That day, shortly after Su Ruolang had finished her evening meal, a maid brought over fresh clothes for changing.
"Miss Su, it's time for your bath and to change clothes."
Since arriving here, Su Ruolang had always bathed in the mountain stream. Hearing that wealthy households used flower petals and fragrant powders for bathing, she couldn't help but find it troublesome.
But there was clearly no mountain stream here. Following the maid through the corridors and past several moon gates, she unexpectedly caught sight of a hot spring pool.
Steam rose in billows, creating a hazy, misty atmosphere.
Beside the pool stood artificial rock formations, along with a pot of warmed plum wine, its color clear and pale, emitting delicate wisps of steam.
"Is this truly the county magistrate's residence?" A flicker of doubt arose in Su Ruolang's heart.
How could a mere county magistrate afford such a luxurious estate?
"This is indeed the residence under the county magistrate's name," the maid replied.
As she spoke, she helped Su Ruolang remove her outer robe.
"You may leave now," Su Ruolang said, never one to enjoy being attended to while changing.
"Yes," the maid replied, bowing her head respectfully before withdrawing.
Su Ruolang took a few steps forward when, from the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed something lying quietly beside the plum wine.
It was a wooden plaque about the size of a palm, entirely black with intricate patterns.
A memory flashed through her mind like lightning.
Frowning, she approached and picked up the wooden plaque.
It was made of ebony, with a texture resembling both wood and stone. The edges featured regularly raised cloud patterns, and as her fingertips brushed over them, they evoked a familiar sensation…
She vaguely recalled that before the original host died, she had grabbed something like this during her struggle.
The same size, the same shape…
Its texture was almost identical to this one.
Could it be the same piece?
If it was the same piece, how could the wooden plaque from the person who killed her end up in Qin Moqing's residence?
Or was it that he was the one who sent the person?
A wave of intense, venomous vigilance surged within Su Ruolang, and she quietly tightened her grip on the silver needle hidden in her sleeve.
Just then, a faint sound of water came from nearby…
Behind the artificial rocks, Qin Moqing was soaking in the hot spring.
When the footsteps approached, he sensed a murderous intent.
The visitor's steps were light and agile; judging by their movement, they were more experienced than the assassin who had tried to kill him that day. However, their figure was excessively slender—it was actually… a woman?
Peering through the thick steam, Qin Moqing suddenly found the woman's silhouette strikingly familiar.
The blurred vision he had in the forest that night overlapped entirely with the scene before him. Though the settings were completely different, the woman's figure was so similar!
In his usually deep, cold eyes, something seemed to melt like ice and snow. He abruptly stood up. "Is it you?"
The other person suddenly rose, startling Su Ruolang so much that she nearly dropped the silver needle.
Fortunately, she recognized the voice's owner.
If Qin Moqing was here, did that mean the wooden plaque was his personal belonging?
If so, he was undoubtedly connected to the original host's death.
A sudden chill of dread rose in Su Ruolang's heart. Fearing a trap ahead, she took several steps back.
"Wait!" Qin Moqing called out urgently as she turned to leave. "Tell me who you are!"
That day, although he had left a token, he hadn't asked the woman's identity. If she didn't appear after a month, where would he go to find her?
Su Ruolang's brow furrowed slightly. So, it wasn't Qin Moqing who had deliberately lured her here, but someone else scheming in the shadows?
But she was new here—who could she have possibly offended?
Whoever it was, and whatever their purpose might have been, she knew only one thing—this was no place to linger.
So, ignoring Qin Moqing’s shouts, she turned and leaped out of the hot spring at the fastest speed, disappearing into the misty vapor.
Qin Moqing, frantic with worry, took two steps forward in pursuit but slipped and fell heavily into the hot spring pool.
His injuries had only just healed, and this fall was naturally quite severe.
Yet he paid no mind to himself, calling for Jing An instead.
“Seal off the estate immediately—no one is to leave!” He was determined to find the person he had just encountered.
But after a thorough search of the entire estate, not a single stranger was found.
“Could the young master have been mistaken?” Jing An also found it strange. Could his master have seen a fairy? Did she grow wings and fly away?
“I was not mistaken. It was her!” Qin Moqing was certain that the person he had seen was the one who had saved him that day.
That figure was etched into his mind—he absolutely could not have been wrong.
“But… how would she know the young master lives here, and… and spy on you bathing? Though, she’s already seen everything there is to see—why run?” Jing An didn’t quite understand.
Qin Moqing coughed lightly, a faint blush coloring his pale face. “Search again, carefully. Don’t overlook any place where someone could hide.”
Even though he knew there was little hope, he was unwilling to give up just like that.
“Yes,” Jing An acknowledged, turning to instruct the servants to search once more.
Meanwhile, Qin Moqing clutched his injured waist and limped toward the east wing.
Halfway there, he spotted a shadowy figure lurking on the corridor, seemingly trying to enter one of the rooms but unable to find a way, scratching their head in frustration.
He deliberately stepped more heavily, making a sound.
Su Ruolang was just about to take the hairpin from her head to see if she could pick the lock when she heard the noise behind her.
She turned around, and the situation became instantly awkward.
“What a coincidence,” Su Ruolang spoke first, realizing that staying silent wouldn’t help matters.
“Quite a coincidence indeed. Would you mind telling me what you’re doing here?” If Qin Moqing wasn’t mistaken, her earlier movement suggested she was trying to remove the hairpin from her head.
Could it be that she intended to pick the lock and steal something?
To do such a thing after only one day here—her audacity was truly remarkable.
After concluding that Qin Moqing was connected to the original owner’s death, Su Ruolang thought the antidote might be somewhere in the estate, so she began searching room by room.
When she reached this place, she caught the scent of medicinal herbs.
Naturally, she knew it was impolite to open a door without permission.
But with her life at stake, how could she worry about politeness?
However, she absolutely could not tell Qin Moqing the truth, so she had to fabricate a lie.
“Just now, I saw someone break through the window and enter. I was worried it might be a bad person, so I wanted to investigate,” Su Ruolang explained, having naturally noticed the earlier commotion.
Qin Moqing had ordered the entire estate to be turned upside down, clearly searching for someone.
By saying this, she wouldn’t arouse suspicion and could also check if the room contained what she was looking for.
But a faint, elusive smile flickered in Qin Moqing’s eyes.
He glanced at the window, which showed no signs of damage, yet still had someone bring the key to unlock the door.
Inside the room were rows of medicinal herbs, all rare and precious treasures.
But it was clear that none of them were the antidote Su Ruolang sought.
She let out a soft sigh, a sound so faint it was almost imperceptible, yet Qin Moqing still caught it.
It seemed she had thought there was something she wanted in this room, but in reality, there was nothing.
What could she be looking for?
Qin Moqing wanted to ask, but he knew deep down that even if he did, Su Ruolang would not tell him.
Better not to ask.
"It seems I was just seeing things," Su Ruolang said, turning to leave the room and head back to her own wing room.
But after taking several steps, she noticed Qin Moqing had not followed her out, and curiosity stirred within her.
Could there be some secret hidden in that room, and was he now busy destroying it or hiding it even deeper?
Yet when she walked back, what she saw was Qin Moqing’s pained expression.
"Are you hurt?" Su Ruolang remembered hearing a splash when she left the hot spring.
It must have been Qin Moqing slipping and injuring himself.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Though she knew Qin Moqing hadn’t deliberately lured her there, she couldn’t help but think to herself, "Serves him right."
Still, she had to put on a concerned expression and walked over to support Qin Moqing. "Let me help you back and take a look at your injury?"
Qin Moqing wanted to refuse, but her hand rested on his waist, the gentle warmth seeping through the fabric, making him swallow the words already on the tip of his tongue.