The blow was merciless, knocking him flat on the ground. A searing pain shot through his shoulder, nearly making him pass out on the spot.
Xi Lan cleared her throat twice. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the whip in her hand as her gaze drifted to the distant treetops, not daring to look Jiang Ji in the face.
She said stubbornly, "It's not like I meant to hit you, so don't look so terribly wronged."
"There was a poisonous snake about to bite you just now. It was coiled under that rock by your feet—black scales, red tongue, incredibly venomous. If I hadn't acted, you'd be on the ground, poisoned, and you might even be dead."
She tried to keep her tone calm, but the slight waver at the end of her words betrayed a hint of guilt.
"Really?"
Jiang Ji blinked, his face a picture of innocence. Teardrops still clung to his lashes, making him look just like a terribly wronged child.
As he spoke, he pushed himself up from the ground with his hands and slowly sat up.
