This time, it successfully caught the attention of the two snakes under the tree, including the snake king who was about to climb up to deal with the earth dragon.
Ah Jiu thought that a long-distance attack would be enough to save the earth dragon.
Unexpectedly, a black shadow flashed past. The injured snake king seemed to have discovered that the earth dragon was not poisonous. Its body arched, its tail wrapped tightly around the tree trunk, and its upper body shot out like an arrow from a bow, biting the little earth dragon's tail.
The earth dragon writhed in pain, its body twisting like a rope, instantly losing its grip. The large snake tilted its head and was about to swallow it.
"Earth dragon!" Ah Jiu's eyes welled up with tears, and she rushed forward with her knife.
The two snake kings under the tree raised their heads high, scaring Ah Jiu to a sudden halt.
"That's it!" Ah Jiu frantically took out a water pouch from her bosom and threw it under the tree.
She didn't know if it would work.
The snakes indeed reacted to the moisture, and even the one on the tree about to eat the earth dragon slowly slithered down. Several king cobras circled the water pouch.
Watching the water flow from the opening, the snakes probed a few times, wanting to get inside, but unfortunately, their bodies were too large. They couldn't get in.
They could only stay by the water source to wet their bodies.
With a whoosh.
Ah Jiu felt a coolness in her embrace.
Looking down, she was so startled that she almost dropped the earth dragon.
How did it leap down from such a distance? If it could do that, why didn't it escape earlier?
Ah Jiu looked at the large patch of scales missing from its injured tail and quickly stuffed it into her embrace.
She quickly took a few steps back, grabbed the basket, and without thinking, covered both the earth dragon and the water pouch.
The three snake kings inside rolled around, exploring, baring their fangs. For a moment, the snakes in the basket were in chaos.
Panting sounds and hurried footsteps grew closer:
"It's on that mountaintop, hurry up, everyone."
Ah Jiu took a few steps back. She didn't have time to check on the earth dragon now.
Eight or nine people scrambled up the mountain.
"Jiu'er, are you alright?" Yun Hao saw that Jiu'er's complexion was not good.
The others' first glance was at the basket: "Oh, you caught them."
"Let me see how many there are."
"Wow, there are three."
Ah Jiu seemed not to hear their discussion: "Brother Yun, find a way to take these snakes back. I'm going down the mountain first."
Ah Jiu didn't stop as she spoke.
She lowered her head, finally understanding the earth dragon's intentions.
This little fool... did he know that Ah Jiu was almost worried to death?
Back at the Zhuang, Ah Jiu sat on a stone stool outside the thatched shed, her eyes unfocused, staring blankly into space.
"Jiu'er..."
"Yes." She turned her head: "Sister-in-law, where did you just go?"
"I just heard Zhang Mang and the others say you went up the mountain to catch poisonous snakes. How is it? Are you injured?"
Liu Cai'er was also startled when she heard this.
Ah Jiu shook her head:
"I'm fine."
"Then who is injured?" Liu Cai'er's tone was tense: "Your elder brother?"
"Ah? I... no." For a moment, Ah Jiu didn't know what to say.
"Then someone reported that a patient had escaped. It definitely wasn't you. Was it that Zhang Dadan you saved yesterday?"
"..."
Ah Jiu stared at her sister-in-law blankly.
She seemed to understand something.
"Don't worry, Meng Jiu'er, the female doctor, has a way to treat the illness. When they get better, they can reunite with their families."
In the distance, Zhang Dadan was carrying a wooden bucket, delivering water to the patients under each thatched shed. Each ladle was divided among more than twenty people, who drank it by cupping their hands.
Liu Cai'er glanced back, and when she looked at Ah Jiu again, her expression was frozen:
"You... your elder brother... ran away?"