The First Step Is the Hardest

Perhaps it was because he had already killed someone and taken that first step.

Or perhaps because he was worried about Zhou Zhiruo and knew this was no time to hesitate. Either way, Gu Shaoan struck with the most powerful offensive technique he knew, Sunset Swordplay, and showed no mercy with any of his moves.

After taking care of the first two, Gu Shaoan did not attack the last man. Instead, he let him charge toward Zhou Zhiruo.

Gu Shaoan knew that, with Miejue's strength, stopping these bandits from reaching the two of them would be child's play.

She had let the four men approach only to give Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo a chance to hone their skills.

Meanwhile, he quickly wiped his sword on the clothes of a bandit whose corpse lay cooling on the ground, then sheathed it.

He immediately darted to a spot just two zhang from Zhou Zhiruo and the bandit.

Once he stopped, his right hand remained on the hilt, and his knees bent slightly.

He was clearly ready to act at any moment.

In fact, with the Sword Drawn Like a Rainbow trait, Gu Shaoan's sword was fastest and most powerful in the instant he drew it.

On Mount Emei, Gu Shaoan had often seen Miejue test Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi.

Comparing himself with them, Gu Shaoan was certain that the Sword Drawn Like a Rainbow trait let him draw his sword just a little faster than any of the three.

In other words, even a martial artist like Zhao Jingxuan, who had trained for nearly twenty years, might be wounded or even killed if Gu Shaoan caught him off guard and struck first with a quick draw.

And that was while Gu Shaoan was still young, with Meridians that had not yet been nourished over a long period.

In a few years, as he grew and his physique strengthened, the Sword Drawn Like a Rainbow trait could make his draw so fast that Zhao Jingxuan and the others might not even have time to react.

That was the one move Gu Shaoan had complete confidence in. If anything went wrong, he could kill the bandit charging at Zhou Zhiruo in an instant and keep her safe.

Catching sight of his three companions dead, the last bandit panicked briefly. Then he hardened his resolve and fixed his gaze on Zhou Zhiruo.

After charging up to her, he swung the heavy spiked club in his hands with all his might, using his forward momentum to strike at her without mercy.

Faced with the club whistling toward her, Zhou Zhiruo's heart seemed to stop. The bandit's murderous presence washed over her, leaving her hands and feet ice-cold.

Fear rose in her again, urging her to retreat, but her body had gone rigid as stone. She could not move at all!

"Senior Sister, 'Catkins Veil the Trees'—strike his chest."

At that moment, Gu Shaoan's calm voice cut through the chaos like cold steel and reached Zhou Zhiruo's ears.

His stern tone, along with the sword move seemingly engraved in Zhou Zhiruo's heart, made her instinctively follow "Catkins Veil the Trees" from the Willow Catkin Sword Technique.

Her light wooden sword was already easy to wield.

And more than half a year of daily stance training had also begun to strengthen Zhou Zhiruo's muscles and bones.

Her wooden sword thrust out, striking first despite starting later, and hit the bandit in the chest.

Though it was unsharpened, the pointed wooden sword still struck his chest hard enough to make him falter, pain appearing on his face.

But the pain only made the bandit roar and curse more violently.

"You little bitch! You're asking to die!"

As he spoke, the bandit raised his spiked club and swung it at Zhou Zhiruo again. This time, he aimed straight for her face.

"'Snow Falls Without a Trace'—redirect the force."

At the sound of his voice, Zhou Zhiruo moved without hesitation. Her body drifted like a willow catkin as she stepped to the side, raising her wooden sword. The instant its blade touched the bandit's club, she swiftly swept it aside, redirecting its force and knocking the club off course.

The next instant, Gu Shaoan's voice reached Zhou Zhiruo again.

"'Spring Catkins Through the Curtain'—strike the Shenshu point."

Zhou Zhiruo shifted sideways and thrust out her wooden sword with a precise, swift, yet gentle motion. She focused the force at its tip and struck the bandit's right lower back.

Pain at the acupoint made the bandit shudder. He could not hold back a howl.

But before he could recover from the pain, Zhou Zhiruo had already swung her sword at him again under Gu Shaoan's guidance.

The bandit before her was just an ordinary man, with no skill or order to his attacks. How could he possibly be a match for Zhou Zhiruo, who had been training for some time?

The only reason she had struggled at first was that this was her first time facing an enemy, and she had lost her composure.

But with Gu Shaoan guiding her, Zhou Zhiruo's panicked state gradually settled as she swung her wooden sword. She could now clearly see the many openings in the bandit's movements.

The confidence and reassurance she gained from countering his attacks several times drove away her fear completely.

Even without Gu Shaoan's continued guidance, Zhou Zhiruo could now face the bandit as usual with the Willow Catkin Sword Technique and her lightness skills.

Seeing how she was doing, Gu Shaoan nodded slightly.

"Senior Sister has passed her first test of courage."

The first step was always the hardest.

For Zhou Zhiruo, daring to face the bandits in a fight was already a major first step.

Gu Shaoan felt a little more at ease, but his right hand never left the sword hilt.

A dozen or so moves later, Zhou Zhiruo, now fully accustomed to the fight, used "Snow Falls Without a Trace" once more. She dodged her opponent's attack, leapt into the air, and turned to thrust her sword directly into his temple.

The temple was a vital point.

Though the wooden sword was unsharpened, Zhou Zhiruo put all her strength into the thrust. The force at its tip made the bandit grunt and pass out.

Only then did Zhou Zhiruo begin to pant heavily. Her sweat-soaked hair clung to her cheeks.

Yet as she looked at the bandit she had knocked unconscious, her eyes grew brighter.

"Senior Sister, you were amazing!"

Gu Shaoan's voice suddenly came from beside her.

Zhou Zhiruo looked at Gu Shaoan as he hurried over, and the memory of what had just happened brought a fresh wave of fear.

The bandit's ferocity had frightened Zhou Zhiruo into shrinking back. If Gu Shaoan had not called out to her, she might already have been wounded or captured.

She quickly said, "Thank you for helping me just now, Junior Brother."

Gu Shaoan smiled. "We're not strangers, Senior Sister. There's no need to thank me."

Zhou Zhiruo smiled gently, then raised her eyes and looked first at the bandits Gu Shaoan had killed, then at the one lying unconscious before her.

Remembering what Gu Shaoan had said to her earlier and back on Mount Emei, Zhou Zhiruo's face grew troubled.

"Vmmm—"

Just then, a flash of cold light appeared in Zhou Zhiruo's eyes.