Little Pink Starfish

Someone Who’s Always Full of Surprises

Although Jiang Lianhuan came and went in a hurry this time, he uncovered a shocking secret. When Six Doors heard his report, everyone there was stunned.

The man with the mask — whose face couldn’t be seen — was now suddenly on Six Doors’ wanted list overnight. Of course, this was a confidential wanted list, circulated only among a select few, featuring people in the martial world who were as elusive as ghosts.

— Pale face, red eyes, a face unseen, yet one could almost sense a sinister and cunning expression.

Jiang Lianhuan reported everything — except for one detail: Hua Rongyue was currently under the watchful eyes of those people, and she was doing quite well.

Perhaps he had personal reasons for keeping this secret, but had he told the truth, Hua Rongyue would’ve been in serious trouble upon her return. Who would have thought that someone Six Doors had searched for so long, someone everyone thought dead, was actually alive and well — cared for by the enemy? If Jiang Lianhuan were honest, even he wasn’t sure whether Hua Rongyue herself was aware of this fact. Because, in his memory, Hua Rongyue was never the type to fraternize with the enemy.

If someone claimed Hua Rongyue was simply too naïve to recognize the enemy’s identity… Jiang Lianhuan might just believe that.

He truly believed that Hua Rongyue wasn’t smart enough to see through intricate schemes and conspiracies.

That man — though his appearance bore some resemblance to Jiang Lianhuan — had such a dull and boring personality. Yet, even Jiang Lianhuan subconsciously accepted that Hua Rongyue was not someone who would commit wrongdoing. People like him were rare; one less meant one fewer. If Hua Rongyue truly was gone, Jiang Lianhuan might actually… feel a bit of regret.

After Jiang Lianhuan left, Hua Rongyue had a brief verbal exchange with the courtesan “Hua Kui.”

Hua Kui wasn’t just a pretty face. She had eavesdropped on the earlier conversation and was naturally curious — especially about when Hua Rongyue and Jiang Lianhuan had connected.

Hua Rongyue tried her best to talk her way out of it. Luckily, she still had her identity as Yi Linglong to fall back on, so knowing a few things wasn’t too suspicious. But Xue Xiangming’s tactics were formidable, and Hua Rongyue didn’t dare let her guard down.

After speaking at length with Jiang Lianhuan and then having to deal with Hua Kui, Hua Rongyue was pushed to her limits. Especially since she was still injured, she collapsed the moment Hua Kui left, ready to sleep at any moment.

This place was far from comforting, but Hua Rongyue knew she couldn’t rest here — this was Xue Xiangming’s residence, and she didn’t trust her, even if she appeared harmless.

So, Hua Rongyue forced herself to leave the pleasure boat and return to her temporary residence for some rest.

After walking for roughly the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, she arrived at the boat where she had been living.

Though not the safest place, it was at least more peaceful. Hua Rongyue climbed aboard quietly, intending to sneak in and avoid disturbing anyone. But just before she entered, she heard voices inside.

She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but the conversation was too intriguing to ignore — they were discussing Six Doors.

Hua Rongyue hadn’t been paying much attention to Six Doors lately. After all, she still mistakenly believed they were the ones who had hurt her. She wasn’t a vengeful person, but she wasn’t going to throw herself into their arms either.

Then she heard the word “murder.”

That one word instantly heightened her alertness. Her mind snapped to attention, and unease took root.

She hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to listen more closely.

“What happened?” someone inside asked.

“The people from Six Doors have been overstepping lately.” A woman’s voice — sultry and seductive — responded. Hua Rongyue remembered her; she had no affection for anyone outside the pleasure boats.

“I know you’ve been unhappy,” a more rational voice followed. “And that some of you have been acting on your own. But originally, we agreed to find a quiet place to live — not to gather a bunch of lunatics to kill freely.”

“They?” the seductive voice laughed. “You talk big… but deep down, aren’t you still setting yourself apart from us?”

Her words made the other woman aware that her tone had revealed some underlying feelings. She immediately fell silent. But the seductive woman didn’t stop — her voice grew louder, her emotions more unstable.

“If you are one of us, then why do you subconsciously separate yourself from us?”

…What followed was a long argument, filled with secrets that tumbled endlessly into Hua Rongyue’s ears.

Her heart pounded. She suddenly realized something: the timeline didn’t match up.

Clearly, something major had gone wrong.

The desire to kill aboard the pleasure boats had begun to eclipse reason. Whatever had happened, this organization was clearly unstable — the “lunatics” were breaking free from control.

That wasn’t hard to guess. As Hua Rongyue had said before — even flowers growing among ruins are likely to be crushed.

The arguing inside continued. Someone even seemed to be heading out. Hua Rongyue heard footsteps and quietly backed away from the corridor, retreating to a farther location.

She felt disoriented. Such a bombshell left her shaken, and the fatigue that had consumed her moments ago was gone, replaced by a terrifying clarity.

— The people on this pleasure boat were losing control.

If they weren’t stopped, another catastrophe could unfold — just like in her past life.

But who could stop them?

If she thought about it rationally, the best candidate was Six Doors — but Hua Rongyue no longer wanted anything to do with them.

And deep in her heart, another voice whispered:

“Yes, this is it. This is exactly where we belong.”

No doubt about it — her “roommate” wanted to come out for a stroll again.

Hua Rongyue leaned against the boat wall, feeling cold and uneasy.

She suddenly wished she could curl up inside the medicine cabinet at Baicaotang and take a nap.

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Even Now, People Still Talk About Yi Linglong on the Qinhuai River…

Despite the time that had passed, the name Yi Linglong still buzzed across the Qinhuai River. For a community as forgetful as the martial world, this was almost unheard of.

Perhaps that’s why Six Doors had never given up their search for Yi Linglong. Hua Rongyue found this troublesome, but to others, it was a miracle.

Occasionally, people would visit that same old bridge, and the area remained crowded.

Li Zixin would sometimes stop by when overwhelmed with work, just to unwind. He considered himself familiar with Hua Rongyue, yet she always managed to surprise him.

Strict and flamboyant were traits rarely found in the same person — but Hua Rongyue could switch between them at will, almost like a god.

The martial world wasn’t short on charismatic individuals. Most renowned figures had a couple of traits that set them apart. But in truth, these famous people were often just compilations of exaggerated rumors — few had actually met them.

Could one really say these people were “known” by the martial world? Not really. They were just masked figures painted with vague strokes.

Hua Rongyue, however, had managed to leave a deep impression despite all odds. Li Zixin believed this wasn’t just because of her face — it was her presence.

Yes, that aura — something that emerged from time to time. Even in the quiet Baicaotang, she seemed unremarkable. But when she appeared before a crowd with expectations on her shoulders, she radiated power.

When she changed clothes and met others’ eyes, all attention turned to her. It was a fierce, undeniable force.

That might explain why people thought Yi Linglong was a formidable and dominating figure — but to Li Zixin, Hua Rongyue was far more enigmatic.

She was a man hard to define. Quiet, passive, seemingly powerless — yet somehow, nothing ever seemed to defeat him.

Li Zixin stared blankly from the bridge for a while, then turned to leave. He stopped by a night market by the riverbank — many pleasure boats were too frightened to open lately, making the land markets livelier.

And in his daze, he stumbled upon something strange.

— A piece of pale blue fabric, fluttering on a railing.

Soon, Li Zixin would discover just how “unpredictable” his friend Hua Rongyue really was.

Even while on the run, he had left them an important clue.