Little Pink Starfish

Upon hearing Doctor Qi’s suggestion, Hua Rongyue calmly took out a lantern — it looked dull and dusty, not eye-catching at all.

Wu Ci had been standing off to the side, seemingly frozen after hearing Doctor Qi’s words. He watched Hua Rongyue in silence for a long moment. When she pulled out the plain little lantern, his expression visibly relaxed — it was hard to tell whether that sigh was one of relief or disappointment.

Holding the lantern steadily, Hua Rongyue asked casually, “Why suddenly hang this up?”

“Well, why not?” Doctor Qi replied. “Even if it looks a bit old.”

Hua Rongyue glanced around and spotted a small hook by the entrance. She hung the lantern there without a second thought.

Wu Ci stood beside her, still somewhat dazed as he watched her complete the motion. After a pause, he murmured, “So it’s… that lantern…”

“What else would it be?” Hua Rongyue suddenly turned to look at him.

Wu Ci hadn’t expected the question — he froze.

Hua Rongyue held her gaze on him.

For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still.

Then Wu Ci stammered, “I-I remembered something,” and hurriedly turned away.

Hua Rongyue silently watched him leave, her hand still lightly touching the lantern. She let out a faint sigh of relief.

Doctor Qi’s eyes are too sharp… when did he even see me bring this back?

Thankfully, she had taken the liberty of “decorating” the lantern a bit.

Strangely, the Six Gates had not reclaimed the lantern afterward. So Hua Rongyue brought it back with her and disguised it — made it look old, plain. It would have been suspicious to hide it, and dangerous to lose it, so she might as well display it openly.

— No one else would recognize it anyway.

Still, Wu Ci’s reaction was odd. Could it be he had figured something out?

If he really has, then that’s quite the unexpected bonus, Hua Rongyue thought.

But… what moment of sentiment was that? She couldn’t recall anything significant.

…

Back on that rooftop, Hua Rongyue had whispered one line to that assassin — her real intent had been for him to help spread the message. After all, Tianyi Tower’s intel network wasn’t famous for nothing. If the higher-ups heard about it, the whole martial world would soon follow. That would mean she’d completed her Six Gates assignment.

But at that moment, she had been a little sly. All she said was that Yi Linglong had gone mad for “someone.” She never specified who — male or female — or why.

The Six Gates had instructed her to play the role of Yi Linglong, driven mad by love for a man. Truthfully, she hadn’t been thrilled about it. But what could she do? She had no intention of fighting the Six Gates, so she chose to be crafty in the details.

The Six Gates had given her protection, but also bound her hands. Still, Hua Rongyue wasn’t the ungrateful type. She knew they had given her a lot of convenience — the most important of which was a legitimate identity. That, in itself, was a charm against ever having to repeat Yi Linglong’s tragic past.

Trying to obtain a legal identity again was nearly impossible. Especially since the official who helped her after she escaped Tianyi Tower had already passed away. He’d been a true heavyweight — without him, she’d never have survived under the very nose of the Six Gates.

So now, if the Six Gates wanted her to continue acting like she’d fallen for a man, she wouldn’t resist.

Sure, it was uncomfortable. But Hua Rongyue consoled herself — it was just acting. Nothing to do with Yi Linglong’s true story. Yi Linglong had truly gone mad; she was only pretending.

Even though the details of Yi Linglong falling for a man had never spread widely, rumors of his madness had trickled into the martial world. The word wasn’t everywhere yet, but those who needed to know had heard something.

It was just like gossip about a celebrity in her past life — widely whispered, never confirmed. No one brought it up openly, for fear of legal repercussions.

Lately, the Six Gates had wanted her to go undercover again — into a certain “circle of madmen.” Fortunately, there was now an opening. Tianyi Tower’s presence was waning, so the Six Gates planned to send her in.

Hua Rongyue’s original goal in joining the Six Gates was to find Lin Qiya. But since Lin hadn’t surfaced, she had to go deeper.

Just as she expected, Hua Rongyue encountered many familiar faces. Looking around, she was relieved to see most were strangers — not like the last time when she had run straight into Jiang Lianhuan.

Some of them had “marks” — meaning they belonged to the Six Gates.

Her arrival naturally drew attention — she was an unfamiliar face. And since most of the people here knew one another, Hua Rongyue, as an outsider, had little place to interject.

If she had a more outgoing or charismatic personality, she might have blended in with some effort. But she preferred to sit quietly and listen. She was, by nature, a professional listener.

Besides, she understood her place. In the martial world, she might have some reputation, but within the Six Gates, she was nothing. Her recently acquired badge only confirmed what she’d suspected — this was just another branch of the bureaucracy.

Right now, she was a nobody in this world. And from the attitude of the “interviewer’s” assistants last time, she’d gotten a clear warning: don’t think too highly of yourself just because you played Yi Linglong once.

In their eyes, she was just another counterfeit — no different than the fake Yi Linglong on the rooftop.

But as she sat quietly, someone struck up a conversation.

A very young man came over, studying her face with a hint of confusion.

“May I ask your name?” he said.

“Hua Rongyue,” she replied with a smile.

“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere…” he said uncertainly.

He didn’t recognize her — but she recognized him.

Li Zixin — an interesting figure. In her past life, Yi Linglong had dealt with many Six Gates operatives, most of whom hated her. But not Li Zixin. Perhaps because he, too, had been a killer — one who was steady, thoughtful, and intelligent.

He wasn’t particularly famous in the Six Gates. His background was “awkward” — no one ever explained what that meant, and Yi Linglong hadn’t cared to dig. His skills and character were solid, and for a while, he had done well — but eventually faded into the background.

Hua Rongyue found him intriguing. A killer who managed to live peacefully through Yi Linglong’s death. Someone like her — the quiet type, lying low and doing just fine.

He hesitated and said, “Sorry if this is sudden, but… were you the one on the rooftop at Drunken Residence…”

Hua Rongyue smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

“It really was you!” Li Zixin leaned in. “I almost didn’t recognize you — you look so different…”

He seemed to realize he might’ve said something rude, and quickly added, “Sorry, I just mean your… aura is totally different.”

Hua Rongyue understood. She was wearing clothes similar to what she’d worn that day, but her presence was nothing like it. “Aura” was an elusive thing — in everyday life, she was unassuming, quiet. Yi Linglong had been like fire — burning, consuming, wherever she went.

Hua Rongyue had worked at Baicaotang for nearly a year, and barely anyone nearby knew her name — despite her stunning looks. But on that rooftop, even with half her face hidden, she had commanded every gaze.

“It’s fine,” she chuckled. “Honestly, I’m surprised anyone recognized me.”

“If no one had mentioned Yi Linglong, I wouldn’t have guessed either,” Li Zixin said, winking at her. He was much different than Yi Linglong remembered — less assassin, more sunshine. Friendly, smiling. Nothing like a killer.

“Please don’t take it the wrong way,” he said. “I was just… impressed.”

He sat beside her. Hua Rongyue was quietly pleased — he was the first to do so. She didn’t mind being alone, but having someone nearby felt less awkward.

A while later, a group of Six Gates agents arrived. At the front was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She swept her gaze over the crowd, then said coolly, “Everyone, follow me. I have some instructions to give.”

Hua Rongyue stood with the others. As they moved, she heard Li Zixin whisper reassuringly:

“Don’t worry. That’s just how Six Gates people talk.”