CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 77: ENDING THE FIGHT IN ONE SECOND

Young Master Ding wanted to see what kind of personal female guard his father had hired for his sister. After lunch, he didn’t return to the study to review his lessons, but instead sat in the living room with his sister Ding Xiang, waiting for the steward to bring the person over.

Miss Ding is twelve years old this year, and she already looks very impressive. She wears a light pink satin narrow-sleeved ruqun, her hair styled into double buns on each side, adorned with a pair of pearl hairpins, with pierced earlobes adorned with silver earrings.

This outfit is fresh and playful, paired with a pair of lively and expressive almond-shaped eyes, completely like a simple little girl pampered by her father and brother, unaware of worldly affairs.

Upon their first meeting, Qin Yao thought Mr. Ding was rather bold to leave such a young girl alone at home.

"Mr. Ding, Young Master Ding, Miss Ding." Qin Yao entered the living room, stood in front of the father and his two children, and offered a slight bow.

Mr. Ding hastily raised his hand to indicate she need not be so formal, smiling warmly, "Miss Qin, you’re finally here."

Then, he looked at his daughter, Ding Xiang, "This is Miss Qin, the one father told you about earlier. In a couple of days, father and brother will be going to the Prefecture. You’ll be staying at home alone, but with Miss Qin as your guard, we can set our minds at ease."

Ding Xiang curiously examined Qin Yao. Qin Yao lifted her head, slightly turned her eyes to meet hers, and this sudden eye contact aroused her curiosity.

She took two steps forward, standing in front of Qin Yao, and asked in surprise, "Are you the Miss Qin who chopped sixteen logs in a day? How do you have so much strength?"

Qin Yao replied with a polite smile, "Naturally strong."

"Oh~" The young girl nodded, then noticed her sword and bow and arrow, "Do you also wield swords and shoot arrows?"

Qin Yao shook her head, correcting, "It’s not for show, it’s for self-defense."

"You mean you use this for self-defense?" Ding Xiang asked in disbelief, circling behind her to carefully examine her weapons, even reaching out to touch them.

Qin Yao sidestepped, avoiding the curious hand.

"Xiang!"

Mr. Ding sternly instructed her to come back quickly, so as not to lose her manners.

Ding Xiang did not return immediately but asked Qin Yao again, "Miss Qin, have you ever killed any bandits?"

Qin Yao’s mouth turned up slightly as she glanced at Mr. Ding, without answering.

Assuming she had never killed bandits due to the lack of response, Ding Xiang pouted before retreating to her father and brother’s side.

Young Master Ding raised his chin haughtily and asked Qin Yao, "What skills do you have, can you demonstrate them for me?"

This person was to protect his sister. If incapable, it would be better to replace her sooner rather than later.

Chopping 16 logs in a day, without understanding the difficulties of chopping wood, it didn’t seem impressive to the young boy.

Qin Yao turned to Mr. Ding, "Does the young master wish to test my skills?"

Ding Shi was straightforward in expressing his doubt over her martial arts abilities.

Although Mr. Ding criticized, "Mind your words."

He agreed to his son’s request since he too was curious about any surprises Qin Yao may reveal.

Thinking that as a guard applicant, demonstrating one’s skills is reasonable.

Qin Yao then said to the steward, "You can summon all the guards in the residence to compete with me."

Upon hearing this, both siblings displayed astonished expressions. This was arrogance at its finest.

The steward felt a pang of concern, wondering what if they couldn’t defeat her. It would be humiliating.

He signaled Qin Yao, indicating she could still change her mind, but Qin Yao pretended not to see it. She had already moved to the courtyard outside the living room, removed her bow, and laid her sword and bow and arrows under the corridor.

"Bare-handed?" Ding Xiang asked excitedly.

Qin Yao gave her a slight smile, "To avoid accidental injury."

Having stayed too long in the last days, she had developed a habit of deadly strikes. She genuinely feared accidental harm.

Okay, the steward say no more, and he went to summon all the guards in the residence.

There were eight in total, all tall and sturdy, exuding an aura of intimidation at first glance.

In these turbulent times, personal safety was unguaranteed when traveling. Mr. Ding specifically recruited them to ensure safe travels for himself and his son.

In the chaotic past few years, these eight guards survived through turbulent times, and thus they were rich in real combat experiences.

Guards kept by wealthy, fed well, equipped with weapons and armor, which would make petty thieves steer clear upon sight.

But since Qin Yao didn’t use weapons, they naturally had to take off their armor and lay down their weapons for fairness’ sake.

A martial artist would sense the surrounding aura. Upon seeing Qin Yao, the eight guards did not underestimate her for being a woman.

On the contrary, the powerful sense of oppression emanating from Qin Yao made them feel a sense of nervous unease, as if being stared down by a fierce beast.

Even though she wore a gentle smile, appearing peaceful and calm.

She was someone proficient at hiding and disguising.

The eight guards exchanged glances and selected the strongest among them to challenge Qin Yao.

The Ding family trio observed the guards’ reactions. Seeing them choose their best to face Qin Yao, the father and his sons exchanged bewildered glances.

The steward shouted to begin, and the trio quickly turned their attention to the courtyard.

The two stood in the courtyard, circling slowly, their eyes tightly fixed on each other, wary of any sudden moves.

Qin Yao is of an aggressive nature. Upon determining her opponent to be weaker, she would unleash an unexpected, full-force strike, giving no chance for a counterattack.

The guard inexplicably felt a chill at heart. Just as he wondered at his anxiety, the young woman before him darted at him like a leopard, her speed astonishing.

A muffled thud of fist meeting flesh echoed through the courtyard, followed by two figures clashing and hitting the ground with dull groans.

Within a second, the fight concluded. Qin Yao swiftly got up and stood aside.

While the tall, burly guard lay spread-eagle on the ground, unconscious.

At this moment, even if he received a stab, he would remain oblivious.

Because Qin Yao’s first strike landed on the side of his neck, right on the vertebrae.

This spot is incredibly fragile. With strength surpassing ordinary people, her blow, though restrained, only caused temporary unconsciousness.

In any normal confrontation, her opponent would already be dead.

For Qin Yao, to kill someone with a single punch is a regular occurrence.

Seeing the guard not rise, the remaining seven rushed forward to check, shaking him and patting his face, even pressing the philtrum before he lazily opened his eyes, dazed and unaware, only sensing immense pain in his neck.

"Agh!" He couldn’t withstand the pain, clutching his head and curling up, only recovering after quite a while, then staring at Qin Yao in terror.

She’s too fast!

And extraordinarily strong, even their combined efforts wouldn’t suffice against her.

"Want to try again?" Qin Yao asked them, her serene expression hiding fierce battle intent.

One guard wished to try, but the one Qin Yao had floored swiftly pulled him back.

He cupped his fists towards Qin Yao, "Thanks for showing mercy, Miss. We concede, you are truly skilled!"

The latter part was directed towards Mr. Ding and his sons.

Father and sons were somewhat bewildered, there were no visible maneuvers, it wasn’t clear what happened, and suddenly the fight was over!

It was nothing like the imagined duel of masters, what was going on?

However, Mr. Ding knew his head guard’s capabilities well. Among the eight guards, he was the strongest in every way. So if he admitted Qin Yao was impressive, it surely meant she was.

At least one thing was undeniable—her strength was indeed great.

Qin Yao turned her head and smiled, "Is the young master satisfied?"

Ding Shi snorted and walked away, reluctantly granting her permission to serve as his sister’s guard.