Although they were being robbed by bandits, Gu Zhao wasn't too afraid.
For one, the feeling of weakness from the Five Thunders Order was gradually fading. He would soon be able to transmigrate and escape.
For another, he finally remembered that he now possessed Magical Power. He sensed it for a moment and felt his strength, stamina, and endurance gradually increasing. He wasn't completely helpless.
But no matter what, the most he could do was protect himself. There was no way he could save all the villagers.
Then, Gu Zhao noticed the reaction of the woman in green.
The bandit leader was full of confidence and hadn't sensed anything amiss, but Gu Zhao, a regular consumer of TV shows and novels, had already realized something was wrong.
Although the woman's clothes weren't luxurious, she clearly wasn't one of the villagers. From what the burly man had said, she was a traveler lodging here for the night.
All around her were villagers, huddled together with their heads in their hands. It seemed she was all alone, with no one accompanying her.
'In that case, in this ancient society where bandits roamed and safety was clearly not guaranteed, could a woman who dared to travel alone and face robbers without a hint of fear be an ordinary person?'
'This woman is definitely an expert!'
Connecting this to the Five Thunders Order's earlier reaction and the way his Magical Power was growing by absorbing some substance from the air, Gu Zhao guessed that this world wasn't just a simple ancient setting. It must have Martial Arts Experts, and perhaps even Extraordinary Power.
With that, Gu Zhao observed the woman even more carefully.
"Hahaha! A thorny rose. I like it!"
The bandit leader didn't care about the green-clad woman's words at all. Instead, he laughed smugly. "You'll find out tonight. I may be ugly, but I've got a big nose!"
The surrounding crowd of bandits roared with laughter.
"She's a fiery one! A perfect match for the Village Chief!"
"Take her back to the stockade for the wedding night! She'll be meek and obedient by tomorrow!"
"What a delicate little lady! Prettier than the Village Chief's last two wives!"
The bandit leader's beard, like steel needles, seemed to glint with a cold light. He held his Nine-Ring Saber upside down in his left hand and reached out again with his right, aiming to pinch the green-clad woman's chin.
Unlike last time, his hand moved at an angle, swift as lightning, almost leaving an afterimage. In the blink of an eye, it touched the woman's snow-white skin. He grinned hideously and chuckled, "This pretty little face of yours..."
He was halfway through his sentence when his voice abruptly cut off.
The woman in green, however, didn't dodge this time. She allowed the bandit leader's hand to rest on her face, merely looking at him coolly as she said softly, "My face... is not for just anyone to touch."
The bandit leader's right hand was touching the woman's cheek. His mouth was half-open, his expression frozen, as if his entire body had stiffened on the spot.
He was still smiling, but the smile looked rigid and grotesque.
He seemed to want to speak but couldn't get a single word out.
The only things he could move were his eyes.
But his back was to his men, so they couldn't see the expression in their Village Chief's eyes shift from frivolity to doubt, and then, in an instant, to terror.
The bandits were still roaring with laughter, a few of them cracking obscene jokes.
The woman in green smiled faintly. She tilted her delicate head back slightly, her red lips trembled, and it looked as if she blew a silent whistle.
The next moment, the faces of the bandits, who had just been jeering and laughing, all changed.
From Gu Zhao's perspective, it was as if an invisible shockwave swept past. Whether they were the ones laughing and jeering or the ones smashing and looting the houses, the faces of all the bandits suddenly turned pale, and their expressions twisted into hideous masks.
Some seemed more vulnerable, their eyes rolling back in their heads as they collapsed.
Others clutched their heads in agony, letting out low growls and struggling for a moment before staggering and pitching forward.
THUD! THUD!
CLANG! CLANG!
The bandits fell every which way, their weapons scattering in disarray.
Within a single breath, all twenty or thirty bandits at the scene had been taken down. Gu Zhao couldn't help but glance at the one closest to him. The man's pupils were dilated; he was clearly beyond saving.
From beginning to end, the bandits hadn't even let out a single scream.
From beginning to end, the woman in green's gaze never left the bandit leader before her.
The bandit leader's eyes had now turned from terror to pleading.
"Honorable Village Chief, do you still want this humble lady to be your wife?" The woman's voice held a hint of a smile.
The bandit leader wanted to shake his head, but he couldn't move at all.
The woman snorted, then gently blew another breath.
The next moment, the bandit leader's pupils suddenly dilated. Then, as if his bones had been ripped from his body, he went completely limp and collapsed to the ground, silent.
...
The entire event, from the bandit leader harassing the woman in green to her killing every last bandit in turn, took place in the span of only a few sentences. By the time the villagers realized they had been saved, all the bandits were dead.
Gu Zhao was stunned.
He had guessed the woman was an expert, but he never imagined she was *that* good.
'She killed twenty or thirty bandits just by blowing a breath!'
'This really isn't a Martial World!'
'Are we starting with a high-level boss fight?'
Gu Zhao was utterly astonished and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows again.
Having killed dozens of bandits, the woman turned around, and Gu Zhao finally saw her face.
Her features were as perfect as a painting, her figure supple, her expression gentle, and a smile played on her lips. She looked like a sheltered young lady from a noble house who had never stepped outside, giving no indication that she had just slaughtered dozens of bandits and saved an entire mountain village.
The villagers, finally snapping out of their shock, looked at the woman with a mixture of fear and gratitude, unsure how to react.
The first to get to his feet was an old man. Supported by a young girl beside him, he trembled as he gave the woman a deep bow. "This old one thanks you on behalf of the villagers for saving our lives."
However, the woman in green didn't respond to them. Instead, she looked at Gu Zhao, a strange light glinting in her eyes.
Gu Zhao looked down at himself, then at the surrounding villagers.
'Barefoot, wearing pajamas, totally out of place with my surroundings.'
'Oh no, this expert is going to figure me out!'
Gu Zhao's expression tensed. His mind raced, trying to come up with an excuse, when he saw the corners of the green-clad woman's lips curl up. Her expression suddenly shifted from placid to excited, her beautiful face flushing red. "If it were you, Sir, I wouldn't refuse."
"That brute lit a fire in me, but unfortunately, he was too ugly." The woman in green looked at Gu Zhao, her eyes seeming to fill with a spring tide, glistening with a soft, moist light. "Luckily, you are here, Sir, so I won't be left with no one to vent on."
Gu Zhao: ⚆_⚆???
The woman smiled faintly and walked slowly toward Gu Zhao, her steps like swaying lotus flowers, her willow-like waist swaying gracefully. In an instant, she transformed from a cool, placid maiden into a seductive, lust-filled Fairy.
"Don't worry, Sir. I will make sure you experience the ultimate pleasure known to man," the woman in green purred. "Even if I drain all your Vitality and leave you a withered skeleton, you will have no regrets."
Gu Zhao: ⚆_⚆!!!