° Back then, Ru Quan's morals were all warped up. People then were simply cruel, and he was no different. What did it take to be a leader? He was loved and hated by many. To gain more power, he saved and sacrificed thousands and thousands of innocent people.
° The military discipline was brutally harsh by modern standards. Life in the legions made Russian special force training look like a posh summer camp. Trivial offenses were punished with flogging and serious crimes with execution.
° That was all his soldiers trained for. Total brutality. They trained up to 12 hours a day with melee weapons. This included switching weapons, two-handed fighting, fighting against multiple foes, fighting on wet ground, and fighting on uneven terrain.
° They literally lived and breathed close-quarter melee fighting. It took a particular immoral viciousness to be a soldier. Ru Quan's men could literally bite off their opponent's testicles without fear.
° They never gave up; they kept fighting even when they were obviously outnumbered and beaten. That was what a modern-day "monster" would be facing if they came into contact with the ancient "monster", Ru Quan.
° "Continue with their training," Ru Quan gave the staff back to Edan, leaving the battered men on the ground behind. He walked his horse deeper into the forest, watching what Bing Shi's been doing during her breaks.
° No wonder she chose to live in the mansion with a huge backyard. He suggested for her to take the dogs along, which she refused. She was expanding Eliaros so her pets could have enough running space...
° |"Darling, watch me. Hurryyyyy."|
° "What is it?" he asked.
° "BAM!" Bing Shi pointed her hand in a gun gesture at the six Dobermans before her.
° The dogs rolled all the way over on their side and played dead.
° Squealing in joy, she crouched down and gave them a treat, patting their heads, "Good job."
° Ru Quan rubbed his chest, staggering at his steps. He felt how one of her invisible bullets just shot through his heart, giving an opportunity for others to snatch his place, "That was amazing. Bing Shi, what about my treat?"
° |"Good job to you too."|
° Giggling, she blew an air kiss in his direction.
° "I have some name suggestions." Accepting her kiss with a grin, Xuan Mu thought about how she didn't name them yet, "Wanna hear them?"
° |"Umm, I'm not sure."|
° How would Bing Shi describe it? Her fiance's naming sense was a bit peculiar.
° |"Do you think they'll like the new home?"|
° "They won't," Xuan Mu quipped, "There would be no you."
° Bing Shi reacted with an affectionate 'Awww.'
° "Bing Shi, how about we call the one that drools a lot, Droolius?"
° She covered her mouth, laughing.
° |"That's terrible!"|
° "It's practical," he insisted. Having fun while coming up with new names for the dogs, they never thought that they would lose them so soon.
╔════Author's note═════╗
(1) Krav Maga is a military self-defense and fighting system, derived from a combination of techniques sourced from Aikido, Boxing, Wrestling, Judo, and Karate. Known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency.
╚═══════════════════╝
One year later...
As soon as Angels and Lyras could earn their own money, they became lavish with their spending; they beautified the cities and their new manors.
Forced to depend upon popularity instead of hereditary power, they kept out of war, supported religion, defended the poor, promoted morality, and encouraged arts, just like dictators who first appeared as protectors.
Bing Shi's main source of income came from the dividends she obtained from Angels, Lyras, and the sales of the various businesses in Eliaros.
Her path to power was simple. She secured the support of the business community, from the middle class to the upper class. To establish mutual rights and conditions of trade, she solidified a formal agreement between a few kingdoms.
'How do I prevent a war? I can't simply get rid of something that brings profit.'
'Unless I make it less profitable.'
Barely having time to be a courtesan, Bing Shi became an exporter, importer, and trader who purchased and sold products for other businesses. The young girls and boys she discreetly hosted in her office during meetings transformed into Seraphs, and their trading enterprises blossomed into an industry renowned for ensuring secure transactions between foreign countries.
Revolutions generally ended up in a tyrannical government that crumbled over itself, rather than things getting better. Honest question. Any examples of moments in history where it worked?
The idea of trying to change a bad system from within never worked — most often, the system would change you before you change it. One would be more concerned about maintaining one's power than anything else.
Bing Shi preferred movements that tried to change an aspect of society, instead of the whole thing — since they were less prone to end up in destabilization and bloodshed.
She was not saying that violence was off the table, but it needed to be properly directed and ministered, to the right people and on the right amount — which was an easier task the smaller the scale.
|"I never had so many powerful men going after me. It's no longer only Zhao Rong and Cheng Young. Did I finally obtain the infamous heroine halo? Because if yes, it's inflating my ego too much."|
Bing Shi spun before the mirror in her office. With an almost obsessive attention to detail, she examined her arms and back, her fingertips tracing invisible lines where the mystical aura she half-jokingly mentioned might reside.
Her laughter echoed in the room, filled with a mixture of excitement and intrigue. It was laughter that danced on the edge of sanity as if she were unlocking secrets of her own existence that few could comprehend.
At that moment, Bing Shi's beauty was not just physical but wrapped in an aura of eccentricity that made her all the more perplexing.
(Mr. Jelly): If you had any, it's working on me... perfectly.
Answered Ru Quan, not caring if she had a heroine halo or not. The main point was: Too many rivals. Why couldn't she hide her presence like Little Monster and her previous lives so nobody would notice her?
Her presence now was so... damn... desirable. Day by day, she was becoming more and more beautiful. Just those cute dimples at the corners of her smile were enough for him to lose his composure.
He had never known a love like this; hers was unforced, so honest...so raw. She could do and say the simplest things, and any man would be at his knees, which was, of course, an exaggeration, but that was how Ru Quan saw it.
A few moments later...
Appearing before a new batch of battered men, Ru Quan returned in a bad mood. Another break was wasted just like that. One short glimpse of Bing Shi was all he received before Xuan Mu snatched his time with his fiance, again.
The thing that happened to Ziek during the kiss in the zombie apocalypse kept happening to him repeatedly. Only when Bing Shi went to do her things did he regain control over his body.
Someone tell him.
What should he do to save himself from himself?