Ning Rongrong Was Bitten by a Venomous Snake, and the Venom Had to Be Sucked Out

These plants weren't straw, but they would serve the same purpose.

"Great! I was worried about how much the temperature drops at night on a deserted island. With this dry grass, we should be fine."

The temperature wasn't the only problem. Nights on the island were also very damp.

The dry grass could absorb some moisture from the air, and with no bedding, they could spread it over themselves at night to keep the damp off.

"Now, let's divide up the work."

Chu Xiu cleared his throat. "We'll each eat two pieces of fruit. After that, Xiao Xue, Shui Bing'er, and I will head back into the woods to gather supplies."

"Ning Rongrong will stay out here, guard the supplies, and collect as much dry grass as she can."

"Wait."

Ning Rongrong cut him off. "I'm not staying out here. I'm going into the woods this time too."

"Rongrong, don't be difficult."

Shui Bing'er tried to persuade her. "There are venomous insects in the woods, and we might run into other dangers. You'll be safer out here."

While digging the seawater distillation pit, the four of them had briefly checked the beach. They'd found no tracks left by large animals, so it should be relatively safe.

The woods were another matter. On their trip through them earlier, Chu Xiu and the other two had come across several venomous snakes alone.

And that was without counting the insects hiding under the fallen leaves.

If they had enough supplies outside, Shui Bing'er never wanted to set foot in the woods again.

"I don't care. I'm going into the woods."

Ning Rongrong had waited on the beach for so long that she'd nearly died of boredom. Nothing would make her stay out there again.

When Shui Bing'er saw that she wouldn't listen, she turned to Qian Renxue.

"Then, Sister Xue, will you stay out here this time?"

Qian Renxue shrugged. "I'm a little tired anyway. From now on, we can take turns gathering supplies."

With that, Qian Renxue took two Wild Apples and sat down on the beach to eat.

Shui Bing'er and Ning Rongrong each took two as well.

Chu Xiu took his last. After eating, they each chewed two more pieces of Water-Storage Vines before heading into the woods.

When Shui Bing'er had warned her about the dangers in the woods, Ning Rongrong hadn't taken it seriously. But not long after entering, she regretted coming.

"Why are there so many bugs here? Ugh, get off my feet!"

Ning Rongrong had been afraid of bugs since childhood, especially centipedes. All those legs made her skin crawl.

Then there were the spiders. Some spun nearly invisible webs, and in the dim light beneath the trees, it was all too easy to walk into one face-first.

A web stuck across Ning Rongrong's face, scaring her so badly she almost wet herself.

"Aah! I don't want to go any farther. I want to go back!"

After a bug crawled over her foot for what felt like the hundredth time, Ning Rongrong finally broke down and shouted.

"Shh! Keep your voice down."

Shui Bing'er hurried over and covered her mouth. "We still don't know whether there are large Spirit Beasts in these woods. If you draw them here, we're done for."

Chu Xiu tightened his grip on his makeshift stone spear, alert for danger.

Only after some time passed without a sound nearby did he slowly relax.

"Ning Rongrong, I'm warning you. If you keep acting like this, you won't be coming with us again—"

Before Chu Xiu could finish, Ning Rongrong let out a scream.

"What happened?"

Chu Xiu had his back to the two women, but at her scream, he forgot their agreement and spun around.

Ning Rongrong had fallen to the ground. A small snake as thick as a thumb hung from her pale calf.

"A snake! Why does this always happen to me?"

Ning Rongrong was so upset she could almost cry.

Snakes weren't as frightening as bugs, but their bites hurt.

She still hadn't realized how serious this was. When she saw Chu Xiu turn and walk toward her, she shouted, "Hey! Who said you could turn around? Turn back!"

"Shut up."

Chu Xiu's voice was cold as he reached her.

Shui Bing'er no longer cared that he could see them. "Chu Xiu, do you know what kind of snake it is? Is it venomous?"

Chu Xiu shook his head. "I don't know."

He'd only read a few Desert Island Survival novels. How was he supposed to know whether this snake was venomous?

If it had been one of the more common snake-type Spirit Beasts, he might have recognized it.

"But whether it is or not, we have to assume it's venomous."

Chu Xiu's expression was grim.

At the mention of venom, Ning Rongrong grew anxious too. "It can't be, can it? I don't want to die!"

"Quiet. Hold still."

Chu Xiu pressed one hand against Ning Rongrong's calf and gripped the snake just behind its head with the other.

With a hard squeeze, he pried its jaws open and pulled it off her leg.

Then he drove his makeshift stone spear through its head, pinning it to the ground.

"This doesn't look good."

Chu Xiu examined Ning Rongrong's calf. The blood seeping from the bite looked unusually thick.

Shui Bing'er asked at once, "Well? Was it venomous?"

Chu Xiu shook his head. "I'm not sure, but probably. The bleeding from Rongrong's wound isn't normal. It could be coagulant venom."

After reading so many Desert Island Survival novels, Chu Xiu knew a little about different kinds of venomous snakes.

Sea snakes generally had neurotoxic or myotoxic venom, which could damage muscles and paralyze breathing after a bite.

Coagulant venom, on the other hand, initially made the blood thicken. But as time passed and the body's clotting agents—the platelets—were used up, the bleeding would become impossible to stop.

The infamous five-pacer viper had that kind of venom.

"Chu Xiu, am I going to die?"

Ning Rongrong no longer dared to lose her temper. She looked up at Chu Xiu with tear-filled eyes, as helpless as a kitten.

Chu Xiu didn't answer her. He turned to Shui Bing'er. "We don't have any tools. There's only one way to save her now."

"What is it?" Shui Bing'er asked nervously.

"Suck the venom out."

Chu Xiu added, "And we have to be quick. Coagulant venom is potent. If we wait too long, it may be too late."

That made Shui Bing'er hesitate.

"I can't. I've never done it before. What if I fail?"

A life was at stake—and it was the young lady of the Ning family's life.

If Shui Bing'er botched this, she couldn't bear the responsibility.

"Forget it. I'll do it."

Chu Xiu sighed. He couldn't bear to let Ning Rongrong die.

She might be a bit spoiled, but the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was too valuable. If Ning Rongrong died, he wouldn't find another one to copy.

"Bear with it. It's going to hurt."

Without waiting for Ning Rongrong to answer, Chu Xiu lowered his head.

"Ah! Ow, that hurts!"

"Aren't you supposed to suck the venom out? Why are you biting me?"

Ning Rongrong grimaced in pain. The snakebite hadn't hurt that much, but Chu Xiu's bite brought tears to her eyes.

But there was no other way.

A snake's fangs were sharp. Suction alone would only draw out venom near the surface of the skin.

To get the venom from the deeper layers, he had to suck while using his teeth to squeeze the tainted blood out.