Pov Author
The doors to the council hall opened as Shou Feng and Mong stepped inside. The hall was filled with every important face of the kingdom—council members, ministers, advisors, and even Shou Feng's stepmother, Lady Mei Feng. At the center, on the raised dais, sat the king himself:
King Riku Feng.
Mong immediately bowed so deeply his forehead nearly hit the floor.
Shou Feng did not bow.
He walked straight forward without lowering his head, ignoring the mixed looks from the council.
The king's voice filled the hall.
"Shou Feng. When did you come back?"
"Last night," he answered plainly.
"And how did you get captured?" the king asked, leaning forward.
Shou Feng's expression did not change. "I was betrayed. By Tomika."
A silence fell. The council watched them, unsure how the king would react.
King Riku Feng nodded slowly. "Aren't you going to take revenge?"
"I will," Shou Feng said, steady and direct. "Don't worry."
The king exhaled. "I am always worried about you. More than I am worried about Mong."
Mong looked up, offended. "Why me—?"
Then immediately bowed again when the ministers glared at him.
Shou Feng had no patience for more conversation.
"If that is all, I will take my leave now."
He turned, ready to walk out of the hall.
But the king called out behind him, loud enough to echo through the chamber:
"Find a queen for yourself before I do!"
The entire hall burst into laughter—council, advisors, ministers. Even Lady Mei Feng hid a smile behind her sleeve.
Shou Feng did not laugh.
He walked out without looking back.
He returned to the study, pushing the door open without a sound.
Anna was standing by the window, looking outside at the gardens. She did not turn, but she heard him enter.
Shou Feng paused, taking in the quiet room and her silhouette against the night.
It was true—he didn't love her.
But there was a feeling there, something he didn't fully understand.
Admiration.
Because she was the first, and the only person, who helped him when he needed someone.
He stood there silently for a moment, the unspoken thoughts hanging in the air, before he finally stepped further into the room.
Night draped itself over the Temple of Stars like a velvet curtain—dark, quiet, and pretending nothing ridiculous was about to happen beneath it.
It lied.
Three silhouettes crouched behind a crooked pine tree halfway up the mountain slope, each one radiating a very different kind of energy.
Shou Feng: silent, sharp, every muscle coiled.
Anna: determined, nervous, ready to fight gods if needed.
Mong: vibrating with the enthusiasm of someone who should not be enthusiastic.
The Temple loomed high above—stone steps, torchlight, armed guardians patrolling in precise patterns. A fortress of knowledge watched by men who did not believe in bedtime.
And yet, these three idiots planned to rob it.
The first to break the silence was, of course, Mong.
"Behold… the Cave of the Whispering Stream!" he whispered loudly, sweeping his arm toward what looked like a dark hole in the rock. "A perfect entrance! No guards! No traps! Just pure, convenient destiny!"
A pebble immediately fell from the cave roof and pinged off his forehead.
Anna snorted. "Very stable indeed."
Shou Feng sighed—the long, suffering kind. "If the cave collapses, I am leaving you both behind."
"Rude, but expected," Mong said cheerfully.
They slipped inside.
The cave was narrow, wet, and smelled like a mixture of moss and bad decisions. The Whispering Stream lived up to its name, murmuring against the stone as if gossiping.
Anna led the way, holding a small moonstone lamp. Shou Feng walked behind her, far too aware of the soft sway of her hair and the quiet rhythm of her breathing—both terribly distracting.
This was not the time to think about her lips.
Mong, oblivious, was humming.
The tunnel twisted downward, then opened into a larger cavern filled with glittering crystals.
"Pretty!" Mong said.
"Focus," Shou Feng growled.
"I am focusing. I'm focusing on not dying. And also on how pretty this is."
Anna bit back a smile and pointed ahead. "There. The tunnel that leads into the inner library."
They proceeded.
A final turn—and they reached a stone grate. Beyond it lay the Temple's inner library: towering shelves, ancient scrolls, enchanted lanterns floating gently. And at the center—
The pedestal.
The crystal dome.
The Book.
A single shaft of moonlight fell through an opening in the ceiling, brushing the dome.
The full moon was rising.
"Perfect timing," Anna whispered.
Shou Feng studied the guards: two patrolling, one snoring in a corner. "We move fast. Anna, you retrieve the Book. I'll disable the guards. Mong—"
"Cause chaos?" he offered.
"Do not cause chaos."
"Understood! Controlled chaos!"
"That is not—"
But it was too late. Mong had already wriggled through the grate with the grace of a startled raccoon.
Anna followed, silent as moonlight.
Shou Feng slipped out last—and everything immediately fell apart.
Mong's first step landed directly on a loose scroll, which shot out from under him like it had someplace else to be. He flailed, hit a bookshelf, and the entire structure groaned.
Shou Feng caught it before it fell.
"Why," he hissed, "do you exist?"
Mong pointed at the patrolling guard walking toward them. "Because I'm useful?"
Shou Feng leapt forward in a blur, grabbing the guard, knocking him out silently, catching his lantern, placing it gently on the floor, and returning—without a sound.
Mong blinked. "See? My chaos gives you opportunities."
Shou Feng considered strangling him.
Meanwhile Anna reached the pedestal.
The moonlight brightened.
The crystal dome shimmered—then softened, becoming like mist.
She slipped her hands through the glowing surface and lifted the Book. It was heavier than expected, humming with ancient magic.
"I have it," she breathed.
Shou Feng's head snapped toward her at the exact moment the second guard turned the corner.
The guard froze.
Anna froze.
Mong dropped a scroll.
Shou Feng moved.
A blur of motion, a sweep of his arm, and the guard slumped to the ground before he could exhale.
Anna exhaled instead.
Mong whispered loudly, "That was HOT."
Shou Feng nearly threw a lantern at him.
They regrouped at the grate, Anna clutching the Book, Shou Feng checking for pursuit, Mong trying to fit the scroll into his sleeve like a souvenir.
"Mong," Anna said slowly, "put. That. Back."
"But—"
Shou Feng growled his name, and the scroll was instantly returned.
They crawled back into the cave just as the moonlight angle shifted—if they'd been five seconds later, the dome would've solidified and sealed the room.
They escaped through the tunnels, through the Whispering Stream, down the mountain path until the Temple of Stars was only a silhouette behind them.
Only then did they stop, panting, shaken, unbelievably successful.
Mong threw his hands up. "Heist complete!"
Anna clutched the Book, heart pounding. "We actually did it."
Shou Feng looked at her—really looked at her—and something slow and dangerous tightened in his chest.
"We did," he said quietly.
Then Mong ruined the moment.
"So! Who's carrying me back home? I sprained my ankle in the chaos I did not cause."
Both of them glared at him.
He grinned.
"Worth a try"
End of the Chapter