Side Story: Hell on Earth
Chapter 112
Heart Teachings
One Week Later
Ever since the day of the banquet, people had hoped that every two or three days someone would get married. Their wish came true. Today, although only two weddings were held together… they were a million times more lively, magnificent, grand, and stunning than the previous collective wedding.
The first was the wedding of Belief and Ange. From this day forward, Ange had officially shed her status as a slave. Cinderella had become a princess. She should have been able to enjoy every sweet moment with her beloved husband and live happily with her gentle sister. But in the end, it could not be perfect… because… on the very day her daughter was getting married, her mother was forced to set aside her dignity and marry the Old Great General.
The night before, Ange nestled in her mother's arms. Mother and daughter held each other tightly, unwilling to let go for even a moment, afraid that from then on they would be separated forever.
Her dark red eye sockets had long since dried up. During those years, she had endured brutal beatings, swallowing her meals with bitter tears during the day, and gnawing on the pain of parting by death at night.
Calamities and misfortunes poured down like a violent storm, burying alive any hope of clear skies after the rain. The pillar of the family still tried their utmost to rally their exhausted spirits… to fight for… a glimmer of hope for the children to survive.
"The Old Great General is ruthless, but he deeply loves his family, his wife, and his children. If I give birth to a son, the one who holds the power of life and death will surely protect us with all his might. Your younger brother will inherit everything from him, and from then on, we mother and child will no longer be in danger of being bullied. Our family will no longer fear anyone; on the contrary, those demons who once tormented us will one day have to kneel at our feet and pledge allegiance. When that time comes, we will make them pay back every drop of blood they owe, one by one!"
Ange lifted her head, her gaze trembling:
"What if Mother gives birth to a daughter?"
The mother stroked her daughter's head:
"The Great General is fifty this year; his physical strength is still strong, and his male vitality can last for another ten years or so. Your mother is not yet forty. The genes of the women in our family are superior to ordinary women; we can still conceive and bear children normally even after fifty. If I don't have a son the first time, Mother still has many chances."
Liberte stood outside the door, silently lowering his head as he listened to the worst-case scenario:
"What if, in the end, the deities shows no mercy? What should we do then?"
Maria replied calmly:
"We will never bow to fate."
The mother placed her hands on her daughter's cheeks and rested her forehead against Ange's:
"Remember Aunt Le's words—accept everything. Even if it means committing all kinds of sins to protect the family, to survive, we will not hesitate for a moment!"
Maria had always been resolute, yet she was afraid to face those clear eyes for too long—no longer innocent now… but… clouded with deceit, falsehood, cunning, and the realization that her mother was lost in turmoil. Though she had resolved in her heart to continue down the thorny path ahead, Maria still felt restless, her arms holding her child close.
She didn't want her daughter to see that the mother, too, was filled with anxiety about the uncertain future.
"Daughter, cheer up. Tomorrow you are getting married. If you stay so gloomy, it will affect the wedding and be unfair to your husband. Belief has extremely high prestige; we cannot let him lose face and ruin his future. Besides, our family still has Ji and Liberte. They have grown up, have status, and know how to protect this family. We must uphold their reputation. Power is the most precious thing in the Hive. Without power, we would spend every day living the life of slaves waiting to die…"
Ange nodded as if she understood, biting her tongue as she asked her mother:
"Mother… um… Mother…"
She hesitated, stammering, not daring to speak. Maria frowned, looking at her daughter's flushed cheeks—that shy demeanor, that embarrassment, tension, and anxiety, her heart pounding wildly, just like when she herself had been about to face her own wedding night.
Maria smiled tenderly, skillfully steering the conversation, and little by little, passed on the experiences of the wedding night and the way of being a wife to her daughter. She whispered in Ange's ear:
"Mother and you are two generations apart; our views, our ways of life, from ordinary matters to sensitive ones, are mostly different. I can only teach you the basics. Learning and practice go hand in hand, so I've entrusted Ji to teach you how to be a wife and to do everything to the best of your ability in daily life. How has this week been?"
Her daughter's face turned even redder than before, and she stammered:
"Ji said that as long as I live under the same roof with her, she will teach me everything about normal life. As for that…"
Ange hesitated, a little distracted. Maria smiled, feeling that her innocent daughter seemed to remember what Mother had taught her last time:
"Silly girl. I am about to become the Great General's wife; I can't live with my children forever. Do you expect to run back to the Great General's mansion to ask me every time you encounter something? Liberte can't be by your side every moment. Besides, he is a man; it's not convenient for you to ask. He's even less able to express sensitive and delicate things. In the end, the most suitable one is Ji—she and Belief are the ones who will spend the rest of their lives with you!"
Ange was still worried:
"Mother, I accidentally overheard sisters-in-law Tanya and Sonya talking. They said that women hate sharing their feelings or their husband with anyone. If it weren't to survive, to change their fate, they wouldn't have agreed to marry brother!"
Maria let out a soft "ah." She knew that, apart from An, those daughters-in-law were not sincere towards Liberte. She was not surprised; she just nodded, confirming that they were right. Ange grew even more worried:
"I'm afraid sister Ji might be the same, unwilling to share a husband!"
As Maria comforted her aggrieved daughter, she analyzed carefully:
"Ji is also a woman; of course, she doesn't want to share her husband with anyone. But daughter, you are the sole exception, because you are her family, her dearest one, her little sister. She lost her younger siblings and her mother. We lost our husband and father. Our family… cannot afford to lose anyone else!"
Ange listened attentively; whenever she understood something, she remained silent, never interrupting.
"Tanya and Sonya, Amy and her daughter all want to protect the ones they love, and they also fear being forced to leave their families. That's why they accepted sharing a husband, a practice that goes against morality. But Tanya and Sonya are soldiers, while Amy and Emy are the wife and daughter of the deceased Old General. Anyone who harms any of them would be severely punished, even sent to a re-education camp. You are just a commoner; you know no martial arts, and you don't have the ability to protect yourself like your sisters-in-law. It is precisely this gap that makes Ji willing to share a husband with you. She worries that you might be harmed like the sisters Xiang and Ru, or be forced to marry a stranger. So Ji must do everything she can to protect you, hoping you can live peacefully and happily. She wants to give you all the things she was unable to give to Xiang and Ru…"
Ange was deeply moved, listening to her mother's choked voice. The little girl understood that her mother's tears were not from pain, nor from happiness… but… from gratitude for her sister's profound love for her little sister.
"Ji truly loves you dearly! Do you understand what I mean?"
Ange gently wiped away her mother's tears and whispered:
"She feels sorry for the sisters Xiang and Ru, and she also feels guilty for failing to protect the ones she loved."
The excruciating pain in Liberte's chest, caused by his helplessness while his loved ones were in distress, had never stopped tormenting him. This same pain tormented his mother. Besides blaming fate and hating that blind old heaven, she possessed neither Liberte's power for revenge nor had she ever been able to compensate Ji.
That pain had, little by little, claimed Le's life. Yet she could only weep in silence, unable to console her husband's sister, unable to stop the gloating God of Death from plundering the lives of her loved ones.
"Yes, daughter, Ji wants to apologize. She wants to make amends for the pain and loss that she and her family have endured, to heal the wounds in her heart. The most meaningful compensation is to cherish the living relatives, to protect her little sister well!"
Maria gently patted her daughter on the back and stroked her hair:
"The second reason is to pave the way for Belief's career… if… you and she were both to become pregnant."
Ange blushed, burying her burning cheeks in her mother's chest. Her mother gazed at her tenderly and smiled:
"The Hive's thirst for human resources is like a drought waiting for rain. Even better would be if you and Ji became pregnant on the same day, and your children shared a birthday. To the Hive, this would be a great joy and an auspicious omen. The monarch firmly believes in the spiritual world; he would surely believe that this is a blessing from the gods and trust that heaven would protect his hundred victories. At that time, Belief's promotion would be faster than a kite rising in the wind. The higher your husband's status, the greater our family's chance of survival. All of you would have a bright future, and you would no longer have to fear danger."
Ange was puzzled and frowned:
"If we do this, wouldn't we be taking advantage of Belief? I don't want to deceive him!"
Maria laughed out loud:
"Oh, my Poupee Ange, do you think Belief doesn't know whether you are sincere or not? You are purer and more kind-hearted than an angel!"
Hearing his mother's explanation meant to enlighten his sister, Liberte couldn't help but smile:
"If you were to treat your husband as a tool for personal gain, that would be taking advantage. But if a child really is born as I say, then you two sisters will benefit the most, and the one who benefits the greatest is Belief. Mother believes that even if Belief is surprised, even shocked, he will surely understand—his wives are merely worried about their family and their husband's future. Once we are weaker than others, they will still ride on our necks. Worst of all, if we lose power or are robbed, he will be the first to suffer, and the whole family will be implicated. He is so smart and reasonable; he will definitely go to any lengths to prevent danger… and… he will sympathize with you!"
Ange was still puzzled, but she couldn't pinpoint what she was worried about. A mother always knows her child best. Maria gently reminded her:
"Ji agreed to share a husband with you and to teach you how to be a wife. This is not only for the family, but also for the ones she loves. What's more, it means…"
Maria glanced at that innocent face that had not yet experienced the ways of the world, then chuckled as she explained:
Ji… hoped… that the images of the two sisters would capture Belief's heart entirely. The new policy forced every soldier and civilian to take at least two wives.
Ji believed that Belief would not be unfaithful, yet she also worried that the Hive might force her husband to marry another woman. If that girl turned out to be cunning and deceitful, plotting to compete for favor and harm others, Ji would then face the risk of losing her husband and seeing her family torn apart.
What Ji feared most was that political enemies might send a spy to become Belief's wife, secretly gathering information that would benefit them but harm Belief. Nor could she rule out the possibility of a scheming woman setting a trap to frame Belief, leading to Ji and her husband being executed and the entire family being implicated.
Even if a rival were virtuous and gentle, she would still be an outsider. Ji had no desire to share a home with a stranger. Since she would inevitably have to share her husband with someone sooner or later, she would rather share her feelings with her younger sister, making their bond even closer.
Those who are kind, upright, and gentle tend to favor those who are gentle, innocent, and pure—the very ideal of a wife in a man's eyes. Ange possessed all these qualities, which would be enough to safeguard the family's happiness within an already unshakeable fortress.
Ange narrowed her eyes, puzzled:
"I find this story a bit strange. I feel like sister Ji half believes Belief, and half doesn't. But…"
Maria asked with a smile:
"But the part she trusts still holds an almost absolute position, doesn't it?"
Ange nodded repeatedly. Maria said:
"A woman like Ji is just like that—if it's not absolutely certain, she'll still feel uneasy, anxious in her heart, and will try every possible way to guard against danger."
Maria caressed her beloved daughter's cheek as Ange listened intently to her mother's analysis:
"You are the guardian angel who protects this family from those seductresses who would invade and ruin the happiness of this home!"
Ange stared at her mother, not understanding how she knew this secret. Maria chuckled and pinched her daughter's nose:
"I accidentally overheard their candid conversation—I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose. Ji still believes that even if Belief were tempted, even if he developed feelings for another girl, your husband would eventually come back—because he couldn't bear to make Ji suffer, and he couldn't bear to hurt his little angel!"
Listening to her mother's teasing, Ange smiled shyly:
"In the end, Belief only eats the meals you cook… and… shares his bed with his two lifelong companions."
Ange lowered her head, resting it on Maria's chest, remembering what her sister had said on the last day before the wedding while teaching her how to be a wife:
"Belief is our greatest, strongest support. We must never lose him because of another woman. We must be in harmony with him, both in body and mind, and love him with all our hearts—and this love must be stronger than our desire to escape slavery and live a peaceful, happy life. Only by giving sincerely can we hope to receive our partner's lifelong protection and care in return."
Ange etched every word into her heart. Just then, Ji embraced her little sister from behind, their rosy cheeks gently pressing together. Her older sister whispered:
"I can only teach you about ordinary daily life. Your mother asked me to teach you these sensitive matters, but not to teach you those tricks and techniques to seduce or tempt Belief in bed. To do that would be to scheme in secret, to be hypocritical, to deceive feelings—shameless, worse than a prostitute. Because the two of us are proper wives, not the kind who destroy the happiness of another family."
Ji smiled softly, looking at her kind-hearted younger sister whose face had turned red:
"Your mother means that I am here to help you learn and understand the relationship between men and women, and about married life. That way you won't worry or be overly nervous, and you will be mentally prepared for your wedding night. I predict that everything will happen on the wedding night; it's completely normal, just like for any other couple."
Ji smiled gently, because whenever her sister understood a question that was hard to discuss, Ange's cheeks would puff up slightly, her lips pressed tightly together, as she listened to her older sister bring up those sensitive topics:
"In the bedroom, you must experience and feel how he treats you—whether with passion or indifference, with sincerity or reluctance… and pay attention to what he enjoys the most… when… you are intimate."
Ange was lost in her memories; Maria nudged her several times before she suddenly snapped back to reality. The daughter whispered that she understood what her mother meant, then pulled the blanket over her head. Her mother smiled tenderly, knowing that her daughter's worries had been resolved, with no more doubts lingering.
Mother and younger sister calmly helped Liberte steady his emotions. With his family so worried about their future, he had to throw himself into doing something truly meaningful. The most practical thing to do right now was to have a child.
The evacuees who could have children would receive food as a reward. Officers and soldiers with children enjoyed many privileges—the more children, the greater the benefits, and they would be promoted faster than others, thus seizing opportunities for advancement.
Liberte immediately summoned Slin, the Tanya sisters, and Mao to his room. Today, the two sisters and Mao had the highest chance of conceiving. Slin went without saying—that slut was consumed by lust all 365 days of the year.
She was in heat the whole year round; her ovulation days were no different from any other day; she was always ready to get pregnant. She had been pregnant once before, with her ex-husband's child, but that child hadn't survived.
Liberte suspected that Slin hated the father of that child so much that she hadn't hesitated to kill her own flesh and blood, just to avoid being entangled by him any longer, so she could wait at ease for the chance to become Liberte's wife.
He discovered that Slin and Mao had teamed up to secretly murder that soldier's wife and that evacuee's wife. Mao had killed the victim to avenge herself for Liberte raping her, while Slin had done it to eliminate a romantic rival.
Lecherous Slin, like that whore May, craved young men. She arrived first. A few seconds later, it was the Tanya sisters and Mao's turn to enter the room.
The women stripped off their clothes, jumped onto the bed, and threw themselves at Liberte. Slin giggled, pulled down her husband's zipper, then removed his pants. The soldier sisters also stripped her husband bare.
Liberte lay on the bed, watching coldly as the four spider demons played the role of virtuous wives, taking turns relaxing their husband's body. The five of them began to grow warm, but Liberte's voice remained icy as he warned:
"Let me make this clear: children are invaluable to the Hive. No matter which of you wives gives me a child, you must all cherish that child as if you were carrying it yourselves, and take care of it wholeheartedly, just as you would care for your own flesh and blood! If anything happens to my child…"
Liberte suddenly leaped up, his eyes like those of a vengeful ghost, drilling into the women's subconscious:
"I don't need to know the reason. Every single one of you will receive the most brutal punishment!"
The wives were like primal monsters reflected in a demon-revealing mirror. They trembled all over, their mouths and tongues stumbling over each other as they stammered:
"We wouldn't dare joke with the God of Death!"
"Your child is my child, and also the Hive's child. I'm not stupid enough to dig my own grave…"
"Please trust me, I would never dare to commit an offense against a superior!"
Liberte suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Mao by the hair, and his cold laughter sent a chill down her spine. His eyes were like blades, piercing into Mao, understanding that she had set a trap for him:
"Offense against a superior? I'm not worthy of hearing those two words. You dare say that to me? You bitch, you dare set a trap for me, trying to make me guilty of an offense against a superior?"
The three women were terrified by his brutal demeanor, their souls nearly fleeing their bodies. Mao's face was deathly pale as she sobbed, explaining:
"I wouldn't dare…"
Liberte gave a cold laugh, then ordered Slin to check the clock pendulum in the corner of the room. Slin hastily did as he said. She opened her eyes wide in shock, and indeed, she retrieved a small recording device from behind the pendulum.
The four women were terrified by Liberte's ruthlessness—he had completely destroyed every plot against him. None dared to look at him as he, like a madman, tortured Mao almost mercilessly, his methods even more brutal than those used to torment a slave.
Apart from serving him, satisfying him, and being kind to his family, the Tanya sisters and Slin had no other intentions. The silent mockery of Mao followed. Liberte pressed Mao's mouth against the place where she had been humiliated countless times before.
"I warned you, any resistance will come at a price. You dared to anger me. Now hurry up and serve 'your husband' warmly and attentively, you slut."
He shouted "Slin." That cunning whore, without waiting for his order, immediately handed the recorder to her husband, who smashed it to pieces. Slin secretly gloated—that foolish slut was being brutally raped by Liberte. Mao sobbed, coughing until she could barely breathe, begging her husband for forgiveness.
"Ah… it hurts… I beg you… forgive me… I swear, I'll never do something so stupid again…"
Liberte continued to torture and humiliate Mao, roaring with threats:
"Make the same mistake again, and the next victim will be your son, you depraved slut…"
Liberte tormented Mao until she was utterly exhausted, her hair disheveled, gasping for air. He smiled faintly and urged the other three to join in. Slin immediately put her skills to use, luring her husband into that enchanting harbor to mask her own fear.
Seeing Liberte narrow his eyes in pleasure, the Tanya sisters used all their bedroom skills to serve him, to satisfy him, so they could all reach the peak of joy together… and… to gain the upper hand in the silent battle for favor.
Liberte forced Mao to watch as he gently lavished affection on those three female monsters, cherishing them throughout the entire orgy, making those sluts climax again and again.
The physical pain and mental pressure were more cruel than all the humiliations Mao had suffered since being exiled to hell… making… her regret her momentary impulse, her anger, and her gloating—the price she now had to pay was far too high.
A mother could not be "intimate" with her own son. The child she had once "clung to," "loved," "nestled with day and night" could no longer "intertwine" with her.
He also suffered. He was jealous. He envied the enemy who had trained his mother into a slave. Whenever Liberte wanted to vent his frustration, his physical needs were satisfied, and she obeyed every command… just as… now she was forced to watch Liberte favor those three bitches, clinging tightly to him. He joyfully indulged Slin, whispering sweet words, flirting, and toying with Mao's old comrade.
His enemy deliberately taunted and humiliated her. Mao could only weep in sorrow, not daring to show any attitude. She dared not show any displeasure… when… Liberte pulled out the weapon that had just pierced three dams, repeatedly inundated by floods, leaving the battlefield in ruins, and turned that powerful sword of impulse toward her, bringing it close to her blank face.
As usual, Mao was forced to diligently and enthusiastically "cleanse" Liberte, allowing him to continue his campaign—riding three at once, charging into battle, galloping across the field, fighting alone against three female demons still brimming with "yin energy." Each slut was full of fighting spirit, longing to command the winds and rains all night until their energy was spent.
A husband did not indulge his wives' every desire. After two hours of wrestling, Liberte sowed his "seed" into each of them. He kicked Mao off the bed, then got down himself, so his wives could change the wet sheets, then lay down comfortably and embraced Tanya and her sister. Every time he had tormented his wives nearly to death, he wouldn't stop until the middle of the night. Tonight, he had stopped the battle in bed earlier.
The she-demons smiled, realizing that there was still a wedding to organize tomorrow; he wanted to rest early to give his body time to recover. None of the women dared act rashly as they usually did. Slin had no choice but to lock this insatiable demon within her own "heart."
The wives giggled as Liberte nodded, satisfied that they understood his meaning. They gently nestled beside Liberte, holding each other as they slept until dawn.