Mu Xi heard a rustling sound from the nearby grass and instinctively turned her head—only to lock eyes with a colorful snake, its triangular head low, crimson tongue flicking in and out.
"Ah! A snake!" she shrieked, stumbling backward and falling to the ground in a panic.
Whoosh!
A stone flew with deadly precision. Jiang Chen had already picked one up and hurled it, striking the snake dead center.
The snake spasmed and curled up tightly.
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. "A Seven-Step Red Venom Snake?"
He dashed over to Mu Xi. "Did it bite you?"
Mu Xi, breathless, simply pointed to her leg.
Jiang Chen followed her trembling finger. On her pale, slender calf were two puncture wounds, already ringed with a faint black discoloration.
"Damn," he muttered. "The venom's spreading fast. Ten minutes and she'll lose the leg. Half an hour, she could die."
Without waiting, Jiang Chen said calmly but firmly, "Don't move. I'm sucking the poison out."
Before she could respond, he dropped to his knees and leaned over her leg.
Mu Xi's face flushed beet red. She had never been in such close proximity to a man before—especially not like this. Her hand hovered in the air, conflicted, but seeing the focus in his eyes, she slowly let it fall.
Jiang Chen sucked out the venom-laced blood three or four times, spitting to the side each time.
Then he looked around. "Where is it... Where's the herb?"
Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Seven-Step Grass! Found it!"
He plucked a small cluster of herbs growing by the roadside, picked seven leaves, and began chewing them slowly.
Once ground to a pulp, he spat the paste into his palm and gently applied it over the puncture wound.
"You're okay now," he said. "Just rest for a bit."
Mu Xi looked at him, a little dazed, cheeks still burning. She couldn't explain it—but seeing him so serious and covered in sweat stirred something soft in her chest.
Jiang Chen noticed her gaze and said dryly, "Don't look at me like that. If something happened to you, I'd have a hard time explaining it to your old man."
Her heart instantly turned cold.
"Hmph! You—!"
He raised a brow. "No need to thank me. Just don't fall for me. I'm a legend, you know."
Mu Xi shot daggers at him with her eyes. "Legend of shamelessness, maybe. Who would fall for you?"
Jiang Chen just shrugged. "Plenty of ghosts probably already have."
Then something shifted in his expression. His usual sarcasm faded, and a somber look overtook his face.
Mu Xi's breath caught. What's with him?
She softened a little. " Jiang Chen... are you okay?"
He blinked and turned back to her with a slight grin. "Yeah. Just remembering some things. I'm good."
Then, without warning, he bent down again and scooped her up in his arms.
Mu Xi gasped. "What are you doing?! Put me down!"
"Unless you want another snake sneaking up on you," he said, expression unreadable, "keep quiet."
She instantly shut her mouth. "Fine, fine. But don't be so bossy about it."
Jiang Chen didn't respond. He carried her steadily toward the off-road vehicle parked nearby.
Mu Xi sat quietly in his arms, too embarrassed to keep fussing.
Instead, she tilted her head and looked up at his face.
Under the moonlight, his features looked even sharper—those clear eyes, that calm expression. Somehow, he seemed different from every other man she had ever known.
And for a reason she couldn't explain… her heart beat just a little faster.