Little Pink Starfish

When the blue cloth was brought back to the inn, everyone’s face grew somber. They all recognized it—it was a piece of the clothing Hua Rongyue wore before she disappeared.

There were traces of blood on it, which only deepened everyone’s concern. Given the bustling night market, it was impossible that no one noticed a bloodstained piece of blue cloth. This could only mean one thing: the cloth had been placed there very recently.

The message the cloth conveyed was clear—Hua Rongyue was in danger.

If she really was in danger, under what circumstances would she send out such a message and hang the cloth on a railing, instead of going directly to Six Doors?

While the full story remained a mystery, this single cloth already seemed miraculous.

Imagine it: a person whose life or death was uncertain, suddenly left a trace of their presence at the most unexpected time and place. That in itself was already highly dramatic.

It appeared when no one expected it, bringing a sliver of hope.

Everyone at the inn stared at the cloth, deep in thought. Someone offered the most likely explanation:
“Could it be that he’s been controlled?”

“Controlled? Controlled by whom?” Chief Jin asked.

“Obviously, by those people we’ve been dealing with lately,” someone answered.

“Impossible. We’ve clashed with them so many times recently, but never once saw him. Besides, why would they save Hua Rongyue?” someone else immediately questioned.

The room was filled with heated debate. Some found the control theory plausible; others had their doubts. Only Jiang Lianhuan stood silently in a corner, saying nothing.

He recalled what he had left out from his report that day. From what he had heard, it was entirely possible that Hua Rongyue was indeed under surveillance by that organization.

Jiang Lianhuan didn’t speak further, because just then, someone rushed in with another urgent piece of news—

They had found a second piece of bloodstained blue cloth.

---

Hua Rongyue didn’t leave the cloths to signal she was being controlled or to ask Six Doors for help.

In truth, her intentions were rather cold—she wanted them to believe she had been gravely wounded, or perhaps even dead already. End of story.

The bloodstained cloth did indeed convey “danger.” Hua Rongyue was also using the cloths to lure Six Doors’ people to a specific location… Even though she had alerted them to an imminent crisis, hoping they’d step in to help,

She did not want to go back. Better to have them think she died than be hunted down and arrested.

After returning from eavesdropping on the boat, Hua Rongyue dove into Yi Linglong’s memories, combing through them inch by inch. Eventually, she unearthed the location where something catastrophic had happened in the original timeline—a boat adorned with flowers.

Although all pleasure boats had floral decor, not all were the same. This particular one was hung with wisteria vines, swaying in the breeze like clusters of wind chimes.

Digging through these memories took extreme focus—one missed second might mean missing a crucial clue. She first identified the boat’s most distinct feature, then located images that could anchor it to a specific time. By the time she finally reached the boat, night had already fallen.

Hua Rongyue tore her old clothes into strips, stained them with blood, and hung them along the way. If Six Doors wasn’t full of fools, they’d notice.

After hanging the last strip on the boat’s railing, she walked the deck and found her expression growing grim. Though the guests still spent money lavishly and the women remained beautiful, something felt off.

After the Qinhuai River massacre years ago, Yi Linglong had once visited this very boat—at exactly this point in time. That incident had happened here.

Hua Rongyue suddenly stopped at a corner of the boat—she saw the exact same hanging wisteria vines from Yi Linglong’s memory, swaying like wind chimes.

It was rare for her to experience this—the sense that what she was seeing now was exactly what Yi Linglong had seen in another timeline. Hua Rongyue had always walked a different path than her past life.

Watching the vines flutter, Hua Rongyue froze for a moment.

Then she turned to hide, listening as two people beneath the vines whispered like lovers. Their “love talk,” however, sounded… off.

Just then, Hua Rongyue made a bold decision.

Halfway through their conversation, she did something Yi Linglong had not done in the past. While the couple whispered sweet nothings, the woman suddenly collapsed. A figure emerged behind her, caught her, and knocked out the man in front of her.

Hua Rongyue looked at the unconscious woman, stripped her clothes, and put them on. After a quick disguise, she was no longer recognizable.

Clad in the new attire, she began walking upstairs—after all, this place was Six Doors’ target.

If something was really about to happen, maybe she could help.

A person in light purple robes hurried past in the hallway, their head lowered, concealing their face.

The boat overflowed with wisteria, draping like chimes in the breeze, swaying with whispers no one could hear.

---

Following the bloodstained blue cloth, the people of Six Doors finally arrived. Before them loomed a massive flower boat, blanketed in purple wisteria. The blossoms had fully bloomed, and candlelight filtered through them, lending an ethereal softness to the usual decadence.

They had found six pieces of cloth in total—each placed in strange locations. Now, they held the final one.

“This place? Why here?” someone asked in confusion. Some wondered if there might be a seventh piece.

Jiang Lianhuan, however, ignored the others and boarded the boat. Though people called after him, he didn’t turn back. With no choice, the rest followed.

Once aboard, they found even more flowers. Wisteria filled their view. Brothel madams and courtesans tried to engage them, surrounding them to the point of blocking their path.

“Where’s Jiang Lianhuan?” someone asked.

They realized then—he had vanished. At some point, he had already climbed the stairs to the second floor. Jiang Lianhuan was sensitive to terrain and line of sight—he had once navigated another flower boat precisely when meeting Hua Rongyue. Now, he had done it again.

Through the vines, they caught glimpses of Jiang Lianhuan. His figure moved in and out of sight, like a shadow about to disappear.

He approached a beautiful woman playing the qin. Dancers twirled beside her, the music hauntingly graceful. The woman kept her head lowered, never glancing at the crowd.

“What’s he doing? Looking for some fun?” someone muttered from below.

Then, the woman raised her head slightly—beneath her eye was a red teardrop-shaped mole, delicate and striking.

In that instant, everyone’s mind exploded with alarms.

At that exact moment, all the lights on the boat went out. A place that had been like paradise moments ago, now descended into chaos and darkness.

No one had expected this. Even the madams suddenly turned feral, attacking those beside them.

“What the—?!” someone from Six Doors shouted. Shock swept through them all. None of them had imagined this would happen.

What was going on?! Who were these people?!

It had all started with a single bloodstained cloth, delivered by someone whose fate was unknown. No one had imagined it would lead to this scene—a hellish trap.

Even the slowest among them now realized—something major had happened.

This news, once spread, would shake the entire martial world.

In the chaos, they remembered the one who led them here—where was he now?

Despite serious injuries, he had still managed to leave a trail for them. It was a heroic act.

Everyone thought he was dead. Yet he returned in the most unimaginable way—bringing a warning none of them could have foreseen.

To deliver such a message while injured and possibly controlled… They could all imagine how hard that must have been. And yet, the message was delivered.

So…

Where was he now?

Amid the chaos, Jiang Lianhuan suddenly looked up toward the sky—he saw a flash of purple move across the night sky.

In the darkness, he saw a pair of red eyes.