The Empress’s Gigolo

Ren Baqian knew with one look that Shen Feng had been beaten up by Qing Yuan and Hong Luan.

He only managed to pry the details out after multiple rounds of questioning.

As the house was empty most of the time, Shen Feng would drop by every now and then to ensure that it was well maintained. It was the same this time, except that she was knocked down by two people the moment she stepped in.

Ren Baqian had always assumed that Shen Feng was a decently skilled expert, but even so, she was quickly beaten up by those two before she could even see their faces.

Qing Yuan and Hong Luan saw the villa as a temporary imperial residence, so anyone entering without the empress’s permission was committing a capital offense. Shen Feng had brought up Ren Baqian’s name, but the two of them wouldn’t budge. Instead, they insisted that her punishment would be meted out when Ren Baqian returned.

No matter what she said, Qing Yuan and Hong Luan simply wouldn’t listen.

Shen Feng was trapped here and forced to order KFC Bucket Meals for them over the past two days… Qing Yuan and Hong Luan would beat her up if she didn’t comply with their demands.

It had been two days since Shen Feng was first given a good beating and forced to order KFC for the pair. She was about to go crazy with anger.

Ren Baqian wasn’t sure if he should laugh or cry. He looked at the two who only returned his gaze with remorseless expressions…

“Go back and tend to your injuries. I’ll double your salary for this month!” Ren Baqian asked Shen Feng to leave before turning his attention to Qing Yuan and Hong Luan. “Please don’t tell me that the two of you did this for the KFC Bucket Meals.”

“How could that be?” the two replied guiltily. “That thing on the television doesn’t even look appetizing!”

Ren Baqian was at a loss for words…

The people of Dayao were all too similar.

They wouldn’t use their brains if they could settle the matter with their fists.

Always taking things one step at a time.

Anyone prying their skulls open would probably find muscles inside instead of grey and white matter. What a biological miracle.

“When are we going back?” the two asked. Listening to Shen Feng’s report, Ren Baqian had almost forgotten that the two of them were a long way from home.

They didn’t ask if the empress had won. To them, the empress was the most formidable being, and Ren Baqian’s return was evidence of that.

“I’ll take both of you back in a few days,” Ren Baqian replied before he walked to his room to get changed.

A short while after, he said, “I’ll bring the two of you out for some food.”

He realized it wasn’t nice to keep them cooped up in this cold, empty house.

Qing Yuan and Hong Luan rejoiced upon hearing his words. The two of them had developed an interest in the world they saw on television. This house, with its desolate woods and few neighbors, was a far cry from all of that.

Ren Baqian picked up his cell phone to call Shen Feng, but decided otherwise. He thought of going online to find a local clothing brand and having them come over to do a private fitting for the two ladies.

Two hours later, Qing Yuan and Hong Luan looked completely different from before. Qing Yuan had on a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans while Hong Luan wore a blue mid-length dress. Their hair was still way too long when let down, but at least they were much less conspicuous now.

The two of them behaved like curious babies on the journey to the city center. Their faces were practically plastered to the car windows as they stared at everything that they passed.

Qing Yuan was especially chatty.

Ren Baqian flippantly answered their questions while he drove.

Night had begun to fall when they reached the city center. Qing Yuan and Hong Luan looked in amazement as the streets lit up against the darkening sky.

The splendor of this scene alone made them wonder if they had arrived in the celestial realm.

Compared to the empty world they came from, this was no different from the celestial realm.

However, the people here were really weak… just like Principal Ren.

Principal Ren was much stronger now, almost as strong as the average person. He was previously like a paper person who would get blown away with the breeze.

Qing Yuan and Hong Luan only quieted down when they entered a rather upscale eating establishment.

After filling their bellies with food and licking the plates clean, Qing Yuan faintly muttered, “It’s not as good as the KFC Bucket Meal.”

She cautiously continued and asked, “Is the KFC Bucket Meal expensive?”

Ren Baqian almost vomited blood when he heard this. Were they seriously thinking that he brought them here because a KFC Bucket Meal was much more expensive?

“I’m going to bury the two of you in KFC fried chicken when we get back,” Ren Baqian replied spitefully.

After the meal, Ren Baqian took them around the city center to show them the sights.

The two of them were marveling at every single thing they saw. Passers-by couldn’t help but steal a few glances at them. After all, it was quite strange for these two beautiful city girls to behave as though they had just come in from the boonies.

Ren Baqian had always felt that Dayao was much poorer and more desolate than the rural areas on Earth. At least the people in the rural areas had televisions and cell phones.

Over the next few days, Ren Baqian brought them out for a spin every now and then.

Aside from this, he would read up on Buddhist teachings. Ren Baqian planned to introduce parts of these teachings to the people of Tianjing Basin.

The first thing that came to mind when Buddhism was brought up was its emphasis on renouncing material ties, cleansing of the mind and body, taking the path of peace, and karma. Ren Baqian felt that these principles would do well to appease the people of Tianjing Basin.

There wasn’t a way to keep them under control indefinitely, and no one could promise that they would put away thoughts of rebellion for good. Among those experts, there were some that were as pure as Qingyun Sword, but also others who definitely had other intentions. It was only a matter of how many of them were there and whether they would stir up another rebellion. Killing all the experts wasn’t going to solve the problem since their disciples would one day rise to the occasion. Even killing every last disciple wouldn’t nip the problem in the bud because their skills could be passed on in secret.

Religion should work well to control them.

If all of them chose to renounce desire and walk a virtuous path, then things would be good.

After flipping through several books, however, he found that it wasn’t quite what he had thought.

Buddhism was pretty much a form of training that practiced asceticism to achieve nirvana.

Its main purpose was to hone one’s current life to achieve reincarnation. Why did people have the belief that it was to cultivate the next life? This was probably because most people were ordinary citizens with average willpower and a lower capacity for understanding the true meaning behind its lessons. Furthermore, being able to hope for a better future was in line with most people’s goals in life.

Reading up made him slightly interested and increased his inclination toward introducing this peaceful religion.

What he was unsure of was whether to bring over the raw religion as it was or to make some of his own modifications first.

At its root, Buddhism was about practice. Ren Baqian would include the part about cultivating one’s next life to control them better.

The more details there were, the more loopholes there would be.

After a few days, Ren Baqian brought the two of them back. Qing Yuan and Hong Luan missed this place a little.

Here, there were KFC Bucket Meals to eat and television shows to watch. It was much more fun than the palace was, and they loved it here.