“In my previous life, when I opened my eyes, I was in the Heavenly Court. Sharp gaze, concealed face, silver-scaled Celestial Cloud Armor on my body, a dark silk cloak draped over my shoulders, Cloud-Chasing Moon-Stepping Boots on my feet, and in my hand, a 7-foot-long spear!”
Inside the cell, Mu Qingbai was sharing his past life’s story with two fellow prisoners. One was a young monk, the other a young woman.
The monk had refined features, clearly a demonic monk at first glance. The woman was extraordinarily beautiful—brows like mountain peaks, naturally green without makeup, heroic and elegant, yet not lacking the allure of an immortal.
Yin Qiubai had already imagined the image of a spirited and imposing general and couldn’t help but glance a few more times at the young man telling the story.
The monk said in amazement, “Wow! So you were a celestial general in the heavens?”
Mu Qingbai replied smugly, “Of course. Looking around, everyone was dressed like me. Then I looked up—whoa! What a sight!”
The monk asked eagerly, “What did you see?”
Mu Qingbai said, “Above my head was a massive celestial gate, with a plaque bearing three large characters!”
“What were they?”
“South! Heaven! Gate!”
The monk couldn’t help raising a thumbs-up. “Amazing! So vivid, it sounds real! Then what happened?”
Mu Qingbai’s face stiffened, as if recalling some painful memory. He looked up at the prison ceiling at a 45-degree angle and sighed deeply.
The two didn’t understand.
He sighed, “Then not far ahead, I saw a guy with three eyes holding a dog, fighting with a monkey…”
The two: ???
The monk suggested, “Maybe you should change the plot? It started off great, but the ending is too cheap. Who would be dumb enough to fight a monkey?”
Mu Qingbai glared at him, “This isn’t a story!”
“Okay, okay, then what happened next?”
Mu Qingbai lay down hopelessly on the hay pile. “Then I died.”
“Bah! What a killjoy! That story sucked!” the monk complained.
“You don’t understand… That three-eyed guy even hits his own people when he gets vicious. And that plague-ridden monkey is a beast among beasts! With one strike, so many brothers got smashed to pieces—some even had their legs broken. Neither alive nor dead!”
Tears streamed down Mu Qingbai’s face as he clutched his leg, as if it still hurt.
Seeing his pained expression, the monk tried to comfort him, “I know you were implicated and suffered a heavy blow, but you have to stay strong! Don’t lose your mind! I’ll be out in a few days, and I don’t want to get killed by your madness!”
Hmph, ignorant mortal!
Mu Qingbai snorted coldly and glanced at him disdainfully.
He had already lived through nine lifetimes. As long as he reincarnated one more time—this life—he could bring everything accumulated over ten lifetimes back to his original world.
Including that full set of divine gear from his previous life!
Though… he wasn’t sure if the Cloud-Chasing Moon-Stepping Boot on his smashed leg would still work.
Of course, all this depended on him not committing suicide. Otherwise, he’d rather bash his own head against a wall than let that plague-ridden monkey smash his leg again.
“First of all, I’m very happy!”
The monk shook his head, “See? You say you’re not crazy, but who smiles when they’re about to die?”
“Second! I wasn’t implicated. I got in here by my own ability!”
Yin Qiubai frowned slightly. “Weren’t you once a disciple of Duan Xiangqing?”
Duan Xiangqing, a fool who got ten generations of his family executed.
On the day the female Emperor ascended the throne, this idiot jumped out and cursed her loudly.
As a result, nine generations of his family were executed.
The idiot proudly declared, ‘Even if you execute ten generations, so what?’
The female Emperor agreed.
His disciples were doomed.
Mu Qingbai shook his head. “That kind of idiot doesn’t deserve to be my teacher.”
Yin Qiubai’s expression eased a bit. “You seem to have a clear view of things. Then how did you end up here?”
Mu Qingbai smiled, revealing bright white teeth. He lifted his head confidently. “After I failed the imperial exam, I stood at the palace gates and shouted, ‘Faint-hearted Emperor!'”
The moment he finished, Yin Qiubai’s beautiful face turned cold, with a hint of killing intent in her eyes.
The cell fell silent.
Then a chilly voice rang out. “Then you really do deserve to die.”
Yin Qiubai was the Emperor’s younger sister and a well-known female war goddess in the military.
Since the start of the Emperor’s rebellion, she had always been by her side—her most trusted and closest companion.
Mu Qingbai shrugged. “Heh! What a joke! Whether I deserve to die or not, a foolish Emperor is still a foolish Emperor.”
Yin Qiubai glared coldly at him. “If you weren’t already sentenced to death, I’d chop your head off right now!”
Mu Qingbai waved his hands. “I advise you not to.”
Yin Qiubai sneered. “Heh, just now you were pretending to be happy about dying. Now you’re afraid?”
Mu Qingbai said seriously, “First, if you kill me here, you’ll bear the blame. It’s not worth it. Second, you don’t have a blade. Even if you strike, it won’t be as clean as the executioner’s. I’d probably suffer a long while before dying—too miserable!”
Seeing his sincere expression, Yin Qiubai paused, then cursed angrily, “Why am I even bothering with an idiot like you? You’re just like that pedantic fool Duan—an old-fashioned idiot! Just because the Emperor is a woman, you think she’s unfit to rule the world?”
Mu Qingbai asked, confused, “When did I say she’s unfit to rule?”
Yin Qiubai was stunned. “But you just said…”
Mu Qingbai shook his head. “This chaotic world, where human lives are worthless—she’s the one who pacified it. No one is more suitable to be Emperor than her.”
“I admire the female Emperor’s courage! In a time of chaos, she used her frail frame to hold back the crumbling tide! To steady the falling Empire!”
“Such achievements—no one in this world can compare.”
A look of joy gradually appeared on Yin Qiubai’s face, as if she had found a kindred spirit.
But also confusion. Why would such a noble man end up in death row?
She soon found out.
“But that doesn’t change the fact she’s a foolish Emperor.”
Mu Qingbai’s words turned sharply.
The joy froze on Yin Qiubai’s face.
The monk asked in confusion, “You support Her Majesty, but also call her foolish. What kind of logic is that?”
Mu Qingbai chuckled lightly. “Do you know what caused the chaos?”
Yin Qiubai thought for a moment. “War?”
Mu Qingbai smirked but said nothing.
Yin Qiubai frowned, then relaxed slightly.
She thought to herself with disdain: Trying to act mysterious? What could a death-row inmate possibly understand better than me?
She had witnessed the chaos firsthand!
“You say it was caused by war, so the Emperor must also know how terrifying war is. So after achieving peace, what’s the first thing the Emperor will do?”
Yin Qiubai’s heart skipped a beat.
Scenes of her recent argument in the Imperial Study before coming to the death row flashed through her mind.
Trying to stay composed, she asked, “What is it?”
“Haha! What else? Strip the military of power!”
Yin Qiubai’s face changed instantly.
A matter the female Emperor hadn’t even decided yet… and a prisoner had guessed it!
At that moment, outside the death row, a figure with a powerful aura suddenly paused.
Every word spoken inside the cell reached her ears.
That figure was the female Emperor of the Great Yin Empire—Yin Yunlan!