At eight o'clock the next morning.
The rescue team was still digging and clearing the blocked passage of the cave. They were now only about a hundred meters away from the underground river.
"Alright, you keep digging."
Nie Xiaoyu received a satellite phone call from Xiao Zhao, knowing that they were about to break through the cave passage to the underground river. She turned to look at Ma Zhendong and Niu Qiuling who were gathered together, Fang Yanxi and Wan Dongming with Jin Xiuwen, and Jiang Peipei and Huang Yuqing with Lin Xiaoqi, Xu Lingwei and her junior brother Li Zihang, as well as Ling Wei and Han Duoduo, with Kuang Long and Meng Hu, and others.
Nie Xiaoyu said, "If all goes smoothly, we should be able to break through to the underground river today."
Ma Zhendong, having understood the situation inside the cave, said, "Meaning, we'll be able to find Wan Yunting and the others soon?"
"Yes."
Gu Xiaozhuang said, "Doctor Wan and the others were blocked on this path. If we reach the underground river location, and if the situation below is favorable, it will take us another day or two to find Doctor Wan and the others."
"Another day or two." Li Zihang complained.
Fang Yanxi and the others remained silent. They had already been waiting here for two or three days.
"This is already our fastest pace," Gu Xiaozhuang said.
"I understand. You've worked hard."
Ma Zhendong understood and thanked Nie Xiaoyu and Gu Xiaozhuang.
Nie Xiaoyu and Gu Xiaozhuang nodded and turned to attend to their duties without further comment.
"Another day or two. I wonder if Boss Wan has anything to eat while he's trapped inside," Kuang Long sighed.
Second Brother Wan Dongming also sighed. He was very distressed by the uncertainty of his third brother's fate.
Fang Yanxi and Jiang Peipei felt the same. It was an ordeal, and they didn't know what the final outcome would be.
The news outside was also following the rescue progress and reporting on Wan Yunting's situation. It had been three days since he and Gu Luotang were trapped in the cave. Although Nie Xiaoyu did not explicitly state in interviews that Wan Yunting and the others had perished, the outside world generally believed he was dead.
"Elder Jiang, Chairman Gu..."
Huang Jingshan and Wei Renxin saw Jiang Yichun and Qi Miaomiao supporting Gu Yuanbai as they came up, followed by Shen Yingrui and a group of young people.
For the past two days, Huang Jingshan had been relaying the rescue situation back to Jiang Yichun and the others. Gu Yuanbai could no longer bear it. He had flown in the previous night and arrived at the disaster area in the morning. He rushed directly to Lingshan without stopping, wanting to see if his granddaughter and Wan Yunting had been found.
Gu Yuanbai was now visibly exhausted. Ever since he learned that his granddaughter Gu Luotang was trapped in the cave, his grief had kept him awake, making him look several years older and leaving him physically weak.
Qi Miaomiao, who was supporting him, also looked haggard and distressed. It was known that she had been unable to focus on her work for the past few days due to her worry for her senior sister and Wan Yunting, often breaking down in tears.
"Elder Gu, Elder Jiang, Commander Nie just mentioned that it will take another day or two to find Luotang and Yunting," Huang Jingshan said, looking at Gu Yuanbai with deep concern, afraid that his grief would overwhelm him and cause his health to deteriorate.
"Alas, I don't know if they are alive or dead inside..."
Gu Yuanbai shook his head and sighed. These past few days had been agonizing. He still dared not inform his son, who was abroad, about the potential misfortune that had befallen his granddaughter, Gu Luotang.
In the blink of an eye, another day passed.
The rescue team had now cleared the cave passage and successfully entered the underground river. Gu Xiaozhuang was now leading the rescue team in clearing the downstream section of the river, the passage that had been blocked by the earthquake, separating them from Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Wang Weicai...
However, downstream, Gu Luotang sat on the ground, leaning against a rock, her face pale and gaunt. In her arms lay Wan Yunting, unconscious. She had wiped the snake's blood from his face. He had been unconscious for a full two days, although his body temperature had returned to normal.
For the past two days, Gu Luotang had been busy caring for him and had not eaten anything. Now, she had no strength and could only hold Wan Yunting, leaning against the rock. She gently stroked his face and the stubble on his chin, and worried tears involuntarily fell again, landing on the corner of Wan Yunting's left eye.
The next moment, his eyelid twitched, but Gu Luotang did not see it, as her phone was almost out of power and she dared not use it.
Then, Wan Yunting's eyes opened, and two faint green lights flickered. He clearly saw Gu Luotang in front of him, watching her sad tears slide down her cheeks and drip from her delicate chin. Wan Yunting, feeling heartache, raised his hand and wiped away her tears. Gu Luotang's body trembled, and she cried out with joy, "Brother Yunting, you're awake..."
"Mmm..."
Wan Yunting immediately sat up from her embrace. As he turned, Gu Luotang could no longer hold back and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly and sobbing, "You scared me to death! I thought you were going to die..."
Her delicate body trembled in his embrace. Wan Yunting held her, gently stroking her hair, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
Releasing him, Gu Luotang wiped her tears and quickly asked, "How are you feeling now? Are you still uncomfortable?"
Wan Yunting placed his hand on his Dantian below his abdomen and suddenly exerted his energy, exhaling a breath of turbid air. He clearly felt a powerful and vigorous inner energy condensing below his Dantian, even feeling that his Dantian had expanded by more than twice its previous size.
"Strange, I've actually broken through to Hua Jin and entered the early stage of Dan Jin!"
Wan Yunting was shocked internally and couldn't help but feel excited.
At the same time, he felt that the malevolent energy in the Shimen acupoint was now completely gone.
This meant that his body had improved several times over, and the Qi sea in his Dantian had also doubled in size, successfully breaking through to the early stage of martial arts Dan Jin.
"Snake blood!"
Wan Yunting immediately thought of the blood of the refined serpent. Unexpectedly, by chance, drinking the snake's blood not only suppressed the malevolent energy in the Shimen acupoint but also directly allowed him to break through to the early stage of Dan Jin. Wan Yunting couldn't help but laugh, "Who would have thought? Heaven truly opened its eyes; that snake really did refine itself."
"Ah, refined? Will it come out again?" The mention of the large snake made Gu Luotang tremble with fear.
For the past two days, she had been taking care of the unconscious Wan Yunting and was constantly tense, fearing the large snake would reappear. Thus, Gu Luotang had not slept for two days.
Thinking of the large snake, Wan Yunting smiled and comforted her, "No, I've seriously injured it. It will probably have to hide for a while to recover."
"That's good..."
Gu Luotang let out a sigh of relief, and then her head felt heavy, and she slumped over. Startled, Wan Yunting quickly caught her. "What's wrong?"
"Mmm, I'm just tired and want to sleep..."
Leaning in his arms, Gu Luotang, having gone hungry for two days and not having slept, was now extremely weak.
Wan Yunting quickly rummaged through his backpack and found the last biscuit. Knowing that this girl hadn't eaten anything, Wan Yunting quickly tore off a piece of biscuit and brought it to Gu Luotang's lips. "Be good, eat first, then sleep."
Gu Luotang looked at him with gentle eyes, smiled slightly, opened her mouth, took a small bite of the biscuit, then raised her hand to push it towards him. "You eat too..."
"I'm not hungry."
Wan Yunting held the biscuit and continued feeding her, saying, "I'm full from drinking the snake's blood, and I have inexhaustible strength. So, you eat this biscuit."
Gu Luotang smiled, "Then one piece each."
"Be good, eat it all."
Wan Yunting deliberately put on a stern face and spoke seriously.
Looking at the man's commanding demeanor, Gu Luotang felt a warmth in her heart. After smiling, she opened her mouth and continued eating the biscuit. After she finished, Wan Yunting gave her half a bottle of water, and then they slept like that with him holding her.
However, Wan Yunting was now full of energy. Having drunk a belly full of snake's blood and broken through to the early stage of Dan Jin, he felt neither sleepy nor tired. Looking at Gu Luotang sleeping in his arms, Wan Yunting gently stroked her smooth cheek, his eyes firm, and murmured, "Luotang, I will definitely take you out. We absolutely cannot die here..."
"It's open, it's open..."
At seven o'clock in the evening, Xiao Zhao finally broke through the blocked passage.
Nie Xiaoyu and Gu Xiaozhuang also came down. Upon seeing the blocked passage finally opened, the rescue soldiers, with their safety helmets and headlamps, immediately entered. "Everyone search the surroundings carefully."
"Yes..."
The rescue soldiers began to search the area.
Nie Xiaoyu, Gu Xiaozhuang, and Xiao Zhao also held flashlights and carefully searched the collapsed cave for the whereabouts of Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Wang Weicai...
"Captain Nie, hurry, there's something over here!"
Suddenly, two rescue soldiers in front of them turned and shouted. Nie Xiaoyu and Gu Xiaozhuang were startled and immediately went over...