Chapter 008 – Ironclad Verdict (Part 4)
“Talking alone in the back hall? You’ve got some guts! Hehe, I admire you… please!” The Bandit Leader seemed to have read some books; although his manners were crude, they carried a hint of scholarly air compared to the thugs around him.
As Jiang Pengji examined the Bandit Leader, he also sized her up.
Taking a look at Jiang Pengji, then glancing at the noble girls who couldn’t help but hide behind her, he felt an indescribable oddity in his heart… it seemed like this entire room was filled with women, including this feisty one? Why so many girls in such a raucous place?
“Lan Ting…” Wei Jingxian felt her heart racing when she saw Jiang Pengji really about to talk privately with the Bandit Leader.
Although they were already in a bandit’s den, their reputation was long gone, and they had yet to suffer any substantial harm. If they could escape, they’d only have a sullied name; but if Jiang Pengji were alone in a room with some bandit, it would truly be an irreversible situation.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”
Jiang Pengji winked, her playful demeanor stirring something in the others.
The arrangement in the back hall was even more rudimentary than the front. Jiang Pengji confidently took a seat at the main position, her long legs crossed, her posture so relaxed that it was almost improper. Without her presence, the other girls felt like time was crawling by, worry gnawing at them.
“Leaving a bunch of young girls in a den of wolves, I can’t trust that. Let’s get straight to the point; I still need to hurry back,” Jiang Pengji said urgently, even though her posture suggested otherwise, “I don’t believe the trash outside.”
The Bandit Leader stood aside, his eyes filled with impatience; Mo Niang had become a thorn in his heart that he could never pull out.
He wanted to know day and night who had killed Mo Niang. Jiang Pengji had offered him hope, and he couldn’t wait for even a moment.
“The killer is actually by your side; you’ve just never known.”
Although there was a teapot at Jiang Pengji’s side, the teacups were caked with grime. After a quick glance, she felt no thirst at all.
The Bandit Leader wasn’t devoid of brains; after hearing Jiang Pengji’s words, suspicion started creeping in, thinking it could be a ploy to incite infighting.
After all, a person could become a Bandit Leader for a reason; he had some capability, but unfortunately for him, he had met Jiang Pengji, who was bound to lead him to his doom.
She was renowned for her sharp tongue in the Seventh Legion, that devil who could expose the buried secrets with just a few words!
The officers under her dreaded making eye contact, always feeling as if they were parading around completely naked.
“I know you have doubts, thinking I’m plotting for you to turn on each other… tsk, I can only speak my truth; believe it or not, that’s up to you.”
Jiang Pengji sneered in her heart; this body felt too weak for her.
She could definitely break through alone, but the noble girls could be mistakenly harmed by the enraged bandits.
For someone like her, who pursued perfection and had a bit of an obsessive streak, that was simply intolerable.
“The killer is your fellow villager; it’s the one with the limp and the curved back. While you were out hunting, he brought along a few punks to force Mo Niang and threatened her not to say anything. Mo Niang was deeply in love with you, feeling guilty beyond compare, and ultimately, she took her own life.”
Upon hearing this, the Bandit Leader’s doubts vanished, trust solidified.
Not to mention Jiang Pengji, even many of the bandit brothers were unaware he and the limping scoundrel were from the same hometown. Typically, they would just nod at each other and offer some favors occasionally, but their relationship was distant; he had told no one.
How could he not believe Jiang Pengji after that revelation?
“If you don’t trust me, you can check his back to see if there are any scars left from when Mo Niang resisted. Mo Niang had a fiercely loyal character, refusing to yield, fighting fiercely against those men, but she was merely a weak woman…”
Before her words had fully settled, the Bandit Leader was already striding outside with his sword drawn. Moments later, terrified screams from the noble girls echoed back.
Sensing the scent of blood permeating the air, her full lips curled up, and she exclaimed, “Next!”
System: “…”
Even though the system was devoid of any emotions, encountering this host made its circuits want to short-circuit!
The Second-in-command came in with a pale face, his gaze at Jiang Pengji filled with suspicion.
Just moments ago, the Bandit Leader had rushed out of the back hall, grabbing some unassuming lackey without a word, tearing off the man’s clothes, eyes wild with frenzy, as if he had lost all his sanity and wasn’t even remotely calm.
The lackey begging for mercy seemed bewildered; something had triggered the Bandit Leader’s fury, as he promptly decapitated the poor fellow.
“Your son was so young when he went missing…” Jiang Pengji was unaffected by the noble girls’ terrified screams, merely catching the smell of blood in the air confirmed she had completed the first stage of her goals, “Do you want to see him?”
“Of course I want to!”
Upon hearing about his son, the Second-in-command’s longing instantly took over, his eyes sparkling.
He was a man of recklessness, never engaging in serious matters. Whenever he flexed his muscles, he’d stir up trouble everywhere.
Having money meant enjoying life; he spent every day in brothels, frolicking with the courtesans, and when broke, he would bring trouble to his parents.
Eventually, he married an ill-omened widow from the village and managed to have a chubby baby boy after two years of marriage.
However, having a child didn’t help him settle down; he remained as chaotic as ever.
Once, he kicked a metal plate and ended up being thrashed by an even more troublesome opponent. The pain left him unconscious!
After healing, everything still worked, but the doctor informed him he would never father another child.
Once he faced that reality, he thought of his only son, watching him like a hawk, afraid something might happen.
If that child were gone, would he not become extinct this lifetime?
When he died, who would offer him incense and prayers? Without a dutiful son to break pots for him, what was left to look forward to?
Yet, as fate would have it, when his son was four, he disappeared, and no matter what, he couldn’t find him. His wife cried blind in despair.
“Your son, tsk tsk, not looking good,” Jiang Pengji shook her head, sighed, “Natural disasters and man-made calamities, it’s the common people who suffer. That year of drought, no harvest… You and your wife raised your son to be chubby, which was well-intended, but it easily invites trouble.”
Before she finished, the Second-in-command suddenly had a realization, turning red-eyed, collapsing to the ground as if all his strength was drained.
In that year of drought, everyone struggled to survive, feeding on wild grass and tree bark, but there were those who would steal other people’s children to fill their stomachs.
Young and strong, he barely managed to support his family, but sometimes when hunger struck, he would sneak a bite of someone else’s child…
Realizing this, the Second-in-command fell to his knees in despair, crying and begging, “Living God, please tell me, which heartless wretch did this to… to my son? He’s my lifeline…”
Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze slightly, talking in a calm tone, “Since you plead so earnestly, I cannot remain silent. The one who ate your son is from the same village and is just as reckless as you… beyond that, I know no more, you’ll have to investigate it yourself.”
The system internally nudged Jiang Pengji, “Aren’t you… planning for them to turn on each other?”
Why not just say who the killer was?
Directly calling it someone from the same village, what if they really went searching there?
“Idiot!” Jiang Pengji smirked disdainfully, “I’m not a deity; how would I know exactly who is from your village?”
System: “…￥%……￥#￥#@@@…”
If you don’t know, why are you spinning such a thin tale!
