Chapter 3: She Saves a Man by the Roadside
“Brother Sichen, Elder Sister was badly frightened just now. Since you’re here, why don’t you stay and keep her company for me?”
After saying that, Xiao Yuge turned and gave her parents a respectful bow.
“Father, Mother, your daughter is tired. I’d like to rest for a while.”
She feared that if she looked at Qian Sichen any longer, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from killing him.
“Very well,” Madam Xiao said with concern. “Ge’er, you’re still injured. Don’t stay out in the wind. Go inside and get some rest.”
She instructed Qingluo to help Xiao Yuge back to her room.
The moment she stepped through the doorway, Xiao Yuge slowly clenched her fists.
Her enemy was standing right before her…
Yet she couldn’t kill him.
Hatred surged violently within her.
Watching Qian Sichen and Xiao Yufu leave together, her eyes turned as cold as ice.
Your cherished white moonlight?
Enjoy these sweet days while you still can.
Because soon…
My revenge begins.
After sending Qingluo away, Xiao Yuge sat cross-legged and tried to circulate her internal energy.
Nothing happened.
Only then did she remember.
At this point in time…
She didn’t possess any martial arts at all.
In her previous life, she had risked her life countless times to help Qian Sichen eliminate his enemies.
Only after enduring unimaginable suffering at Qianji Pavilion had she finally obtained profound internal energy.
Even now, simply recalling that horrifying night sent chills through her entire body.
Her hands unconsciously tightened into fists.
Soon, the Lotus Banquet would arrive.
What happened that day had completely destroyed her previous life.
This time…
She needed the strength to protect herself.
After thinking for a while, she carefully wrote an entire page of medicinal ingredients and instructed Qingluo to purchase them.
Her current injuries were insignificant.
With the medicine she prescribed herself, she would recover quickly.
More importantly…
Some of those herbs needed to be prepared in advance.
One never knew when they might save her life.
Night fell.
“Miss!”
“You’re still injured.”
“Where are you going at this hour?”
Qingluo looked anxiously at her mistress, who had already changed into a black night outfit.
“Qingluo, don’t make a sound.”
“I need to go out for a while.”
“You’ll stay here and pretend to be me.”
“If anyone comes, don’t open the door.”
“Just tell them I’ve already gone to sleep.”
“Understand?”
Within the Xiao family…
The only person Xiao Yuge trusted completely was Qingluo.
“I understand, Miss.”
“Please be careful.”
Knowing she couldn’t stop her, Qingluo could only carry out her instructions faithfully.
After packing several medicines into a small pouch, Xiao Yuge quietly slipped out of the residence.
Following the memories of her previous life, she searched for Qianji Pavilion.
The events that had once led her there were still nearly a year away.
But she couldn’t afford to wait that long.
Suddenly…
Figures appeared ahead.
The night air was thick with killing intent.
There was also a faint scent of blood.
Xiao Yuge instinctively hid inside the nearby bushes.
Don’t tell me I’m this unlucky…
I’ve barely left home and I’ve already stumbled into a murder.
Fortunately, after searching the area without success, the group quickly departed.
Only when the sounds of rustling grass remained did she cautiously emerge.
She had barely breathed a sigh of relief—
When a powerful hand suddenly seized her throat from behind.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Instinctively, she struggled.
But the iron grip around her neck refused to loosen.
A cold, emotionless voice whispered behind her ear.
“Don’t move.”
“Or die.”
Xiao Yuge immediately stopped resisting.
Taking a careful breath, she caught the strong scent of blood.
Her brows knitted together.
“You’re injured?”
The hand around her throat instantly tightened.
She hurriedly said,
“I know medicine.”
“I can save you.”
The overwhelming killing intent behind her told her one thing.
If she angered the man behind her…
Her neck would be snapped in an instant.
“Ugh…”
A muffled groan sounded.
The next moment, the man’s body collapsed onto the ground.
The grip around her neck disappeared.
Freed at last, Xiao Yuge immediately darted several steps away before turning around in one smooth motion.
Moonlight illuminated the scene.
A tall man lay on the ground.
Blood had soaked through the white robes covering his chest.
His wound was severe.
Xiao Yuge really didn’t want to get involved.
But…
She also couldn’t be sure whether this man would suddenly recover and kill her.
Grinding her teeth, she cautiously approached.
“What are you doing?”
The man’s hand suddenly caught her wrist.
He wore a fearsome Asura mask, concealing his face.
Only a pair of eyes remained visible.
Cold.
Sharp.
Like blades of ice.
Although the lower half of his body no longer seemed capable of moving…
Xiao Yuge knew that if he truly intended to kill her, he could still do so with ease.
“I mean no harm.”
“I know medicine.”
“I can treat your injuries.”
She spoke as sincerely as she could.
Seeing that he didn’t object, she quietly swallowed her nervousness.
Carefully pulling her hand free, she hesitated before gently opening his bloodstained robes.
Embedded deep in the left side of his chest was a snake-shaped hidden weapon.
Dark green blood oozed around the wound.
One glance was enough to tell it was coated with deadly poison.
“This is the Crimson Flame Serpent Poison from the Northern Desert.”
“If someone doesn’t receive the antidote within half an hour…”
“Their entire body will gradually become paralyzed.”
“They’ll eventually be unable to swallow.”
“The poison burns through the body like blazing fire…”
“Until every internal organ is reduced to ashes.”
She frowned slightly.
“You’re lucky.”
“I happen to know how to cure it.”
How could she not recognize this poison?
In her previous life…
She had once suffered from it herself.
The man tried to speak.
But his tongue had already begun to stiffen.
No words came out.
She was right.
His body was slowly turning rigid.
The fire raging inside him felt as though it would consume him alive.
How careless…
He had never expected to fall into such a trap today.
Xiao Yuge took out the medicine she had prepared earlier.
Fortunately…
She had come prepared.
She simply hadn’t expected to use it so soon.
Seeing that he could no longer swallow, she sighed helplessly.
“Let me make one thing clear first.”
“I’m not trying to look at your face.”
“So don’t kill me afterward just because I removed your mask.”
People who concealed their identities behind masks usually silenced anyone who saw their true appearance.
Half-closing her eyes, she carefully lifted the mask away.
The instant she saw his face—
Her beautiful eyes widened.
Good heavens…
He’s unbelievably handsome.
He looked like an immortal gentleman who had stepped straight out of a painting.
No wonder he wears a mask.
With a face like this…
Who knows how many admirers he’d attract?
“To a physician, there is no distinction between men and women.”
“You can consider this a favor you owe me.”
After a brief hesitation, she lifted the edge of her veil.
She placed the medicine into her own mouth.
Then lowered herself.
And pressed her lips against his.
She carefully transferred the medicine into his mouth.
The instant their lips met—
The man’s eyes flew wide open.
Whether he was shocked by her boldness…
Or by something else…
Even he couldn’t tell.
After finally managing to feed him all the medicine, Xiao Yuge instinctively licked her lips.
“So…”
“So this is what a man’s lips feel like…”
she muttered absentmindedly.
The moment she looked up—
She found him staring at her with an indescribable expression.
Startled, she quickly looked away.
Time was running out.
After pulling the hidden weapon from his chest, she swallowed an antidote pill herself as a precaution.
Only then did she lower her head and begin sucking the poisoned blood from his wound.
To be honest…
It was an awkward position.
The hidden weapon had lodged just beneath the man’s left pectoral muscle.
The moment her lips touched the wound—
A low, involuntary groan escaped him.
His eyes instinctively closed.
He couldn’t move…
But every sensation remained painfully clear.
End of Chapter 3
Glossary Updates
New Characters
- Masked Man (identity currently unknown) — A mysterious, highly skilled man wearing an Asura mask. Gravely wounded after being poisoned.
New Places
- Qianji Pavilion (千机阁) — A mysterious organization tied to Xiao Yuge’s previous life. It is where she once endured immense suffering to obtain martial arts and internal energy.
- Northern Desert (北漠) — A region known for producing deadly poisons, including the Crimson Flame Serpent Poison.
New Items & Terms
- Lotus Banquet (荷花宴) — An upcoming noble gathering that, in Xiao Yuge’s previous life, became the turning point that ruined her future.
- Crimson Flame Serpent Poison (赤焰蛇之毒) — A lethal poison from the Northern Desert. Victims become progressively paralyzed, lose the ability to swallow, and ultimately die as the poison burns through their internal organs.
- Snake-Shaped Hidden Weapon — The poisoned projectile embedded in the masked man’s chest.
- Asura Mask (修罗面具) — The distinctive mask concealing the mysterious man’s identity.
Important Plot Developments
- Xiao Yuge realizes she has not yet acquired the martial arts and internal energy she possessed in her previous life.
- She decides to seek out Qianji Pavilion nearly a year earlier than before to change her