RISE OF THE MARTIAL GOD

"Young master please, let her go. You're scaring her." Tong Tong who had tears wetting her eyes grabbed Anthony's hand, trying to yank him away. But he was way stronger, she couldn't even budge him in the slightest. All her actions seemed to do was make him irritated and he shook her away.

Tong Tong screamed, losing her footing. Her cry of surprise seemed to have acted as cold water on him, and he quickly let of Miao Miao, catching Tong Tong with his left hand. He slightly swirled around and pulled her into his chest, his heart beating erratically at the thought that he could have hurt her.

"Young master, please let her go." Tong Tong sobbed into his chest, listening to tht sounds of his heavy breaths.

"Miao Miao, apologize to your sister for ruining her face. And fix that crappy attitude of yours."

"Tong Tong, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't rea…" The rest of her words trailed off as she resumed her litany of tears.

"It's alright, it's fine. It's fine, nothing at all. Don't feel burdened." Tong Tong whispered hurriedly, trying hard to regulate her tearful voice.

"From today henceforth, there's nothing like master and servant between the three of you, except if a situation calls for it. All the chores will be shared equally between the three of you. You three are sisters, all equal, none above the other. If I ever hear you or anyone else acting arrogant and spoiled, they will get it from me. No one is expected to serve and feed you. If you're sick, helping to take care of you is perfectly fine. However, ketting you throw a tantrum like a spoiled child stops now. I won't ask you to compensate for what happened to her face. But if you dare act that way again or make things difficult for others, I will personally punish you. You got off easy tonight."

"Thank you, young master." Xinglan quickly said, and pulled her away. She had signaled Miao Miao to speak and thank Anthony for letting her off. But she seemed too stunned to speak, probably trying to come to terms with her new reality.

She was no longer the pampered and untouchable chief's daughter, who was like the moon surrounded by a million stars. Now, she herself had become one of those many stars. No, she's now less than them, reduced to an obedient servant beneath young master An. She couldn't help but feel aggrieved deep in her heart.

"When you're done sulking go clean up the dirty utensils. And if any of them dares to help you with it, I will punish the both of you. You have to learn to be independent now."

"Young master, don't be like that. From a young age, she has had to fit into tight roles of managing the clan, its staff, residents and finances, like a proper housewife and host. She has had a hard life too." Xinglan whispered, but Anthony ignored her and dragged Tong Tong to the blanket.

"And you, stop crying! Tears will ruin that gauze and make sweat drip inside which will in turn infect the wounds. What's wrong with you girls? Are all girls so weak and irritating? Aish! The three of you are driving me crazy." He shouted and tapped his head multiple times in frustration.

He stalked off muttering to himself.

"I thought I only had to endure my brat of a sister back home. But now, I have more to deal with."

He went out and patrolled round the forest, gathering herbs and fruits which interested him, including some weeds whose scent naturally repel insect and wild animals.

The long walk gave him time to clear his head and he sighed heavily, collapsing against a nearby tree.

"Did I over react? I only wanted to correct her bad character and entitlement mentality. I didn't mean to be harsh and make it seem as if they're leeching off me or like they're some burdensome baggage I'm eager to discard. Aish! Why did I do that? Why did I say all those harsh things? Even to Tong Tong who is sick. Ah! Anthony Meyers, you have truly done it this time. You're beyond help. What's going on in that head of yours?" He whispered and sighed heavily.

He looked up at the dark sky and took a deep breath, absentmindedly kicking away some pebbles around his feet.

"It can't be that the inner demon in my mind is truly getting bigger, right? I can't believe my failed marriage will still affect me to this extent, making me feel irritated with women. How can something that happened long ago still cause such derp effects in my life? This can't go on. I can't keep losing my temper with women, or expect them to be strong and level headed like a man. They're the weaker sex after all, and the percentage of women strong enough to act like men are quite low. If I continue being this way, easily irritated, I might say or do something unforgivable to a woman in a fit of anger. Or worse, commit manslaughter, like what almost happened with Tong Tong."

A shudder went through his body.

"What if there had been a rock behind her, and I couldn't catch her on time? What if she had collided into a hard or sharp surface? What if she had suffered a concussion? Or worse, died. How will I live on after hurting an innocent person whom I'm not even competing with for any reason?"

He sighed heavily and squatted down, mindlessly drawing nonsense on the soil with his index finger.

"Anthony Meyers, snap out of it. Forgive Priscilla, forgive your younger self for being so weak, pathetic, and easily deceived. Forgive your younger self for being a stupid love brained fool. Get past that pain. Not all women are demons."

He sat cross legged and shut his eyes, slowly beginning to circulate his energy. He instinctively thought of Ava for the first time ever. The strong billionaire heiress who was unconditionally kind and honest, even before she found out about his true identity as the dragon clan's first prince.

He thought about the unknown little girl who had saved him when he was thirteen and beaten up by gangsters. She had taken him to her father's warehouse, treating him with cheap medicines she could afford with her allowance, bringing him nutritious home cooked meals, till she got strong enough to go on his own. It was after that he went for an exam and got the scholarship which changed his life giving him a free ride to school. It was also thanks to the second chance at life the little girl gave him that kept him strong enough till he went back to school, won a laptop in a competition, and began his path to computer programming and software design which made him a multi millionaire by nineteen.

He had initially wanted to find the girl and pay her back with a lifetime of love. But then, he met Priscilla, and one way or the other, he totally forgot about his savior, losing himself in the sweet teenage love that fell into his lap. That was why most young billionaires go astray, they're too young to tell a scheming woman from the sincere ones, making them easy victims.

As he thought about the women who had one way or the other lent him a hand during his darkest hour, a dull ache in his chest which he never noticed in the past or realized was even there began to fade away, and his breathing evened out, calmly whispering the mental cultivation mantras in his mind to increase his mental capacity and stability.