143 Meeting.

Throughout the whole week, Zhi Ruiz allowed the siblings to beat her up.

Every day,Hilda would see a bruised up Zhi Rui meditating in the middle of her tub and then heal herself after several hours, each time she was beaten more deeply, each time her healing process became faster.

Before the week of personal training, Zhi Rui put a stricttraining regime for the barbarian warriors, it was something their generation never did, and they needed time to ingrain it in their mind,

But Zhi Rui took out a pill, the same one he used to win over three hundred; wit ha mere hundred.

As there was hose had received its effects before, Zhi Rui though it was better to explain about it so people don't be afraid or nervous of it.

Zhi Rui gathered a crowd in front of her library manor. She stood at the top, wearing her fur cape and leather armor; only, now her bright golden hair exuded wildness and it wasn't fit for being tied up.

Her hair danced as the wind blew. shining with the rays of the sun on her back.

The crowd was silently entranced by the picture.

She smiled from above.

"This pill is a substance that'll take your inhibitions away. You'll understand what's dangerous and what isn't but you won't fear or overthink it.For example; If in the middle of a battle you find yourself facing an enemy two times your size and heavily protected, you'll understand that' useless to fight and will retreat. For those that think I'll turn you into zombies. Fear not, you'll merely lose fear and baseless courage. You'll be rational."

"Courage? How are we supposed to fight to the death without courage? how can we fight without bravery?"

Zhi Rui looked a the woman who asked. "War is not brave or courageous, war is the last option, the last hope. When your house is invaded you need to fight or flight, there's no time to conjure courage. The battlefield is the same.If you desert and your side lose, then your home is ransacked and your wife raped. But if you stay and fight, there's a chance of living and going back home with the enemy's spoils."

"But we're the ones initiating this war." A man in the middle of the crowd exclaimed.

"Wrong." Zhi Rui said."War is inevitable. The tribes are weak, the old leaders died last year.The reason we were not trampled by the empire before, is due to the quantity of elite. Now, most of them are dead and we barely have four or five Level, three warriors.

The old leaders managed to negotiate with the enemy because both sides would lose too much in case of war. But now; we're the weaker side, and the enemy is a hungry one. Instead of waiting for their inevitable offense, we are attacking first."

It went on, The more nervous and anxious people asked the common questions, and the more hopeless just listened for any information that could help them scape it, others were too loyal and faith-blinded to see the truth of war.

From behind Zhi, Rui Hilda sighed.

She counted on her finger the numbers of the elite they had, their provisions and resources for the warriors. and it didn't matter how she did it, they would always win. a surprise attack from a barbarian tribe with Zhi Rui's training and affected by her drug. Against a couple of thousands of unmotivated and morally drained empire soldiers. They'd always win.

It bothered her because the enemy wasn't the foot soldier but the level fourth general.

She looked at Zhi Rui's back as she finished her speech.

The people roared while she turned around.

Hilda felt it was the right time.

Face to face, she opened her mouth.

"You cannot beat your father."

Zhi Rui stopped for a second and kept walked on. Hilda followed.

When they entered back on the library Hilda felt compelled to speak continue

"He' at the fourth level, it doesn't matter your ability to fight people on higher levels, he's not a simple body cultivator. He's from the empire, his skills are focused much more on techniques, formation, and spells. you hadn't face someone like that yet."

Zh Rui smiled. "If not now, then there won't be another time. My dear father is a beast, and like any other beast, he will run when genuinely threatened. If I wait until I'm strong enough he'll run.My chance is now if he didn't run away already."

Hilda bit her lips. she couldn't keep her straight face.

Just when she tried to speak again. the young steward for the siblings entered in a hurry.

"C-chief Alpha, agroup of people came for you."

Zhi Rui looked at Hilda. "Let's I'll lay out the plan."

...

Zhi Rui laughed and shook her head when she entered the white manor's main bedroom.

Zhun Xuying was staring with glowing eyes at the apprehensive siblings.

Zhi Rui walked forward, to Izaya who wasdrinking some tea near the bed,

He got up when he saw Zhi Rui. She smiled and embraced him, he hugged back.

Zhi Rui let go from the hug, tiptoed and kissed him on the lips.

"How's your daughter?"

Remembering how his daughter is happily jumping around in the forest, he smiled sincerely at Zhi Rui"She's good."

Zhi Rui opened her eyes round and slapped his chest. "Don't smile like that again, I might fall in love." chuckling Zhi Rui turned to the bed.

Zhun Xuying forgot the siblings for a second and just stared soundlessly at the blonde haired Zhi Rui. Her eyes were turning red and moist.

Nothing else was needed to say Zhi Rui walked up to her, leaned in and gave her a deep wet kiss.Zhun Xuying whimpered and held Zhi Rui' back of the head in a deeper thirsty kiss.

After three minutes or so, they parted lips. Zhun Xuying got up from the bed and embraced Zhi Rui, smelling her hair with the chin on her shoulders while caressing with her fingers through the blonde hair.

Zhi Rui patted her back with warmth."Had your fix?" She whispered.

Zhun Xuyin' face went red ad she distanced herself.

Laughing Zhi Rui turned to Bai Hui andYu Yan. "And how's the marriage?"

They both smiled "As good as ever." He answered. "Do you know some man that's actually good in bed?" Yu Yan asked.

Zhi Rui laughed as the Bai Hui' face twitched, barely containing his rage.

Inside the bedroom was warm Zhi Rui sat on the chair in the corner of the room, facing everyone else.

Hilda silently entered the room, she greeted them with a nod and leaned her back against the wall with arm crossed.

The light mood suddenly disappeared.As the attention turned to herself Zhi Rui took a sip of the tea Izaya was drinking.

"You all know why you're here and what we'll do, so I'll tell you how, if you have some ideas to add about it I'll hear them later."

"The General is a fourth level cultivator from the empires that acquired his resources alone." Bai Hui said suddenly

"You turned level three two weeks ago, how will you cope with him?" Yu Yan completed.

Zhi Rui looked around seeing the same look on everyone's face except Zhun Xuying she sighed.

"You people have so little faith in me, you forgot that I overturn the tide against that prince who sent two people three times strong than me. He's my problem, not something for you to worry about."

"Yes but you knew they were coming then, you incited them to come, you led them by the nose so they attacked where and how you wanted. You were preparing for them even before they thought about the idea of attacking.

This time Is different, you're the one attacking, and the enemy is strong and know you're going for him." Izaya with his stern voice spoke.

The breeze entered through the open windows with eery noise as silence settled.

"How' the couple's previous partners?" Zhi Rui asked looking atZhun Xuying

Izaya frowned at Zhi Rui's casual change of subject.

"After you branded them, the fat woman and the snobbish man evolved fast, they are nearing the breakthrough." Zhun Xuying answered.

"If you're thinking of a group fight to wear him out. It's not viable, we don' know his skills, and while we have a lot of level threes'it isn't enough to fight head on." Bai Hui said.

Izaya nodded.

Again the room went silent with only the sound of the wind.The siblings to the side didn't dare to open their mouth.

"Haha." Zhi Rui chuckled.

The tone and the way she did brought the calm nerves in the room to a halt and sent alarm off their heads.

Zh Rui' eyes surveyed through the room, and they didn't act but their bodies were rigid.

"You are all forgetting something." the eerie humorous tone on her voice ent a chill on the people present.

"I didn't call you here to discuss whether it's viable, nor to see if you're up for it.I'm telling you we'll wage war and I'll kill the general, you'll follow me and fight. This isn't a request, I'm not gently coercing you. I'm your tyrant. It's not your place to know how or why. What you have to do is follow what I say trusting I have the best for me and for those under me in mind. Now I'll explain what you'll have to do, you'll listen, if you have a sensible opinion or an idea to improve the plan I'm all ears. But don't let it get to your head that I'm a reasonable person. Open your mouth again without my permission and I'll shred your jaws out of your head."