Chapter 7: She Who Sees All (III)
“Shut up!” For the bandit boss, finding the one who had caused Mo’niang’s death was the most critical task. “I agree!”
But there was no such thing as loyalty to their leaders for the brutal outlaws. Thus, when the boss neglected the interests of the whole group, some started to consider killing him for their moments with the ladies.
After all, they had no lovers, and the tricks of Jiang Pengji would not work on them.
As Leader Two made the decision, light flickered in his eyes. Suddenly, Jiang Pengji asked him, “Do you want to find your kidnapped son?”
She then turned her captivating eyes on another man. “Do you not want to know how many of your brothers have been sleeping with your wife?”
There was silence in the room.
After hearing her, those who had decided to disobey suspended their plan.
Unlike the secret past of Leader One, a lot of them knew that Leader Two had lost his child when he was young.
They also knew that he was not able to reproduce after that, even though his essential body part was still there. Having no son was almost the same as losing that body part altogether because the kidnapped son was his one and only child. It was needless to say how important his son was!
As for the guys sleeping with Leader Four’s wife… Heh! Those who heard about the rumors were trying to stifle their grins.
All the brothers, except a few idiots and the husband himself, knew about the married woman’s misbehavior. Some, after learning about the misconduct, even started to visit her themselves.
However, their smirking soon ceased.
Despite Leader Four’s indifference towards his wife, he was very possessive of her. If all her affairs were revealed, it could cost many lives.
The bandits thus grew unsettled for their own reasons. Still, nobody stopped Jiang Pengji; if they did, it might make them look guilty.
All they could do was hope that what she said were merely random guesses. But how strange it was that she could spot their weaknesses purely by chance!
“If you want to know…” Jiang Pengji looked around, perceiving their v ous pressions. With no effort, she freed her hands from the ropes in front of the outlaws and then gave a dazzling smile and spoke in a low voice. “Come one at a time. There is no hurry.”
Despite her young age, Jiang Pengji was not intimidated by the besiegement. Her eyes were clear, showing her confidence.
The group observed her clothing. Only a young nobleman (or noblewoman, in her case) would dress the way she did. There was no way she could have gathered information about them, ordinary people, beforehand. How, then, could she possibly know about their pasts?
They shared the same conjecture in their minds at once: Was the girl capable of mind-reading or some mysterious foresight?
It reminded them of the hearsay about a revered Confucian scholar in Dongqing Dynasty—Master Yuanjing, also known as “He who sees all.”
Apart from being well educated, Master Yuanjing was said to possess the power of connecting different spheres of time, thus being able to tell one’s past life, present time, and life after death.
The credibility of Jiang Pengji’s assertions seemed to increase as they remembered Master Yuanjing. The outlaws, especially Leaders Two and Four, were more inclined to listen further to confirm the validity of her words.
Or maybe they were impelled to believe her because she could point out their weakness with such preciseness so that not even one of her statements was wrong.
Leader Two desired to find his son, while the Leader Four could not bear another man touching his wife.
By then, the System somehow understood Jiang Pengji’s plan. She was trying to buy time for herself and the families of the kidnapped noble ladies, who might already have received the news. At the same time, she was aiming high…
She wanted to kill with the others’ swords.
The System was thrilled by its host. Provided her maximum power and intelligence, who would doubt her ability to defeat the others and become the Queen?
Before they were able to make sense of the situation, the ladies were led out of the crowded, dark shack. The bandits still had lustful thoughts, but they were restraining themselves.
Their gazes were still that of disgust, but it was much better than what had happened a while ago.
Wei Jingxian secretly pulled Jiang Pengji’s sleeve, looking at her with perplexity and vigilance. “Who…”
Jiang Pengji was a little surprised. Did she sense something unusual about her?
She then looked down to meet the maiden’s eyes with sincerity and determination in hers. Gently, she said, “Jing’er, I can protect you the way I did under the pear blossom tree.”
Wei Jingxian used to be a restless child. She had once escaped from her attendants and climbed up a pear blossom tree. Later, after realizing it was too dangerous to get back to the ground, she wept for a long time among the leaves and branches.
In the end, it was Liu Lanting who found and comforted her, promising that he would catch her as she jumped.
What followed was the three-month rehabilitation of the meager boy, whose arms and body were injured after catching the falling, chubby girl.
That was a secret they kept together. Not even their closest attendants knew about the incident.
Wei Jingxian was no longer suspicious about her identity and instead showed her worry. “This time, it is not that simple…”
“I will do anything for you, Jing’er, no matter how difficult it will be,” replied Jiang Pengji solemnly. “Let the five great mountains be the witness of my promise. They know I am a trustworthy man. This is no casual flattery.” Noticing that Wei Jingxian’s hair had become untidy from the chaos, Jiang Pengji tucked the strands behind her ear and fixed the hairpins and ornaments back to their right position.
Her thoughtful act brought a blush to Wei Jingxian’s cheeks, but the reminder of Jiang Pengji’s real gender soon struck her and caused a heartache.
Even though she was not in love with Liu Lanting, she was not reluctant to marry “him.” She had even pictured their life together since she was little. The parents in both families were pleased with their early settled marriage agreement, and she, too, had expected a husband who would treat her with due respect, if not bring her true happiness.
Her imagination, however, changed to ridicule.
“A trustworthy man? You are not even a man!” Still, deep down, Wei Jingxian was somehow consoled. Jiang Pengji, observant of her emotions, smiled. “If it suits you, my dear.”
The response left a crack in Wei Jingxian’s pretense of calm and indifference, and she said with embarrassment, “How can you…”
Did Liu Lanting resolve to put away the mask she used to wear, along with her disguise as a male?
“Easy…” Jiang Pengji blocked her from speaking further with a gesture and looked at her with assurance. “Do you not trust me?”
Wei Jingxian didn’t know how to answer.
Frankly speaking, she would have believed her a bit more had she not passed out from fear earlier.
The facilities in the bandit’s village were basic and mostly worn out. A few cottages were scattered over the land, and their sizes varied.
Hidden deep in the countryside, the place was no different from their ordinary counterparts’, aside from the hulking, menacing, scary-looking gang, which made their identities conspicuous.
Jiang Pengji checked the kidnappers, particularly Leaders One, Two, and Four. The junior members, too, became cautious, turning away from Jiang Pengji’s eyes. They sneakily glanced at the beauties only when she was not looking.
Out of the tiny, shabby house, the ladies were brought to a small hall in which a crude wooden plaque hung.
“Can I have a private talk with you in the back hall, one by one?”
Jiang Pengji looked at the outlaws mysteriously. Her lips were slightly curved as if she were smiling. Then she hinted, “If I speak here in front of everybody, some may try to hide their wrongs by killing. You experienced bandits and I are fine with bloodshed, but the sweet ladies must not be frightened.”
She looked caringly at the girls and stopped for a second when her eyes met Wei Jingxian’s. The young ladies noticed and became uneasy, but no one made a sound. If the speaker was not Liu Lanting, some of them might have been overwhelmed by humiliation.
But it was Liu Lanting, who, they knew, was a girl. So they must not overreact, or others would consider them vulnerable and unreasonable.
Wei Jingxian, whose face reddened by the special attention, also quickly composed herself.
Again, one should keep in mind, Liu Lanting was genuinely, indisputably, and absolutely a girl!
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