Xie Zhaofan had actually deliberately held back quite a bit with that kick just now.
Otherwise, that unlucky bastard probably wouldn't have even needed to hit the wall; he would have been lying on the ground waiting for his reincarnation already.
Seeing that the remaining men had finally come to their senses, some were trying to back away while others were already preparing to turn and run.
Xie Zhaofan was not about to give them that chance. With a flash of movement, the hem of her moon-white robe traced a beautiful arc through the air, and she closed the distance to the nearest person in an instant.
Bang!
The man didn't even have time to raise his hands in defense before he took a kick to the abdomen. He immediately curled up like a shrimp and flew backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into a pile of junk. He let out a sharp cry of agony.
The others were finally in a complete panic. They no longer cared about their kidnapping scheme; they all turned to flee.
However, their speed was pathetically slow compared to the current Xie Zhaofan. She even felt that chasing them was a bit like bullying children. With a light tap of her toes, she caught up and delivered another kick.
“Ah!”
Screams rang out one after another. The men who had been acting so fierce just a moment ago were now flying through the air in a remarkably orderly fashion.
Some hit the corners of walls, some fell into muddy ditches, and one particularly unlucky fellow smashed a pile of broken wooden crates into splinters.
The entire process took less than a blink of an eye. The men who had been so aggressive just moments ago were all lying on the ground, and not a single one of them dared to crawl back up and continue their violence.
Xie Zhaofan stood where she was, looking down at her foot and then at the wailing men. She felt a bit of emotion in her heart.
As expected, after gaining power, solving problems became just this simple.
As for why she chose to use her feet from start to finish instead of her fists, it certainly wasn't because she had suddenly mastered some profound martial art. It was simply because she found these people's identities absolutely revolting.
These fellows reeked of filth from the inside out. She found it bad luck just to look at them, let alone touch them with her hands.
While kicking people wasn't exactly ladylike, at least her shoe soles provided a layer of distance. It was much more comfortable than hitting them directly with her fists.
“...”
The man who had been leading the way was now completely stupefied.
He even wondered if he had forgotten to check the almanac when he left the house today. How else could he have been this unlucky?
This fellow, whom his companions called Hou San, had originally thought he’d struck gold by stumbling upon a solitary noble young lady.
If he played his cards right, he might have been able to sell her for a high price or even meet some influential figure through it, making a fortune. He never imagined that this delicate, beautiful noble lady was actually a beast in sheep's clothing.
Forget making a fortune—he only wanted to leave this place alive now.
Seeing Xie Zhaofan slowly turn toward him, Hou San's legs turned to jelly. Without a hint of hesitation, he fell to his knees with a thud. The motion was so fluid and smooth it looked as though he had practiced it countless times.
“Great Heroine! Grandmother! Please have mercy on me! I was forced into this by them! I had no choice but to work for them!”
As he spoke, he shook his head like a rattle, his face filled with terror. The street-smart shrewdness he had shown before had completely vanished.
He even squeezed out a few tears, looking like a truly pitiful person who had suffered long-term bullying.
Xie Zhaofan was stunned for a moment before she couldn't help but laugh.
“This young miss prefers your previous arrogant and defiant look. This sudden kneeling makes things boring.”
She truly felt inferior to his face-changing skills.
By comparison, her own performance of acting cute and well-behaved in front of Madam Shen seemed a bit lacking. This was what you called switching roles seamlessly. He was spewing threats one moment and kneeling more decisively than anyone else the next. The thickness of his skin was truly comparable to a city wall.
Hou San's heart was thumping wildly. For a moment, he couldn't tell if Xie Zhaofan was mocking him or if she really thought he was too cowardly.
He could only continue to offer a forced smile and say cautiously, “The Great Heroine is joking. How could I dare to be arrogant? That was all forced upon me. You don't know how they used their numbers to bully us minor figures. We were angry but didn't dare to speak. If you hadn't stepped in to eliminate these pests for the people today, I don't know how much longer I would have been bullied.”
Xie Zhaofan’s mouth twitched.
This man’s skin was thick beyond belief. When he was leading her here earlier, he hadn't mentioned being forced. He had even been thinking about selling her for a good price.
Now, seeing that the situation was bad, he immediately began to whitewash himself. The speed was truly breathtaking.
She didn't care to listen any further. She flipped her folding fan and rapped Hou San over the head with it.
Whack!
The crisp sound echoed in the alley.
Hou San felt his vision go dark and his head buzz. He almost collapsed on the spot.
“Quit your nonsense. Lead the way for this young miss and find where Zhang Erniu and the others are staying.”
Hou San clutched his head. Daring not to say another word of disagreement, he nodded and bowed repeatedly.
“Yes, yes. I know this area best. Zhang Erniu and the others live just a short distance ahead. Please just follow me.”
“You'd better behave, or this young miss will snap your neck right now, hmph.”
Xie Zhaofan intentionally put on a cold face, trying to imitate her convenient brother-in-law Prince Qin's usual stern demeanor.
Unfortunately, she was too beautiful and her voice was sweet and soft. Even when she deliberately lowered her voice, it didn't have much of a deterrent effect. Instead, it sounded more like a pampered, coquettish huff.
Hou San didn't find it cute at all, though.
He was very certain that while this girl’s words sounded soft, she was definitely not joking.
Those brothers of his were still lying on the ground. One had even vomited blood all over and had yet to get up. For this girl, snapping his neck would probably be easier than killing a chicken. If she really wanted to do it, she wouldn't even blink an eye.
Thinking of this, the cold sweat on Hou San's forehead increased.
He didn't dare to play any more tricks and could only honestly lead the way in front.
Xie Zhaofan followed behind him, still leisurely swaying her folding fan. Her expression looked very relaxed, as if everything that had just happened was not worth mentioning.
In truth, she knew that she hadn't quite grasped her own strength when she struck.
After all, this was her first time actually fighting someone. Since her attributes had skyrocketed, she had only used stone locks and furniture to test her power. She had never used a living person as a test subject.
She wasn't even sure just how badly those few kicks had injured them.
Rate on N.U.
