Little Pink Starfish

At this moment, none of the signs had yet surfaced, and everyone was still free to speculate as they pleased.

Lately, Yuan Yuanyuan had become obsessed with taking clothes apart and folding them… Not because she had that many clothes, but because the repetitive motion helped exercise a specific set of muscles. She’d been lying in bed for so long that, while it was certainly comfortable, she worried she might end up with some kind of chronic illness.

She’d also started secretly pedaling in bed like she was on a bike… In general, her workout style was extremely laid-back, with basically no real effect—just for peace of mind.

Give it a bit more time, and Yuan Yuanyuan would probably become obsessed with practicing tai chi.

The boss lady told Yuan Yuanyuan to be more careful lately. The head of the Li family had been making big moves, and there was a chance they might suddenly target the tavern.

Yuan Yuanyuan felt the boss lady was worrying too early. Things didn’t seem that dire yet. But she forgot that in this world, there was something called a blitzkrieg—striking before you have time to react.

Yuan Yuanyuan mainly thought the head of the Li family wouldn’t find this place. After staying in the tavern for so long, she didn’t know why, but she had developed a mysterious confidence in it. Maybe it was pride as an employee, or maybe it was because no one had ever successfully broken into the place before. After all those years, that kind of confidence had become deeply ingrained.

So she stayed calmly inside the tavern. At the moment, what she worried most about was whether anything would happen in C City. Though the blue barrier was now active and the whole sky had turned a bright blue—ensuring no outside battles could spill into the city—it was unclear whether something might ignite from within.

But, as the saying goes: what you fear is what tends to happen.

Not long after Yuan Yuanyuan started worrying, something did happen in C City. One night, a sudden outbreak of violence erupted within the city, causing significant casualties.

Not many knew about it. To be precise, humans knew nothing, and among monsters, the information had been suppressed in advance, so it hadn’t spread widely enough to spark panic.

Yuan Yuanyuan was one of the few monsters who did know. When she heard the news, the boss lady happened to be nearby and almost dropped a tray. Yuan Yuanyuan quickly caught it, preventing any damage.

“Alright, you go deal with your stuff. I’ve got this,” the boss lady said, then turned to look at Yuan Yuanyuan. “So, what do we do?”

“What do we do…” Yuan Yuanyuan was a bit dazed. She tried to remember what they’d done the last time something like this happened. Wait—had something like this even happened before?

“Then… just do what we did last time,” Yuan Yuanyuan said.

“Last time… last time…” The boss lady paused. “The last time there was trouble in the city was years ago… back when you hadn’t even gotten into trouble yet.”

Yuan Yuanyuan tried to sneak away while the boss lady was distracted—only to be suddenly grabbed by the arm.

“Right, I remember now. The last time something happened, you were the one who went out and took care of it. So this time, you should—”

The boss lady abruptly stopped, glanced at Yuan Yuanyuan, who lay on the bed looking like a terminal patient, and hesitated. “Forget it. You don’t look like you’re in any condition to go out. Just stay here and watch the tavern.”

…Yuan Yuanyuan’s inner self knelt down in thanks. Thank god she was pretending to be sick—she hadn’t even faked it this successfully when she was a kid.

If she were sent out now, she wouldn’t even know what to do. Who knew what Seventeen had done back in the day?

After much back-and-forth, the boss lady decided to go herself, which confused Yuan Yuanyuan.

In her eyes, the boss lady had never been one for selfless heroism. Frankly, she seemed like someone who’d avoid trouble if it didn’t concern her.

Was that good or bad? Hard to say. But during the last war, the boss lady had managed to keep herself safe, making her one of the few to come out unscathed.

Now, the boss lady decided to go personally. It was only then that Yuan Yuanyuan realized she must still feel something for C City.

Come to think of it, Seventeen had cared about this place too. He had grown up here.

Given how close the boss lady and Seventeen had been, they were probably childhood friends. If this story were fleshed out, it could probably be spun into a whole side story.

Unfortunately, Ji Qiu didn’t seem interested in drawing anything about the boss lady. And even when she appeared in the comic, it was still with her original face.

That was probably Ji Qiu’s way of protecting the tavern, which in turn strengthened Yuan Yuanyuan’s own faith in it. Ji Qiu was basically a weathervane—his comics hinted at a lot. For example: Fa Ning was the beloved son, Yuan was there for fun, and Si Qun was comic relief… Yeah, more or less.

Yuan Yuanyuan felt a little nervous. She’d never seen the boss lady leave before. In her mind, the boss lady should always be here, dressed beautifully.

So when the boss lady left, Yuan Yuanyuan sent a bunch of people with her and even sneaked in a non-combat escort. Getting her back safely was the most important thing.

Then Yuan Yuanyuan stayed behind in the tavern alone. This was the first time the boss lady had gone out and left her in charge.

With just a few people leaving, the tavern suddenly felt emptier. A lot had already left earlier, and more had trickled out since then.

At the time, Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t felt how empty it was. But once the boss lady left, it was like half the tavern had vanished.

It was like that candy tin. When you first buy it, it looks full. You take a few pieces, then a few more, and one day you turn around and realize it’s almost empty.

Now, hiding in the tavern, Yuan Yuanyuan felt it was hollow and echoey—like something might jump out at any moment. It was giving her the creeps.

Ugh… What to do…

She mulled it over for a while. Then, seeing the incense burner in the corner, she suddenly thought—what if I lit them all?

With one command, several people emerged from the back rooms, each carrying small candles to light incense burners in every corner.

Soon, the tavern was filled with curling smoke.

The boss lady had said she’d be gone a few days and had given Yuan Yuanyuan specific instructions. Yuan Yuanyuan promised to watch the place properly.

In the dead of night, lying in bed, Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly felt uneasy. She looked out the window—pure darkness, not even the streetlamps were on.

…Did something happen to the boss lady?

She turned to look at the incense burner. Smoke still drifted from it. Who knows how long it had been burning.

…Was anyone even refilling the incense?

She glanced around. Still empty. Still eerie. Her thinking at the time had been fuzzy. The idea had come from that old story.

The one where someone was told to buy something to fill the room?

The first girl brought back cotton. The second brought straw. The third, a dancer, smiled and—

Right, maybe not that version. But the gist was the same. Yuan Yuanyuan thought filling the room with smoke might make it feel fuller.

Didn’t seem to work though.

She’d told the others to light incense, but not this much. These sticks were expensive—burning them all night would cost a fortune.

Still, it was late now, and she didn’t feel like moving.

She looked around once more, pulled her clothes tight, and lay back down.

Smoke curled through the room like nothing had happened.

Outside the window, it wasn’t as calm as it looked. Faintly, a few dark shapes passed by.

The tavern was at its weakest now. After Fa Ning took some people to the front lines, the place had lost much of its strength. Those left behind were mostly the elderly, the sick, or the pregnant.

Yuan Yuanyuan was lying in bed, still dressed in a light green nightgown.

In her mind, this was like ancient patient wear. The only thing missing was that little green headband, and she’d look exactly like someone recovering from childbirth.

A small oil lamp burned beside her, lighting up half her face. Though the lamp itself was large, the flame was dim and shrouded by a dark shade, casting everything in a hazy glow.

In the silence, someone seemed to be approaching.

Yuan Yuanyuan appeared oblivious, still lying there in her green clothes, back to the intruder, sound asleep.

It was 4:30 a.m.

Just as the figure reached out, Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly turned and caught his wrist.

The moment she grabbed him, she felt a huge force nearly rip her arm out of its socket.

Smoke still curled in the air. Yuan Yuanyuan sneered inwardly.

Heh. Little thief! In this smoke-heavy environment, her Chessboard Technique was a passive skill!

Just as she was about to see who it was, the intruder suddenly tore off the dark cloth covering the lamp, grabbed it, and brought it close to her face.

In an instant, the whole room lit up.