Prince Yang Jinyan was a lousy successor. This was a fact known by almost everyone in the Twelve Sun Empire. He wasn't smart, charismatic, nor talented. Not a single soul in the Twelve Sun Empire believed Prince Yang Jinyan would usher in an era of glory. Still, his father believed he could become at least a decent emperor—even if he couldn't make the empire better, he could at least maintain its current state and pave the way for his offspring to do better.

The pressure weighed heavily on his shoulders. After all, who would want to be remembered as merely a decent emperor? Ask any emperor in this world, and each would speak of leaving behind a legacy, of having their name engraved in history. Prince Yang Jinyan was no different. He wanted to prove he could do it, that he could become a legendary emperor. But deep in his heart, he knew he would not succeed. As his father said, he would only become a decent emperor. His heart knew this truth, but his pride and ego clashed violently with this reality.

He was torn between acceptance and the desire to prove himself a strong and capable future emperor, and what emerged was a half-hearted effort. While he trained and cultivated, he didn't do it earnestly. While he studied politics, he preferred drinking good wine, hosting parties, and spending nights with his lovers.

Yang Hongyin was one of those lovers.

Their relationship didn’t start naturally. Yang Hongyin sought to elevate her position within the clan, and since she was assigned to guard him, she used the opportunity to seduce him. He knew her motives, of course, but she was pretty, intelligent, attractive, and strong. At first, their relationship was purely transactional. She wanted to use his position as prince, and he just wanted to enjoy her.

But as time passed, their relationship evolved. They grew intimate, smiled at each other more often, and genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Hong'er appeared cold, but she was actually passionate and deeply supportive. She listened—truly listened—when he spilled his anxieties and vulnerabilities, offering support, comfort, and motivation to become better.

There was a time when his father slapped him from the castle into the center of the market. He felt angry and humiliated, wanting to lash out and kill everyone who witnessed his shame, but Yang Hongyin was there, stopping and calming him. While nursing his cheek, she explained slowly and patiently why choosing a tea party with a maiden over attending a meeting was a poor decision, even if the meeting seemed unimportant. She explained that his father had wanted to show him how to conduct himself in meetings, and by not attending, he had wasted the emperor's time.

She had a way of explaining things that he could accept—not too humiliating, not too flattering. Just enough honesty to help him improve.

He could say with certainty that he was a better person because of her. He had gained many trustworthy allies and supporters within the Twelve Sun Empire, along with considerable influence, all because of her support. These days, while some still doubted he would bring glory to the Twelve Sun Empire, his father's decision to step down and let him become emperor proved he was ready to take the throne and carry the burden of leading their empire.

In almost every positive thing that happened to him, Hong'er stood by his side. He thought he understood his feelings for her—she was his number one. Yet this understanding felt shallow now, as he truly grasped what she meant to him.

Carrying Hong'er in his arms, hugging her tightly while running toward the throne room, he noticed the blood had stopped gushing from her large wounds. But she was so pale, so cold, and so light that each step felt like a knife stabbing his heart.

Prince Yang Jinyan had heard sayings about how things cannot be appreciated until they're gone—how a powerful warrior only fully appreciates his former strength after becoming old and weak, how a sickly man appreciates his once-healthy body, and how a merchant fully appreciates his former wealth after becoming poor.

He loved Hong'er from the depths of his heart, but now he wondered if he hadn't appreciated her enough. Even though she was his number one, there had still been a number two, number three, and so on. There were times he chose to be accompanied by other lovers instead of Hong'er. True, Hong'er didn't mind—she knew he would be emperor, and an emperor could have as many concubines as he wanted. Still, it felt cheap now. How could he have divided his love among many women and thought it would be enough for Hong'er? He should have devoted himself entirely to her, cultivated more diligently for her, and paved a glorious path for their offspring.

As he knelt before the empty throne, now covered in black and rotting meat instead of its pristine white and gold, he realized he had many regrets, and with this realization, Prince Yang Jinyan's heart steadied, and an iron will materialized within.

He would amend his mistakes after all this was over. He would become a legendary emperor who would bring the Twelve Sun Empire glory, his name passed down and revered like the first and second emperors. The name of the Twelve Sun Empire would reverberate throughout the Dark Forest continent and beyond. Most importantly, he would ensure Hong'er lived happily and devote his whole heart to her.

But none of this would happen if Hong'er died in his arms. If she did die, his heart would die with her. He would lose the will to live, and even if he could bring glory to the Twelve Sun Empire, it would be hollow.

And so, with a face ugly from tears, blood, and sweat, he began to beg like a dog wanting food. Beg like a merchant who had lost everything but couldn't bear to lose his daughter. Beg like the father of a criminal son pleading for his son to be spared.

"Second Emperor," he addressed the black and rotting throne with glistening eyes, a sob nearly choking him as he offered Hong'er to the throne. "I'm a worthy successor, and Hong'er is my lover. Together we will make the Twelve Sun Empire flourish again! So please, grant us the Twelve Sun Armor!"

The Twelve Sun Armor was a crucial treasure of the Twelve Sun Empire. It could grant immense power and, most importantly, possessed healing properties. If Hong'er could wear it, she might become whole again.

The problem was, the Twelve Sun Armor was a very tricky treasure.

"My Prince! Please get up. We need to go! I have information that the Twelve Sun Armor is already in Lihuo's hands," a man's voice called from his side, but Yang Jinyan ignored it. He already knew. Before finding the dying Hong'er, he had reached the treasure room after all his followers had sacrificed their lives for him.

The treasure room had been ransacked. Nothing remained inside, including the supposed Twelve Sun Armor.

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But Yang Jinyan knew there were two Twelve Sun Armors—the real one and the replica. The replica was still a powerful treasure, and he had initially intended to claim it, since even that version was formidable and had numerous criteria for its use. He believed even the replica could give them an edge. But since the replica had been taken, he needed to obtain the original.

The real Twelve Sun Armor—the cursed armor. It should be here, in the throne room, and it should reveal itself to the true heir of the Twelve Sun Empire who possessed the correct mindset: one strongly loyal to the Twelve Sun Empire, yet harboring the desire to betray the empire for their loved one. When he first heard these criteria, it had sounded like a joke. How could a loyal person think of betraying the empire? And yet, now he felt he could meet those requirements.

And so, he strongly believed that the real Twelve Sun Armor—the one that would corrupt its wearer and instill an intense desire to kill the emperor of the Twelve Sun Empire, the one sealed by the second emperor after he killed his own wife—would reveal itself to him.

He desperately hoped that the remnant of the second emperor would deem them worthy enough to be granted this armor, to fight against its corruption, and to use it for the empire's sake.

"My Prince, we need to go!" the male voice insisted, but he ignored it again.

He repeated his request. His voice grew higher with each plea, yet Hong'er's condition worsened. She coughed, and this slight movement reopened her wounds, blood gushing forth. Prince Yang Jinyan began to cry—an ugly cry unbefitting a future emperor or even a man. Yet he couldn't stop his tears; he wanted to believe he could save Hong'er.

"I love her! Help me, please!" he begged again.

"This is bad. He's gone! What do we do? Should we bring him? But if we bring him like this, he'll be only a liability!"

For a moment, Prince Yang Jinyan wanted to slap the man, but why bother? If Hong'er died, the world might as well die with her. There would be no reason for him to live.

"We can't leave him like this!" Another voice rang out. "Hit him unconscious."

"What? Why? Even if he's unconscious, someone needs to protect him in his current condition. We're lacking manpower right now. It's not wise."

"But we can't leave him either."

"Then—"

"Silence!" Prince Yang Jinyan roared. Their voices grated on him, making his pleading feel insincere. But then, this roar made him lift his head, and when he saw his clan member and Liu Xing, hope began to surge in his heart. "Liu Xing, help me! The Twelve Sun Armor is here. If it reveals itself, we can save Hong'er!" He turned toward his clan member. He remembered this man—Yang Suyin, an insolent member of the Yang clan, yet loyal and dependable. Hong'er had said he needed to gain his loyalty to control the southern part of the Twelve Sun Empire. "Give me all your healing pills. No, shove them all into Hong'er's mouth!"

Yang Suyin looked at Hong'er for a moment, grimaced, and did as commanded.

"Prince, what you're doing right now—is it truly to get the Twelve Sun Armor?" Liu Xing asked.

"Yes!"

"Isn't that armor inside the treasure room? This isn't a treasure room."

"Believe me, please, just help me make it reveal itself."

"How?"

"I need to meet some criteria, but the rest, I don't know."

When he said that, he felt ashamed. How could he not know? How could he, Prince Yang Jinyan, reveal to others that he didn't know something? And yet, it was the truth, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could still beg though, so he would do that—even if the world underwent an apocalypse, he would kneel here and beg.

Liu Xing pressed his lips together, like a man seeing a futile task yet ordered by his mother to complete it. For a moment, his eyes flickered around, assessing the situation, then he nodded.

"I believe you're doing something important, so I'll help however I can."

"Thank you!"

Liu Xing was a disciple from the Purple Moon Sect; he probably could do something.

Prince Yang Jinyan inhaled deeply. The distraction actually calmed his mind slightly, and this small clarity brought him an idea. Without thinking too much, he released qi from his body, and with precise control, he encased some of his blood within it and dropped it into Hong'er's blood pooling on the flesh-covered floor. When their blood mixed, Prince Yang Jinyan looked at the black and rotting throne, and saw, in less than a heartbeat, a flicker of qi from the throne. Seeing this, his eyes widened. The throne had responded!

"Should I mix more of my blood with Hong'er's blood?" After all, he had only mixed several droplets of his blood with Hong'er's. If the throne responded weakly to this, perhaps he needed a greater amount. He laid Hong'er on the ground, and without thinking, tried to stab his gut with his own hand. But before he could pierce his body, a hand snatched his wrist.

Prince Yang Jinyan glared at Liu Xing. "How dare you stop me?"

"Because I know for certain that what you want to do is wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"You beg the second emperor who's supposedly already dead to grant you the Twelve Sun Armor, but I'm certain there's no spirit in this room. Trust me, I've met one."

"Are you blind? Didn't you see that flicker of qi?"

"I saw it, yes, but it wasn't because of you. Your mind is in shambles. You didn't notice our arrival, you didn't notice your surroundings, let alone sense the subtle qi someone sent to the throne." Liu Xing looked at Yang Suyin. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes." Yang Suyin nodded, but his eyes were wide, and he gazed at the throne as if it were the most mysterious thing he'd ever seen. "My Prince, I'm sorry, but I actually tried to deceive you. You want to save her, but we need to move fast. I wanted to make you believe there was no hope, so I attempted a trick. I thought if I created a fireball in the throne and made it vanish, it would seem like you were rejected by the spirit of the second emperor!"

Emotion bubbled in his chest, and Yang Jinyan gritted his teeth so hard that two of them exploded from the force of his anger, filling his mouth with blood that leaked from his lips.

"You! How dare you think like that! I'll kill you!"

Seeing him, Liu Xing and Yang Suyin's eyes widened, surprised by his anger, and Liu Xing waved his hand frantically. "Stop it, Prince Let him talk first. Yang Suyin, get to the point, damn it!"

"Y-yes! I tried to deceive you, but that flicker wasn't mine! When my qi reached the throne, the throne responded to it!"

Hearing that, Yang Jinyan's eyes widened, the emotion bubbling in his stomach vanishing like a burst balloon.

"What?" How could it be? There was no way the throne would respond to qi from Yang Suyin. That throne could only be sat upon by an emperor! "You, are you an illegitimate child of my father? Are we brothers?"

"No, no way! I know my father and my mother. There's no way we're brothers!"

"Then what the hell are you talking about?"

Liu Xing answered him. "Prince, perhaps you've already met all the criteria. Perhaps the Twelve Sun Armor wants to materialize before you, and what it lacks is merely qi. You still haven't tried to send the throne any of your qi, right?"

Prince Yang Jinyan's eyes widened. He had never thought of that. He had just assumed that when he met all the criteria, the armor would show itself. Glancing at Hong'er, the prince decided to do just that, so he emitted qi from his body and directed it to rush at the throne.

When his qi touched it, the throne began to shine. The black and rotted meat covering it began melting like disgusting snow beneath warm sunlight. Seeing this, his heart thrummed, elation filled his heart, and hope coursed through his body, rejuvenating it.

Hong'er could be saved!