Chapter 82
Jiang Pengji was the smallest person compared to everyone else .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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 .