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No, she won't.

"What makes Your Majesty so certain?"

The person on the dragon throne looked up devoutly and said, "Because Heaven told me that someone else was the one who harmed her."

Heaven?

After sizing up the middle-aged emperor, who spoke with a strong voice and a firm gaze but clearly appeared outwardly impressive but inwardly weak and frail, Mu Yan hesitated for a moment before deciding not to label him as superstitious, but also did not want to comment on his statement.

"Answer me, who is that person?" The emperor is the emperor, his authority is imposing even without anger.

Mu Yan suddenly noticed that the person in front of him had been asking about the death of Princess Cheng the whole time. Was he captured not to avenge Prince Cheng?

Seemingly due to the emotional fluctuations affecting his sickly body, the person on the dragon throne coughed violently.

"Tell me, cough cough, tell me, who is it, who is it..."

Upon hearing the cough, the group of people who had been relegated to the sidelines rushed in with keen hearing, offering warmth, medicine, water, and summoning the imperial physician. As if to match the extremely tense scene, the emperor, whose health was related to the livelihood and well-being of the people, coughed up a mouthful of hot blood and then, as expected, fainted. Before collapsing, he did not forget to shout, "Tell me, who killed my son?" in order to advance the plot.

Seeing the pale-faced man with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, no longer as resolute as before, Mu Yan glanced back at the tiny figure of the eunuch who had run to fetch the imperial physician in the vast palace, wondering how long it would take for him to make the round trip.

Therefore, most emperors who died of illness throughout history did so because they wasted time rather than because they were powerless to save the emperor. It's as if they had nothing better to do than build such a huge palace. They had to hold court in one palace, eat in another, read in one room, and sleep in another. Not only was it inconvenient to travel, but it was also exhausting, costly, and occupied public land.

Uh… The sudden shift in his way of thinking startled Mu Yan, a layer of sadness rising in his eyes. This wild, illogical, and unfounded thought reminded him of someone…

The imperial physician was late, and then... why did I choose to save this emperor?

Sure enough, the last line that propelled the plot forward proved its worth.

"My son? Why is he called that? The emperor arrested him because he killed Prince Cheng, didn't he? Were any of the dead princes?"

Mu Yan suddenly realized how important this detail had become.

If Princess Cheng is the 'son' the emperor is referring to, then my arbitrary speculation that I'm matching those people to the emperor's name would have reversed the two positions from the very beginning.

The next day.

The imperial city was filled with harmony and peace.

Xiao Hui – "The Playful Eldest Son", the Executioner – "The Headless Sculpture", King Cheng – "The Shattered Prince", Queen Cheng – "The Berserk Princess", the mother and son hiding in the deep mountains because of their unusual appearance – "The Giant Child and the Dwarf Mother", the Magistrate – "The Violent Officer", the woman from the other day – "The Iron Poison Woman"...

Ji Yu leaned against a pillar on the second floor of the inn, tapping the railing with his fingers, letting the morning breeze tousle his waist-length black hair, gazing at the bustling street below, exuding languid elegance and nobility.

I thought you were going to kill the emperor last night. I even gave that emperor a hint so you could have a successful audience with him... So, there are only four left.

Chu Fan glared at this despicable guy, his eyes practically tearing the bastard to shreds a thousand times over, almost burning two holes in him.

Thanks to this bastard in front of me, I've not only failed to get a penny, but I've also ended up paying to be here and suffer for him. Is there no law or justice in this world? Does God even have eyes?

Ji Yu turned her head and glanced at the person grinding his teeth, as if she could see through his thoughts.

"Let me teach you a lesson—justice is not in the hearts of the people, right and wrong depend on strength."

Chu Fan scoffed, "Good deeds will be rewarded, and evil deeds will be punished. It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet!"

Ji Yu chuckled, "Have you forgotten the woman you met a couple of days ago?"

"..."

"Everyone believes the boy angered the woman, leading to his death. But in truth, the boy was the woman's half-brother; logically, he had only accidentally let the woman's beloved nightingale escape—far from warranting such a fate. Why then did the people of the city turn a blind eye to this and instead try to comfort the woman? It's because her husband was the city's official. As the saying goes, 'The mountains are high and the emperor is far away,' and in this small city, the official was the law, and the woman was the law. Who would risk their life for the boy? Who had the courage and strength to defy heaven and earth?"

"..." Chu Fan was speechless.

In a world where the strong prey on the weak, bullying the weak and fearing the strong is a natural law.

Ji Yu tucked the loose hair over her shoulders behind her back, got up, and walked downstairs.

"Then why did you ultimately seek revenge for that boy?"

Ji Yu paused for a moment, as if she had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Who told you that I killed that woman to avenge that boy?" She turned her head, a playful smile spreading across her lips. "Didn't you say, 'Evil will be punished, it's just a matter of time'?"

"..." Chu Fan was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground. What was his purpose in saying those words? How did the topic get jumped around like that? Could someone tell him whether this person was too cunning or if he, Chu Fan, was truly an idiot? (Someone strongly agrees, it's the latter!!!)

“You’re really funny.” Ji Yu no longer lingered on the second floor.

"Wait—" Chu Fan chased after him unwillingly, "You said you have a way to save Mu Yan, is it really true?"

"If you don't trust me, why are you following me?"

"Because I have something to ask him. Why is he still so stubborn? Why did he kill Xiao Hui? Why did he kill that county magistrate and Prince Cheng?"

"You can ask him the first two questions yourself, but I can answer the last one. It's because the magistrate and Prince Cheng used you as a scapegoat to protect themselves, exchanging your head for their lives."

"But I didn't die."

"But Yan believes you were murdered."

In that instant, Chu Fan felt as if he had grasped something in his mind, but it vanished in a flash.

"In fact, Yan has changed without realizing it, but he himself is unaware of it. Of course, the other one is also not aware of it."

If Chu Fan didn't know Ji Yu's past actions, he would definitely believe that the seemingly harmless person in front of him was a caring older brother, not a treacherous villain. Therefore, these conversations should absolutely not be taken seriously!

Hmm, Chu Fan was quite satisfied and gave himself a perfect score of ten for his intelligence...

Ji Yu was both amused and exasperated. He had no interest in scheming against such an idiot.

Indeed, a game is only fun when you have someone of equal skill as your opponent.

Since there has been no news of the emperor's death yet... Yan, it seems you have now reached that level.

Does that mean I'm going to get serious about this too?

In a heavily guarded courtyard deep within the palace, Mu Yan was imprisoned.

To outsiders, Mu Yan, who used his extraordinary skills to save the emperor's life in time, also saved his own.

But Mu Yan's serious and cold face did not show the joy of being reborn that others had imagined.

It wasn't because Mu Yan had his own way of escaping even if he didn't save the emperor, but because he noticed signs of the emperor's piety and reverence for heaven and gods everywhere in the inner palace after he saved him, which made him very worried.

If the magistrate who sacrifices others to protect himself is a "violent officer," and the King Cheng who falls in love with his niece due to ethical condemnation is a "shattered prince," then the Queen Cheng, whose true identity is the current emperor's illegitimate daughter, must be the "rageous princess" in that person's plan, and the emperor who almost became his victim is a "pilgrim"?

Were you manipulating all of this behind the scenes? Did the emperor's so-called 'Heaven' tell him it was you?

Am I just a clown dancing in your palm?

Ji Yu, you are indeed very cunning and shrewd.

As if by telepathy, Ji Yu, walking down the street, glanced at the tall palace walls in the distance.

Would you choose to avenge Chu Fan by killing the emperor, or would you protect the emperor to prevent me from completing the twelve zodiac signs?

Is it unkindness or injustice? Is it betraying yourself or betraying the world? What choice would you make?

Main text & Answer

Author's Note: Taking a deep breath, I'm back to see everyone's comments. A mix of joy and sorrow is inevitable. Let me first address some of the questions that have puzzled you. Please forgive me for answering them all at once in this format. Replying to each comment individually might mean my belated replies to some long-standing messages would go unanswered. This way, everyone can see them.

First, let's start with the first chapter. Because my friends used to say that my writing was too verbose and full of nonsense, I learned from that experience and reduced the word count of each chapter. However, I will try my best to express the plot clearly. Perhaps this writing style will make some readers feel that the narration is a bit too simple and the story is confusing. I apologize for this. I am lacking in this aspect and need to improve.

Secondly, regarding the story in Chapter Two—The Snail Girl.

I, too, found this story confusing at first. At the end, it was mentioned that the coffin for sale was merely a selfish excuse. It's a fact that Liu Feng killed her husband, and the reason, "could be simply because of his indifferent attitude towards her that night." Did anyone notice the time mentioned at the end? Liu Feng's dismemberment happened "yesterday at dusk," and she went to Mu Yan's shop to buy the coffin "last night." She was already dead when she went. There's a saying that ghosts only remember what they want to remember, so Liu Feng's ghost created a counter-example of a fairytale love story for herself. The cat she held was just her fantasy. Mu Yan sold her the coffin, and she, immersed in her fantasy, thought she was buying it for her husband. In reality, when she realized she was trapped in the coffin, she had already been dismembered. Unable to face this reality, she continued her futile struggle even in death. (I wonder if this explanation satisfies those who had questions?)

Secondly, regarding the rules for selling coffins. These have already been outlined in the copy and mentioned in a section of the article.

The first line, "My coffins are only sold to the dead," is a clear indication of how the protagonist in almost every single story ultimately dies.

The second sentence, "Whoever buys my coffin will surely die," has a similar conclusion to the first: death. However, you might have noticed a small condition: "whoever buys my coffin" refers to the person who buys the coffin, not who the coffin is for. (…Don't hate me…)

The third sentence, "Those who refuse cannot escape either," appears in Chapter Seven, "A Girl's Dream." In this chapter, Ru Yan didn't want to buy Mu Yan's coffin, which is tantamount to a refusal; of course, the ending was still death. (This seems unnecessary to explain, sigh...)

Mu Yan's three rules all imply death as the ultimate outcome. He sells these people (please allow me to use this word... I can't find a more suitable one...) and these are the only people on his death list. As for the others who died, that's one of the reasons I wrote this story—is human nature inherently evil or good?

Inner beauty is valued by society, while the ugliness of human nature is nothing new.

When we admire selfless heroes, we can't help but wonder, are such heroes truly worthy of our emulation? Many heroic deeds reported on television and in newspapers evoke tears from some and laughter from others. When this topic came up in my dorm, my roommates unanimously agreed, "If it were us, we would absolutely never risk our lives for others." Perhaps you think we're pathetic, and I admit it, after all, I'm just an ordinary citizen, not that great. Uh… I seem to have digressed…

Returning to everyone's questions, the story begins with a series of short stories, which naturally need to be connected later on. I'm not sure if those who left comments outside of the first two chapters were referring to specific short stories or if the stories weren't connected to the earlier ones. However, I hope you'll understand when you reach the part about Mu Yan's background later on... If you still have questions, I'm happy to answer them...

Lastly, I feel that dedicating a whole chapter to this answer is a bit...unnecessary...so here's the freshly baked main text instead. Feel free to ask any questions; I'll welcome them all. Dear readers, I'll be working on strengthening my heart's resilience...>_

Town → Hammer → ?

Author's Note: Happy Labor Day everyone a day early! Here's the update I've missed these past few days~ ^_^

Jade shattered → tile intact → ?

After hearing Ji Yu's account of the Dark Palace's conspiracy, Chu Fan's mind was filled with images of the five main characters.

One word: Ridiculous.

The innkeeper knocked on the door and brought in dinner. Chu Fan devoured his portion in no time, then watched Mu Yan eat small bites and blurted out, "So you eat too."

Receiving a cold glare that was not spared, Chu Fan immediately looked away and whistled randomly.

After Mu Yan finished eating slowly, Chu Fan brought up the topic from before the meal.

"So, there are two left now? 'Withered Lover' and that 'Jackal'? Jackals are animals, right? That's easy to handle... The problem lies with the next one, 'Withered Lover'... Well, all we need to do is find someone who has died and has a sweetheart."

"It's not that simple."

"kindness?"

"'Jackal' is a term, not referring to actual jackals. The Twelve Dark Palaces all refer to the power of the human soul, which requires certain conditions to be met."

"What are the conditions?"

"If we take it literally, for example, 'Shattered Prince' and 'Raging Princess' have restrictions on identity, while 'Headless Sculpture' and 'Giant Child and Dwarf Mother' have descriptions of appearance. I don't know the specifics. Perhaps, some people are destined from birth."

"You mean fate? You believe in fate?"

"Fate is a game designed to torment people; once it begins, you are destined to reach the predetermined ending." Seeing Chu Fan frown, Mu Yan snorted, "Isn't that so? Have you forgotten those people? Weren't they born destined to die by my hand?"

"Everyone will be born, grow old, get sick and die. But there are many kinds of death: dying in the line of duty, dying of old age, dying prematurely, or being murdered for money. The process is different, and even if the ending is death, it has different meanings."

After a long pause, Mu Yan suddenly raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Do you even understand what you're saying?"

Chu Fan admitted that these ambiguous words were meant to deceive people, but at this moment, his mind was completely captivated by Mu Yan's fleeting smile. His eyes were fixed on that otherworldly face, and he suddenly felt a little jealous of Ji Yu. Mu Yan before must not have been as cold as she is now, at least she wouldn't have been so stingy with her smiles.

The more he thought about it, the more unwilling he became, and the more unbalanced he felt. Chu Fan gritted his teeth desperately, wishing he could devour that ungrateful bastard alive.

Chu Fan's expressions shifted between being serious, infatuated, and grinning, causing Mu Yan to instinctively lean back. "Are you... alright?"

"Hehe~" Chu Fan told himself, "Don't be angry, don't be angry," and put on a bright smile. "Isn't this good? Talk more, smile more. You're so beautiful, it would be a disservice to your mother who gave birth to you and raised you if you didn't smile."

Mu Yan suddenly fell silent.