"I'll save her. You all be careful—this kind of snake won't attack others," Ye Mo said before quickly rushing into the tent with Chi Wanqing in his arms.
Ye Mo knew this wasn't an ordinary snake—it was a Zilang. Though it looked like a snake, it actually had four limbs. Its eyes emitted green light at night, like a wolf's. Zilangs were terrifyingly fast and nearly invisible to normal people. Their skin was extremely tough, immune to common weapons, and their venom was far more potent than that of ordinary snakes.
Adult Zilangs even grew wings. This one was clearly still a juvenile. What shocked Ye Mo was that such a creature could exist in a world like Earth, where spiritual energy was nearly nonexistent.
Zilangs typically didn't attack ordinary people—they were drawn only to things containing spiritual energy, especially spiritual herbs. Ye Mo figured it either sensed that he was a cultivator or detected the Purple-Heart Vine he carried, which triggered its aggression.
He immediately lifted Chi Wanqing's shirt. Right now, he didn't care about anything else—her life was on the line. There were two small puncture marks on her back, and a black vein of toxin had begun creeping upward—clearly visible.
Ye Mo used his internal energy to expel the poison and applied medicinal herbs to her wound, then used true qi to help her absorb the herbs' properties.
The toxin was under control—for now. But Ye Mo knew that wasn't enough. If he couldn't completely eliminate the poison, Wanqing wouldn't survive another hour.
He turned her around and gently let her rest in his lap, but his mind was racing.
Her face was still ashen, though no longer worsening. The Zilang's venom not only poisoned her, but drained her vitality—her very life force. Even if the poison were completely removed, she wouldn't survive without revitalizing that life force.
If they were in the cultivation world, a few spiritual pills could heal her easily. But on Earth—where not even spiritual herbs existed—what could he use?
Regardless of whether she had helped him earlier, Chi Wanqing was bitten because of him. Ye Mo couldn't bear to let her die. And truthfully, he did like her—he admired her straightforwardness and courage.
If only he had a spiritual herb—then he could restore her vitality. But he'd already used all his Silver-Heart Grass, and the new plants weren't even sprouting yet.
Wait—he still had a small piece of Purple-Heart Vine. That could work.
Ye Mo hesitated. The vine was incredibly rare. If the Silver-Heart Grass couldn't be cultivated, the vine would be vital for his future. Using it to save someone would be a huge sacrifice.
But then he shook his head. So what if she wasn't saving him? Did that mean he should let her die? Zhuo Aiguo had given him things without hesitation—was Ye Mo more important than others?
Feeling ashamed, Ye Mo pulled out the vine and prepared to extract its essence. But then another idea struck him: he had consumed Silver-Heart Grass just a month ago—its medicinal properties were likely still present in his blood. As a cultivator, his blood also contained spiritual energy. That might be even more effective than the vine.
And besides, Chi Wanqing wouldn't be able to directly absorb the vine's energy. It would require his help and be complicated. With that, Ye Mo decisively cut his wrist and let the blood drip into her mouth, guiding the flow with his true qi.
Miraculously, the gray tint in Wanqing's face began to fade rapidly. The black toxin retreated, backtracking through her body and oozing out of the original wound. The blood turned from black to red.
Ye Mo let out a long sigh of relief. It worked. The medicinal energy from the Silver-Heart Grass hadn't been fully absorbed by his body yet.
Chi Wanqing, tasting something strange, slowly opened her eyes. She saw Ye Mo's bleeding wrist at her lips and was shocked.
Startled, she pushed his wrist away in alarm. Seeing that she was awake and the poison expelled, Ye Mo sealed his wound with qi.
"Brother Ye… you… you let me drink your…" Wanqing stammered, too stunned to finish the sentence.
Ye Mo smiled gently. "It's nothing. I donate blood to hospitals all the time. You lost some blood just now, so I gave you some. Don't worry about it. Maybe next time I lose blood, you'll help me too."
He kept it simple. Explaining about Silver-Heart Grass, vitality, and spiritual energy would be far too complicated—and she probably wouldn't understand anyway.
Though confused, Wanqing felt a wave of emotion flood her heart. She knew snake bites didn't usually cause blood loss, and transfusions weren't done this way either. But at that moment, she didn't think about it too much—only about how moved she was that Ye Mo had tried to save her this way.
"Thank you, Brother Ye. I…" She shifted slightly and only then realized she was still in his arms. Her cheeks flushed with warmth.
Ye Mo noticed too and quickly helped her sit upright. "You're okay now. Rest a bit. That thing was really venomous—I'll go search for it later."
Ye Mo had a reason to hunt the Zilang. Its presence might indicate spiritual herbs nearby. The Zilang thrived only in places rich in spiritual energy, and Earth was usually extremely lacking in that.
Seeing her complexion return to normal, Ye Mo reminded gently, "Don't do something so dangerous next time, understand? I barely managed to save you."
What he really meant was that she didn't need to intervene—he could have dodged it. But saying that outright would be hurtful. After all, Wanqing had acted out of concern and didn't know Ye Mo could avoid the attack.
"No. If something like that happens again, I'll still jump in," Wanqing replied softly but firmly. "If you get poisoned, you might die. But if I get poisoned, maybe you can still save me."
Ye Mo was stunned, then moved. He sighed, "Silly girl. Even if you get poisoned, I might not be able to save you. Today was already incredibly risky. Please remember that."
Wanqing shook her head. "Brother Ye, I don't understand all that. You saved me before, and I just didn't want to see you get bitten. Even if I can't be saved, I won't regret it. I'd do it again."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter, as if afraid Ye Mo would scold her.
Ye Mo sighed inwardly. This girl really made his heart ache. He even began to wonder—was escorting Chi Wanqing the right decision?
Because now it seemed her feelings toward him might be more than just gratitude.