Chapter 292 - 284: Desolate Mountains and Wilds
Chapter 292: Chapter 284: Desolate Mountains and Wilds
It was only then that she realized Hu Feng had passed out, and he looked very unwell.
After helping Hu Feng sit up, she found a blood-soaked rock on the ground. She reached out to touch the back of his head and, just as she’d feared, her hand came away wet and sticky.
’Damn it, he’s injured his head again.’
She turned Hu Feng over to examine the wound on the back of his head.
Thank heavens, the wound wasn’t too severe. His unconsciousness was likely due to a concussion. Still, she couldn’t afford to take it lightly. He absolutely could not suffer a second impact, or the consequences would be unthinkable.
A bent iron sword lay on the ground behind her. Thankfully, Hu Feng had used it to dig into the cliff face as they fell, slowing their descent. Otherwise, the outcome was too grim to imagine.
Hu Feng’s wound was still bleeding. She quickly took out her needle bag, and after a simple cleaning of the wound, she immediately used acupuncture to stop the bleeding.
The acupoint hemostasis technique was an ancient form of acupuncture. In modern times, it was almost a lost art. This was because there were many fast and highly effective methods to stop bleeding—far more efficient than acupoint hemostasis—so people gradually stopped using it.
Bai Zhi had happened to learn it from an ancient medical text. She had always been a diligent student, living by the principle that one can never have too many skills, and had spent considerable effort mastering this technique. She had even put it to use during a wilderness disaster relief mission when medical supplies were temporarily scarce. Thanks to this often-underestimated technique, she had saved the lives of several patients suffering from severe blood loss. She was even awarded a first-class merit for it.
The wound stopped bleeding. Hu Feng’s breathing remained steady, and his pulse and heartbeat were normal. She finally relaxed, taking off her outer coat and spreading it on the ground. She gently laid Hu Feng on his side, his head resting on her clothes.
’I need to check the terrain. Once Hu Feng wakes up, we have to get out of here. At night, who knows what kind of beasts might be prowling around this sort of place. I have no intention of becoming dinner for a wild animal.’
With Hu Feng unconscious, she didn’t dare go far. She picked up a wooden stick and held it, warily scanning her surroundings. Although the area seemed uninhabited, it wasn’t a complete dead end. Beneath a tree, she spotted cow dung and human footprints. Moreover, the dung hadn’t completely dried yet, which meant it was recent.
If there were cows and people, it meant someone lived nearby. And where there were people, there were roads.
Feeling a little more at ease, she spotted a small, clear stream not far away. She hurried over, squatted by the bank, and washed the blood from her hands. Then, she found some large leaves nearby and curled one into a makeshift cup to hold water.
To keep the water from spilling, she cupped the leaf carefully and walked quickly back toward Hu Feng. The sharp stones on the path dug into her feet, making her wince in pain, but her hands remained perfectly steady, holding the small amount of water she had managed to collect.
Her hands had always been steady. They wouldn’t lose their balance just because another part of her body was in pain. This was a skill she had honed through her daily practice with a scalpel.
Hu Feng was already awake. His head was throbbing as if someone were relentlessly pounding it with a heavy hammer.
After a moment of blurred vision, his surroundings slowly came into focus. It seemed they had fallen to the bottom of a slope. He turned his head to look around but saw no sign of Bai Zhi. Her coat, however, was still spread out on the ground beneath him.
’Where did that girl run off to by herself? In this desolate wilderness, isn’t she afraid of being carried off by some beast?’