The people on the shore stared intently at the deep pool, trying to see what was happening underwater.
The rope gradually sank into the pool, with the other end tied to a large ox weighing over 100 pounds.
Time passed second by second, and suddenly, the rope began to be pulled forcefully into the pool.
"It moved! It moved!" Da Niu shouted as he pulled the rope back with all his might.
The villagers standing on the shore also pitched in to help, working together to pull Lu Da ashore as quickly as possible.
"puff."
A human head emerged from the pool.
"Big Brother!" Da Niu shouted loudly.
"Quickly pull him up."
Everyone lent a hand and pulled Lu Da ashore.
Exhausted, Lu Da lay sprawled on the shore, panting heavily.
Surrounded by a group of people, he looked at familiar faces, his mouth opening and closing, but no sound could be heard.
All I could feel was my own breathing, and my body felt weak and limp. My mind was a complete mess, and I couldn't make sense of anything.
Lu Qiqi pushed through the crowd and patted Lu Da's unfocused face.
"Brother Lu? Brother Lu?"
Lu Da closed his eyes tightly and did not react.
"Everyone, spread out and let him breathe more easily," Lu Qiqi suddenly said.
The villagers did as instructed, though they didn't know why. But Lu Qiqi was a doctor, and listening to a doctor was never wrong.
He immediately took a few steps back to give Lu Da some space.
Lu Qiqi picked up Lu Da's wet arm, her fingers touching his cold wrist, feeling the pulse.
Then, they examined Lu Da's eyelids and pupils.
The torches in the distance were burning, making it difficult to see the pupils clearly. Therefore, Lu Qiqi was able to judge Lu Da's condition based solely on her experience.
Lu Da was clearly showing signs of oxygen deficiency, and there were some minor abnormalities in his pulse, but Lu Qiqi didn't investigate them further.
The most urgent task at present is to help Lu Da recover as soon as possible. Otherwise, his slow movements will be a minor issue, but the real danger is that he might become mentally disabled.
"Da Niu, quickly give your older brother some breathing aid," Lu Qiqi said.
"Huh?" Da Niu looked at Lu Qiqi with a bewildered expression.
Lu Qiqi wanted to curse, and if Li Changlong hadn't been there, she would have stepped in herself.
Just as Lu Qiqi was about to look for someone else, Zhao Xiaodong squeezed into the crowd and said, "I'll do it, Miss Lu, what do you suggest?"
"Open his mouth and check for any foreign objects. If there are no foreign objects, then give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."
In this era, the principles of artificial respiration were unknown, so Lu Qiqi could only explain the steps and have them follow them.
Zhao Xiaodong understood and did as instructed, bowing his head and carefully transferring the breath to Lu Da.
Lu Qiqi then pressed on Lu Da's chest.
After repeating this several times, Lu Qiqi stopped and said, "Alright, let me see him."
Upon re-examination of Lu Da's pupils, the focus had gradually become clearer.
Lu Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief, then took out a piece of golden silk cloth from her lower back.
The silk cloth was unfolded, revealing rows of tiny silver needles inside.
Lu Da had taken off his shirt before going into the water, which made it convenient for Lu Qiqi to perform acupuncture.
With the firelight flickering, Lu Qiqi used it to administer acupuncture to Lu Da.
Numerous needles were inserted into the top of his head, arms, and even his chest.
At this moment, Lu Da looked no different from a motionless hedgehog.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed, Lu Qiqi removed the silver needles and carefully put them away.
Zhao Xiaodong asked anxiously, "Miss Lu, why hasn't my elder brother reacted yet?"
Lu Qiqi said, "Don't disturb him tonight. Find a few people to carry him back, change his clothes and let him rest well. Remember not to feed him anything. We'll make a decision when he wakes up tomorrow."
Zhao Xiaodong looked down at Lu Da lying on the ground, hoping only that his older brother would be safe and sound.
Zhao Xiaodong called a few people to carry Lu Da back to the ancestral hall.
Lu Qiqi then said, "Xiao Dong, go and call the villagers hiding in the bamboo forest, let's go back together."
Zhao Xiaodong shouted into the bamboo forest, urging the villagers to return to the village together.
The only response he received was the rustling of the wind through the trees.
The villagers' indifference left Zhao Xiaodong feeling powerless. Just as he was about to say something more to persuade them, he heard Lu Qiqi's voice.
“Fellow villagers, the bottom of the pool is unfathomable at night. None of the nine villagers who went into the water earlier have returned to report the news. Even Brother Lu was carried back lying down when he came back from the water.”
Tell me, who among you is a better swimmer than Brother Lu?
Many villagers' last hope was shattered by Lu Qiqi's last words.
Yes, looking across the entire village, who has better water skills than Lu Da?
If Lu Da was like this after returning from the water, what about them?
A moment later, villagers carrying their bags began to emerge from the bamboo forest.
Seeing that most people had come out, Zhao Xiaodong shouted, "Go back now."
After saying that, he was about to lead the villagers back.
"no!"
"no!"
The big ox was seven feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. He spread his arms and blocked the villagers' way, his eyes and mouth full of anxiety.
"Da Niu, what are you doing? Instead of going back, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Da Niu's obstruction angered Zhao Xiaodong. If it weren't for them, his older brother wouldn't have had to risk going into the pool and end up in this state.
"Xiao Dong," Da Niu grabbed Zhao Xiao Dong's hands and said, "You can't leave. What will happen if you all leave? My cousin is still down there, and there are still nine lives to be saved!"
Da Niu's voice was shrill, and Zhao Xiaodong's eyes began to well up with tears. Nine lives, some of which he had met this morning, were lost for no reason.
His body was never found.
"Xiao Dong, please, please save my cousin!" Da Niu grabbed Zhao Xiao Dong's hand, knelt down, and begged.
The villagers behind him were all deeply moved. They were all from the same village. Were they really going to go back home and not know whether they would live or die?
Just as the villagers were lost in sorrow, Lu Qiqi's words interrupted their thoughts.
"If you want to go down and die, no one will stop you, but if you want someone else to die for you, then you've miscalculated."
Upon hearing Lu Qiqi's accusation, Da Niu immediately denied it, saying, "No, no, no, I didn't mean that. I just... I was just anxious to save my cousin and the others."
Regardless of whether Da Niu intended it that way, making others risk their lives to achieve his goals is a form of moral blackmail.
There was already a Lu Da ahead of us, and Lu Qiqi would absolutely not allow a second 'Lu Da' to appear in the puddles!
Lu Qiqi said, "Since you don't mean it that way, I'll leave the rope to you. If you want to go down and rescue him, I won't stop you. When we come back up, I'll treat you the same way I treated Lu Da. How about that?"
"You! You!" Da Niu was speechless because Lu Qiqi had him cornered, but he couldn't bring himself to say that he had gone into the water to save people.
Lu Qiqi had no patience to linger here and said, "Since you refuse to go into the water, then we're leaving."
"Xiao Dong, tell the villagers to go back to the village!"
After saying that, Lu Qiqi walked around Da Niu and headed into the village.
A large group of people followed closely behind.
Da Niu was left standing there, stamping his feet in frustration.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
