Little Pink Starfish

Hua Rongyue stood hugging her arms as she watched a mother and daughter nearby. At first glance, they seemed like an ordinary pair. But on closer inspection, there was something subtly different about them.

The daughter was beautiful—a charming, sweet-looking child. The mother was beautiful too, resembling many of the women who worked on this flower boat: elaborately dressed, hair adorned with ornamental hairpins. She had a tiny red mole on her forehead and was smiling gently as she spoke to the little girl.

Looking at them like this, they appeared harmonious. But Hua Rongyue had just seen this very mother in a fit of madness the day before. Her episode had been genuinely frightening—thankfully, a few people nearby had intervened in time before anything dangerous happened.

Scenes like this had become familiar to Hua Rongyue on the flower boat. Every time she saw one, her emotions shifted slightly. But over time, she realized the people here had grown used to this kind of life. Whenever a “normal person” witnessed a “mad” person having an episode, they would often lend a hand. Hua Rongyue herself had started doing the same.

The mother spotted Hua Rongyue and paused briefly, then bowed slightly with her daughter and quickly led her away. Hua Rongyue stood watching for a while before turning and entering her room, quietly shutting the door.

…

From inside the flower boat, Hua Rongyue could see the many sides of this organization. But to the outside world, it appeared only as something cold, ruthless, and terrifying.

Six Doors continued investigating over the past few days, but they still knew very little about the group.

What they had come to understand, however, was that the fear this organization inspired had sunk deep into the hearts of everyone who’d heard of them.

Until yesterday, the organization had seemed content to keep its distance during Six Doors’ investigations. But that seemed to change—perhaps the group had grown tired of the probing. Yesterday, they gave a “small” warning.

A few Six Doors investigators disappeared within half an hour of leaving on a mission. No trace could be found, and it wasn’t until the next day that they were returned—alive, but visibly shaken.

Each one looked like they’d seen a ghost. They refused to speak and trembled whenever asked about what had happened. It was impossible to get any useful information from them.

So the others had no choice but to stop pushing. Only Head Constable Jin, with his years of experience, managed to catch a single word whispered from one of them: “Madman.”

“Madman”?

The moment Jin heard that word, he understood something and immediately stopped everyone else from asking further. Luckily, he acted fast—any more pressure might’ve turned the victims into madmen themselves.

With this, a thread of insight began to form. People were starting to suspect that this organization had something to do with madness. For the first time in years, this obscure and shadowy group was back in the public eye. And of course, Jiang Lianhuan—who had been stuck in his own philosophical haze for days—was brought into the conversation again. After all, when madness was involved, it always somehow related to him.

Hua Rongyue had long wondered why these people treated her like an honored guest. But over the past few days, she had begun to understand.

It was probably because of two things she’d done in the past.

First, when she escaped from Tianyi Tower, she freed several prisoners from the dungeons.
Second, when she encountered them again in a bandit’s den, she had spared their lives out of old sentiment.

Of the two, the second left the deeper impression. By then, Yi Linglong had a public reputation for being completely insane. So the fact that she’d remembered to save someone in that state had stunned the martial world.

This organization likely saw her actions as closely aligned with their own values. So they’d saved her in turn. In a way, Hua Rongyue’s decision to free the dungeon prisoners, originally meant to earn a little karma, had actually worked.

Life, she thought, was full of strange twists.

These days, she’d been seriously reflecting on herself… Maybe doing good did have its uses—even if you were a mad good person.

—Which is why Hua Rongyue had started becoming very enthusiastic about helping others.

Of course, just being a “kind madwoman” wasn’t enough. Another major factor was that Yi Linglong was extremely powerful. Bringing someone like that into the organization was risky. If Yi Linglong ever snapped, no one here could contain her.

Fortunately, Hua Rongyue wasn’t actually mad. She only went a little off the rails when her roommates were crazy too. Even more fortunately, she’d been instinctively acting very obedient over the past few days—almost too obedient, perfectly fitting the organization’s expectations.

She was becoming a kind of mascot. Maybe even a potential guardian figure.

But expectations are dangerous.

Hua Rongyue had even started helping the organization solve minor issues. She wasn’t under strict watch and had quite a bit of freedom to move within their territory.

Take the Qinhuai River as an example—several of the boats on it belonged to the organization. Many of the women on board, whether mad or not, were members too.

And this was just Qinhuai. Based on what she’d overheard, the group had footholds elsewhere—often in hidden corners of society. Brothels, gambling dens, assassin guilds, beggars… places where people could disappear easily.

At times, Hua Rongyue found ancient life too harsh. It reminded her of reading Gu Long novels—where heroes would drop into brothels and casinos like it was nothing. Back then, it had all seemed so romantic. But seeing it in reality, she realized how harmful those places were for ordinary people. They weren’t charming—they were traps.

Yet for some people, this was “home.”

Hua Rongyue now stood atop a different flower house, dressed in blue. Although technically a blue outfit, it wasn’t the kind of blue she’d wear with Six Doors.

After all, no one in this place would wear something so proper or serious. Even the colors of their clothing carried a certain flamboyance.

Wearing this, Hua Rongyue felt like a peacock. And surprisingly, it was one of the more “restrained” outfits she’d seen. Compared to the bright yellow-green robe the little prince had once forced on her, this one made her question everything she thought she knew about ancient fashion.

So it wasn’t that ancient people didn’t wear gaudy, inappropriate clothing… It’s just that it all existed outside of polite society.

Still, Hua Rongyue was secretly happy. For once, she felt liberated. Proper ancient menswear never matched her personal taste. But these wild designs and flashy colors? They kind of hit the mark. Though she’d never admit it aloud—too embarrassing.

Apparently someone had caused trouble here last night. A skilled fighter. Hua Rongyue was curious. If she couldn’t return to Six Doors or Baicaotang—and she definitely wasn’t going back to Tianyi Tower—this might actually be her new home.

And if that was the case, it was time to start building goodwill. Given how secretive this group was, they were proving fairly reliable. Yi Linglong was supposedly dead, but the organization was still going strong. That alone made them worth sticking with—for now.

So she waited upstairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of this “troublemaker.” Could she take them on?

From her vantage point, she had a clear view of the street. Most flower houses had spots like this for observation. But from below, it was hard to see up here.

Standing in that spot, Hua Rongyue felt like a behind-the-scenes puppet master. Like she was bluffing her way into power. Considering her injuries, she probably couldn’t contribute much in a real fight.

But then the person below finally appeared—and Hua Rongyue couldn’t help but chuckle.

Who was that, all dressed in white, looking like a refined gentleman… with a red earring on one ear?

Wasn’t that Jiang Lianhuan—the same guy she’d just seen recently?

Though she laughed at the coincidence, Hua Rongyue instantly recognized the danger.

Jiang Lianhuan was from Six Doors—that, she knew. But the people on the flower boat probably didn’t. They likely hadn’t identified their target yet…

So they thought Jiang Lianhuan was just some random troublemaker. But Hua Rongyue knew—he was here for them.

She slipped away from her vantage point, quietly leaving the area. Best not to get involved. She probably couldn’t beat him in her current state. Last time she’d won through bluffing—this time, who knew?

But as she turned to leave, Jiang Lianhuan’s sharp eyes locked onto her retreating figure.

He clearly saw a figure in blue, slowly slipping away from the rooftop. Alone, high above the crowd, she moved like a brilliantly colored, dangerous, and elusive serpent… vanishing into the shadows.