The Empress' Livestream - Chapter 5
Chapter 5: She Who Sees All (I)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
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. 3
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?” 2
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.” 2
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. 1
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.” 1
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.