Ding Minjun saw it clearly. When Gu Shaoan drew his sword several times just now, his speed had actually been comparable to hers.
Moreover, Gu Shaoan only wounded rather than killed. Although he had dealt with more than a dozen bandits in succession, he had not expended much of his strength.
"No. If this continues, then even if I deliberately hold back and let the surrounding bandits rush toward them, they still won't be able to deal with that brat. If I wait until Master returns..."
As her thoughts ran deeper, a vicious glint flashed across Ding Minjun's eyes.
With a sidelong glance, Ding Minjun stabbed a bandit in front of her to death, then inconspicuously hooked and flicked her foot.
A thumb-sized stone flew into the air and landed inside Ding Minjun's left sleeve.
Afterward, she swept her peripheral vision across the battlefield. When she saw several more bandits charge up beside Gu Shaoan, her wrist gave an extremely subtle flick!
In an instant, the stone shot out like an armor-piercing arrow fired from a powerful crossbow, wrapped in a sharp, tearing sound.
From an extremely tricky angle, it shot straight at Gu Shaoan's right wrist, which rested on his sword hilt! The timing was viciously precise!
Swoosh—!
The sharp sound of something breaking through the air suddenly pierced his eardrums. Gu Shaoan's heart sank. Without thinking, his right hand, which rested on the sword hilt, instinctively twisted his wrist and knocked outward!
At this moment, Gu Shaoan no longer held anything back. He drew his sword with all his strength, transforming it into a streak of sword light that flashed through the air and cleaved precisely toward the front right.
"Clang!!!"
The next second, a deafening clash of metal rang out. The blade precisely cleaved apart the stone in midair, which contained a special force.
At the same time, Gu Shaoan felt a hidden force surge along his wrist, numbing his arm and making the web between his thumb and forefinger ache.
It was certain that if he had not reacted swiftly and drawn his sword at the first instant, being struck by that stone would most likely have crippled his right hand.
Before he had time to react further, Zhou Zhiruo raised her sword and struck a bandit, forcing him back. Taking advantage of this, Gu Shaoan transformed into a crimson streak and surged forward. A dazzling point of icy light gathered at his sword tip as he passed between the legs of the two bandits before him in succession, then retreated with Zhou Zhiruo again, widening the safe distance between them.
On Ding Minjun's side, she watched as Gu Shaoan actually intercepted the stone she had launched with concealed-weapon techniques, and her expression froze for an instant.
"How could the speed of his sword just now be so fast?"
Ding Minjun had seen it clearly. The speed at which Gu Shaoan had drawn his sword in that instant was several times faster than before.
It was so fast that even she felt inferior.
At this moment, Ding Minjun thought of what Miejue had said about the Innate Sword Bone, and her doubts immediately cleared.
But right afterward, intense jealousy and hatred filled Ding Minjun's heart once more.
She had practiced swordsmanship for nearly twenty years, diligently every day, yet she could not match Gu Shaoan's one month of practice.
As the jealousy and hatred she felt toward Gu Shaoan deepened, a fury at the injustice of Heaven also rose within her.
There were so many geniuses in the world. Why couldn't there be one more like her?
Just then, Gu Shaoan suddenly raised his head. His icy gaze was like two sharp swords, piercing through the chaotic crowd and instantly pinning Ding Minjun, whose distant face revealed her astonishment.
Because of the tremendous force from his earlier block, the tip of the long sword in his hand was still trembling with a buzzing sound, retaining a trace of cold, sharp light.
When Ding Minjun saw Gu Shaoan raise his head and look at her, her heart sank.
"No. That little beast has discovered me. If he survives and reports this to Master when she returns, Master definitely won't let me off lightly. This boy must not be allowed to live."
As the thought fell, Ding Minjun held her sword horizontally. After slicing open a bandit's throat, she moved as lightly as stepping across sand and charged toward Gu Shaoan with her sword in hand, her killing intent fully exposed.
Noticing Ding Minjun's movements, Gu Shaoan's gaze sharpened.
"Fourth Senior Sister, retreat."
As he spoke, Gu Shaoan retreated first.
Taking advantage of his body being blocked by Zhou Zhiruo, Gu Shaoan suddenly swept his sword around the opening of his left sleeve, cutting through the band that tightened it, before returning the blade to its sheath.
However, anyone observing Gu Shaoan's left hand would have noticed that his other four fingers were gripping the scabbard tightly.
Only the little finger of his left hand pressed down on the cut sleeve, as if preventing something inside it from being exposed.
After making his preparations, Gu Shaoan immediately stopped moving. While desperately regulating his breathing, he circulated the little internal power remaining in his body at full speed.
Even the Origin Internal Power in his Dantian gathered at the entrance of his Dantian.
He was clearly preparing to stake his life.
"Whoosh~"
At this moment, a copper coin came flying with a sound that tore through the air, striking Ding Minjun's right calf precisely as she surged forward with her qinggong.
Yet this thumb-sized copper coin directly embedded itself in Ding Minjun's flesh.
The force contained within it also threw the caught-off-guard Ding Minjun off balance, sending her pitching forward.
Ding Minjun endured the pain. Her body spun once in midair, then she caught herself by bracing one hand against the ground, preventing herself from falling.
With her calf injured, Ding Minjun had no time to care about the pain in her leg. Instead, she gritted her teeth and looked up at the person who had ambushed her.
However, just as Ding Minjun raised her head and saw, by the firelight, the figure that had swept through the air like a wild goose and landed steadily in front of Gu Shaoan, her eyes trembled.
The mountain wind rolled the flames, which crackled loudly. Miejue stood with her hands behind her back, her wide sleeves and plain robes fluttering. Her expression was as calm as an ancient well and a cold pool, as though the raging flames before her were no more than a breeze brushing across her face.
Only her eyes seemed to hold heartache, fury, and killing intent rapidly taking shape.
When Miejue appeared, figures also charged out of the darkness one after another.
They were none other than Master Juechen and dozens of other Emei Sect disciples.
"Ma-Master?"
Looking toward Miejue, Master Juechen, and the others standing in front of Gu Shaoan, the color drained from Ding Minjun's face like the receding tide. Her body trembled, and she actually collapsed onto the ground.
Seeing Miejue suddenly appear, the surrounding bandits no longer had the courage to continue fighting. Crying out in alarm, they scattered in all directions and prepared to flee.
But before they could get far, several Emei Sect elders led the Emei Sect disciples in an attack from the rear of the stronghold.
In no time, they had slaughtered all the bandits.
Seeing this scene, the heart Gu Shaoan had kept suspended finally settled back into place, and he let out a long breath.
He completely relaxed.
Miejue's gaze first fell upon Gu Shaoan.
She carefully scanned him from head to toe several times. Only after confirming that he was unharmed did she raise her hand and pat Gu Shaoan's head.
"I saw everything that happened just now. Shaoan, you did well."
Hearing her words, Gu Shaoan naturally understood that Miejue had been hiding nearby all along, observing what was happening on their side.
"Wait, Master had been here the whole time. Then just now..."
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Gu Shaoan's mind. He could not help turning his head toward Ding Minjun, then drew in a quiet breath.
"Good grief, she was fishing for evidence to enforce the law!"
Noticing Gu Shaoan's reaction, Miejue smiled inwardly.
This little disciple of mine is really quick to catch on!
Before you continue