The story of Sheng Li

Arc-1 —"Better adopt a money-exploiting puppy than fall in brain-exploiting puppy love — An Xiulan."

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After teaching Class Ten A a lesson, Class Ten K was learning a boring lesson of history but the sweet feeling of satisfaction made them attend the boring lecture of history with wide smiles on their faces. 

The history teacher was writing the name of the topic– Valiant Hero Sheng Li on the blackboard while the class was staring at the back of the teacher with dreamy and creepy smiles. 

The students were just too happy today, the teacher could feel it in the atmosphere. 

"Class, today we are going to read about Sheng Li, a celebrated and Valiant Hero of the Fanhuang period," The teacher turned to look at the class. "What do you know about Sheng Li? Have any of you ever read about him in history books or heard about him from your parents?"

An Xiulan who was dying to raise her hand in the class knew about Sheng Li. He was a hero who even they had heard about in talks. He was just a little older than An Xiulan as he was only two hundred years earlier than her era (Dragon Era).

"Anyone?" The teacher asked after no one raised their hands in the class. As his gaze fell on his An Xiulan sitting on the last bench in the last row with Han Zixin, he asked her to stand up. 

"What do you know about Sheng Li?" He asked again. He felt that maybe this student knew Sheng Li. 

An Xiulan felt satisfied that she knew the answer to the question. She praised herself mentally and glanced at Han Zixin smugly who just rolled his eyes in return. 

[Littleblock head was going to embarrass him again!"

"Teacher, if I gave you the correct answer would you remove me as the president of the Puppy love committee?" An Xiulan asked. She was doing everything in her power to get out of the committee that she was a member of along with Han Zixin. Why would she work together with him when he was her biggest nemesis? 

Han Zixin quickly looked at her as he heard her words. She was clearly asking for a beating! 

Too bad he didn't beat little girls.

"If you manage to answer the question, then I can think about it," The teacher gave the fuel to An Xiulan's rocket. 

"Okay," An Xiulan grinned widely. Not just the teacher but even Han Zixin shuddered seeing her creepy grin.

[This English ghost, what is she planning to do? Mass murder by spreading her disease of dumbness?]

"Shang Li was 185cm tall. He was very handsome, even more, handsome than Deng Lun. He fought the battle of Yixin alongside his lover Ye Hua who was a female general disguised as a man," An Xiulan began telling the story she had heard from her best friend Qiao Wei. From the first part of the story, it could be said that she was completely fascinated by the handsomeness and awesomeness of Shang Li. 

She was telling the teacher about the Shang Li in such a manner as she was a storyteller and she had done it many times. 

During the Dragon Era, people used to compare every valiant soldier or Emperor with the legendary Hero Shang Li. Thus, it was natural that they would add a hyperbole or two while talking about him. This way, many times history was different from what it was in actuality as it wasn't always the person who experienced a circumstance wrote history but what he heard from the people in hymns, poetries, and legends. 

Increasing the suspense of the story, she added, "When he was on the way to the capital, the crown prince of that time, Xu Feng plotted to kill the valiant and legendary Shang Li to claim the credit of victory to himself alone."

The entire class gasped. They began calling Xu Feng names for trying to snatch the credit of victor from the person who deserved it in the first place. 

At this time, they failed to notice the look of darkness and fury on the face of the history teacher. 

 "A fierce, bloody and terrible battle was fought between the army of Shang Li who were only twenty thousand in number and the outrageous Crown prince Xu Feng. Unfortunately, Shang Li was badly defeated in the battle and the despicable crown prince won! He not only won the battle but General Ye Hua too."

From her scrunched up nose, it could be estimated that she wasn't happy with the outcome of the war but only if she could change it. 

"Five years later, Shang Li returned to avenge his lost honour and claim back his lover with a large army in order to face the powerful army of Xu Feng, who had now become an emperor," An Xiulan added. "Evil always gets defeated in the hand of goodness. Sheng Li won the battle, defeated the horrendous Xu Feng and put the man who helped him in reuniting with his lover Ye Hua on the throne. He was so devoted to Ye Hua that he threw all the thirteen hundred concubines that the Emperor had given him for his hard work."

"This is the story of Sheng Li," An Xiulan ended the story with a smile and a bow. 

The entire class burst into a round of applause for An Xiulan. Even Han Zixin, who initially thought that she was going to embarrass him, clapped for her. 

[How come they never noticed how hardworking An Xiulan was? She would certainly score good marks in history in the upcoming monthly test.]

…

Author Note: Deng Lun played the lead role in the drama 'Ashes of Love'. Apparently, An Xiulan had been watching some historical dramas in her spare time.