Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 187 Self-Rescue

Chapter 187: Chapter 187 Self-Rescue

Fengyu took off a thin belt from her waist and told Fang Lingjun to tie it around her upper calf, as tightly as possible. Fang Lingjun worried about hurting her, but Fengyu insisted she use all her strength. Fang Lingjun didn’t dare hesitate again. After tying it properly, Fengyu extended her hand and told her to carry her out of there. Being bitten by these small green snakes, strenuous movement is strictly prohibited—it’s best to stay still. But since this area was frequented by snakes and there was snake blood nearby, she feared it might attract a swarm. Fang Lingjun had great strength; she lifted Fengyu horizontally and even grabbed her embroidered shoes and socks before hurriedly running away. The two of them stopped by a cluster of rocks, where Fang Lingjun set Fengyu down.

Fengyu pointed at a fan-shaped herb. "Junjun, pick this herb, crush it, and apply it to my wound—hurry!"

"Okay, okay..."

Fang Lingjun, flustered and nervous, hastily picked the herbs but couldn’t determine the right amount. Fengyu’s wound had visibly turned a sickly bluish-black, and she started to feel nauseous, vomiting blood. Fang Lingjun was frightened out of her wits. The herb was scarce and scattered; after picking about a dozen, she didn’t have time to crush them. In desperation, she chewed them directly in her mouth.

The herb tasted foul, its stench almost making her retch, but her only thought was to quickly treat Fengyu’s wound. Tears streamed down her face as she chewed, spitting the pulp onto Fengyu’s leg.

This series of rapid actions left Fengyu speechless, "......"

Fine then!

The cooling liquid eased the burning pain of the wound. Fengyu pointed to another type of herb and told Fang Lingjun to gather it. Applying these herbs also alleviated some of her nausea.

She sat on a rock, not daring to move. If the toxin wasn’t suppressed within her body, any movement would accelerate its spread. Fengyu rolled up her trousers to check; only the wound area was swollen and dark, which wasn’t too catastrophic.

Just as she thought this, dizziness hit her. Fengyu glimpsed at coral beads and muttered to herself that if the young marquis were here, it would likely only add to the trouble.

Fang Lingjun returned with the gathered herbs and again repeated her method of chewing them first. Seeing Fengyu’s complicated expression, Fang Lingjun, with her mouth full of herbs, mumbled indistinctly, "Are you disgusted by me?"

"No!" Fengyu couldn’t help but laugh. Fang Lingjun spat out the herbs and applied them again, wiping away the foul-smelling liquid from her lips. "Ayu, feeling better yet?"

"Much better. Junjun, you’re amazing." Fengyu stroked her head and praised her.

Fang Lingjun, still consumed with fear, noticed Fengyu’s lips had turned bluish-purple. Tears began streaming down again. "That snake originally wanted to bite me, but you saved me..."

Not wanting her to feel too guilty, Fengyu hurriedly said, "If you were bitten, I wouldn’t be able to carry you or even lift you—better it bite me instead."

Fang Lingjun wanted to laugh but couldn’t. Fengyu wiped away her tears and reassured her. "Alright, don’t cry, I won’t die."

"Ayu, you’re so impressive—how do you know how to treat snake venom?" Fang Lingjun sat beside her, staring at her wound with deep concern.

"I’ve been bitten before."

She understood how dangerous this type of snake was; this wasn’t her first encounter. Years ago, she had been bitten, and Lady Thirteen had taught her step-by-step how to detoxify the venom. Herbs could only suppress the venom temporarily—it was vital to return to the camp quickly and seek the Imperial Physician.

Fang Lingjun helped Fengyu put on her shoes and socks, carried her on her back, and headed toward the camp, cursing as she walked. "Once we’re back, we’ll cut ties with them; we’re never playing with them again."

Fengyu smiled despite feeling dizzy and nauseous. Leaning on Fang Lingjun’s shoulder, she chuckled and said, "He didn’t do it on purpose."

"They nearly cost us our lives."

"Junjun, what just happened—don’t tell anyone except your big brother, understand?" Fengyu instructed uneasily. Fang Lingjun also realized Chen Mo had been orchestrating something. She nodded hurriedly; the matter was too horrifying, and she dared not speak of it casually. She just wanted to return to the capital—the hunting grounds were bound to erupt in chaos.

Fengyu, feeling lightheaded, drifted into sleep on Fang Lingjun’s shoulder. Fang Lingjun called her name a few times but got no response. Her hands and feet grew cold with panic. As she rushed toward the camp, her haste led to mistakes—she accidentally stepped into a hunting trap, causing both of them to tumble into a cave and lose consciousness.

When Fang Lingjun finally woke, she winced from pain and realized she couldn’t see anything in the pitch darkness. She didn’t know what time it was. The spot where she had been stung by venomous bees throbbed painfully. While falling into the trap, she had tried to shield Fengyu, but Fengyu still ended up thrown aside.

"Ayu... Ayu..." The night was too dark for Fang Lingjun to see clearly; she fumbled on the ground, calling out. Luckily, the cave wasn’t large, and she soon found the hem of Fengyu’s dress.

Fang Lingjun crawled over, found Fengyu’s beaded hairpin, and confirmed she was still breathing. Feeling relieved, she exclaimed, "Ayu, Ayu... wake up! Are you alright?"

Fengyu, besides being stung and bitten by venomous creatures, was still unconscious.

Her awareness dimmed, unable to hear Fang Lingjun’s calls. Suddenly, Fang Lingjun heard footsteps above. She immediately froze, dragging Fengyu to a corner and trembling in silence, covering Fengyu’s mouth and nose, afraid she might make any noise.

They had stumbled upon Chen Mo laying traps in the woods. She didn’t know if her movements might alert him, and if he came searching, whether he would silence them to eliminate witnesses.

Fang Lingjun held her breath, not daring to respond.

"Sir, we found a coat near the mechanism."

Fang Lingjun heard them—it was Lin Xiao’s coat, likely snagged on a branch. Her heart raced wildly. Who could it be?

"Take it!"

"Yes, sir!"

Fang Lingjun recognized Chen Mo’s voice and didn’t dare make a sound. Above, there was another chaotic shuffle of footsteps before a Jinyi Guard rushed over to report. "Sir, we need to retreat. Junior General Fang and the Young Marquis are searching the woods for the lost girls. Fang Lingjun and Fengyu have gone missing in the forest."

"Gone missing?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Where exactly did they go missing?"

"Details are unclear."

Chen Mo, having been in the woods all along without stepping out, furrowed his brows. "Scatter and hide, and don’t make a sound."

"Yes, sir!"

Fang Lingjun held tightly onto Fengyu, staying silent. Fang Chuning had told her before: if lost in the wilderness, find a place of shelter and wait for him to come to her.

She heard her brother’s voice.

Fang Lingjun bit her lip and waited for Chen Mo to leave. Fang Chuning searched the northern hunting grounds back-to-back with Xie Xun, checking every single tree.

"Miss Feng, Miss Fang, where are you!"

"Junjun... Junjun..."

Fang Chuning’s voice echoed through the forest, growing closer. Fang Lingjun felt both sadness and fear. She set Fengyu down temporarily and shouted toward the cave entrance, "Brother... Brother, I’m here..."

"Junjun..." Fang Chuning raised his hand, hearing Fang Lingjun’s hoarse voice. His retinue moved forward with torches, illuminating the cave entrance. Fang Chuning rushed over, relieved to see Fang Lingjun. "Is Fengyu here?"

"She is... she is... Brother..." Fang Lingjun was barely coherent, only able to call him "brother" as she cried and carried Fengyu. "Take Ayu up first; she’s been bitten by a snake."

Xie Xun, hearing the commotion, dismounted swiftly and arrived just in time to hear this. His heart clenched as he asked sharply, "Where was she bitten by the snake?"