Chapter 19 – Midnight Stranger Comes (3)
It turns out that even a noble girl disguised as a boy is still a noble girl at heart, inherently kind.
Feng Langjun silently lamented to himself while shamelessly inching closer to the campfire Jiang Pengji had built for warmth. A group of guards was carefully setting up a makeshift bed on the ground; they looked far too organized to be just an ordinary merchant caravan.
The ground was damp, and Si Langjun, suffering from a cold, couldn’t bear it any longer, desperately trying to get closer to the fire.
Jiang Pengji felt the gaze of the lanky young man fixed on her, and couldn’t help but smile coldly, hoping some sense would click in his brain.
Feng Langjun watched her with keen interest but felt suspicious, “What might the Young Master’s name be?”
“My surname is Liu.”
Without breaking a sweat, Jiang Pengji skillfully dispatched a not-so-small wild boar in front of the group of strangers, pulling out its innards with ease. Despite her carefulness, her clothes were stained with the boar’s filthy blood and guts.
And that smell? Unbearable, certainly not something pampered young masters and ladies could tolerate.
Feng Langjun wrinkled his nose at the indescribable smell wafting through the air, then motioned for two guards to help her out.
“I seem to recall that the Liu family from Hejian has a young man of similar age, could it be you?”
“Since you’ve figured it out, why keep testing me?”
Jiang Pengji replied rather impatiently; the dagger given by Wei Jingxian was poisoned and not suitable for handling game.
Fortunately, this bandit stronghold, though modest, had all the necessary utensils—pots, bowls, and various spices. Thus, the content of the live stream shifted from survival in the wild to a barbecue segment, while the System was playing dead.
“I know you’re quite intelligent, I hope your wits align with your apparent understanding of the situation and knowing when to weigh your options.”
Feng Langjun twitched slightly at his lips; was she subtly threatening him to keep his mouth shut?
Interesting—a noble girl disguised as a boy, mixing things up and fooling the world?
The number of viewers in the channel steadily rose to ten, and occasional comments flashed by, to which Jiang Pengji subtly responded.
As she set up her makeshift grill, it was like magic as she swiftly skewered pieces of meat, explaining how to make snake soup… the chat atmosphere took a turn as her audience shifted accordingly.
【Mary Sue’s Love】: #CryingLaughing, this chat is so bizarre, wasn’t it supposed to be about palace struggles?
【Stowaway Non-Money】: Am I the only one who noticed that the ‘lanky young boy’ mentioned by the host looks completely lost…?
【Lan Cuiyu Unyielding】: Can’t sleep at this late hour, turned on the stream and was force-fed delicious food, so tormented!
【Wujiang Pickled Vegetables Too】: I swear I heard a stream of MDZZ comments coming from their hearts, #Joy!
【Young Farmer is Handsome】: #Thirsty, haven’t you all noticed how fit those guards are? That young boy has such a high face value, yum!
Jiang Pengji read the last comment and replied seriously in her mind.
【Host V】: They haven’t bathed in at least seven days, running and getting injured, they’re unclean, licking them might get you sick.
A few bored viewers fell silent, and the next moment, numerous “666666666666” flooded in.
Jiang Pengji’s grilling skills held up just like her banter, but she didn’t overcook the meat and added just a touch of seasoning. Of course, considering the milder palate of noble girls, she didn’t add too much.
Knocking on the door, she said, “Jingxian, open the door, bring these in, make sure to heat them up again over the fire.”
The wooden bolt moved slightly, and the closed door creaked open just a crack without revealing any skirts or clothing.
“Where have you been? You smell terrible!”
With the door just ajar, she handed over a skewer of roasted meat. The noble girls were intrigued, but they also had discerning eyes; they could tell it was the best, tenderest parts from the wild boar, perfectly fatty and lean with a fragrant aroma.
“After dragging back a wild boar, how could I not smell? I’ll find a place to clean up later. The snake soup is still cooking outside; I’ll serve it soon to warm you up and keep the cold away. There’s a sickly one out there suffering from the cold…”
Jiang Pengji chatted with Wei Jingxian as if no one was there, completely oblivious to the dumbfounded expressions of the group.
“Is… is the cold serious?”
“I doubt it’s fatal, but they seem to be on the run from enemies and haven’t had the chance to take care of themselves properly… as long as they don’t get chilled any further, warm up by the fire, the illness might linger a few days, but they should recover…”
Why concern themselves with other people’s problems?
Those rough roasted meats, under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t even glance at, but now starving, they found it exceptionally delicious.
The grilled meat was too hot, and they ate cautiously; obviously starving, but still mindful of their eating mannerisms.
Having too much meat can be overwhelming, and they probably weren’t used to this way of eating. Jiang Pengji rummaged through the bandits’ kitchen, grabbing a skewer of dried mushrooms and some ginger. After ensuring they weren’t poisonous, she added a little scallion and made a light soup.
She even washed the earthen bowls she used to serve the soup, given they had been used by bandits; she had to consider the young girls’ cleanliness fetish.
The System, feigning to be dead, muttered, “Didn’t expect the host to be quite so attentive, showing some of that virtuous wife demeanor…”
It thought it might not need to despair so soon.
Look, Jiang Pengji actually had domestic and hunting traits; she was the perfect combination!
“Only for cute girls, I can’t muster that patience for others.”
System: “… Well, a young boy can be quite cute too…”
“However, the gender isn’t right.”
System: “…”
The one whose gender isn’t right is clearly you!
Jiang Pengji was far less meticulous with herself; most of the wild boar meat was rather tough. The tastiest and tenderest pieces she had sent in, while she simply grilled a piece for herself, confident in her good teeth to handle it.
The viewers watching the entire live process were left bewildered.
Especially when they learned that this boyfriend-power-max host was a mere 12-year-old girl… or let’s say a loli?
Then, a viewer who suspected the host was a girl directly sent a comment admonishing her boyfriend.
【Loves That Fox】: Your boyfriend power can’t compete with a girl, useless trash! @National Idol
Jiang Pengji, while nibbling on the fragrant roasted meat, glanced at the barrage of comments flying across the screen, the corners of her mouth lifting in a smile.
She poked the system and said triumphantly, “Thinking back to the day, how many animals from the Seventh Legion turned into single dogs thanks to me…”
Trying to compete with her boyfriend power was a doomed endeavor; better just settle for this thumb-sized girl and make do.
