Meanwhile, on the grasslands east of Sand City, three horses galloped towards it at full speed.
"Little sister, you can't keep calling me Snake Woman, can you?" Ren Yuanhao spurred his horse, clouds of mist billowing, and the short grass flattening.
"My name was already burned away in that great fire. Neither he nor I have names. For the past twenty years, he was called The Coach, and I, Snake Woman."
Snake Woman's voice was soft and ethereal, as if it would vanish with a gust of wind.
Ren Yuanhao believed it had been a hellish disaster, watching people he knew, even his parents and siblings, die before his eyes with no power to intervene. Such pain was enough to destroy a person.
Snake Woman did not wish to mention her name because she should have died with her parents in that celestial fire. She was a ghost from the inferno.
Ghosts were not meant to have names.
"Alright, alright, if you don't want to say, I won't press you. We'll talk about it after we rescue that man."
Ren Yuanhao spoke calmly, yet his tone carried a reassuring strength, and a certainty, as if he could accomplish anything she desired.
Snake Woman fell silent for a moment, then murmured to herself, "Aren't you afraid I'm deliberately going to my death?"
"I won't watch you go to your death. I will protect you."
Ren Yuanhao's words were decisive, without a hint of hesitation.
Snake Woman was slightly moved. After all, in her twenty-eight years, besides her parents and The Coach, he was the fourth person to say he would protect her.
However, his words felt like a wicked curse. Everyone who had said them ultimately met their demise.
"Why are you doing this?"
"As a man, it wouldn't be gentlemanly to stand by and watch a woman walk to her death."
"Is it that simple?"
Ren Yuanhao laughed heartily and openly. He was reminded of the Fire Knife in the tavern and felt a surge of heroism. "Many things don't need a reason. Just like when you were willing to defy the City Lord's orders to save us. I believe you weren't thinking too much then, you simply wanted to save us. Therefore, a person's kindness is innate. You are destined to be a gentle woman."
Ren Yuanhao paused, looking up. The silhouette of Sand City was faintly visible.
"Don't think too highly of me. Perhaps I merely intended to use you back then."
"Use me if you must, but at least you can say those words so frankly. That's already far better than countless women in this world."
A faint smile finally appeared on Snake Woman's face, but it was tinged with resolve. "What if this is a path of no return..."
Before Snake Woman could finish, Ren Yuanhao burst into laughter, "Then let it be a path of no return!"
...
About ten minutes later, Ren Yuanhao settled Sha Yunba and Mu Yunyan at a farmer's house outside the city. The warrior of that household had shared drinks with him the previous night, and according to the customs of the Western Wastes, when warriors shared drinks, they forged a bond that transcended life and death. Entrusting people to his protection meant he would risk his life. He bid farewell to the two with Snake Woman, and as they approached the city gate, they saw two wanted posters pasted on the gate. One depicted a woman of radiant beauty, the other... well, it looked like a model who had offended the artist.
"Hey, hey, hey! If you don't have photos, at least draw me a little more dashing and handsome! Otherwise, even if someone sees me, they won't recognize me!"
Snake Woman couldn't help but chuckle. "You're still in the mood to complain about this? Your mindset is truly remarkable."
"Some things, you have to face them with a smile, and you have to face them with tears. So why shouldn't I try to be happy?"
As the two exchanged casual banter, a object was suddenly thrown down from the city wall with a resounding 'clack' as a black iron chain scraped against the battlements!
Snake Woman recoiled as if facing a formidable enemy, looking up. A drop of icy blood landed on her cheek!
Dangling from the iron chain was a bloody corpse, its head adorned with a blood-red mask that perfectly fit its entire face. The iron chain passed through a gaping hole in the corpse's chest and was tied in a dead knot around its shoulder. Even in death, the man's hand was still clenched around a battle saber, his veins bulging.
Just as Snake Woman felt a chill that penetrated her bones, the man's mask suddenly fell from his face. His face was severely burned, crisscrossed with scars that intertwined like tangled roots, making him appear utterly monstrous at first glance. However, the corners of his mouth curved upwards, as if he had been thinking of something immensely joyful before his death, for he smiled like a child.
This smiling face instantly shattered Snake Woman, reducing her to ruins, tears flowing uncontrollably. Dark clouds swirled overhead, like flames shifting across the firmament. Time seemed to rewind to that celestial fire.
...
"Is... is anyone still alive~"
A boy of about twelve years old stumbled into the inferno. He wasn't seeking death, but the scene outside was too horrific. Charred corpses lay scattered everywhere, limbs exposed like roasted lamb legs beside massive beams. Sometimes it was a head, its hair curling into black ash in the flickering firelight, its empty sockets conveying hellish terror. Most of the bodies had their mouths agape, conjuring the image of their desperate attempts to beat flames from their clothes, and the expressions of flesh being consumed by fire. It was a human purgatory; no one could emerge alive from the conflagration.
The boy moved through this inferno, his body like flame, yet he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Is anyone still alive?"
His voice was hoarse, smoke continuously choking his lungs, triggering a violent cough. No one responded. He knew there could be no living souls in hell. Even he was merely a wandering spirit in this inferno, soon to be taken by the messengers of the jackal god.
But then, suddenly, he saw a very beautiful little girl amidst the flickering flames where the room's beam had broken. Though only eight years old, the girl already possessed a beauty like a descendant of the goddess Imer (a Western Waste goddess of human desire, with three beautiful children). Perhaps her appearance pulled him back from the brink of death. A surge of survival instinct, unlike anything he had ever felt, filled him with strength for the first time!
"Little girl, don't worry, I'll help you~"
The boy took a step forward, but before he could finish speaking, he was stunned by the sight before him. The little girl's hand was clasped with a withered hand, but the other half of her hand was completely empty. She was simply holding this hand as if her mother were taking her to the market, to buy her bags and candied fruit. What shocked him even more was that rattlesnakes slithered around her body. Not only did they not attack her, but their fragile bodies seemed to be helping her ward off the flames!