Early the next morning, when Huang Hongse went downstairs to the dining room, she saw her cousin sitting at a table drinking tea. She walked to the table and sat down next to her cousin.
"Drink some tea," Huang Yueliang said gently, pushing a cup towards her. "You didn't sleep well last night."
"I slept well," Huang Hongse insisted, her voice flat.
"Tossing and turning on the bed, you call that sleeping well?" Huang Yueliang teased, a knowing smile on her face.
Huang Hongse picked up the teacup and asked, "Those weirdos haven't woken up yet?"
"Actually, they left early this morning," Huang Yueliang smiled.
"They've left? Where to?" Huang Hongse asked, a jolt of surprise going through her.
"Hongse," Huang Yueliang smiled gently, patting Huang Hongse's hand. "Renshu made it very clear last night. Please accept?"
"I don't believe I am not better than her," Huang Hongse muttered, her brow furrowed.
"That part was also addressed last night," Huang Yueliang reminded her. "Remember what Hunter Guozhao said last night? 'There may be thousands of women who are better than Ping'an, but there is only one Ping'an in this world.' Remember the way Hunter Guozhao almost killed us in the inn with his talisman just because you badmouthed Ping'an, or the way he looked at you when you refused to call your flags? Hunter Guozhao's personality is very friendly, and it is easy for people to fall in love with him. The way he looked at you and the way he looked at Ping'an is different. If you take a step back and look at them from outside the circle of your own desires, you will understand and come to the same acceptance as me."
"You mean..." Huang Hongse began, slowly taking in her cousin's words.
"To be honest, when I saw Doctor Guozhao for the first time, I was very interested in him," Huang Yueliang admitted. "But his actions changed my mind. Both Miss Lim and Miss Hu are good examples. Hongse, as your sister, I beg you, please forget him."
"I will try my best!" Huang Hongse exclaimed angrily, but the anger was directed at herself.
"I'm sure someone will love you for the same reason that Hunter Guozhao loves Ping'an," Huang Yueliang smiled gently. She held her sister's hands. "My dear sister, why do you want to go to war, when you already know you will be defeated?"
Huang Hongse sighed, a defeated voice escaping her lips. "I will remember that."
Huang Yueliang smiled at her. "You know, I actually have deep admiration for them."
Huang Hongse looked at Huang Yueliang oddly. "What makes you admire them? What they are doing will only bring ill stares and ill words. There will not be any word of congratulations."
Huang Yueliang softly chuckled and smiled, saying with admiration, "Hongse, when you love someone with every ounce of your heart, the people with ill stares are transparent individuals with no face, and the ill words of others are just howling wind."
Although Huang Hongse was a stubborn-minded person, she understood and comprehended reality from delusion. She knew that what Huang Yueliang had just said was true.
Rushing through the front entrance into the old inn, Guo Longtong shouted from the front door, "Good morning, you two!" He walked to their table. "Is Baiyu awake yet?"
"Childe Guo," Huang Yueliang smiled at Guo Longtong, "Doctor Guozhao left this morning with his wife and his brother."
Guo Longtong frowned sadly, shaking his head with disappointment. "Aw.... They left already?" He felt a wave of disappointment, as he had not had enough time to catch up with Guo Baiyu. He sat on an empty chair.
"They didn't say anything to me, but I heard they mention about going to the grave to pay respect for a Xiong Grandmother," Huang Yueliang said with a gentle smile.
Guo Longtong sighed in relief, then quickly asked, "Did they bring their belongings with them?"
"No, they didn't, Childe Guo," Huang Yueliang replied. "Childe Guozhao Renshu did carry two baskets with him, but they didn't take horses."
Guo Longtong fanned himself and said with a smile, "Oh, that's good." His eyes finally settled on Huang Yueliang. "Miss Huang, are you married? Do you have a lover? Or are you engaged to someone?"
Huang Yueliang gently shook her head, smiled at Guo Longtong, and replied, "No, Childe Guo."
Guo Longtong shook his head. "Tsk...tsk..tsk... Miss Huang. I have never seen an elegant woman like you. Both inside and outside are beautiful." He smiled at her. "Call me Longtong."
"Call me Yueliang, and this is my sister Hongse," Huang Yueliang replied.
Guo Longtong looked at Huang Hongse. She looked at him. He swallowed his saliva vigorously, clearly intimidated.
"Or you can call us The Red Moon Hunters," Huang Hongse said coldly, her gaze piercing.
"Ah... You hunters and your titles," Guo Longtong smiled, shaking his head.
The waiter saw Guo Longtong at the table, so he rushed over.
"Young Master Guo. What would you like to eat this morning?" the waiter asked.
"Just bring us some good food," Guo Longtong said expansively.
"Please wait," the waiter replied, hurrying back to the kitchen.
"You are very fond of Doctor Guozhao Baiyu?" Huang Yueliang asked Guo Longtong, a subtle question in her voice.
"Doctor Guozhao Baiyu? Huh...?" Guo Longtong looked confused. "Who is that?"
"Doctor Guozhao Baiyu," Huang Yueliang clarified, "the brother of Hunter Guozhao, the one that came with Hunter Guozhao Renshu and Ping'an."
Guo Longtong laughed suddenly, a booming sound. "Ha...ha...ha... He changed his surname! Guozhao! Ha....Ha....Ha...." After several minutes of good laughs, he was able to catch his breath. "He really did change it."
"His surname is not Guozhao?" Huang Hongse asked, surprised.
"No," Guo Longtong shook his head. "Baiyu's surname is Guo, and Renshu's surname is Zhao." Guo Longtong smiled and nodded, and took a sip of tea. "They combined the two surnames to create their own. I'm impressed."
"Really?" Huang Yueliang asked, genuinely intrigued.
"Your so-called Doctor Guozhao Baiyu's real name is Guo Baiyu," Guo Longtong explained, leaning forward, eager to share. "He is the firstborn son of my uncle, and he is my first cousin. He is the most talented in the entire Guo family. He was also highly respected among many people. My uncle's family used to be the poorest of the Guo families, but when Baiyu turned fourteen years old, this all changed. Since that time until now, my uncle's family changed from the poorest among the Guo families into the richest among the Guo families. It was all because of Baiyu." He took another sip of his tea. "Baiyu has not been interested in anyone since he was a child. He once told me that there was something missing in his life, and he discovered what he was missing after meeting Ping'an."
"Do you know that both of them are with Ping'an?" Huang Yueliang asked, her voice cautious.
"Yes, I knew for a long time that they both love Ping'an," Guo Longtong replied, his gaze distant. "I think they love her so much that they accept each other as brothers. There is an old saying, 'To love someone so much, you must love the bad things about them.' The two fools even had an agreement of three years back then. Ping'an was supposed to choose one of them at the end of the agreement. Ping'an must also love them very much, because in the end she decided to end her life without choosing either."
"She did that?" Huang Hongse asked, shocked.
"Ping'an believed that if she died, Baiyu would marry Lady Wu Xiangmei, and Renshu would go back to Miss Hu," Guo Longtong replied, his voice heavy with the past.
"Renshu knew Hu Qingge?" Huang Hongse asked, connecting the dots.
"Yes." Guo Longtong continued, "Ping'an wanted what was best for them. It turned out that her attempted suicide made both men accept each other. That day, my uncle refused to accept Ping'an and Renshu. In the end, Baiyu chose to die rather than marry someone he didn't love. Renshu cheated us by giving him sleeping pills." He drank more tea. He sighed deeply. He looked at the two ladies and asked them, "Have you ever loved someone so much that you can give up everything as long as you are with that person?"
The Huang sisters shook their heads, unable to fathom such a devotion.