"Yun Ting Ge…"
Gu Luotang, waiting on the shore, had been waiting for over two minutes, but Wan Yunting still hadn't emerged from the water.
Her heart grew anxious. She propped herself up against a nearby stone, her body weak, and shone her phone into the pitch-black pool. She couldn't see Wan Yunting's figure as he dived underwater. Gu Luotang called out anxiously, "Brother Yun Ting, hurry up and come out…"
Holding her phone, Gu Luotang watched as five minutes passed, still no sign of Wan Yunting. Now, she was truly worried. Trembling, she approached the edge of the pool and shouted into the water, "Brother Yun Ting, please come out! Please, don't scare me, woo woo…"
Another three minutes passed. It had been a full ten minutes, and Wan Yunting still hadn't surfaced.
Gu Luotang, tears streaming down her face, slumped to the ground. She dropped her phone aside and stared at the man who hadn't come out of the water. It had been almost eleven minutes. Even a well-trained diver couldn't stay underwater for so long without any equipment.
"Wuwu, Brother Yun Ting…"
The despairing Gu Luotang sobbed weakly, "I'll go down and join you…"
"Phew…"
The very next second, just as Gu Luotang was about to crawl into the water, Wan Yunting burst out from the surface, exhaling a huge breath, and then gasping for air before he could recover.
"Brother Yun Ting…"
Gu Luotang, stunned for a moment before realizing, cried with joy, tears blurring her vision. "Why did you take so long to come up…"
Seeing her tear-streaked, pitiable face, Wan Yunting knew she had been worried sick on the shore, thinking he had drowned. "I'm sorry, Luotang, for making you worry."
Gu Luotang, her delicate body trembling, hugged him tightly. She sobbed, "You really scared me to death. I thought you already…"
"Mmm, don't cry, I was wrong."
Wan Yunting hugged her tenderly, wiping away her tears, but then he spoke with renewed vigor, "But I have good news for you! The water leads to the outside!"
"Really?"
Gu Luotang's tear-filled eyes widened in surprise. Wan Yunting nodded happily, "Yes, I just went down to check. There's light ahead, but it's a long swim to get out, which is why I was down there for so long."
"That's great."
Gu Luotang was thrilled, but then she raised an eyebrow and asked, "How long will it take to swim?"
Wan Yunting, having just swum there, calculated, "It'll take about six minutes to get out!"
"Six minutes."
Gu Luotang was astonished and immediately said, "Brother Yun Ting, but I can't hold my breath for more than a minute in the water, let alone in my current state. I absolutely can't swim across."
Seeing her crestfallen face, Wan Yunting cupped her cheeks in his hands. Her small lips were pouting adorably. Wan Yunting kissed her and smiled, "It's okay, I'll help you breathe."
Gu Luotang's face instantly flushed red, but her teary eyes sparkled. She understood what Wan Yunting meant. "Can you?"
"No problem."
Wan Yunting smiled confidently. "How long was I down there just now?"
"It seemed like about twelve minutes," Gu Luotang said, checking her phone.
"Then it should be fine."
Wan Yunting stood up, picked up his clothes, and put them on. "Without further ado, let's swim out now."
"Okay."
Gu Luotang was happy and couldn't wait to escape this place with him.
After putting on his clothes, Wan Yunting slung his backpack over his shoulder. He then picked up Gu Luotang, who was sitting on the ground, and looked at her pale, weary face, which stirred his pity and affection. "Are you okay?"
"Mmm, just a bit weak," Gu Luotang replied with a gentle smile. She was starving.
"I'll hold you as we swim, it'll be fine," Wan Yunting said.
"Okay…"
So, Wan Yunting, carrying Gu Luotang, descended into the icy water. The exit underwater was to the southwest. Wan Yunting pulled Gu Luotang along, and they swam slowly towards it. Upon seeing the rocky wall ahead, Wan Yunting wrapped an arm around Gu Luotang's slender waist. "Are you okay?"
"I can manage."
Gu Luotang nodded. Although it was pitch black all around, with him by her side, she feared nothing.
"Alright, take a deep breath, and then follow me as we dive down." Wan Yunting instructed.
"Mmm…"
Gu Luotang nodded and took a deep breath. Wan Yunting also inhaled deeply, and then, holding Gu Luotang, they plunged into the water and swam quickly in the intended direction…
Although he wasn't swimming fast with Gu Luotang, Wan Yunting held her waist firmly, exerting all his strength as they sped through the water…
Gu Luotang, weakened by hunger, was too feeble to swim, especially underwater. She could only rely on Wan Yunting. After fifty seconds, she felt she couldn't hold her breath any longer and exhaled a few bubbles…
Instantly, Wan Yunting supported her head with one hand and covered her small mouth with his own, giving her a breath before continuing to swim with her…
Every fifty seconds, Wan Yunting would give Gu Luotang a breath. After about four minutes of swimming, Wan Yunting could see a faint light appearing ahead. Noticing Gu Luotang exhaling bubbles again, Wan Yunting quickly gave her one last breath and rushed forward, holding her tightly…
However, in the final two minutes, Wan Yunting had no air left to give Gu Luotang. He watched as she went completely limp, swallowing a lot of water, and fainted.
This made Wan Yunting anxious, but the faint light ahead was growing brighter and closer. He desperately held Gu Luotang and swam towards the light…
It was now 5:40 PM. To the southwest of Ling Mountain, on the other side of the mountain.
In the midst of the forest, a large pool appeared. The water flowed down the mountain, merging into a small river at the foot of the mountain, which was the same river that had trapped several villagers on their way to the disaster area earlier, the one Wan Yunting and his companions had encountered.
A school of fish swam leisurely on the surface of the large pool. The chirping of birds preparing to spend the night echoed from the forest. They even saw a few small wild boars drinking water by the pool.
Suddenly, a human head surfaced from the water near the cliff, startling the small wild boars into scattering.
Wan Yunting, carrying Gu Luotang, swam anxiously towards the shore. He quickly lifted her out and laid her flat on the ground, then began performing CPR and artificial respiration. Seeing that she still hadn't woken up, a nervous Wan Yunting pressed a few acupoints on Gu Luotang's chest.
He then picked her up, placed her stomach on his bended knee, and patted her back. With a sudden "whoosh," she expelled water…
"Luotang…"
Wan Yunting picked her up. Gu Luotang coughed violently a few times, leaning weakly in his arms. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Wan Yunting exclaimed excitedly, "How do you feel? We're out now."
"Mmm…"
Gu Luotang looked around. To the south, the sky was painted with a blood-red sunset. As the sun gradually set, the surrounding mountains and forests plunged into darkness…
"Rest here for a bit, I'll go and check the surroundings."
Wan Yunting told Gu Luotang to lean against a stone and rest. He then looked at a tall tree nearby and climbed it with a few agile movements. Gu Luotang weakly called out, "Be careful…"
"Don't worry…"
Wan Yunting said as he reached the top of the tree. Before it got completely dark, he surveyed the surroundings and found himself surrounded by an endless expanse of mountains and forests. It was clear they were deep within the mountainous region, and it would likely take a long journey to get out.
With nightfall approaching, Wan Yunting felt it would be too dangerous to travel through the dark forest with Gu Luotang. Therefore, he decided they would rest by the large pool for the night. After all, they had been trapped in a cave for so many days; one more night wouldn't make much difference.
"Luotang, what's wrong?"
Wan Yunting returned to find Gu Luotang leaning her head against a stone, her body trembling. He touched her forehead and found it was hot; she had a fever.
"Brother Yun Ting, I'm cold…"
Gu Luotang shivered weakly.
The night temperature was already very cold, and they had just emerged from the icy water, their clothes soaked. Gu Luotang, already weak, could not withstand such hardship.
"It's alright, I'll figure out how to start a fire later."
Wan Yunting held her, releasing his internal energy and rubbing her back. Gu Luotang immediately felt warmth spreading through her back, the biting cold gradually subsiding. She nestled into his arms and slowly drifted off to sleep.
After rubbing her for a while, Wan Yunting gently laid her down against a nearby stone once she was asleep. He then went to search for firewood, taking advantage of the remaining daylight. He took out his military knife, shaved a piece of wood, and began rubbing his hands together to start friction.
After half an hour, his hands were almost blistered, but Wan Yunting finally managed to start a fire by friction. He immediately woke the sleeping Gu Luotang. Seeing that she was still wet, he said, "Come, Luotang, take them off. We'll dry them by the fire before you put them back on…"
Drowsily, Gu Luotang had her damp clothes removed and was placed by Wan Yunting near the fire to dry. He then took off his own clothes and turned to look at Gu Luotang, who was drowsily leaning against the stone. Wan Yunting walked over and hugged her…
The woman immediately felt his body was like a warm furnace. She couldn't help but burrow into his embrace, sleeping soundly…