Lin Qianqing was momentarily stunned, as if scared silly, before the pain tore through her heart and lungs again.
"Cousin, what’s happened to you? Were you bitten by that Ice Snake? I’ve heard that those poisoned by the Ice Snake feel this icy chill. Cousin, how could this happen..."
Gu Youyou was not awakened by her crying, but Yue Rujing suddenly coughed a few times and slowly opened his eyes.
"Princely Heir Yue?" Seeing Yue Rujing awake, Lin Qianqing stopped crying and looked at him in surprise.
She had thought that Yue Rujing was dead. Both of them were showing symptoms of Ice Snake’s poison, which was said to be absolutely fatal.
"I..." As Yue Rujing spoke, he felt his throat to be incredibly hoarse.
He lifted his hand heavily and touched his chest where the snake had bitten him.
Lin Qianqing looked at Yue Rujing, then at Gu Youyou.
If Yue Rujing wasn’t dead, what about her cousin?
"Princely Heir Yue, what has happened to you? Were you bitten by an Ice Snake?"
Yue Rujing, touching his hand, said hoarsely, "Yes, I was bitten by an Ice Snake, and Gu extracted the poison for me."
"What? My cousin sucked the poison for you, then she..."
Yue Rujing, seeing Gu Youyou, who was uncertain whether dead or alive, was shocked. With suddenly summoned strength, he pulled her from Lin Qianqing’s arms and felt for the pulse at her neck.
Lin Qianqing watched anxiously, asking, "How is she? Is my cousin still alive?"
After a moment, Yue Rujing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Her pulse is very weak, but she’s still alive for now."
"That’s great, Princely Heir Yue, please save my cousin," Lin Qianqing also breathed a sigh of relief.
Yue Rujing furrowed his brows tightly and took several deep breaths to regain his strength.
"I can’t neutralize this poison. We need to find my senior brother."
"So now..." Lin Qianqing tensed up again, "Should we go ask for his help?"
She knew of Yue Rujing’s senior brother, the principal disciple of Tianzong, who resided in Beijing. She didn’t know if it was possible to invite him.
"There’s no time," Yue Rujing said through gritted teeth as he stood up, and picked up Gu Youyou, "You must prepare a carriage immediately; we’re taking her to Sanqing Temple."
"Oh, right away!" Lin Qianqing quickly got up and ran outside.
There were horse-drawn carriages, rickshaws, and various vehicles in the medical hall—Gu Youyou said these were collectively called ambulances. The vehicles were equipped with simple resuscitation tools, perfect for transporting patients.
Shopkeeper Hu saw Lin Qianqing, who had gone to the back yard in search of Gu Youyou, running out pale-faced and before he could ask, she urgently ordered, "Quick, prepare the fastest ambulance."
Before Doctor Hu could say anything more, he saw the pale-faced Yue Rujing staggering out, carrying Gu Youyou.
Without needing further instruction, Shopkeeper Hu personally harnessed the carriage. In a short while, they had Gu Youyou on board.
Many people witnessed this scene, and after the carriage had left, someone asked, "Was that Doctor Gu just now? What happened to her?"
How could Shopkeeper Hu know what had occurred? Those who were informed had left with the carriage, and he knew nothing.
But as the shopkeeper of Jisheng Hall, he couldn’t be ignorant. After pondering, he could only say, "Doctor Gu has been researching a medicinal formula recently. If successful, it could cure several previously untreatable diseases. However, there’s been an accident. Doctor Gu tested the medicine on herself and was poisoned."
"Ah? Doctor Gu was poisoned for testing medicine on herself?"
"My, Doctor Gu is really... self-experimenting with poison. No wonder she’s so adept at curing typhoid!"