Chapter 184: The Lustful Serpent

"Hey! You cannot go in!" Liu Ling'er called out anxiously from behind Xiao Yixiao. However, Xiao Yixiao completely ignored her warnings and bolted toward Huli's tent like a whirlwind.

Liu Ling'er stamped her foot in frustration. Why wouldn't he just listen! Her internal energy was gradually recovering, and as long as she circulated it fully, her five senses would become several times sharper than ordinary people. She had already tested it just a moment ago—inside the tent, Huli was currently sucking the venom out of Xiao Zhen'er. Weren't Xiao Yixiao's actions bound to cause a disaster?

At this thought, Liu Ling'er could no longer remain calm and hurriedly chased after Xiao Yixiao, hoping she might at least be able to talk some sense into him if necessary.

They arrived almost one right after the other, yet Liu Ling'er still underestimated Xiao Yixiao's speed. Upon seeing the scene inside the tent, Xiao Yixiao instantly flew into a rage. Liu Ling'er reached out a hand and managed to catch him, but Xiao Yixiao's mind was completely consumed by fury. With a violent wrench of his body—*rip*—his clothes tore.

How could he not be furious? Upon entering the tent, he had seen his own younger sister lying half-undressed on the bedding, while that bastard Huli had his head buried in his sister's chest, performing such a beastly act.

Enraged to the extreme, Xiao Yixiao directly unleashed his lightness skill, practically flying to Huli's side, grabbing him by the collar, and hauling him up into the air.

Huli had just drawn a mouthful of venomous blood and was preparing to spit it out when he was hoisted up by Xiao Yixiao. While he was still utterly bewildered, Xiao Yixiao raised his fist and swung it straight at Huli's face.

With a heavy blow landing, Xiao Yixiao roared indignantly, "You beast! You animal! I must have been blind not to realize you were such a shameless and despicable wretch!"

The wretched Huli, struck by the sudden punch, sent the venomous blood in his mouth spraying across his own face in a wave that splattered directly onto Xiao Yixiao, painting a bloody streak from his arm all the way down to his waist.

Xiao Yixiao blinked in momentary shock. *No way... I admit I might have put a bit too much force into that punch today, but you're not made of tofu—how could a single blow make you spit out this much blood?* Fortunately, he was wearing red today, so the dark blood wasn't very noticeable, otherwise he surely would have discovered something was amiss.

Besides, he suffered from color blindness, and many shades appeared completely different to his eyes. After a brief pause, his mind was once again flooded with rage.

Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Huli hurriedly shouted, "Stop hitting me! This is a misunderstanding, let me explain!"

Xiao Yixiao raised an eyebrow. "With both human and physical evidence right here, what the hell is there to explain?"

He raised his fist high, but stopped halfway down. It wasn't because he had suddenly understood the bigger picture or seen reason; rather, Liu Ling'er had grabbed his arm with one hand, stopping him in his tracks.

Xiao Yixiao's expression shifted. He hadn't expected Liu Ling'er to possess such formidable strength that she could so effortlessly intercept his strikes, showing that her abilities far surpassed his imagination. "Princess Consort, are you intending to meddle in this muddy water?"

Liu Ling'er was slightly irritated and glared at Xiao Yixiao. "Can't you wake up and clear your head? It won't hurt to look at the situation clearly before throwing punches. Do you even realize you've hit the wrong person? You have no idea that Huli was actually saving your sister."

"Saving my sister?!" Xiao Yixiao's clenched hand instantly went limp. "My sister was perfectly fine, healthy and without any ailments. What on earth did she need saving from?"

Liu Ling'er dragged Xiao Yixiao over to Xiao Zhen'er's side, covering her with a blanket while leaving only the wound exposed. "See this? Your sister was bitten by a poisonous snake. If Huli hadn't sucked the venom out from her wound, your sister's soul would have wandered the wilderness today."

"Is that so!" Xiao Yixiao's expression changed dramatically. If this was true, he had indeed beaten an innocent benefactor. Glancing at the bruised and swollen wound on his sister's body, he became even more convinced by Liu Ling'er's words.

A mistake had to be acknowledged. Xiao Yixiao dropped heavily to his knees before Huli. "Young Master Huli, it was my reckless self that wronged you. If you harbor any anger, whether you want to beat me or curse me, I, Xiao Yixiao, will take it, and I will not utter a single word of complaint."

Huli quickly reached out to help Xiao Yixiao up. "Brother Xiao is too polite. Since we are traveling together, mutual help and support are only right. Besides, the Third Princess has only received emergency treatment."

Liu Ling'er continued, "Indeed. To put it more plainly, this treats the symptoms rather than the root cause. To completely eradicate the snake venom from her system, we still need to find that poisonous snake. Once we find it and I obtain its serum, the Third Princess will be completely cured."

"Right, earlier in my sister's tent, I saw that poisonous snake, but it seemed to be dead," Xiao Yixiao recalled.

"Regardless of whether the snake is dead or alive, as long as it's that snake!" Huli felt rather uncomfortable lingering in his own tent and volunteered, "I'll go fetch the snake."

When he walked into Xiao Zhen'er's tent, the bedding was scattered in disarray on the floor, and beside it was a pit, with a section of a snake's tail protruding from the outer edge.

Stepping closer, he saw that the snake's head in the pit had been flattened into a pancake. Huli even felt a sense of pity for the snake for a moment, before immediately deciding it thoroughly deserved its fate. *Out of all the parts on a human body, you just had to bite her collarbone, you perverted snake.*

It was precisely because of this snake that he had been beaten up. Just thinking about it made his blood boil. He raised his foot, wanting to stamp on it a couple more times, but then remembered that Liu Ling'er was still waiting on this snake to save Xiao Zhen'er's life. He managed to hold back the impulsive urge, grabbed the snake by the tail, and dragged it back to his own tent.

With Liu Ling'er, the divine doctor, present, the poison in Xiao Zhen'er's body was quickly cleared. Aside from running a slight fever in the middle of the night, the fever broke by dawn, leaving her healthy and full of spirit.

Early the next morning, Xiao Zhen'er opened her eyes and felt that, aside from a slight soreness in her collarbone, the rest of her body felt fine. When she stood up, she realized this wasn't her own tent, nor were her clothes anywhere to be found. At that moment, rustling noises came from outside the tent, frightening her so much that she hurriedly burrowed back beneath the covers.

The person who entered was Huli. Seeing that Xiao Zhen'er had woken up, his eyes lit up. "Third Princess, you're awake. Do you feel any discomfort anywhere? Are you hungry? I made some soup here; you should try a bowl so you don't go hungry."

Xiao Zhen'er poked her head out. "Huli, please set that soup aside. Could I ask a favor of you? Could you help me with something, or if you're unwilling, you can just call my brother over."

Huli cracked a grin and chuckled. "What are you being so polite for, Third Princess? Just tell me whatever you need help with. If it's something I can do, I'll definitely help."

Xiao Zhen'er's face flushed red, and she stammered, "My... my clothes are still in my tent. Could you help me fetch them?" By the end, her voice had grown so soft that if Huli's hearing hadn't been so sharp, he probably would have had to ask her to repeat it.

"No problem at all! Isn't it just a change of clothes? Just wait right here, I'll be right back." With that, he strode toward Xiao Zhen'er's tent.

Under the covers, Xiao Zhen'er caught a whiff of an enticing aroma wafting through the air. She propped herself up to take a look and saw the bowl of soup Huli had brought. It looked almost as clear as spring water, with only a few wild herbs floating inside, yet somehow the scent alone made one's mouth water.

She was indeed hungry; having eaten only a meager amount of dry rations yesterday and then enduring the ordeal with the snake, her stomach was long since empty. Figuring no one was watching, she picked up the bowl and began to drink. The more she drank, the more delicious it tasted, and by the end, she had even eaten all the wild herbs clean.