The Wu Shi Temple had always been a place of discipline and harmony. Disciples trained to exhaustion, monks patiently guided the younger ones, and novices maintained the calm that enveloped every corner of those ancient grounds. Everything followed an almost perfect order.

Until Kung Lao decided to fall in love.

It wasn't something that happened suddenly. At first, there were only occasional glances when he saw you, a novice, crossing the gardens with a basket in your arms or when you helped the temple elders with a serene smile. Then he began to find excuses to stay close. Later, he started hoping to find you. And then the problem arose.

Kung Lao was convinced that he had to impress you. After all, he was a talented warrior, a future champion, and the bearer of the legendary sharp hat. How could anyone not be impressed by him? The answer came quickly and with admirable cruelty.

Each attempt ended worse than the last. Combat demonstrations that ended with him falling into ponds, displays of skill ruined by absurd mistakes, gifts destroyed before reaching your hands, and situations so embarrassing that even some disciples began to suspect he was losing his mind.

Meanwhile, you seemed completely oblivious to the war Kung Lao was waging against himself, and that only made things worse. The more he tried to get your attention, the more disasters he caused. It got to the point where some temple inhabitants began discreetly placing bets on how long it would be before the next accident occurred.

The worst part was that no one knew the real reason. No one except Liu Kang, who had had to listen for weeks to Kung Lao's complaints, frustrations, and elaborate plans to win you over—plans that failed with truly impressive consistency.

However, no matter how many times he stumbled, no matter how many times he ended up humiliated in front of the entire temple, there was one thing he could never change: the way his eyes followed you when you weren't looking, the way his expression softened every time he heard your voice, or how, even after each humiliation, he would try again the next day.

Because, to Kung Lao's misfortune, he was falling in love. And to the misfortune of the rest of the temple, he was prepared to turn that feeling into the most disastrous spectacle the Wu Shi had ever witnessed.

"I don't need luck. I just need, for once, my pride to take over after thinking...and every disaster will have been worth it if, in the end, I get a smile from you."