Lu Zhao struggled several times before finally managing to open the waterskin.
She took a gulp of water, and the excitement in her blood gradually subsided before she flexed her wrist.
This body’s foundation was truly lacking—after just a few extra punches, her wrist already felt sore and swollen.
If the system knew what she was grumbling about, it would have rolled its eyes: What do you mean “a few extra punches”? You were beating him to death!
The host was really going all out for the Popularity Value.
The live stream chat was still excitedly discussing the recent fight, with people continuously asking, 【Is Xie Jinchi dead or not?】
【Jianmengtianxia: When the streamer left, I saw his chest still moving.】
【Shuaidebumingxian: I saw that too, but just now Commandant Qiao said he’s dead.】
【King of Banter: Streamer, is he really dead or not?】
After massaging her wrist, Lu Zhao replied, 【He’s still barely breathing, but he’s basically a living corpse. I broke all his limbs, and the dagger I used was poisoned. The poison has seeped into his marrow. Even while unconscious, he’ll feel as if thousands of ants are gnawing at his heart every day, until he gradually wastes away.】
【Driver No Brakes: So he’s living a fate worse than death? Great! Killing him with one strike would have been too merciful. This outcome is the best.】
【Pacifier Conqueror: Indeed, a fate worse than death is the perfect match for the Kidney Deficiency Young Master!】
【February Red: Streamer, you’re awesome! Sending you a Soaring Arrow!】
The Scrolling Subtitles kept rolling, and gift effects appeared one after another.
Little stars, lollipops, roses, a hot air balloon, and rockets continuously flashed across the live stream, capturing everyone’s attention.
Watching the steadily increasing Popularity Value in the backend, the system was so excited it could hardly contain itself. If it had a physical form, it would have been dancing with joy.
Lu Zhao remained expressionless on the surface, but with every flash of a gift effect, her eyes grew brighter, and even her drinking motions noticeably sped up.
Once the gift effects finally stopped, she immediately asked the system, 【How much Popularity Value now?】
The system excitedly reported, 【From this round of gifts, the host has received 47 little stars, 36 lollipops, 21 roses, 15 hot air balloons, and 9 rockets, totaling 10,007 points of Popularity Value. Does the host wish to upgrade to LV2 streamer? After upgrading to LV2, the host can freely turn the live stream on and off. The live stream’s capacity will increase from 2,000 to 5,000 viewers, and the host will be able to view a high-definition map centered on your streaming location with a radius of 500 meters.】
After hearing the announcement, Lu Zhao suddenly understood: No wonder the number of viewers in her live stream had been stuck at 2,000 for the past few days—she had thought that was all the people coming in.
So the streamer level was tied to the viewer count.
That map didn’t sound bad either.
Seeing her deep in thought, the system assumed she was tempted, but then she said, “I’m not upgrading.”
The system was unwilling to give up. 【Why not upgrade? After upgrading, the live stream can accommodate more viewers, and the host can receive more gifts. With the high-definition map of the surrounding 500 meters, if anyone tries to ambush the host, you’ll be able to detect it just by checking the map. Plus, after upgrading, the host might even find a way to increase your mental attributes.】
Lu Zhao replied, “Didn’t you say that completing Side Quests allows you to draw treasure chests, and there’s a chance to get the function to freely turn the live stream on and off? So, is it possible to also draw an upgrade card?”
The system flatly denied it: 【Impossible! Upgrade cards are rare cards—the probability of drawing one is even lower than winning the lottery!】
Lu Zhao curled his lips: “Before the apocalypse, didn’t people still win the lottery? The probability might be small, but it exists, doesn’t it?”
“Otherwise, System, you wouldn’t have chosen to bind with me out of trillions of people.”
The system was exasperated: Where did this host get his confidence that could break through the heavens and shoot out of the universe?
Was it granted by his thick skin?
Oh, Great God, please strike him dead with a bolt of lightning.
Boom—
A thunderclap exploded in the sky, startling the system into cowering, not daring to make another sound.
Torrential rain poured down, and in the blink of an eye, the world was plunged into chaos. The wind swept through like a whirlwind, turning the road ahead muddy. The caravan didn’t dare stop for a moment, continuing to race through the heavy rain.
The curtain was lifted by the wind, and rain drifted into the carriage.
Lu Zhao, exhausted, rubbed his temples and leaned against the carriage, drowsy and bored enough to repeatedly pull up his attribute panel to pass the time.
【Streamer Name: Shen Qi / Lu Zhao】
【Age: 16】
【Gender: Disguised as Male】
【Origin: Seventh Prince of Da Yong / Hunter from Xishan Village, Liangzhou, Da Yong】
【Original Skills: Hunting (Fused): Combat, Assassination, Tracking, Poison Use, Others】
【Combat Power: 23】
【Acquired Skills: Speed Card (Consumed)】
【Number of Followers: 2000】
【Current Popularity Value: 10437】
【Current Streamer Level: LV1 (Upgradable)】
Outside the carriage, Qiao Chi, already drenched, glanced at him from time to time, frequently reaching out to press down the carriage curtain, afraid the person inside would catch a chill.
The caravan had been traveling for several days straight, and their dry rations were nearly depleted. Qiao Bing ordered most of the group to rest and wait at a dilapidated temple outside the city, while he took two others into the city to replenish supplies.
The temple was drafty, with wind leaking in from all sides. The group sat around a bonfire on the ground, a pot of water boiling noisily over the flames.
Qiao Chi guided Lu Zhao to the innermost, most sheltered spot, ladled hot water from a clay pot, and handed it to him, urging, “Drink it quickly, don’t catch a cold.”
Lu Zhao chuckled to himself: It seemed his image as frail and sickly was deeply ingrained in Qiao Chi’s mind.
In reality, after so many days of jolting travel, he had grown accustomed to it. Moreover, his health was gradually improving, and he no longer felt as dizzy in the carriage.
After drinking the hot water, he asked, “How many more days until we reach Xuanping City?”
Qiao Chi frowned as he looked at the sky outside. “Hard to say. If this rain continues for three or four days, we might arrive in two days if the weather clears. Once Father returns, we’ll continue on our way.”
Lu Zhao followed his gaze outside. The sky was still drizzling, and it didn’t look like the rain would stop anytime soon.
The group had only been in the temple for a short while when Qiao Bing and the other two returned, each carrying a large bag of steaming buns. Qiao Bing handed the buns to the person beside him to distribute, then sat down next to Lu Zhao. He passed him the only few meat buns they had and lowered his voice, saying, “Seventh Prince, the city is abuzz with talk about what happened that day. It seems Xie Jinchi isn’t dead, but his tendons have been severed, several of his bones are broken, and he remains unconscious from poisoning. The Liangzhou Governor has posted a hefty reward for skilled physicians and has personally gone to Fancheng to investigate the matter. Everyone who stayed at the inn that night has been detained for questioning. I’m afraid they’ve already noticed our caravan is missing. We need to hurry to Xuanping City, pick up the Consort Dowager, and get out of Liangzhou territory as soon as possible.”
Qiao Chi fumed with indignation: “It was Xie Jinchi who tried to set the fire first. The smell of fire oil that night was so strong it could be smelled streets away. How dare the Liangzhou Governor detain people for questioning?”
Qiao Bing remarked, “It’s precisely because he’s guilty that he’s only detaining people for questioning.” Otherwise, given the Liangzhou Governor’s temperament, he would have thrown everyone in prison long ago.
Qiao Chi pressed further, “Then, Father, have you heard any rumors about who might have done this?”
Qiao Bing shook his head, “The night watchman who first discovered Xie Gongzi said it was a masked person.”
“One person?” Qiao Chi was incredulous, “So many people died, and it was done by one person?”
Qiao Bing nodded, “Judging from the wounds on those soldiers, it was indeed the work of one person.”
“Who could it be?” Qiao Chi frowned, deep in thought, “To kill so many people without alerting the inn or the surrounding merchants in the slightest, with such clean and efficient methods…” His gaze slowly fell upon Lu Zhao.
The hearts of the live stream audience instantly leaped to their throats.
[Jianmengtianxia: Holy crap, is Qiao Xiaogege going to figure out it was the streamer?]
[Shuaidebumingxian: Very likely. Didn’t he notice the dagger on the streamer earlier? The streamer even told him the dagger was poisoned.]
[Zuipao Tianwang: The key point is that the streamer wasn’t in his room at the time. Aren’t these suspicious points enough to raise doubts?]
While the live stream was buzzing with discussions, Lu Zhao showed no reaction at all and continued eating the bun in his hand. He even offered one to Qiao Chi.
Qiao Chi waved it off and then asked, “Seventh Prince, that night when you got up, did you hear any strange noises?”
Lu Zhao shook his head naturally, “No, I’ve always been frail, and that night I was quite groggy.”
Qiao Chi didn’t doubt him and silently started munching on his steamed bun instead.
The audience in the live stream collectively scoffed.
[Shuaidebumingxian: It’s so obvious, can’t Qiao Xiaogege connect the dots?]
[Siji Bushache: Hahaha, it’s because the streamer is a weakling in Qiao Xiaogege’s mind!]
[Hange Naizui Chuang Tianxia: True, the streamer is so weak he’s become Qiao Xiaogege’s mental block. You can tell from how he keeps pulling the carriage curtain for the streamer along the way. He’s worried the streamer might drop dead any moment, so how could he possibly think of this?]
[Er Yue Hong: Looking forward to Qiao Xiaogege’s shocked face when he sees the streamer in action.]
[Zhi Shang Yi Xia Xian: Looking forward to it +1]
[Guomin Xiao Ke’ai: Looking forward to it +2]
[…]
Seeing the string of anticipation in the live stream, Lu Zhao actually felt a bit of mischievous anticipation himself.
Qiao Chi, however, remained completely unaware. After swallowing the steamed bun in his hand, he suddenly looked up at Qiao Bing and asked, “Could it have been done by the one from Linglong Pavilion?”
Qiao Bing shook his head in denial, “Unlikely. Linglong Pavilion never involves itself in court affairs.”
Lu Zhao became interested and asked, “What’s Linglong Pavilion?”
Qiao Bing explained, “It’s an assassin organization in the martial world. Their pavilion master possesses extraordinary martial arts skills. It’s said he once wiped out an entire sect overnight. But that’s just a rumor; no one has ever seen him.”
Lu Zhao grew increasingly curious about the structure of this Da Yong dynasty—there was the court, the martial world, and the various regional powers.
He felt it necessary to learn more before meeting Consort Mei, so he could better persuade her to accept him.
“System, how much do you know about the situation in this dimension?”
The system stammered, [This system is only responsible for issuing tasks. The situation in this dimension must be explored and understood by the host themselves.]
Lu Zhao was speechless, “What use are you then?”
The system, scolded, didn’t dare to speak. If it were useful, it would have sealed its host’s venomous mouth long ago.
After cursing the system, Lu Zhao continued asking Qiao Bing as if nothing had happened: “What kind of person was my maternal grandfather?”
Qiao Bing hadn’t expected her sudden question. After a moment’s pause, he countered: “Does Your Highness not remember Old General Shen?”
Lu Zhao feigned melancholy: “All these years, Mother Consort and I have been hunted and forced into hiding. My memory of Grandfather’s appearance has long faded. Whenever I asked Mother Consort about him, she would weep…”
Qiao Bing sighed: “No wonder. Before entering the palace, Consort Mei was the most celebrated noble lady in Zhongdu. Old General Shen and his wife particularly doted on her. They originally didn’t want her to marry into the imperial family, but she insisted on wedding His Majesty. This caused estrangement between father and daughter, and even after Your Highness was born, she rarely returned to Zhenguo Jiangjun Fu. Your grandfather Old General Shen was a hero – the rumors of treason were all fabricated accusations. Even His Majesty hasn’t convicted the Shen family. Your Highness shouldn’t dwell on this…”
As Qiao Bing spoke at length, Lu Zhao only extracted the key information: one year after Consort Mei’s disappearance, General Zhenguo died in battle and was posthumously accused of treason. The Shen family now had no surviving members.
When Qiao Bing finished, Lu Zhao nodded: “I understand. Grandfather was a national hero who would never commit treason. His Majesty cherished Mother Consort too much to convict him. But the court ministers and my imperial brothers must view me unfavorably. Having been adrift for so many years, could General Qiao tell me about my imperial brothers? This would help me prepare before returning to the capital?”
Qiao Bing hesitated, uncertain where to begin.
Outside the ruined temple, the rain gradually ceased. Qiao Chi stood up excitedly: “Father, the rain has stopped! We should hurry on our journey.”
Hearing this, Qiao Bing immediately rose and instructed the other guards to prepare for departure.
The procession filed out of the temple to find the clouds had dispersed and the rain cleared.
Lu Zhao sighed inwardly: The clearing weather couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Completely oblivious to her disappointment, Qiao Chi turned back and said: “Your Highness, the rain has stopped! You’ll soon see Consort Mei again.”