Emperor’s Domination

Li Qiye belched after drinking his soup and sat there lazily.

Qing Shi felt so comfortable as well and lay back on his chair, rubbing his stomach. He felt bad because he drank at least two-thirds of the soup. He didn't say anything because the conversation seemed to be between these two.

He knew that the old man was treating Li Qiye, not him who got lucky enough to ride Li Qiye's coattails. He remained curious about Li Qiye's intention.

"Are you satisfied now, Customer?" The old man put the pot and bowls away before enthusiastically smiling.

"Mmm, sure." Li Qiye stretched, looking like a young master.

"Is there anything else you want? Just say the words." The old man continued.

"You can satisfy all my demands?" Li Qiye opened his eyes and stared at the old man with a smirk on his face.

The old man shuddered, realizing that his pleasantry might have been overly exaggerated. After all, the person sitting before him was a big deal. Other historical lords, supreme overlords, and dao lords were insignificant compared to him.

"Ah… this little one will do his best. It's a shame that I don't have much here, just a bunch of broken bricks and tiles." The old man responded.

"Mmm, sometimes those are valuable too." Li Qiye stared at the old man.

The latter became afraid because he didn't know why Li Qiye was here. Someone like Li Qiye would definitely want something incredible. Very few things were worthy of his attention and time. Dao lord weapons and artifacts weren't on this list.

"You're playing with me, Customer. My broken items can't enter your sight." The old man became awkward.

"Don't be so sure now since you have what you should have. For example, if I want something like lightning, where should I go to get it?"

"Lightning?" The old man was startled for a moment before realizing what Li Qiye was referring to. He tumbled backward on instinct.

Qing Shi has been watching and took note of this. He might not know what exactly "lighting" was referring to but it was definitely a big deal to the old man.

"Ah, Sir, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed by returning empty-handed. We don't have anything like that here and even if we did, we can't hide it from you anyway." The old man responded.

"This restaurant doesn't have it but that's not the case for this place." Li Qiye smirked while pointing at his head: "Tell me, where should I go?"

The old man had a sullen expression after hearing this, being put in a tough situation. He eventually said: "Customer, this will put me in a tough situation. I'm very old and have forgotten about many things. Even if I knew before, this might no longer be the case."

He knew that lying wasn't possible in front of Li Qiye. Plus, the consequences would be unimaginable. People have tried in the past and suffered his wrath.

"Is that so?" Li Qiye stroked his chin with a half-smile.

"Sir, nothing in the world can hide from your eyes. If you don't know about it, my senile self can't either." The old man said.

"Stop calling me Sir, I'm only eighteen." Li Qiye said.

"Yes, of course, my mistake." The old man apologized with haste.

"Forget it, I'm just messing with you." Li Qiye laughed: "If I wanted it, I wouldn't be waiting till now nor asking you."

"Of course." The old man nodded and heaved a sigh of relief, aware of Li Qiye's previous exploits.

"Well, I still want to stew that old duck though." Li Qiye added.

The old man only smiled and didn't respond. He still didn't know why Li Qiye came.

"You're aware that something flew here?" Li Qiye changed the topic.

"Yes, it landed in the stone forest." The old man honestly said. But this matter was insignificant. It shouldn't be the reason why Li Qiye was here.

Qing Shi's ears seemingly became larger. He didn't understand the first part but the stone forest was definitely within his scope. He quietly listened without interrupting.

"Mmm, I know. I won't waste any more time, I just need one stone. There should have been one or two left behind." Li Qiye nodded.

The old man pondered about it before giving in: "I personally know about one in Ancestral City. However, I never paid much attention so I can't be sure where it is exactly."

"Still the same as before." Li Qiye smiled and shook his head.

"However, if you really want that stone, customer, I'm afraid that it has cracked by now. My information is limited." The old man softly added.

"That's not surprising, there's a reason why the present is what it is." Li Qiye smiled and stared outside: "Why is the world like this right now? And the current golems."

"A choice." The old man answered. He naturally knew how the golems used to be back in the previous epoch. Now, their population had dwindled, no longer as prosperous as before.

Golem Ancestor made this bold choice after experiencing the great disaster. Many golems followed him on this unprecedented path.

"A choice that affects the fate of an entire race." Li Qiye replied.

"What's your view on it?" The old man had to ask.

"None. I'm not a golem and I didn't make them do it. I'm no more than a passerby." Li Qiye shook his head.

"So if one day when humans are facing a similar choice, what will you pick for them?" The old man eventually asked.

"You've misunderstood something. I won't make a choice for the human because they'll be the ones to do it. I only make decisions for myself, no one else." Li Qiye answered: "But there are exceptions. For example, I don't mind choosing to eliminate a race or two."

The old man laughed awkwardly. Those in the know would be shivering with fear.

This had happened before in the distant years. There was once an amazing race that reigned over all others for eras. Eventually, he put an end to them, completely eliminating them from the river of time.

Now, very few knew about this story. The old man was one of them.

"Your grand achievements are unreachable for regular people like us." The old man said.

"Don't flatter me about this matter. It's nothing more than a butcher whose hands are stained with blood, it's no secret. It's just that people don't dare to express this view." Li Qiye waved his hand.

The old man chuckled and agreed. In reality, plenty of golems have been killed by him too. [1]

1. The him here is unclear even with the context. It can be the old man or Li Qiye. It's more likely for it to be Li Qiye