Little Pink Starfish

The reason he chose Hua Rongyue as his target was probably because her appearance looked more amiable and harmless — she seemed like the easiest one to bully in this group. From this alone, it was obvious how deceptive Hua Rongyue’s face could be.

But that didn’t mean Hua Rongyue was an easy pushover.

The blade Wushang in Hua Rongyue’s hand was nearly unsheathed. She wasn’t particularly afraid of being recognized by these people — not even by Fangcunj i — because she knew that even though they might achieve greatness someday, for now, they were just… a bunch of greenhorns.

With a psychological age six or seven years older than these people, Hua Rongyue called them bratty kids without the slightest burden.

It wasn’t surprising that Jiang Lianhuan recognized her. First, he was a pervert; second, he was a powerful pervert. Even though Wushang was well-known in the martial world, no one had ever described its appearance as so plain and unimpressive. Outwardly, it looked quite ordinary — not distinctive at all.

In that moment, Hua Rongyue noticed that the short guy beside her seemed like he wanted to step in and help — but it was obvious his movements couldn’t keep up with Hua Rongyue’s agility. So in the end, he was all anxious helplessness.

He only managed to shout, unable to intervene — his heart leaping to his throat.

A senior he had just recently met, with an especially gentle temperament and stunning looks, was now facing danger — all because of helping him.

— In that instant, the short guy nearly collapsed under the weight of guilt. His face twisted as he glared at those people.

Hua Rongyue turned her head and glanced at the approaching group. Every one of them looked like thugs.

Compared to them, Hua Rongyue was like a fragile, kind-hearted flower. When she turned to look at them, her expression was unusually soft — without the slightest trace of anger. She was calm, like a still well under an old tree.

In her vision, the group was drawing closer and closer — and just as they were about to reach her, Hua Rongyue finally moved.

She struck with a single slash.

---

Jiang Lianhuan had once greatly praised Hua Rongyue after seeing her strike, though his praise was rather unusual.

He said Hua Rongyue’s strikes had “aesthetic appeal.”

In this modern martial era, that was an extremely novel compliment. But Hua Rongyue immediately understood what he meant.

So even though Jiang Lianhuan was a “lunatic” who thought very differently from others, she found him kind of interesting. After all, as the saying goes, lunatics have broad perspectives.

He once said Hua Rongyue’s blade techniques had an “ancient flair.” Hua Rongyue was momentarily confused — ancient style? Later, she realized he meant that her blade techniques differed from modern styles and carried the essence of past masters.

Naturally, Hua Rongyue used blades the way assassins did. Unlike regular warriors, assassin blades tended to be shorter — essentially daggers.

The assassin profession wasn’t one bound by moral constraints. Their methods were always results-driven: the faster the kill, the better. In short, it was a job focused purely on efficiency — a somewhat “joyful” line of work.

Swordsmen would bathe and burn incense before a duel. Assassins? They could hide in one spot for three days without washing. Swordsmen would exchange names before a fight — and reschedule if one felt off. Assassins preferred to strike when you’d just broken an arm or given birth.

All assassins poisoned their daggers. All of them carved blood grooves into the blade — sinister enough to send chills down your spine.

As the profession evolved, its nature became increasingly sleazy. In the distant past, there were assassins with incredible swordsmanship and blade skills — their combat prowess rivaled top swordsmen.

But as time passed, the industry became full of rat-like “underground lurkers.” The old school of graceful killers — whose every move captivated like a dance — had faded into obscurity.

That’s why Jiang Lianhuan said Hua Rongyue’s strikes had “aesthetic value.” He said that if more killers struck with such beauty, maybe blade-users wouldn’t be so overshadowed by swordsmen.

He said her movements were like a performance, and that her style felt totally different from other dagger-wielders.

It was bold, expressive, unrestrained — something you’d never expect from an assassin.

Like right now.

— Her sudden eruption of killing intent forced everyone around to take a step back. Hua Rongyue’s gentle face suddenly blurred — even the short guy standing close couldn’t see her features clearly.

What mattered was the aura she emanated — it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

She looked down at the man before her. His face was still blank — maybe from shock.

But the others—

Arrogant fools. Even after seeing me clearly, you think I’d let you off? That wasn’t really Hua Rongyue’s nature — it was Yi Linglong’s. And at that moment, Hua Rongyue’s eyes grew redder.

Cruelty, wrapped in breathtaking beauty.

Wu Ci stared without blinking from behind — he knew this was the blade of the number-one assassin in the world.

For the first time, the newly emerged disciples of the Songshan Sect finally understood what the poem meant:

“In ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no trace.”

These poetic lines brought to life, were almost soul-stealing in their power.

Hua Rongyue’s body moved with the blade, flashing to the other side. In the same instant the blade fell, she was already behind the man — the would-be killers all wide-eyed, their throats letting out ragged gasps.

A deep cut had appeared across the man’s neck.

No one dared to speak. Even the hoarse breathing faded into silence.

A breathtaking blade.

That feeling — like it could tear everything apart — made everyone feel like they too were under its edge.

None of the Songshan Sect disciples had seen such swordplay before — not even Fangcunj i.

None of them had expected the seemingly delicate and childlike Hua Rongyue walking beside them just moments ago to reveal such a fierce and wild skill.

She casually sheathed her blade and turned to look at the others — they hadn’t yet recovered from the shock.

She lightly placed her weapon back in its scabbard and said gently, “Let’s go.”

The people behind her stared blankly at her movements — the short guy especially.

Even someone unfamiliar with blade techniques could feel the cruelty and dread in her strike.

---

“Amazing!” Wu Ci suddenly mustered the courage to shout. He didn’t want to admit that the strike just now had left his scalp tingling.

He whispered, “Those guys… what do we do with them? If we leave the bodies, others might find them…”

He was worried the corpses might be traced back to them.

After all, Hua Rongyue was a famed assassin, while he was just a nobody. If those behind the dead men found out who did it, they’d surely come after him — and that’d be a mess.

“Those guys?” Hua Rongyue turned with slight confusion. “They can walk out on their own. I didn’t injure their legs.”

“…Huh?” Wu Ci froze a little.

Only then did the wounded ones realize they weren’t dead. One reached for his neck — it was still bleeding — but he was breathing.

Hua Rongyue casually summoned a carrier pigeon, wrote down their approximate location, and released it. She figured the constables would soon arrive and take them away.

She quietly released the pigeon, then looked ahead. “We’re almost there. Once we arrive, I’ll ask around. If that doesn’t work, I’ll… ask someone else.”

Wu Ci followed, full of confusion and a bit of disbelief.

He wondered why Yi Linglong hadn’t killed those men.

Wasn’t blood what madmen craved? How could anyone survive the blade of a lunatic?

He looked at Hua Rongyue. Her profile was still delicate — more refined than a doll’s. But this face no longer frightened him as it had earlier.

That fear had unknowingly faded — replaced by total confusion.

Hua Rongyue walked quietly at the front. Before she had acted, she was just one in the group.

But after revealing her skill, she now walked ahead — as if shielding those behind.

Wu Ci thought it might be his imagination — but he couldn’t shake the feeling. He thought all of this was surreal. Not the strike itself, but something else entirely.

“Senior, you were amazing just now!” The short guy finally caught up after snapping out of it.

Hua Rongyue turned and smiled at him. That smile lit up her whole face.

— In that moment, Wu Ci almost believed this person wasn’t a madman.

How strange, he thought, puzzled.

What kind of reason… would drive someone like this to step into such a terrifying abyss?