MTL - A Fascinating Marriage with the Colonel - Chapter 10 Harm oneself

June 15 of the year 2010, the third awakening happened. Several smaller worlds had returned to connect with the main world as living beings of different races started to appear and some people managed to connect with the origin and gain control of various powers: control of fire, of water, of wind, of air, and of earth... In the midst of all these confusions, towers that gave unimaginable powers began to appear in all corners of the world, where those who already had powers could upgrade and become more powerful or even those who did not have powers could receive powers through tests of the tower. And because of these towers, conflicts started to happen in all corners of the world by those wanting to monopolize these towers.

Luan Dimas was betrayed by one of the people he trusted most. However, in his final moments before being killed, he was transported back to four months before the third awakening that started the apocalypse on earth. Being a man who lived for a thousand years and had accumulated several techniques, he now had a new chance to correct some of his early mistakes. Luan decided to make the most of this new chance that the heavens had given to him.

Yu Linglong is the shu (born of a concubine) daughter in a general’s family. Since her mother was only a tribute dancer, her position is the lowest of the low. She used to live with her mother outside the father’s residence, and they only received some monthly money from him. He didn’t bother seeing them. But when her mother dies, she moves into the general’s residence.

The general is a very irresponsible and violent man. He doesn’t really get attached to women, just letting his lust dictate his actions. His wife is a jealous woman, who killed one of his previous concubines, because he doted on her too much. She similarly wants to get rid of Yu Linglong, in part to vent her frustrations over her husband’s cheating habits.

Because the sixth miss – the general’s legitimate daughter, was bitten by a snake, she needs detoxification. The cure was apparently getting poisoned by scorpions, to fight one poison with another. But since she’s already weak, they decided it would be better if she drank the blood of someone poisoned by scorpions instead. The general’s madam naturally decided to use Yu Linglong’s blood. During the process of getting bitten by the scorpion, the original timid Yu Linglong died of fright (and maybe poison? it’s never made clear). Then Yu Mei takes over her body.

Yu Mei is a modern woman. She was some mafia boss, so she’s very capable with fighting and overbearing attitude. She died because the man she fell in love with betrayed her and killed her. So she doesn’t trust easily afterward.

Since she took over Yu Linglong’s body, she refuses to adapt to the circumstances of a lowly illegitimate daughter, and uses her violence to fight for a peaceful life, where no one will challenge her and plot against her. Basically, she beats them up into submission. In the meantime, she acquires a tail – a very persistent prince, who only seems to stick to her harder, the colder she treats him. Did ancient men have such heavy tastes, she wonders.

- Description from Novelupdates

Perhaps the paintings in a museum are subjected to more nonsense than you would hear anywhere else in the world.The language that comes out of an artist’s life is the painting itself. It contains the most ordinary lives that know failure, desire, recoiling in fear, and compromise.Learning is about understanding that language. We miss much of what the paintings speak because there is no way to ask the long-dead painters about the philosophy of their lives.In an alleyway in the residential area of Jongno, there’s a peculiar art gallery. This place enables us to transcend such limitations. By sheer coincidence, I ended up visiting that place and began living an entirely different life.