Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 186: The Viper

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: The Viper

Fengyu spread out her hand. Her left palm, stung earlier, was red, hot, swollen and painful. Fang Lingjun had been stung on the back of her hand and wrist. Though protected by Lin Xiao and the others, their injuries were relatively minor. Fang Lingjun could tolerate the pain; she knew Fengyu feared pain and grabbed Fengyu’s palm, blowing on it gently. "It won’t hurt, it won’t hurt. Once we’re back at the camp, the Imperial Physician will prescribe some medicine, and the swelling will go down quickly."

Leaning against the stone, Fengyu gazed into the gloomy forest. "Do you still know the way?"

"This is Xiyanshan; we’re not lost. Don’t worry." Fang Lingjun reassured her. "We haven’t started hunting today. The mountain is still filled with people taking leisure walks, and there shouldn’t be any ferocious beasts in the royal hunting grounds. Perhaps we’ll run into someone who can give us a ride back."

Fengyu’s heart settled slightly. She touched Fang Lingjun’s swollen hand, noticing the alarming swelling on the back and wrist. "These venomous wasps sting terribly. I wonder how the others are doing."

Fengyu recalled seeing the venomous wasps cover the others’ bodies.

"They’re tough-skinned and thick-fleshed; they’ll be fine for sure," Fang Lingjun retorted fiercely. "Once we’re back, I’m definitely going to beat Cai Wensen up."

Luckily, their faces had escaped the venomous stings.

As the two were resting, the only sounds were the wind rushing through the forest and approaching hoofbeats from afar. Fengyu and Fang Lingjun leaned their backs against the stone, with a thorn tree beside them. The two were about to stand up and call for help when suddenly, they heard a low voice.

"All the arrowheads must be coated with poison."

"Yes!"

Fengyu, naturally cautious and vigilant, realized the Beiman were involved in the hunt, aiming for Xie Jue’s life. As soon as she heard the word "poison," a sense of foreboding arose. She grabbed Fang Lingjun’s arm and pulled her into a crouch, covering Fang Lingjun’s mouth.

Fang Lingjun heard it too. The two huddled against the stone on a small hill, while the group was right above them. Fang Lingjun nodded, signaling Fengyu to release her.

All they could hear were faint rustling sounds indicating some sort of setup. Fengyu and Fang Lingjun’s hearts raced wildly; their palms were slick with sweat from the tension. They exchanged a glance and cautiously leaned closer to the stone to peek.

It was approaching dusk, and the forest was dim. Five men were setting traps—a man coating arrows with poison, the others positioning mechanisms throughout the forest. They were all dressed in black for night operations, their expressions grim and stern. Two climbed trees to fix arrows, combining them with ground mechanisms so that poisonous arrows could assault from all directions.

Fang Lingjun, familiar with Imperial Palace affairs, recognized Chen Mo.

Chen Mo, the Jinyi Guard commander.

He answered solely to Emperor Jianming. Chen Mo had an upright appearance, a stern face, and pronounced brow bones that lent him an air of fierceness. Fang Lingjun had always found him intimidating and dared not meet his gaze during their encounters.

Why were they setting an ambush in the forest?

And using poisoned arrows at that!

The two accidentally stumbled upon a conspiracy, too fearful to make a sound, and remained hidden behind the stone. Chen Mo said coldly, "Make clear markings. Tomorrow, stick close to His Majesty and force the Marquis toward the trap point."

"Yes!" one man replied icily. "Sir, the Marquis is battle-hardened. These poisoned arrows might not be enough to harm him."

"That’s not for you to worry about," Chen Mo stated frostily, his voice like a storm battering Fang Lingjun and Fengyu’s hearts, each beat resounding like thunder.

The Emperor planned to set a trap to kill the Marquis!

Fengyu and Fang Lingjun could see the terror in each other’s eyes. Fengyu recalled overhearing her parents discuss court affairs. Recently, the Emperor and the Marquis had often held candlelit conversations late into the night, and on occasion, the Marquis even stayed in the palace. Their relationship seemed harmonious, ruler and subject in accord. Yet, secretly the Emperor intended to kill the Marquis? If he wanted the Marquis dead, there had been many prior opportunities—why choose to orchestrate an ambush during the hunt?

Fang Lingjun, shaken to her core upon hearing such secrets, seemed almost soulless. Fengyu took a deep breath to suppress her panic and slowly craned her neck to observe how they were setting the trap.

The five men were busy, one keeping watch. The place where Fengyu and Fang Lingjun hid was quite secluded, so they remained unnoticed for the time being. This area was deep in the mountains, sparsely populated, and rarely ventured by those enjoying the scenic waters and landscapes. Fengyu memorized the locations of the traps as she watched them silently.

Suddenly, Fang Lingjun tugged at Fengyu in alarm. Fengyu toppled over beside Fang Lingjun, instinctively covering Fang Lingjun’s mouth, but ended up making a bit of noise.

Chen Mo’s sharp voice rang out, "Who’s there?"

Fang Lingjun saw a green bamboo pit viper slithering toward them. No young girl wouldn’t fear snakes; even Fang Lingjun, usually fearless, grew petrified. Having heard the noise, Chen Mo drew his blade and approached the small stone hill. Fengyu kept her hand firmly over Fang Lingjun’s mouth as they shrank beneath the stone. The pit viper crept slowly closer, now near Fang Lingjun’s feet. She had no way to escape and closed her eyes tightly, biting down on Fengyu’s hand.

Fengyu winced. The pit viper raised its head, its tongue flicking out as it struck Fang Lingjun. Above them, Chen Mo was advancing with his blade. Just as the snake was about to bite Fang Lingjun, Fengyu steeled her resolve and pulled Fang Lingjun into her embrace, positioning her right leg to shield Fang Lingjun. The snake sank its fangs into Fengyu’s calf, and Fengyu reacted by biting Fang Lingjun’s arm in pain.

For a moment, Fengyu felt her chest numb, the site of the bite burning and paralyzing, akin to the stings from the venomous wasps earlier. Yet dizziness soon overwhelmed her, the world spinning uncontrollably.

Chen Mo reached the small hill. Fengyu endured the snake’s venomous bite and the pain and vertigo without moving a muscle. Despite her intense fear, she remained motionless, allowing the pit viper to continue biting her leg.

"Sir, it was just a fox—it ran that way!" one of the men reported.

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes coldly, sheathed his blade, and asked, "Is everything ready?"

"Sir, it’s been set up perfectly."

Chen Mo inspected the mechanisms and nodded. "Let’s go!"

Once the traps were fully arranged, Chen Mo led the Jinyi Guard to withdraw. As soon as they were gone, Fengyu pulled out a blade and severed the pit viper biting her leg into two pieces. Blood from the snake splattered everywhere as Fengyu flicked its head aside.

Fang Lingjun opened her eyes and saw that Fengyu had shielded her from the pit viper’s bite. Tears streamed down her face instantly. "Ayu... You were bitten by the snake—it... it... it’s poisonous."

Her brother had warned her that green snakes were venomous.

When she was little, she loved playing in the bamboo forest. Her brother had told her there were snakes in the bamboo forest and asked her not to go, but she insisted. Once, Fang Chuning had led people into a small bamboo grove to catch snakes, specifically this type of green snake. Her brother had explained how potent their venom was and that a bite could be fatal. She had been so terrified afterward that she never ventured into bamboo groves again.

Fengyu, dizzy and disoriented, dropped the dagger she could no longer hold. "Junjun, calm down and help me deal with the snake venom, or I’ll really die."

"How... how do I deal with it?" Fang Lingjun quickly composed herself, wiped away her tears, and tried to stay calm. She couldn’t panic; she had to protect Ayu.

"Take off my shoes and stockings. Quickly!"

Fang Lingjun removed Fengyu’s embroidered shoes and stockings. On her right leg, snake fangs had left clear marks, with blood oozing from the wound. Fengyu’s fair skin showed a faint bruise around the bite site. Without hesitation, Fang Lingjun bent down to suck the venom out, but Fengyu held her chin firmly. "It’s poisonous!"

"What should I do..." Fang Lingjun was at a loss, never having faced such a dire situation before.