Little Pink Starfish

The news that Yi Linglong had successfully taken the lantern from Drunken Residence Pavilion spread across the entire martial world overnight.

Not long ago, many believed Yi Linglong was already dead — but it turned out he was very much alive.

This incident became a phenomenon, a red-hot topic everyone was talking about.

“Have you heard what happened with Yi Linglong?”

“Of course! Who hasn’t!”

In the blink of an eye, the name Yi Linglong became known to every corner of the jianghu.

But while the rest of the world was abuzz, Hua Rongyue — the protagonist of the whole event — didn’t share the same excitement. She had already returned to Baicaotang and the very first thing she did upon arrival was — sleep. And she slept for over ten hours straight.

Luckily, that day was Baicaotang’s day off, so she didn’t miss any work. Still, when she finally woke up, her whole body ached. She muttered to herself with deep sincerity, my martial arts really aren’t up to par.

If it had been the real Yi Linglong, she’d probably be bouncing off the walls by now. That “small scene” — which to Yi Linglong was about as normal as eating — had nearly cost Hua Rongyue her life.

Everything hurt.

“You’re finally up! Where’ve you been the last three days?” Xiao Han asked when he saw her. Hua Rongyue rolled her stiff shoulders and said, “Just went to visit some relatives in the countryside…”

The group chatted casually. It was time for a meal, and Hua Rongyue had only just started eating when she overheard Doctor Qi and the others talking about Yi Linglong. She hadn’t planned to join the conversation, but then Doctor Qi suddenly asked, “Have you heard about Yi Linglong?”

Without thinking, Hua Rongyue replied, “Nope.”

“What? You haven’t?!” Doctor Qi’s eyes went wide. He looked at her like she’d just crawled out of a cave.

Hua Rongyue froze mid-bite, then quietly resumed eating. She realized — she’d just given the wrong answer.

But really, she hadn’t had the chance to hear anything. So it wasn’t entirely her fault.

“You don’t know? Let me tell you,” Xiao Han said, clearly thrilled to find someone who hadn’t heard yet. He gestured wildly as he spoke, full of excitement, “Yi Linglong went up onto the roof at Drunken Residence and took the lantern! He even defeated the fake assassins Tianyi Tower sent after him! He went completely mad! And he was so good-looking—wait, I haven’t finished yet—”

Hua Rongyue quickly finished her food, set her chopsticks down, and said, “Done eating.” Then she turned and walked off without another word.

The three men left behind stared blankly at her retreating figure. Hua Rongyue rarely left so abruptly — not even when Xiao Han was being annoying.

“She’s acting weird today,” Xiao Han said. “Not like her usual self.”

Doctor Qi gave the others a look, silently signaling them not to speak.

He quietly followed Hua Rongyue to the backyard and asked in a low voice, “Did something happen at your relatives’ place?”

“Huh? No… not really.” Hua Rongyue shook her head. “Just tired. Haven’t recovered yet.”

She didn’t say more, and turned to go back inside.

The Six Gates had already “inspected the goods,” so to speak. Hua Rongyue now realized she had probably been under their surveillance the whole time — which explained why Jiang Lianhuan had mentioned someone would be there to assist her.

She felt a chill thinking about how the Six Gates had likely watched her from beginning to end.

A deep, bone-deep fear.

She tried to recall everything she’d done that day, searching for any moment she might have slipped, but things like this were hard to judge on your own — it was too subjective.

She feared the Six Gates might have already identified her as Yi Linglong, and she feared becoming the kind of person that Yi Linglong had been in those memories.

But the people from Six Gates hadn’t revealed anything yet. On the contrary, the “interviewer” had even called her over afterward — seeming in quite a good mood — and even gave her a small token.

It was a badge, with the faintly etched characters: “Baihu” (Commander of a Hundred).

Hua Rongyue didn’t understand what that meant, so she secretly asked around. She later learned it was an official rank — part of the Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard).

A position likely higher than even the local county magistrate.

Hua Rongyue hadn’t dared tell anyone — afraid they’d be shocked. Truthfully, she was shocked herself.

Before time-traveling, she’d just been a low-level office worker. Now suddenly, she was a government official — and not a small one.

If only her mom could see her now — she’d be over the moon.

…Although honestly, her mom would probably just laugh and call her silly, then drag her dad in to join the mockery.

Now, the faction behind the “interviewer” was clear.

It made sense. The Six Gates had a strict organizational structure, with sub-branches focused on martial affairs. As a civilian, Hua Rongyue somehow ended up getting picked. Maybe it was just… fate.

Or maybe she just happened to please that guy’s eye — gave him some face in front of others — and now he especially liked her.

After all, she’d worn her own outfit and improvised most of the mission — none of which had been authorized. Anyone else’s superior might’ve fired them. But her superior? He’d taken a particular interest in her “performance” — even praised it.

“What did you say to that assassin?” he asked, clearly amused.

“I said… Yi Linglong went mad for someone,” Hua Rongyue answered quietly.

He seemed quite pleased — as if he was glad she remembered her “script.” But at the same time, Hua Rongyue noticed the strong malice coming from another person nearby. She could feel it, even behind the screen.

That hostility didn’t seem random. She wanted to get a look at who it was, but the screen blocked even their silhouette.

After the Six Gates agents dispersed, Hua Rongyue finally let herself relax. But the moment she turned, she bumped into Jiang Lianhuan, who was studying her closely, as if trying to figure out what she was thinking.

“What are you looking at?” Hua Rongyue blurted, uneasy with him staring from behind.

Jiang Lianhuan didn’t say anything unnecessary. He simply waved her along and gestured for her to follow.

They left the tavern together. Jiang Lianhuan was unusually quiet — a bit too quiet. But silent was better than chatty, Hua Rongyue thought.

As they were about to leave, Jiang Lianhuan suddenly noticed the ring the Six Gates elder had given Hua Rongyue. She was wearing it on the pinky finger of her left hand.

“You’re still wearing that?” he asked.

“Mm… wasn’t it supposed to prove my identity?” she said, twisting the ring. “I don’t really know what it’s for, but I figure wearing it is better than not…”

Jiang Lianhuan chuckled. “You’re almost too obedient.”

He got into the carriage first. Hua Rongyue followed close behind.

As they rode, Hua Rongyue mulled over Jiang Lianhuan’s words. Was he implying something?

…But after thinking it through, maybe not.

The public response to the events at Drunken Residence seemed overwhelmingly positive. If Hua Rongyue had to rate her own performance, she’d say… it wasn’t great.

The only part she truly liked was that she got to wear her own clothes. But in terms of skill and aura, she still felt far from what she remembered of Yi Linglong.

She didn’t know how to describe the feeling, but she knew it came down to her own lack of strength.

Yes, she had stepped into that surreal state for a while.

But after trying it once, she now knew just how far she was from Yi Linglong at her peak.

She was honest with herself — brutally so. It might sound scary, but she was telling the truth.

A world of difference.

That was the conclusion Hua Rongyue had come to after experiencing the martial world firsthand.

After all, the real Yi Linglong had once slaughtered his way through the strongest elites of the jianghu. Hua Rongyue had faced five Tianyi Tower assassins — and one of them was already half-crippled.

If she had to face the true top-tier fighters of the martial world… she figured she might as well drop dead on the spot.

Public opinion about Yi Linglong was mixed, but the most talked-about part by far — was “his” appearance.

Which was wildly different from how the real Yi Linglong had been treated.

Hua Rongyue often felt the praise was exaggerated. But… was her judgment off, or was it theirs?

Just remembering Yi Linglong’s graceful, lethal movements made her blush. And the way people now talked about her… made her even more uncomfortable.

She couldn’t match Yi Linglong’s skill, yet the martial world seemed far more forgiving toward her than they ever were to Yi Linglong himself.

Human beings really are visual creatures.

Appearance is a strange thing. Everyone claims to love an “interesting soul,” but reality proves otherwise.

Now that the news of Yi Linglong’s madness had spread everywhere, Hua Rongyue had braced herself for a long, bitter struggle.

But oddly enough… she seemed luckier than the real Yi Linglong.

Something had changed.

She’d been pondering this for days at Baicaotang. One night, she suddenly felt a pang of sorrow — for Yi Linglong.

All that elegance, all that power — wasted, all because he was a man.

Lying in the cabinet at night, she suddenly feared facing that same ridicule.

So from now on, she vowed:
She would always be well-dressed when stepping out into the world.

— She would never allow herself to become as disheveled, as scorned, as the Yi Linglong in her memories.

A few days later, dressed neatly as ever, Hua Rongyue was drying herbs in Baicaotang. Suddenly, she spotted Wu Ci walking in. He scanned the room and his gaze stopped on her.

Doctor Qi was checking a patient’s pulse, when he suddenly remembered something. He turned and called, “Xiao Lian, go hang up the lantern Rongyue brought home the other day.”