A worry-free life?
Shen Zhixi’s gaze darkened. She didn’t need to entrust her remaining years to a man—without one, she could still live free of worries.
She also didn’t believe much in promises; they were the most useless things.
“I’m afraid you’ll regret it,” she said.
Tang Zhou chuckled softly and asked in return, “What about you? Do you regret saving me, exhausting your family’s wealth to do so?”
“No regrets.”
Shen Zhixi answered without hesitation—after all, it was all a lie.
Exhausting her family’s wealth? All lies.
Tang Zhou lowered his head, a faint smile curling his lips as he replied gently, “Then I won’t regret it either.”
No, you will, Shen Zhixi denied for him in her heart. If one day he discovered that everything she had told him was false, he would deeply regret uttering those words today.
But it didn’t matter. No matter what, the fact remained that she had saved Tang Zhou’s life.
He himself had said it: consider it repayment of a debt.
Yet Shen Zhixi failed to notice that after Tang Zhou said, “Then I won’t regret it either,” the smile on his lips never faded. And in his eyes, genuine anticipation had truly surfaced—anticipation for the days to come, for being with her, for a lifetime together.
He was serious, as serious as could be.
Yuanyang walked far ahead, while Shen Zhixi and Tang Zhou lagged behind, moving slowly.
Passing by the lake and emerging from the dense forest, the moonlight grew brighter without the high branches blocking it.
“Aren’t you tired? Why don’t you put me down and rest for a while? Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet,” Shen Zhixi gently patted Tang Zhou’s neck, signaling him to take a break.
“It’s fine, I’m not tired.”
Tang Zhou shook his head. He only wanted to return home sooner so Shen Zhixi could rest peacefully. However, his blindness slowed his pace, and he already felt guilty, not daring to stop again.
“You…”
Just as they were about to pass under a tree, Shen Zhixi, holding a torch, suddenly caught sight of something. Her eyes widened in terror, and she let out a sharp cry, swinging the torch wildly.
It turned out a snake was hanging from the tree.
Flicking its tongue, it was poised to strike at the two of them.
Shen Zhixi instinctively used the torch to fend it off, but she was too frightened. Her hands trembled, and her movements were too slow. The venomous snake easily dodged the torch and, as if provoked, lunged at Shen Zhixi’s right wrist.
She cried out in pain and dropped the torch.
As the snake prepared to strike again, Tang Zhou, hearing the hissing sound, pricked up his ears. He pinpointed its location and struck with a swift palm. Before Shen Zhixi could react, the snake had already been knocked to the ground. Startled, it slithered away rapidly.
“Lily, were you bitten?”
Tang Zhou set Shen Zhixi down and held her close in his arms.
“Where were you bitten?”
“Was it your hand? Your arm, or somewhere else?”
Tang Zhou asked repeatedly, his worry impossible to conceal.
“My… my wrist,” Shen Zhixi’s voice trembled with tears. This time, it wasn’t an act—she was truly in pain. “It seems venomous. What should I do? Will I die from the poison?”
“No.”
Tang Zhou groped for her hand and indeed felt a dampness on her right wrist—the blood from the bite. Without a second thought, he lowered his head to the wound and began sucking out the venom.
“Tang Zhou!”
Shen Zhixi hadn’t expected this and was startled.
Tang Zhou remained silent, sucking and spitting repeatedly. In just a few moments, bloodstains had already smeared the corners of his lips.
Yuanyang, who had heard the commotion earlier, rushed back and nearly blurted out when she saw Shen Zhixi injured, “Miss… How could you be so careless, sister? Are you alright?”
Shen Zhixi was also startled, but fortunately, Yuanyang reacted quickly.
“Do you remember what the snake looked like?” Tang Zhou asked after spitting out the last mouthful of blood.
Shen Zhixi immediately tried to recall but felt her mind growing foggy. “It seemed… its head was oval, black, but with yellowish-brown rings along its back.”
Hearing this, Tang Zhou lowered his gaze in thought.
“Fortunately, it’s not a highly venomous or fatal species. However, it can cause dizziness, and the wound will become red, swollen, and itchy. Without an antidote, the wound won’t heal. The herb to counteract this poison isn’t too hard to find—it often grows near springs. The herb has four leaves with white fluffy stamens in the center. We passed by a lake and spring on our way here earlier.”
“I’ll go.”
Yuanyang volunteered to find the antidote for Shen Zhixi.
Although the night was frighteningly dark and snakes and insects were lurking, the Shen family’s people were following from a distance behind them. With them around, she wasn’t afraid, and she could also ask them to help search.
Tang Zhou carried Shen Zhixi to a clean spot, letting her lean against a large rock. Then, following Shen Zhixi’s directions, he gathered dry branches and broken wood, using the torch to light a bonfire for warmth.
“When I was bitten, I accidentally dropped the torch on the ground. Thankfully, it didn’t start a fire.” Shen Zhixi sat with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering slightly from the cold wind—perhaps due to the toxin’s effects.
As she trembled, Tang Zhou, sitting beside her, had already taken off his outer robe and handed it to her.
“You’re still worried about that? How do you feel now? Are you dizzy?”
As he spoke, he draped the robe over her shoulders, his hand resting gently on her.
“But your injuries aren’t healed yet…”
“Don’t argue with me about this,” Tang Zhou insisted, not allowing her to return the robe.
Shen Zhixi didn’t resist, only tilting her head to smile at him. Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, but she was holding on—thanks to Tang Zhou having sucked out most of the poisoned blood earlier. Otherwise, she would likely have already fainted. Still, the remaining toxin had some effect, causing her to hallucinate. Multiple phantom images of Tang Zhou appeared before her.
“How did you… suddenly become…”
She giggled like a fool, extending a finger to count the phantom images behind Tang Zhou.
“One, two, three, four, five. How did you become five of you?”
Tang Zhou understood immediately that this was due to the toxin’s influence. He simply said, “It’s fine. Once we find the antidote, you’ll be okay. You won’t be harmed.”
“Hehe…”
Shen Zhixi giggled foolishly, placing her hand on Tang Zhou’s chest.
“One of you is already so handsome. With five of you, my eyes are dazzled. Tang Zhou, how are you so good-looking? I’ve never seen a man as handsome as you.”
Tang Zhou remained expressionless. Many people had praised his looks before, and he was long accustomed to it.
Even the Empress, his sister, was known as the number one beauty in the court.
“Did you… put rouge on your lips?”
Shen Zhixi stared at Tang Zhou’s lips, her mind too foggy to remember that he had just sucked her blood and stained his lips. She only thought his lips were excessively red and alluring.
“Did all five of you put on rouge? Let me see.”
She used both hands to cling to his shoulders, her unsteady body leaning heavily against him.
“Let me see.”
She leaned in close to him, almost as if she were about to press against him.
Tang Zhou stiffened, feeling somewhat nervous.
When Shen Zhixi’s fingers brushed against his lips, his entire body tensed up, as if frozen. Yet, he still didn’t think much of it, assuming that Shen Zhixi was merely curious about the blood on his lips, mistaking it for a woman’s lip rouge, and wanted to touch it to see for herself. So, he remained unguarded.
Thus, when Shen Zhixi’s lips unexpectedly met his, he didn’t even have time to blink in reaction.