Woman in Green

Although he had run into bandits, Gu Zhao was not all that afraid.

For one, the weakness radiating from the Five Thunder Token was gradually fading. He would soon be able to travel through worlds and make his escape.

For another, he had finally remembered that he possessed magical power. He sensed it and felt his strength, stamina, and endurance steadily increasing. It was not as though he lacked the ability to fight back.

But no matter what, all he could do was protect himself. There was absolutely no way he could save the villagers of this entire village.

Then Gu Zhao noticed the Woman in Green's reaction.

The bandit leader was brimming with confidence and had yet to notice anything. But Gu Zhao, who had spent years watching television and reading novels, had already sensed that something was off.

Though the woman's clothes were not luxurious, she was clearly not one of the villagers. From what the burly man had said, she had merely been passing by and was staying the night here.

Yet around her, all the villagers were huddled together with their heads covered. She seemed to be alone, with no companions at her side.

If that was the case, then in this ancient society where powerful men existed and safety was clearly scarce, could someone who dared travel alone and showed no fear before bandits be an ordinary person?

This woman was definitely an expert!

Thinking of the Five Thunder Token's reaction just now, as well as the magical power that had grown stronger by absorbing some substance from the surrounding air, Gu Zhao guessed that this world was not merely an ancient one. It probably contained martial arts experts, perhaps even supernatural power.

So Gu Zhao looked at the woman even more carefully.

"Ha ha ha! A flower with thorns—just the kind I like!"

The bandit leader did not care about the Woman in Green's words in the slightest. Instead, he laughed smugly. "You'll find out tonight. I may be ugly, but my nose is big!"

The onlookers all burst into laughter.

"She's a fiery rouge mare, a perfect match for our chief!"

"Bring her back to the Mountain Stronghold for the wedding night, and by tomorrow she'll be sweet and obedient!"

"What a tender little beauty! She's even prettier than the chief's first two wives!"

The bandit leader's steel-needle beard seemed to glint with cold light. He held his nine-ringed saber upside down in his left hand and reached out with his right again, aiming to pinch the Woman in Green's chin.

This time was different from before. His hand came in at a slant, swift as lightning, almost leaving an afterimage. In the blink of an eye, it touched the woman's snowy skin. Grinning strangely, he said, "This little beauty's face..."

Before he could finish, his voice abruptly cut off.

The Woman in Green did not dodge this time. She allowed the bandit leader's hand to remain on her face, merely looking at him calmly as she said softly, "Not just anyone can touch this face of mine."

The bandit leader's right hand rested against the woman's cheek. His mouth hung half-open, and his expression had frozen, as though his entire body had stiffened in place.

He was clearly still smiling, yet the smile looked stiff and ugly.

He seemed to want to speak, but he could not force out a single word.

The only thing he could move was his eyes.

But with his back to his men, they could not see their chief's gaze shifting from its earlier frivolity to hesitation, then turning into terror in an instant.

The bandits were still laughing and jeering, and several had already begun spouting lewd remarks.

The Woman in Green smiled faintly, tilted her delicate head slightly upward, and let her crimson lips tremble, as though blowing a silent whistle.

The next instant, every bandit who had just been laughing and egging each other on changed expression.

In Gu Zhao's eyes, it was as though an invisible shockwave had swept through the area. Whether they were the ones gathered around them and laughing or those smashing things inside the ruined houses, every bandit suddenly went pale, and their faces then twisted savagely.

Some seemed more fragile. Their eyes rolled white, and they toppled backward with their faces to the sky.

Others clutched their heads in agony, struggling with low growls for a moment before swaying and collapsing headfirst.

Thud! Thud!

Clang! Clang!

The bandits fell in all directions, their weapons scattering in disarray.

Within the space of a few breaths, all twenty or thirty bandits present had been brought down. Gu Zhao could not help looking at the bandit nearest him. The man's pupils had dilated; he was clearly beyond saving.

From beginning to end, those bandits had not even managed to let out a single scream.

From beginning to end, the Woman in Green's gaze had never left the bandit leader before her.

The bandit leader's eyes had changed from terror to pleading.

"Chief, do you still want this humble woman to be your bandit chief's wife?" The woman's voice carried a trace of amusement.

The bandit leader wanted to shake his head, but he could not do it at all.

The woman gave a soft snort and gently blew another breath.

The next instant, the bandit leader's pupils abruptly dilated. Then it was as though all the bones had suddenly been pulled from his body, and he crumpled to the ground, silent and lifeless.

From the moment the bandit leader flirted with the Woman in Green to the moment she killed every bandit present, only three or five sentences had passed. By the time the villagers realized they had been saved, the bandits opposite them were already all dead.

Gu Zhao was stunned.

He had guessed that the woman was an expert, but he had never imagined she stood more than a dozen floors above him.

With one breath, she had blown twenty or thirty bandits to death!

This really was not a martial arts world!

Was he being thrown straight into a high-level match from the start?

Gu Zhao was utterly shocked and could not help raising his brows again.

After killing dozens of bandits, the woman turned around, and Gu Zhao finally saw her face.

Her brows and eyes were like a painting, her figure soft and graceful, her expression gentle, and a smile rested at the corners of her lips. She looked like a sheltered daughter of a great family who had never stepped beyond her courtyard gates. Nothing about her suggested that she had just killed dozens of bandits and saved an entire mountain village.

The villagers, having finally recovered their senses, looked at the woman with both fear and gratitude. For a moment, they did not know how to react.

The first to rise was an elderly man. Supported by a little girl beside him, he tremblingly gave the woman a deep bow. "This old man thanks you on behalf of the villagers for saving our lives, miss."

However, the Woman in Green did not respond to them. Instead, she looked at Gu Zhao, a strange brilliance blooming in her eyes.

Gu Zhao looked at himself, then at the surrounding villagers.

He had no shoes on his feet and wore home clothes, utterly out of place in his surroundings.

Oh no, an expert is going to notice me!

Gu Zhao's expression tightened as his mind raced to come up with an excuse. Then he saw the Woman in Green's lips curve upward, her calm expression suddenly transforming into excitement, her jade-like face flushing red. "If it is you, young master, then I will not refuse."

"That brute stirred up my fire, but sadly, he was too ugly." The Woman in Green looked at Gu Zhao, and a hint of spring seemed to ripple in her eyes, soft and glistening. "Fortunately, you are here, young master, so I will not be left with nowhere to vent it."

Gu Zhao: _???

The woman smiled faintly and slowly walked toward Gu Zhao. Her lotus steps swayed, her willow waist undulated, and in an instant, she transformed from a cool young girl with a placid expression into a seductive enchantress whose face brimmed with desire.

"Rest assured, young master. This humble woman will certainly let you experience the ultimate pleasure of this world." The Woman in Green smiled softly. "Even if I drain you dry of your vital essence and turn you into withered bones, you will never regret it."

Gu Zhao: _!!!

Thanks to fellow Daoist Sha Ri Yao for the 500 reward.