Li Steel laughed heartily. "Well said! A man should have great ambitions, great prospects! What's the point of being a flower thief? Always being chased by women and their families! And what about being a 'gentleman of love'? It's exhausting and it costs a lot of money! Come to think of it, my courtyard in the Xiāo Yáo Mountain Manor is too small, nowhere near comparable to those grand three palaces and six courtyards. Not that I'm boasting—if you want me to be a wise and virtuous ruler, I can't do it. But as for being a decadent, indulgent monarch, I have an unparalleled talent for it!"
Qiao Wei nodded approvingly. "Indeed, young master! A man's life should be like fine wine, and his sword should be legendary. Even if he keeps a woman, she must be the most beautiful in the world. Just imagine—if you, young master, controlled the entire realm, you wouldn't just have one empress and two consorts; you could have ten empresses and thirty concubines! As long as your bed is big enough, you could sleep with as many women as you want in one night! And what woman would dare not fawn over you? Who would dare to pursue you with a sword? You, young master, would never need to worry about a thing!"
Li Steel suddenly stood up, extending his right hand and placing his left hand on his waist, striking a pose as though pointing at the heavens. "I will wield an unbreakable golden spear and conquer... a magnificent, vast harem!"
Both Qiao Wei and Uncle Li clapped in approval. "Well said! A man of ambition, a true hero!"
But then, Li Steel's expression shifted, and he snorted. "Damn it, do you think I'm a child you can deceive? I'm just putting on an act! Just a moment ago, I was thinking about how to stop Xi Men Wudi from dominating the world, and now you're encouraging me to rebel. Don't think I don't know the law! Rebellion is a capital crime! The whole family will be wiped out, and nine generations will be executed!"
Uncle Li chuckled. "Young master, you misunderstand. I, Uncle Li, pride myself on my ability to read people. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were a rare talent. As for your appearance, you have an undeniable charm that's hard to describe, and when you're angry, you exude a terrifying aura of authority. Your character, young master, is as vile and despicable as it gets—that's the kind of trait needed for a ruler to be effective. As for your wisdom and martial skills, you're a one-in-a-million talent. Moreover..." Uncle Li's expression grew serious. "A kingdom on the brink of collapse always has a great calamity, and young master, you are the greatest calamity of them all!"
Qiao Wei chimed in, "That's right, it's said that 'when the Ashura Evil Eyes appear, mountains of corpses will rise, rivers of blood will flow, the stars will shift, and the heavens themselves will be overturned!'"
Uncle Li continued, "The 'Ashura Evil Eyes' refers to a period of great chaos before the fall of an empire, a time of endless bloodshed and destruction. When the stars shift and the heavens change, it signifies the fall of the old ruler and the rise of a new emperor!"
Qiao Wei nodded, "So, if young master doesn't have the ambition to conquer the world, you'll simply be a pawn in someone else's hands, a tool for their dominance. But if you do have that ambition, you can create your own kingdom!"
Li Steel's eyes widened, a bit alarmed. "What are these 'Ashura Evil Eyes' exactly?"
Qiao Wei replied, "It's just a legend. It's said to have been passed down from the Great Priest Taigong Wang of the previous dynasty, just before the great upheaval that divided the realm into seven parts. The priest, before his death, spoke of the inevitable rise and fall of nations. After the realm is torn apart, it will eventually reunite, and the Ashura Evil Eyes will emerge again, signaling another period of chaos."
"When someone with the Ashura Evil Eyes gazes into your eyes, they can see things you can't—frozen plains, blood-soaked earth, mountains of bones, and an Ashura laughing maniacally with bloody hands. Those who lock eyes with you can see your murderous intent clearly, and they either die of fright or lose all strength to fight back."
"Whoever possesses the Ashura Evil Eyes will rule the world—that's the prophecy left by the Great Priest. But no one knows whether the prophecy means that whoever possesses the eyes themselves will conquer the world, or if it's about someone using the Ashura Evil Eyes to do so. This is why Xi Men Wudi has gone to such lengths to target you. He wants to possess you, but he also fears that the prophecy means whoever has the eyes will conquer the world, so he wants to destroy you before you can."
"You have no choice now," Uncle Li concluded. "You can either hide from the world, live in obscurity, and never meddle in affairs again, and the women will be out of your reach. Or, you can rise up, defeat the Evil Sect, unite the martial world, and wait for the next great upheaval to make your move and take over the world. After that, all the beauties in the world will be yours to take as you please!"
Li Steel was stirred by the words of these two cunning old men. He grabbed a jug of wine, downed it in one go, and declared excitedly, "I never knew that I, the third young master, was destined for greatness! Hahaha… Fate, you really are enjoying this! You've arranged such a magnificent life for me! Fine, since it's my destiny, I'll follow the will of heaven! All the beauties of the world, you better watch out! Once I hold power, you'll bend to my will, doing whatever I want! If anyone dares defy me, I'll have them chopped into pieces! Damn it, all the beauties will be mine to enjoy. I'll take as many as I want! Hahahaha!"
Qiao Wei, utterly resigned, whispered to Uncle Li, "Old Li, there's no helping it. Young master lives for this stuff. If we don't tempt him with women, he wouldn't do anything for us."
"Exactly," Uncle Li replied with a sigh. "Three palaces, six courtyards, seventy-two concubines... What man wouldn't be drawn to that? Especially young master, who's already notorious for his... hobbies. Sigh, it's shameless, really."
Li Steel was filled with excitement for a while, but then a feeling of unease began to creep in. It felt as though he had been tricked.
Li Steel was a man of extreme laziness. If women were involved, he'd gladly get to work, but plotting schemes, taking down Xi Men Wudi, and conquering the Great Qin Empire—that wasn't his kind of thing. How exhausting! His ideal scenario was for others to settle the world, then invite him to be the emperor, letting him enjoy the pleasures of the harem.
So, after his grand speech, he added with a shrug, "Wei Ge, Uncle Li, I think we don't need to rush things. Let's take it step by step. If anyone tries to mess with me, I'll deal with it as it comes. Why make things more complicated?"
In reality, Li Steel was thinking, Who says that just because I was reborn, I have to save the world or conquer it? I finally get another shot at life, so of course, I'm going to enjoy it! Damn it, I've been tricked by you two old foxes. Why should I bother? As long as no one comes at me, I can't be bothered to start trouble. Taking down Xi Men Wudi is necessary, but rebellion? I'm not in the mood for that. It's better if you two take over the world, and I'll just enjoy being the emperor.
Meanwhile, Qiao Wei and Uncle Li were already deep in discussion about how to deal with Xi Men Wudi, not paying much attention to Li Steel's words.
Qiao Wei knew Li Steel's temperament—he was the kind of man who wouldn't budge unless he was forced. He'd never act unless there was a beautiful woman involved.
But the winds of change were gathering, and the Evil Sect was growing stronger. With the martial world on the brink of chaos and the martial arts tournament about to begin, schemes were being set into motion. When Li Steel was caught in a trap, his ferocity would have no choice but to be unleashed.
Once Li Steel's violent nature was triggered, there would be no stopping him. As the saying goes, In the martial world, a person's fate is not their own. Even if you don't want to achieve greatness, fate will force you into it.
And so, young master, your destiny is sealed. The world's beauties are yours to take, whether you want them or not.
Li Steel noticed that Qiao Wei and Uncle Li were ignoring him, whispering away, and he felt a wave of dissatisfaction rise. He walked over to sit beside Li Xiaoye, nudged her elbow, and grinned mischievously. "Miss Xiaoye, how old are you? Are you married? Do you have an arranged marriage?"
Li Xiaoye had been quietly listening to the conversation, shocked