Master! You're Finally Awake!

She closed her eyes, waiting for the moment the poison would take effect.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Nothing happened.

She opened her eyes and looked down at the back of her hand—the wound was still there, blood still oozing out, burning with pain.

But the dark greenish-black patch didn't spread further; instead, as if forced back by some power, it was shrinking bit by bit.

Even more bizarrely, the flesh around the edges of the wound was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Xue Mingzhao carefully sensed her entire body.

Her limbs were agile, her breathing was steady, and her heartbeat was as calm as if nothing had happened.

Aside from the pain from the puncture wound on the back of her hand, there was no abnormality. The highly toxic venom of the Blood-Withering Snake was ineffective against her.

Her body could not only heal itself, but was also completely immune to all poisons!

An extremely bold idea flashed through her mind.

Since she wasn't afraid of the Blood-Withering Snake's lethal venom...

...then maybe her blood could also neutralize the poison in others.

Xue Mingzhao glanced at Su Ye, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and then at “Huang Siqi,” who was breathing so faintly he could pass away at any moment.

Of the two, one couldn't hold out much longer, and the other was in even more critical danger.

Treating a dead horse as if it were alive—trying gave them a slim chance of survival; if she didn't try, she wouldn't be able to make it out of here alone anyway.

She gritted her teeth, picked up a sharp-edged stone from the ground, and slashed another deep cut right next to the wound on the back of her hand.

The sharp pain made her gasp, and fresh blood instantly welled out.

She didn't dare delay. First, she moved close to Su Mingyuan and dripped the welling blood into his pale lips.

One drop, two drops... until she was sure he had swallowed it, she then turned to pry open Su Ye's mouth and dripped the remaining blood inside.

Having done all this, she tore a strip of cloth from the hem of her robe, hastily wrapped it around her hand twice, and sat down with her back against a tree.

The night wind was still blowing, and the occasional distant roar of beasts echoed through the forest.

She looked at the two unconscious people beside her, then at her own wrapped, throbbing hand, and suddenly felt a bit like laughing. When other people transmigrated into books, their golden fingers were either peerless cultivation methods or heaven-defying artifacts.

Her golden finger was her blood.

She couldn't tell if she was lucky or unlucky.

An unknown amount of time passed before Su Ye's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

He stared blankly at the sparse stars in the dark night sky above, freezing for a full three seconds before suddenly bolting upright, his hands frantically patting down his body.

His arms were there, his legs were there, and the spiritual energy in his dantian was still circulating perfectly. He even pinched his thigh hard; the pain was clear and real, not an illusion.

He wasn't dead.

“I'm actually not dead...” his voice was raspy, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Leaning against the tree trunk, Xue Mingzhao's face was somewhat pale from the blood loss, and her voice was a little soft. “You're awake.”

Su Ye turned to look at her, his gaze falling on her cloth-wrapped right hand as his memories slowly flooded back.

The Blood-Withering Snake, fifteen minutes, onset of the poison.

He had clearly felt the venom corroding his dantian and his consciousness slipping away. How could he still be alive?

“You saved me?” He stared at Xue Mingzhao in disbelief. “How? The Blood-Withering Snake's venom has absolutely no antidote!”

“My family's ancestral secret detoxification pill,” Xue Mingzhao lied off the cuff.

“An ancestral secret pill?” Su Ye sized her up suspiciously, then looked at his already healed wound. “It's that powerful?”

He had heard of the Blood-Withering Snake's venom; anyone below the Golden Core realm was certain to die.

To think a single ancestral pill could neutralize it, and heal the wound so quickly.

This thing was simply too heaven-defying.

Su Ye stared at her for a long while, trying to find a flaw on her perfectly confident face.

But Xue Mingzhao's expression was completely seamless, even carrying a hint of impatience that seemed to say, “Why are you being so talkative?”

Unable to find any loopholes, he could only reluctantly nod in acceptance. He then turned to look at Su Mingyuan, who was still unconscious beside him but whose breathing was clearly much steadier. “Did he take one too?”

“He did,” Xue Mingzhao fabricated casually. “My mother left them for me to save my life, not to be used unless absolutely necessary. So, both of you now owe me a life. I've put it on your tab.”

Su Ye gave her a complex look. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only uttered a quiet, “Thank you.”

Xue Mingzhao waved her hand, her gaze falling on “Huang Siqi.”

The rise and fall of his chest was much stronger than before, and his breathing gradually stabilized.

She lowered her eyes to look at her cloth-wrapped hand, the speculation in her heart fully confirmed.

Her blood could not only neutralize poison, but also heal wounds.

She would bury this secret deep in her heart and never reveal a single word of it.

After this ordeal, she became even more determined to return to the sect with “Huang Siqi.”

In the cultivation world, it was impossible to take a single step without a backer; clinging tightly to a golden thigh was an absolute necessity.

After another moment, Su Mingyuan's eyelids fluttered slightly, and he slowly woke up.

Having just woken up from his coma, his breath was weak, and his voice was dry and raspy. “Did... you save me?”

Xue Mingzhao's eyes lit up. She immediately hurried forward, her small face filled with the perfect amount of urgent worry, her tone soft and intimate: “Master! You're finally awake! Your disciple was almost scared to death by you!”

Su Mingyuan caught his breath and was just about to offer his thanks when he was stunned by the young girl's crisp cry of “Master.”

Xue Mingzhao didn't care whether he was stunned or not. Cupping Su Ye's canteen in both hands, she offered it to him, her eyes shining bright and her tone sweeter than honey. “Master, have some water first. You've just woken up and your body is weak, so don't rush to speak.”

Su Mingyuan took the canteen, his mind still unable to process what was happening.

He had only taken five disciples in his entire life. When had such a little girl suddenly appeared?

He subconsciously scratched the back of his head—could his injuries be so severe that he had been beaten into amnesia?

Discerning the doubt in his heart, Xue Mingzhao quickly spoke up to beat him to the punch.

She didn't give “Huang Siqi” any room to think.

“Don't overthink it, Master. The pill that saved you is the only life-saving treasure my mother left for me. Before she passed, she specifically instructed that the pill could only be used by myself and my master. No outsiders allowed.”

She took a deep breath and spread her hands, her expression innocent yet perfectly reasonable. “So, since you took the life-saving pill my mother left for me, according to the rules she set, you are now my master.”