artificial respiration
The two of them fell into the icy, fast-flowing river with a splash.
The disciple was terrified as soon as he fell into the water. He flailed his arms wildly and opened his mouth to shout "Help!" but a stream of turbid water rushed into his mouth and nose, choking him and causing his face to contort and him to cough incessantly. His eyes were filled with horror.
Yun Wei poked her head out of the water and approached the struggling disciple against the current, but not to save him.
Amidst the surging water, she reached out her right hand and took the crimson cloud-trace bead hanging from the other person's neck.
"You!" He only managed to utter one word before the Cloud Trace Pearl shattered under her finger.
A flash of crimson light appeared, and the disciple instantly blurred and became indistinct, teleported out of the forbidden area, and eliminated.
Though the pearl shattered and the person vanished, Yun Wei felt no relief whatsoever. She had originally intended to use the water's power to escape, but she had far overestimated her current physical condition.
Although she was good at swimming, her cultivation was completely sealed at the moment, and after a series of fierce battles, she was already at her limit and her strength was exhausted.
The roar of water filled her ears, and her consciousness gradually blurred due to the bone-chilling cold. Her waving arms became increasingly heavy, as if she could not break free. Her body was involuntarily swept downstream by the surging current.
She knew very well that as long as she crushed her Cloud Trace Pearl, she could immediately escape this dangerous situation and save her life.
The two elders in Guiyun Sect, far away, must be watching her every move closely through the water mirror.
They stood by and watched coldly, and might even have secretly encouraged those disciples to kill her, all to force her to give up in this desperate situation and admit defeat.
But the more they wanted to see her make a fool of herself and give in to her fate, the more she refused to comply.
She was determined to collect what the elders owed her and what her father owed her, one by one.
Yunwei closed her eyes, not to give up, but to concentrate her last remaining strength and try to sense the direction of the surrounding water.
She suddenly felt a tightness around her waist, as if she were being held firmly, her back pressed against a warm chest, forcefully pulling her out of the icy vortex.
She vaguely heard the boy's furious curses through gritted teeth, mixed with heavy breathing and the sound of running water, "You...you're asking for it?!"
She tried desperately to open her eyes, only to feel herself being held tightly in someone's arms, their body shielding her from the rushing water and hidden rocks, as they struggled to move against the current.
In a daze, it seemed as if cold lips covered mine, carrying a faint but undeniable scent of blood, bringing a weak breath.
"Cough cough...cough cough..." With a sharp pain in her chest, she suddenly turned her head, spitting out the river water she had choked on, and finally managed to open her heavy eyelids.
His vision blurred at first, then gradually cleared. Xie Lanchen's face, so close to his, came into view, pale and bloodless, with river water dripping down his tense jaw.
He held her shoulder and back tightly with one hand to support her and prevent her from slipping, while his other hand clutched his own waist and abdomen.
Blood kept seeping from the wound, even staining the shallow river water around it a pale red. As we carried her ashore, the blood dripped down in a long trail.
"Xie Lanchen?" Her voice was terribly hoarse. "You..."
The boy, panting heavily, glared at her fiercely, as if he wanted to devour her alive. Yet, deep within his eyes surged lingering fear and dread, so intense it almost overflowed: "If I hadn't come... what would you have done?! Would we have died together?! Who gave you permission to take such a risk! If you really died..."
He suddenly stopped, as if something had blocked his words, leaving only his violently heaving chest and lingering fear in his eyes.
Every word he uttered seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, accompanied by heavy breathing and an uncontrollable tremor.
Yunwei looked up at him and explained in a hoarse voice, "I didn't intend to die with him. I know how to swim, but because my cultivation was sealed and my strength was insufficient, I..." Before she could finish speaking, she saw the young man sway and fall straight backward, completely unconscious on the ground.
The wound on his waist and abdomen had long since turned white from being soaked in cold water, but the blood continued to seep out, making it even more shocking and glaring.
Yunwei's heart tightened. He was severely injured and had been immersed in cold water, causing him to lose too much blood. If he wasn't treated soon, his life would truly be in danger. They were bound by a life-and-death pact; if he died, she could not live alone.
The thought flashed through her mind, but it wasn't the main reason for her palpitations.
She absolutely could not let him die, but at this moment she had lost all her cultivation and was no different from an ordinary person, so she had to stop his bleeding and bandage him immediately.
Thinking of this, she composed herself, deftly tore off a relatively clean corner of her clothes, and cut it into strips of suitable width.
She first tightly wrapped the cloth around the boy's waist and abdomen, tying it tightly to compress and stop the bleeding.
But that's far from enough. The boy was soaked in sweat, and the cold pathogens entered his body, which would inevitably cause a high fever.
She looked around and saw a recessed rock wall not far away, which would provide temporary shelter from the wind and cold.
*
The flickering firelight dispelled the cold, damp chill beneath the rock face, illuminating the figures of the two men.
Xie Lanchen's eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a pair of light gray eyes that were very close to his.
The flickering firelight illuminated her face, water droplets slid down her slightly pale cheeks, and her hair clung messily to her forehead and neck. Though her eyes were tired, they still maintained their usual clarity and calmness.
"You're awake?" Yun Wei asked, looking at him with a deep gaze.
The boy gave a low "hmm," his voice dry, and it took him a while to belatedly realize that something was wrong.
Why are we looking so close?
He was shocked to realize that the back of his head was not resting on the ground, but on her knees.
Xie Lanchen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly sat up. The movement aggravated the wound on his waist and abdomen, causing him to gasp in pain. Fine beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, and his face turned even paler.
Yun frowned slightly, reaching out to help him but then stopping, her tone tinged with reproach: "Your wound has barely stopped bleeding. Why didn't you listen to my earlier telepathic message and hide properly? Do you know that jumping down like that without a care could worsen your injuries and what if something happens to you..."
"Wait, let's not talk about this yet." The boy interrupted her, seemingly unwilling to continue the topic. He glanced around warily, then quickly made a hand seal. A thin light screen quietly rose, isolating the two of them from the outside world.
"A soundproof barrier?" Yun Wei's eyes narrowed slightly, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry. "When did you learn this?"
She remembered using it a few times in front of Xie Lanchen before, but she didn't expect him to have secretly memorized it and even learned it?
The boy remained silent, only pursing his pale lips. He looked down at the neatly bandaged strips of cloth around his waist, his eyes flickering with a complex expression. His fingertips unintentionally brushed over the delicate knots, and after a long while, he awkwardly looked away, muttering under his breath, "...It looks so ugly, I should have done it myself."
Upon hearing this, Yunwei couldn't help but smile.
This person was clearly grateful, but insisted on putting on a brave face.
She could clearly see the momentary hesitation he felt when his fingertips brushed against the bandage; he had obviously noticed the care she had taken in bandaging it.
However... saying one thing and meaning another is his consistent style.
The boy stared at the crackling fire for a long while before speaking, his voice icy: "That Zhao Changsheng dared to use a spirit-suppressing talisman on you... Once we leave this forbidden area, I will make him regret what he did today."
Yunwei looked at the boy's pale profile, the firelight casting interplay of light and shadow on his handsome face.
She paused for a moment, then said, "I will settle his score myself. You don't need to..."
"No need for what?" Xie Lanchen suddenly turned to look at her, a faint look of confusion on his face. "Are you still concerned about that little bit of camaraderie among fellow disciples? Have you forgotten how they treated you? Surrounding and intercepting you, using spirit-suppressing talismans—weren't they all meant to kill you? How can this matter be left like this?" His words aggravated his wound, and he couldn't help but frown and groan.
Yun Wei sighed inwardly. She had never intended to let Zhao Changsheng and the others go. She only hoped that she could avenge them herself, so as not to involve him.
Forget it, his injuries haven't healed yet, why argue with him about this momentary impulse?
Thinking of this, she softened her voice: "That's not what I meant. It's just that Zhao Changsheng is just a pawn, and there might be someone behind him directing him. If you act rashly, you'll only alert him."
Xie Lanchen snorted coldly: "Then let's find out who's behind him too. The Guiyun Sect's waters should have been stirred up long ago." He paused, his gaze falling on her still pale face, his tone softening unconsciously, "...Are you injured?"
Yun shook her head slightly: "It's just that I overexerted myself, there's nothing serious."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanchen's gaze instinctively fell on her lips, then stiffly shifted away, his fingers unconsciously curling up as he tried to conceal the panic and pounding in his heart.
Yunwei took in his expression and felt a strange feeling rise in her heart.
What's wrong with him?
“I’ll handle this matter myself after we get out of here. Your injury is the most urgent thing right now.” She suddenly remembered something and took out a small jade bottle from her bosom. “This is the ‘Jade Marrow Muscle Regeneration Powder’ that Anian gave me before. It’s very effective for external injuries. Take off your clothes and I’ll apply the medicine for you.”
Xie Lanchen's expression froze for a moment, then she lowered her eyes, raised her hand and clutched her wet, still-clinging clothes to her skin, her tone carrying a rare hint of haste and resistance: "...No need! I can do it myself." Her expression was one of unprecedented panic and resistance, as if something was hidden beneath her clothes that she was extremely unwilling and absolutely could not let her see.
His overreaction was definitely not just ordinary embarrassment or politeness, Yun Wei thought to herself.
Seeing his unusually resolute attitude, and considering that the wound was mainly on his waist and abdomen, making it inconvenient to undress, she decided not to force him and put the jade bottle into his hand, saying, "Alright. Be careful and don't aggravate the wound."
After saying that, she turned around as instructed, closed her eyes, and waited patiently.
The only sounds below the rock face were the crackling of the fire and the faint rustling of clothes beside them.
Yunwei's doubts remained: What exactly was he hiding?
Given the boy's temperament, ordinary injuries would not have been enough to make him lose his composure like this.
Suddenly, she heard Xie Lanchen let out a very soft hiss, as if in extreme pain.
She suddenly opened her eyes, turned her head to look at him, and asked in a questioning tone, "What happened to you? Is it your wound...?"
The conversation abruptly ended.
Xie Lanchen's shirt was half off, piled up at his waist, revealing his lean but muscular chest and abdomen. Scattered on the ground were the strips of cloth she had used to bandage him, which he had just removed.
Although he hastily covered most of the area above his chest with his palm, several crisscrossing, hideous old scars could still be clearly seen on his skin.
The marks were clearly made by repeated slashing and cutting with a sharp instrument, messy and almost completely destroying that small patch of skin, making it difficult to recognize its original appearance.
But through those remaining, blurry strokes, Yunwei still managed to piece together two characters—
running dog.
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