When Ruan Jiu opened her eyes again, she couldn't remember how many times she had fainted.
She'd faint after the extreme pain and then be woken up by it again.
This happened over and over again, countless times.
At first, the snakes just swam around in the water.
From time to time, their cold bodies would brush against her skin as they swam by, making her tremble with fear all over.
But later, after a snake bit through her skin.
The smell of blood instantly excited all the snakes.
They swarmed towards her and kept biting her skin.
From her arms to her ankles, she didn't know how many times she'd been bitten.
She was in so much pain!
She'd cried so much that her tears had dried up!
She'd cried so loudly that her throat had become hoarse!
The whole water dungeon was filled with the smell of blood, making her nauseous.
The figure of Xie Jingchu kept appearing in her mind.
It seemed that only by thinking about the little moments between her and Xie Jingchu could she relieve a bit of the pain on her body.
Just then, a snake bit her ankle again.
She let out a muffled groan. Her pale little face was completely bloodless.
She forced a smile and murmured to herself, "A Jing, I was really so stupid. I liked you so much, but I was always too afraid to face my own heart.
If I'd known I'd have such a short life, I should have been with you earlier, regardless of anything.
Maybe we'd already be married and have a lovely child.
If it's a boy, I hope he looks like you. If it's a girl, I hope she looks more like me."
Thinking of this, a sweet smile appeared on Ruan Jiu's face.
But soon, this smile disappeared.
"No, if I'd married you earlier, you'd become a widower in the future." Ruan Jiu laughed at herself helplessly.
Then, she raised her head and let out a long breath. "God, if you really have eyes, I'm begging you!
If I really can't get out of here, please don't let A Jing know I'm dead!"
She didn't even dare to imagine what Xie Jingchu would be like if he knew she was dead!
If she had to die, let her die quietly by herself.
She didn't want Xie Jingchu to avenge her. She just wanted Xie Jingchu to live well!
"A Jing, I'm sorry. I might not be able to wait for you to save me..."
Ruan Jiu's voice became softer and softer. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and her consciousness became weaker and weaker.
In a daze, she seemed to see the man she'd been longing for walking towards her through the light.
At this moment, she couldn't tell whether what was in front of her was reality or an illusion.
A tear slid down the corner of her eye, and then she closed her eyes tightly.
"A Jiu!"
A pool of bright red blood instantly came into Xie Jingchu's sight.
Xie Jingchu's pupils dilated slightly, and he immediately jumped in without hesitation.
When he carried Ruan Jiu out, her whole body was already bitten to a bloody mess by the snakes.
Xie Jingchu's hands trembled.
He wanted to hold Ruan Jiu tightly in his arms, but he was afraid of hurting her.
He couldn't imagine what Ruan Jiu had been through to end up like this.
"A Jiu, I'm sorry! I'm late!"
His tears fell on Ruan Jiu's face.
"A Jiu, wake up. Open your eyes and look at me, okay?"
His voice was hoarse.
"Please! Please open your eyes and look at me!"
But Ruan Jiu couldn't hear Xie Jingchu's sad plea. She still kept her eyes closed tightly.
She was like a porcelain doll, cold and completely bloodless.
Xie Jingchu had lived for more than twenty years, and this was the first time he felt unprecedented fear!
He was so afraid, so afraid of losing Ruan Jiu like this.
At this moment, he hated himself for not protecting Ruan Jiu well!
Shen Yu, who followed closely behind, was also shocked by the pool of blood.
When he saw Ruan Jiu with her eyes closed, his heart seemed to be torn apart. He felt such pain that he couldn't breathe for a long time!
That pain was like having his flesh and bones forcibly separated!
He thought to himself in his heart, why does my heart hurt so much?
He tightly covered his chest. It took him a long time to recover.
He didn't expect Shen Ruoxi to actually do such a cruel thing!
And Sikong, who had always been loyal to him, actually helped Shen Ruoxi do such a thing behind his back.
If it hadn't been for Xie Jingchu firmly believing that this was what Shen Ruoxi had done and directly tying Shen Ruoxi up for torture, Sikong probably wouldn't have told them the location of the water dungeon.
When Ruan Jiu was brought back to the Shen Mansion, her breathing was already so weak that it was almost inaudible.
If it weren't for the millennium ginseng from the Shen family keeping her alive, she would probably be dead by now.
As for why they went to the Shen Mansion.
It was because Shen Yu said that there were famous doctors in the capital in the Shen Mansion and many high - grade medicinal materials. They would surely be able to save Ruan Jiu.
The reason why Shen Yu was willing to do anything to save Ruan Jiu's life was not only because of his debt but also because he wanted to use this to get Xie Jingchu to spare Shen Ruoxi's life.
After all, Shen Ruoxi had been his sister who had been with him day and night for more than a decade.
Seeing Xie Jingchu always guarding by Ruan Jiu's bedside, he seemed to have aged a lot all of a sudden.
Shen Yu frowned and walked forward. He said carefully, "I've already ordered someone to ride a fast horse back to the capital to get the Tianshan Snow Lotus. After Miss Ruan takes it, she'll wake up."
Although Ruan Jiu had been saved by the millennium ginseng, due to excessive blood loss, she couldn't wake up for a long time.
The doctor in the mansion said that only with the Tianshan Snow Lotus as a medicinal guide could Ruan Jiu wake up.
And besides the palace, it was probably only the Shen family that had this Tianshan Snow Lotus.
A sneer appeared on the corner of Xie Jingchu's lips.
Don't think that this would make him spare Shen Ruoxi.
The pain that Shen Ruoxi had inflicted on Ruan Jiu, he would surely inflict a thousand or ten thousand times on Shen Ruoxi!
Then his eyes narrowed. "Where's Shen Ruoxi?"
Xie Jingchu's voice was so low and scary.
After hearing this, Shen Yu pursed his lips, looking embarrassed.
After a moment, he slowly said, "I know Xi'er has done something wrong, so I've already sent her to the government yamen and left her to be punished by the official."
"What?!"
Xie Jingchu suddenly stood up.
He walked straight towards Shen Yu, grabbed his collar, and squinted his eyes. "Say that again."
Shen Yu knew that Xie Jingchu wished he could cut Shen Ruoxi into a thousand pieces at this moment.
He felt bad when he saw Ruan Jiu in this state.
But after all, Shen Ruoxi was his sister!
Shen Yu's eyes were full of apology. He lowered his eyelids and said helplessly, "The most important thing now is to get Miss Ruan to wake up soon. Let's talk about other things after Miss Ruan wakes up, okay?"
After Ruan Jiu woke up, he was willing to let her scold and beat him!
Hearing this, Xie Jingchu let go of Shen Yu's collar.
He said coldly, "Get out."
Shen Yu glanced at Ruan Jiu lying on the bed.
He knew he wasn't qualified to stay here.
He let out a long sigh and left reluctantly.
Xie Jingchu continued to guard by Ruan Jiu's bedside.
Although he knew Ruan Jiu wouldn't wake up, he still didn't even want to blink his eyes for a moment, for fear of missing any of Ruan Jiu's movements.
"A Jiu, don't worry. I'll surely make Shen Ruoxi live a life worse than death."
"You're most afraid of the cold, but you were soaked in that cold water for so long."
"I really want to hug you, but I'm afraid of hurting you."
"A Jiu, open your eyes and look at me, okay?"
By the end, there was only a sob left.
Silent tears kept sliding down Xie Jingchu's face.