Perhaps it was because he had already killed someone and taken that first step.
Or perhaps it was because Zhou Zhiruo weighed on his mind, and he knew this was no time for hesitation. Gu Shao'an opened with the most aggressive Sunset Swordplay, showing no mercy in any of his moves.
After dealing with the two men, Gu Shao'an did not attack the last one. Instead, he allowed the man to charge at Zhou Zhiruo.
Gu Shao'an knew that, with Miejue's strength, stopping these mountain bandits from reaching the two of them would have taken no more than a flick of her hand.
The reason she had let these four come over was simply to use them to temper Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo.
After swiftly wiping his longsword on the clothes of a mountain bandit whose corpse was still faintly warm, he sheathed it.
Then, in a flash, he moved to within two zhang of Zhou Zhiruo and the mountain bandit.
Once he stopped, his right hand remained on the hilt, and his knees bent slightly.
He looked ready to strike at any moment.
In truth, with the effect of Drawing Sword Like a Rainbow, Gu Shao'an's sword was fastest and most powerful at the instant he drew it.
On Emei Mountain, Gu Shao'an had often watched Miejue test Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi.
By comparison, Gu Shao'an was certain that, with the effect of Drawing Sword Like a Rainbow, the speed of his sword at the moment of drawing it was even slightly faster than theirs.
In other words, if a martial artist like Zhao Jingxuan, who had trained for nearly twenty years, was caught off guard and Gu Shao'an struck first, Gu Shao'an might be able to wound or even kill him in that instant of drawing his sword.
That was still while Gu Shao'an was young, with meridians that had not yet been nourished over a long period.
A few more years from now, as his body grew and his physique became stronger, Drawing Sword Like a Rainbow might allow him to draw his sword so quickly that even Zhao Jingxuan and the others would be unable to react.
Only with this move did Gu Shao'an have enough confidence that, if anything went wrong, he could kill the mountain bandit charging toward Zhou Zhiruo at once and keep her safe.
Out of the corner of his eye, the remaining mountain bandit saw his three companions killed. After a brief panic, he hardened his heart and fixed his gaze on Zhou Zhiruo.
After rushing several steps to reach her, the mountain bandit swung his heavy spiked wooden club at Zhou Zhiruo with all the momentum of his charge.
Faced with the howling spiked club, Zhou Zhiruo's heart seemed to stop. The savage aura rushing at her made her limbs turn ice-cold.
Panic surged up from her heart again, urging Zhou Zhiruo to retreat, yet her body had frozen stiff as stone, unable to move an inch!
"Shijie, Willow Catkin Veils the Misty Trees—strike his chest."
At that moment, Gu Shao'an's calm voice pierced through the chaos like cold iron and entered Zhou Zhiruo's ears.
That faintly stern voice, along with the sword move that seemed engraved in Zhou Zhiruo's heart, made her instinctively move according to Willow Catkin Veils the Misty Trees from Willow Leaf Swordplay.
The wooden sword was light to begin with.
And more than half a year of daily sword stance practice had tempered Zhou Zhiruo's muscles and bones to some effect.
Her wooden sword thrust out, striking after yet arriving before. It hit the mountain bandit's chest first.
Though it had no edge, the sharp point of the wooden sword stabbing into his chest still made the mountain bandit pause, pain twisting his face.
But the pain in his body only made the mountain bandit roar and curse more viciously.
"You little bitch, you're courting death!"
With that, the mountain bandit raised his spiked wooden club again and swung it at Zhou Zhiruo, this time aiming directly for her face.
"Shijie, Snow Falls Without a Trace—deflect the force."
As the words reached her ears, Zhou Zhiruo did not hesitate. Her body drifted a step to the side like a willow catkin, and she raised her wooden sword. The instant its blade touched the mountain bandit's spiked club, it swept swiftly across it, redirecting the force to one side and sending the club crookedly away.
The next instant, Gu Shao'an's voice reached Zhou Zhiruo's ears again.
"Spring Catkin Pierces the Curtain—strike the Kidney Shu Acupoint."
Zhou Zhiruo shifted sideways, and the wooden sword in her hand stabbed out at a tricky angle. The light, swift thrust concentrated its force at a single point and struck the mountain bandit's right waist.
Pain shot through the acupoints at his waist, making the mountain bandit's body shudder as he let out a pained howl.
But before the mountain bandit could recover from the pain, Zhou Zhiruo had already swung her sword at him again under Gu Shao'an's guidance.
The mountain bandit before her was merely an ordinary man, completely without method in fighting and killing. How could he be a match for Zhou Zhiruo, who had already trained for some time?
The only reason she had reacted poorly at first was that it was her first time facing an enemy, and Zhou Zhiruo had lost her composure.
But with Gu Shao'an guiding her, as Zhou Zhiruo swung her wooden sword, her previously flustered state of mind gradually calmed. She could also clearly sense the glaring openings in the mountain bandit's movements whenever he attacked.
The confidence and steadiness brought by countering several moves completely drove away the fear in her heart.
Even after Gu Shao'an stopped guiding her from the side, Zhou Zhiruo could still use Willow Leaf Swordplay and her lightness skill as usual to deal with the mountain bandit.
Seeing Zhou Zhiruo's condition, Gu Shao'an nodded lightly.
"Shijie's first lesson in courage has been a success."
Every beginning was difficult.
For Zhou Zhiruo, being able to fight these mountain bandits already counted as taking the first step.
Only then did Gu Shao'an relax slightly, though his right hand remained clenched around his sword hilt.
More than ten moves later, having completely adapted, Zhou Zhiruo used Snow Falls Without a Trace once more. While dodging her opponent's attack, she leaped up and drove her sword into his temples from the side.
The temples were a vital point of the human body.
Though the wooden sword had no edge, Zhou Zhiruo's full-force strike carried enough power at its tip to make the mountain bandit grunt and collapse unconscious.
Only then did Zhou Zhiruo begin gasping for breath, her dark hair stuck to her cheeks with sweat.
Yet as she looked at the mountain bandit she had knocked unconscious, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes only grew brighter.
"Shijie, that was amazing!"
Suddenly, Gu Shao'an's voice rang out from beside her.
Zhou Zhiruo looked at Gu Shao'an as he strode quickly toward her. Recalling what had just happened, a lingering fear rose in her heart.
Just now, the mountain bandit's ferocity had frightened Zhou Zhiruo. If Gu Shao'an had not reminded her, she would likely have already been wounded or even captured by the mountain bandit.
At once, Zhou Zhiruo said, "Thank you for earlier, Junior Brother."
Gu Shao'an smiled. "We're not strangers, Shijie. Why be so polite?"
Zhou Zhiruo smiled softly. Then she lifted her gaze, first looking at the corpses of the mountain bandits Gu Shao'an had killed, then at the unconscious bandit before her.
Remembering what Gu Shao'an had told her before, both now and on Emei Mountain, Zhou Zhiruo's face immediately showed a trace of conflict.
"Buzz—"
At that moment, a flash of cold light sprang up in Zhou Zhiruo's eyes.
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