Cheng Fang wanted to say something, but he couldn’t utter a word.
“How’s Cheng Fang doing? Is he alright?” Ling Hao arrived in a hurry and panicked when he saw Cheng Fang’s dilated pupils.
Wang Zhi checked Cheng Fang’s pulse, and his face darkened.
“How is he?” Shao Xiao and Ling Hao asked in unison.
Wang Zhi shook his head. “The python’s venom is too potent. It has spread to his brain.”
“How can it progress so rapidly?”
“Don’t we always bring antitoxin pills with us? Have you given him any?”
Shao Xiao and Ling Hao spoke in unison again.
Wang Zhi said, “I have, but the venom is too potent. There isn’t much we can do…”
Ling Hao stared at Wang Zhi. “Are you saying that…”
Wang Zhi nodded.
Cheng Fang lost hope.
Although the others didn’t say it out loud, he knew he was going to die. But he was so young! There were many goals he had yet to achieve. He wanted to live!
He swore to himself that he would be forever grateful to the person who could save his life.
“Help me!”
Everyone was filled with despair, when someone showed up next to them.
Feng Wu stuffed a red berry into Cheng Fang’s mouth. “Eat it.”
Cheng Fang swallowed it before he realized what was going on.
“What did you give him?!” Ling Hao stared at Feng Wu.
Feng Wu ignored him. Instead, she took a dagger out of her sleeve, disinfected it with a flame and told Huo Shan, “Hold out his right arm.”
“Sure!” Huo Shan followed Feng Wu’s order without hesitation.
“What on earth are you doing?!” Ling Hao stared at Feng Wu. “Don’t you know that Cheng Fang has been poisoned and is going to die? He…”
“Hold on,” Feng Wu told Huo Shan.
Huo Shan nodded and held Cheng Fang’s wrist tightly.
“I’m saving his life,” Feng Wu replied without looking up. She then carefully cleaned Cheng Fang’s wrist.
“Saving his life? What gave you that idea?” Ling Hao didn’t believe her. “You’re cutting his wrist. Do you think you can get the poisonous blood out of his system?
“Stay out of it,” Ling Hao told Feng Wu. He didn’t want her to take responsibility if something went wrong, so he said, “You’ll make it even worse! Back off!”
Shao Xiao and the others were overwhelmed with sorrow at the thought of losing Cheng Fang, and they shook their heads as well. “There’s no way you can get the blood out of his system just like that. There’s no other way…”
Feng Wu ignored them. With a flip of her hand, the dagger cut open Cheng Fang’s wrist.
“It won’t work. The venom has reached Cheng Fang’s brain,” Wang Zhi said in disappointment as he looked at the unconscious Cheng Fang.
He grabbed Cheng Fang’s other hand and made a solemn promise. “Cheng Fang, we know your elderly mother is sick at home. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her after you’re gone. Rest in peace…”
Cheng Fang’s lips quivered, but he couldn’t speak a word.
His friends’ eyes filled with tears as they looked away.
Who would have thought when they set out this morning that they would lose a friend so soon?
