That night, within the intimate confines of the three Guozhao Hunters' room, Ping'an gazed out at the beautiful blue sea, stretched serenely before her. A gentle, cool breeze drifted through the open window, carrying with it the fresh, briny scent of the ocean, a calming presence that filled the air.
Ping'an sighed in sorrow. "It's sad; the beautiful blue water may turn red tomorrow."
"If we can avoid war, it will be the best," Guo Baiyu replied, his voice thoughtful.
"How about we go swimming in the sea before the water turns red?" Zhao Renshu suggested, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "I have never swum in the sea before."
The three Guozhao Hunters decided to take a walk by the sea at night. When they passed the courtyard, they saw Lim Yuehai crying and holding a cloak. A dark shadow stood behind her, slowly approaching her.
In panic, Zhao Renshu shouted, "Lim Yuehai!"
The shadow quickly jumped over the wall and vanished. The three Guozhao Hunters looked at each other, their expressions grim.
"Let's go see her," Guo Baiyu said, his voice low. "Don't mention the shadow."
"What about swimming?" Zhao Renshu grumbled, still thinking of his earlier suggestion.
"There are much more important things than swimming," Guo Baiyu retorted.
The three Guozhao Hunters walked over and stood Lim Yuehai.
"Yuehai, are you here by yourself?" Ping'an asked gently, trying to gauge her state.
Lim Yuehai turned around and wiped her tears. "Oh, it's you guys. Please sit down."
"Yuehai, please take good care of yourself," Guo Baiyu urged, compassion in his voice.
"I just miss Aiguo," Lim Yuehai sobbed, her voice breaking. "He is kind and gentle. I don't think I can handle it when they slowly kill him outside the city gate tomorrow."
"Don't cry," Zhao Renshu coaxed, his tone surprisingly soft. "You are the sister of Peizhi. Any sister of Peizhi is also my sister." He looked at Guo Baiyu, a silent request. "Baiyu will come up with a sneak attack plan." He patted Lim Yuehai's shoulder lightly. "Don't worry, Baiyu is very smart; he will think of a plan."
"Yuehai, go get some rest," Guo Baiyu said. "We will think of something."
The three Guozhao Hunters sent Lim Yuehai to her room, then they returned to their own room. When Ping'an looked out the window, she saw ten boats stealthily rolling out into the dark sea.
"Baiyu, Renshu, we are in battle," Ping'an said, confused. "Why did those boats go to sea?"
Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu quickly stood up and rushed to the window, peering into the darkness.
"Those losers are defecting," Zhao Renshu said madly, clenching his fists.
"That's it," Guo Baiyu stated, a plan forming in his mind. "We defect. We enter their camp and look for opportunities to save Du Aiguo."
Guo Baiyu walked to the table and sat down. He picked up a brush and began to write, his movements swift and purposeful.
"Great idea!" Zhao Renshu exclaimed, his face lighting up. "I am a master of disguise!"
"Your disguise has been caught by Ping'an," Guo Baiyu pointed out dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"This time we are not deceiving Ping'an," Zhao Renshu countered. "We are fooling someone who has never seen us. I believe it will work." He took out a paper talisman and threw it on the floor. Shan emerged from the thick smoke, his ethereal form appearing.
Shan's cold voice suddenly sounded beside Zhao Renshu. "Renshu."
"Old Shan, you lied to me!" Zhao Renshu said madly, glaring at him. "We were not hired for two thousand coins! How dare you?"
Shan said blankly, "Are you wasting a talisman just to yell at me?"
"Renshu, stop," Guo Baiyu interjected. "Shan, please help me send these two letters." He handed the letters to Shan. "When they see the letter, they will know what to do." The smoke dissipated, and Shan vanished.
"I haven't finished scolding him yet!" Zhao Renshu grumbled, frustrated.
That night, the three Guozhao Hunters rowed a small boat into the darkness of the sea. After two hours of rolling around on the waves, they were spotted by an enemy ship. The three Guozhao Hunters were then transported from their small boat to a big pirate ship. Now they came face to face with the famous pirate Xu Baohai and ten other hunters who had truly defected.
Xu Baohai smiled, a cruel smirk on his face. "I can't believe that fool hired you to defend his city." He ate a grape, savoring it. "All I have to do is offer high prices, and all his one hundred and fifty hunters are on my side. How could this old fool defend his city with fifty hunters?" He smiled, his gaze sweeping over the thirteen new "recruits." "Let me ask you. Has the Guozhao Hunters arrived?"
Everyone was silent, no one daring to look at Xu Baohai, fearing his wrath.
"Useless," Xu Baohai sneered.
"I know," Zhao Renshu said, raising his right hand, drawing attention to himself.
"What do you know about the Guozhao Hunters?" Xu Baohai asked, intrigued by Zhao Renshu's apparent boldness.
Zhao Renshu looked at Guo Baiyu and smirked, playing his role. "I heard that there was a member named Guozhao Baiyu who bathed in the holy lake, and he was arrested. People wanted to hang all three of them." He chuckled lightly, a subtle jab at his own brother.
"Why all three, if only one member did wrong?" Xu Baohai questioned, puzzled.
"Guozhao Renshu was caught because he tried to flirt with Captain Hai's wife," Guo Baiyu added, rolling his eyes at Zhao Renshu's fabricated tale.
"Ha...Ha...Ha...." Xu Baohai laughed, finding the story amusing. "They are such losers!"
"Aren't you afraid of Guozhao Hunters?" Guo Baiyu asked, testing him.
"Why would I be afraid of them when I have him?" Xu Baohai boasted, gesturing with his hand.
One of the pirates dragged a young man forward and threw him roughly on the floor. It was Du Aiguo, the mayor's son.
"If your father does not open the city gate tomorrow," Xu Baohai threatened, looking down at the prisoner, "I will slowly kill you in front of his citizens."
"I'm not afraid of you," Du Aiguo retorted, defiance in his eyes.
There was a sexy voice from behind. "You should be very scared of him," Qingyu said, walking in with a seductive smile.
The three Guozhao Hunters looked at each other, their faces betraying no recognition. Qingyu did not recognize them, assuming they were just defected hunters.
"The old fox is a sea expert, but not on land," Qingyu said, her voice smooth and confident. "You will use some of your men as decoys at sea while your main force attacks the city on land."
A pirate rushed in. "Boss, all of our ships touched land!"
"Ha...Ha...Ha..." Xu Baohai laughed maniacally, pleased. "Everyone camp on the shore should make sure to light up as many fires as possible. Let them witness the glory of our army!" He looked at the thirteen newcomers. "You will guard this prisoner and show me your loyalty. If he escapes, all of you will die."
The new thirteen crew members including the Guozhao Hunters and Du Aiguo were now in a small tent by the sea. Du Aiguo sat on the beach, his hands tied to his ankles, grim-faced.
Zhao Renshu carried a jar of wine. "Everyone, the boss is very nice. He gave us this big bottle of wine. Come on." He offered it to the other defected hunters.
"We can't drink," one of the hunters said cautiously. "What if the prisoner escapes?"
"Yeah, we don't want to take risks," another hunter agreed.
"Since we are your juniors," Guo Baiyu said, offering a solution, "we will guard the prisoner while you drink." He smiled at them, subtly manipulating them. "There are ten of you and only one small jar of wine. This is not enough to get everyone drunk."
"He is right," another hunter said, convinced. "I can drink two whole jars alone without getting drunk!"
Zhao Renshu handed the men the jar of wine. They took turns drinking from it. Ten minutes later, the ten hunters dropped out cold on the sand, completely unconscious.
Ping'an quickly stood up and walked to Du Aiguo, who was still tied up. She sneezed again.
"You must have caught a cold," Zhao Renshu said, untying Du Aiguo.
"What do you guys want?" Du Aiguo asked, wary of their intentions.
"We are here to rescue you," Zhao Renshu replied simply.
"Change clothes quickly with a hunter," Guo Baiyu urged, handing him a defector's outfit.
Ping'an turned around, giving Du Aiguo privacy to change into one of the hunter's clothes. Zhao Renshu tightly tied the unconscious hunter to the position where Du Aiguo had been tied up, making the swap look convincing.
"Wait," Du Aiguo said, just as they were about to leave. "I need my perfume bag." He grabbed the perfume bag and walked towards the door. Ping'an sneezed again, a loud, clear sound.
"Drop the perfume bag," Ping'an ordered, her voice firm. "There must be something I'm allergic to inside."
Guo Baiyu took the perfume bag from Du Aiguo and tied it to the sleeping hunter, further cementing the deception. "Let's go," he whispered.
Soon after the three Guozhao Hunters and Du Aiguo had left, Xu Baohai, Qingyu, and twenty pirates stormed into the tent, alerted by something. They saw ten hunters lying on the ground, unconscious, and an empty space where Du Aiguo should have been.
"I knew there was something strange about the mute hunter," Qingyu said, her eyes narrowed. "His Yang's energy is too strong. I've smelled it before. They deceived you, my love. They are the Guozhao Hunters!"
Xu Baohai's eyes were filled with angry blood, his face contorted in rage. "Kill all these useless hunters! I want the Guozhao Hunters dead!"