Little Pink Starfish

The Blood Jade Demon Technique…

When Yuan Yuanyuan walked outside, she looked up at the sky. Of course, she knew this technique was dangerous, but hearing that monster claim Yuan was planning to revive the Blood Jade Demon Army… she couldn’t help but laugh.

No way. Absolutely not. She’d been teaching Tang Shi the weakened version for ages. If this thing were really that easy to spread, she’d kneel and call him daddy.

Thinking about that, Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly felt maybe Jiuchiu had been going easy on her. She never imagined she’d be able to learn the Blood Jade Demon Technique so easily. Could it be her own unique physique? Had Jiuchiu chosen her precisely because of that?

It was hard to say. The Mask Organization was currently in a state of upheaval, and the anti-war organization’s actions were increasingly tied to theirs. Whenever the Mask Organization made a move, so did the anti-war group.

Yuan Yuanyuan had a clear view of the situation on both sides. Sometimes, it all felt like some big experiment — as if someone was quietly studying the behavior of monsters.

One day, the humans came again, bringing Fa Ning with them. This time, Yuan Yuanyuan immediately noticed something was wrong — they all looked pale and sickly.

Though they tried to hide it, Gu Qiu noticed their expressions were off and started paying quiet attention, though she didn’t question them openly.

Everyone except Fa Ning wore gloomy expressions, like they’d just received some very bad news. Fa Ning didn’t look much better, but at least he seemed composed.

Yuan Yuanyuan sat behind the curtain and observed Fa Ning during their “second” meeting. He didn’t seem like he had anything particular to say to her, just began discussing the current state of the Mask Organization.

“Yuan really… caught us off guard,” one anti-war representative said. “Is war truly inevitable now?”

“I still think it can be stopped,” Yuan Yuanyuan said. She really believed that. While outsiders thought it was already too late, as someone directly in the middle of things, she felt negotiations were still possible.

“Do you have any advice on how to stop it?” the person asked.

“Advice? I guess I do,” said Yuan Yuanyuan. “Want to hear it?”

If someone had forced her to spell it out directly, she wouldn’t have known exactly what to say. But she had learned something recently — the Mask Organization had been planning to produce a batch of weapons. The weapons were already made, but not yet delivered.

And how could you fight a war without weapons?

If they intercepted that batch, maybe the fighting could be delayed. Yuan Yuanyuan asked, “Do you know there’s a monster who’s good at making weapons?”

The group froze.

Yuan Yuanyuan continued, “I’ve heard the Mask Organization has been working with some skilled weapon-makers recently. I can give you more specific info — but you’d better be mentally prepared.”

“What kind of preparation?” Fa Ning asked.

“The one responsible for transporting those weapons… is Yuan,” Yuan Yuanyuan said seriously.

As expected, her words made everyone instantly go pale.

Seriously, guys? Yuan Yuanyuan silently complained. Is Yuan really that terrifying in your minds? Just hearing his name makes you all go ghost white?

She had intentionally said that as a kind of setup — if the plan ended up in the manga, she needed an excuse. A little psychological suggestion: If Yuan “accidentally” lost the weapons, it wouldn’t be his fault. The enemy was just too strong.

Still, the faces across from her were deathly pale. No matter how much she tried to coax or scare them, nothing worked. If she weren’t afraid of botching things by using a body double, she would’ve gone in herself.

As for how to “reasonably go easy on them” during the handoff… Yuan Yuanyuan already had a perfect excuse — but if the other side wouldn’t cooperate, there was nothing she could do.

In the end, it was Fa Ning who made the call. Yuan Yuanyuan looked at him with a hint of surprise.

After bidding her farewell, he left.

Once they were gone, Yuan Yuanyuan let out a long breath. Whew. That was tough. But Fa Ning… had actually stepped up. He really was her fated opponent.

Considering Jiuchiu’s unpredictability, Yuan Yuanyuan knew she had to act fast. She wanted to launch a lightning attack before the next manga issue came out — before the world had time to react.

When the next chapter did drop, Yuan Yuanyuan was lying in bed reading it… and then suddenly began doubting her own character.

Being on the protagonist’s side really had its perks. Jiuchiu gave them all the good stuff. Take this time, for instance — Yuan Yuanyuan had carefully planned a lightning attack, but Jiuchiu didn’t draw any of it. For the nth time, she felt the full power of the protagonist halo.

Jiuchiu had only drawn up to the point where Fa Ning and the others arrived — and then abruptly cut away. The final scene ended on the red-robed woman saying:

“Advice? I guess I do. Want to hear it?”

None of the ensuing discussion was shown.

However, a few inserted scenes did surprise Yuan Yuanyuan. One was from when they delivered the supplies:

“Yuan is the commander of the Blood Jade Demon Army — he must know the Blood Jade Technique. We fear he’s trying to revive it…”

“The red-robed woman’s face was obscured by a thin veil, her expression unreadable. But through the sheer fabric, her bright red lips could still be seen.”

“It won’t happen… I won’t let that happen.”

The red-robed woman was already a popular character, and after this scene, her popularity surged again.

Late one night, Yuan Yuanyuan casually joined a game of Werewolf, only to find the group was all discussing the red-robed woman’s line. The game was quickly abandoned as everyone fell into animated conversation.

Someone online had even written fanfic about her — and others were reading it aloud. Yuan Yuanyuan listened to a few versions, and almost all of them portrayed the character’s voice as soft and gentle. The top-rated one was described as “gentle yet firm”… Yuan Yuanyuan blinked a few times. Where exactly was the “firm”?

If they heard my actual voice, they’d probably go into shock…

After all, she’d used Yuan’s original voice — which was deep and a bit intimidating, almost “mom-voiced.” It didn’t match the online fantasy of a sultry femme fatale at all. Now that’s firm.

What really caught her attention, though, was the psychological description of Fa Ning near the end — when he was about to leave.

“Fa Ning glanced at the red-robed woman behind the curtain and suddenly felt something strange — she looked vaguely familiar.”

“He couldn’t pinpoint why she felt familiar, but the silhouette behind the red curtain… seemed like someone he’d seen before.”

“Had they met before? he wondered. Just before leaving, he looked back once more. The red-robed figure sat quietly, smoking, like a beautiful dream.”

Yuan Yuanyuan saw that and suddenly remembered something — Fa Ning had turned back for one last look the previous time he left. She’d forgotten all about it — the movement had been so subtle. If not for the manga panel, she never would’ve remembered.

Honestly, Fa Ning had a surprisingly good memory. They’d only met a few times, and he still remembered what she looked like? Yuan Yuanyuan had to admit — that guy’s recall and instincts were seriously impressive.

Naturally, readers got hyped. In manga, scenes like that were never meaningless. If the protagonist thought someone looked familiar, then it meant they had met before. Fans all began combing through past chapters looking for clues.

“There has to be something! I will find it!”

“Who is she?! Fa Ning flirts with too many women!”

In the first arc, Fa Ning had flirted with who-knew-how-many girls — both human and monster. Most were just flings and eventually faded into obscurity, but now readers were realizing just how much those side romances were complicating their search for clues…

Yuan Yuanyuan looked at the comment section beneath the manga and, in the end, couldn’t help but want to flip her desk. Why are they all guessing girls?! Can’t any of you even consider a guy?!

She rolled over and sighed — feeling like her own character arc was getting worse. She lay in bed silently planning how to stage the “next act.”

So what was her plan?

Actually, it was simple. She still had one final hidden card: her illness.

When the enemy came to seize the weapons, her only way to hold back without drawing suspicion… was to suddenly fall seriously ill.

She hadn’t told anyone about this plan. For days, she’d been rehearsing in her head how to make the sickness convincing. After years of never faking illness, she now regretted not practicing more.

Meanwhile, Gao Ling was working on content moderation, her eyes glued to the screen, ready to block any strange posts.

The number of moderators on the site had jumped from single to double digits — all familiar faces. It all started from one piece of fanfic by “CircleCircleCircle” and “CatSelf.”

In fact, theirs was the first forum across the entire internet to suggest this groundbreaking idea:

“The red-robed woman is a man.”

It was the first post of its kind. Gao Ling even checked other sites — and confirmed they were the first. She had almost deleted it… but then, after seeing how well-reasoned it was, she changed her mind. Let’s see where this goes.

Now, the forum was in full bloom. Users’ theories ranged far and wide, some so compelling that they nearly brainwashed Gao Ling herself.

Today, she was once again browsing the forum, keeping track of Yuan × Red-Robed-Woman fanfics, when suddenly — an intense shiver ran down her spine.

She didn’t know why…

But a deep, bone-chilling sense of unease crept into her heart.