Chapter 1617 — Treating the Snake Venom

Wei Zhao had watched the whole affair unfold from beginning to end. First, it struck him as odd that Chen Xi and Foreman Zhu were selling snakes here. He knew Foreman Zhu harbored ill intentions — that much Wei Zhao understood — but what truly astonished him was that after only a few days out of sight, the man had somehow become an Earth Rank expert!

Of course, Wei Zhao did not believe Chen Xi was in cahoots with Foreman Zhu. First, he understood Chen Xi's character well enough. Second, Foreman Zhu wanted to harm Chen Xi's mother — so the notion that she would ever join forces with him was simply unthinkable.

If Foreman Zhu were nothing more than a destitute scavenger like Chen Xi, selling ordinary snakes here would hardly strike Wei Zhao as strange. But for an Earth Rank expert of Foreman Zhu's caliber to come peddling garden snakes — now that was decidedly sinister.

And the scene earlier, when Gao Xiaofu had gone to buy a snake and Foreman Zhu had been reluctant to sell — that too had not escaped Wei Zhao's notice. This only deepened his suspicion that there was something wrong with those snakes. Now, watching Gao Xiaofu lying bitten, his wound swollen high and his breathing rapid, only confirmed the point.

With Wei Zhao's years of experience surviving in the wild, he knew that variety of garden snake carried no venom whatsoever and could not possibly produce the symptoms afflicting Gao Xiaofu. And Foreman Zhu — upon seeing Chen Xi bitten by a snake, instead of rushing to her aid, he had simply run off. That only made the stench of conspiracy all the stronger.

Yet Chen Xi's complexion was growing paler by the moment, her breathing turning ragged as well — on the verge of collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Of course, the rest of the students had all their attention fixed on Gao Xiaofu and Zhong Yongliang, and not a soul noticed Chen Xi. Wei Zhao sighed inwardly. It seemed he was being forced to step in. As for Foreman Zhu's intentions, Wei Zhao had more than a fair guess.

Had Wei Zhao not known that Foreman Zhu was an Earth Rank expert and that his very presence here selling snakes was itself suspicious, he would not have thought much of it. But now, recalling Foreman Zhu's earlier performance — how utterly contrived and false it had been.

Wei Zhao did not know what Foreman Zhu's ultimate goal was, but he was certain the man meant harm to Chen Xi and her mother. It was simply that Wei Zhao had not yet uncovered Foreman Zhu's true background and purpose, so he had not acted rashly.

Wei Zhao strode quickly toward Chen Xi and said, "Little Xi, don't panic. Let me handle your snake venom."

"Ah! Big Brother Wei Zhao..." At the sudden appearance of Wei Zhao, Chen Xi's cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment. Her already hurried breathing quickened even further. Half startled and half overjoyed, she cried, "Big Brother Wei Zhao — you're here too?"

"Mm." Wei Zhao swiftly produced the silver needles he always carried. First he sealed off several acupoints along Chen Xi's body to stop the venom from spreading, then he seized her finger and began sucking it out. Wei Zhao did not think twice about it — after all, ordinary poisons held little effect against him. Moreover, he had already witnessed Zhang Naipao and Zhong Yongliang's condition: though both had taken a small dose of poison, they had still not passed out after all this time, which said the venom was not terribly fierce.

That was why Wei Zhao had simply put his mouth directly to the wound and sucked the venom out for Chen Xi. Of course, the instant Wei Zhao made contact with her wound, the jade pendant had issued a brief warning — but he paid it no mind, since the wound was poisoned, and it was only natural for the pendant to sound an alarm.

Seeing Wei Zhao suck the venom out for her, Chen Xi grew quite bashful, yet her heart was suffused with sweetness. All her life, Chen Xi had lived at the very bottom of society, scraping by on just enough food and warmth, with no room in her mind for thoughts of romance. At school, though Chen Xi was pretty, Ying Ziyu, the class's reigning big sister, watched over her — and no one dared entertain any improper thoughts about her. So in all those days past, Chen Xi's life had been tranquil, without so much as a ripple.

But what girl has never dreamed of love? In the quiet depths of night, Chen Xi would occasionally let herself fantasize — that someday, a prince on a white horse would appear before her... And yet, that very prince had indeed appeared in Chen Xi's life.

From the first time Wei Zhao and Feng Xiaoxiao had come to her aid, to the way Wei Zhao had continued to look after her family ever since, a quiet fondness for him had taken root deep in Chen Xi's heart. But she knew Wei Zhao had a girlfriend — and a very beautiful one at that, who had helped her besides. How could Chen Xi ever do anything to hurt Feng Xiaoxiao?

So though Ying Ziyu had punctured the secret, Chen Xi buried it all the deeper in her heart, never daring to speak of it, able only to steal an occasional thought.

"Mm..." The movement of her wound tugged at a nerve and sent a jolt of pain through her, drawing a soft moan from her lips. But the instant the moan left her, Chen Xi's face went crimson. Would that sound be misinterpreted by Wei Zhao? Would he think she was trying to seduce him?

A young girl's feelings were always so fragile. She dreaded that Wei Zhao might think less of her — but in truth, it was nothing more than a moan of pain. What was Wei Zhao going to read into it? It was Chen Xi worrying for nothing.

Wei Zhao sucked the poisoned blood from Chen Xi's wound and spat it onto the ground. He had been about to take out some wound medicine to apply to the cut, but in the next instant, his expression turned deathly pale.

Because Wei Zhao had suddenly felt the true qi inside him draining away at terrifying speed — like air leaking from a punctured balloon! In the blink of an eye, his strength had plummeted from the peak of Late Profound Rank to the peak of Profound Rank, and the depletion showed no sign of stopping. The qi continued to bleed away...

Late Profound Rank... the peak of Mid Profound Rank... Mid Profound Rank! In the space of barely a breath, Wei Zhao had been reduced to a Mid Profound Rank practitioner!

There is a problem with the venom! The thought struck Wei Zhao at once — after all, the only thing he had just come into contact with was the snake venom inside Chen Xi. So the one who had rigged it must be Foreman Zhu. Was Foreman Zhu trying to harm him?

Come to think of it, quite likely! Had he not so abruptly inserted himself into the lives of Chen Xi's family, her mother might well be dead by now. Though Wei Zhao did not know what Foreman Zhu's ultimate purpose was in doing so, he had clearly ruined the man's scheme — and it was only natural that Foreman Zhu would turn on him.

"Big Brother Wei Zhao, what's wrong?" Seeing Wei Zhao's face suddenly turn so dreadful, Chen Xi jumped in fright. Could it be that her moan just now really had convinced him she was trying to seduce him?

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