Chapter 9: She Who Sees All (V)

Jiang Pengji licked her dry lips. “Leader Two was a Hejian local, and so were some other bandits. It is highly possible that some of them came from the same village because people who are similar tend to gather in the same area… Moreover, the limited transportation in this era can ascertain that most of the kidnappers were from the same or nearby villages because traveling to farther places would have taken too long. Do you not think so?”

Though she had misled Leader Two to make him suspicious towards those who were from the same area, she firmly believed that her inference was correct.

If Leader Two went to prove his guess, it would certainly spark an argument and result in a physical fight among the ill-tempered, simple-minded men.

She had never asserted that his son was taken by a member of the gang. Who could blame her if one member struck another?

“Oh, right. Wait a moment.” Jiang Pengji stood up to stop the bandit before he went to interrogate his brothers.

“I am worried about the pretty ladies out there, so I will not speak to Leader Four directly. You will tell him this.” She then vividly described the looks and personalities of several outlaws without saying their names.

“And lastly… we must not leave you out, the second leader.” Her grin sent a chill through Leader Two’s body. “I will let you decide whether to tell him everything.”

By doing so, she was showing that she was innocent in anything that might take place later on. After all, all she had done was tell the truth.

If she had spoken directly to Leader Four, it would have been obvious that she was trying to cause trouble. Her indifference strengthened the validity of her words.

Leader Two had thought he was lucky before Jiang Pengji had named him as one of the men who had slept with Leader Four’s wife. Not anymore.

He even suspected that she had been watching when he visited the wife.

Now, Jiang Pengji had sown all the seeds. She just needed to wait for the right time to harvest them.

Wei Jingxian and Shangguan Wan surrounded her after she returned from the back room. Only after seeing her unaffected manner and appearance did they sigh in relief.

“I am alright. The bandits are now probably too busy dealing with their own business to notice us.”

Most of the bandits had left to settle their matters, leaving only a few men to keep an eye on the ladies.

“They promised to let us go…” Shangguan Wan held her arms loosely around Jiang Pengji disappointedly. “But the men at the door… There is no doubt they will break their promise! Lanting, what should we do?”

Now that she knew Liu Lanting was actually a lady, she felt more comfortable around her.

Even before learning Lanting’s true gender, Shangguan Wan had already developed a good opinion of “him.” She had wished her illegitimate brothers were as gentle as him, instead of constantly being hostile towards her under their masks of innocence.

However, Liu Lanting had always kept a distance from other girls because of his engagement to Wei Jingxian. Shangguan Wan had therefore been frustrated. Although she was young, she was clever enough to know that people would point their fingers at her if she had approached Liu Lanting in a friendly manner, even if “he” was just a brother to her.

Now that she knew Liu Lanting was actually a sister in disguise, she was allowed to be as friendly as she wanted. Not even the most disrespectful attendant could punish her for embracing another sophisticated girl.

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In addition to the fact that Shangguan Wan was a legitimate child, she possessed an adorable childishness that distinguished her from the other overly submissive girls and made her a favorite amongst her elder relatives. She could easily bring smiles to their faces and keep them happy.

Wei Jingxian opened her eyes wide after seeing Shangguan Wan hug Liu Lanting. Men and women should always keep a proper distance. Besides, Liu Lanting was supposed to marry her! Had Shangguan Wan forgotten her manners?

Yet as soon as she saw Jiang Pengji’s indulgent smile, her lips tightened with so much effort that her chest ached.

Right. Liu Lanting was a female.

“I have never believed their promises. Do you think they are as reliable as I am?” Jiang Pengji imitated the way Liu Lanting spoke. “I was just buying time.”

“What!” Shangguan Wan widened her eyes and covered her mouth in both hands, fearing the bandits outside would eavesdrop on their conversation. She continued anxiously, “What if they have not stopped their plan? We are still in danger!”

“Who said that? I will get you out of trouble in a blink.” Jiang Pengji lightly pinched the girl’s soft cheeks, which were plump and delicate with a little baby fat. What a delight!

She then removed a jade hairpin from Shangguan Wan’s hair. “I will borrow this.”

The little lady’s face turned red, and she hid behind Wei Jingxian. In a tender tone, she chided, “Now I know how dissolute you are.”

Crossing her arms, Jiang Pengji smiled mischieviously.

“You can stay here, then, while I take Jing’er to leave with me.”

Embarrassed by her unexpected teasing, Wei Jingxian tried to give her a reproachful look to warn her to hold her tongue. Unluckily, Jiang Pengji seemed to ignore it so that her discontent seemed more like shyness in others’ eyes.

Such a look would be dazzling to any man, and the only male who captured the scene did indeed feel blood rushing inside his body. The person was not a bandit, but the stream viewer, Toudu Feiqiu.

He had watched the show quietly until then, but now he rewarded the host with 520 lollipops to show his support.

Toudu Feiqiu: “I cannot believe my eyes. I almost fell off my desk because of that girl…”

Frowning, Jiang Pengji asked the System, “What are these?” 520 lollipops? What the heck did that mean?

The electric synthesized voice replied excitedly, “Rewards! Our first rewards! Express your gratitude to our audience!” The thrilled System could hardly produce a complete sentence.

Each viewer could bring one point of popularity each day, no matter how many times he or she entered the channel. Rewards were special because their values counted towards the popularity accumulation. For example, one lollipop cost 0.1 Stream Coin, which equaled 0.1 point of popularity. Gaining 520 lollipops meant they accumulated 52 points. Half was for the host, and the other was for the System.

“Gratitude?” replied Jiang Pengji with contempt, raising her eyebrow. “Are you infected with a virus?”

“Uh, it is a matter of courtesy…” The System soon remembered how violent its host could be and regretted what it had said. She was way too independent and decisive.

Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes at its excuse. “You are just brown nosing.”

But because their conversation had taken place in secret, Toudu Feiqiu knew nothing about it.