“You’re the first brat I’ve faced among the Eighteen Tooth Warriors and still managed to spout such arrogant words,” the Eighteen Tooth Warrior declared, drawing his battle saber. Its cold, solitary gleam spat out biting killing intent, chilling one to the bone. “Now, I’ll let you experience what it feels like to be enveloped and dominated by fear!”
The noble warriors instinctively retreated several steps. After all, swinging that massive battle saber could easily injure bystanders. They chuckled inwardly, each of them already convinced that the insolent brat was as good as dead.
After all, angering the Eighteen Tooth Warrior, a warrior ranked among the top ten in fighting power in Sand City, meant their life was over.
The Eighteen Tooth Warrior reveled in the fearful gazes of the common warriors opposite him. This was the expression and look a hunter loved most, along with the scene of placing a knife on the prey’s neck, the prey struggling in vain for mercy, and blood mist splattering.
His thoughts drifted a little, but as he turned his attention back, he found himself swept away by a gust of wind. A sharp pain struck his shoulder blade. He wanted to cry out, but the powerful wind choked his throat.
The second warrior was now hanging on the tavern’s high wall.
This change happened in an instant. No one could even clearly see how the man had done it!
“A demon! He must be a demon!”
The noble warriors’ resolve began to waver. None of them possessed the strength to match the Eighteen Tooth Warrior. What was more terrifying was that even if they did, that man, with his relaxed demeanor, would likely kill them with a flip of his hand!
Ren Yuanhao casually picked up the gold ingot from the ground and handed it to Wu Liya, not even bothering to look at the warriors’ expressions. He said lazily, “Demon? I don’t particularly like that adjective. Perhaps you can use a different word, like ‘monster’.”
The noble warriors fell silent. In contrast, Ren Yuanhao picked up another pot of Burning Saber wine and guzzled it down. The more he drank, the more exhilarated he felt. “By the way, how many people did you injure today? You all have to pay the medical expenses, right? Of course, you can choose not to pay, as I’ll come and collect it myself anyway.”
Wu Liya, Mu Yunyan, and a group of young, beautiful women looked at this man who remained unperturbed even as Mount Tai collapsed before him. Their hearts were captivated, their heartbeats like startled deer, their faces blushing like brilliant sunset clouds.
Ren Yuanhao had completely subdued the men before him. However, he understood the principle of knowing when to stop. After all, he was a newcomer, and causing too much trouble would only drag him into an abyss of no return.
“Alas, my patience is limited. How about this: if you find me displeasing, just come at me together. Give me a good beating. After the fight, I still need to drink with these brothers. I’m just not sure if this place has enough hospital beds, which worries me quite a bit.”
“You~”
The man with thirteen beast teeth hanging around his neck was about to explode but was pulled back by his companions. One of them muttered, “This person is not someone we can overwhelm with sheer numbers. Let’s get his name and discuss it later.”
“Bah, wouldn’t that be losing face?”
“Isn’t getting hung up like that on the wall also losing face?”
After conferring, they had no choice but to hand over all their belongings. With heads hanging low, one of them was about to ask for Ren Yuanhao’s name, but Ren Yuanhao answered first.
“By the way, I don’t think you guys will give up so easily. However, if you dare to cause trouble for the tavern or these brothers and sisters, I will nail you one by one to the high walls at the city gate for everyone to admire daily,” Ren Yuanhao took another swig and said with a hearty laugh, “Also, listen up. My name is Qin Baobao. Feel free to come find me anytime.”
Upon hearing this, the noble warriors cursed as they took their companion down from the high wall, then stormed out of the tavern in vexation and shame.
After they left, everyone surged forward and lifted Ren Yuanhao, tossing him high into the air with thunderous cheers.
At that moment, the war drums sounded again, and songs and dances filled the air. They drank until midnight before everyone gradually went home.
But Ren Yuanhao couldn’t leave so easily. He was surrounded by over a dozen women. Moreover, the Burning Saber wine had a strong aftereffect, and even he found it difficult to remain completely unaffected.
However, drunken recklessness was unlikely for Ren Yuanhao. And although these women were spirited, they were not promiscuous or casual. After Ren Yuanhao’s repeated explanations, the women found it inappropriate to keep him any longer. Ren Yuanhao then managed to return to the inn with Mu Yunyan and Sha Yunba.
Due to limited room availability, the four of them shared a communal room. After eating and drinking their fill, Ren Yuanhao quickly fell asleep.
But Sha Yunba and Mu Yunyan were destined to have a sleepless night.
They walked to the window. Their room was on the fourth floor, located at the edge of the city, in the lower district of Sand City, adjacent to buildings of various shapes and exotic styles.
It was said that to the east of Sand City lay a vast grassland, a sacred gift from the jackal god blessing the desert. Of course, the existence of the grassland was known to very few, as mysterious and unfathomable as Sand City itself.
“Miss, actually, there’s something I’ve never understood. Why don’t other merchants deliver this cargo, given how high the reward is? Why do they entrust it to us?”
Sha Yunba had also been pondering this question during the journey. Those shrewd and greedy merchants, who were always at odds with the Mu family, were surprisingly generous this time, which made one suspicious.
“Who knows about these things?” Mu Yunyan’s mind was half occupied by the lost cargo and half by Ren Yuanhao’s unrestrained demeanor when drinking, his defiance when facing enemies, and his gentleness when rescuing people. She then shook her head abruptly. The more she tried to remove his image from her mind, the clearer it became.
Just then, they suddenly heard the extremely faint sound of a door lock turning. The snake woman, who had been unconscious, seemed to be disturbed by some kind of wave, and she sprang up from the bed. She took a brief glance at the two of them and the sleeping Ren Yuanhao, immediately understanding her predicament.
She raised a finger, signaling them to remain silent. Then, she flipped off the bed. The moment her feet touched the ground, the locked door creaked open!
Mu Yunyan’s face turned pale, thinking they might have lodged in a shady inn, where the owner and staff might be holding shining cleavers, intending to drug everyone with soporifics and then chop them up to make human-skin buns!
However, this scenario, straight out of a TV drama, did not unfold. Instead, a group of figures wearing fierce masks and wielding two short knives appeared. Upon seeing the snake woman, they lunged at her without a word!
The snake woman naturally wouldn’t surrender. She overturned the bed, blocking their path for a moment. Then, she grabbed the Tang saber beside Ren Yuanhao’s bed, her gaze cold and sharp.