Chapter 258 – Who is Cheng Cheng? (2)
“Why be angry?”
Perhaps it’s because Jiang Pengji didn’t follow the system’s expected script; it’s a wonder she’s feeling comfortable at all.
She secretly chuckled, raising her already considerable wariness of the system a notch higher.
“My instructor once told me—when you meet an enemy on a narrow path, the moment they show killing intent is when their vulnerabilities become most apparent. Killing intent is a subjective emotion and often unconsciously reveals one’s core motives…”
Jiang Pengji suddenly spoke, alluding to something, and at that moment, the system could no longer hold back.
With a hint of anger in its tone, it asked, “Host, what did you mean by that?”
“It means to let you know that the next time you try to scheme against me, keep your tail tucked away.”
She replied bluntly.
System: “…”
It was akin to being constipated; after holding back for ages, it couldn’t utter another word.
In fact, before Jiang Pengji spoke, it didn’t even realize where it had exposed its true intentions.
Clearly, the real-time triggered task had no issues at all, and yet it still persuaded Jiang Pengji to carry it out, with the final reward of “plump bosom” hitting her sore spots, not to mention the harsh penalty it had incurred.
Just by refusing the task, wouldn’t Jiang Pengji be the winner in life?
Yet, she went against the norms!
Only just now did the system realize where it had gone wrong.
It mentally calculated furiously but forgot how shrewd its host was.
Simply because of the task description, this host became suspicious.
【Cheng Cheng, friend of Meng Zhan from Cangzhou, currently trapped in an unknown crisis; please rescue him within half an hour…】
This task description seemed fine on the surface, but a closer look revealed the hidden trap.
Who is Cheng Cheng?
The description given was—friend of Meng Zhan from Cangzhou.
This title seemed unproblematic, but Jiang Pengji became suspicious because of it.
Anyone who could befriend Meng Zhan must at the very least come from a noble family, perhaps even holding some official titles.
Hence, the normal description should be a certain family or an official from a certain place, but what the system gave was the misleading “friend of Meng Zhan from Cangzhou.” Why refer to Cheng Cheng in such a way?
Thinking back to Jiang Pengji’s grievances against Meng Zhan, under normal circumstances, seeing such a task description, she would be lucky to leave without throwing shade.
After the task failure, there was also a “sixth-level electric shock” penalty, and her martial power would at least rise several points.
Refusing this task was utterly beneficial and aligned perfectly with Jiang Pengji’s usual style.
The second suspicious point—this task was issued only after the bloodied clothes appeared.
Given Jiang Pengji’s typical temperament, the chances of her intervening when she saw injustice was extremely high; she had never been one to shy away from trouble. Yet, the system chose this moment to publish the task, which on the surface seemed to align with her intent to save someone but instead aimed to dissuade her from that thought.
In that case, how could Jiang Pengji not be suspicious?
The system, understanding everything, felt like it was about to explode.
Can this game even be played anymore?
It felt a stomach ache coming on, and its head throbbed—it desperately needed some peace.
After a long moment, it awkwardly reassured Jiang Pengji, though this was of no real use.
“As your counterpart, I couldn’t possibly harm you… As for scheming, that’s also out of the question…”
Jiang Pengji smiled lightly and asked, “System, didn’t you feel any insincerity when you said that?”
The system wanted to explain further, but she interrupted it, forcing the words back down.
“…Anyway, I didn’t expect you to be completely devoted to me, no matter what your motives are, it doesn’t much concern me. But I want you to understand one thing—Jiang Pengji is not someone who can be easily manipulated nor merely a tool for others to use to stab others in the back! Not even you, system!” She huffed, not hiding her arrogance.
She and the system had already ripped their masks off long ago, so why hold back now?
The system responded with a long string of ellipses.
Having spent half a year with her, it had learned somewhat about Jiang Pengji; any unnecessary rebuttal would only make her increasingly wary and disgusted.
No matter how much she disliked it, what could it do?
The host and system, in essence, were like a parasite and its host.
Unless it decided to leave on its own, it couldn’t be harmed by her.
Since she had already completed the task, its purpose was met halfway.
The system sulked internally, telling itself to take this lesson to heart and be more cautious in the future. Jiang Pengji, no matter how clever, could never avoid every blind spot.
There’s no way to guard against thieves every single day, right?
Jiang Pengji declared that being overly clever is a hopeless disease, just like the system itself.
Their scheming failed this time—would it succeed next time?
After their verbal clash, with the system too intimidated to speak up, Jiang Pengji finally took the time to learn about Cheng Cheng’s background.
To be seen as a thorn in the system’s side and wish to use her hands to watch Cheng Cheng die—this was a first!
Just then, Cheng Cheng, with the help of his wife, had already tended to his wounds, wrapping them with clean bandages, barely stopping the bleeding.
Supported by Cheng Cheng’s wife, he unsteadily approached Jiang Pengji and deeply bowed.
“I am Cheng Cheng, a member of the Langya Cheng clan. Thanks to you, young friend, my wife and I were able to escape this calamity.”
Cheng Cheng’s face remained pale, but he tidied up his disheveled appearance, trying to mask the elegance he couldn’t hide.
Jiang Pengji hurriedly returned the gesture. Upon hearing his origins, she couldn’t help but ask, “Langya Cheng clan?”
Those of the Langya Cheng lineage were fundamentally tied by blood to the Cheng clan nobility.
Looking at Cheng Cheng’s clothing fabric and his wife’s attire, the two seemed to be living quite comfortably.
“Exactly,” Cheng Cheng replied.
Jiang Pengji inquired, “With your noble lineage, why did you go out without guards? How did you attract those vicious villains, bringing upon such deadly enmity?”
Cheng Cheng wore a puzzled expression; even he didn’t know how he had offended that group of people.
“If it’s inconvenient for you to share, I won’t pry further.”
Cheng Cheng hurriedly said, “Not at all! It’s just that… even I am completely in the dark. I fancy myself friendly when dealing with others; while I may not have many close friends, I have never had conflicts… I truly don’t know how I drew this unwanted hostility… My wife and I went out knowing the outside world was tumultuous, and we brought ample guards, but they all fell at the hands of those thugs…”
If Jiang Pengji hadn’t fortuitously arrived, the Cheng couple would have met their end long ago.
He wasn’t afraid of dying; he just didn’t like dying without knowing why.
Jiang Pengji said, “Small-time villains hold grudges; even if you treat them kindly, should you slip up at all, they’ll bear grudges…”
