âAiya~â Wanyan Ping stood up and tried to take a step, but a wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her to fall sideways.
Song Qingshu reacted quickly, reaching out to support her by the waist. âWhatâs wrong?â
âI donât know⊠I feel weak all over, and my head keeps spinning,â Wanyan Ping said weakly, pressing her hand to her forehead.
âIt might be the remnants of the snake venom still affecting your body. It should pass after some time. Itâs already dark now, so Iâll carry you and look for a place where we can rest.â
âMm~â Wanyan Pingâs response was barely audible.
Song Qingshu scooped her up in his arms and started searching the valley.
The entire time, Wanyan Ping remained silent, merely resting her face against his chest, lost in thought.
Eventually, Song Qingshu found a small cave. Gathering some dry grass, he spread it on the ground before gently placing Wanyan Ping down. âPingâer, itâs pitch dark outside, and we have no idea where the exit is. Besides, youâre still injured. It looks like weâll have to spend the night here.â
âMm~â Wanyan Ping hugged her knees and sat quietly on the pile of dry grass, gazing at him.
Song Qingshu couldnât help but tease her. âWhere did that lively little princess go? You seem to only know how to say âmmâ now.â
âAnnoying brother-in-law, youâre teasing me again!â Wanyan Ping finally smiled and playfully grabbed a handful of dry grass, tossing it at him.
After a brief moment of playful banter, Song Qingshu took out some rations from his coat and handed them to her with an apologetic look. âThe rations got a little crushed. Youâll have to make do, Pingâer.â
Seeing the broken rations, Wanyan Pingâs eyes reddened. âBrother-in-law, theyâre in such bad shape⊠You must have been hurt badly from tumbling down the mountain while protecting me!â
Song Qingshu smiled nonchalantly. âDidnât I tell you? Your brother-in-law has thick skin; itâs nothing serious.â
âDonât lie! Look at your clothesâtheyâre all torn!â Wanyan Ping scooted closer, her face full of concern.
âIt just looks bad. Iâm not actually hurt,â Song Qingshu reassured her with a smile.
âI donât believe you. Take off your clothes and let me see!â Wanyan Ping pouted.
âTake off my clothes?â Song Qingshuâs expression turned odd.
âUgh! Whatâs going on in that head of yours, you perverted brother-in-law!â Wanyan Ping blushed and pinched him. âI just want to check for injuries. I have medicine with me!â
Song Qingshuâs mind stirred. The antidote for Rouge Drunkenness was incredibly importantâshe wouldnât just leave it lying around. She probably carried it with her. This was a good chance to find out.
âAlright, alright, stop pinching me. Iâll take them off,â he said with a resigned expression before slowly removing his clothes.
Although his True Qi had protected him from internal injuries and fractures, his skin hadnât been spared. Along the way, sharp rocks and branches had left numerous cuts and scratches on him.
Seeing this, Wanyan Pingâs eyes instantly filled with tears. She choked out, âBrother-in-law~â
âItâs fine, really. It just looks bad,â Song Qingshu said with a wry smile.
âDonât move. Iâll apply medicine for you.â Wanyan Ping bit her lip, shot him a reproachful look, and took out a few small, leather-wrapped medicine packets from her coat, placing them on the ground.
Song Qingshuâs gaze flickered. He pointed at the packets with a smile. âPingâer, why are you carrying so many medicines with you?â
Wanyan Ping wrinkled her nose. âHmph, this lady had plenty of poisons. If you dare bully me⊠or my sister, Iâll poison you to death!â
âOh?â Song Qingshu casually picked up a packet and sniffed it. âWhat kind of poison is this?â
âDonât!â Wanyan Pingâs expression changed drastically. She lunged to snatch it from his hands. âThatâs Rouge Drunkenness!â
Song Qingshu had already noticed the small label on the packet and had deliberately chosen this particular one. The moment he took a whiff, he felt a wave of dizziness and weakness wash over him, shocking him internally.
âThis Rouge Drunkenness really targets martial artists. Even with my current attainments, just a single sniff is enough to affect me!â
âAiyah, I feel dizzy, Iâm going to faint~â Song Qingshu exaggeratedly cried out, allowing himself to fall backward. In reality, he had already expelled the minute dose of poison from his body.
âI told you not to touch things randomly!â Wanyan Ping was both furious and panicked. She quickly took out another medicine packet, pinched a tiny amount of powder between her fingers, and brought it to his lips. âHurry and take this! Itâs the antidote!â
âSo thatâs why I didnât see the antidote in that pile earlierâit was on her the whole time.â
Song Qingshu carefully memorized the look of the antidote packet, planning to steal it later.
âYou scared me to death, you annoying brother-in-law!â Wanyan Ping sighed in relief once he swallowed the antidote, patting her chest.
âWell, I knew Pingâer would save me,â Song Qingshu replied with a grin, though he was actually quite frustratedâshe had immediately put the antidote back into her coat.
âHmph! Stop moving and just lie there. Iâll apply the medicine for you,â Wanyan Ping scolded, rolling her eyes before opening a wound medicine packet and carefully applying the powder to his injuries.
Since Song Qingshu was lying down, Wanyan Ping had to kneel beside him, leaning forward as she applied the medicine. He thought about reaching into her coat to steal the antidote multiple times, but while he was highly skilled in martial arts, he wasnât particularly adept at sleight of hand. Not wanting to alert her, he ultimately gave up the tempting idea.
As Wanyan Pingâs fingers brushed over his wounds, she couldnât help but recall how he had shielded her with his body, holding her tightly in his arms to protect her. Her eyes grew misty. âBrother-in-law⊠you saved me again.â
âSilly girl, who else would I save if not you?â Song Qingshu chuckled.
âIf my sister and I fell off a cliff at the same time, who would you save first?â Wanyan Ping suddenly looked at him expectantly.
âUhâŠâ Song Qingshu was speechless. Why did women love asking these kinds of questions? âOf course, Iâd save you both together.â
âWhat if the situation was dire and you could only save one?â Wanyan Ping wasnât satisfied with his vague answer.
Song Qingshu felt even more frustrated. He knew that if he answered poorly, it would ruin the goodwill heâd built up. âThen⊠I wouldnât save either of you.â
âWhy?â Wanyan Ping was caught off guard by his response.
Song Qingshu answered solemnly, âBecause if I saved one, the two survivors would spend the rest of their lives consumed by guilt and regret. Instead, Iâd rather let all three of us die together. At least in the afterlife, we could still be a happy family.â
He had expected Wanyan Ping to be moved to tears. However, to his surprise, she suddenly leaned in and bit his shoulder.
Song Qingshu gasped. âWhy are you biting me?!â
Check out my other projects: Roughly an Isekai Hypnosis Story (er0-novel đ
Dual Cultivation with a Fox Demon
Ask the Mirror (recommended)
Immortal Divine Tribulation
The Way of Restraint (recommended)