The old lady was startled and didn't understand what was happening.
But Doctor Zhang wouldn't harm her, would he? Once she realized what was happening, she raised the green flower in her hand, intending to throw it far away.
But by then it was too late.
Two dark figures darted out from the branches of a nearby tree like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, they were right in front of her. Jiayin's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.
She instinctively put it away, but before she could check what it was, her grandmother screamed and collapsed to the ground.
A small green snake, as thick as a strong man's finger, was biting her arm tightly and wouldn't let go.
Hearing the commotion, people in the distance dropped what they were doing and ran over.
Li Laosi scooped up his daughter and handed her to his wife, then hugged his mother.
Grandma Li trembled in pain, but she still kept her eyes fixed on her granddaughter.
There were two snakes just now. Did the other one bite your granddaughter?
Jiayin was so frightened that she couldn't make a sound, and tears streamed down her face.
How did she manage to catch a snake just now?!
If we had taken both of them in, how could Grandma have been bitten!
Doctor Zhang had already swiftly pulled off his belt and tied up Old Lady Li's arms.
Then he shouted to the crowd, "Quick, bring torches! It's a life-saving emergency! It's the Green Beauty!"
While the others had never heard of Green Beauty, Chief Escort Liu's expression changed, and he immediately drew his dagger and handed it over.
Doctor Zhang swiftly cut open Old Lady Li's sleeve, then carefully plunged the dagger into the small green snake's vital spot.
The little green snake was in so much pain that it almost curled up, and slowly released its grip on Grandma Li's arm.
Doctor Zhang swiftly cut open the snake's belly, removed its gallbladder, and then crushed the green flower into juice, mixing it with the gallbladder.
"Fourth brother, suck out the snake venom, and remember, don't swallow it, not even a tiny bit."
Without the slightest hesitation, Li Laosi bent down, grabbed his mother's arm, and sucked out the contents of her mouth.
He vomited mouthful after mouthful, almost all of it black blood.
Everyone was so frightened that they dared not breathe loudly. The young and old members of the Li family pinched each other's arms, trying their best to hold back their tears.
They mustn't cry; the old lady will be alright!
Soon, the blood that Li Laosi sucked out finally turned bright red.
Dr. Zhang drew a cross on the old woman's arm to make sure no venomous fangs remained inside before applying snake gall and flower juice, and then quickly bandaged it up.
Everyone stared at him expectantly. He wiped his forehead and paused for a moment before speaking.
"Luckily I was there and I was able to save him in time, so he should be out of danger. But I need to keep an eye on him tonight to make sure he doesn't get a fever. If he can just pull through, he'll be fine."
In short, everyone was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"That was terrifying! What happened? How did Auntie get bitten by a snake?"
"That's right, we all applied the herbal juice that Doctor Zhang gave us. We haven't encountered any snakes these past few days!"
"Auntie is very lucky to be alive. Fortunately, Dr. Zhang was there."
Seeing that Doctor Zhang was indeed tired, Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), didn't want to trouble him, so he spoke to the others.
"This snake is called the Green Beauty. I've only heard a few words about it from a friend. This snake only mates once every three years. When it's mating, it looks for a green flower. The fragrance of this flower is what this snake likes the most, and it can make the female snake lay more eggs."
Doctor Zhang nodded and pointed to the remaining green flower, "These two snakes must have had their eyes on this flower. After the flower was picked, they went crazy and followed it all the way back. Luckily, we discovered it early enough that its fangs weren't left in the old lady's flesh; otherwise, even a celestial being couldn't have saved her."
Everyone was so shocked that they trembled and instinctively took a few steps back, keeping a safe distance from the flower.
At this point, Doctor Zhang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Wait a minute, there's only one snake here. Where's the other one?"
This statement completely terrified everyone. Some people grabbed their babies, others rummaged through the sheds, and still others moved baskets and luggage.
They were afraid that the snake might be hiding somewhere and come out to cause trouble again in the middle of the night.
Only the Li family remained unmoved, because the old lady was holding Jiayin at the time, and Jiayin was crying so hard, which clearly showed that this matter was related to her.
But Jiayi cried even harder, "I picked those flowers, boohoo, I didn't know snakes would bite Grandma!"
Jiayin was also crying and hiccuping. She had asked her brother to pick the flower because she thought it was pretty!
Li Lao Er pulled his son up, his eyes red as he scolded, "What are you crying for, you useless thing! Be careful next time, don't do anything stupid again. Taking good care of your grandma is the most important thing now."
Li Laosi carefully picked up his mother and carried her towards the shack.
Each family had already taken their child away. Old Mrs. Li lay down, and Jiayin immediately struggled to crawl to the side and stood guard without moving.
Jiayi also squatted outside the shack, refusing to leave.
With no other option, the group left Zhao Yuru to take care of the old lady while the rest of them went about their business.
At this point, the other villagers, having failed to find the small snake, had no choice but to give up.
The pork feast that should have been delicious has lost some of its sweetness because of this incident.
Firstly, everyone was worried about Old Lady Li, and secondly, their fear of the mountains and forests was amplified.
Nowadays, even a small snake can be deadly.
Who knows what dangers lie ahead if we go any further?
The Li family ate a little something haphazardly and then went to watch over the old lady.
Doctor Zhang almost dug up the area three feet deep, though he had no idea what he was looking for.
It seems to be that little snake that disappeared, but it also seems to be more than just a snake!
He tugged at his beard in frustration, then suddenly caught sight of the Li family's shack, and his heart skipped a beat.
When he was in the Li family, Young Master Ye was most fond of the Li family's little maid.
Just now, when the two snakes pounced, Old Lady Li was holding this little girl...
Could it be that all the strange things are happening to the little girl?
He then shook his head vigorously, banishing the absurd idea.
The baby is only a year old and can't even speak properly yet. He must be overthinking things.
Jiayin was unaware that Doctor Zhang had developed feelings for her, and even if she did, she wouldn't have had time to pay attention.
The old lady was poisoned by snake venom, which would require antivenom in modern times.
Although the old lady's wound had been treated with medicine and the poisonous blood had been sucked out, there would still be some residual poison.
Otherwise, Doctor Zhang wouldn't have warned that tonight would be tough and that only by getting through it could one be completely out of danger.
There was no antidote for snake venom in her small courtyard, so she had to resort to freeze-dried powder again.
Boosting immunity should also help the old lady fight off the remaining toxins, right?
Regardless of whether it was useful or not, she grabbed Zhao Yuru and demanded water.
Seeing that the old lady didn't react, Zhao Yuru went out, poured half a bowl, and brought it in.
Jiayin held the food in both hands, placed it beside her, secretly added freeze-dried powder, and was about to feed it to the old lady.
Zhao Yuru didn't know there was something good in the water and tried to stop her, but Jiayin insisted, "Drink, Grandma, drink!"
Zhao Yuru wanted to ask Doctor Zhang some more questions, but Tao Hongying came in.
“Sister-in-law, give it to Mother. Fu Niu won’t harm her grandmother.”
Having no other choice, Zhao Yuru could only help Tao Hongying lift the old lady up and feed her half a bowl of water.
Whether it was because the water really worked or because Li Laosi had thoroughly sucked out the poisonous blood, Li Laotai did not develop a fever even after staying up until midnight. Instead, she got up and drank half a bowl of porridge.
The Li family members, young and old, were all relieved and either sat or lay down, barely managing to close their eyes.
Even Jiayin was too sleepy to stay awake, so she curled up next to her grandmother and fell asleep.
At this moment, the camp is finally about to enjoy a rare moment of peace.
But no one knew that an even greater danger was quietly approaching.
A small river flowed gurglingly in the distance, washing away the bloodstains left by the slaughtered pig on its banks, then slowly carrying the stench of blood away...
This is the fourth update today! Chapter four is a bonus chapter for reaching 250 book reviews. The next bonus chapter will be when we reach 300 book reviews. My darlings, please keep clicking and giving us five-star reviews! Let's be honest, I'm eagerly waiting for lots and lots of five-star reviews from you all~~~~?
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