My grandmother was devoutly Buddhist, so I often heard her say things.
Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.
This Da Wei in front of me was already on the verge of death.
If the two of us hadn't intervened, he would have surely died.
Furthermore, after death, he wouldn't even be able to be reborn as a human in his next life.
But since we encountered him, we couldn't just watch him die.
I unbuttoned Da Wei's shirt.
Then, following the cardiopulmonary resuscitation technique I was trained in at the factory, I began performing CPR on Da Wei.
Mo Ting, following my instructions, fanned him from the side.
He also occasionally blew into Da Wei's mouth...
One, two, three...
Da Wei's chest rose and fell with each compression.
I repeated the pressing motion again and again.
Miss Wen's face was filled with anxiety, her heart heavy with sadness, her body trembling with nervousness.
Although Mo Ting and I had never performed CPR before,
we could now see through our heavenly eyes.
Under our continuous compressions and artificial respiration, the three Yang fires above Da Wei's head and shoulders,
which had been fading, had now stabilized.
The soul, which had been slowly drifting away, also began to recede bit by bit.
Mo Ting looked pleasantly surprised and said,
"Good heavens, Brother Qin, your method is working, his three Yang fires have stabilized..."
"Mm, don't stop, keep blowing air into his mouth..."
I said while continuing the compressions.
I also gradually mastered the appropriate force.
Soon, Da Wei's three Yang fires, from being stable, began to grow stronger.
Previously, they had shrunk to just a wisp.
Perhaps only a firelight the size of a strand of hair remained.
In a short while, it had grown to the size of a candle flame.
Da Wei's soul, which had been about to separate, now reintegrated into his body.
The three Yang fires above his head flickered like flames.
Da Wei, whose heartbeat had stopped, suddenly regained a heartbeat.
His breathing resumed...
Upon seeing this, the three of us brightened.
"He's alive, he's alive..."
Mo Ting exclaimed excitedly.
Miss Wen also cried out emotionally,
"Da Wei, Da Wei..."
I released my hands and let out a long sigh.
After Da Wei resumed breathing, his soul stabilized within his body, and his three Yang fires gradually grew stronger.
This person was saved.
"Thank you, thank you both..."
Miss Wen, overjoyed, repeatedly thanked Mo Ting and me.
Mo Ting and I smiled and waved our hands, feeling a sense of inexplicable accomplishment.
Old Mo then spoke in a rather dramatic fashion,
"Miss Wen, you're too kind. We are martial practitioners traveling the world; this is but a small matter."
He said this while displaying a proud expression.
I shook my head with a wry smile.
Da Wei, having regained his breath, suddenly coughed twice.
"Cough, cough..."
Hearing Da Wei cough, we turned our attention back to him.
We saw the unconscious Da Wei slowly open his eyes after coughing.
The moment he opened his eyes, in the dim corridor, he saw the unfamiliar faces of Mo Ting and me.
He showed no fear, instead saying calmly,
"Is this, is this hell?"
Miss Wen kept shaking her head, calling Da Wei's name, but Da Wei couldn't hear her at all.
I then spoke to him,
"This isn't hell, it's your doorstep. You didn't die!"
Hearing my words, Da Wei's pupils contracted sharply, and he finally took in his surroundings.
When he realized he was still alive, he frowned,
"You, you saved me?"
"Of course, otherwise you'd be a corpse right now!"
Mo Ting said with a chuckle, pulling out a cigarette and offering it to me.
We both lit up and took a drag.
Da Wei sat up.
His face was filled with grief and despair.
He then sobbed, breaking down in tears,
"Why, why did you save me, why...
Wen Li is dead, and I'm alive.
My life has no meaning anymore.
It would be better to die, so I could go find her..."
Saying this, Da Wei began to wail, his despair palpable.
Little did he know, Miss Wen was squatting beside him, looking at him with concern.
I remained silent, while Mo Ting spoke up,
"I have to tell you, don't think you'll be reunited with Miss Wen by committing suicide.
Those who commit suicide will suffer in the afterlife.
Forget about rekindling your romance; you won't even be able to be reborn as a human in your next life."
But Da Wei was deeply devoted, and his thoughts were extreme now. He shook his head,
"No, as long as I can see Wen Li, I don't care about being human in the next life.
Yes, yes, I must die, I must die..."
He then stood up abruptly, appearing somewhat frenzied.
He looked towards the corridor window not far away.
His intention was clear – he wanted to jump.
But I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back,
"Miss Wen is right here.
We came to deliver a message for her.
If you really want to die, you can do it later."
With that, I released his collar.
Da Wei was stunned upon hearing this.
He stared at us with suspicion, then looked around.
In the empty corridor, besides us, there was no one else.
Yet, he asked in astonishment,
"You, you said.
Wen Li, Wen Li is, is here?
Can you, can you communicate with her?"