Only Li Qiye and the girl seemed to be existing in this plane, seemingly separated from the rest of the world. He lazily opened his eyes to take a look at her in a brazen manner despite her supreme beauty and hallowed appearance. Perhaps, no one can make him change his unrestrained gaze. He took his time to the point of being invasive. Any other girl would feel as if they were naked but she remained calm, unaffected by the gaze. After a while, he stopped looking and didn’t bother standing up out of laziness, nearly ignoring her presence. “How does it feel, being the crown prince?” She broke the silence with a fascinating voice filled with spirit energy - a feeling of transcendence. “Words can’t describe how good it feels, on the verge of melting with pleasure, do you know this feeling?” He teased. “If being a crown prince is already that good, what will happen after you become the king? Going to start floating in the sky?” She revealed a smile enough to topple the myriad ages. This smile eclipsed the gorgeous smile of the sage and the untethered. “You don’t get it. Being the king is completely different from being the crown prince. To be a king is to toil and struggle, to kill and bathe in blood. Basically, one would have to be at the right power level with ample abilities to sit on the throne. It’s no longer a feeling of pleasure but one of success while being above all, capable of exercising great power. But this isn’t the case for a crown prince. Becoming one overnight, the future ruler of the dynasty? How great is that? No need to work hard with ambition yet the world still falls onto your lap...” “... This is a real dream-come-true situation. So many fantasize about rising overnight to reach the top. A man’s nature is to want things without putting in the effort. This feeling of satisfaction far exceeded the toil of a king. That’s why so many people use power-increasing pills.” He shook his head and smiled before closing his eyes: “In the blink of an eye, the heaven bestowed this fortune upon me, benefitting without doing anything, so amazing.” The girl carefully listened to his pleasant voice. She chuckled in response: “You’re very interesting. However, being a crown prince is nice, not necessarily the case once you’re on the throne. People salivate for that authority and power.” “We’ll discuss that when I’m king, but who knows, maybe Lucidity King won’t die. The world is always unpredictable and unfathomable; life is just a play - who are the actors and who make up the audience? And, life is also too short, just enjoy it first and no need to worry about anything else.” The immortal lady smiled charmingly at Li Qiye: “Enjoy life, I see. Is that the type of person you are?” “At least for now.” He replied: “As I said, life is just a play, who are the ones acting? And for whom? Maybe you and I are only spectators right now, the real actors have yet to come on stage.” “Then who do you think are the actors?” She seemed to be affected by Li Qiye’s demeanor and became more relaxed, straightening her long, perfect legs and started stretching lazily. This didn’t deter her beauty at all. “Who knows?” Li Qiye said: “Perhaps you, me, or Lucidity, or the entire world is just acting. As long as there is a stage in your heart, there are plays going on everywhere.” [1] “True.” The girl nodded in agreement: “How long do you want to put up this act?” “Who knows, I’m not done being the crown prince yet. Maybe the heaven wants me to play the part of the king next. One play after another, the crown prince then king, then maybe the role of a dead man.” “How do you want to play the part of the king?” She asked, amused. “How the hell am I going to play the king when Lucidity is still alive? It has to be after his death or I’ll be forever stuck in the role of a crown prince.” He said. [2] “Just hypothetically then, how will you play the role?” She tilted her head ever so slightly, causing a few strands of black hair to drape down - beautiful beyond words. “A tyrant, of course.” He smiled. “Why a tyrant?” She became curious; her eyes were the prettiest gems in the world - capable of seeing through the ages. “Once again, freedom and pleasure.” Li Qiye elaborated: “Taking wives, massacre, building a harem, mountains of meat and fountains of wine, the world bends to my whim - what’s better than that? This freedom is beyond any single mind-blowing pleasure.” “A tyrant will invite numerous rebellions and resistance.” She said. “That’s fine, go ahead and try to rebel. Once I lose, I just need to wipe my butt and leave.” He smiled. “With total authority, have you not thought about becoming a wise ruler so that your citizens can prosper and your dynasty to last forever?” She asked again. “What does that have to do with me? A pie simply fell onto my lap, I just need to eat my fill instead of caring about its future.” He replied. “Don’t you want to take roots here and wait for the flowers and fruits to bloom? So that your future descendants can multiply?” She said pensively. He smiled in response: “Why should I prepare an eternal kingdom for my future generations? Do you ever see an everlasting legacy? An undying kingdom?” The girl shook her head, still looking as charming as ever. He continued: “It’s because an eternal kingdom will still be ruined by one’s descendants. If that’s an inevitable outcome, why shouldn’t I be the one to ruin it? That would be much better instead of having it fall in someone else’s hands! Plus, I wasn’t the one who put in the effort to create the dynasty so when I’ve had my fun, let the floods and rains of fire come.” He laughed, awaiting her response with an amused glance. However, this glance changed into something profound and penetrating, impossible for anything to hide. The girl lifted her head and looked straight back at him without fear and awkwardness. He chuckled and raised the stake by slightly lifting her beautiful chin: “Would you follow me if I were to become a wise ruler? We’ll have plenty of children?” The girl had a holy, inviolable aura yet Li Qiye was unaffected and maintained his lawless act. She gently pushed his hand away and chuckled: “I’m afraid it won’t be that simple.” “Nothing is difficult about it, just one woman. If I truly wish so, I can have an immortal as my wife, and you’re certainly not one.” He smiled. “You’re quite confident in yourself.” Her temper grew as she spoke with a provocative tone. He lay back down and leisurely said: “It’s not confidence; I’m merely speaking the truth.” The girl continued to stare at Li Qiye, wishing to find some clues. Meanwhile, he closed his eyes, seemingly asleep. A while later, the breeze returned as he awoke from a dream. The servants were back. One maid was fanning for him; another peeled some fruits and one more prepared tea. It was as if nothing has happened, only a dream. He smiled without being surprised. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 1. I don’t quite get this last sentence, so translating literally. 2. Completely omitting the next line without editing or rewording - If outsiders were to hear this, they would think that he was insane. Someone actually dared to wish for Lucidity’s death? He must be tired of living! - I think this particular line was repeated 2 or 3 times during the conversation with Jiadi already and it doesn’t add anything here for the readers; it’s a common line throughout the novel for word count too. This is a good example of lines that I modify sometimes for readability. In this case, it was repeated enough recently to warrant an omission