Gu Youyou would risk her life to save him, which was beyond his expectations.
"Who goes there, halt!" It was two Taoist acolytes who stopped the carriage.
The carriage came to a halt, its momentum tilting it forward, and the preoccupied Yue Rujing also snapped back to reality.
Ignoring Lin Qianqing’s resentful and fearful gaze, he lifted the carriage’s curtain and said to the acolytes outside, "It’s me, step aside."
The two acolytes were slightly startled and hurriedly brought their hands together in salute, "Second Senior Brother, this carriage..."
"Step aside, do you want to take responsibility if you delay the important matters?" Yue Rujing was always amiable, known by all disciples of Tianzong. But, when he spoke these few words now, his voice was filled with an unprecedented fury, heavy as iron, each word laced with indescribable malice.
Seeing the usually gentle Second Senior Brother speak in such a tone for the first time, the two acolytes didn’t dare to say anything more and quickly stepped aside.
The coachman drove the carriage directly into the Taoist Temple, stopping only when it could go no further.
Alone inside the hall sat Jin Zijin, who was surprised when he heard the sound of hooves and people outside.
Who would dare to drive a carriage in here? Even the Emperor wouldn’t show such disrespect to the holy ground of the Dao Sect.
"What’s happening outside?" Jin Zijin was asking the acolyte standing guard outside the hall when, abruptly, the vermilion door was kicked open.
Frowning, Jin Zijin looked up just in time to see Yue Rujing carrying the unconscious Gu Youyou into the hall, his expression filled with unprecedented fear and panic.
Lin Qianqing followed, gasping for air.
She had run in after them.
"What happened?" Jin Zijin quickly stepped forward to take Gu Youyou from Yue Rujing’s arms, feeling the icy touch of her skin, and guessed the reason by looking at her complexion.
Yue Rujing knelt down with a thump, his face brimming with grief and self-blame.
"Senior Brother, it’s all my fault, I was carelessly bitten by an Ice Snake, and Gu Youyou sucked the poison out for me."
The bite of an Ice Snake was lethal even if the poison was sucked out immediately. Jin Zijin did not concern himself with how Yue Rujing managed to stay alive but immediately carried Gu Youyou into the inner hall.
"Hey, hey, cousin sister..." Lin Qianqing hadn’t caught her breath yet when she saw her cousin carried away by a white-robed Taoist. She didn’t get a clear look at the person and he didn’t say a word; how could she feel at ease? She hurriedly followed them.
Yue Rujing, having reached his limit, began to feel weak in his arms and legs but still managed to pull Lin Qianqing back at the last moment.
"Don’t go in, that’s my Senior Brother, he will save her. I can’t hold on much longer, I need to rest for a while. You keep watch at the door, don’t let anyone in."
Yue Rujing collapsed to the ground, unable to get up again.
The poison in his body and the antidote from Gu Youyou’s blood had started to take effect, his body was extremely weak, and the outburst of energy to bring Gu Youyou to his Senior Brother had drained all his strength.
He lay on the ground, gasping for air. Lin Qianqing worried about Gu Youyou but couldn’t ignore Yue Rujing either and had to drag him to a low couch first.
"Princely Heir Yue, my apologies." As a respectable lady, although different from the average daughter of a noble family, it was not proper for her to directly touch a strange man’s body, so she announced herself first.
Lin Qianqing exerted great effort to pull Yue Rujing onto the low couch, and after a while, he sank into a deep sleep.
He sliced open the veins on his wrist, bright crimson blood flowing like a small stream.
In no time, a large bowl was filled to the brim.
Jin Zijin’s hands were trembling; he had never felt such panic before.
After swiftly stopping his own bleeding, he picked up Gu Youyou and fed her the freshly drawn warm blood.