Chapter Fourteen: The Vanished Crown Prince

“Has anyone seen where the Crown Princess went?” At dawn, Fang Zhe got up to look for Mao Taizi, but she was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, Mao Xuanzi was also searching for Boca, yet Boca seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“Where’s my sister?” Mao Xuanzi asked as soon as he saw Fang Zhe.

Fang Zhe shook his head.

Sensing that something was wrong, Mao Xuanzi immediately gathered his brothers to go out and search. Fang Zhe also informed their eldest, Wen Pin, about Mao Taizi's disappearance. Wen Pin quickly rallied their classmates to join the search.

As night gradually fell and everyone was at a loss, Boca appeared from the twilight, carrying a trace of exhaustion. No one came to greet him. Clutching his chest, Boca disappeared into the crowd.

Everyone turned their gaze in the direction Boca had come from, but the figure of Mao Taizi never appeared.

“Sister!”

“Crown Princess!” Everyone fell silent.

Night descended. For Han Tianyue, the Robust Ghost, and the Lean Ghost, another wild flight was their fate. “Waa waa waa, we're on the run again!” the Lean Ghost exclaimed, excitement in his voice.

The farther Han Tianyue ran, the more uncertain he felt. “When will this end? When will I be able to return to look for the Crown Princess?”

“If you keep hesitating, the Soul-Eater Beast will catch up!” the Robust Ghost yelled, grabbing Han Tianyue as they ran madly.

There was little else to say on their side; as soon as night came, Han Tianyue and the others had to continue fleeing. The Soul-Eater Beast would not stop chasing them until it caught them, and only then would it seek a new target. Their only choice was this bitter, desperate running.

Back on the other side, the Crown Princess—whom everyone hoped to see—never appeared. Late into the night, people quietly drifted away one by one, until only Mao Xuanzi remained, heading silently toward Boca’s dormitory.

“Where’s my sister?” Mao Xuanzi demanded, gripping Boca’s collar tightly, his voice furious.

“This is the closest you've ever been to me,” Boca said, with a hint of sorrow and resignation. Looking into Mao Xuanzi’s blazing eyes, he added, “Don’t worry. Your sister isn’t dead. She’s just gone.”

“Where did she go?” Mao Xuanzi pressed.

“I don’t know,” Boca replied, glancing at Mao Xuanzi. “But I know she’ll come back for me.” With that, Boca turned and left.

Mao Xuanzi sat quietly on Boca’s bed, tears streaming down his face. “Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t take care of my sister. I’m sorry, Sister. I failed to protect you.”

Mao Taizi’s disappearance filled everyone with grief. At Han Tianyue’s funeral, Mao Xuanzi brought a bouquet of white roses on her behalf. The petals fell, scattered by the wind, slowly covering Han Tianyue’s coffin with earth. “Brother Tianyue, my sister can’t come to see you now, but I believe she’s watching over you from somewhere.”

At the funeral, no one spoke; even if they had, their words would have gone unheard—for Mao Taizi had not truly left. She stood quietly at a spot overlooking the burial, watching each shovelful of earth until a tomb rose from the ground.

She could hear nothing at all. At that moment, she threw all her strength into an attack against Boca. Boca did not dodge, but met her assault head-on, unleashing all his power as well. With a thunderous roar, the entire world was enveloped in sound. From that instant, Mao Taizi could hear nothing more. “Tianyue, I will avenge you!”

The white roses in Mao Xuanzi’s hands had withered away, and Mao Taizi, too, vanished from the hill overlooking the burial.

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