RISE OF THE MARTIAL GOD

Anthony gasped, his mouth dropping open in shock. His mouth opened and closed, unable to reply.

"Why? Cat got your tongue? You know it's the truth isn't it? You despicable excuse for a man. Even if you hate me, should you resort to such lowly tricks?"

"If I want to kill you, I don't need help to do so. This is exactly why you're disgusting. You're a pathetic, selfish liar who only cares about herself. I pity the fools always rushing after you." He roared and turned to leave.

Tong Tong rushed to him and hugged his legs, crying heavily as she held him back from leaving.

"Let go now!"

"Young master, forgive us. Forgive her, she's is pain. Don't listen to her, calm your anger. Have mercy young master. Have mercy, please I beg you, don't abandon us." She wept, her tears staining the lower part of his robes.

Her cries were pathetic, filled with pain and sorrow.

Anthony sighed and looked up at the sky.

"I have no problem with you. But if I stay one moment longer, I might kill someone in anger."

"Please forgive her, she just went through trauma. Ah, please. I'm so sorry."

She looked at Miao Miao who was grabbing a fitful of her clothes, fidgeting.

"What are you doing? Beg young master."

"I won't beg him, even if you kill me."

Anthony scoffed and looked at the sky.

"I won't accept an apology from a disgusting bitch such as yourself. You're a dirty hearted demon, you don't deserve such pure hearted and loyal people beside you." He said coldly, clenching his fist.

"Young master, she was assaulted. She's speaking because of pain." Tong Tong wailed, hugging his leg tightly as she cried, holding him from leaving.

"Pain? Pain! Don't give me that bullshit!" He roared.

"Was she raped? No. I stopped them before they did anything. But the evil in her heart pollutes everything around."

"You kept calling me disgusting. It's all your fault I'm like this."

Anthony turned to face her.

"You're disgusting, not because of those men but because your heart is the darkest soul I have ever seen on a girl your age. Tell her, what were you doing when those men captured you?"

Her face turned red and she kept shaking.

"You can't say it, let me help you."

"While Xinglan and Tong Tong fought the men, you thought about a smart idea and decided to abandon your companions and run. While you were running in the bush, the thugs who noticed you followed you and decided to have their way, true or false?"

Tong Tong froze and let go of Anthony in shock.

"She was dragged away. She couldn't have…"

Anthony laughed wryly.

"Couldn't have? You have overestimated her goodness and nonexistent sense of loyalty. Miao Miao, tell them, am I lying or not?"

"Tong Tong, it's not true. He's saying that because he sent the men…"

The rest of her words trailed off because Anthony hurled a dead leaf at her, leaving a slight cut on her arm.

"Even now, you're still shamelessly lying and pushing blames…"

Miao Miao's face darkened in anger.

"You say you didn't send those men, how did you know all that if you didn't pretend to leave while watching us from the shadow waiting for your men to strike?"

Anthony smiled and looked at Tong Tong.

"It seems I'm truly the bad person here, right?"

"Young master, it's not possible you did that. Don't pay any attention to her nonsense. Please don't leave." Tong Tong begged, kowtowing repeatedly before Anthony who she was kneeling before.

Anthony chuckled and nodded in exasperation.

"I regret the day I foolishly took you with me. You have disappointed me in every kind of way. I should have left without turning back. If I did, I wouldn't find myself entangled in nonsense. This is how you decide to pay me back, right?"

Tong Tong cried heavily as she shook her head in silent plea, hugging his leg as she cried, still on her knees.

"Even while leaving, I worried endlessly about you all. I even left a mark on you all to keep an eye on the situation. Even when I have crossed the borders, when I noticed the assassins surrounding you through the connection, I abandoned my horse and rushed back to help using special means, not minding the adverse effects on my body. But…"

The rest of his words trailed off and he laughed bitterly.

"Miao Miao, you're a heartless demon. I saw everything. When you ate all the meat and stew leaving Xinglan to eat only stale rice, I saw it all. And the foolish Xinglan who still smiled at you with love even when you saw her as nothing more than a slave, I saw that too."

"I didn't…"

"Shut up you pathetic liar. I saw how you used her to block a knife from cutting you when the assassins struck. What? She's your guard, your living shield so it's her duty to give her life for you."

"You're just from a little middle class rural family, a small insignificant mortal clan. Yet you're so entitled, spoiled and wicked. If you were actually born in a powerful clan, then the world will be in danger of her highness, the princess whom a dog ate her conscience!"

"You only care about yourself, you don't regard others, you will do everything to protect your interest. When they were fighting, instead of you to help, you decided to abandon your friends and run, to escape all by yourself. You know what? You deserve everything, getting assaulted by those men while running is your just desserts. They should have raped you to death. I should've ignored you, saving you was a mistake!"

"Even when Xinglan was besieged, she was willing to sacrifice herself to get to you, fighting desperately to reach you, till she became like this. But you, you will never let yourself be pricked by a needle for her sake. You're a beast."

Miao Miao kept crying loudly as if Anthony was bullying her, wailing and shouting that she didn't do any of it, refusing to accept responsibility.

"Tong Tong, pack up. The smell of blood is thick here. I detected some powerful monsters when I passed by earlier. The blood will attract them. Once I discard these bodies, we will leave." Anthony said and turned around.

"Young master, you won't abandon us, right?"

Anthony kept silent and took a deep breath

"Until Xinglan wakes up, I will look after her. You can tag along."