Yun Manman tightened her grip on the saber. The instant she turned, killing intent suffused her presence and gaze.
Although the original owner of this body knew no martial arts, she was quite strong.
The burly men approaching with sabers looked at Yun Manman in her plain hemp clothes amid the yellow sand.
Lust surfaced in their eyes. Their leader raised his saber, pointed it at Yun Manman, and spoke.
"If you don't want to die, get over here and serve us brothers properly. Then I'll spare your worthless life."
Yun Manman picked at her ear, then simply lifted the blood-dripping saber in her hand and flicked it lightly with a finger.
The blade immediately rang out, followed by her lilting, melodious voice.
"This saber sounds truly awful. Perhaps if I washed it with your blood, it wouldn't sound quite so terrible?"
The men froze for a moment. Their leader was the first to charge with his saber, his whole body seething with fury.
"Bitch, today I'll make you wish you were dead!"
Saber in hand, Yun Manman charged straight into their midst and struck at the leader first, her blade slicing swiftly across his neck.
She spun quickly to avoid the spraying blood and drove her saber straight through another man in front of her.
"I don't like wishing I were dead. I only want you dead and me alive!"
The three men ahead watched Yun Manman kill three of them in an instant. Their expressions changed, terror filling their eyes, and they turned to flee.
Yun Manman gave a soft snort, intense killing intent flashing in her eyes. "Invaders think they can just leave? Leave your lives behind!"
As she spoke, Yun Manman hurled her saber, impaling the first man to run. She sprinted a few steps and delivered a vicious kick to another man's lower back.
"Ah... my back!"
Without looking at him, Yun Manman leaped up and clamped a hand around another Beilin soldier's neck.
Crack...
Panic still lingered in the Beilin soldier's eyes as blood spilled from his mouth. Yun Manman flung him away like a rag.
She looked at the Beilin soldier slumped on the ground with his back broken, disdain and mockery in her violet eyes.
"Tell me, why did he have to grow so tall? Even killing him took effort. You're much better behaved, knowing to crouch down so I can deal with you!"
The Beilin soldier shuffled backward, his eyes filled with terror. What was this lunatic talking about? Was he crouching? His back was broken, and he couldn't get up!
"Y-you, you, you, don't come any closer! Our army is just up ahead, you..."
Yun Manman narrowed her eyes. If this body's combat ability weren't so poor, I'd like to run over and wipe them all out!
"Slaughtering common people without the strength to truss a chicken-you deserve to die!"
Her tone was icy with killing intent, yet her violet eyes were clear and pure. She bent down, pulled out the saber she had just thrown, and flung it behind her, driving it straight into the last man's heart.
Yun Manman turned to look into the distance, her gaze sweeping over the villagers' terrified, horrified eyes.
The villagers all stepped backward in fear. Yun Manman knew it was fear of her.
She had seen far too many looks like that since childhood. Not a ripple stirred within her; she merely turned her gaze toward Old Father Yun.
She watched Old Father Yun approach, his thin frame slightly stooped.
Yun Manman's gaze remained unchanged. There were so many pitiable people in the world, and besides, there were many emotions she had never wanted to possess.
"I'm sorry I made you worry!"
Old Father Yun's expression was complicated. Seeing his daughter bow at the waist, he hurriedly helped her straighten and was just about to speak.
But Yun Manman gave him no chance.
"I am Yun Manman, but not the Yun Manman you knew before. I'm sorry. She can't come back."
Confusion briefly crossed Old Father Yun's face. Looking at the little mole at the corner of his daughter's eye, his eyes reddened slightly, his voice affectionate and faintly trembling.
"Silly child, you were just like this after you had a fever before. You are my daughter.
"Whether you're the timid, quiet girl with black eyes or the clever, capable girl with violet eyes you are now, you're still the daughter I raised.
"Don't say such foolish things again!"
Yun Manman's brow furrowed slightly. What did Old Father Yun mean?
Still, she truly had nowhere good to go right now. It was quiet here, suitable for practicing martial arts. Why not stay for now and do some farming?
"Thank you. I'll protect you all!"
The smile on Old Father Yun's face deepened. He reached out with his calloused hands and tore a strip from his sleeve.
He wound it around Yun Manman's shoulder to bandage it, his voice gentle and kindly.
"All right. My Manman has finally grown up. From now on, your father will follow you and enjoy a good life!"
Watching Old Father Yun walk away, Yun Manman's eyes flickered with complicated emotions.
Seeing his faintly trembling shoulders, Yun Manman narrowed her eyes. I'll tell the whole family what happened when we get home.
She lifted her eyes, then slowly closed them, murmuring softly in her heart.
From now on, I am Yun Manman. I'll protect your family. Rest easy as you go!
Old Father Yun looked at the yellow sand in the distance. Tears fell from his eyes, his voice trembling with self-reproach.
"Your father wasn't capable enough to protect you. Thank goodness you're still here."
The village chief had also recovered by then. He picked up his tobacco pipe from the ground and tucked it into his waistband.
He looked at the girl standing amid the corpses, unconscious admiration in his eyes.
"Yun lass, how should we deal with these Beilin Kingdom corpses?"
Yun Manman looked at the village chief. He seemed about Old Father Yun's age, probably in his early thirties, with clear eyes and regular features.
Remembering what the Beilin soldier had said, her expression could not help growing more solemn.
"Village chief, have the villagers pack whatever they can carry and leave this place. That Beilin soldier just said there were more troops up ahead.
"Just a few men reduced the village to this. If the troops arrive, probably not a single villager will survive."
The village chief's face was also grave and worried. How could he not understand the seriousness of the situation?
But this was the home where they had been born and raised. Where could they go if they left?
Behind him, Old Woman Wang glared fiercely at Yun Manman.
If this girl had shown up sooner, that Beilin man wouldn't have torn at my clothes. Her tone inevitably grew sharper and more spiteful.
"Yun lass, you're the one who killed these men. Why should we run too? You can't drag us down with you!"
"Exactly! We won't carry this blame. You did it yourself, so take responsibility yourself."
Old Father Yun's face darkened, and he was about to speak when Yun Manman spoke first, stopping him.
"I'll handle this. You're tired. Sit down and rest for a while!"
Old Father Yun nodded and was about to sit on a rock when he remembered that his daughter had also said she could handle things earlier, and they had all ended up laid out flat...
Yun Manman swept her gaze over the two old women, her violet eyes clear and unruffled, her tone casual.
"My Yun family isn't taking the same road as you. Leave or stay as you please. What does it have to do with me?"
Old Woman Wang froze. How had this girl changed so much?
She used to keep her head down every day; they had barely even remembered what her face looked like. Now she actually dared talk back.
"You little bit-girl, is that how you speak to your elders? A girl like you killing people-who would dare marry you now..."
Yun Manman darted forward several steps, raised her right foot, and used a little force to kick Old Woman Wang down. Her fat body rolled backward three times.
Old Woman Wang's whole face contorted in pain. Resentment filled her eyes, and she was about to spew filth.
But when she met the cold glint in Yun Manman's violet eyes, she hastily shut her mouth without making a sound.