That night, as the palace lights dimmed and silk lanterns flickered against the breeze, a shadow moved across the rooftops.
Yue Ying stood atop the Vermilion Tower, staring at the courtyard below. The moon glowed behind her, casting her silver mask in eerie light.
Her twin folding blades rested at her waist, polished and sharp.
She had just returned from robbing the Minister of War—a greedy brute who'd hoarded grain meant for famine relief. The evidence was now hidden in a scroll tucked within the Crown Prince's study, slid through a crack in the window.
Let him find it, she thought. Let him wonder.
But even as she vanished into the shadows once more, Hua Lian didn't know—beneath her, someone had watched the flicker of her movement.
A figure cloaked in red.
Li Yuyan stood beneath the Plum Pavilion, holding the silver lotus in his palm.
It shimmered faintly, colder than it should be.
He had found it left behind on the palace's western wall.
The thief was getting bolder.
More than that… the style, the weapon, the precision—it all pointed not to a street thug, but someone trained.
Someone with knowledge of palace architecture. Someone fast enough to beat the best of guards. Someone who never killed unnecessarily.
"I wonder…" he murmured to himself.
Just then, Eunuch Wei arrived. "Your Highness, there's another report from the town. The villagers are singing again. A new song."
He handed over a scroll.
Yuyan opened it.
"Through fire and storm, he flew like the moon,
A silver ghost beneath the stars,He danced with blades, he stole the croon,
And vanished through palace bars…"
He frowned. "He's getting famous."