Little Pink Starfish

An Accidental Kind of “Reliability”

When Yi Linglong went mad, she recognized no one — not even kin. But when Hua Rongyue got stubborn, she was just as unshakable.

She had never been able to seize control of Yi Linglong’s consciousness during one of those episodes before, but this time, the thought that Wu Ci might die if she lost her mind made her somehow hold on.

…She actually forced herself through it.

If she had even a sliver of energy left to think about anything else, Hua Rongyue would have taken a moment to praise herself for this. But right now, she didn’t have the luxury.

She kept her head down, waiting for Wu Ci to leave first. Wu Ci hesitated a moment, then realized how much it must have cost Hua Rongyue to force out those three trembling words — so after a moment of inner struggle, he turned and left.

Hua Rongyue, her eyes blood-red, kept her head lowered, straining to catch the sounds of the Six Doors informants nearby while enduring the sensation of being burned alive from the inside out. She could only wait for it to pass.

But Yi Linglong had no intention of letting it pass. Or perhaps, her pride wouldn’t allow it to end so easily.

Hua Rongyue kept her head bowed to hide her eyes. Honestly, she didn’t think Wu Ci’s words were that offensive — but Yi Linglong clearly disagreed. Telling her to “accept” that the one she waited for would never return? How could that not be infuriating?

Forget it — there was no reasoning with Yi Linglong about this.

Hua Rongyue tried to calm herself, to make her face expressionless again, hoping to quietly sneak back to her room and sleep it off. Maybe then the storm would pass.

But life rarely went as planned. As she listened closely, she caught the sound of footsteps — heavy, steady — approaching. Even in her current state, her enhanced senses picked them up.

The man approaching… was Yan Sheng.

Among all the agents and informants in Six Doors, none could compare to him. If he noticed anything off, forget explanations — it would be over.

Hua Rongyue’s heart rate spiked, her steps wobbled. She could feel Yi Linglong getting excited in her head, practically yelling: “Rush over! Let him see your eyes!”

She knew exactly what Yi Linglong wanted — first, reveal herself to Yan Sheng; second, cause chaos in Baicaotang; third, abandon Six Doors and return to the Jianghu, resuming her reign as the blood-drenched leader of Tianyi Tower.

This was the fundamental difference between them: Yi Linglong was never someone who could live peacefully in a small place. She thrived on chaos — the more the better. Only matters involving Wu Wanyang could calm her even slightly.

Hua Rongyue, on the other hand, could spend her whole life quietly tucked away in a back alley. It took a lot to truly anger her.

And if Yan Sheng had come alone today, she’d probably be exposed on the spot.

But today, by chance, he wasn’t alone.

Yan Sheng had come to Baicaotang feeling a little on edge himself — because someone had tagged along behind him.

Someone… not to be trifled with.

Most martial artists weren’t afraid of Six Doors — no matter how powerful its agents were, they were still part of the imperial court. But a few people were exceptions.

The man behind Yan Sheng was one of those exceptions.

Yan Sheng never expected him to show up — not for a routine visit. He’d come simply because he’d heard that Yi Linglong was now part of Six Doors.

When he’d mentioned it, Yan Sheng had frozen for a moment — then realized the man must have overheard something due to his own connections with Six Doors. That kind of mistake was very possible.

The existence of the “Eye” division was extremely secret. Only a handful in Six Doors knew of it. So even if this man had learned that Yi Linglong had joined Six Doors, he wouldn’t have guessed that “Yi Linglong”… was actually fake.

But Yan Sheng couldn’t tell him the truth.

Because this man was… blunt. If he told him the truth now, he might just walk out — or worse, reveal the secret.

Or… maybe not?

Yan Sheng honestly couldn’t be sure. The man was impossible to read. He might blow everything up, or just shrug and ignore it.

So rather than risk him learning about the “Eye,” it was safer to let him believe Yi Linglong was really in their hands.

With his personality, he wouldn’t interfere further.

But the problem now was… would Hua Rongyue be exposed?

Yan Sheng walked faster, pushing open the door and calling out loudly, “Doctor Qi, is Rongyue here? Tell him to tidy up — someone wants to see him.”

He spoke louder than usual — as if afraid someone might not hear. This was very out of character for him. Ever since Hua Rongyue joined Six Doors, Yan Sheng had been avoiding Baicaotang to avoid suspicion.

But today was clearly different.

Because of the man behind him.

Trailing along was Li Zixin, an ex-assassin who had submitted to Six Doors — and also one of the few who knew about the “Eye.” He had been dragged along as backup, just in case things went south.

Li Zixin had arrived in a hurry. When he saw the familiar figure in Baicaotang, he exhaled — but instantly tensed up again. If Hua Rongyue spoke even once… everything could fall apart.

He whispered to Yan Sheng, “Isn’t this too risky…”

“There’s no choice,” Yan Sheng replied tersely. “We’re out of time.”

Even sound transmissions might be overheard by someone of that man’s caliber, so they had no choice but to speak sparingly.

Doctor Qi came up and said, “Looking for Rongyue? He just went out back. Want me to call him?”

“Please,” Yan Sheng replied, then added in a whisper, “Tell him to keep it calm. Today’s guest is important.”

Doctor Qi was puzzled. Hua Rongyue had always been too calm — why warn him? But Yan Sheng was a Six Doors officer; he didn’t argue. Especially since the man who followed Yan Sheng looked… dangerous.

He went to the back courtyard.

He looked all over Hua Rongyue’s room, but it was empty — finally, he found her crouched near the firewood pile, trembling.

Startled, he asked, “Are you sick? You’re shaking! Should I get a brazier?”

“N-No need,” Hua Rongyue said, back still turned.

“You say that, but you’re at the firewood pile! I’ll go get one,” Qi said, hurrying off. “By the way, Officer Yan brought someone to see you. If you don’t want to go, just say so… And Officer Yan was acting strange. Told me to tell you to ‘keep it calm.’ Did you upset him somehow?”

Keep it calm?

That… was odd.

Normally, no one would need to say that to her. But if Yan Sheng had told Qi to relay it, then there was definitely meaning behind it…

At this point, Hua Rongyue’s mind was close to exploding. She was in no shape to analyze anything.

Not that she could decode Yan Sheng’s intentions even when not in a mental meltdown.

…

Yan Sheng’s logic was this:

— Telling Hua Rongyue to “keep it calm” was unnecessary.

But telling Yi Linglong that? Very necessary.

He had deliberately said that line in front of their guest. Because if Yi Linglong were truly in Six Doors now, surely her personality would be rebellious and hard to control.

So a quick verbal warning before the meeting would seem natural — and wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

He couldn’t explain any further. But he hoped Hua Rongyue would pick up at least part of it — enough for him to guide things from there.

Still… deep down, he had a bit of hope.

Hua Rongyue had always been so reliable. She never gave him trouble. Maybe… just maybe… she’d pick up on his meaning.

…

By the time Yan Sheng, Li Zixin, and the honored guest reached the back courtyard, quite a while had passed. The guest was getting impatient, so they all came together.

And there, they saw a figure with her back turned — Yi Linglong.

Yan Sheng’s heart skipped. Had Hua Rongyue figured it out?

He had deliberately delayed things — had she understood?

They walked forward.

Hearing footsteps, Hua Rongyue slowly turned her head — and as she did, those crimson eyes came into view.

Yan Sheng and Li Zixin both blinked in surprise. “Huh?”

The moment she turned, she saw the guest standing behind them — a man radiating a sword aura so strong that even from several meters away, it was overwhelming. Under that pressure, all she could see was him. Yan Sheng was completely invisible in her vision.

…

Mr. Rongyue, Yan Sheng thought, you really are an extraordinarily reliable man.

He was stunned.

Not only had Hua Rongyue grasped his meaning in such a short time — she’d even applied eye-dye to simulate blood-red eyes.

What kind of comprehension and execution was that?

Absolutely incredible.