The wound was not deep, but it quickly turned black and congealed, with no blood seeping out.
Shen Qingqing decisively decided to suck out the poisoned blood. However, before she could touch it, the arm swiftly recoiled.
"What are you doing?"
Fu Jingshu remained silent, refusing to let her suck out the poisoned blood. Shen Qingqing was frantic. Suddenly, she remembered something and took out a white porcelain bottle from her pocket.
Inside the bottle was a pill. She quickly fed it to him, "Eat it quickly."
After administering the pill, she squeezed the poisoned blood from the wound. However, squeezing was never as thorough as suction.
It was a pity that he wouldn't allow it.
Shen Qingqing pursed her lips. Only when she could no longer squeeze out a drop of blood did she look up at him, "How is it?"
Fu Jingshu's complexion had improved considerably, though he was still a little pale. "I'm fine, don't worry."
Shen Qingqing ignored him.
She turned and walked towards the dead snake. The onlookers' eyes widened.
Could she be planning to desecrate the corpse?
She reached out and picked up the black snake. It was thoroughly dead, wriggling loosely in her fingertips.
"Let's go."
She supported Fu Jingshu and turned to leave.
The others hurried to follow. For some reason, the air felt heavy, and no one spoke.
King glanced at his young disciple, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
His disciple, usually so calm, could be chilling when angered. It seemed someone was in for a rough time.
He gave Fu Jingshu a sympathetic look.
Fu Jingshu, confused, met his gaze with a cold stare. King merely offered a cryptic smile, and Fu Jingshu averted his eyes with a blank expression.
"Crazy."
The group returned to the campsite. Those who had remained were overjoyed but found their atmosphere strangely off-key.
Pei Ji wondered aloud, "What's wrong?"
He had even checked; the numbers were all there, everyone had returned safely.
Why was the atmosphere so...
Aisenn pulled his sister to his side and whispered, "I'll explain later, it's better not to say anything now."
Ever since Fu Jingshu had been bitten, Shen Qingqing had been exuding a palpable aura of low pressure.
Everyone held their breath, afraid to make a sound.
However, the old man strode forward cheerily, "Girl, are you all right? Not injured?"
As soon as he spoke, a long, black object flew towards him in a parabolic arc. Since Shen Qingqing had thrown it, the old man didn't suspect a thing and reached out to catch it.
He was met with a cold, slimy touch.
His eyes widened as he stared at the black snake in his hand for a moment, his voice trembling slightly, "Girl, where did you get this from?"
"Encountered it on the road."
Speaking of the incident, Shen Qingqing's tone carried a hint of coldness.
The old man pondered for a moment and asked, "Did it attack you? You weren't hurt, were you?"
This type of black snake was extremely venomous, with sharp fangs, and most importantly, it was incredibly fast. Among its kind, its speed was top-tier.
Shen Qingqing glanced at the black snake, her eyes darkening. "I'm fine. It's for you, use it as you please."
The old man exclaimed excitedly, "Great!"
Everyone swallowed, finally understanding the profound truth that one should not offend a woman. The snake's fate was a testament to that.
The old man happily scurried away with the snake.
Shen Qingqing helped Fu Jingshu to lean against a stone. His voice was low, "Actually, I'm fine, you don't need to worry."
Shen Qingqing paid him no mind.
"Qingqing..."
Her expression was impassive, giving no clue whether she was angry or pleased. Fu Jingshu felt uneasy and, disregarding the onlookers, reached out to take her hand.
"Keep me company for a while."
"You just stay put!"
Shen Qingqing shot him a glare, then turned to fetch clean strips of cloth to wash and re-dress his wound. As dawn approached, she felt his clothes, still damp.
She went to gather mushrooms and the fish she had caught from the stream, preparing to make a soup.
She was so busy bustling about that she had no time to pay attention to him.
Fu Jingshu sat on the ground, his gaze following her every move.
Not far away, Pei Ji watched the couple with surprise. Aisenn patted his shoulder, "See? Isn't it uncanny? That black snake, with just a flick! It was flung to its death. It's just a shame it bit Fu Jingshu, enraging that crazy woman!"
Pei Ji shot him a look.
Aisenn immediately covered his mouth and cleared his throat, "I was speaking quietly, she couldn't have heard me."
Pei Ji shook his head. "You're always like this. Regardless, she saved Ai Qi. You should properly thank him."
"I know."
Aisenn thought this too, even without Pei Ji mentioning it. He just hadn't found the right opportunity...
He mused inwardly, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards them.
Ai Qi softly said, "Brother, I want to go say thank you."
Aisenn had the same intention. "Alright, I'll go with you."
He was a little hesitant to go alone, primarily because his relationship with Shen Qingqing was already strained, yet her husband had saved his precious sister.
He couldn't fathom this twisted fate.
Sighing inwardly, he showed no outward sign of his unease and led Ai Qi to Fu Jingshu. Fortunately, Shen Qingqing was not present; she had gone to prepare the mushrooms.
Not having to face Shen Qingqing, Aisenn breathed a sigh of relief. He stammered slightly, "Well, um, I've come to thank you... thank you for saving my sister."
Fu Jingshu responded with a cool, indifferent "Mm."
"What's with your attitude?" Aisenn was a little displeased. It had taken considerable courage for him to come and offer his thanks.
"Once you've thanked me, you can leave."
Fu Jingshu frowned slightly, growing impatient. The two siblings standing together successfully blocked his view of his wife.
"Just like your wife!" Aisenn couldn't help but grumble.
Ai Qi tugged at him and smiled at Fu Jingshu, "We're sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you. Is your injury alright now?"
"It's fine."
Whether facing Aisenn or Ai Qi, he remained as indifferent as ever.
Ai Qi smiled and said, "Then we won't bother you anymore. We'll be going."
After walking a few steps, she looked back at Fu Jingshu, who was still sitting there.
His expression was blank, his gaze following the silhouette of a certain woman not far away.
Ai Qi withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.
Aisenn was somewhat unhappy, mainly due to Fu Jingshu's poor attitude. However, he was, after all, his sister's savior.
He dared not voice his displeasure.
The two returned, but Pei Ji was nowhere to be seen. Ai Qi found a corner to sit down, and Aisenn, without much thought, sat down and looked at her.
"What's wrong?"
Ai Qi noticed his gaze and asked.
"You two were at the cliffside..." Aisenn scratched his head, fumbling for words, then finally blurted out, "Did anything happen?"
Ai Qi blinked, initially not understanding. When she finally grasped his meaning, her face flushed crimson, and she was both embarrassed and annoyed. "What are you asking!"
"I..."
Ai Qi glared at him and turned her back, her posture radiating annoyance. "I'm not talking to you anymore."