Light.
That was all Long Wei could see.
Not the soft green glow of the pendant.
Not the ghostly blue flames of the Endless Tomb Hall.
This was pure, blinding gold.
It wrapped around him like a storm of fire and silk, pulling his body through something that felt neither like space nor time.
For one terrifying moment, he felt weightless.
His stomach dropped.
The world spun.
And then—
thud.
Long Wei landed face-first on something soft.
Grass.
Cool.
Fragrant.
For a second, he didn't move.
Then he groaned.
"Bas, yahi baaki tha."
Of course. This was the only thing left.
He pushed himself up and blinked hard.
The golden light faded.
What he saw next made him freeze.
He stood in the middle of an enormous palace garden.
Moonlight spilt across white marble paths and crystal ponds filled with lotus flowers. Ancient willow trees swayed gently in the night breeze, their long branches brushing against carved stone lanterns. In the distance, elegant pavilions rose beneath curved golden roofs.
Everything looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Almost unreal.
Long Wei slowly turned in a circle.
"Bhai…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Swarg mil gaya kya?"
Did I reach heaven?
A cool breeze brushed against his face.
The scent of jasmine and lotus hung in the air.
Then his eyes moved toward the central pavilion.
A woman stood there.
No—
not just a woman.
A vision.
She wore flowing white-and-silver hanfu embroidered with phoenix feathers that shimmered beneath the moonlight. Her long black hair cascaded like silk down her back, held in place by an intricate jade hairpin. Her posture was regal.
Cold.
Graceful.
Powerful.
Her beauty was the kind that could silence a battlefield.
Empress Zhao Lian
Long Wei blinked once.
Then twice.
Then muttered under his breath,
"Okay… definitely not heaven. Too dangerous."
The woman turned.
Her sharp, moonlit eyes landed on him.
For a brief moment, time itself seemed to stop.
Her gaze was calm.
But beneath that calm—
There was steel.
Authority.
And a loneliness so deep that even he could feel it.
Long Wei straightened instinctively.
Years of military discipline kicked in.
But his mouth, as always, moved first.
"So…"
He glanced around dramatically.
"Royal garden, beautiful queen, midnight entry."
A beat.
"Please tell me this is not another trap."
The woman's brows knit ever so slightly.
Her voice, when it came, was cool and melodious.
"Who are you?"
Long Wei gave her a dry smile.
"Honestly? Main bhi wahi figure out kar raha hoon."
Honestly? I'm trying to figure that out myself.
Her gaze sharpened.
No confusion.
Only suspicion.
Two guards stepped out from the shadows behind the pavilion.
Swords drawn.
Ah.
There it was.
The classic royal welcome.
Long Wei raised both hands.
"Relax, bhai log."
He glanced at the guards.
"I come in peace."
The woman did not move.
"How did you enter the Moon Phoenix Palace?"
The words made his eyes narrow.
Moon Phoenix Palace.
So this was indeed Zhao Lian's world.
Good.
At least the Tombkeeper hadn't lied.
Mostly.
Long Wei glanced behind him.
No portal.
No golden light.
No easy exit.
Great.
Fantastic.
He was fully trapped.
Again.
His lips twitched.
"Meri life ekdum Netflix series ban chuki hai."
My life has literally become a Netflix series.
The woman's eyes narrowed further.
"Answer me."
Long Wei looked back at her.
Now that he was closer, he could see the details.
Her face was flawless, but exhaustion lingered beneath her eyes.
Not physical exhaustion.
Emotional.
The kind that came from carrying too much alone.
Betrayal.
Responsibility.
Loss.
He knew that look.
He had seen it in the mirror.
Still, he gave her a slight bow.
"My name is Long Wei."
At the mention of the name, something flickered across her face.
Recognition?
No.
More like calculation.
One of the guards stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, allow me to arrest him."
Long Wei turned toward the guard.
"Arrest? Bro, I just arrived."
Then he looked back at her.
"Literally."
To his surprise, a faint expression, almost like amusement, touched her lips.
Almost.
Then it vanished.
She stepped down from the pavilion.
Every movement is elegant.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
The moonlight seemed to follow her.
When she stopped before him, the air itself felt colder.
"You entered the most heavily guarded palace in the dynasty."
Her voice lowered.
"At midnight."
A pause.
"Into my private garden."
Another pause.
"Why should I not assume you are an assassin?"
Long Wei looked around.
Then back at her.
"Honestly? From this angle, I can see why it looks bad."
One of the guards visibly frowned.
The empress, however, remained unreadable.
Then Long Wei sighed.
"Fine."
He lowered his voice.
"Because if I were an assassin, I wouldn't land face-first in your lotus bushes."
For one full second—
silence.
Then—
One corner of her lips lifted.
Barely.
A tiny crack in the ice.
Long Wei caught it.
Interesting.
She wasn't as cold as she pretended.
Then suddenly—
His pendant pulsed beneath his robe.
Warm.
A whisper brushed his mind.
She has been waiting.
Long Wei's expression shifted.
He looked at Zhao Lian.
Really looked.
And then he noticed it.
Beyond the calm.
Beyond the regal mask.
There was pain.
A hidden sorrow.
A storm locked behind imperial dignity.
This woman had been betrayed.
Just as the Tombkeeper said.
Just as he had been.
For a moment, something inside him softened.
His voice became quieter.
"I'm not your enemy."
The sincerity in his tone made even the guards hesitate.
Zhao Lian's eyes lingered on him.
Studying.
Measuring.
Then she asked,
"Then what are you?"
Long Wei gave a half-smile.
"Currently?"
He glanced at the sky.
"A very confused guest."
For the first time, the empress let out the faintest breath of a laugh.
So small it was almost lost to the night wind.
But Long Wei heard it.
Victory.
Tiny.
But real.
Then the sound of hurried footsteps broke the moment.
A maid rushed into the garden and dropped to her knees.
Lady Su Yan
"Your Majesty!"
Her voice trembled.
"The Prime Minister has summoned the council."
Zhao Lian's expression instantly cooled.
A shadow crossed her face.
The warmth of the moment disappeared.
Long Wei noticed it immediately.
Politics.
Pressure.
Enemies.
He knew that look.
The maid continued,
"The Western Duke faction is demanding your seal."
Long Wei's eyes sharpened.
There it was.
The betrayal.
The power struggle.
The dream he had been sent here to save.
Zhao Lian turned toward the pavilion, then paused.
She looked back at Long Wei.
For a moment, the moonlight caught the sadness in her eyes.
Then she said quietly,
"Bring him."
The guards exchanged looks.
"Your Majesty?"
Her voice turned cold enough to freeze steel.
"That was an order."
The guards bowed instantly.
Long Wei blinked.
Then pointed at himself.
"Me?"
Zhao Lian's gaze remained calm.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Perhaps destiny has finally answered."
The words made his pendant pulse again.
Long Wei looked at her.
Then smiled faintly.
"Okay."
He adjusted his robe and muttered under his breath,
"Special forces to imperial politics. Career growth toh solid hai."
That's definitely solid career growth.
As he followed the empress into the palace, one thought settled firmly in his mind.
This woman had indeed been waiting.
Not for a man.
Not for a king.
But for someone who could stand beside her when the world turned against her.
And perhaps—
just perhaps—
that someone was him.