Chapter 257 – Who is Cheng Cheng? (Part 1)
He wasn’t a reckless or foolish person, of course he understood that if he reminded Jiang Pengji to be careful, it would only encourage the “bandits” and boost their morale. The threat level of the ferocious-looking bandit wielding a knife and the unarmed young boy could not be compared.
However, even without Cheng Cheng’s warning, those “bandits” soon came to their senses—first furious, then ecstatic.
“Attack! That brat’s unarmed!”
It was unclear who among the bandits shouted, but a glint of wild joy sparkled in their eyes. This was truly a heaven-sent opportunity!
Their blades were already impatiently thirsting for action!
Whether one was a pathetic weakling or had a weapon in hand, it didn’t really matter. With a blade, Jiang Pengji could at least give them a quick end, but without one, it would be a torturous experience.
The sounds of bones cracking, be it crisp or dull, echoed continuously. Even if Cheng Cheng and his wife moved out of the combat circle, they could hear those sounds clearly. The audience in the live stream had it even better; the top-notch streaming equipment gave them a most authentic experience.
Every time a bandit found themselves easily having their hands or fingers crushed, legs broken, or necks snapped by Jiang Pengji, they couldn’t help but shake in reflex, as if they felt the pain themselves, causing them to flinch every time.
Just because Jiang Pengji was unarmed didn’t mean she had lost her fighting power.
On the contrary, hand-to-hand combat was her specialty.
As a gene warrior, how could she not have undergone intense training in that regard?
It was frustrating, though; her mind was already rehearsing the moves a hundred times over, but her physical abilities were falling woefully behind her mental speed.
To put it simply, her body’s condition was simply too poor, far from meeting Jiang Pengji’s expectations.
She felt very dissatisfied, but in the eyes of the audience and everyone present, her combat skills had exceeded their imagination.
They were witnessing true invincibility!
“I really have no idea where this… cough cough cough… young master comes from, being so young and valiant…” Cheng Cheng murmured, inadvertently pulling at his wounds, a flood of pain stimulating his nerves, with a burning sensation in his chest as if licked by flames.
Cheng Cheng’s wife sighed softly; they were hardly safe themselves, let alone knowing whether that young boy was friend or foe.
Cheng Cheng seemed to notice his wife’s concern and subtly lowered his eyes, shaking his head to indicate that she shouldn’t worry.
Despite Jiang Pengji’s earlier sharp words, if she truly had malicious intent toward the couple, she wouldn’t have risked being surrounded by enemies just to throw away her suitable weapon to save them—she could have easily let the “bandits” kill them.
Since she chose to act, it proved that she had no intention of taking their lives.
At that moment, a commotion came from beneath the waterfall. Cheng Cheng and his wife exchanged grave looks, both sensing the seriousness etched on each other’s faces.
They followed the sound, spotting several hands gripping the edge, before a few heads popped up.
Cheng Cheng hastily tightened his grip on his sword, hesitating whether to strike before these people made it all the way up.
However, what if those climbing up weren’t “bandits,” but rather the young friend’s companions?
Cheng Cheng was caught in a mental tug-of-war, while the few guards who finally managed to scramble up were nearly scared out of their wits.
“Young Master!”
The guards, who had been panting and struggling to climb, suddenly sprang up as if they’d eaten a strength-boosting spinach. With a swift motion, they drew their knives, attempting to help Jiang Pengji out of her predicament, but their young master was simply too fierce, not giving them any chance to show off.
Slap!
After throwing the last corpse to the ground, Jiang Pengji stood coldly amidst the many bodies, quietly watching the guards.
The clumsily climbing guards: “…”
They felt inexplicably… a bit ashamed.
Letting their young master take point was one thing, but as guards, they hadn’t even made themselves useful, which was a tremendous disgrace!
“Go back and train harder.”
Jiang Pengji stared at the guards for several seconds, making them feel uneasy in their hearts.
All the guards dared not meet her gaze; they felt a slight dread.
How could they not feel dread?
It took a whole group so long to climb up a not-so-tall waterfall! To Jiang Pengji, that speed was intolerable. If she had truly needed rescuing, they would have likely left bodies behind, meaning they all needed double the training.
The guards wore bitter smiles, but no one dared to refute Jiang Pengji’s orders.
Several of the guards clasped their hands together, “Yes, Young Master.”
Jiang Pengji finally felt a bit satisfied, her tone softening a fraction. “Clean up these bodies and dig a pit to burn them properly.”
The guards secretly felt a toothache; their young master was indeed ruthless.
What do I mean by ruthless?
People today are all about returning home after death. Earth burials are in vogue, and if limbs were missing in life, dying would mean showing up in the afterlife as a cripple, which was shameful. They highly valued proper burials.
But with a single sentence from Jiang Pengji, she decided the fate of these corpses—after death, they wouldn’t even be able to reach the netherworld.
So, the question arose—
Is it more tragic to have corpses left to rot in the wilderness, consumed by animals, or to have dismembered bodies that can’t enter the underworld, making for an even more pitiful fate?
The guards didn’t dare to refute Jiang Pengji and could only silently obey her orders.
Once they had finished with that, Jiang Pengji finally had the time to focus on Cheng Cheng and his wife.
The man had a tall stature and a gentle demeanor, but let’s not even mention his looks; his first impression made him seem exceptionally easy to get along with, radiating charm. Jiang Pengji analyzed him from head to toe, her gaze momentarily darkening.
Meanwhile, an odd feeling blossomed within Cheng Cheng, an uninvited sense of dread creeping up.
Jiang Pengji scanned the woman beside Cheng Cheng and then addressed a guard, “Do you have any medicine for treating wounds? Help this gentleman with his injuries… Although it’s not a fatal wound, if left untreated, losing too much blood could be dangerous.”
“We have!” The guard naturally had supplies on him.
“Thank you!” Cheng Cheng’s wife accepted the medicine and bowed deeply to Jiang Pengji.
Jiang Pengji didn’t move closer to pry for more information; instead, she sat aside, her gaze icy.
Others thought she was daydreaming, but in reality, Jiang Pengji was just checking the system backend for rewards.
【System: Congratulations, Host, on completing the immediate task—saving Cheng Cheng, and receiving the reward “Full Breasts: Graceful Arms Raised, Cultural Garment,” please collect your reward at the backend mailbox.】
“System, are you unhappy?” she mentally asked the system.
The system responded with a string of ellipses.
“I completed your task perfectly this time.”
Jiang Pengji smiled, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
The system replied, “Host finally understands the hardship of this baby; my heart is filled with comfort.”
However, after saying that, the system lapsed back into silence, utterly devoid of its usual chatter.
Clearly, it wasn’t as happy as it had anticipated; Jiang Pengji could even imagine its furious, gritted teeth expression.
Trying to plot against her? The system still had a lot to learn.
