Dozens of rattlesnakes hissed, their upper bodies perking up in unison as if hearing some strange incantation, fully prepared for battle.
"It's over. I didn't die in the black sandstorm, only to be poisoned by these cold things~"
Sha Yunba no longer intended to resist. After all, these were top-tier poisons in the desert, and their numbers were immense. It would be a miracle blessed by the Jackal God to evade them.
But just as the two stood frozen, unsure of what to do, Ren Yuanhao, who had been standing in front of them, suddenly vanished.
"Hey, I'm not a big fan of cold, slimy things, just as I'm not particularly fond of holding a knife to a beauty's throat."
A woman slowly appeared on one side of the passage. Ren Yuanhao once again performed his uncanny instantaneous movement, or perhaps some magical sleight of hand, which made Sha Yunba even more convinced that Bao Ge was truly an avatar of the Jackal God!
"That's awesome, Bao Ge is mighty!"
As if receiving a command, the rattlesnakes slowly retreated. At the same moment, Ren Yuanhao sheathed his blade.
"You are strong."
The woman's pearly teeth gently clicked. Her charm was bone-deep. She wore a brightly colored, floral mini-skirt, boasting a standard S-shaped curve. Even with a black veil covering her face, one could tell from her facial contours that she was an absolutely stunning woman.
"Whether I'm strong or not is irrelevant. You should really change your temper of releasing snakes at any outsider. Otherwise, it'll be hard to get married."
Ren Yuanhao didn't say much more. Seeing that he was about to rejoin Mu Yunyan's group, he was halfway there when he heard the woman let out a silvery laugh.
"I didn't expect you, you stinking man, to be so amusing. Fine, for your sake, I won't pursue this with you. However, you can't proceed further; you must turn back."
Just then, a series of rapid footsteps echoed from the direction they had come, like rain tapping on a window.
"Haha, now you're trapped with no way to heaven or earth! Snake Woman, aren't you going to capture these three outsiders!"
The person who arrived was Ma San'er, accompanied by a throng of his followers.
"If you want to capture them, can't you do it yourselves?" The Snake Woman's face turned slightly pale.
"Oh? Interesting. Snake Woman, don't forget your place. Be careful I don't report you to the City Lord!"
As soon as Ma San'er mentioned the City Lord, the Snake Woman's expression immediately dimmed. Ren Yuanhao, with his extremely keen observation skills, understood the power dynamics with a moment's thought.
"Stop arguing. You just didn't get your cut, right? Tell me, how much do you want?" Ren Yuanhao adopted an expression that suggested any problem solvable with money was a minor one.
Ma San'er chuckled sinisterly, "If you had been this honest from the start, you wouldn't have suffered so much."
"Suffered? I'm delighted to have met such a beauty. Suffered? Heh, no wonder someone named Ma is destined to be a bachelor."
As soon as he said this, the burly man first couldn't help but laugh, and then everyone behind him also stifled their laughter with chuckles.
"Laugh, laugh, laugh! You blind fools, look closely! Do I, the magnificent and unparalleled Third Master Ma, look like someone who would be a bachelor?"
The burly man held a torch close to Ma San'er's face. Instantly, his face turned ashen, and he grumbled, "Sometimes, looking at your face too much can indeed feel a bit sickening."
"Damn it!"
Third Master Ma delivered a sharp rap on the burly man's head. However, given the latter's height, Ma San'er, with his short stature, had to put in all his effort to deliver such a blow. The action was like a child trying to pick a dangling red apple; despite great effort, he could only touch the green leaves.
"Laugh, all of you, you can still laugh," Ma San'er said, enraged. "Attack him, all of you! I'll cover any injuries!"
But just as everyone suppressed their smiles and prepared to charge at Ren Yuanhao, dozens of black snakes blocked their path.
"Stinking man, thank you for speaking up for me. I'll hold them off here. Proceed 10 kilometers down the passage behind me, and once you exit, you'll reach Sand City."
Ren Yuanhao, having worn the gauze on his face for too long and feeling the emptiness in his stomach, removed his headscarf and lit a cigarette.
"I, Qin Baobao, never let a woman cover the rear. Sha Yunba, Mu Yunyan, follow this young lady's instructions and go to Sand City to wait for me. Once I'm done with these fools, I'll find you." Ren Yuanhao exhaled a puff of smoke, seemingly taking count. "Oh, no need. There aren't many of you. All of you, fall back, so I can go all out."
"You brat, you're just relying on your speed, aren't you? Want to fight me head-on, you're asking for death!"
Ma San'er waved his small hand, and dozens of fierce-looking men were about to charge at Ren Yuanhao.
"Whoever dares to take one step forward, my children will not be polite!"
The Snake Woman gently raised her hand, and the rattlesnakes assumed an offensive stance.
"Snake Woman, I knew you treacherous woman would betray us! Look at this!"
Ma San'er suddenly produced a tiny device, similar to an emitter that uses sound waves to drive away rodents!
Upon seeing this ordinary-looking object, the Snake Woman's expression finally turned somewhat grim. Ma San'er grinned and flicked the switch. A sound wave, extremely difficult for the human ear to detect, instantly flooded the Snake Woman's ears. Transmitted through her eardrums to her brain, the woman finally collapsed like a powerless yet beautiful snake.
Ren Yuanhao cradled the Snake Woman in his arms. The rattlesnakes, which had gathered because of her, dispersed like a tide upon losing their controller!
"Go!"
Ma San'er grinned wildly. Ren Yuanhao, with his exceptional hearing, had also perceived the peculiar fluctuations within the sound wave. For some reason, that sound wave seemed to have some effect on him as well.
In any case, as he looked at the boneless, soft form in his arms, curled up like a girl who had lost everything, a nameless rage ignited within him, his eyes spewing golden light.
The burly man raised his battle-axe, the gust of wind slicing at Ren Yuanhao's face. No longer holding back, Ren Yuanhao simply uttered a soft "Retreat" and pushed his saber upwards. The seemingly solid black battle-axe instantly split into two halves!
This scene occurred with blinding speed, as if smoke had suddenly risen from the ground, so fast that even Sha Yunba and Mu Yunyan could not track it. And this scene was eerily similar to the one where a single person dealt with plunderers in the desert, only even more swift.
For a moment, screams of agony filled the air. Distorted faces abruptly appeared in the dust, creating a spectacular sight.
At this moment, Mu Yunyan noticed that Ren Yuanhao had wedged the unburned half of his cigarette into a round hole in the passage. As the ash was about to fall, she had a strong premonition, for some reason, that this one-sided massacre was about to end.
As expected, the moment the ash dropped from the cigarette, but before it hit the ground, Ren Yuanhao emerged from the dust like a wisp of black smoke. Not only was his clothing unwrinkled, but his expression was as indifferent as if he had just been eating or sleeping.