The friends returned to the table, but Guozhao Zhiqiang remained at a distance, maintaining his vigil. They arrived just as fireworks bloomed across the full moon's sky, painting the darkness with vibrant colors. As they drew closer, a stark detail emerged: Du Aiguo cast no shadow. Lim Peizhi's right fist clenched, his jaw tightening.
"Not yet?" Zhao Renshu murmured, confirming Lim Peizhi's silent observation.
Li Luli rushed to Du Aiguo's side, grasping his arm. "Aiguo, do you remember when we were young, on special nights like this, you'd take me to the roof? We'd watch until the very last firework faded."
Du Aiguo pulled his arm away, his gaze distant. "Cousin sister, I don't remember." He reached for Lim Yuehai, taking her right hand in his left, seeking comfort from her.
Lim Yuehai smiled, a wistful look on her face. "My dear, do you remember how we met?"
"Yes," Du Aiguo replied, his answer almost rote. "I was hurt, and you saved me."
Lim Yuehai simply smiled, her gaze fixed on the next firework painting the sky, accepting his simplified version.
Across the table, Lim Peizhi saw none of the beauty. His jaw was tight, his hand repeatedly clenching his sword's hilt. Many times, he almost drew it, wanting to sever Du Aiguo's head, his fury barely contained.
Guo Longtong frowned, observing the tension. "Dachin and Yaoting should be here. This reminds me of all of us on that rooftop. I can't believe it's been almost two years since I saw him."
Zhao Renshu chuckled, a dry, short laugh. "Ha...ha...ha...Yaoting is the bravest man ever. He stood up and announced he would chase after Dachin."
"To be honest," Guo Longtong admitted, "when he suddenly stood up, I held my breath. I thought he'd fly over and hit Baiyu."
Huang Hongse chimed in, a memory surfacing. "I remember you almost fell off the roof, Longtong."
Ping'an suddenly sneezed, a sharp, unexpected sound.
"Are you okay?" Guo Baiyu asked, concerned.
"You were fine just a moment ago," Zhao Renshu observed, surprised.
Noticing that she had lost everyone's attention due to Ping'an's sneeze, Li Luli quietly left the table, slipping away unnoticed.
"It's weird," Ping'an mused, rubbing her nose. "Whenever I smell this sweet fragrance, I always sneeze, but now I'm okay."
"Baiyu, you need to fix her," Zhao Renshu stated, looking at Guo Baiyu. "We were almost caught during the rescue operation because of her sneezing."
"What was the last thing you said?" Guo Baiyu asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice, ignoring the accusation.
"Operation," Zhao Renshu replied, confused.
Guo Baiyu sighed. "I mean the whole sentence."
Zhao Renshu repeated, "Baiyu, you need to fix her. We were almost caught during the rescue operation."
Guo Baiyu turned his attention to Du Aiguo. "Childe Du, what kind of perfume bag do you carry?"
"This is a gift for Yuehai, but I forgot to give it to her, then I was caught," Du Aiguo explained, pulling out a small bag. "It contains dried sunflower, lavender, and red rose petals."
Lim Peizhi gritted his teeth, his voice strained with barely suppressed rage. "Yuehai has a severe allergic reaction to lavender! How dare you give her a bag that contains lavender...!" His hand tightened on his sword, threatening to draw it.
"I didn't know that she's allergic to it!" Du Aiguo said, panicking, his eyes wide. He turned to Lim Yuehai. "Is that true?"
Lim Yuehai spoke softly, confirming it. "Peizhi, I never told him about that." She looked at Du Aiguo, her expression unreadable. "If I touch or smell lavender, my throat will start to swell, and I won't be able to breathe."
"Who gave it to you?" Guo Baiyu inquired, his voice calm, but his gaze sharp.
"One of the maids. Why?" Du Aiguo responded, still confused and defensive.
"Ping'an is also allergic to lavender," Guo Baiyu revealed, "but not as bad as Yuehai."
"Yuehai," Lim Peizhi said, standing up, his voice firm. "My mother has something she wants to give you. Let's go get it in my room." He was removing her from the presence of the perfume bag.
"Aiguo," Lim Yuehai said, "you can go back to our room first."
"Don't worry," Lim Peizhi interjected, ensuring their separation, "I'll ask Yueliang and Hongse to send her back to her room."
"Go," Du Aiguo said, still seemingly innocent.
Lim Peizhi helped Lim Yuehai to her feet, escorting her away.
"Childe Du, it's been a long day for us," Guo Baiyu said, rising. "We are going to bed. Please forgive me."
"I want to go to bed too," Du Aiguo replied, also standing.
The three Guozhao Hunters walked into their room, and Zhao Renshu closed the door behind them. Zhao Renshu, Guo Baiyu, and Ping'an were left sitting at the table, their conversation shifting to the urgent matter at hand.
"Do you two think that the possessed person is among us?" Ping'an asked, her voice low and serious.
"It must be," Zhao Renshu affirmed. "There's a high percentage that the possessed person is Du Aiguo."
"But he has no shadow," Ping'an pointed out. "What does that mean?"
"A person without a shadow is a dead person, or a dead person possessed by a soul," Zhao Renshu mused, stroking his chin. "Why does a soul possess a body using this method? The workload is too much. He would have to literally withdraw his spirit from his original body and transfer his subconscious into a dead body. If he were smart, he could just disguise himself."
"Maybe his spiritual power is weak," Guo Baiyu suggested.
"Or he's not one of the criminals," Zhao Renshu replied, "but regardless, sooner or later we will find out."
"When Ping'an sneezed for the first time, we were in the tavern," Guo Baiyu recalled, connecting the dots. "There were our friends, Peizhi's guards, Yuehai, and Lady Li."
"If Yuehai is allergic to it, why doesn't she sneeze?" Ping'an questioned, a critical detail.
"The answer is unclear," Guo Baiyu admitted. "The human brain is very powerful. I believe she is under such huge pressure, and her body is not aware of it."
"When we saved Du Aiguo, Ping'an sneezed," Zhao Renshu added, another piece of the puzzle.
"Whenever Lady Li is present, Ping'an will sneeze," Guo Baiyu stated, making the key connection.
"This means that the perfume bag was given by Lady Li," Zhao Renshu concluded, connecting the dots.
"She is the assassin," Ping'an declared, the truth hitting hard.
"How?" Zhao Renshu asked, surprised by the direct accusation.
"After we traded punches," Ping'an explained. "I sneezed."
"I hope we don't deal with two criminals here," Guo Baiyu sighed, the thought unsettling.
"Let's wait and see what the criminal is going to do next," Zhao Renshu said, looking at Ping'an, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Throw the wine on Baiyu's face next time."
"Is it the wine, or should I slap you in the face?" Ping'an retorted, a playful glint in her eye, indicating their earlier squabble was truly over.
Zhao Renshu stood, picked up Ping'an, and kissed her.
"Let go of me!" Ping'an struggled playfully, laughing. "You are stinky!"
"You owe me a kiss," Zhao Renshu teased. "You endured it because you were the one who threw the bowl of wine on my face." He kissed her again.
"Take a bath first!" Ping'an said, covering his mouth with her left hand, still laughing.
Zhao Renshu put her down. "Fine." He walked to the other side of the large screen panel and stripped off his clothes, then soaked in the bathtub. Ping'an, ever caring, helped Guo Baiyu change clothes for bed, then walked over to wash Zhao Renshu's hair, a tender gesture.
"Don't move around too much," Ping'an instructed softly, as she lathered his hair.
Zhao Renshu sighed, leaning his head back against the edge of the bathtub. "I miss the big bathtub in our house. After capturing the criminal, we can hitchhike with Peizhi. He can send us to Capital City. If Dachin and Yaoting haven't left, we can go home together. I hate to cross that desert again."
"This sounds like a perfect plan," Ping'an said, her voice soft and hopeful. She lowered her head and kissed his lips. "There, I return the kiss back to you. Your new clothes are on the table. I'm going to bed." She walked to the other side of the screen panel, preparing for sleep.
Zhao Renshu got up and dried himself. He walked to the bed and saw his new clothes neatly placed on the table. He looked at the bed where Ping'an and Guo Baiyu were already settled. He climbed in, and as his right hand slid down Ping'an's pants, he hugged her from behind, kissing her neck, initiating intimacy.
Ping'an turned around, startled but responsive. "Renshu, why are you still naked? Go and put on some clothes," she whispered playfully.
Zhao Renshu breathed heavily, his desire evident. "Why put on clothes, only to take them off?" He turned her to face him, his tongue finding its way into her mouth, his hand still exploring beneath her clothes.
Guo Baiyu untied his robe and leaned down to kiss Ping'an's left breast, licking her sensitive nipple. He reached for their bag, pulled out the sunflower oil, and poured it onto his hand, preparing for their shared intimacy.
Zhao Renshu knelt on the bed. Ping'an turned onto her right side, accommodating him, taking Zhao Renshu's full, hard member into her mouth. He slowly thrust inside her, their bodies joining.
From behind, Guo Baiyu smoothly applied the sunflower oil onto Ping'an's back entrance and inserted one finger. After a moment, he inserted a second. He then lifted Ping'an's left leg with his injured left hand and entered her, joining them in their intimate act.
Guo Baiyu's downward thrust caused Zhao Renshu to pause his upward movements, as Guo Baiyu's rhythm was sufficient to create a continuous, flowing motion within Ping'an. After a while, Guo Baiyu pulled Ping'an's body onto his, their bodies still intimately connected below. He grasped her knees with both hands, while Ping'an placed both hands on Guo Baiyu's chest for support, lost in their shared pleasure.
Zhao Renshu knelt between Guo Baiyu's legs and inserted his member into Ping'an's front entrance. He placed Ping'an's legs on his shoulders, grasping them tightly as he began to thrust. He started with a slower rhythm, then steadily increased his speed. Guo Baiyu held Ping'an's waist tightly as Zhao Renshu's thrusts grew faster, Ping'an's moans becoming louder and louder. Zhao Renshu then turned Ping'an around, positioning her on Guo Baiyu's stomach, adjusting their positions for continued pleasure.
Guo Baiyu entered Ping'an's front entrance, while Zhao Renshu's member slid into her back entrance, and he continued thrusting. As the as the three Guozhao Hunters flesh collided with increasing intensity, Zhao Renshu's speed became faster and faster, and their moans grew into a chorus of desire, filling the room.
Ping'an moaned, panting hard, "Renshu...I...cannot....take..."
Guo Baiyu silenced her by sending his tongue into her mouth, kissing her deeply. Zhao Renshu's thrusts became faster and harder than before. Each creak of the bed was accompanied by the three Guozhao Hunters loud moans, reaching a crescendo of shared climax. Then, after a period of fervent thrusting, both men released inside Ping'an.