Even though Sui Tan knew her sister couldn’t possibly be the murderer, hearing this firm statement still made her exhale in relief.  

Yet before her racing heart could fully settle, Physician Hu hesitated and added:  

“However… did this old servant perhaps say something unfavorable about the Eldest Young Miss earlier?”  

Sui Tan and Lin Qi exchanged a glance. Seeing this, Physician Hu smiled bitterly.  

“Truthfully, this old servant also sensed it—that my words were beyond my control, as if someone was manipulating me.”  

“Then, do you remember when you first felt you’d lost control?” Sui Tan pressed.  

Following her question, Physician Hu frowned in recollection. “It’s unclear now.”  

His gaze swept over the teacup on the table, his tone uncertain:  

“I only remember pouring myself a cup of tea after returning, and then I lost consciousness.”  

Their eyes followed his. Hearing this, Lin Qi moved to test the temperature of the tea. But Sui Tan was faster—the moment her fingers touched the cup, she flinched as if burned, stumbling back into Lin Qi’s arms.  

One hand clutched his sleeve tightly while the other cautiously lifted to show him.  

Lin Qi looked down. The tips of her slender, jade-like fingers were reddened from the contact with the cup.  

Her voice was soft, as if afraid to disturb some fragile peace:  

“Puppet manipulation requires the time it takes for an incense stick to burn… and this tea is still warm.”  

Lin Qi’s breath hitched, instantly grasping the implication.  

Physician Hu, after all his years immersed in royal secrets, also understood quickly.  

The dim candlelight flickered. For a moment, the small room was so silent their breathing was the only sound.  

“Who’s there?!”  

Suddenly, Lin Qi turned and barked at a shadowed corner untouched by the candlelight.  

In the same motion, his hand flashed out, sending a plum-blossom dart flying from his sleeve toward the empty corner.  

Mid-flight, the dart froze unnaturally in midair.  

A drop of dark red liquid slid down its edge and splattered to the ground with a soft plop. The sound was faint, but in this already tense night, it carried the weight of an impending storm.  

Sui Tan reacted just as swiftly, raising her hand.  

A brilliant golden light shimmered from her reddened fingertips, and like a painting being torn open, the space around the bloodied dart revealed a dark figure, wounded by the hidden weapon.  

“Lin Qi!”  

He moved at her call, his sleeves whipping as a barrage of darts shot forth.  

The intruder, realizing they were exposed, abandoned stealth and flung a handful of blinding powder backward before leaping out the window in a desperate escape.  

The cloud of powder surged toward them. Instinctively, Lin Qi shoved Sui Tan against his chest, shielding her as he held his breath and shut his eyes.  

Behind him, Physician Hu wasn’t so fortunate. Unable to dodge in time, he choked violently as the powder engulfed him, coughing as if his lungs might tear free.

When the chaos finally subsided, Lin Qi opened his eyes. Under the pale moonlight outside the window, only the fleeing figure remained.  

He looked down—just as the person in his arms looked up. Their eyes met, and Sui Tan uttered a single crisp word:  

“Chase!”

Slipping like an eel from his embrace, she dashed to the window in one swift motion, stepping onto the escape path the intruder had taken and leaping out after them.  

Lin Qi startled, reaching out to stop her but grasping only air. Watching her recklessly give chase, he didn’t hesitate to follow.  

“Th—Third Highn—!”  

Now it was Physician Hu’s turn to panic.  

Forgetting the supernatural ordeal he’d just endured and the excessive powder he’d inhaled, his face drained of color as he scrambled to the window. Watching the three figures vanish into the darkness under the moonlight, he wrung his hands in despair, not daring to make too much noise and invite further trouble. Clutching his head, he could only whimper under his breath:  

“Heavens, why are you indulging the Second Young Miss of Qin in her mischief?!”  

Unaware of Physician Hu’s dismay, Lin Qi—whose lightness skill was exceptional—caught up to Sui Tan in just a few strides.  

Her eyes lit up when she saw him. Burying herself against his chest, she wrapped her arms around his waist, shamelessly borrowing his momentum while triumphantly urging him onward.  

“Young Miss,” Lin Qi obeyed without complaint, but still tried to reason with her:  

“This murder case is full of mysteries, and tonight’s events are even more sinister. In my humble opinion, we should retreat and plan our next steps carefully.”  

“Lin Qi,” Sui Tan murmured against him, “do you remember the Battle of Xiangcheng?”  

Lin Qi stiffened.  

“In the Battle of Xiangcheng, the defense map fell into enemy hands. General Zhao, who was responsible for safeguarding it, was convicted of treason. But before his execution, he vehemently protested his innocence, claiming the map wasn’t leaked by him but stolen by demons—he swore he saw it vanish into thin air.”  

She looked up at him, her gaze piercing, as if seeing through him to someone else.  

“The ghosts of Xiangcheng that day, the invisible figure we witnessed tonight in Physician Hu’s room—aren’t you curious if they’re connected?”  

“Aren’t you curious whether General Zhao, a loyalist for generations and the Third Highness’s closest friend, truly committed treason… or if the Third Highness paid the price of near-fatal injuries in that bloodbath for nothing?”  

The breathing beside her hitched. Sui Tan waited quietly. Moments later, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her firmly against him as he took the lead.  

“Young Miss, forgive my impertinence.”  

With that, he tightened his hold and surged forward, closing the distance in a few swift leaps.  

The timing was perfect.  

Leaning into his embrace, Sui Tan stretched out her arm, aiming to seize the fugitive in one decisive grab—  

But the cornered culprit suddenly twisted, narrowly evading her grasp.  

Sui Tan’s eyes widened. Before she could react, the figure flickered like a shadow, darting dozens of feet away in an instant and reopening the gap.  

“No!”  

Realizing the trap too late, she tried to throw herself back into Lin Qi’s arms—only to feel the ground vanish beneath her.  

In that split second, all she could do was clutch Lin Qi’s arm, dragging him down with her as they plummeted from midair.