were urgently discussing something, and Qin Wan’s group could faintly hear their conversation.

“Another outsider?!”

“Indeed, and they say he’s a madman who’s lost his senses!”

“Hmph, let’s catch him first and ask questions later. Who knows if he was responsible for what happened before—”

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed as she turned to look at Zhou Huai, “Manager Zhou…”

Zhou Huai had also heard what they said, but he hesitated, after all, this matter didn’t concern them. However, meeting Qin Wan’s serious gaze, Zhou Huai finally said, “Alright, I’ll take the young ladies to have a look.”

Qin Wan responded with a “mm” and immediately walked in the direction where the villagers had disappeared. After walking only about twenty steps, Qin Wan heard a commotion. She frowned and followed a small path along the side of a house toward the back.

As soon as they turned the corner, Qin Wan saw a chaotic scene.

Behind the village house was a pile of hay stacks, and at this moment, more than ten villagers armed with hoes and sickles had surrounded a person in tattered clothes. The person wore only a single garment, so dirty with mud that its original color was indiscernible. With his black hair in disarray, one couldn’t even see his features. Faced with the villagers’ menacing encirclement, he supported himself against the haystack with one hand while wildly waving a wooden stick with the other, letting out fierce shouts from his throat, truly appearing like a madman.

“What’s there to see about a madman? Let’s go—”

Qin Shuang caught up from behind, and seeing it was indeed a madman, immediately lost interest.

She pulled at Qin Wan, but Qin Wan didn’t move. Instead, she said in a deep voice, “Don’t you think he looks familiar?”

Qin Shuang paused briefly, then turned to look at the “madman.” After tilting her head and looking for a moment, Qin Shuang suddenly seemed to realize something and widened her eyes, “This person… this person looks somewhat like that patient we saw at Baicao Garden that day…”

As these words fell, Fuling beside them also stepped forward and said, “Miss, it does look like him!”

Qin Wan nodded. Although that night had been too dark to see his face clearly, they had firmly remembered that ghostlike figure that had suddenly appeared. There were many kinds of madmen, but the person standing by the haystack was the same one from that night in Baicao Garden.

“Who knows where this madman came from, sleeping in the haystack nearly scared my old mother to death!”

“Anyway, he’s from outside. Let’s tie him up first and see if he’s done anything wrong. If not, we’ll throw him out. If he has, we’ll handle him according to our village rules…”

Wei Changfu, who had followed Qin Wan’s group, immediately said upon hearing this, “According to Three Yuan Village’s rules, if an outsider is caught stealing, their limbs will be broken.”

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed slightly. Perhaps sensing the villagers’ hostility, the madman suddenly began swinging his wooden stick more rapidly. Though more than ten people surrounded him, seeing how quickly he wielded the stick, they didn’t dare approach.

Qin Shuang said, “Didn’t Master Sun say all the patients from Baicao Garden were sent back to their homes? Was this person originally from… from Chishui Village? Innkeeper Wei, where is Chishui Village?”

Wei Changfu quickly replied, “Chishui Village is south of Goddess Peak, in a different direction from here.”

Qin Shuang asked in surprise, “Could it be that after returning home, he ran away again?”

“No, that’s not it.” Qin Wan’s eyes suddenly darkened as she turned to look at Zhou Huai.

“Manager Zhou, look at how this person wields the wooden stick. It seems to have some technique…”

Though Qin Wan didn’t know martial arts, she had watched others practice. At her words, Zhou Huai immediately looked carefully and indeed saw that the “madman’s” stick movements were impenetrable, which was why the surrounding villagers hadn’t dared to approach.

“Ninth Miss, you’re right. He does know some martial arts. I just don’t understand why, being forced into such a miserable state, he hasn’t shown his true skill,” Zhou Huai said puzzledly.

“Because he’s a madman, of course,” Qin Shuang immediately said.

Qin Wan shook her head, “No, I see his footsteps are unsteady, his breathing is unstable, and though his wrist movements are quick, he hasn’t used any agile techniques. It seems he’s too weak physically. Look at his eyes…”

The “madman’s” black hair was disheveled, covering half his features, and now they could only see his eyes through the gaps in his hair.

Qin Shuang looked for a few moments and suddenly said in a low voice, “He seems to be in pain…”

The “madman’s” brows were tightly knitted, his gaze sharp and cold but mixed with an agonized expression, as if he were in the midst of some pain. Qin Wan’s brows furrowed as she looked at Zhou Huai, “Manager Zhou, is there any way to save him?”

Zhou Huai hesitated, “Ninth Miss…”

Qin Wan interrupted Zhou Huai’s words, “There’s something strange about his condition. I want to examine him briefly. If he truly is a troublemaking madman, I won’t interfere. But if he’s not, I fear this might be related to Fifth Sister’s disappearance.”

Zhou Huai’s thoughts stirred, and his gaze turned toward the crowd. He immediately recognized the homeowner who had spoken earlier and went forward, “Brother.”

Zhou Huai clasped his hands in greeting, then took out five taels of silver from his sleeve, “Brother, this person looks like a patient we encountered before. Since his attending physician is a friend of our master, I ask for your favor in letting us take him away. This will save you the trouble, and it would be unfortunate if any of you were hurt.”

It had been difficult enough to catch this madman, and they only wanted to teach him a lesson. Now that Zhou Huai had offered silver, it meant they could profit without doing anything!

The man who had spoken earlier quickly made his decision and grabbed the silver, “Take him if you want, but don’t let him cause trouble and scare people again, or we’ll have to catch him again. Also, we won’t help you catch him – you’ll have to figure that out yourself!”

Saying this, he gave the others a look, and the villagers left the area, joking and telling the man to treat them to drinks.

In an instant, only the “madman” and Qin Wan’s group remained by the noisy haystack.

Seeing everyone leave, the madman’s wooden stick fell to the ground with a “clang,” and at the same moment, as if losing all strength, he collapsed sitting on the ground. Even so, his eyes watched Qin Wan’s group through his hair, his gaze more wary than before.

Qin Wan stepped forward toward the madman, and Fuling immediately said, “Miss, be careful—”

Zhou Huai was also worried, but watching Qin Wan approach very slowly, step by step, he realized she was confident in her actions.

“Do you remember us?”

Qin Wan spoke gently, stopping four or five steps away from the madman. Seeing him sitting on the ground, she also slowly crouched down, “That night, in Baicao Garden, you gave us quite a fright.”

The madman’s eyes flickered, then lowered.

Seeing this, Qin Wan became more certain she hadn’t mistaken him.

“Don’t be afraid. We were staying at Baicao Garden a few days ago. We’re friends of Doctor Sun. Didn’t Doctor Sun send all of you home? How did you come here? Is your illness not yet cured?”

Qin Wan slowly asked several questions, but the madman just kept his head down without answering.

Zhou Huai and Qin Shuang both stepped forward, and the madman immediately raised his eyes to look at them. Being close, Qin Wan saw an extremely cold light flash in the madman’s eyes for an instant – that kind of gaze was surprisingly imposing.

Qin Wan’s heart stirred – knowing martial arts and having such a gaze, could he really be a villager from this remote area?

With this thought, she began examining his clothes and boots.

Who knew how far he had walked – his clothes were grey-white with dirt, and his boots were covered in mud.

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes and suddenly asked, “Who are you?”

The madman’s hand supporting him on the ground immediately clenched into a fist, and his eyes, carrying a cold glint, looked toward Qin Wan.

This gaze was so intense that even Qin Wan couldn’t help feeling nervous. Behind her, Zhou Huai noticed something was wrong and immediately moved to shield her, but Qin Wan waved her hand, “Manager Zhou, there’s no need to worry—”

Her words carried authority, making Zhou Huai pause and causing the madman’s eyes to contract slightly.

Though his gaze was intimidating, Qin Wan was still Qin Wan – a single look wouldn’t make her change color. She continued observing the madman unhurriedly, “Though your clothes are dirty, they’re made of fine Huzhou silk. Your boots even have silver embroidery. You’re not a villager from Chishui River. Who are you? Why did Uncle Dong say you were a patient staying at Baicao Garden?”

Qin Wan’s voice was very low, her eyes showing concern. At this point, she would only trust her own eyes.

The first time they saw this man, he had tried to escape. Later, they watched him being caught and brought back. At that time, they believed everything Uncle Dong said, but now, Qin Wan was almost certain that Uncle Dong had been lying to them!

“Don’t be afraid. Are you seriously ill? Were you brought to Baicao Garden by your family? Or were you imprisoned by Doctor Sun?”

Qin Wan probed with her questions. The man showed no reaction to the first two questions, but when the word “imprisoned” was mentioned, his eyes flickered. Qin Wan’s heart tightened, “Why would they imprison perfectly normal people? So you weren’t sent away – you escaped?”

The madman looked at Qin Wan but remained completely expressionless this time.

Qin Wan took a shallow breath, “We’re acquainted with one of Doctor Sun’s junior disciples. We were only staying temporarily at Doctor Sun’s Baicao Garden, not knowing people were imprisoned there. If you’re in trouble, tell us. We can help you.”

As she spoke, she looked him up and down for a few moments. If he wasn’t seriously ill, where did his weakness come from?

Qin Wan’s thoughts turned, “Have you been drugged? Don’t be afraid, I know medicine…”

As she spoke, she slowly moved forward a step. Her current mixture of urgency and confusion, combined with the chaos in her mind, made the concern in her eyes completely unconcealed. The man looked at her with clear eyes, as transparent as a mountain stream, and didn’t show any more rejection. Qin Wan walked a few steps to stand before him and placed her fingertips on his wrist.

Watching the distance between Qin Wan and the “madman,” Zhou Huai’s heart was in his throat. Fuling was even more nervous, and even Qin Shuang was somewhat worried, unable to help saying, “Hey, be careful he doesn’t hurt you—”

Qin Wan’s back remained perfectly still as she seemed to concentrate on taking his pulse. Looking up, she met the man’s deep eyes.

At this glance, Qin Wan’s heart chilled. No wonder she had always felt something cold in the man’s gaze. Besides his natural disposition, Qin Wan was surprised to discover that his pupils were almost transparent. Within his eyes seemed to be hidden a river of ice, now looking at Qin Wan coldly and distantly. Even though Qin Wan showed enough goodwill, he remained unmoved.

Soon, Qin Wan withdrew her hand. She didn’t look at the man again but stood up to face Zhou Huai, “He’s been drugged, likely with something like bone-softening powder and knockout drugs, which cause one’s breath to stagnate and body to lose strength.”

Then Qin Wan turned back to look at the man’s neck, “His voice has probably been sealed as well.”

Under Zhou Huai’s surprised gaze, Qin Wan crouched down again. Her heart felt cold and somewhat nervous. She knew she had inadvertently discovered the secret of Sun Haoyue’s Baicao Garden because no healing doctor’s residence would ever imprison a normal person, let alone drug them…

“Raise your head—” Qin Wan said while taking out a needle case from her sleeve.

These four words weren’t a request but a command. However, when she took out a long needle, the man didn’t move, only looking at Qin Wan with frost-filled eyes. After meeting his gaze for a moment, Qin Wan suddenly reached out and gripped his jaw, then forcefully lifted it. The man’s pupils contracted, and he moved to knock away Qin Wan’s hand, but he seemed to have forgotten he had been drugged – his reaction wasn’t as quick as Qin Wan’s. Just as his hand was about to touch Qin Wan’s arm, he felt an intense pain in his throat.

Qin Wan’s needle strike was quick and fierce, making the man’s body tremble with pain.

The next moment, Qin Wan withdrew her hand and needle, stepping back to stand.

Due to the pain, the man lowered his head. Qin Wan stood before him, watching him composedly. After a moment, as the pain subsided, the man straightened up. Soon, he couldn’t help but cough lightly twice.

With this cough, his face showed surprise – he had made a sound—

“Your voice was sealed by someone’s acupuncture, and this person sealed your voice and drugged you, all to keep you properly imprisoned. Who are you? Was it Doctor Sun who did this to you?”

Qin Wan’s unease grew stronger and stronger. This man’s appearance suddenly reminded her of many strange things within Baicao Garden: the drugged dogs, the slaughtered cats, the words of the murderers from two murder cases, and those empty medicine drawers in the small pharmacy – Notoginseng for stopping bleeding, Baiji also for stopping bleeding, Purple Zhenzhu Grass still for stopping bleeding…

And there were Chinese Mugwort, Cattail Pollen, Cirsium, Chinese Peony, Imperata Root…

After so much time, Qin Wan could still remember everything she had seen that day without missing a single detail.

These medicines all had various properties, but if there was one thing they had in common, it was their excellent blood-stopping effects.

Why were the empty medicine drawers mostly filled with hemostatic medicines?

What illness had Sun Haoyue been treating in the past month that required so many blood-stopping medicines?

Qin Wan suddenly thought of those scattered cat corpses…

Cats were so worthless – they could be killed without needing blood-stopping medicine, but people were different.

A chill crept up from the soles of Qin Wan’s feet as she thought of the people in Baicao Garden. Aunt Lin had been ill, Little Lizi had been ill, and the deceased Dacheng had also been ill…

After recovering from her illness, Aunt Lin could make Zhang’s family’s special tea shortbread, and after his illness, Little Lizi could do carpentry work…

What kind of medicine could Sun Haoyue have used to give people new talents?

Qin Wan’s gaze swept down from the man’s neck. In this weather, he wore only a thin shirt, presumably because he left in such a hurry he couldn’t put on more clothes. However, even so, he hadn’t been affected by a cold illness. On the contrary, even in such a sorry state, Qin Wan could still see that the man’s physique was naturally very robust.

He wasn’t missing any limbs – Sun Haoyue had only wanted to keep him safely imprisoned.

“You don’t have to tell us who you are, but you can make a deal with us.”

Qin Wan suddenly spoke, and the man raised his head at her words. Qin Wan continued, “We can take you anywhere you want to go, but you need to help us with something…”

The man still didn’t speak, only his gaze growing more and more oppressive.

But Qin Wan neither retreated nor avoided his gaze, “My sister is missing.”

As soon as Qin Wan said this, she saw a glimmering flash in the man’s eyes. She continued, “She’s disappeared. We all thought she was heading east to Yizhou, but we’ve followed the trail and haven’t found her.”

“Yi… zhou?” The man finally spoke, coldly uttering just these two words.

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed slightly, “My sister received an invitation from the Young Master of the Bai family, Bai Feiyu, to go to Yizhou.”

Not knowing the man’s identity, Qin Wan naturally couldn’t say that Qin Xiang had decided on her own to go to Yizhou to find Bai Feiyu. The word “invitation” made it sound appropriately vague yet dignified. Qin Wan saw the man’s brows furrow tightly, but soon he lowered his head.

Seeing his completely uncooperative attitude, Qin Wan’s eyes grew cold, and Zhou Huai behind her showed several signs of anxiety.

Qin Wan watched the man for another moment, “It seems you don’t want to make this deal.”

The man still didn’t move. Qin Wan narrowed her eyes. Even though she had discovered another abnormality at Baicao Garden, if the man didn’t speak, she still wouldn’t know what secret Baicao Garden was hiding. She looked at the man sharply for a moment, then suddenly reached into her sleeve pouch, took out a medicine bag, and placed it on the haystack beside the man, then turned and walked toward Zhou Huai.

“Let’s go first, we shouldn’t waste any more time.”

Zhou Huai had thought Qin Wan might persist, but he hadn’t expected her to be so decisive and clean-cut.

After Qin Wan finished speaking, she strode toward the outside. After they turned the corner, Zhou Huai caught up and said, “Ninth Miss, what should we do now?”

Qin Wan pressed her lips together, turned to look at Zhou Huai, and said, “Manager Zhou, how about we return to Baicao Garden?”

Zhou Huai was surprised, and even Fuling looked at Qin Wan in disbelief, “Miss, why return to Baicao Garden?”

Qin Wan ignored Fuling and only looked at Zhou Huai, “Something’s wrong at Baicao Garden. I feel that Fifth Sister is either on the road from Baicao Garden to here, or she’s still at Baicao Garden…”

“Still at Baicao Garden?” Fear crossed Qin Shuang’s face, “That person just now was imprisoned at Baicao Garden? Ninth Sister, you don’t mean to say… Fifth Sister has been imprisoned at Baicao Garden?”

Qin Wan shook her head, “I don’t know yet, but Fifth Sister couldn’t have gotten this far anyway. Let’s go back – best case scenario, we meet her on the road, if not, we’ll check Baicao Garden.”

Qin Shuang disagreed, “But why go back? They don’t know Fifth Sister went to chase Young Master Bai, and if they find out, and if Fifth Sister’s matter has nothing to do with them, wouldn’t that make things too improper!”

Qin Wan lowered her gaze. She naturally didn’t care whether this matter looked good or would tarnish the Marquis’s reputation, but right now she truly had no concrete evidence to convince Qin Shuang and Zhou Huai.

“Ninth Miss, even if we go back to search, it doesn’t mean we all have to go back together. How about this: I’ll go back, and either meet Fifth Miss or the Young Master, while Ninth Miss and Sixth Miss wait here.” Looking around, Zhou Huai continued, “This time they’re not as hostile to us as that day. If worst comes to worst, we can stay here another night. I’ll leave some men here, and if any villagers come causing trouble, we can pay them off.”

The homeowner earlier had been paid off by Zhou Huai – even though the village customs were rough, the people still knew the value of silver.

Qin Wan started to speak but stopped, “Manager Zhou…”

Zhou Huai sighed, “Ninth Miss, returning to Baicao Garden like this isn’t appropriate. Let’s do as I suggested.”

Qin Wan smiled bitterly but helplessly. After all, she couldn’t command the carriage drivers and guards, nor could she go to Baicao Garden alone. “Alright… I suppose that’s all we can do. Please hurry back, Manager Zhou.”

Zhou Huai nodded and turned to go to Changfu Inn to give instructions. Qin Wan stood there for a moment, then suddenly turned and walked toward where the hay stacks had been earlier. She walked very quickly, but when she turned the corner, how could the man still be there!

Qin Shuang had also followed and, seeing this, said angrily, “He ran so fast! You saved him and he didn’t even say thank you!”

Qin Wan’s heart sank deeper and deeper. When they returned to the entrance of Changfu Inn, they saw Manager Zhou had already mounted his horse. He hadn’t taken any followers, leaving everyone at the inn to protect Qin Wan and Qin Shuang. After giving some brief instructions, he spurred his horse and left.

Wei Changfu must have received quite a bit of silver from Zhou Huai, as he invited Qin Wan and Qin Shuang into the inn even more enthusiastically than before, “After the young ladies left, the rooms were kept vacant. Why don’t the young ladies rest in the rooms? The main hall is very cold, and the young ladies can take this opportunity to rest. Manager Zhou said you’ll be traveling through the night.”

As long as it didn’t snow, traveling through the night wasn’t a problem. Before Qin Wan could answer, Qin Shuang had already nodded, “Alright, bring us a charcoal brazier.”

“Of course, this way please, young ladies—”

Qin Wan felt uneasy and didn’t want to stay in the main hall with Wei Changfu and the others. She followed Qin Shuang to the room, pacing back and forth anxiously. Now their group had split into three directions – if they could successfully find Qin Xiang, all would be well, but if not, other complications might arise.

Qin Wan and Qin Shuang waited until afternoon, watching the sky grow dark, and even Qin Shuang grew anxious.

“What’s going on, why hasn’t Third Brother returned either…”

“Even if he hasn’t met Third Brother, Manager Zhou should have returned by now.”

Qin Wan sat on the edge of the bed while Qin Shuang now paced back and forth anxiously, “Why did you say we should return to Baicao Garden earlier? Just because that person was drugged? Maybe he was sent to Baicao Garden for treatment, and because it was some unspeakable illness, Uncle Dong lied to us that night. Or maybe he’s sometimes mad and sometimes lucid…”

What Qin Shuang said wasn’t entirely impossible, but Qin Wan’s intuition told her that the danger at Baicao Garden lay hidden in the darkness – they hadn’t truly touched it even until they left, but Qin Xiang might not be so fortunate.

Just then, there was a sudden “ding” sound as something flew through the window paper!

“What’s that? Is someone outside?”

Qin Shuang jumped in fright and quickly hid behind Qin Wan. Qin Wan looked and saw it was a paper ball. She quickly picked it up, and upon opening it saw several crooked characters written in charcoal—

After one look, Qin Wan’s face turned pale.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Shuang looked bewildered, “Who sent this?”

Qin Wan handed the paper ball to Qin Shuang, who looked and said in surprise, “Return to Baicao Garden? Who sent this to us? Why are they also telling us to return to Baicao Garden?!”

Qin Wan’s expression was unprecedentedly grave. She walked to the window in a few steps to look, but the window outside was empty – how could anyone still be there?

“We must return to Baicao Garden.” Qin Wan’s eyes turned cold. “If we’re late, it will be too late!”

Qin Shuang and Fuling were both frightened by Qin Wan’s severe expression. Qin Wan shook her head again, “It’s not enough for just us to go back, we need others…”

Qin Shuang said weakly, “We don’t even know when Manager Zhou will return.”

“Even Manager Zhou’s return would be useless. In the current situation, we probably need officials to be present.” Qin Wan’s eyes turned cold, and suddenly, as if thinking of something, she took something from her sleeve, “Take this, take this to the Ji County Yamen—”