Little Pink Starfish

“Tianyi Tower seems to have arranged a ‘Yi Linglong.’” Just as Hua Rongyue arrived on this street, Jiang Lianhuan and his group suddenly received this piece of news.

It was abrupt, but not entirely surprising — after all, everyone had already considered this possibility.

For Tianyi Tower, a more secure method was to find a fake Yi Linglong, then kill him publicly so that the name “Yi Linglong” would vanish more thoroughly from the jianghu.

Hua Rongyue had come alone. Although someone was supposed to meet her here, she hadn’t seen a single person.

Drunken Residence Pavilion was bustling with people. Hua Rongyue paused at the entrance, glancing around — she spotted people from Tianyi Tower.

“When will the fake ‘Yi Linglong’ sent by Tianyi Tower arrive?” someone behind the screen in the tavern opposite Drunken Residence asked.

“Soon.”

“If the person you chose can’t even match the fake one Tianyi Tower sent, what then?” came another voice.

No one responded. They all wished they could be deaf right now.

Jiang Lianhuan sat by the window, watching Hua Rongyue with a furrowed brow. His thoughts raced — if she didn’t perform well this time… it would be disastrous. The people behind the screen had already turned her into a bargaining chip for some twisted game.

Even if he wanted to warn her now, he was powerless.

Hua Rongyue mentally mapped out the route to the lantern and potential escape paths. Daytime made things trickier — maybe she should come back at night. Just as she was pondering this, a commotion broke out nearby. She blinked, then joined the crowd in looking up toward the source of the disturbance.

Somehow, a man dressed all in black was now standing atop the Drunken Residence Pavilion.

He was the cause of the commotion. At such a moment, the sudden appearance of a mysterious man dressed like that — who wouldn’t think he was Yi Linglong?

People in the nearby taverns and inns stirred as well, leaning out their windows to watch. All the street-facing windows flung open.

Hua Rongyue was momentarily confused by the scene. She decided to wait and see what trick they were playing.

The black-clad man was tall and broad-shouldered — the kind of build that made people feel safe. Quite masculine. His face was obscured by a black veil, but Hua Rongyue couldn’t help but chuckle — his outfit looked just like the one she’d thrown away earlier.

So… was this what the world believed Yi Linglong looked like? In a way, the Six Gates uniform she used had been an accurate choice.

“Is that him?” people inside Jiang Lianhuan’s building who didn’t know Hua Rongyue asked.

Jiang Lianhuan shook his head. “No, that one’s a bit too broad.”

This was the fake Yi Linglong Tianyi Tower had arranged.

As soon as he appeared, the street fell silent. All eyes turned to him. Whatever his martial skills, his appearance and demeanor were impressive.

As he confidently walked forward, the crowd gasped.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “He’s going for it!”

The glazed lantern swayed gently in the wind, the red ribbon beneath it fluttering.

The fake “Yi Linglong” moved. He stepped forward, and in an instant, several figures appeared on the rooftop.

Meanwhile, Hua Rongyue was quietly walking beneath the Drunken Residence Pavilion, surveying the terrain. The tavern’s grounds were extensive, including a courtyard and several surrounding, slightly shorter buildings.

She circled around to the back, to an area too secluded for anyone to see the rooftop. Everyone’s attention was locked on the fake Yi Linglong outside.

Could she climb up from here? She eyed the dauntingly high wall, spotted a protruding decorative feature, took a breath — and leapt.

Before she even finished her breath, she’d reached the protrusion, then pushed off and soared upward.

…That was surprisingly easy?

Hua Rongyue felt a little conflicted.

Following this route… another loop and she’d be right by the lantern.

Why hadn’t Tianyi Tower stationed someone here?

Ah, right — she thought — probably no one but her could scale this. Besides, Tianyi Tower believed Yi Linglong was already dead.

So, time to keep climbing.

Back outside, Jiang Lianhuan and the others watched the fake “Yi Linglong” reach for the lantern.

Even though he was an imposter — like Ye Gucheng hiring a look-alike — he was nearly identical to what the public imagined Yi Linglong to be.

Since appearing, he hadn’t said a word. His mere presence exuded an aura of deadly calm.

He looked like a killer. Dressed head to toe in black, as if color was unnecessary — an emotionless weapon.

Logic and coldness — that was all he was. Just like the blade he carried.

Unexpectedly, the fake Yi Linglong Tianyi Tower chose matched Six Gates’ profile perfectly.

Of course Tianyi Tower knew what Yi Linglong really looked like — but they probably thought this image was safer. Today’s performance was meant to show Yi Linglong being killed publicly, so the imposter needed to match the public’s mental image of him.

Everyone nearby was drawn in. No one even dared to breathe. To be fair, this fake had real skills — quick and agile, though he occasionally made strange, unnatural movements.

On closer inspection, these pauses were always linked to his left hand.

“His left hand… is injured?” Not everyone in the crowd was a mere bystander — some were seasoned fighters, and the sharp-eyed ones noticed this flaw.

Within three minutes, news that “Yi Linglong’s left hand is injured” spread across the street. Whispered gossip buzzed.

Most didn’t understand much, but the rumor was enough to make people believe he was doomed. This, too, must’ve been part of Tianyi Tower’s script.

Sure enough, after ten minutes, the fake Yi Linglong could no longer hold on — a sword pierced his left chest.

A flower of blood bloomed on the rooftop.

Gasps echoed from the crowd below.

“Such a skilled fighter, just dead like that… Tianyi Tower doesn’t even value him?” someone near Jiang Lianhuan muttered.

“Nothing to value,” Jiang Lianhuan said coldly. “They’re all just tools.”

The crowd above and below marveled. Though the man had an injured hand, his attacks were clean and sharp — dazzling. They couldn’t see his face, but his martial skill left a lasting impression. That, and his wounded struggle, lent a tragic flair.

Some even shed tears.

Jiang Lianhuan watched Tianyi Tower drag the fake Yi Linglong’s body away and felt it was too elaborate — this was no mere pawn. At the very least, he was a “gold-tier” piece, maybe even higher.

“Not bad,” someone behind the screen finally said, evaluating the imposter.

In fact, it was more than “not bad” — it was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

Among the thousand or so onlookers, not one questioned his identity.

At this point, few still had faith in Hua Rongyue — after all, the imposter was too convincing. No one had seen the real Yi Linglong, but this version fit their imagination perfectly.

— A cold-blooded killer, a frigid tone, a blade devoid of warmth… what else could Yi Linglong be?

“What does Yi Linglong really look like?” someone finally called out. His appearance had long been a mystery. Everyone said he was handsome, but no one knew the source of the rumor — or what he actually looked like.

Now that he seemed to be dying, everyone wanted to glimpse his true face.

The Tianyi Tower operatives on the rooftop hesitated. Should they remove the veil?

But just then, a sudden voice broke the moment.

— A light laugh, drifting in from the sky, like a whisper — yet clear in every ear.

Not loud, not soft, not crisp, not hoarse — not dazzling or dull — just a low chuckle that sent chills down many spines.

“Tianyi Tower plays tricks now, too?”

The voice held a teasing tone, laced with sorrow.

People scrambled to locate its source.

Who was it? Who just spoke?

“Sound projection technique?” someone guessed.

Jiang Lianhuan heard the voice and immediately scanned the rooftops for Hua Rongyue.

He saw her.

She was perched on the other side of the roof, holding the ornate glazed lantern.

She still wore that outfit, a half-face mask covering her features. Only her eyes showed — with a faint tear mole at the corner.

Jiang Lianhuan was stunned.

— Bro, you’re still wearing that outfit?

Despite his shock, he thought Hua Rongyue looked surprisingly good like this. Better than when she wore the black robes.

Hua Rongyue stood calmly on the rooftop, holding the lantern.

— This wasn’t even a big stage. She’d seen grander ones in Yi Linglong’s memories. She felt no fear.

But this scene was different. In those memories, people below had been kneeling, groveling — now, they looked up at her.

Also, the old Yi Linglong had worn garish, eye-piercing colors. Her current attire, though not plain, was nowhere near as flamboyant.

Hua Rongyue suddenly laughed.

She felt like she was sleepwalking — somehow trapped in a lucid dream. She was still herself, yet caught in someone else’s memory.

The whole scene felt oddly familiar — like déjà vu, yet brand new.

People below began whispering again, eyes locked on the new figure atop the roof. This person held a lantern and wore a mask — his face also obscured — yet no one could look away.

He looked like a gallant dream-hero… but held a blade in his hand.

Jiang Lianhuan heard someone behind the screen ask:

“That’s the one you picked? Doesn’t really look like Yi Linglong, huh?”

Before the sentence finished, Hua Rongyue raised her blade on the rooftop.