Qin Wan frowned and immediately crouched down.

After a moment, she pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and rubbed it hard against the pointed pebble. When she examined the handkerchief, there was indeed a crimson bloodstain.

Qin Wan’s expression instantly grew solemn.

Though it had snowed before, and while the snow was thin here, all traces had still been covered. Qin Wan stood up and looked down—besides the blood on the small pebble, nothing else could be discerned. She turned around and surveyed the surroundings once more.

This was deep within the plum garden, with pebble-paved paths crisscrossing in all directions. The bamboo grove and pavilion complemented each other beautifully, making it one of the garden’s finest spots. Qin Wan walked around from the bamboo grove to the front of the pavilion and looked up to see the character “Tao Ran” (Naturally Content). Who had met Lu Jingcheng here in the dead of night?

While Qin Wan was lost in thought, she suddenly noticed a shadow flash behind the bamboo grove.

Qin Wan immediately frowned, “Who’s back there?!”

At her shout, Bai Feng also looked toward the bamboo grove and immediately darted behind it. Qin Wan followed with Fuling and the others.

“Who are you?!”

Rounding the bamboo grove, Qin Wan immediately saw an elderly servant in gray clothes.

He was a manor servant, though his reason for being here was unknown. Having been caught by Bai Feng, he appeared extremely nervous. When he saw Qin Wan appear, his expression showed both shock and guilt. Qin Wan could tell at a glance something was amiss with him and asked, “Who are you, and why are you here?”

The old servant kept his head down as cold sweat immediately broke out, “This humble one… this humble one is called Lu Suiyong, I am… the gardener of this courtyard…”

Qin Wan stared intently. She had sent people to check before coming, and with snow still falling and the bitter cold, no one had come to tour the garden—there shouldn’t even be any workers here. How had someone suddenly appeared?

“Why did you come here?”

Lu Suiyong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, “This old servant… this old servant wanted to… wanted to see how the plum blossoms in the garden were blooming.”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll have to take you to see Madam Lu. You know her temperament.”

Lu Suiyong glanced at Qin Wan again, and she smiled coldly, “You need not know who I am. The fact that I can move freely here shows I’m an honored guest of Madam Lu’s. If I were to say you had rudely spied on me, guess how Madam Lu would treat you?”

Qin Wan didn’t mention the word “aunt,” and her words carried an intimidating air of superiority. Lu Suiyong was already suspicious of her identity, and hearing this, he believed eighty percent of what she said. Lu Youxin ran a strict household, especially in front of guests, and would not allow anyone to tarnish the Lu family’s reputation. Upon hearing these words, Lu Suiyong’s knees weakened and he fell to the snowy ground.

“This old servant was… strange things have happened in the garden, this old servant came to check. I had no intention of spying on Young Miss. Please spare this old servant’s life!”

Lu Suiyong knelt and begged for mercy, the fear in his voice genuine. Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, and studied Lu Suiyong for a moment before suddenly saying, “Besides the murder case in your manor, there are other strange occurrences? Tell me about them!”

Although Lu Suiyong feared Lu Youxin, he was still a Lu family servant. Hearing this, he quickly said, “No, no, no, Young Miss misunderstands, what happened in our manor wasn’t a murder case…”

Qin Wan coldly replied, “There’s no need to hide it from me. Your Fourth Young Master was murdered—this I know. Madam Lu wouldn’t dare conceal this from me.”

Hearing this, Lu Suiyong broke out in even more cold sweat, feeling that Qin Wan must be of extraordinary status. If so, she would be even more frightening than Lu Youxin!

Swallowing hard, Lu Suiyong said, “Our Fourth Young Master… wasn’t murdered… he was… he was just entangled with an evil presence…”

Qin Wan’s brows immediately furrowed upon hearing this, “What do you mean by that?”

Lu Suiyong glanced up at Qin Wan, shrinking his neck as he said, “This… people have died in this garden before… Seven or eight nights ago… when this old servant came out in the middle of the night… I saw Fourth Young Master enter the plum garden alone. Not long after, Fourth Young Master came out looking extremely happy…”

Thinking of this, Lu Suiyong continued, “Also… also about half a month ago, one night… Fourth Young Master went into the garden alone again, and after less than a quarter hour, he came out grinning again. Usually, only this old servant tends to this plum garden. Fourth Young Master entering the plum garden… he must… must have been entangled with a fox spirit’s evil presence!”

Though Qin Wan found these superstitious claims absurd, seeing Lu Suiyong’s expression, she knew he wasn’t lying!

Lu Jingcheng certainly hadn’t been entangled with an evil presence. It was highly likely… he had been coming here every few days to meet someone, and this person was his murderer.

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed tightly. She had come here looking for clues, and though she hadn’t found what she was looking for, she had unexpectedly encountered this person—a fortunate discovery. Qin Wan’s face showed surprise and doubt, “What makes you think there’s an evil presence in this garden?”

Lu Suiyong’s eyes widened, “Fourth Young Master was known for his fondness of women. Coming here every night and leaving in the middle of the night—isn’t this just like the stories in novels about being entangled with evil spirits? Because… because this old servant went to check another time, and there wasn’t a single person there, and there were no women in the garden…”

Hearing this, Qin Wan’s brows furrowed slightly…