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?"
Not only did Penji's words fail to comfort Shangguan Wan, but they made her cry even louder.
Everyone near them scorned Jiang Pengji in a low voice for overestimating her capabilities.
For them, Liu Lanting was doubtlessly a "power level five," meaning she was absolutely among the weakest of all.
If she were as strong as she claimed to be, she would not have passed out after being caught by the intimidating bandits.
With a glance at the ladies, Jiang Pengji could tell what they were thinking. But she could make no defense for herself or complain because the body she was occupying had indeed been a "power level five" before it had melded with her soul.
The kidnappers were almost finished hiding their tracks. Jiang Pengji closed her eyes to ponder what to do.
Feebleness inconvenienced her. If she were in her former body, she would not have bothered to think at all. She would have broken the door with a violent kick and struck down anyone who got in her way with her bare hands. She had not trained her combat skills for nothing.
The atmosphere of the dim shanty was oppressive. No one made a sound.
The single viewer was probably the most perplexed of all.
After a while, the viewer curiously sent three messages, and this time they contained more than merely question marks.
Toudu Feiqiu: "Uh… May I ask… What is your livestream about?"
He had watched for quite a long time, yet he caught nothing informative except for a few exchanges between people in ancient Chinese costumes.
Still, he had to admit that the girls in the house were surprisingly adorable, and that they would be astonishingly charming when they grew up.
Jiang Pengji did not open her eyes as she continued contemplating.
The System, which noticed what had happened, provided her with an immediate reminder: "You can deliver messages with your mental power."
Host V: "Our main mission is to become the Queen, while the current minor quest is to save these girls… If we fail, you may see a real time video of all the girls, including myself, being gang raped by the men outside."
System: "…"
No host would ever speak as rashly as she did.
There was a message of a string of ellipses in white font. Obviously, the viewer was shocked by the violent and obscene comment from the host.
Toudu Feiqiu: "God bless the host in fulfilling the minor task. By the way, the mentioned consequence of failure cannot be played here due to censorship."
He was embarrassed. But at the same time, he did not believe what she said.
Jiang Pengji lifted her brow and asked the System, "There is censorship on inappropriate content?"
"We play directly via the network of dimensions, so local policies are not applicable to our broadcasts," replied the System proudly.
Surely, the Multidimension Court Intrigue System involved content unsuitable for children.
Think about the women in court. Each of them would do whatever they could to strive for a higher position, even if that meant inflicting misery on others.
While the System thought about the court ladies' plots, Jiang Pengji's thought about something completely different.
She was used to bloodshed, so a high level of violence was usually acceptable for her. It would be no exaggeration to say that some scenes that were ordinary to her eyes would terrify the audience.
The court intrigue that the System expected, and even her rising from an imperial consort to becoming the Queen, were not what she had promised!
It was true that she had agreed to livestream, but what she would do on the show had not been restricted.
In fact, Jiang Pengji, who loved resorting to physical strength, was cleverer than many supposed she was.
Members of Corps Seven who had a taste of her abilities knew how tricky she could be.
As the three were interacting, Jiang Pengji heard intense footsteps coming from a distance.
She could tell by counting the steps that half of the outlaws were approaching.
The others were perhaps keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings, or maybe they were just waiting for their turn. After all, the small potatoes had to wait for the second round.
The head of their group, Leader One, opened the door.
"Ha ha! Enjoy yourselves, my brothers! These are the most precious beauties in Hejian! If we were in town, those who took one glance at them would most likely be driven away by their attendants!" As Leader One laughed loudly, he grabbed the hair of a random noble girl and pulled her toward his bosom.
The prey's shoulders became stiff, her body trembling violently.
Although the forceful hold of her hair was painful, she didn't dare scream, fearing that would provoke more demeaning acts. Therefore, she bit her lips, looking frightened and humiliated.
Leader One was too busy indulging in his own pleasure to care about the little changes in the girl's eyes.
But Jiang Pengji noticed them. As she turned her gaze, she saw other influential members of the bandits ready to pick from the pretties.
She must act now. Otherwise, a few minutes later there would be considerably improper scenes.
So she raised her eyebrow and stood up at once. Her figure, which was not overly feminine, was filled with playfulness as she called for a halt.
"Wait a moment!"
She was not loud, but her voice was distinctive enough among the coarse voices of men.
"What?" Leader One stopped and looked at the disheveled Jiang Pengji. With contempt he said, "Do you want to change places with her? We would have great time together!"
By then, the young girl in his arms looked ghastly pale, and her eyes were filled with agony.
Jiang Pengji examined the bandit for some time then unexpectedly replied, "Change place with her? Not even in your dreams! Let go of her, or you will never know who assaulted your lover and prompted her death!"
Everyone was bewildered.
At that moment, there were puzzled kidnappers on one side and noble ladies on the other, who would rather die than satisfy the desires of the gang.
For the ladies, the reputation and interests of their families were of the utmost importance and superseded the value of their own lives. Giving the outlaws what they wanted would cost more than their virginities because of the shadow that would be cast over both themselves and their houses.
If the incident were made public, it was not difficult to predict that their uninvolved cousins would also be detested. The only solution to protect themselves and their families was to take courage and end their own lives.
However, distracted by Jiang Pengji's move, the girls forgot what they had intended.
"What is going on?" They looked blankly at one another, not having guessed Jiang Pengji's plan.
"Heh heh… What the h*ll are you talking about? Our leader is the most powerful man one can ever imagine. Who would dare to touch even one hair on his lover's head?" an unsuspecting junior bandit said in the hope of flattering his leader.
What he and the rest did not anticipate was the emotional explosion of the normally composed Leader One, as if someone had been feeding him bombs.
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