Just as Fu Ya was marveling at Liu Ergou's miraculous dical skills, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through the valley, making her shiver uncontrollably.
"Why is it so cold?" Fu Ya muttered under her breath.
Liu Ergou, who was standing nearby, heard her and explained, "We're in a valley, so the drafts are naturally chilly. Besides, you were just sweating. It would be strange if you *weren't* cold!"
Hearing his explanation, it dawned on her. Just as she was about to say sothing, another cold gust of wind blew, stealing the words right from her mouth. Helpless, Fu Ya could only curl up, hugging her arms to warm herself a bit.
anwhile, Liu Ergou stood to the side, pondering how to climb out of the gorge. It was incredibly deep. Of course, for him, the climb itself wasn't a major problem; with a bit of effort, he could make it up. The issue was Fu Ya. He couldn't just leave her here. This problem gave Liu Ergou a headache, and after racking his brain for so ti, he still couldn't co up with a good plan.
Just as he was about to sit down and rest, he suddenly felt a soft warmth press against his back, followed by Fu Ya's voice.
"Er Gou, I'm so cold!" she pleaded. "Hurry, hug !"
Liu Ergou would naturally not refuse such a request. He simply reached back and pulled her into a proper embrace, nestling her against his chest. Lying in his arms, Fu Ya felt her entire body warm up in just a few minutes.
Soon, however, she felt that sothing wasn't quite right.
"Er Gou, do you have sothing hard in your pocket? It's poking ... It's really uncomfortable!"
Hearing this, Liu Ergou unconsciously replied, "Hm? What thing? I don't have anything in my pockets. Could it be..."
At that, both of them instantly realized what she was feeling. They fell silent, their mouths clamped shut as they continued to hold each other tightly.
After a long mont, Liu Ergou finally let go of her. "Sister Fu Ya," he said, "we can't stay down here. If it's this cold at noon, we could freeze to death by nightfall!"
He pointed at the thick vines trailing down the valley wall. "I'll climb up first. Then you can grab the vines and follow. Once you get about halfway, I'll be able to reach down and pull you the rest of the way up."
Fu Ya had no objections to his plan, but she couldn't help asking, "Er Gou, why can't we just walk out through the valley? You said there was a draft, which ans there has to be an exit!"
Liu Ergou shook his head. "There is a draft, but the end of the ravine becos extrely narrow. An adult can't get through. Even a child would most likely get stuck."
Understanding the situation, Fu Ya didn't say anything more.
Seeing that she had no other questions, Liu Ergou stopped dawdling. He grabbed a vine and, with impressive agility, scrambled swiftly to the top of the valley. Lying flat on the edge, he shouted down to her, "Sister Fu Ya, grab the vine and co up slowly! Once you're halfway, I can pull you up!"
Fu Ya didn't hesitate. She imdiately mimicked his posture, gripping the vine and starting to climb, bit by bit.
However, when she was halfway up, she reached for a hold above her and her hand closed around sothing with a hard shell and a multitude of squirming legs. Before she could even scream, the creature opened its gaping maw and bit viciously into her hand.
A shrill cry tore from her throat. "Ah! It hurts!"
The scream startled Liu Ergou at the top of the cliff. "Sister Fu Ya, what's wrong?" he yelled. "Did sothing happen?"
Fu Ya opened her mouth to reply, but her vision went black. Her limbs grew weak, and her hand involuntarily loosened its grip on the vine.
Just as she was about to plumt back down, Liu Ergou moved in a flash. He hooked his feet onto the rock face, performing an inverted hang to swing down to her side. He grabbed her and used all his strength to pull her up. It was only then that he saw why she had scread.
Clutched in her palm was a massive centipede, nearly thirty centiters long and half as thick as a little finger. The creature had already been torn in two, but its fangs were still latched fiercely onto her small hand.
Even Liu Ergou couldn't help but frown when he saw it. This centipede is ridiculously huge, he thought. But then again, it makes sense. The bottom of the valley is cold and damp, a perfect breeding ground for poisonous creatures like this. Since no one has been down here for years, it's not surprising one could grow so large.
But this was no ti for contemplation. Cradling Fu Ya, he hurried over to a spot with the harshest sunlight. He first laid her down carefully, then gently pried open her small hand, which was still clenched around the centipede. Using a small stick, he flicked the venomous creature away.
By the ti he finished, Fu Ya's hand was already red and terribly swollen. Her once-slender hand had puffed up like a large stead bun. Dark, black blood was slowly oozing from the bite wound.
Liu Ergou knew he couldn't delay a second longer. Any more hesitation and Fu Ya might not be saved. His eyes instinctively darted to his back basket. To his relief, his case of silver needles was inside. With the needles in his possession, his confidence surged.
Gazing at the wound, he carefully reached out and plucked the venomous fangs that were still embedded in her flesh. He then retrieved the silver needles from his basket and imdiately executed the Hundred Turns Nine Sounds Phoenix Needle technique. Twelve silver needles flew out in succession, sealing the blood vessels in her hand to prevent the venom from spreading further.
Only after doing all this did Liu Ergou carefully cradle her hand again. His first instinct was to squeeze out the poison, but after a few tries, he realized it was futile. Squeezing was barely expelling any of the venom. Worse, it could force the toxins deeper, even into her bones. At that point, the situation would beco truly dire. Content originally cos from novel⚑fire
Realizing this, Liu Ergou made a decisive choice: he would suck the poison out with his mouth.
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