"Qianran, don't you think the Crown Prince is acting a bit strange?" Juzi asked, her brows furrowed as they left Xu Tianran's residence. She couldn't shake the feeling that something about him was off—he wasn't the Xu Tianran she knew.
"You haven't figured it out yet?" Qianran replied with a chuckle.
"Figured out what? Stop speaking in riddles," Juzi said, tilting her head toward him.
"Xu Tianran has… let's say, a particular quirk. He enjoys seeing his women… well, you get the idea," Qianran whispered into her ear with a playful smirk.
Juzi didn't fully understand at first but was utterly shocked nonetheless.
There were people like this in the world? She found it unbelievable.
"It's rare, but not unheard of—especially among the nobility," Qianran explained further. "Those born into wealth and privilege often lead lives of indulgence, with everything handed to them. Over time, they lose interest in ordinary pleasures and start seeking increasingly bizarre thrills."
He elaborated with a simple analogy: an average person earning 300 coins a day might feel content, but a millionaire would feel anxious if they only earned 1,000.
Qianran wasn't any different in his love of seeking excitement. However, he didn't resort to such peculiar methods to find joy.
After hearing his explanation, Juzi finally grasped what Qianran meant.
"Ugh, you men are all the same—just pigs," Juzi scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. She had never thought poorly of Xu Tianran before. In fact, she had even considered him a competent ruler in his own way. But now, after learning these things from Qianran, her opinion of him had plummeted.
Now it made sense why Xu Tianran had asked her to approach Qianran for a child. The Crown Prince likely found some twisted pleasure in the idea.
"Hey, hey, what does this have to do with me? I'm nothing like him," Qianran protested, visibly displeased. He didn't appreciate being lumped in with someone like Xu Tianran. Their desires were fundamentally different.
One sought to take others' loved ones—a classic Cao Cao archetype.
The other reveled in giving away his own loved ones.
There was no comparison.
Of course, both stemmed from a shared need to seek thrills once ordinary pleasures no longer sufficed. But while Qianran and Xu Tianran had different methods, their paths ultimately complemented each other.
"Hmph. You're not any better. I bet you're the reason Xu Tianran ended up like this!" Juzi huffed. She might not fully understand the intricacies, but she was sure Qianran had played a significant role in Xu Tianran's transformation.
Why else would Qianran go out of his way to deal with the Crown Prince? Men.
Now she understood why Qianran's attitude toward her felt different from how he treated Keke and Nana—he had a penchant for stealing other people's women.
"Heh, you're not wrong. I may have nudged him along," Qianran admitted with a laugh. He had indeed tampered with Xu Tianran in subtle ways. Even if Xu Tianran had been a completely normal person, his desire to regain his manhood would've inevitably led him down the path Qianran had paved.
After all, there was nothing more important to Xu Tianran than reclaiming his dignity as a man.
"You're insane! Aren't you afraid he'll kill you?" Juzi asked, her voice tinged with panic. This was the Crown Prince of the Sun and Moon Empire they were talking about. How could Qianran be so audacious? Did he truly not fear dying in Mingdu?
"Honestly, there's no one in Mingdu who can kill me. Let me show you something, and you'll understand," Qianran said, taking Juzi's hand and leading her to a secluded area. There, the two of them entered the Sumeru Ring.
"What is this?" Juzi's eyes widened in disbelief.
One moment, they had been in a narrow alley, and the next…
Birdsong and floral fragrances surrounded her. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, certain this had to be an illusion. But it wasn't.
"This place…"
"This is where you disappeared to back at the lab, isn't it?" Juzi suddenly recalled the times when Qianran had vanished right under their noses during his assignments at the lab. Now, seeing this scene, everything clicked into place—he must have been coming here all along.
But where exactly was here?
Juzi had a bold guess, one so audacious it left her trembling.
"We're inside my spatial ring," Qianran explained, noticing Juzi's bewilderment.
"A spatial ring? You mean you own a ring with this much space?" Juzi asked, her eyes widening further as she glanced around. She couldn't stop herself from looking up, down, and all around.
She knew spatial rings could store living beings, but this… This was a self-sustaining ecosystem! It was beyond anything she had ever imagined.
And the size of it! She couldn't even see the end of it. Right in front of her were two massive mountains.
"If I told you it's a divine artifact, would you believe me?" Qianran asked.
"I would," Juzi replied, nodding firmly. No ordinary soul tool could achieve this, not even a Level 10 storage soul tool. Only a divine artifact could explain what she was seeing.
Qianran had always been enigmatic, so it wasn't entirely surprising to her that he possessed something so legendary.
"This really is a divine artifact," Qianran confirmed. "The air here connects to the outside world, as does the sunlight. And all the plants you see, I transplanted from outside."
"No wonder you're so bold in the Sun and Moon Empire—you've got a backup plan," Juzi said, her voice filled with wonder as she took in the breathtaking scenery.
Even if the empire wanted to kill Qianran, unless they caught him off guard, he could retreat here anytime.
This place had everything he could ever need. Qianran could easily live here for decades, even a lifetime, without issue.
Before this, Juzi and the others had worried that Qianran's flamboyant behavior would make him a target. But now that she knew about this trump card, her anxiety melted away.
"Master," a soft voice called out as Huo Yuner appeared, bowing respectfully to Qianran. Her face was alight with joy—it had been days since Qianran last visited, his frequent outings leaving her longing for his presence.
Juzi was startled to find another person here, though she had noticed the buildings scattered across this space earlier. If Qianran frequented this place, it made sense for someone to manage and maintain it.
What truly shocked Juzi, however, was Huo Yuner's breathtaking beauty and elegant demeanor.
Such a stunning woman, serving as Qianran's maid?
Juzi couldn't help but feel insecure. She lingered on Huo Yuner's face and figure, comparing them to her own. Try as she might, she couldn't convince herself she had the upper hand.
Her newfound status as Qianran's woman left her feeling anxious.
Had she only caught his attention because of Xu Tianran's involvement?
Her beauty alone might not be enough to win Qianran's heart entirely.
(Chapter End)
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X