Chapter 119: A Sleepless Night

After applying medicine to Laura's wounds, Qin Yun also briefly bandaged the injuries on his own arm, coating them with crushed Tumao grass powder to prevent infection.

When he finished, the sky had turned completely dark.

Desert, steppe, flickering flames—several silhouettes seemed to be the entire world.

Looking back at the windbreak shelter, where Laura lay unconscious on a wolf pelt, Qin Yun added a few more logs to the fire.

He gripped his canteen, filled with hot water; in this freezing cold, sipping occasionally felt like a warm current flowing through his entire body.

"I hope the Tumao grass works on Laura—otherwise, it's truly dangerous."

Laura had already developed a high fever due to infection and inflammation from her wounds, triggering her immune system, and her condition was only worsened by the shock of the wolf pack.

In a hospital, they'd just administer antibiotics immediately.

"Brother Qin, you've done all you could. Even if something happens, it's not your fault—you have no guilt in your heart."

"Yeah, if it weren't for Brother Qin, Laura would've been dead already."

"Have you noticed? Since Brother Qin dropped in here, not a single day has gone smoothly. I'm not talking about food or water—I mean something unexpected always pops up every day."

"Haha, now that you mention it, yeah—either chased by wolves, stung by spiders, caught in sandstorms, now we run into a living person in this hellhole—Brother Qin's luck is insane."

Qin Yun shook his head and chuckled: "Guess when I get home, I'll have to pay a visit to Mount Putuo."

"Whoo—"

The wind blew, making the fire flicker, and Qin Yun instinctively pulled his neck in.

The cold wind at this temperature was like knives—striking the skin, chilling to the bone and terrifying.

"If I didn't know Brother Qin's place was minus fifteen degrees, I'd think this experience sounds pretty great."

"Besides the harsh environment, there's also psychological loneliness—the endless cold, emptiness, amplifying the sense of isolation."

"But Brother Qin has us with him—he shouldn't feel lonely."

Qin Yun saw these comments and grinned: "Actually, I don't feel lonely at all—I'm not truly stranded here. Besides, with my mental resilience, how could I possibly feel lonely?"

After chatting for another half hour, seeing the time approach nine, Qin Yun prepared to end the stream.

"Brother Qin, stay a little longer!"

"You're signing off again? Don't you know how hard it is to earn money and how awful it is to eat shit? You're ignoring all those gold patrons to go… whoa, I forgot—Brother Qin's got a blonde, long-legged beauty right there! Damn, I'm jealous."

"You'd have forgotten if I didn't mention it—Laura's looks alone are definitely above nine out of ten, and her aura is extraordinary; she's probably some wealthy family's Young Lady overseas."

"When you say 'wealthy family,' do you mean a karaoke bar or a dance hall?"

"..."

The jokes in the comment section didn't make Qin Yun extend his stream—he gave a closing remark, waved, and clicked to end the broadcast.

After removing the drone's battery and placing it in the charging compartment, Qin Yun reached out and touched Laura's forehead—it was still burning hot, showing no sign of change.

Moreover, Laura's breathing was heavy, her cheeks unnaturally flushed.

Without hesitation, Qin Yun returned to the fire, poured out half the water from the last umbrella cloth, and began boiling it. When the water boiled, he used the cloth as a towel to wipe Laura's forehead, behind her ears, her neck, and other areas.

Every ten minutes or so, he repeated the process. But despite his efforts, Laura showed no improvement—her temperature remained stubbornly high.

"This won't do."

Looking at Laura, Qin Yun murmured.

After a moment's thought, he reached out, pulled back the wolf pelt and umbrella cloth, and unzipped Laura's jacket.

"Forgive me!"

He unzipped the outer layer, then pulled down the inner collar, ignoring the fullness of her chest, and repeated his earlier actions—this time adding her armpits and groin.

After over an hour of this, Laura suddenly murmured in her coma: "Wasser, Wasser, ich brauche Wasser!"

Hearing this, Qin Yun quickly brought over the canteen, slightly propped up Laura's head, and tilted the spout toward her mouth, slowly raising the angle.

Sensing the water entering her mouth, Laura instinctively drank—she nearly emptied the entire canteen.

Qin Yun wasn't bothered—he gently laid Laura back down, covered her with the wolf pelt, and leaned aside to rest.

He periodically rose to wipe her again, continuing the physical cooling.

Whether it was the herbal medicine taking effect or Qin Yun's persistent physical cooling, around two a. m., Laura's temperature began to slowly drop.

She opened her eyes from unconsciousness, and her first sensation was—how awful it smells!

How could it not smell? The wolf pelt had undergone no treatment—its fishy, musky stench was enough to make anyone cover their nose.

Her next glance fell on Qin Yun, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, fast asleep and motionless. Then she noticed her clothes were unzipped, and her armpits and lower abdomen were damp.

In an instant, she understood what had happened.

"Awake? How do you feel? Better?"

Somehow, Qin Yun had already opened his eyes—Laura looked up and met his gaze.

Laura smiled wearily, her eyes filled with gratitude: "Qin, thank you—if it weren't for you, I'd be dead."

"Of course. Meeting me means your fate wasn't meant to end. In China, there's an old saying: 'Misfortune carries fortune within it.' It means bad luck often comes with good fortune. Another saying: 'Surviving a great disaster guarantees future blessings.' If you survive a near-fatal ordeal, your future will be smooth sailing."

"Chinese language is truly profound, Qin. Did you drive off those wolves today?"

Qin Yun lifted his chin: "They're lying outside. When you find food, either they die or we die—so naturally, they've returned to the desert."

Laura opened her mouth, stunned.

"Qin… Qin, you mean you killed those wolves?"

Qin Yun nodded, gesturing with his hands: "You've heard of Chinese Kung Fu, right? On a competition stage, it might not be great—but when it comes to killing, it's top-tier combat technique. Just a few wolf pups—nothing worth mentioning."

"You… are incredible."

Laura was utterly awed—this man who saved her was the most powerful man she'd ever encountered in her life.

Though other qualities remained unclear, what she saw now was undeniably magnetic.

Compared to the so-called elites she'd met in Germany, a single word flashed in her mind: Alles Äußeres, kein Inneres.

No—even by German standards, this man was breathtakingly handsome.

Tall, strong, and powerful!

"Do you feel better now?"

Laura said: "Still a bit dizzy, but the fever is slowly going down, and I feel much more comfortable. My body is damp and cold."

Hearing this, Qin Yun quickly stood up and stepped out of the windbreak.

The fire had not gone out all night; Qin Yun soaked a cloth in the hot water, then handed the umbrella-cloth towel to Laura.

"Conditions are basic—there's no way to change clothes. Use this to wipe off the sweat, so you don't relapse."

Laura nodded, took the towel, but frowned.

Then a flush appeared on her face: "Qin, could you please help me wipe down? I don't have the strength."

Qin Yun raised an eyebrow and smiled: "You're being so generous—I'm a man, you know."

Laura bit her lip: "You've already wiped me before, it's fine. You're my savior."

Qin Yun dropped his teasing and took the towel without hesitation.

He had Laura sit upright and began wiping from her back, all the way to her chest—only skipping the private areas.

He wasn't a thug; he wouldn't really assault a position like that.

After wiping her dry, Laura felt much more comfortable. But perhaps due to the drop in body temperature, she kept sweating; after Qin Yun had to help her three times in succession, her condition finally improved.

But after heavy sweating, she became parched.

Qin Yun simply boiled the last five hundred milliliters of water and poured it into the canteen.

"That's all we have left—drink sparingly."

Laura sipped a little, waiting until her mouth was thoroughly moist before swallowing.

Watching Laura close her eyes again, Qin Yun had no intention of sleeping—sunrise was only a few hours away. He simply draped a wolf pelt over himself and leaned against the side, closing his eyes to rest.

……

The next morning at eight, countless fans had already gathered on Qin Yun's homepage.

Then they suddenly noticed a new video on Qin Yun's homepage, its cover title boldly reading: This Leg, Summit of Yao Mei Peak (Part One).

When they clicked it, they found two creators listed—Qin Yun, and, unmistakably, TikTok's official account.

"Holy shit, guys, Brother Qin didn't show up after his last summit of Yao Mei Peak—he was picked up by the officials!"

"Everyone, hurry to Brother Qin's homepage—his video of summiting Yao Mei Peak has been updated."

"I watched it, already watched it—just one episode. Damn, how many episodes total? Who's this even for?"

"The quality, the shots, the soundtrack—perfect."

"Great. Even without the live interaction, the edited beauty beats live streaming."

"Most importantly, there's BGM—add BGM, and so many scenes become incredibly satisfying, intensely thrilling."

Qin Yun installed the battery, turned on the drone's screen, and soon noticed a co-created item on his homepage.

He checked the backend—sure enough, several private messages had arrived from Su Huan and TikTok's official account, saying the Yao Mei Peak video had been edited into ten episodes, two per day, released over five days.

As soon as he opened his livestream, within minutes the viewer count hit fifty thousand plus—an astonishing surge.

"Good morning, friends."

Qin Yun greeted them, watching the screen.

"Good morning, Brother Qin."

"Brother Qin looks like he didn't sleep all night."

"With a beauty beside you, I wouldn't sleep either."

"Cough…," Qin Yun was speechless. "Hello everyone, I'm Qin Yun, a temporary wilderness survival enthusiast. Currently…"

After reciting his unchanged opening lines, Qin Yun casually mentioned the co-created project.

"As you can see, I collaborated with TikTok to edit my Yao Mei Peak livestream footage into ten episodes—two per day, morning and evening, released over five days. If you're interested, check them out—they offer a completely different feel from the livestream."

"Support Brother Qin!"

"Already liked, saved, and shared."

"Brother Qin 666."

"Just as Brother Qin said—it's not like the livestream, it's like a variety show."

"I say, Brother Qin's drone should get an update from DJI—add a BGM function that switches automatically based on the situation, and that'd be awesome."

Qin Yun smiled: "You know what? That's not a bad idea. If BGM could switch automatically depending on the situation, the livestream might become even more exciting."

Since there was no water left, Qin Yun heated the last three hundred milliliters in the canteen and roasted a piece of wolf meat.

Yesterday, four more desert wolves appeared—food was no longer an issue. But Survival succeeded was still at least a day and a half away; the water problem still had to be solved.

After the meat was cooked, Qin Yun woke Laura.

After one night, Laura was still tired and weak, but her fever had fully broken—her energy and spirit were vastly improved from yesterday.

After reapplying her medicine, the two ate breakfast and prepared to set off.

"We don't have much water left—we must find a water source before we can continue."

"Mm, I'll follow your lead."