Jiang Pengji didn’t go inside to rest.
Instead, she chose to stay outside, braving the wind and keeping watch through the night.
With her constitution, a single night in the breeze wouldn’t harm her; besides, it gave her a chance to keep an eye on this group of strangers.
By doing so, she figured the girls inside could sleep a little more soundly.
Jiang Pengji sat by the campfire, hugging her knees to her chest.
She periodically added firewood to keep the flames burning brightly.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, her brow arching in a smile as she faced the Skinny Bamboo Pole, who was still maintaining a formal sitting posture despite being out in the middle of nowhere.
Though caught in the act, Young Master Feng showed no embarrassment.
Instead, he returned her gaze with a smile of his own.
“I am merely curious,” he replied.
“How did Young Master Liu…
end up in a place like this?”
Jiang Pengji scoffed, using a piece of firewood to poke at the flames.
A wry smile touched her lips as she said, “Can’t you see this is a bandit’s den?
Naturally, I was abducted.
Otherwise, who would be foolish enough to leave a soft bed and a high pillow at home just to come here and endure the night wind?”
Young Master Feng choked on his words.
If she really was abducted, he thought, how did she manage to take down a whole gang of bandits?
“Th-this is quite unexpected.
But the bandits were so fierce…
How did Young Master Liu manage to…
annihilate them all?”
Jiang Pengji shrugged.
“They had plenty of brawn, but their heads were full of straw.
A few well-placed words were all it took to throw them into chaos.”
The more nonchalantly she spoke, the more bewildered Young Master Feng became.
His curiosity flared, and he felt an urgent need to understand.
“My guards examined the bodies.
There were indeed signs of infighting.
I wonder what strategy you used.”
Sowing discord wasn’t difficult, but getting a gang of lust-driven bandits to temporarily abandon their desire for women was no easy feat.
Furthermore, aside from the bodies that had been used as bait, all the other bandits had died the same way: their throats had been slit from behind, killing them instantly.
There was hardly any blood spattered.
If not for the unnatural coldness of the bodies, they looked as if they were still alive.
If a few words could cause a bandit den of that size to fall into such disarray and turn on each other, then bandits wouldn’t be running rampant in Hejian Commandery.
Of course, if what Jiang Pengji said was true, it would also prove just how extraordinary this “Young Master Liu” truly was.
This realization left the young man feeling a prickle of unease.
He had always believed that no one his own age—save for a chosen few—could ever make him feel so utterly outmatched.
“A strategy?
A strategy for a bunch of fools like them?” Jiang Pengji scoffed.
“I merely tore away the fig leaves they were using to cover their shame, then sowed a few seeds of discord.
And they actually followed my lead, step by step, walking straight into their own graves.
It was sheer, unadulterated stupidity.”
Young Master Feng’s gaze lingered on Jiang Pengji’s smudged face.
He pressed further, his voice tinged with reluctant curiosity.
“And what exactly did you say?”
Seeing his persistence, Jiang Pengji decided to indulge him.
She was bored on watch duty, after all; this would pass the time.
But as soon as she finished explaining, a strange, unreadable expression crossed the young man’s face.
Jiang Pengji shrugged it off.
“The rest were too stupid to live.
As for the ones who didn’t get a chance to be stupid, I finished them off myself.”
Only then did Young Master Feng seem to snap out of his daze.
His gaze turned to Jiang Pengji, now filled with a complex mix of emotions.
He leaned forward, cupped his hands in a formal salute, and said gravely, “Young Master Liu, your wit is truly extraordinary.
I am humbled before you.”
“It’s a matter of common sense, nothing to boast about,” Jiang Pengji said.
Her lack of modesty left the young man’s face twisted in bewilderment.
Gazing at the roaring campfire, the Skinny Bamboo Pole suddenly pointed to himself.
“I wonder what Young Master Liu sees when he looks at me?”
Jiang Pengji was baffled.
The atmosphere had been so pleasant—why was this shota of a boy suddenly being so provocative?
As she stood there, completely lost, a few messages from the live-stream chat flashed by, offering some clarity.
Unlucky Stowaway: #Facepalm.
I told you this kid is super cute!
He’s even got a hidden tsundere streak.
Mary Sue’s Love: #Facepalm +1.
The streamer was just being honest, but the young man took it as a challenge.
My heart aches for him.
Orchid May Wither, Jade Remains Unbroken: Heartache +2.
Wujiang Pickled Mustard: Heartache +3.
Jiang Pengji finally caught on.
Her words had been completely misinterpreted.
In this era, scholars and literati adhered to a strict social code.
Even if you were inwardly so arrogant your tail was in the clouds—or so desperate to grovel in the dirt behind closed doors—you had to maintain a facade of humility in public.
Otherwise, you’d be seen as an arrogant, insolent fool who didn’t know his place.
Though she knew this was all due to cultural differences, Jiang Pengji didn’t plan to explain.
Instead, she took her time to study the young man.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
“You’re young, but you have a strong will.
Sometimes, you’re willing to pay any price to achieve your goals.”
The Skinny Bamboo Pole waited for a moment, but when no further words came, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
Is that all?
It was a generic assessment that could apply to anyone.
A letdown.
Just then, a sudden smile curved Jiang Pengji’s lips.
Unlucky Stowaway: I can feel the streamer’s about to drop a bombshell!
High-energy alert ahead!
Just as the comment flashed across the screen, Jiang Pengji abruptly asked, “So, how much of that bowl of dog meat did you eat?”
The Skinny Bamboo Pole’s hands froze.
He turned to Jiang Pengji in disbelief.
“What…
did you just say?”
“You raised a dog,” she said.
“It was barely the height of a calf.
It followed you everywhere, and you loved it dearly.
It brought you so much joy.”
The skinny youth looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
Jiang Pengji spoke unhurriedly, “You are not the eldest son of your family.
Though you enjoy the favor of your elders, you are inevitably overshadowed by your capable older brother and your clever, resourceful younger brother.
This dog has been your secret companion for years.
You brought it along on this journey, but when you encountered an emergency, you were forced to kill it for food…”
Beside them, the guards who were supposedly on watch all pricked up their ears, eager to hear the gossip about Young Master Feng.
“Besides that, you enjoy incense and must perfume your clothes daily—but that’s only to cover the dog’s scent.
You treated the dog so well, showing the bond you shared, yet you still had the heart to kill it for food.
Doesn’t that prove you possess a ‘firm will, willing to pay any price to achieve your goals’?” Jiang Pengji smiled.
Really, why did she have to explain it so clearly?
It was like rubbing salt in the wound.
The skinny youth looked as if his fig leaf had been ripped away.
His face flushed red, then turned a sickly green, before finally settling on a deathly pallor.
“I…
I am impressed.
But…
how did Young Master Liu figure all this out?”
“It’s all quite obvious,” Jiang Pengji replied, remaining utterly unmodest.
“If you observe closely, you’ll always find clues.”
System: “If you ever go out and get thrown into a sack and beaten to death, I absolutely won’t be surprised.”
Being such a death-seeking, punchable person, this absolutely couldn’t be the Host it chose.
Absolutely not!
The Skinny Bamboo Pole youth gave a wry smile.
He didn’t sense the gentleness of a noble lady from Hejian, but it was true that each one of them was more mischievous and vengeful than the last!
Jiang Pengji warmed herself by the fire for a while, then turned to ask the youth, “Do you have any clean clothes?
Lend me a set for an emergency…”
The young man was first stunned, then his cheeks flushed red as he lowered his voice and said, “Isn’t Young Master Liu afraid of ruining his reputation?”
To borrow clothes from a strange man was an absolutely audacious act in this era, a level of boldness that suggested he had completely thrown away his purity and reputation.
I think the female lead can go learn the metaphysics of this world, and then she’ll become even more of a charlatan.
Of course, the days ahead for the staff under her command will be even more miserable…
The alcohol-addicted strategist who loves to drink was caught red-handed by his boss, so a certain someone was caught visiting a brothel by his Lord, and then the Lord forced him to bring the Lord along next time he visited a brothel, and which general’s bad habit of grinding his teeth in his sleep was also known by the Lord, and who who who’s embarrassing dream last night was also known, damn it, this life can’t be lived anymore— PS: The titles “Young Master” and “Young Mistress” are so cute, I feel like they’re full of flirtation…