Hilda looked at the trashed ground and for a second pictured her broken skull on it. Even if she was halfway through the fourth level that still would've put her on the edge of life.

Zhi Rui smiled showing her pearly white teeth and threw Hilda a small green bean.

"It recovers some energy and calms down. Next time you can use the slave mark to announce your arrival, to avoid unnecessary death."

Hilda nodded and sighed, "What kind of person sleeps with a Warhammer by their bedside?"

Zhi Rui laughed. "How's my dear father?"

Hilda sat down on the bed

"Frustrated. He thought the emperor would punish him for a bit, but it only got worse. His soldier's morale is getting unstable, food s starting to become repetitive. He's trafficking people. He also bought a place in the lawless city, he made a deal with rogue alchemists to sell drugs there. He's a big fish, now his situation is turning around for the better."

Zhi Rui nodded. "Tell me about weaknesses."

"He Has to deal with a lot of people to move that kind of business and none of them are loyal to him. So he's using some soldiers who have a lot to lose to do his bidding. once a line is slightly suspicious he cuts it and executes his middlemen. There's also some powerless people who know of his human trafficking and is pretty pissed about it."

"How's Zheng Li?" Zhi Rui asked.

"Cold and expressionless as always, He's slowly gaining the trust and loyalty of the men. He says he's waiting to follow your direct orders."

"Is that so?" Zhi Rui smiled.

His obsession coupled with his willingness to kill people from his own side for her plans had proved himself. She trusted him.

"Tell me the rest." She said.

Hilda listed the number of soldiers, weapons, tactics, terrain, everything.

By the time she finished one hour had passed.

Hilda had untied her tight black leather armor, and the sweat in her body had dried, she was laying down on the bed speaking softly.

Zhi Rui for once sighed with pity.

She walked in and moved closer, to Hilda's surprise and gave a quick kiss on the lips. she passed her good arm around Hilda's back and pulled her to into a tight hug. In one jump she as out of her house, after two more, they were in front of the isolated pond.

Zhi Rui's eyes turned red, and suddenly the freezing cold pond steamed up.

She caressed the assassins back lightly. and laid her inside the pond.

When she entered and covered the cat until her shoulders Hilda closed her eyes and groaned. There was nothing else in the world. Only the cozy water and relaxed muscles.

She could hear Zhi Rui throwing some things inside the pond. But she didn't ask anything afraid that the moment might be taken from her.

After ten minutes of tranquility, Hilda opened her eyes to see Zhi Rui relaxing across from her.

"How does it feel, coming back to the place you hate?" Zhi Rui asked.

"I don't hate the place I hate the people."

"Strange, I like the people here, they live a more pleasant life than most of the poor in the empire's slums. even with the turf wars." Zhi Rui asked.

"It's because you're the alpha, to live as a common person here you have to be alert all the time."

"All places are like that." Zhi Rui said.

Hilda paused. for a second she stared a Zhi Rui and noticed they were having a normal conversation.

"Is this my reward?" Hilda asked in a daze.

Zhi Rui smiled

"For you and me both. I first took a liking to your personality, after all, turning you into my pet was merely a bonus."

Hilda chuckled, and they talked more earnestly, like equals, in the first time since her family was killed she felt truly in peace and relaxed.

After they were done and Zhi Rui took her to the bed and used her only hand good hand to caress hilda's hair

There, in the dark, the feeling the warmth, the taste of having someone treating you like that. the softly spoken words, everything made Hilda's mind into a haze and relaxed enough to sleep without caring. At the moment her mind was drifting to unconsciousness, Hilda thought.

'I've never had this, and she knows it, she' using it to numb and bind me..., I know it but I can't fight it anymore...' Hilda's eyes closed 'I'm already hers...'

Zhi Rui's green eyes saw through the darkness, Hilda fell to sleep like a newborn kitty, vulnerable and unafraid.

'A small accomplishment' Zhi Rui thought. From the moment she saw the tough, wild looking mercenary with feline eyes sitting on that tavern, Zhi Rui desired it for herself. She wanted to taste it, play with it. And fundamentally break every defense of it.

Regardless of circumstance to make someone trust enough to be so open guarded and defenseless around you. Is an epic feat in itself."

----

----

----

Zheng Li stood still on his bed and looked at the crystal ball on the table.

Bianca's mesmerizing eyes looked at him with deep love.

"Child, how's your sister?"

"I was contacted today. she wanted to know everything from the army."

A curt and short answer.

"Are you upset?" Bianca's mellow voice softly asked.

Zheng Li was pondering in a daze. his usual cold and pale expression were there, except, his eyes were shining with a different wicked glow.

"... I was thinking that I'm wasting my life away"

Bianca squinted her eyes. "...How so?"

For the first time, Bianca saw Zheng Li smiling.

"I followed your words, the cult of lust's direction, a guardian to follow and protect the goddess of lust. I believed in it. I followed you, my goddess of lust from then on."

Bianca frowned at his tone.

"After, you told me, that to become a true divinity of lust, you had to enrich Zhi Rui and swallow her cultivation. I did as told and started to follow Zhi Rui, maniacally so. fell in love again, and desired her. I even started to have her as my true goddess of lust."

Bianca's eye became cold and expressionless, not even an ounce of warmth, only despise was shown.

Zheng Li looked at it and laughed amused.

"After following the two of you, I finally understood it. seeking approval is wrong. I'll never have my goddess of lust like that."

Suddenly, Zheng Li found himself in a tight warm hug. he looked and Bianca was the one hugging him, her body was as sinful as always her expressions, was onf of pure love.

Her soft voice tickled his ears. "If you wanted mother all for yourself, you could've just asked."

His eyes shone red. He grabbed the woman by the neck. Bianca's lascivious smile was still there.

"No, I don't want to just lay one time, or be a slave for seduction. I want to own, both of you, I don't want to follow. The guardian of lust isn't some knighted lap dog. How can that be a guardian of a goddess if he is just following them around? That's a servant!"

His voice grew frantic, the veins on the neck of Bianca bulged and her smiling lips went purple.

"I won't allow neither of you to destroy each other, I'll find my own way, I'll be a true guardian and both of you will truly depend upon me. L won't be just a useful dog to push around. I"ll make it so that you cannot live without me. I'll take you both as mine. Not only in body but also in soul and mind. I'll be a true guardian then."

*Crack*

The woman's neck broke. and her appearance changed. It was a woman Zheng Li had taken to warm his bed earlier. He let go and she fell on the ground, he returned his now expressionless eyes to the crystal ball.

Bianca could feel the insanity on his eyes. She smiled gently.

"But boy, that's no way to conquer a woman, your supposed father, the general who did things on his own terms, was cuckolded by me, and you and Zhi Rui are spawns of the emperor."

Zheng Li laughed

"What kind of argument is this? are you flustered? that's a ridiculous thing to say in itself, but it turns even more worthless as the real reason you chose to be impregnated by the emperor is that you wanted weak minded children to follow your so-called destiny.

I even suspect you respect the general as he's a beast of his own kind. He probably knows we're not his kids, He just doesn't care. The emperor is beneath contempt for you and him why even mention someone who is barely a useful tool?"

Bianca had a different amused smile, "So, boy how are you gonna do it? how are going to tie both of us, mother and daughter?"

"I'll make both of you, depending on me, I already got Zhi Rui's trust. As for mother, I just need to keep you entertained. like I'm doing now."

Bianca looked at him with twitching lips and ended the connection

On her throne alone she didn't contain herself anymore.

"HAHAHAHAHAH!! WHAT IS THIS FREAK SHOW!?"

She laughed out loud. The whole underground city listened to her laughter.

Slowly she settled herself, she was gasping while holding her chest, tears of laughter in her eyes.

"Oh, so pitiable, I messed them up so much. She, I understand, but him... What a creep spawn have I raised!"