Chen Ke once again entered the courtyard and turned to lock the iron gate.
As far as the eyes could see, everything about the mansion seemed normal, with no strange fog hovering about, nor any nauseating smells.
He strolled around the courtyard; the lawn had started to yellow slightly, and leaves on the walkway had not been tended to for several days. A basket for collecting leaves was placed under a tree, from which a pair of feet protruded from the dry grass pile.
Chen Ke approached and saw the Baron's gardener lying on his back on the lawn, his blue shirt soaked in blood.
He squatted down to examine the body, pulling back the eyelid to observe the dilated pupils, which had long lost their shine, the whites filled with severe blood congestion as if in an instant all the blood had rushed to his eyes.
Chen Ke then opened the gardener's shirt to reveal several fatal wounds on the chest, each about two fingers in length and half a finger wide, clearly stabbed by a dagger.
