Chapter 4: The Bandits’ Den
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Pengji had endured countless battles and had seen enough deaths to last her a few lifetimes. She would not have agreed to the System just to save herself. She did not mind death, but who could bear to witness those gorgeous ladies being sullied?
She was supposed to be dead, and yet there she was, talking to the System. Every word she uttered left a bitter aftertaste.
System: “Agreed to the terms of the Streamer’s Contract… Searching for a dimension to connect to… Validating coordinates… Streaming!”
Suddenly, static sounded while a loading symbol spun a few times in the middle of the transparent panel. Then, the panel revealed a live stream of the situation from all angles.
Jiang Pengji saw herself through the stream, carried by a burly man before he dropped her unceremoniously on the ground. Jiang Pengji gritted her teeth. How dare he drop me. If I don’t teach these bandits a lesson, they’ll think I’m a pushover.
The enslaved noble girls had been forced into a musty smelling shack after an arduous trek up the mountain trail. Each girl was quiet as they hung their heads in despair, listening to the lecherous laughter outside. They were well aware that once the bandits packing away their gear, there would be no chance of escape.
Jiang Pengji counted the seconds that ticked by until finally, a single white question mark floated across the screen. A viewer had entered the stream!
“System!”
The System kept true to its word. If it got even one viewer, it would aid Jiang Pengji in adapting to her new body. It was powerless without the viewer.
If the System had been forthcoming, however, it would have let her know that the current number of viewers were far too few for it to do anything more. If Jiang Pengji were to fail here, the end would still be the same. But of course, it had confidence in Jiang Pengji because of the attribute Strength Fusion +30.
Strength Fusion, the digitization of a soul’s strength from their previous life fused into the current host body, would always be a host’s best asset.
The System took a quick peek at Jiang Pengji’s Soul Fusion. Only a measly 0.3 percent fusion. But the highlight was the 30 points of Strength Fusion! The host body, Liu Lanting, only had five points for Strength as a non-combatant… but Jiang Pengji was a veteran in combat!
The System did a quick calculation of Jiang Pengji’s Strength stats from her previous life. It definitely exceeded the system’s expectations. Those numbers… Wow!
Adding the base and fusion stats would give Jiang Pengji a Strength of 35 points, which was equivalent to that of a grown man from that era. That would mark Jiang Pengji as a dangerous woman. However, if her stream’s popularity were on the rise, she would eventually have to cave to the System…
Regardless, the odds are in Jiang Pengji’s favor. She previously led a bloody and battle-weary life; how could she not be able to fight? With her 35 points and combat experience, getting rid of those bandits should be child’s play.
Then again, it might be improper to start the stream off with bloodshed… But it would be unique in its own way… Maybe that would attract more viewers?
The System pondered over its next course of action. Or maybe we can have a unique Queen…
The System always did what it said it would do, and it did not take long for Jiang Pengji to feel less stiffness in her foreign body… Nevertheless, the body was ultimately someone else’s, so the System did not expect much.
Jiang Pengji moved her body a little. The results were more than satisfactory, and she let out a small sigh of relief.
To ensure that there would be no fuss or struggles, the bandits had tied all the girls’ hands behind their backs—even an unconscious girl was no exception.
Jiang Pengji opened her eyes and sat up before she scrunched her brows and moved her wrists.
The rabbit-like girl from before was the first to notice Jiang Pengji’s actions. She could not hide her relief, and her eyes welled up with tears. “Brother Lanting… Big sister… You’re—you’re finally awake… Thank goodness…”
Jiang Pengji turned towards the voice. Based on the information downloaded from Liu Lanting’s memories, she and the girl were fairly close.
“Hm. I’m awake.” Jiang Pengji smiled consolingly. She was never shy with her expressions when it came to beautiful girls.
The moment was lost when they were interrupted by a cold sound.
Wei Jingxian sat against a corner with her hands tied behind her. She harrumphed and said, “What’s the point of waking up now? You just became a burden.” Her tone was sharp yet anxious.
If Jiang Pengji had remained unconscious, the bandits might have ignored her… And that could have been their chance to get help.
But Wei Jingxian pursed her lips and hid her thoughts.
As red stained her cheeks, she gave Jiang Pengji a look that was not quite a smile. Then suddenly, her face became pale again as she harrumphed before turning to face the wall.
Jiang Pengji watched her display with interest. She was a sucker for such a personality, especially since Wei Jingxian was a classic little beauty. Her life was pretty simple, with little interest in anything except for pretty girls. If she could keep one trait of her former life, it would be her love for beautiful girls!
At that moment, a string of white question marks flew across the screen. The viewer had yet to make sense of what was happening.
The viewer had probably stayed for the room full of adorable girls, despite his or her confusion.
The rabbit-like girl looked at Jiang Pengji with hesitation before turning her attention to the sulking Wei Jingxian. What a dilemma.
At that moment, Jiang Pengji twisted her wrists again. The rabbit-like girl noticed her movement and sadly said, “Brother Lanting, even though you’re actually a sister, I’m still too used to calling you that… But those bandits tied our hands really tight and it’s impossible to remove…”
Jiang Pengji mentally rolled her eyes.
If she could not break out of this simple bond, how would she have taken over as the head of the Corps Seven? A child could easily break out of these bonds.
She did not immediately remove the ropes once she had loosened them. She left them attached to her wrists and tried to console the other girl. “Wan’er, don’t be afraid. Your brother’s here.”
Dry chuckles resounded in the shack, as though they were ridiculing her for overestimating herself and still calling herself “brother.”
Jiang Pengji did not mind the ridicule—she understood that it was born out of the helplessness of the situation.
The eleven-year-old Shangguan Wan, still too young and delicate in Jiang Pengji’s eyes, needed to be consoled.
“But…I’m still scared… I’m scared…” she sobbed.
Shangguan Wan was the youngest of the Shangguan family. She had been doted upon and raised carefully all her life. What would she know of suffering?
Her hair had been specially done up into two adorable rings, which now lay in a mess, for a poetry event. Just looking at the state she was in would tug on anyone’s heartstrings.
Jiang Pengji moved over to the younger girl and smiled. “Hey… What do you say I chase these bad guys away?”