The Emperor looked at the old man apprehensively, getting the sense that the old man was playing some sort of game now. A game that he did not want to participate in so he tried to excuse himself, "Perhaps some other time. I need to go find Xing Xin - I mean, Xing er'. I have something to ask -"

"I can answer! Ask me!" Doctor Lou eagerly volunteered, bouncing up and down on the ground.

"It's best I speak with her directly..." The Emperor said with a half-smile as he slowly backed up towards the passageway. He worried that the old man would try to stop him but Doctor Lou just smiled at him, simply watching but not moving as he edged closer to the passageway.

Seeing that the old man had no intention of stopping him, the Emperor turned and went to leave, but then was stopped by an invisible barrier that was blocking the entranceway. The Emperor hit the invisible unmoving wall and turned back to frown at Doctor Lou, who promptly raised his hands and went, "Oh that's not me..."

"Then what is it?" The Emperor asked, starting to feel a bit panicked. He was still under the impression that this was a dream but...It was all a bit too strange.

"It's simple really, you only exist in this cave room..." Doctor Lou supplied and when the Emperor looked at him with confusion, he clarified, "...because of the crystals, they can be quite troublesome sometimes but nothing can be done..." Doctor Lou finished with a nod, stroking his beard.

The Emperor frowned, "That's wrong, I came in this way with the others..."

Doctor Lou nodded, "True~...buuut back then you were piggybacking on a certain someone, who is now gone... don't think he's coming back anytime soon either soo..." Doctor Lou said as he glanced up at the ceiling, "You could be trapped here a really long time unless..." He cast the Emperor a telling glance and said, "You tell me a thing or two or more and I'll send you on your merry way back to "your" Xing Xing~...and brother." He added, snorting again and again, barely able to contain his laughter.

The Emperor frowned at the crystals on a wall, not quite sure what to make of this. But he thought that if and since this was a dream, he could just wait until he woke up... as if reading his mind, Doctor Lou asked, "How long do you think a body can survive without its soul?"

"Soul? This is just a dream... Isn't it?" The Emperor asked, frowning at Doctor Lou.

Doctor Lou chuckled, "I tell myself that everyday~...Doesn't really work though. Anyway, come sit, let's talk and then I'll be nice and send you off~"

"O - kay... Xing Xing's from another world?" Doctor Lou asked with a raised eyebrow, pausing in his "note-taking", which was really just him using one finger to scribble nonsensically on his other palm.

"Yes...She says you sent her there through some mishap... I'm not quite sure." The Emperor tentatively responded, not quite sure what to make of anything anymore. Since he could not leave or wake himself up, he had resigned himself and was now sitting across from Doctor Lou, answering questions.

"Mishap?... Pretty sure it's her fault." Doctor Lou said with a little pout as he took notes. The Emperor watched the old moving his finger along his palm and let out a weary sigh. The Emperor naturally doubted the old man's finger writing capability, especially with no ink, not to mention he seemed to be writing over every word with each new one, but he did not mention it.

"She said you said that."

"See~... I know these things!" Doctor Lou said with a chuckle.

"Then shouldn't you know all this already?" The Emperor asked with a raised eyebrow, slightly amused. They had been talking for a really long time about any and everything.

Doctor Lou froze and stared at him wide-eyed for a bit, then he blinked and then raised his head as he indignantly said, "Oh, I know~...I'm just checking to see if you know."

"Why w-"

"Shhhhh! Stop questioning me! Do you want to go home or not?!" Doctor Lou asked squinting at him.

The Emperor pursed his lips and fell silent and Doctor Lou straightened up and smiled, "Good, now...about this brother of yours, Shan... What's your relationship like? Do you like or dislike him? love or hate him? Friends or foes? Comrades or enemies? Amiable or loath -"

"I get it." The Emperor cut in with a hand up, causing Doctor Lou to chuckle. The Emperor took a deep breath and then knit his brows, "It's...complicated between us."

"Of course! Simple is boring~...Tell me more." Doctor Lou said with a raised eyebrow as he continued his finger scribbling while his eyes remained on the Emperor.

The Emperor frowned, not particularly wanting to discuss this.

"Someone's running out of time..." Doctor Lou said in a sing-song voice when the Emperor began brooding.

The Emperor sighed, "Alright...Well, I don't hate him, I think. He seems to hate me though... But that's neither here nor there, I can stand him hating me and even wanting my throne -"

"He wants your throne?" Doctor Lou asked with a surprised expression, seeming taken aback.

"Well, yes..." The Emperor said with a frown.

"Hmm, that's... interesting news." Doctor Lou said, resuming his scribbling, "Continue..."

The Emperor pursed his lips, "Well...the thing is, he's overstepping too much." He said, clenching his fists.

"Uh-huh~" Doctor Lou offhandedly went with a nod, "In love with your XIng Xing?" He offhandedly asked.

"You know about that?" The Emperor asked with wide eyes and then went, "Of course you do... So you should understand me wanting to kill him now, right?"

Doctor Lou blinked at the Emperor, looking confused again, "I should?"

"You should." The Emperor assertively said, staring Doctor Lou down.

Doctor Lou snorted and then resumed his scribbling, "Considering your bitter tone, I take it something happened very recently with him... Let's hear it~"

The Emperor's frown deepened and he let out another breath, "Well, you see today. Well, yesterday... He shows at the banquet we were having to send off the concubines. I was satisfied with them leaving quietly, but Xing er' thought it would be in poor taste." He clarified before Doctor Lou could ask.

"Anyway, he arrived with the Zou princess announcing that he wants to marry her - Which honestly, I was glad about, although a bit surprised. But I was happy that he had moved on from his attachment to my Empress. But even though I was happy for him, there is still a process to be followed with these things and I told him as much. But then this... fool went ahead and announced that the Zou princess was pregnant with his child. Unnecessarily complicating the situation... I would still have been happy to think that he was suddenly love-struck with this Princess, but then I cannot pretend not to notice the longing glances he keeps giving my wife, why is he like this?!" The Emperor harshly bit out, obviously frustrated.

"How should I know? Don't take out your anger on me, it is in poor taste." " Doctor Lou said, covering his c.h.e.s.t with his hands and leaning back with a wronged expression.

"I'm sorry, it's just...frustrating." The Emperor apologized with a sigh, unclenching his fists and flexing his fingers.

Doctor Lou nodded, "I can understand, but...I cannot condone you killing him, you need to give people room to grow... There are no lost causes."

"You truly think so?" The Emperor asked, looking up at the old man with a dubious expression.

Doctor Lou steadily held the Emperor's gaze for a while before saying, "I hope so..." and then he looked down and frowned at his palm.

The two sat in silence for a while, each with their own thoughts before Doctor Lou suddenly perked up and went, "So... What's this Princess like?" He asked, his excited smile returning and his trustee palm and finger back to scribbling.

"Reckless and unthinking." The Emperor said, raising his eyebrows, surprisingly glad for the change in topic.

"That's good, he thinks too much..." Doctor Lou said with a resolute nod and the Emperor surprisingly nodded in agreement.

They fell silent again for a while until Doctor Lou let out a loud breath and asked, "So...are you happy?"

"Incredibly... much more than I ever thought possible." The Emperor said with a smile, "Thank you..."

Doctor Lou blankly stared at him for a while, before clearing his throat and lowering his head as his face slightly reddened.

{...Is the old man ...blushing? O_O)...}

"...And Xing Xing?" Doctor Lou quietly asked and the amused Emperor responded, "What about her?"

"...Is she happy with you?" Doctor Lou asked looking up at the Emperor with a hesitant expression that both surprised and unnerved the Emperor.

The Emperor slightly knit his brows and averted his gaze, hesitating a moment before responding "She is. Very much so."

Doctor Lou blinked up at the Emperor and then looked down and pursed his lips, "You don't sound convinced..."

"She is happy. We're very happy." The Emperor reaffirmed, raising his head a bit for good measure.

Doctor Lou leaned forward and squinted at the Emperor as if peering into his soul. The Emperor raised an eyebrow at him, but sat firm and then the old man chuckled and said, "I'll take your word for it~"

The Emperor knit his brows, he did not like the choice of words, "It is a fa-" He suddenly stopped with a frown and brought a hand up to his c.h.e.s.t. He just felt a sting of pain there, a pain that was lingering, almost growing.

"Something wrong?" Doctor Lou asked with a raised eyebrow as he watched the Emperor massaging his c.h.e.s.t with a deepening frown.

The Emperor shook his head and dropped his hand. He let out a calming breath and decided to move on from the topic of Lei Xing to something else that had been bothering him, so he asked, "The monk... Do you really think he can help my mother? Should I agree to his request?"

Doctor Lou blinked at him, looking lost again, but just as the Emperor was about to open his mouth to explain, Doctor Lou inquisitively asked, "...Why not?"

The Emperor frowned down at the grass again, truth be told, he knew he did not particularly have any good reason to object to this request. He sighed again and simply said, "Alright then...I will accede."