Little Pink Starfish

Maybe it was the realization that she did, in fact, have a “backer” of sorts, but Hua Rongyue’s feelings had grown a bit complicated. Still, she didn’t dwell on it long, as the fallout from the mountain bandit incident was gradually surfacing.

First, some remnants from Tianyi Tower had begun trying to contact her. This information came from someone within Six Doors. They’d even debated whether to have Hua Rongyue meet with them directly but ultimately decided against it. In any case, Hua Rongyue was informed—a small faction was actively attempting to reach out to her.

Second, the folks at Tianyi Tower were apparently quite unhappy with her rescue of those escapees. They were probably thinking, “Is this girl some kind of Tianyi Tower bane? She keeps wrecking our operations.” After they’d just declared that no one was to contact the escaped members, Hua Rongyue had gone up the mountain and rescued them from bandits, utterly undermining them.

As a result, this premier intelligence and assassination organization began pulling tricks—namely, spreading rumors about Yi Linglong being a violent, bloodthirsty person.

And, surprisingly, the rumors were gaining traction.

Who knew how it all started, but by the time it reached Hua Rongyue, the tale had morphed into a horror story: Yi Linglong kills without blinking, is brutally cruel, and though outwardly beautiful, is in fact inhuman and monstrous in personality.

…There were even whispers that he ate children. One a day.

The rumor spread like wildfire, likely assisted by Tianyi Tower’s push. But even that wouldn’t have worked without a willing audience.

When Hua Rongyue first heard the rumor, she was dumbfounded.

Ancient folks sure had vivid imaginations—how had her image transformed into something straight out of a supernatural horror tale?

This was classic stereotyping. Take Jiang Lianhuan: dressed in white, carrying a fan, and everyone assumed he was a noble gentleman. But Hua Rongyue, wearing something a bit more flamboyant, instantly became a sinister oddity in the public eye.

Ancient society didn’t favor personalities that were too bold or expressive. Look at how Cao Cao went from scholarly villain in the past to a modern-day icon—yet in opera, he still wore the painted white face of a treacherous character.

Right now, she was that “white face.” People had seemingly forgotten she went up the mountain to rescue those very Tianyi Tower defectors.

Information was scarce in this era. If you looked at literacy rates, you’d understand. Being able to read was something reserved for those from more refined households. When Hua Rongyue first arrived and revealed she was literate, Doctor Qi had praised her for half a day.

A man who was too good-looking, and rumored to be insane—if all he had was a “heroic rescue” story, that wouldn’t be enough. People needed something juicier: a gorgeous, seductive man had to be a venomous snake in disguise.

So the rumor was born. Ironically, Hua Rongyue had never had such gossip circulating back when she was still an active killer. But now that she was “retired,” it spread like wildfire.

As a simple, honest person, Hua Rongyue could hardly believe that Tianyi Tower, a so-called ancient intelligence network, essentially mastered the modern concept of “internet trolls.” They shamelessly spread falsehoods and had a perfect tool for the job—those small intel outposts everywhere. If you wanted information, you had to go to them. And in those very locations, they secretly plastered slanderous rumors like fly posters. Worked every time.

Strangely, the fabricated persona aligned disturbingly well with the real Yi Linglong. Cruel, eccentric, bloodthirsty… aside from the flashy wardrobe, the rest fit uncomfortably well.

Round and round, it all circled back.

Hua Rongyue started to wonder whether they’d stolen the script… or maybe they’d written Yi Linglong’s original “character” themselves. Honestly, that second possibility wasn’t far-fetched.

At that moment, Hua Rongyue was in Baicao Hall chopping herbs. Doctor Qi was fanning himself furiously while gazing wistfully at the nearby restaurant.

“Ugh, I’m jealous of them. They recently hired a storyteller. Every time he starts a tale, their place is packed.”

“You could hire one for us too,” Xiao Han said while cracking melon seeds.

“Hire what? A storyteller? You expect someone to sit there narrating while I’m checking patients’ pulses?” Doctor Qi was baffled.

“I want to go listen!” Wan Fulián said.

“You want to hear everything,” Doctor Qi grumbled. “Why don’t you learn from Rongyue? Quietly working without a word. You two just keep chatting nonstop, giving me a headache.”

Xiao Han muttered, “Aren’t you listening, too?”

From the entrance of Baicao Hall, they could faintly hear the storyteller’s booming voice from across the street. He spoke clearly and confidently—his voice carried over effortlessly.

He was saying, “Now about this Yi Linglong, people who’ve seen him lately say… But there’s also another rumor—he’s so beautiful he looks more like a woman than a man. And he bathes in the blood of women…”

…Well.

It wasn’t rage—it was pure terror. Hua Rongyue was a coward at heart. Where had this new rumor come from? Was it part of the same series as the “child-eater” story? What kind of image was being crafted here?!

Hua Rongyue briefly considered how one would strike a blood-bathing pose while gnawing on flesh… but after a moment, realized it all just felt incredibly dumb. Everyone in Baicao Hall chimed in.

Doctor Qi grumbled much like she did. “That’s ridiculous. Yi Linglong is a killer, not some cannibal demon.”

“But he’s the best, isn’t he? The top killer of Tianyi Tower. No one there could match him. A guy like that has to be a monster—otherwise, how would he command respect?”

Hua Rongyue silently wiped tables in the back.

“No matter what he was before, he’s insane now. It’s normal for his personality to turn more violent,” Xiao Han added. He had a better understanding of martial artists who had gone off the deep end. “My dad used to say that when he first opened his escort agency, he had to kill someone in public—blood everywhere—just to assert authority. That’s the Jianghu. It’s not an easy place.”

Hua Rongyue gave Xiao Han a surprised look—so he had a philosophical side?

“My dad’s amazing!” Xiao Han said proudly. “When I become head of the household someday, I’ll have to do the same to show my strength!”

…Okay, never mind.

Hua Rongyue quietly started tidying up. When the conversation drifted to whether Yi Linglong now lived in the most luxurious brothel in Jiangnan, she simply said, “Move your feet,” and poured water under their chairs.

As they began to speculate how Yi Linglong might live extravagantly, perhaps needing a courtesan escort for every outing, Hua Rongyue turned away to knead soybean paste blocks.

Thump thump thump… she pounded the bean paste into a neat square shape.

Making these blocks was all about going with the flow—and whether they turned out edible depended on fate. With the humidity so high, she worried she might accidentally invent some kind of culinary disaster.

Just as things were peacefully mundane in Baicao Hall, a group of people suddenly barged in, making a loud commotion. The staff there could instantly tell they were Jianghu folks.

None of them were surprised and lifted their heads. But this time, something was different.

—They were surrounded by a group of guards: tall men, stern-faced maids… and leading them was a girl wearing a wide-brimmed bamboo hat.

Doctor Qi exchanged a glance with the others, about to step forward and ask what was going on. But one of the men barked, “Is there a female doctor?”

“Uh…” Doctor Qi was taken aback and finally looked at Wan Fulián. “Yes, but… she’s not that skilled…”

The moment Hua Rongyue looked up and saw the girl in the middle, she recognized her instantly.

Why was she here? At this point in the timeline…?

Hua Rongyue froze, then suddenly understood. Doctor Qi was clearly uncomfortable as the newcomers insisted on a female doctor only—no men allowed.

She remembered this part from Yi Linglong’s memories but hadn’t expected this girl to end up here.

Hua Rongyue thought to herself: this was no small matter. While she felt some personal anger, objectively it was the girl’s private affair—it had little to do with them. Best not to get involved.

But at that moment, the veiled girl suddenly turned to run. Everyone was startled, but even more alarming was how quickly the men reacted. In a flash, they blocked the exits, knocking over chairs in the process.

Xiao Han shielded Wan Fulián and shouted, “What are you doing?!”

The men ignored him, closed in around the girl, and without a word, escorted her toward the back of the clinic. Xiao Han looked furious, but Wan Fulián kept stopping him from speaking out.

Hua Rongyue watched from afar like a silent mushroom on the wall.

She thought: so this girl, who barely showed up in Yi Linglong’s memories, was like this back then…