Chapter 890 – Northern Overlord (Twenty-Seven)
“Ah, Eldest Sister—please come… Little Brother isn’t scared!”
Liu Zhao trembled as he handed his sword over to Jiang Pengji.
Don’t be fooled by his brave words; if you look closely at his shaking legs and hear his stuttered speech, you’d know just how terrified he really was.
Jiang Pengji glanced at his quivering fingers and reached out to take the sword.
With a gallant expression, Liu Zhao seemed ready to sacrifice himself—he might as well have had the characters “Come On!” carved onto his forehead!
Jiang Pengji lifted the sword, its tip gliding from Liu Zhao’s sleeve toward his chest, pausing slightly before moving it to his neck, then sliding it across his cheek.
Feeling the cold blade against his skin, Liu Zhao nervously gulped.
After a long moment of waiting for the expected sharp pain, he was bewildered when he suddenly felt his hair loosen, cascading down like a waterfall.
Liu Zhao blinked in shock and raked his hands through his long hair that now spilled over his shoulders, murmuring, “Eldest Sister?”
Jiang Pengji chuckled, “Look at how scared you are! I won’t bully you anymore; just put your sword away.”
With that, she performed a flourish and accurately tossed the sword back into Liu Zhao’s sheath, causing him to freeze in fear.
If that throw had gone awry, his little brother might’ve lost a kidney—talk about a real sister!
Liu Zhao scrambled to his feet, noticing that Jiang Pengji’s magnificent attire was already stained with blood, some still leaking out.
Just watching made him feel pain; he truly couldn’t understand what mindset Jiang Pengji had to be so ruthless toward herself.
Three long, deep wounds were bleeding profusely, flowing like water—at this rate, wouldn’t she bleed out entirely?
“Eldest Sister, we should find a young doctor and stop the bleeding first?” Liu Zhao inquired, a hint of concern in his voice.
Jiang Pengji tore off several strips from his sleeve with one hand, quickly and neatly bandaging her wounds.
“No need, just go check on Father. I still have things to deal with outside.”
Liu Zhao stared at his ripped sleeve, nearly in tears.
For a pampered noble son, clothing was their most treasured face.
This outfit Liu Zhao wore was a recent creation, and he’d adored it since the moment he put it on.
Finally getting to wear it, and before he even got accustomed to it, his dear sister had turned it into a casualty—how could he not feel heartbroken?
But now was not the time to cry over clothes.
Following Jiang Pengji’s advice, he quickly tore off two more strips of cloth from his sleeve and went to assist Liu Zhi in wrapping his wound.
In contrast to Jiang Pengji’s efficiency, Liu Zhao fumbled around awkwardly, not only failing to stop the bleeding but making Liu Zhi’s injury even worse. Knowing he’d messed up, Liu Zhao anxiously kneeled beside Liu Zhi, watching him take care of his own injury.
“Learn well from your Eldest Sister; if you had even a fraction of her skills, Father wouldn’t have to worry about your future.”
Liu Zhi’s face looked pale from blood loss, and sweat was beading on his forehead.
Liu Zhao obediently accepted the lesson, fearing to defy Liu Zhi.
“Son has learned, certainly will humbly study from Eldest Sister.”
Though they had a father-son relationship, Liu Zhao had only met Liu Zhi a few times over the years; they communicated through walls, rocks, or crowds, only able to glance at each other from a distance. Their infrequent interactions kept their relationship distant.
Liu Zhi was so aloof that Liu Zhao felt a natural intimidation toward him.
With Jiang Pengji, he could show vulnerability, but with Liu Zhi, he wouldn’t dare—his very skin could be stripped away.
Jiang Pengji exited the hall, greeted by a beaming Qi Guanrang and Feng Zhen.
However, their smiles quickly vanished when they saw Jiang Pengji’s attire soaked in blood, their expressions shifting instantly.
Under normal circumstances, if Jiang Pengji appeared looking like this, they wouldn’t doubt that the blood was hers.
But today, they were certain the blood belonged to their lord.
“Lord, why would you go to such lengths to harm yourself?”
Feng Zhen stepped forward, his previous lightheartedness replaced with concern.
He couldn’t help but think about Wei Ci, who was far away in the capital—what would he say if he saw this?
Jiang Pengji shrugged off the concern, “Just a few scratches, nothing missing. Why the fuss?”
Feng Zhen gasped, feeling all his care had been wasted.
How did he end up with such a death-seeking lord?
Feng Zhen remarked, “A gentleman doesn’t stand under a risky wall, and the lord certainly shouldn’t put herself in danger.”
Qi Guanrang, however, noticed something deeper, his gaze revealing worry.
As Jiang Pengji walked outside, she replied, “Just three cuts; it’s better than dying later.”
Qi Guanrang glanced back into the hall, where people kept being carried out on stretchers, thick blood dripping down.
“Lord, you…”
Qi Guanrang inhaled sharply, realizing that their lord had just dealt with the head of the Chongzhou family.
According to their original plan, the intention was to intimidate, yet the lord had shown herself to be so merciless.
Jiang Pengji stated, “If I killed them, so be it. Useless obstacles should be crushed instead of just kicked aside; they deserve more than that!”
Just pushing the obstacles aside was too lenient for them.
These hurdles might reappear on her path one day.
Jiang Pengji believed that rather than wasting time removing them, it was better to turn them into dust from the very start.
In that moment, her hidden murderous intent was fully revealed. Unlike the bloodlust of the battlefield, she merely came across as a decisive leader—no need to stain her own hands, every step she orchestrated exuded her steadfast and intense will.
Those who stand in her way shall face no mercy!
Exchanging glances, Qi Guanrang and Feng Zhen understood each other. They couldn’t help but think how alluring their lord was; she was not just a leader who could mingle with her subordinates but could also blend joyously with the common people without an ounce of pride.
By this time, Li Yun had already dealt with the soldiers brought by those powerful families, and he approached Jiang Pengji to report.
Li Yun overheard their conversation and felt a twinge of worry in his heart. “The people you killed, Lord, are all the leaders of the various families in Chongzhou. Without a solid explanation, they won’t let this go easily. If they start slandering you for bloodshed…”
Feng Zhen merely chuckled in response.
Why did Jiang Pengji harm herself?
Wasn’t it just to have a legitimate reason to take out those people?
Since they dared to incite the lord against the Chongzhou families and catch them off guard, they naturally had a thorough plan.
Qi Guanrang had a pretty good grasp of the situation in Chongzhou, and he smirked contemptuously, saying, “There’s nothing to worry about. We’ve surrounded all their residences. Now, our task is to take the initiative, leaving them with no argument. As long as we can pin the blame of collusion with the Northern nobles on them, it doesn’t matter if we kill one or two; even if we exterminate their entire clan, no scholar would dare criticize the lord.”
The charge of collusion was already handed to them on a silver platter, no need for them to fabricate evidence!
