Chapter 11: Artificial Respiration

( ) Everything went unexpectedly smoothly; the sun hadn't set yet, and Li Bucai and his party had already reached near the camp.

"Lord, you have returned." Rui Tong, in the camp, heard the girls' voices from afar and ran out to greet them.

"Hmm, I'm back. I only left the two of you in the camp; are you scared?"

"Just a little, but today we knew the Lord would definitely return, so we're not as scared as yesterday."

"Hehe, our numbers are thin; this time, if it weren't for Yan Qiu feeling unwell and needing someone to look after her, how could I bear to let you two stay here trembling with fear? As a treat, after this month passes, when we go to Sky City, I'll definitely bring you and Yan Qiu along. So, how's Yan Qiu feeling now?"

Without the Lord's guidance, they cannot return to Sky City; it's their first time away from their parents, so homesickness is understandable. Rui Tong happily said, "Really? I thank the Lord first. Yan Qiu is fine; after you left, she has been fishing by the river, and she's still there now."

While speaking, everyone returned to the camp.

Rui Tong saw the girls today all in high spirits, assuming they must have had a great time. Being most familiar with Xianghong, she stepped up and asked, "You've been walking all day; you must have covered a long distance."

Xianghong feigned a bored expression and replied simply, "Not far, just up to the northern border."

"Only a day to the border? You must have found something fun; tell me about it."

"There was no fun place, but there was a fresh incident in a village."

"What fresh incident?"

"It's not really that fresh..." Xianghong cleared her throat and said, "We just helped the Lord catch a few Lulu Beasts together."

"Huh? —you caught Lulu Beasts with the Lord? Is that true?"

"Of course it's true; we never even dared to imagine it before, and today we suddenly caught several, with each of us taking part. Ah, what a pity—such a spectacular scene, and you weren't there. You have no idea how wise our Lord was at that moment, how majestic he seemed; he treated those Lulu Beasts like weeds, and with casual banter lured them into our encirclement. Then countless Lulu Beasts fell at our hands. It turns out they're not as terrifying as imagined..."

For people from Sky City, participating in a Lulu Beast hunt is definitely a brag-worthy achievement; Xianghong spoke animatedly, and Rui Tong was filled with envy.

The other girls who joined the hunt were also immersed in excitement, helping Li Bucai on the open ground to process the captured beasts—skinning and cutting them into pieces for storage.

…

By the White Horse River, Rui Tong was ordered to summon Yan Qiu back to the camp.

Yan Qiu was still there, concentrating intently on the fish hook. After a day's effort, though not matching the fishermen across the river, she had improved: that day she caught over 30 small white fish and ten half‑kilogram carp.

"Lord has returned." Unable to join the Lulu Beast hunt, Rui Tong lamented, muttering the call.

"Lord has returned?" Yan Qiu, having made some progress, felt much better and smiled, saying, "Could you report to the Lord for me, that Yan Qiu will return after catching one more big fish." There were eleven of them in total, planning to give each person a fish for dinner.

"Fine, they have caught five more Lulu Beasts and are busy now; it's not urgent anyway, so stay here with you for a while first."

Yan Qiu let out an "oh," and suddenly the fishing rod in her hand tightened as a fish bit the hook. She pulled up hard but couldn't lift it; she knew it must be a big fish and was thrilled. She tried again with force, still unable to bring the fish out of the water; a splash revealed a silver carp over two feet long. She thought, "If I can land such a big fish, the Lord will be very pleased."

The fish's strength in the water was immense. Yan Qiu knew she had to exhaust its power to reel it in. She gripped the rod tightly and used her body weight to pull, but her petite frame couldn't hold; instead the fish dragged her. The fish swam downstream for a while; as the water became shallow it suddenly turned toward the river's center. Caught off guard, Yan Qiu was pulled into the water.

Rui Tong, on the riverbank slope, saw Yan Qiu stumble and about to be swept into the water. She shouted, but Yan Qiu still clutched the rod and wouldn't let go. Rui Tong leapt, trying to grab her; her hand just touched Yan Qiu's shoulder before losing grip. With a splash, Yan Qiu fell into the water, and only released the rod after being carried into the deep section.

For someone who can't swim, once the water depth exceeds arm length, bracing the riverbed with both hands makes it impossible to keep the mouth and nose above water; after falling, it's hard to get up, especially since the water where Yan Qiu was deep enough to reach a person's head.

Rui Tong saw Yan Qiu struggling in the water, terrified and at a loss, trying to find a branch to pull her out. After several attempts, each fell short. Seeing Yan Qiu cease struggling, she hurried back to the camp...

"Lord... Lord..."

Li Bucai saw Rui Tong running in tears and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

"It's bad... Yan Qiu... she's drowned..."

Li Bucai was startled, tossed aside his skinning knife, and rushed to the riverbank. Yan Qiu had already sunk to the bottom, and the surface had calmed. Li Bucai didn't bother removing his clothes and plunged into the water...

All the girls, hearing the cries, rushed to help. By then Li Bucai had already dived to the bottom; after about two minutes, even the Lord's silhouette had vanished. While everyone was panicking, Li Bucai emerged from the water cradling Yan Qiu, laid her on the grass by the shore, and called Junyi Wan'er over to treat her.

Junyi Wan'er stepped forward, felt her pulse, and checked her breathing, then said gravely, "The pulse is weak... there's no breath left; I'm afraid... I'm afraid she's already gone..."

"Gone? Impossible." A vibrant young woman in her prime, gone after only two days under his care—Li Bucai could not accept it. He hurriedly asked Rui Tong, "How long has she been underwater?"

Rui Tong, sobbing, replied, "Just now when I reported to the Lord, she was still struggling in the water."

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes; she might still be saved. Li Bucai quickly unfastened her collar to clear her airway, then pressed his mouth to her crimson lips, delivering breaths, and placed his hands together, pressing her chest five times repeatedly.

"What is the Lord doing?" Sky City has no concept of Artificial Respiration; these girls, at most eighteen, know little about such matters. Xianghong whispered the question to Junyi Wan'er.

"Of course he's rescuing someone." Though Junyi Wan'er is a military doctor, her knowledge is limited to basic wound dressing; she doesn't fully understand, but she can be sure the Lord is trying to save a life.

"What kind of medical technique is this? It's very strange."

"I've never heard my master mention it; I think it must be a very advanced medical art." The Lord can catch Lulu Beasts, so his rescue skill should be equally impressive.

"She's awake, she's awake..."

After Li Bucai's efforts, she finally opened her eyes slowly, coughed lightly twice, then fainted again—but only fainted; a faint breath returned...

…

Late at night, inside the tent.

Yan Qiu woke again, suddenly noticing Junyi Wan'er sitting beside her, staring blankly. In a weak voice she asked, "What time is it now?"

"I don't know; it's definitely very late."

"Has the Lord returned..."

"He has. If the Lord hadn't returned, you wouldn't be here."

Yan Qiu gradually recalled the drowning, feeling ashamed again. After a while she asked, "Lord, you didn't catch a cold because of me, did you?"

"No. I stayed here watching over you for a while, fearing the Lord would be overworked, so I let him go back; I guess he's asleep now."

Yan Qiu realized her gaze remained oddly fixed on her, thinking she was worried, and said, "I'm fine; you go rest. Yan Qiu has become a burden to everyone, I shouldn't keep you from resting; we have many tasks tomorrow."

Junyi Wan'er asked, "Can you confirm whether your mind is clear now?"

Yan Qiu nodded, "Yes, I'm really fine; you go rest."

Junyi Wan'er suddenly perked up, "I now have something more important than rest to do. Great, since you're lucid, can you help me with a research task?"

Yan Qiu stared at her, bewildered.

Junyi Wan'er said, "Then we'll start now. Do you remember what the Lord did while rescuing you?"

Yan Qiu thought for a moment, then shook her head, "I don't remember."

"How can you not remember? This is crucial. I need to know how you felt then, because if I understand your sensation, I might decipher this life‑restoring medical art. If I master it, the next time you drown, the Lord won't be needed; I could save you myself."

"I... I really don't recall how I was saved..."

At that moment, Rui Tong, who was resting in the same tent as Yan Qiu, was awakened by the two's voices and suggested, "Why don't you go ask the Lord directly?"

"I already asked; he said something about Artificial Respiration and told me to just follow that method, but I want to know why biting one mouth with the other can revive a person; there must be some subtlety to it."

"If the Lord demonstrates it for you once, wouldn't you know?"

Wan'er's eyes lit up: "Right, why didn't I think of that? If the Lord does it for me once, wouldn't I know?" Regarding matters of medicine, Wan'er has always been diligent; they cannot eat or sleep until the principle is fully understood. "But a master of medicine wouldn't treat someone without a background in biology; if I go to the Lord like this, they certainly won't demonstrate it for me…"