The women were thrown roughly onto tables, pinned down on beds, or even forced onto the floor.
The vicious men who had just slaughtered their husbands and sons approached with curved blades in hand.
Wu Minmin, who had only recently come of age, felt her entire body turn cold, her mind shattered by terror.
She saw her mother reaching out to comfort her, only for a bearded brute to mockingly sever her palm with a single slash.
Blood splattered across Wu Minmin’s face.
The women’s screams and panic only excited the attackers further.
Wu Minmin flailed her arms wildly, shrieking prayers for divine intervention.
Atop the mountain behind their house stood a Taoist temple where incense smoke rose thick and constant—if gods truly existed, why would they show not even a sliver of mercy?
Please, she begged, please, save them!
Her mother was dying!!
Through her blood-and-tear-blurred vision, a cold glint flashed, and the bearded man’s head tilted at an unnatural angle.
His face still wore a grin, but his head flew straight off his shoulders.
It traced an arc through the air before thudding to the ground like a leather ball.
Then, Wu Minmin saw a young woman in blue robes, drenched in blood.
Gripping a grass-cutting scythe, she kicked the headless corpse aside.
Next was the braided man pinning Wu Minmin down.
Before he could react, the scythe pierced his chest, and he collapsed, blood foaming at his lips.
Lin Ruochu wiped her face and shouted at the stunned Wu Minmin, “Use rags to staunch the wound on her hand! Then press the pulse under her armpit!”
“She” referred to Wu Minmin’s mother, whose right hand had been completely severed, blood pooling beneath the table like a river.
Wu Minmin hurried to obey.
But Lin Ruochu had no time for explanations. The ambush had only taken down two—four remaining brutes in the room now brandished dual crescent blades, closing in on her with savage, sinister intent.
They jabbered in a tongue she couldn’t understand.
Lin Ruochu recognized their attire and weapons.
These weren’t ordinary bandits—they were from the Western Regions!
In recent years, the Great Zhou Dynasty had opened trade with the Western Regions, and merchants from there were commonplace in the capital, even operating dedicated shops.
Yet the laws governing them were strict!
Violations carried fivefold penalties—how dare they pillage and murder so brazenly at the capital’s doorstep?!
Questions swarmed Lin Ruochu’s mind, but she had no leisure to ponder.
Seeing her as a lone, frail young woman who had stumbled into their den like a lamb among wolves, the Western Regions bandits sneered with contemptuous leers.
Muttering in their foreign tongue, they advanced slowly.
Two even whistled at her.
Though she didn’t understand their words, Lin Ruochu knew they weren’t pleasantries. Before they could act, she pushed off with her back foot, launching forward like an arrow.
Unconventional tactics.
Strike first, strike hard!
Her speed was blinding. Twisting mid-air, she executed a scorpion’s tail kick, sending the nearest bandit flying.
She had put her full strength into the blow, the impact jarring her knee with a dull ache.
The bandit crashed against the doorframe and slumped to the ground, motionless.
The remaining men’s leers instantly shifted to shock and murderous rage.
With a roar, they swung their blades at her.
Though three attacked simultaneously, their movements were crude, devoid of technique—no different from chopping firewood. To Lin Ruochu, their forms were riddled with openings.
She sidestepped the nearest attack, using the momentum to lean backward and slash the throat of the bandit on her left.
Immediately switching the sickle to her left hand, she snatched the curved blade from the corpse’s grip and assumed a dual-wielding stance.
She had handled weapons from the Western Regions before. Though not as proficient as with a spear, she was still far more skilled than these reckless bandits who relied solely on brute strength.
Seeing two of their companions dispatched in an instant, the remaining two grew cautious. Exchanging a swift glance, they retreated several steps, circling toward the door and window.
They intended to flee.
Lin Ruochu would never give them that chance.
With a flick of her wrist, she hurled the curved blade in her right hand like a throwing dart at one of them. The bandit frantically dodged, the blade tip grazing the tip of his nose before embedding deep into the wall.
Gasping for breath after the narrow escape, the bandit had no time to recover before a lethal gust of wind—her sickle—swept toward him. With one swing, Lin Ruochu sent his head rolling, making him the second to fall.
The last bandit seized the moment, turning to leap through the window.
Exactly as Lin Ruochu had anticipated. This time, she aimed true, hurling the sickle with deadly precision. The blade pierced through his back and out his chest. With a choked groan, the bandit collapsed to the ground, dead.
The crisis was over.
Lin Ruochu staggered two steps, breathing heavily.
Though she had trained in martial arts with her father and brothers since childhood, this was her first time killing and shedding blood.
Moreover, after three years of living a pampered life in this body, her stamina was severely lacking. Even with a swift resolution, the effort had pushed her to her limits.
Fortunately, these men were mere brutes without real skill—otherwise, she might not have succeeded so smoothly.
Wu Minmin stood frozen in place, still shaken and unable to believe that their savior was a woman!
A young woman who appeared to be around her own age!
Her mother, Madame Zhou, groaned in pain in her arms, while the two other women and three young girls nearby, weeping and trembling, scrambled closer.
Lin Ruochu had no time to rest. She glanced at Madame Zhou’s wrist, still bleeding profusely, and her deathly pale face, and knew the situation was dire—any further delay, and the woman would bleed to death.
She quickly took down an oil lamp from the wall, strode to the woman’s side, and knelt on one knee, asking Wu Minmin beside her:
"If we wait any longer, your mother will bleed to death. I have a risky method that might offer a slim chance of survival. Are you willing to try?"
Tearfully, Wu Minmin nodded. "Heroine, I trust you!"
"Good. Please, all of you, help hold this aunt down."
The women around them, though anxious, did as she instructed.
Finally, Lin Ruochu rolled up a piece of cloth and stuffed it into the woman’s mouth.
With everything prepared, she nodded to the others, then lifted the oil lamp and pressed the flame directly against the bloody wound.
Instantly, the woman’s veins bulged, her face contorted as she bit down hard on the cloth.
Her struggles were so violent she nearly knocked those holding her aside.
Wu Minmin clung desperately to her mother, crying so hard she began to convulse.
The foul stench of scorched flesh quickly filled the room, and the younger children covered their mouths, vomiting.
But Lin Ruochu remained unaffected. Her hands were steady, her movements swift. After one pass, seeing the wound begin to scab, she promptly moved the lamp away and helped the woman into a chair.
"Don’t bandage the wound. The bleeding has stopped, but life and death are in fate’s hands. Hurry to the neighboring estate for help—find a physician and the authorities in the city!"
Wu Minmin nodded, called out "auntie" twice, and two slightly older women nearby pulled their outer garments over their shoulders before rushing out to find help.
Lin Ruochu then instructed Wu Minmin again: "If the constables ask, just say these bandits turned on each other in internal strife. Don't mention having seen me."
Wu Minmin nodded once more. To her, Lin Ruochu was a divine savior who descended from heaven – now whatever she said, Wu Minmin would obey!
Even if ordered to die, she would immediately offer her life without hesitation!
Lin Ruochu breathed a sigh of relief and slowly stood up.
Suddenly, a series of approaching footsteps sounded behind her. There was no time to evade.
Amid Wu Minmin's scream, the sharp edge of a curved blade pierced through her back, penetrating her body.