Chapter 5 – Ironclad Decision (1)
Shangguan Wan wasn’t soothed at all; in fact, she cried even more pitifully…
Low chuckles and disdainful murmurs surrounded her, mocking her for being deluded.
Liu Lanting was nothing but a complete weakling, after all!
If he had any real abilities, why would he be trembling and running a fever at the sight of bandits?
Jiang Pengji scanned the room, instantly translating the inner thoughts of these noble ladies.
She couldn’t argue back; after all, the original owner of her body was indeed a weakling!
Weakling, no rights.
Calculating the time, Jiang Pengji guessed the bandits were almost done cleaning up; she slightly closed her eyes and pondered her next move.
Ah, this is the inconvenience of lacking power.
If she were still her old self, she wouldn’t need to think at all!
She’d simply kick the door of the small dark room open, tear apart any bandit that crossed her path, and strut around like a boss. Who needed negotiations with her strength?
The dim, crude room was suffocated with tension, and not a single soul dared to speak.
The most confused one was probably that audience member.
After a while, Jiang Pengji noticed that the viewer couldn’t help but post their third comment, which thankfully wasn’t just a series of question marks.
【Stowaway Non-Money】: Uh… can I ask what the host is live-streaming about?
He stared in confusion for quite a while; aside from a bunch of people in ancient attire exchanging a few words, there wasn’t much to gain.
However, this room was filled with lolis who were definitely stunning. Once they grew up, they’d enchant people to death!
Jiang Pengji lowered her eyes, seemingly in deep thought.
The system saw this and quickly offered a friendly reminder, “You can transmit your thoughts without speaking directly.”
【Host V】: The main quest is to live-stream how to become an Empress; the current side quest is saving a bunch of lolis… If the live stream fails, you might see live footage of all the lolis, including me… being assaulted repeatedly by outside bandits.
The system: “…”
Which host would be so reckless and terrifyingly candid?
The viewer sent a string of white ellipses, clearly bewildered by the fierce and outrageous Jiang Pengji.
【Stowaway Non-Money】: I hope the host can complete the side quest, and now, during a time of harmony, it wouldn’t be allowed to air footage of side quest failure.
This viewer was also incredibly awkward, or perhaps they just didn’t take Jiang Pengji’s words seriously at all.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow and secretly poked at the system: “If the live-stream content is too inappropriate for children, will it get shut down?”
The system replied arrogantly, “This is directly streamed through dimensional channels; the methods from there can’t shut down the host’s live stream.”
Since it was labeled as a palace struggle live-streaming system, how could it possibly lack dark content unsuitable for children?
Thinking about how women in the palace strive to climb higher, none of them would hold back their schemes. Who wouldn’t exhaust all their ingenuity and use every trick in the book? Who wouldn’t be ruthless?
The system was filled with thoughts of household strife and palace intrigue, while Jiang Pengji was picturing something entirely different.
As someone used to bloodshed, her tolerance was high; to her, what seemed ordinary might scare viewers on the other end of the stream to tears, perhaps even causing psychological trauma.
As for the household and palace struggles the system imagined, from concubines to Empress… Ha! When did she ever agree to that?
She only agreed to stream in the first place; the specifics of the content hadn’t been so explicitly defined.
Jiang Pengji did indeed admire strength, but she wasn’t the simple-minded brute others perceived.
Only those who had spent time in the Seventh Legion and experienced Jiang Pengji’s methods would understand—when she turned ruthless, she could be even blacker than her own heart!
Just then, Jiang Pengji heard a flurry of footsteps approaching from afar.
Counting them in her head, tsk, it seemed a significant portion of the bandits from the stronghold had arrived.
The rest were either on guard or waiting? Waiting for everyone else to finish before it was their turn?
The leading bandit who pushed open the door was naturally the stronghold’s chief, along with a bunch of his bandit entourage.
“Ha ha ha… Everyone had a great time today; these are the most precious beauties from Hejian. Normally, even beggars would be chased away for taking a glance at these nobles!” The burly bandit laughed heartily, yanking the hair of one noble lady and pulling her into his embrace.
The noble lady trembled, her shoulders shaking like a sieve.
The tug on her hair made her scalp sting, but she dared not cry out, fearing even more humiliation, so she could only bite her lip, face filled with fear and shame.
The bandit chief was too busy enjoying himself to notice the subtle change in the terrified noble lady’s eyes.
Jiang Pengji watched the scene unfold, her gaze shifting as she saw the second and third-rank bandits also trying to take a beauty into their arms.
If she didn’t act soon, in just a few minutes, these guys might put on an inappropriate show right on the spot.
With a twitch of her brow, Jiang Pengji suddenly stood up, her slightly heroic face filled with a playful demeanor as she called out loudly.
“Wait a minute!”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but amidst the rough male tones, this somewhat heroic female voice stood out remarkably.
“What?” The bandit leader hesitated, turning to see Jiang Pengji already standing. However, seeing her still in disheveled clothes only made the bandit chief sneer and tease, “What, you want to replace her for some fun?”
At that moment, the girl being held by the bandit chief had already turned pale, her eyes glinting with a mix of pain and fear.
Jiang Pengji sized up the bandit leader, and suddenly, she blurted out something shocking, “Replace? Aren’t you afraid the winds might literally blow your tongue away? If you dare touch her again, you’ll never know which little bastard toyed with and killed your beloved!”
Her words left everyone stunned.
Some clueless bandits were in disbelief, while others silently resolved to end their own lives rather than be dishonored by these thieves.
For these noble ladies, family interests and reputation were the most important, even more than their own lives.
If they were violated by these bandits, it wasn’t just their purity lost; being subjected to so many would bring shame upon their families.
They could easily guess that if this scandal spread, even the unmarried women in their clan would face scorn.
Only with the courage to take their own lives might they preserve their purity and dignity, perhaps saving a bit of face.
However, Jiang Pengji’s actions drew their attention, and they momentarily forgot about their desperate thoughts of self-harm.
“This?” The noble ladies exchanged glances, unsure of what scheme Jiang Pengji was plotting.
“Heh heh, what nonsense are you spouting? Our great chief is wise and powerful; who would dare touch his women?”
A clueless bandit chimed in, mocking Jiang Pengji while trying to butter up the bandit chief.
However, they could never have guessed that the usually composed chief would explode like he’d swallowed explosives!
