Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 762: Snake Venom

The mountain ravine was steep, but not a sheer cliff, so the two of them rolled downward rather than falling straight down. 

Song Qingshu cradled Wanyan Ping’s head against his chest, shielding her tightly with his limbs while cursing in his heart: ‘TV dramas are all lies! Surviving a cliff fall without a scratch? Rolling down a steep slope unscathed? Utter nonsense!’

By the time they reached the bottom, he had no idea how many sharp rocks and tree branches he had crashed into. Given the speed at which they rolled down, if not for the protective barrier of his True Qi, he would have already shattered every bone in his body—if he were even that lucky. A slight misstep, and he could have been gutted by the jagged rocks.

Even with his True Qi shielding him, Song Qingshu was in a wretched state. His clothes were torn to shreds, and his body was battered as if he had been struck by multiple top-tier martial artists. He had sustained serious internal injuries.

‘Well, at least now I don’t have to fake looking pale from exhaustion,’ he thought bitterly, lowering his gaze to check on Wanyan Ping.

Unexpectedly, her large, clear eyes met his. Song Qingshu smiled in relief. “I was worried you’d passed out.”

“Brother-in-law, thank you~” Wanyan Ping’s voice was impossibly gentle. Seeing his battered condition and comparing it to herself—barely scratched, with her clothes nearly intact—she knew it was because he had shielded her with his own body.

“Don’t take such reckless risks in the future. It was just a hunting trip. If you keep getting yourself into danger, I won’t always be around to save you,” Song Qingshu chided. Though he wasn’t really her brother-in-law, he had unconsciously slipped into the role.

“I’ll stay by your side for the rest of my life, then. That way, if anything happens to me, you’ll always be there to save me,” Wanyan Ping said, tilting her head up, her eyes shimmering like starlight.

Song Qingshu chuckled and tapped her nose. “What does a little girl like you know about ‘a lifetime’? One day, you’ll get married. You can’t stay with your brother-in-law forever.”
“I’m not a little girl anymore!” Wanyan Ping pouted indignantly. “And I won’t marry anyone. I want to stay with my sister… and you… forever!”

Song Qingshu’s heart stirred at her words, and he was about to press the advantage when he suddenly noticed a trace of blackness appearing between her brows. He immediately recalled that she had been bitten by a snake earlier. Any thoughts of teasing her vanished, and he quickly asked, “Ping’er, did a snake bite you just now? How do you feel?”

Reminded of it, Wanyan Ping gasped. “Ah! My whole body feels numb… Brother-in-law, am I going to die?” Her voice trembled, edged with panic and tears.

“Nonsense! As long as I’m here, you won’t die.” Song Qingshu placed his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse and was alarmed to find her life force slowly fading.

“Brother-in-law… I don’t… I don’t want to die with regrets. There are things… things I must tell you…” Wanyan Ping’s voice grew weaker, her eyelids heavy. If not for the weight of her unspoken words, she might have already succumbed to unconsciousness.

“Save it for later,” Song Qingshu said firmly. “Where did the snake bite you?”

“My leg… I think my calf…” she murmured instinctively.

Rip! 

Without hesitation, Song Qingshu tore open the fabric around her lower leg. 

A pair of fair, slender legs was revealed, marred by a snake’s fang marks. The surrounding skin was darkened with poisoned blood—an alarming sight.

“Brother-in-law, what are you doing?” Wanyan Ping panicked when she realized her bare leg was exposed. A woman’s natural sense of modesty made her instinctively try to pull her leg back, but her numbed body refused to obey.

“Don’t move. You’ve been poisoned, and we have no other way to deal with it. I have to suck the venom out,” Song Qingshu said, no longer bothering to hide his martial prowess. He quickly sealed several key acupuncture points on her body to stop the venom from spreading to her heart.

“No! Brother-in-law, you’ll die too!” Fortunately, Wanyan Ping’s mind was muddled, and she was too distracted to notice the intricacy of his techniques.

“I have strong fortune and great resilience. I won’t die that easily,” Song Qingshu reassured her with a smile. “And if I do… well, we can be a pair of lovers in death, keeping each other company on the road to the underworld.”

“Shameless! Who wants to be… to be lovers in death with you?” Wanyan Ping giggled through her tears, her heart pounding. Some brightness returned to her eyes.

When Song Qingshu’s lips touched the wound on her leg, Wanyan Ping’s heart raced even faster. Strangely, despite the numbness spreading through her body, she could still clearly feel the unique sensation of his touch. Watching him suck and spit out the poisoned blood repeatedly, she found herself momentarily mesmerized.

As night fell, Song Qingshu finally saw the blood flowing from her wound return to a normal, bright red. He let out a long breath of relief. The venom had spread deeply. If not for his profound inner strength and controlled breathing, he wouldn’t have been able to maintain such intense suction for so long. Even someone with naturally strong lungs would have succumbed to the poison by now.

Glancing around, Song Qingshu spotted a peculiar herb. He chewed its leaves into a paste and applied it to her wound. Over the years, he had encountered many masters of poison and had picked up a few tricks along the way.

“Ping’er, do you have a clean handkerchief? I need to bandage your wound.” Song Qingshu looked up, only to find Wanyan Ping staring at him, her face flushed. He was momentarily stunned.

Caught in the act, Wanyan Ping averted her gaze and quickly replied, “I’m not like those delicate Han girls. Why would I carry something like a handkerchief…?” She hesitated for a moment. “Brother-in-law, turn around for a bit.”

“Huh?” Song Qingshu was puzzled but assumed she had some private matter to tend to. He obediently turned his back.

“All right.”

Her voice came quickly, and when he turned around, she pressed a soft piece of silk-like fabric into his hand.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t have a handkerchief? Hm? Why does this still feel warm?” Instinctively, he lifted it to his nose. A faint, delicate fragrance filled the air.

“Brother-in-law~” Wanyan Ping bit her lip, her face burning red.

Noticing her slightly disheveled collar, Song Qingshu suddenly realized what the fabric was. Awkwardly clearing his throat, he pretended not to understand, then crouched down and carefully wrapped her wound.

“Ping’er, can you walk?” Song Qingshu scanned their surroundings. They were at the bottom of the ravine, shrouded in darkness, with no visible way out. The best option would be to retrace their path, but although the ravine was steep, climbing up wouldn’t be difficult with his Qinggong. The problem was… doing so might raise Wanyan Ping’s suspicions.