Chapter 245 - Revelations

Lei Xing and Doctor Lou sat there deeply engrossed in their staring contest, so much so that they seemed to have forgotten that there was a third person in the room.

The Emperor glanced between them, unsure what to make of this situation. He had never seen Lei Xing look so heated. Doctor Lou on the hand, seemed to be amused, and this amus.e.m.e.nt seemed to be driving Lei Xing up the wall.   

Now that the Emperor thought about it, why did Lei Xing think this old man could help? She must have known something about this old man and this old man appears to know her quite well. Their relationship seems quite close. 

Rather than break them up, the Emperor decided to hang back and let it play out. He had an inkling that he might just discover something new about his beloved Empress. 

Doctor Lou finally broke the stare-off and stood up with a triumphant smile, "Since the situation here is like this, I will be leaving now~"

The Emperor could clearly see a dark shadow come over Lei Xing's face, as she lowered her head with a frown. In the end, the Emperor's hope for learning more about his wife, and this mysterious voice were dashed. 

The Emperor inwardly sighed and decided to ask Lei Xing about her bad mood after sending the doctor off. So he stood up to bid Doctor Lou with a polite smile, "I know about your great appetite and taste for wine, so I have arranged a small gift to accompany your carriage home. The servants will have everything ready for you. Perhaps some other time, we can exchange a few cups again..." 

Doctor Lou chuckled, "I always knew you were the most reasonable..."

The Emperor lightly chuckled as well and said, "Take care..."

Doctor Lou nodded with a grin, then turned to leave, sending a mocking glance at Lei Xing as he swept past her. But then Lei Xing suddenly grabbed his sleeve and stopped him.

Doctor Lou blinked at her and then let out a nervous chuckle, "Xing Xing, this...You shouldn't be like this~."

The Emperor saw what Lei Xing did and began, "Xing e-"

"Sit down." Lei Xing coldly said as she glared up at Doctor Lou. 

Doctor Lou pursed his lips and seemed to be hesitating."..Or are you being a coward now?" Lei Xing asked with a mocking smile. 

{...Running after issuing a challenge? I would have thought it above your brilliant self~...}

"Of course not!" Doctor Lou indignantly responded with a pout. Then he flapped his sleeves and Lei Xing released him. Then he huffed back to his seat and sat down, "I told you that I'm very busy...the sun will be setting soon, I naturally don't have all day!" 

The Emperor looked at Lei Xing to see her now frowning with a very conflicted expression, he could clearly see she was struggling. Although, he was not sure what was going on between the two of them, seeing Lei Xing look so upset was infuriating. The old man's tone right now sounded condescending and the Emperor clearly saw Lei Xing's mood worsen because of it. 

Even if they owed the old man, that did not give him leave to come here and bully Lei Xing. But before the Emperor could set Doctor Lou straight, Lei Xing said, "I am not the real Lei Xing."

Those words stopped the Emperor in his tracks and he turned to her with a confused frown, "Xing er', what ar-"

"Just let me talk." Lei Xing interjected, putting a hand up without even looking at him. She then took a deep breath and held her hands in her lap.

Then she let out a breath and continued, "It's the truth. I am not the real Lei Xing - at least not the one you all know here. I am from the future - Ah, no it's a futuristic world that's different from this one according to this old man here, who could apparently tell just from "looking" at me." Lei Xing said narrowing her eyes at Doctor Lou, who promptly looked off to the side, pretending not to hear.  

Lei Xing speedily continued, "Anyway, I was on a ship, fell overboard, drowned, thought I died - I did die. Anyway, I woke up here in this body, in this time - in this world after this Miss fell in a pond and apparently drowned as well." Lei Xing curtly finished.

And then without even giving the Emperor time to ask questions or digest her words, she raised the hand which held the bracelet and ring and continued, "Then I met this doctor here, who gave me this ring, which apparently is able to detect poison - which is how I discovered your crazy mother tried to poison me...."

"...Also, this bracelet is apparently a tracking device, which is how he found me when I was lost, Oh, and it also doubles as a communication device that he has been using to communicate with me through the mind all this time. Even right now while you were sitting there we were having a conversation in our minds."

"...The bottom line is that I'm from a different world, which is probably the reason for the whole birth chart error and this old man here is beyond suspicious and has been coaching me all this time to get with you. Hence why he definitely knows something." Lei Xing finished glancing at the Emperor, who was staring at her with a confused frown.   

Lei Xing knit her brows and promptly focused her gaze back on Doctor Lou and went, "There, I told him. Now it's your turn. Talk..."  

Doctor Lou turned back to Lei Xing and then he looked up at the Emperor, who seemed to be frozen in place staring at Lei Xing with a confused frown on his face. 

"Xing Xing, you don't explain things like that...Look what you did to him. He's confused now." Doctor Lou scolded as he pointed at the Emperor.

Lei Xing cast a quick glance at the Emperor and her heart jumped when she met his gaze. She immediately turned back to Doctor Lou, swallowed, and then frowned at the old man, "Stop trying to avoid the topic and answer the question... Is it you?" 

"Is it me what?" Doctor Lou asked innocently blinking at her.

"Are you the one that has been talking to him all this time. I find it hard to believe that some random voice told him that we're the "perfect pair" and then you also told me all that crap about similar energies and whatnot -"

"Why do you find it hard to believe?" Doctor Lou interjected with raised eyebrows, "If I could tell that you're the perfect pair, someone else could easily have as well. I think it's perfectly possible s-"  

"Just answer the question. Are you the "voice" he hears?" Lei Xing asked narrowing her eyes at Doctor Lou, the Emperor who had been frozen also turned to look at Doctor Lou.

The Emepror's mind had gone completely blank, he was hoping to learn something about Lei Xing but not this. What did her words just now even mean? Lei Xing had spoken those absurd words so quickly.

While the Emperor was still confused over Lei Xing's words, he did manage to understand that Doctor Lou was suspicious...and that Lei Xing apparently suspected that Doctor Lou was the Voice and that she had good reason to. 

"Are you really?" The Emperor asked finally finding his voice. If it were truly him, the Emperor was not sure what to do after getting the confirmation. He would thank him, naturally...but then he would have so many more questions. 

{...Why me?...}

Doctor Lou stroked his Long beard and scrutinized the Emperor and then said, "Wellll...I, the wonderfully brilliant Doctor Lou, am not." 

The Emperor let out a breath as his hope deflated, while Lei Xing frowned and went, "But ho-"

"As I said, it is perfectly reasonable that I could reach the same conclusion as someone else did." Doctor Lou explained.

Lei Xing's frowned deepened, she had been so sure that Doctor Lou had some connection to this. She became even more convinced, when he tried to run away just now.

But now he said that it was not him. Lei Xing was still unconvinced, she narrowed her eyebrows and then went, "So it is a person then?"

"Perhaps..." Doctor Lou offhandedly responded.

"Is that a yes or a no? And do you know this person?" Lei Xing irritatedly retorted. 

"It's none of YOUR business." Doctor Lou said squinting at Lei Xing and then turned to the Emperor and smiled, "You, I'll be nice to and will make you an offer...If you really must know, I can possibly oblige...BUT it will come at a cost. Do you still want to know?"

The Emperor knit his brows, as he suspected this old man really did have a connection to the Voice. At the very least, he knew of its identity. This was why it had asked him to leave Doctor Lou alone hen he was searching for him in the past.

The Emperor also remembered that the Voice had mentioned Doctor Lou having powers and now the Emperor also believed that to be true. He knew he had to tread with caution and so he had to ask, "What cost?"  

Doctor Lou c.o.c.ked his head and went, "Hmm...Well, I can't say for sure BUT for one thing, you will probably never hear from it again, you will completely be left on your own. I have no idea what your future holds here but whatever it is, it will be your problem to face alone. No more warnings..." 

Doctor Lou's eyes then went over Lei Xing and she frowned at him, but he just smiled and continued, "There might also be some other...consequences." He said as he turned back to the Emperor. The Emperor followed Doctor Lou's line of sight to Lei Xing and then he skeptically looked back at the old man.

"So regardless of the cost...Do you still want to know?" Doctor Lou asked again, steadily looking at the Emperor, with all the humor gone from his features. He was serious.

The Emperor knit his brows. He understood Doctor Lou's underlying meaning, Lei Xing could be a consequence. Although, he did not really understand what she just said about herself, he still loved her and she remained important to him. He could not risk her.  

The Emperor let out a silent breath and then respectfully said, "Thank you for the offer...but I have to decline."   

Doctor Lou lightly chuckled and then nodded, "Wise choice...Things are the way they are for a reason, some things are not meant to be disturbed. As I always try to tell Xing Xing here, simply enjoy being in your current reality, or are you dissatisfied with something?"

The Emperor looked at Lei Xing, who was still glaring at Doctor Lou and a little smile tugged at his lips, Doctor Lou smiled and then continued, "Good, we're all happy here!... Other matters will fall into place eventually, just enjoy today~" 

Doctor Lou's hearty words were met with awkward silence, as Lei Xing and the Emperor remained silent.

Doctor Lou glanced between the two of them and then got up, "I assume the two of you have some things to talk about so I'll leave you be~..."

The Emperor remained looking at Lei Xing with knit eyebrows, while her eyes remained elsewhere, clearly avoiding the Emperor's gaze.  

Doctor Lou cleared his throat to get the pair's attention as he put his hands behind his back and announced more loudly, "I am leaving..."

Lei Xing irritatedly glanced up at him, while the Emperor blinked out his daze and turned to him. He cupped his hands and lightly bowed, "Thank you for coming...The servants will have you taken care of."

Doctor Lou smiled and nodded, then went to leave but then turned back to them, "Ahh, I can tell you something helpful though..."

The pair both focused back on him and he continued, "Xing Xing, you are wrong, the incompatibility reading has nothing to do with your transmigration. You might not know this, but your original birth chart is the same as the current one. So it is definitely not your fault so don't blame yourself..."

Lei Xing and the Emperor both knit their brows, but before they could inquire, Doctor Lou explained, "...Different worlds, different arrangements. I verified it, it is the same. As for the seers' inability to decipher a date, it is simply that you two are unique existences that cannot be deciphered by any ordinary means...I say any day is an auspicious day for you two. You can rest assured, your pairing is neither ill-matched nor the bearer of any ill-omen if anything, yours is a glorious one...I believe that, and you should too." 

With that said, Doctor Lou sauntered out of the room and left the two gloriously conflicted pair behind. 

Lei Xing watched as Doctor Lou disappeared through the doors, then she sighed and covertly glanced at the Emperor.

{...I'm an idiot -_-)'...this old man basically just tricked me into this and said nothing valuable in return. Now he's sauntered off to sleep and I'm left on the hot seat! >_

The Emperor looked down at Lei Xing and she immediately glanced the other way with a frown, as her heart thumped loudly.

{... This right here is a CONSEQUENCE! A consequence of stupidity! My stupidity! Can't believe I got tricked like that! T_T)...}

The Emperor quietly scrutinized Lei Xing for a bit. He could clearly see her discomfort, she looked ready to run with the slightest provocation, or was it perhaps fight? He really could not tell.

The Emperor sighed and then went over sit across from Lei Xing, where Doctor Lou had been, this way he could look straight at her and it would be harder for her to avoid looking his way. 

The silence stretched between them as the Emperor thought how best to proceed with this discussion. The only thing he could understand was that Lei Xing said that she was not the real Lei Xing. And he was not sure what to make of this revelation or what he would do with it. 

But first things first, he has to understand the situation to know how to proceed with it and so finally he calmly said, "You said that you are not the real Lei Xing...then who are you?"