When Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu arrived, the fighting was already over. The team explained that a female ghost had flown from room to room and scared them. They had merely defended themselves from the ghost.
"How is your stomach?" Xiao Hui asked Zhao Renshu, a playful glint in her eye.
"Good," Zhao Renshu awkwardly answered.
"And yours?" Xiao Dan asked Guo Baiyu.
"Mine is also good," Guo Baiyu replied.
Zhao Renshu turned and walked back to the storage room. "I'll take night watch first," he announced.
"Everyone should rest," Guo Baiyu said. "I'll stay with him."
While everyone was still standing outside, Guo Baiyu followed Zhao Renshu.
Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu returned to the storage room. The door was open. The two men looked at each other, worry etched on their faces. Both of them ran into the storage room; Ping'an was nowhere to be found. Guo Baiyu picked up a fallen talisman from the ground.
"This is not a ghost, but a human!" Zhao Renshu said angrily, hitting the wall with his left fist. "Damn it..."
"There's a rotten egg among us," Guo Baiyu stated grimly.
"Why Ping'an? I even gave her a mark," Zhao Renshu said, frustrated.
After the noise subsided, the innkeeper and some guests rushed to the back area where the four rooms were located. Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu joined the group just as the innkeeper approached with ten other guests.
"There's a rotten egg among us," Zhao Renshu said angrily.
"Now, call everyone into the dining hall," Guo Baiyu commanded.
In the dining room, the group of friends and ten guests waited for the others to join. Zhao Renshu couldn't remain still. He paced back and forth between the crowd and the main entrance. Guo Baiyu, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite. He sat quietly drinking tea, patiently waiting for the guests.
Once everyone was in the dining hall, an angry Zhao Renshu walked towards the people, staring into their faces.
Zhao Renshu stared angrily at the assembled people, like a tiger about to kill its prey. "I know one of you is a spy," he said, gritting his teeth. "Who is the spy among you? Confess your guilt now... If you confess now, I can still spare your life." He clenched his fists tightly. "If I find out on my own, I will kill you."
Everyone remained silent.
"Very well, since no one is confessing, I will count to three, and you had better show yourself after I count three," Zhao Renshu declared. Even after Zhao Renshu finished counting, no one spoke.
Guo Baiyu deliberately dropped his teacup onto the floor; the cracking sound of the teacup shocked the people in the main dining hall. Guo Baiyu stood up and walked slowly towards the group. From inside his robe, he took out the paper talisman he had picked up from the storage room floor. He made sure that everyone could see the talisman he was holding.
"Very well, since no one is confessing, I will send this talisman out at you," Guo Baiyu said coldly. He stared coldly at the group of guests and employees.
Zhao Renshu looked at Guo Baiyu strangely. In Zhao Renshu's mind, he was thinking: What the hell are you doing? That's a ghost talisman, which is useless to humans. It's such a stupid, useless act. He shook his head in exasperation at Guo Baiyu.
"This talisman is called 'acupuncture death'," Guo Baiyu announced, looking directly at the gathered people. "After I cast the spell, this talisman will float and land on the spy. Once it falls on you, you will feel thousands of needles pricking you in all directions throughout your entire body."
All the guests exhaled and denied being spies.
"Now, I will recount again. One..." Guo Baiyu said, handing the talisman to Zhao Renshu.
Zhao Renshu finally understood what Guo Baiyu was doing, so he raised the talisman. "Two..." The yellow paper talisman began to light up.
"Please... please don't distribute the talisman," Ah Tin stepped forward and stammered. "I'm... I'm the spy."
"Ah Tin, how could you?" the Innkeeper exclaimed, shocked.
Ah Tin was the waiter who had brought Ping'an to her room. Zhao Renshu grabbed Ah Tin's collar and pulled him closer. Ah Tin was pulled so close to Zhao Renshu that Zhao Renshu could taste Ah Tin's fear.
"Where are they?" Zhao Renshu demanded.
"I don't know..." Ah Tin trembled, clearly shocked. "I truly don't know... The bandits kidnapped my sister and my sister-in-law. They told me if I didn't do as I was told, they would sell my sister and sister-in-law to a brothel. They also threatened that if I didn't do this, they would kill my boss."
"What?" the Innkeeper gasped.
"Boss Lin, you were always kind to me," Ah Tin cried. "I thought of you as a father."
"Why take Ping'an?" Guo Baiyu asked.
"I don't know. It should have been your wives," Ah Tin said, pointing at the Xiao sisters. "I'm not sure why they took her away. Please, I truly don't know where they are. If I knew, I would tell you, then you could save my sister and sister-in-law." Ah Tin knelt on the ground, begging for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry, everyone, please go back to sleep," Guo Baiyu said, looking at the gathered people.
Except for Ah Tin and Innkeeper Lin, the other guests left the dining hall and returned to their rooms.
"To correct your mistakes, we need your help," Guo Baiyu said, looking at Ah Tin.
"If anything happens to Ping'an, I will destroy you," Zhao Renshu said angrily.
"Please, Ah Tin is not a bad person," Innkeeper Lin pleaded.
"I am willing to help you catch those bandits, but please assure me that you will bring my sister and sister-in-law back," Ah Tin said, taking a deep breath.
"I'll consider it," Zhao Renshu grinned madly at Ah Tin.
"We were originally here to liberate your town from those bandits," Guo Baiyu replied.
"I believe that you will keep your promise," Ah Tin said, looking at Guo Baiyu.
"Stop talking," Zhao Renshu snapped.
"The message you should send is that because our maid is missing, we are looking for her, so we may not stay overnight," Guo Baiyu instructed.
"But if they know, they'll kill my boss and sell my sister and sister-in-law to a brothel," Ah Tin asked, unsure about the situation.
"Either you do it now, or my sword cuts off your head. Choose one," Zhao Renshu said, bending down angrily and grabbing Ah Tin's robe.
"Alright," Ah Tin said. He took out a small piece of paper from his robe, wrote down the words Guo Baiyu instructed him, then placed the written paper on the table, where it gradually disappeared.
"What are we going to do next?" Guo Longtong asked.
"The plan is still the same," Guo Baiyu replied.
"I think we must be kidnapped to know the location of the bandits," Xiao Hui said, smiling sexily.
"Once we get inside, those who can fight can follow us," Xiao Dan added.
"However, if the two Miss Xiao are decoys, they will be in danger," Guo Longtong worried.
"Don't worry about us, handsome guy," Xiao Dan giggled sexily. "You should worry about yourself." She flirted with him with her eyes and bit the tip of her right index finger.
Guo Longtong's face blushed.
"Take it," Xiao Hui said, taking out a small sparkling marble. "No matter where we are, it will bring you to us."
"We will not take action until we know that you are both nearby," Xiao Dan added.
"We will try to buy as much time as possible," Xiao Hui confirmed.
"Sisters, thank you," Zhao Renshu said, smiling at the two Xiao sisters.
"Sister?" Xiao Hui frowned. "I don't want to be your sister." She giggled. "If you were my lover, you would make me happier."
"She's correct," Xiao Dan smiled. "We have enough brothers. We don't need any more. What we lack is a lover." She too giggled sexily at Zhao Renshu.
"I'm still going to thank you two anyway," Zhao Renshu said.
"Don't put yourselves in danger unnecessarily. You two must wait for us," Guo Baiyu warned.
"Since you're worried about us so much, how about a good luck kiss?" Xiao Dan asked, holding Guo Baiyu's right arm.
"Xiao Dan is right," Xiao Hui smiled. "We deserve that good luck kiss."
Xiao Dan reached over and tried to kiss Guo Baiyu, but Zhao Renshu pushed her face away, causing Xiao Dan to step back.
"That's enough joking, elder sister. We must hurry," Zhao Renshu said.
"Okay, then we're going to set off," Guo Baiyu agreed.
"Baiyu, be careful," Guo Longtong urged.
"The same goes to you. The three of you listen to Yingyu and Childe Fang," Guo Baiyu instructed.
"We will," Guo Longtong promised. "You don't have to worry about us."
The group of friends watched Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu disappear out of the front entrance of the inn.