Little Pink Starfish

The next day, Hua Rongyue found a sword for Li Jingyi and told everyone at Baicaotang that she was her younger cousin. Something had happened at her family’s home, so until she could find someone trustworthy to take her in, she would be staying with her.

Doctor Qi was a very easy-going person. He agreed on the spot to let Li Jingyi stay. Even Wan Fulian offered to have Li Jingyi share her room.

Actually, even if Wan Fulian didn’t offer, Hua Rongyue wouldn’t have been too worried. She had already planned to have Li Jingyi sleep in her own little medicine cabinet room.

And with that, Li Jingyi’s identity was officially settled. Hua Rongyue started preparing bedding and pillows for her. Li Jingyi quietly watched her, then suddenly asked, “Big brother, are you a very famous hero?”

“No.” Hua Rongyue paused briefly, then replied while organizing the bedding.

Li Jingyi looked at her, puzzled. She couldn’t understand—if her “brother” was so strong, how could he not be a famous hero? And judging by his looks, there was no way people in the martial world would overlook him.

These were questions she couldn’t make sense of yet, but she buried them deeply in her heart.

The sword Hua Rongyue found for Li Jingyi was quite impressive. It was heavy in the hand and clearly of fine make. When she handed it to the girl, Li Jingyi had to hold it with both hands.

The sword was nearly as tall as she was.

Hua Rongyue never acted unless necessary—but when she did, it was always impressive. It wasn’t hard for her to acquire a sword of this caliber. Though it wasn’t a legendary weapon of the martial world, it was forged by a master. Its blade shimmered with a cold light and bore distinctive fish-scale patterns. It was a light sword, slim and nimble—perfect for a skilled hand. In Hua Rongyue’s grasp, it would likely appear only as a flash of cold light.

But for the little girl, it was clearly her first time holding a real sword. She stood dazed with it in hand, needing a while to figure out how to hold it properly. Even then, her stance looked shaky and awkward.

Clutching the sword in her awkward pose, she looked up at Hua Rongyue. Hua Rongyue didn’t scold her.

—Though, truthfully, watching her struggle did make Hua Rongyue want to laugh. But she held it in.

She had promised to teach her, and she intended to keep that promise.

Suddenly, Hua Rongyue put on a stern face and said, “A sword is a swordsman’s life. It must never leave your side.”

Startled by her sudden seriousness, Li Jingyi snapped to attention and responded quickly, “Yes!”

“Learning the sword takes perseverance. No matter how talented you are, if you can’t persist, you don’t deserve to wield one,” Hua Rongyue continued in a firm tone.

“Yes!” Li Jingyi, now thoroughly intimidated, replied again.

“Alright, from today until sundown, swing your sword a thousand times. That’s your assignment for today. And tomorrow. And the day after. Every day from now on.” Hua Rongyue said.

“A thousand swings?” Li Jingyi looked at her with wide, round eyes.

“Yes,” Hua Rongyue nodded.

“Every day?”

“Every day.”

“Today, tomorrow too?”

“Yes.”

Li Jingyi glanced at the sword as tall as herself. Her eyes looked a little bewildered.

This was a completely normal reaction. After all, for her, even lifting the sword was like trying to solve an advanced physics problem.

Hua Rongyue saw her dazed expression and nearly burst out laughing—but she didn’t. Instead, she turned and walked away. Her retreating figure looked cold and resolute.

Li Jingyi panicked. Holding the sword, she looked after her with worry, wanting to call out but too afraid.

Once Hua Rongyue stepped out of the backyard, her serious expression disappeared.

She trotted off cheerfully to find Xiao Han, who was cracking sunflower seeds, and said, “Hey, let’s make a deal.”

“What deal?” Xiao Han leaned in.

“You help me watch that little girl in the backyard. Count how many times she swings her sword, and I’ll teach you a new move,” Hua Rongyue said.

“Huh? But I’d have to watch her for ages! That’s not a fair trade,” Xiao Han complained.

Hua Rongyue paused. “Not that long. I bet she won’t last even an hour…”

—Maybe not even ten minutes, she thought privately.

She suddenly remembered something else and said, “Besides, it’s not like you’re busy. No one dares ask you to do anything anyway, you little lord.”

“Who says that?” Xiao Han scoffed. “I’m doing deep thinking, okay?”

As Hua Rongyue wondered what kind of “thinking” he meant, she suddenly turned and shouted, “You again, brat? Go back!”

A group of children had started sneaking in to nibble on the licorice that Doctor Qi had planted. Xiao Han had been chosen to stand guard—his scary face was apparently enough of a deterrent.

Hua Rongyue nodded in satisfaction and went back to work. Doctor Qi was, in some ways, quite a pitiable man. He had raised a good-for-nothing son and now had a second mouth to feed in Li Jingyi. Hua Rongyue didn’t want to be like Xiao Han, living off others, so she felt a strong sense of duty.

While Li Jingyi practiced sword swings in the backyard, Hua Rongyue doubled her usual workload.

She already worked more than most, but now it was like she was doing the work of two people. She didn’t complain—just kept her head down and worked.

That evening, when Doctor Qi came back from a house call and saw the tidy room, he was shocked—he thought they’d been robbed.

But let’s pause on Doctor Qi’s reaction for now and talk about why Hua Rongyue had to leave Baicaotang partway through the day.

…

Wu Ci hadn’t been to Baicaotang in a while, but people still remembered him well.

After all, there weren’t many who had come here multiple times only to flee in terror again and again.

It had been a while since his last visit—not because he didn’t want to come, but because he felt like there was no point. He might even disturb someone who didn’t want to be disturbed.

Still, he had complicated feelings about Baicaotang. Sometimes when he passed by, it felt like a mystical place, shrouded in an invisible barrier.

—Though only he seemed to see that barrier.

Lately, he had been hearing more rumors about Yi Linglong—about her cruelty, her madness. It was common knowledge that “the lunatic” had a violent personality, but Wu Ci had begun to question that idea.

Regardless, the entire underground had started to notice Yi Linglong. The “lunatics” of the martial world—an odd and insular group—had all taken note of her arrival.

Firstly, her strength was too fearsome. She wasn’t just some crazy fighter. Titles like “the number one assassin in the world” couldn’t be fabricated.

Secondly, she seemed to have followers—some of the survivors from Tianyi Tower, and others who, inexplicably, resonated with her strange way of thinking. Their numbers weren’t small anymore.

She was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Where there are people, there’s the martial world. Yi Linglong’s presence was threatening the status of the old “lunatics,” some of whom cared, some of whom didn’t.

Take Jiangnan for instance.

Not only was Tianyi Tower hunting her, but even the “lunatics” had started seeking her out.

Neither side seemed to realize they hadn’t yet found her—but that only raised her profile further. Unknowingly, Yi Linglong’s standing in Jiangnan’s madmen circle had risen to that of a regional overlord.

…Though aside from the Six Gates, no one yet knew that Yi Linglong was actually a one-woman show.

Her image in the outside world was strange—a cruel killer who liked to wear women’s clothing. But now, a new image had emerged: that of a mysterious boss. Somehow, bizarre rumors had started circulating within the lunatic circle.

—That despite her twisted personality, Yi Linglong might, at times, protect fellow lunatics.

Where did this rumor even start?

Maybe it came from that time Hua Rongyue had chosen to stay behind on the mountain and saved the remnants of Tianyi Tower.

It started as protecting the escapees… and somehow became protecting all lunatics. Maybe the outside world’s gossip had simply gotten out of hand. Maybe even madmen, lonely as they were, longed for some kind of guardian.

Wu Ci listened to all the wild stories while watching the usual customer flow at Baicaotang. Each time, he felt a bit disoriented.

That day, he had welcomed a few visitors from afar. The more he listened to them, the more surreal it all seemed—like he was dreaming.

“Yi Linglong’s influence is growing too fast,” some guests—reportedly from the Wudang Sect—were discussing. “That’s why the elders sent us down the mountain.”

Too much influence…? Well, flu season was hitting hard lately.

Wu Ci glanced at Baicaotang’s increasing visitors and decided to start layering up.

“Senior brother, I’m scared,” a frail-looking young man whispered. “I don’t even know why I’m here…”

“Just don’t get in the way,” his clearly heroic senior brother said coldly.

Wu Ci hesitated for a moment and then said, “I think you should go back. This isn’t quite what you imagine…”

Before he could finish, he stopped.

Because he saw Hua Rongyue walk past the window holding a grocery basket.