Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Pengji was the smallest person compared to everyone else.
Xu Ke looked at her and, for a distracted moment, he thought he saw a slim and powerful tiger in her place—a tiger with a cold and calculating gaze that watched her prey as though she already knew the outcome of the situation.
When he regained his senses, Jiang Pengji was still bathed in the sunlight. Her black hair reflected a halo of light around her head.
A moment later, the others trembled in fear, and no one had the guts to oppose her.
Jiang Pengji’s lips lifted coldly, and her eyes curved with the smile.
“Since there are no objections, let’s start.”
She threw her sandalwood fan towards Xu Ke, and he reached out to catch it. The familiar scent on the fan brought a shiver to his spine as he remembered Liu She’s cold and calculating gaze… That interaction had traumatized him for life.
Wait… This was not the time to be afraid of a memory, for his young master had said “start”… But start what? Was she referring to something in the manual?
Before Xu Ke could make sense of her words, Jiang Pengji startled him.
“The first batch of team leaders will be picked by me to ensure fairness,” Jiang Pengji said languidly as Xu Ke’s heart skipped a beat.
Then she continued, “I know some of you are planning to withdraw. You’re afraid that you will die in the hands of the bandits, but your service is with me. That’s why you won’t dare to oppose me. But I’ll give you all a chance now. If anyone can beat me in a fight, I will allow them to go free, and I will also give them a year’s worth of silver.”
Xu Ke was enraptured as he watched Jiang Pengji standing there under the sun with a smile on her lips and fire burning in her eyes.
“You can come at me one by one or as a group. You don’t have to hold back!”
Everyone looked unsettled, and no one was still. No one had expected her to be this arrogant.
All the new men were from poor families. They had worked the fields since they were young, so they were much stronger than any nobleman.
Jiang Pengji may be the Lius’ precious son, and she may have had martial arts training, but she still looked weak and frail. It seemed impossible for her to take on a group of men.
But if they could beat her, they would get back their freedom and still get a year’s worth of silver. It sounded too good to be true.
The men started looking at each other, and their steps were hesitant. No one dared to attack first.
Xu Ke, on the other hand, was anxious. He wanted to pull Jiang Pengji back, but he was afraid that he might offend her. But if he did nothing, she could really get hurt or even killed by the men.
Jiang Pengji wore a predatory smile. Her expression was expectant, as though she was waiting for something to happen.
Xu Ke froze on the spot and remembered the incident with the assembly of scholars. Jiang Pengji wore the same expression then, and her eyes had held some scorn. That was enough to tell him that these men were no match for her.
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The air filled with tension. All the new men felt as though they had a burden upon their shoulders, and they were strangely nervous. Their breathing quickened, and their backs were damp with sweat. It was as though they had been burdened by life itself.
“No one?”
Jiang Pengji was good at picking the right time to speak.
The strongest and biggest man of the group stepped forward. He drew back his fist and aimed it straight at her face.
“Looks like someone has guts.” Jiang Pengji laughed lightly. It was obvious that she didn’t care about the fist that was coming her way.
The village head was terrified for her, and Xu Ke looked away because he could not bear to watch.
Her viewers held their breaths and gripped their fists.
Some of the viewers started to grumble about the stream’s clear resolution. It looked like the fist was heading straight for them. The fearful viewers steeled themselves as they prepared to watch Jiang Pengji bleed.
Most streamers loved to pull off death-defying stunts to increase their popularity. But no one expected Jiang Pengji to do that.
The viewers who had seen Jiang Pengji’s prowess in battle were not worried about her. They were excited to watch her shine in battle again.
“Good one!”
Instead of dodging, Jiang Pengji met the man’s fist head on. She used her palm to block his fist and summoned her strength. Then she smacked off his fist and seized his arm with her other hand. She spun around and used his strength against him. To everyone’s surprise, she threw him aside easily.
Her actions were simple because she did not want to damage the men she had paid for and wanted to train. All she wanted to do was convince them that they could not beat her.
Corps Seven had a reputation of being war maniacs. Others called them “troublemakers with very bad habits.”
Each year, new recruits to Corps Seven went through an orientation in which they had to fight the veterans. Young people were always arrogant and had to have some sense beaten into them before they became much easier to control.
Jiang Pengji applied the same logic here. Those men had their own ideas, so they might not treat the training seriously. They needed to have their pride wounded a little.
Jiang Pengji felt that it would be easier to give them all a good smacking now to prevent them from starting headaches later.
In her opinion, there was nothing in the world that a few good hard whacks could not resolve. If there were, then just add a few more smacks.
The first man who attacked sparked the others. Their hesitance dissipated, and they charged at her as one. How could they all lose to a young and frail noble boy?
They were not trying to kill her; if they did, they would be sentenced to death.
They were just trying to win. As long as they won, she would have to uphold her promise.
Well, it was wishful thinking on their part.