The raider, having achieved his goal, was about to grab the woman when she, gathering her true qi once more, retreated backward. The raider’s grasp met empty air.
"Indeed, a fine sword. It took a punch from me, and not only did the blade not break, it didn't even deform."
The raider then sprinted to the sword, pulled it out, and examined it closely. The blade bore resplendent, cloud-like patterns. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, Hundred Refinements Xuan Tie, sword imprinted with enchantments! This craftsmanship is almost divine. Kid, what's your connection to the Heluo clan?"
The mention of Heluo caused the woman's body to suddenly stiffen, and she involuntarily took two steps back.
"I don't know anything about Heluo, nor do I know Gu Kucha Er. I found this Gu Kucha Er · White Frost Sword by chance."
Ren Yuanhao immediately felt that the woman's intelligence had plummeted. Saying that was like trying to hide something obvious. He wanted to break free from his acupoints, but the technique used was truly bizarre.
No, it wasn't just bizarre; it was a method of acupoint manipulation he had never witnessed before.
Just then, the system's voice suddenly chimed in.
"Hey, hey, hey, Ren Yuanhao, take a good feel. Does this even resemble acupoint pressure?"
"What the heck? If it's not acupoint pressure, why can't I exert any strength?"
"This woman is definitely not ordinary. Be careful. She's using a sealing technique called the Art of Ancient Heluo. This kind of sealing technique cannot be broken by simply forcing your true qi. It's more like a formula, a complex circuit diagram where a short circuit somewhere causes your body to malfunction?"
"That advanced?"
"Not advanced, but this art is almost lost. That's why I say this woman is not simple. You must be cautious."
"System, don't say useless things. Just tell me how to break it!"
"Fortunately, this art can be deciphered through AI intelligent computation, but I need some time."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
...
Meanwhile, after her attack was thwarted and her long sword was snatched away, the woman immediately retrieved a weapon basket filled with various weapons of different lengths from her horse.
"Damn it, kid, you've got a lot of weapons! Let me have a good look!"
The raider dashed forward, kicking up sand and dust. Although he held a sharp sword, he was clearly not a master swordsman. For him, his fists were the finest weapons in the world.
Knowing the power of his fists, the woman prepared to rein in her horse and dodge. However, whether due to the raider's imposing presence or sheer fright, the horse refused to budge. Just then, the raider's fist landed squarely on the horse's head!
The horse took the punch head-on. Blood rapidly surged from its eyes, hot air puffed from its nostrils, and its body convulsed. It immediately collapsed to the ground, seemingly beyond saving.
"Black Wind!"
The woman stroked the horse's head, then drew three or four throwing knives from her weapon basket and propelled them with her true qi. The knives sliced through the air, heading directly for the raider's vital points. However, the raider didn't retreat; instead, he met the flying knives head-on, smashing them away with four fierce and unparalleled punches.
The woman, darting like a nimble monkey and throwing various weapons to disorient her opponent, found herself unable to gain the upper hand.
However, as the encirclement tightened, the woman had less and less room to maneuver. During a series of evasive twists and turns, her gaze shifted towards Ren Yuanhao's location.
"Stop running. Hand over your weapons obediently, and perhaps I'll let you have a swift death."
As the raider finished speaking, the woman suddenly sank her body, channeling her dwindling true qi into her feet. She leaped upward like an arrow released from a drawn bow, seemingly about to fly out of the encirclement.
But the raider was not to be underestimated. Before she could celebrate, he felt a powerful force surge from behind her!
"You're out of luck, kid!"
Knowing her true qi was almost depleted and that she couldn't dodge this punch, the woman made a beeline for the stunned Ren Yuanhao, darting behind him and using him as a human shield!
—Holy hell!
Ren Yuanhao was greatly alarmed, completely forgetting that he was still sealed by the Art of Ancient Heluo. In a flash of thought, his Asorbing Star Great Technique surged forth!
The raider saw the situation turning sour but couldn't stop his momentum. As his fist made contact with Ren Yuanhao, his remaining true qi was instantly devoured!
Ren Yuanhao wiggled his fingers, and the system's voice sounded in his mind.
"How was that? Did I break the seal in time!"
"It was perfectly timed! I thought we were going to meet in the afterlife!"
"Relax, a punch like that couldn't take you down."
Ren Yuanhao returned to the present, a slight smile playing on his lips. He then pushed the true qi-drained raider aside.
He patted his clothes, dusting them off. The raider, unwilling to concede, immediately gestured, and his companions understood. They spurred their horses and galloped forward like a black tide, sweeping towards the two of them!
"Hey, kid, the agreement we made earlier is settled. I accept!"
"Alright." Ren Yuanhao calmly unbuckled his saber from his horse. The moment it was drawn, the raiders, who had been advancing relentlessly, immediately tightened their reins, squeezed their horses' flanks, and retreated in sheer terror!
"Who exactly are you? Why do they look at you like you're a ghost?"
Seeing this, the woman was naturally bewildered.
"Watch your mouth! I just saved your life, and you don't even say thank you?"
Ren Yuanhao leaned his saber against the sand and paid no further attention to the raiders.
"Hey, hey, hey, go steal their horses! My horse is gone!"
However, as the woman spoke, the raiders, without hesitation, galloped away, dropping their armor and fleeing in disarray, disappearing over a mile away in an instant.
Dust swirled, and the yellow sand danced. The woman behind Ren Yuanhao looked anxious, appearing about to jump onto Ren Yuanhao's horse.
But the Ferghana horse, once it recognized its master, was wild and untamed. Even if the woman could maintain her balance, the horse refused to move.
"It's all your fault! They should all be killed! Why did you let them go?"
Ren Yuanhao sheathed his saber and looked at the woman beside him, who still wore her straw hat. "Hey, now I only have one horse left. If you keep yelling at me, you might be the one dying in the desert."
"What do you mean?"
"Since you're a woman, please be a bit more gentle. Maybe I can tolerate sharing a horse with you."
As soon as Ren Yuanhao finished speaking, the woman glanced at the vast desert. Beneath her straw hat, a masked face was faintly visible.
—Holy hell, how ugly is this woman? She's wrapped up layer by layer, like a rice dumpling!
"Looks like I can only travel with a man as insensitive as you..."