Little Pink Starfish

As soon as Li Zixin asked the question, everyone froze for a moment. Head Constable Jin asked, “There were how many people who went after him just now?”

“Only Jiang Lianhuan,” someone who had gone with him replied. In truth, they’d only bumped into each other by chance and decided to drink together. Jiang Lianhuan had always acted alone, and everyone was already used to that, so no one thought to follow him.

“Where did you last see him? Take us there immediately,” said Head Constable Jin. The group quickly got up and rushed toward the flower boat from earlier.

…

Hua Rongyue and Jiang Lianhuan were still locked in a standoff. With no weapon in hand and still injured, Hua Rongyue wasn’t even sure if she could beat Jiang Lianhuan. Honestly, this man had left too deep a psychological shadow on her. And the truth was—Jiang Lianhuan was terrifyingly capable.

Hua Rongyue had thought about it: Yi Linglong always believed Jiang Lianhuan was a “maniac,” but that wasn’t quite accurate. If someone could reach a maniacal level while still being sane, then maybe that was what truly made him a maniac.

When reviewing her memories, Hua Rongyue realized the scariest part of Jiang Lianhuan wasn’t his strength—it was his way of thinking. In other words, not only was he powerful, but his mind worked in strange and unpredictable ways.

“I don’t actually want to make this hard for you,” Jiang Lianhuan said. “Just let me see your face. What—afraid you’re too ugly to show anyone?”

If anyone else had called her ugly, Hua Rongyue would’ve jumped up to defend her honor. But Jiang Lianhuan… whatever. She didn’t care if he thought she looked like a monster.

Ironically, her current appearance happened to perfectly match Jiang Lianhuan’s usual taste. Hua Rongyue realized this now. He had a thing for people who didn’t seem normal.

A veiled, mysterious woman like her was exactly his type.

What Jiang Lianhuan had said earlier was likely just bait to provoke her into taking off her veil.

But here was the issue—how did he know Hua Rongyue was someone who got offended by comments about her appearance?

There weren’t many people around, and even the boatwoman who came with Hua Rongyue had been left far behind. Without her weapon, Wushang, Hua Rongyue scanned the area quickly, looking for anything she could use.

Before she even finished looking, a rush of wind came at her.

“Stop gawking, or you’ll get yourself killed…”

Jiang Lianhuan was already charging at her. Hua Rongyue backed off quickly, retreating several steps. His blade narrowly grazed her arm.

She had thought he was aiming to kill, but after the first miss, he immediately reached for her veil instead—his fingers were already brushing the edge. Cold sweat broke out all over her body, and she stumbled back another step.

She may have been at odds with Six Doors now, but she absolutely didn’t want Jiang Lianhuan to find out that this mysterious, veiled person was actually Hua Rongyue—the one he once knew.

That step backward looked casual, but it took everything she had.

Jiang Lianhuan seemed to realize she was in no shape to fight, so he pressed the attack. His sword never stopped—it was moving so fast, it was almost a blur.

Hua Rongyue cursed inwardly. This definitely wasn’t the kind of situation where you could just talk things out. This was the kind of situation where the moment he got a chance, he’d pin her to the ground and beat her.

She really didn’t want to get pinned and beaten. Even though she hadn’t exactly been ambitious since time-traveling here, she’d never been beaten that badly before.

These days, she wasn’t even relying on skill anymore—she was surviving on pure instinct. And if this kept up, she was sure Jiang Lianhuan would land a hit sooner or later.

It was time to come up with a better plan—anything that would stop him from continuing his attacks.

But just dodging wasn’t a long-term solution. Even though that’s all she could do right now, Jiang Lianhuan wasn’t the kind of person to fear someone who only ran. If anything, it might make him even more persistent next time.

In urgent situations, people often fall back on instinct—just like Hua Rongyue was doing now. In the past, whenever she ran into Jiang Lianhuan, she’d put on an act and try to dodge his madness. But this time, that wasn’t going to cut it.

Back in the Trading House, she had a whole act she used to avoid all kinds of lunatics or powerful enemies—sometimes even pretending to be a helpless damsel.

None of it overlapped with acting like a “decent person.”

In the early days after she time-traveled, when she couldn’t beat the other Trading House members, she never admitted defeat outright. Instead, she would talk her way out of it—deftly, cleverly. It wasn’t shameful. When cornered, people would try anything. Nine out of ten would fall for her bluff, and the last one? Well, that depended on her luck.

If Jiang Lianhuan had seen her fights back then, he’d probably be shocked. Compared to those times, today’s performance wasn’t anything impressive. Back then, she could narrate an entire fight while fighting—never stopping her chatter until she’d completely confused her opponent.

She wouldn’t admit fear, either. Even when someone fell before her, she’d just sigh quietly, as if regretting their fate.

Most people walked away feeling like they’d narrowly escaped death. Because of Yi Linglong’s formidable reputation, no one who picked a fight with her once ever came back for round two—just in case she wasn’t in such a merciful mood next time.

That tactic eventually evolved. It became Hua Rongyue’s own style. Like Naruto’s Talk-no-Jutsu, but hers was all about avoiding trouble.

Just like now.

She knew she didn’t want to expose her fighting style and get recognized as Hua Rongyue. But she’d never admit that. So even though she was the one dodging non-stop, she still maintained a calm, composed demeanor.

If there had been bystanders watching, they might have thought she looked a bit cowardly—just evading.

But in Hua Rongyue’s mind? That’s not what was happening at all.

She slowly got into character. At first, she truly didn’t dare fight him head-on. But later—even when she could fight back—she chose not to. Just dodging. Jiang Lianhuan seemed increasingly irritated by her evasive movements—his sword swings were growing more forceful.

If it came down to pure swordplay, she’d lose. But in lightness skill, she still had the edge. That was her specialty, after all. And being unarmed actually helped—dodging was easier without a sword to weigh her down, even with injuries.

Eventually, Jiang Lianhuan grew tired and paused. Hua Rongyue stood nearby, watching him silently.

He was puzzled. Why hadn’t she fought back at all? But there was no time to think further.

A new group arrived—it was the Six Doors team, rushing over by qinggong. They arrived just in time to catch the end of the duel.

Jiang Lianhuan didn’t stop to greet them. He caught his breath, then attacked again. His strikes were still fierce, but the other person kept dodging—making the fight feel frustrating and one-sided.

Jiang Lianhuan preferred direct combat. He didn’t care if you were righteous or villainous, so long as you fought. Someone who just dodged was beyond his control.

And that damn dodger kept talking:
“If you leave now, I might still feel a sliver of compassion for you. You’re skilled, I’ll give you that—but nothing more.”

When Li Zixin and his group finally arrived and saw Hua Rongyue, they recognized her as the same person from the boat—and their hearts all jumped into their throats.

Li Zixin had already suspected she was a big shot. Seeing her in a one-on-one with Jiang Lianhuan only confirmed it. And her imposing presence made her look entirely natural in that position.

“That’s someone seriously powerful! Be careful!” Li Zixin shouted.

Hua Rongyue hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly. The moment someone backed her up, her energy lifted.

Jiang Lianhuan, meanwhile, was even more confused.

…She didn’t seem all that powerful.

Wait. Had the entire thing—him chasing her, her dodging—been a complete misunderstanding?

Was she really that formidable?

He looked at her again. Though her features were hidden beneath her hat and veil, her aura was unmistakably extraordinary—definitely not some small fry.

Hua Rongyue knew the value of committing to a role. Before leaving, she gave Jiang Lianhuan one last deep look and said:

“This time, I’ll let it go. But next time…”

She trailed off—leaving a stronger sense of threat than any complete sentence ever could—then turned and vanished from sight.

Li Zixin’s group finally relaxed, though they still felt lingering dread. Only Jiang Lianhuan remained bewildered.

He’d fought countless times, but this was the most exhausting fight he could remember.

Why hadn’t that person fought back? That was what Jiang Lianhuan couldn’t figure out.

As he walked away, he fell deep into philosophical thought.