Under the unforgiving glare of the bright moonlight, their voices, sharp as broken glass, tore through the night. Du Aiguo and Li Luli stood in the backyard, not speaking, but quarreling, each word a poisoned dart flung in a desperate, furious dance.
"Don't you remember the time we spent together? The promise we made?" Li Luli pleaded, her voice cracking.
"I don't remember," Du Aiguo replied, his face blank.
"We have loved each other since we were young," Li Luli insisted. "Why do you suddenly love her? Are you afraid that your father will not give you the title of mayor?"
"Please, cousin sister," Du Aiguo said, his voice strained. "I have told you since I woke up, I don't remember anything. I don't remember you anymore."
Then Li Luli laughed loudly, a chilling, triumphant sound. "Ha...ha...ha...Little wolf fairy. I can smell you."
Du Aiguo's face darkened, a flicker of something unsettling in his eyes. "Cousin Sister?"
"Wrong," Li Luli corrected, her voice morphing into something older, colder. "I'm Tanlan."
"Tanlan... who are you and what do you want?" Du Aiguo asked, fear creeping into his voice.
"I want this city," Tanlan declared. "I have found my perfect vessel, and you are going to help me."
"This has nothing to do with me," Du Aiguo protested, backing away.
"Little wolf fairy, you are going to help me claim my new vessel," Tanlan insisted, her voice a cruel purr.
"I won't do such a thing," Du Aiguo defied, though his voice trembled.
"You help me, or I kill your wife," Tanlan threatened. "I come from the shadow world. I will strike when you least expect it."
"Who do you want?" Du Aiguo asked, desperation in his voice.
"I want the woman with the whip weapon," Tanlan revealed.
"Why her?" Du Aiguo questioned.
"Do you smell the pure Yang Qi floating in her whole body?" Tanlan said, the voice filled with avarice. "If I own her body, I will be invincible. Ha...ha...ha..."
"If you have her, would you leave us alone?" Du Aiguo pleaded, hoping for a bargain.
"Yes," Tanlan reassured him, a false promise in her tone.
Inside Lim Peizhi's chamber, Lim Yuehai and Lim Peizhi were sitting at the table, discussing the situation.
"Brother, what does mother want to give me?" Lim Yuehai asked.
"You are not allowed to return to your husband," Lim Peizhi said, his voice firm and grave.
"What are you talking about?" Lim Yuehai asked, bewildered.
"Ping'an has told me that someone is going to kill you. You stay with me until we catch the assassin. Your husband is a suspect," Lim Peizhi explained, revealing the harsh truth.
"Peizhi, why do you say that?" Lim Yuehai asked, heartbroken.
"Do as I say," Lim Peizhi insisted. A dark shadow flashed through the window, a fleeting glimpse of movement. "Stay here!"
Lim Peizhi chased the shadow, leaving his sister. Just then, a knock sounded on the door. It was Du Aiguo.
Lim Yuehai opened the door. "Aiguo," she whispered, relieved to see him.
"Yuehai, Peizhi asked me to take you into hiding," Du Aiguo said, his voice urgent. "There are riots among the pirates. We must hurry up."
Lim Yuehai, trusting her husband, walked out of Lim Peizhi's room and followed her husband out of the city, unknowingly walking into a trap.
When Lim Peizhi returned to his room, it was dark and there was no candlelight. He walked into the room, and there was a note on the table. He picked up the note and, reading its contents, rushed to the three Guozhao Hunters' room.
When he approached their room, there was no light, which indicated that the three Guozhao Hunters were sleeping, but he didn't care. He knocked loudly, urgently.
Zhao Renshu opened the door, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Ping'an," Lim Peizhi gasped.
"Sleeping. What is it?" Zhao Renshu yawned, still groggy.
Lim Peizhi walked into the room, opened the curtains, letting in the faint moonlight, and barged right into their bed, desperate for their attention.
Ping'an and Guo Baiyu sat up at the edge of the bed, startled. Lim Peizhi knelt in front of Ping'an, his face distraught.
"Peizhi, what are you doing?" Ping'an asked, concerned.
Lim Peizhi handed the letter to Ping'an. "The only person I know who uses a whip is you," he said, indicating the letter's contents.
Zhao Renshu took the letter from Guo Baiyu's hand and read it. He then said, a grim smirk on his face, "We didn't move, but he moved first."
"Among all of us, why choose Ping'an?" Guo Baiyu mused, his mind already working on the motive.
"What should we do?" Lim Peizhi asked, despair in his voice. "Yuehai is pregnant; she can give birth anytime!"
"Let's play their game," Guo Baiyu stated, a plan forming. "Peizhi, the person who took Yuehai just wants to lure Ping'an. I'm pretty sure she will be fine." He continued, "Tomorrow, you can just say that Yuehai is missing. You pretend you haven't read this note, and you will take us out of the city to find her."
"Why?" Lim Peizhi asked, confused by the strategy.
"It's better to fight him outside the city," Guo Baiyu explained.
The next morning, Lim Peizhi announced that Lim Yuehai was missing, feigning distress. The group of friends Guozhao Hunters, Huang sisters, Guo Longtong, Du Aiguo, and twenty officers went out to look for Lim Yuehai outside the city, while the rest of the city's forces searched inside.
Guo Baiyu asked Mayor Du, "Mayor Du, you said your son was lost for two days?"
"Yes," Mayor Du confirmed. "He strongly opposed the marriage between Lady Lim and him. Two days later, we found him unconscious. Since he woke up, he has been very friendly to Lady Lim. He said he had forgotten everything. I was confused too."
"He seems to care about her very much," Guo Baiyu observed, trying to gauge Mayor Du's perception.
"I'm glad he did," Mayor Du sighed, "otherwise I will not be able to face Mayor Lim."
"How long has it been since your son lost consciousness?" Guo Baiyu inquired, a crucial question.
"Two years," Mayor Du replied.
"Mayor Du, I don't know any simpler way of saying this," Guo Baiyu said, his voice solemn. "Your son is possessed by an unknown soul. The person walking now may not be your son."
"How is it possible?" Mayor Du gasped, utterly shocked.
"To know the truth, I need to enter your son and lady Lim's bedroom," Guo Baiyu stated.
"I will lead the way," Mayor Du said, his face pale but determined.
The bedrooms of Du Aiguo and Lim Yuehai were very large. After half an hour of searching, the servants did not report any abnormalities.
When Guo Baiyu looked around, the bedroom was decorated with oil paintings and flowers. Guo Baiyu noticed that there was only one lily carved on the headboard. He checked carefully, and he turned the carved lily flower. Then, a bookcase to his left opened, revealing a hidden passage.
Both Guo Baiyu and Mayor Du turned to the secret door, astonished. Guo Baiyu opened the hidden door fully, and there was a hidden room behind the bookcase. The room was cold, with a daybed, and it appeared someone was sleeping on the daybed.
"Yuehai," Guo Baiyu called, hopeful.
Guo Baiyu walked to the bed and pulled down the blanket. The body was Du Aiguo.
"Aiguo!" Mayor Du screamed, rushing to his son's side, distraught.
Guo Baiyu examined the unconscious Du Aiguo.
"How is he?" Mayor Du asked, tears in his eyes.
"It seems that he is in a coma," Guo Baiyu replied. "He must be the real Childe Du."
"Take my order!" Mayor Du shouted, his face contorted with rage. "I want all the officers outside of the city! I want the monster who disguised as my son dead!"
"Where do you think he is most likely to be?" Guo Baiyu asked, thinking tactically.
"Bamboo Spring, five miles outside the city," Mayor Du spat, his voice filled with venom. He turned to his unconscious son. "Aiguo..." He sobbed, overcome with grief.
"Ping'an," Guo Baiyu called, urgency in his voice. He ran out of the room and ran towards the city gate, knowing where his team would be.
Outside the city, Ping'an, Guo Longtong, and the possessed Du Aiguo were heading to Bamboo Spring, following the subtle lure.
"Why should I stay with you two?" Guo Longtong complained, still grumpy about his pairing.
"It won't help," Ping'an replied calmly. "If you want to complain, go to Peizhi to complain."
"He should know that I want to pair with Hongse!" Guo Longtong grumbled. "Why does Hongse always have to be paired with Yueliang?"
The possessed Du Aiguo stopped and said, his voice flat, "Bamboo Spring is down there." He pointed to a path down the mountain, indicating their destination. He then followed closely behind Ping'an and Guo Longtong, leading them into the trap.