Ren Yuanhao shook his clothes, his expression calm as he looked at the predators who had captured Weiwei and the boss. He picked up the meat patty from the ground, dusted it off, and took a large bite.
"Mmm, as expected, a rare meat patty. Paired with a pot of Huoshaodao, this life is better than an immortal's."
Ren Yuanhao had no intention of reclaiming his bag or the Wuji Blade. However, the two people who had snatched these items acted as if they had touched a hot potato. They staggered and trembled, respectfully placing the items beside Ren Yuanhao, as if they had seen a ghost, and retreated into the courtyard.
"Oh, and that sweat-blooded horse is mine."
As soon as Ren Yuanhao finished speaking, the lackey holding the horse respectfully led the sweat-blooded horse back to the stable, tethered it securely, and added fodder. He didn't dare to utter a sound even when the horse urinated on him.
The boss's family, seeing this, were bewildered. Then they heard the leader of the predators grit his teeth and say, "Recently, a legend has been circulating in the desert. It says that if you encounter a Tang sword with a pitch-black blade and intricate patterns, you must detour, or even flee the desert forever, lest you be buried by the blade, without exception. I never expected to see it today."
Ren Yuanhao continued to eat his meat patty, his mouth full of food, only able to mumble, "So? You're still standing in front of me, holding a knife to the boss's throat, and you've kidnapped his daughter. Do you think this is appropriate?"
"Others might believe such rumors, but I, on the contrary, refuse to believe in evil!" The man shouted, "All of you, act like predators! This man is my prey tonight!"
The leader of the predators pushed the two aside and was about to slash at Ren Yuanhao with his saber. Unexpectedly, Ren Yuanhao suddenly looked up, his golden pupils burning into the man's eyes like sunlight.
The saber was still twenty centimeters from Ren Yuanhao's nose, but the man dared not advance any further.
This was because the power within him, activated by the Mandara gene, seemed to let out mournful cries, and the look in the other person's eyes conveyed an extremely dangerous signal—any closer, and he would die!
"What? Still not going to put away your saber and scram with your lackeys?"
Ren Yuanhao's voice had lost all its playfulness. "I'll give you half a minute, or rather, about the time it takes me to finish this meat patty."
Ren Yuanhao took another bite of the half-eaten meat patty.
"Boss, let's leave quickly~"
"If you don't leave, we're leaving you!"
Except for the twenty-something predator, everyone else had already mounted their horses. Ren Yuanhao's meat patty was now only a quarter left!
The predator swallowed, immediately sheathed his saber, flashed to his horse, dropped everything, kicked its belly, and led all his men away into the vastness within ten seconds.
Dust billowed.
Ren Yuanhao continued to eat his meat patty and looked up at the sky. A massive black cloud seemed to be descending somewhere in the desert. A rare sandstorm was likely brewing.
At this moment, all the rescued people looked at Ren Yuanhao as if he were a monster. They had wanted to say something, but perhaps because Ren Yuanhao's eyes exuded endless killing intent, they dared not approach. They all rushed to get their horses and quickly left.
Soon, only the boss's family remained in the courtyard.
"Benefactor, thank you." The boss, holding Little Wei, and the entire family knelt down, filled with fear, though their eyes betrayed pure terror.
"Get up. Look how scared I've made you. Am I that terrifying?"
Ren Yuanhao sheathed the Wuji Blade and placed a stack of money in the boss's hand. "Thank you for your hospitality during these days. I won't trouble you further. This money is to compensate for your losses."
As he spoke, Ren Yuanhao had already mounted his horse. The sweat-blooded horse seemed to have recognized its master. Seeing its master ready to wield his saber, it whinnied excitedly, rearing its front hooves high before galloping away, kicking up dust.
The three people in the courtyard remained prostrate, as if everything that had just happened was merely a nightmare.
"Master, that man~"
"I remember now! That man is rumored to be a demon of slaughter who, in a single encounter, can incapacitate over a dozen or twenty predators."
"No wonder his eyes had that hellish, terrifying color."
"But this young brother helped us, why are Mom and Dad~"
Weiwei was naturally confused.
"People like that are not in the same world as us. Receiving his favor is not necessarily a good thing~" The boss's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly said nervously, "How about we all go on a trip? We'll come back when we can face this home again!"
...
Meanwhile, Ren Yuanhao let his horse run freely, galloping tens of miles into the depths of the desert, but he forgot something extremely important.
He hadn't refilled his water skin!
"Damn it! Next time I try to be cool and show off, I must remember to clean up afterwards."
Although Ren Yuanhao was reflecting on himself, the reality was before him. Without water, traveling in the desert was no different from suicide.
"Vast sky, boundless wild, damn wind blows sand, where is the fish pond!" Just as Ren Yuanhao was about to rein in his horse and turn back, a scene of a roasted lamb appeared before his eyes!
He rubbed his eyes and looked at the weather. Although the sky was still hazy, the temperature was at least forty degrees Celsius. Wasn't this act of roasting a lamb a bit too dismissive of the heat?
As Ren Yuanhao was thinking this, the lamb, skewered on an Autumn Water Sword, was being flipped by a person wearing a bamboo hat, emitting a unique aroma!
What was even more critical was that the person had pulled open a water bag and was frantically pouring water into his mouth. Even more annoyingly, this fellow seemed unaware of the preciousness of water, as it dripped down his chin while he drank.
—Damn it! This guy must have never been to the desert!
Ren Yuanhao galloped his horse closer. When he was still thirty meters away, he heard a very neutral voice, "Leave the saber and the horse, and you may go."
—Holy crap? Why does this line sound so familiar?
Ren Yuanhao thought carefully. Indeed, such lines were only meant for protagonists!
"Young sir, I just want a bag of water. Please be kind enough to oblige?"
Ren Yuanhao reined in his horse and stopped. But in the next second, the person in the bamboo hat flashed like a white shadow. In an instant, a short saber was placed against his neck.
"Hey, hey, hey, young sir, let's talk. Judging by your martial arts cultivation, you don't seem like a predator, do you?"
Ren Yuanhao felt like he had been held at knifepoint more and more frequently recently. He wondered if his facial features were becoming increasingly 'amiable and approachable, appearing simple and honest'?