Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 731 - 361 Empress Dowager’s Mindset Exploded_2

Chapter 731: Chapter 361 Empress Dowager’s Mindset Exploded_2

The woman disregarded the pain and raised her head to look at Jiang Shouzhong, only to see the man with a pained expression, his skin similarly cracking, as though enveloped by an invisible flame.

"Jiang..."

Xiao Lingqiu tried to call out to him, but the sound that came out felt like knives slicing her throat, unbearable pain.

She clutched her throat, terrified, as she saw the skin on her arm beginning to crack.

The once delicate skin seemed to lose all moisture in an instant, becoming abnormally dry, resembling drought-stricken earth where tiny fissures gradually spread outward.

"You two really have guts, eating the fire fish from Yellow Spring Lake."

Suddenly, an old woman’s voice echoed from inside the room.

Xiao Lingqiu wanted to turn her head to look, but the pain immobilized her, her face skin taut and aching, seemingly about to break apart.

Meanwhile, Jiang Shouzhong’s consciousness was even more blurred.

"If you don’t want to die, drink the water in that basin."

The mysterious old woman warned coldly.

Xiao Lingqiu caught a glimpse of the basin of water nearby with her peripheral vision; still conscious, she hesitated and wavered.

Who knows what might happen after drinking that water.

Besides, this mysterious old woman wouldn’t save them without a reason.

But the scorching and splitting skin brought an extreme pain akin to being flayed, unbearable to the point where she clenched her teeth and crawled laboriously toward the basin.

As she approached the basin, a refreshing coolness swept over her.

Xiao Lingqiu hesitated again.

Is this water safe to drink?

Looking at her reflection on the water’s surface, her cracked lips and tight, fractured skin rendered her unrecognizable from the stunning Empress Dowager of yore.

With no other choice, Xiao Lingqiu lowered her head to sip the water from the basin.

The water looked crystal-clear like spring water but tasted somewhat astringent, resembling inferior tea.

But as the liquid entered her throat, the burning pain across her body gradually subsided, and her skin regained its moisture.

Returning to normal, Xiao Lingqiu exhaled deeply and lay down beside the basin, breathing heavily.

She lifted her arm to inspect it, her skin now glistening and tender like a freshly peeled egg, even more hydrated than before.

Jiang Mo!

Xiao Lingqiu jolted awake, suddenly remembering Jiang Shouzhong.

She grit her teeth, sat up, and saw the man’s skin cracking even more severely. His consciousness seemed faltering, so she quickly nudged him: "Jiang Mo, drink the water in the basin!"

However, the man didn’t respond, his body slightly convulsing.

The mysterious old woman taunted, "This boy ate more fire fish than you. It’s a miracle he’s lasted this long without dying."

Fire fish?

Xiao Lingqiu froze, recalling the grilled fish the two of them had eaten earlier on the boat.

Sure enough, the fish was indeed inedible.

At this moment, Xiao Lingqiu had no time for blame. She tried to move the basin toward the man, but it seemed welded to the ground, immovable.

Unable to find a container to scoop the water, she tried using her hands to carry some over.

But as soon as she cupped some water, it instantly evaporated.

Xiao Lingqiu was dumbfounded.

She tried multiple times with no success.

The mysterious old woman sarcastically said, "Holy Water evaporates once removed from the basin. You either drink it directly from the basin, or you can’t use it at all."

Hearing this, the helpless Xiao Lingqiu could only crawl over to Jiang Shouzhong, grab his arm, and attempt to drag him to the basin.

But ever since arriving in this mysterious world, she’d been weak and relied on the man to carry her along the way. Faced with Jiang Shouzhong’s robust, muscular frame, how could she possibly manage?

After several tries, Xiao Lingqiu was drenched in sweat, physically drained and on the verge of collapse.

Especially seeing his body covered in countless cracks, his breath weakening further, the woman felt more lost and helpless than ever.

For the first time, Xiao Lingqiu experienced profound despair.

As the once-proud Empress Dowager, she’d thought nothing in this world could defeat her. No matter the adversity, she’d always find a way out.

But now, she felt utterly useless.

Still, Xiao Lingqiu was no ordinary woman who would succumb to despair. Soon she thought of another method and quickly crawled to the basin, drinking a mouthful of water.

Xiao Lingqiu did not swallow but held the water in her mouth and waited.

Although the Holy Water diminished slowly in her mouth, it didn’t evaporate outright.

Overjoyed by this discovery, she drank another mouthful and crawled over to Jiang Shouzhong. But as she looked at his cracked, parched lips, she hesitated.

Wouldn’t this be...

Too disgusting?

Xiao Lingqiu was deeply conflicted.

She was Yanrong’s revered Empress Dowager; how could she stoop to such humiliation to save someone?

Especially a man she detested.

A man she had intended to kill.

But remembering his care for her along the way, the woman fell into a tumultuous inner struggle.

Seeing the man seemingly losing even the strength to breathe, Xiao Lingqiu muttered a curse in frustration, prying open his mouth and leaning in. As her lips neared his, she slightly parted her own mouth.

Yet as soon as the water spilled out, it evaporated once more, leaving only two drops sliding into his mouth.

Xiao Lingqiu was bewildered.

Would she have to... go mouth-to-mouth?

The woman’s expression turned stormy.

Though over thirty years old, she was still a pristine woman untouched by any man, her hand never held, let alone kissed.

No, absolutely not. That was impossible.

"Die, die, die—just die already!"

She cursed, turning away, deciding not to bother with the man.

She had planned to kill him anyway.

If he died now, it was no different.

Repeatedly convincing herself to stay cruel, Xiao Lingqiu’s mind was invaded by memories of him saving her, protecting her, carrying her, and teasing her with kind humor.

What to do?

Would she really not save him?

Xiao Lingqiu suddenly slapped herself lightly, crawled back to the basin, and drank another mouthful before returning to the man’s side.

She pried open Jiang Shouzhong’s mouth and lowered her head. But just as her lips were about to touch his, she jolted back again. She repeated this back-and-forth struggle several times, still unable to make up her mind.

"Forget it! Forget it!"

Unable to overcome her mental barrier, Xiao Lingqiu spat the water to the ground, gritting her teeth as she cursed, "I told you not to eat recklessly, but you just had to—serves you right!"

For some reason, the woman felt a surge of grievance, her eyes reddening with frustration.

As she listened to the man’s weakening breaths, Xiao Lingqiu pounded the ground with her fist twice and cursed, "Fine, consider it paying back the favor. Afterward, I’m still going to kill you—torture you—yes, torture you hard! Torture you thoroughly!"

The woman crawled to the basin, guzzled a large mouthful, delicately pried open Jiang Shouzhong’s mouth.

She closed her eyes and abruptly lowered her head.

Her moist lips pressed firmly against the man’s cracked, burning lips.

A tear slid down the corner of the woman’s eye.

As the liquid entered the man’s mouth, the cracks across his body stopped spreading and began to slowly heal.

Xiao Lingqiu continued the process, drinking another mouthful to treat him.

After the first time, the psychological burden lessened significantly.

Only when the man’s skin and breathing finally normalized did Xiao Lingqiu stop.

She wiped away a thin silver thread connecting their lips as she stood up, relieved that the man remained unconscious, probably weakened from the prolonged burning, keeping things less awkward.

She had truly feared he might wake midway, leading to mutual embarrassment.

"Ordinary people shouldn’t be able to reach a place like this without passing through the Heavenly Gate. Once trespassing, death is inevitable."

The mysterious old woman spoke again, "But you managed to survive because of Rama’s remains. Yet why has this boy survived? It’s truly puzzling."

Xiao Lingqiu finally had the attention to examine the old woman speaking.

She took one look and was utterly startled.

The speaker turned out to be a gravestone—or more precisely, an old woman beneath the gravestone.

The old woman’s face was gaunt, her sparse gray hair hanging lifelessly atop her head; her eyes bulging out of their sockets, her limbs skeletal and skinless, resembling spider legs, exuding a terrifying presence.

At this moment, she lay like a turtle, her limbs fused to the ground, and the gravestone seemed part of her flesh, tightly connected.

"Are you... an Immortal?"

Xiao Lingqiu asked uncertainly.

"Immortal?"

The old woman froze, as if hearing the most ridiculous joke, breaking into a grating laugh,

"Is there truly such a thing as an Immortal in this world? Those fools just couldn’t face reality, deluded themselves, and lived in denial."