Chapter 7: Saving Ling Xi
Consciousness gradually returned. Gu Yunsheng felt a salty, fishy sea breeze pouring into his mouth and nose, feeling as if it were turning his insides inside out.
He coughed uncomfortably a few times, spitting out a mouthful of seawater, before struggling to open his eyes.
The blinding sunlight shone on the beach. The glare made it impossible for Gu Yunsheng to adapt immediately, so he could only squint, vaguely seeing that he was lying on a sandy beach.
“Cough, cough… Where is this?” Gu Yunsheng propped himself up and looked around. He discovered a cluster of low houses not far away, with smoke rising from kitchen chimneys. It looked like some unknown little fishing village.
Fishing village?
Gu Yunsheng suddenly remembered the broken fishing boat before he passed out, the bottomless seawater, and Ling Xi’s pale face.
He panicked and looked down, discovering he was wearing only a small tank top soaked in seawater. His wet trousers clung tightly to his legs, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
“Ling Xi!” Gu Yunsheng’s heart constricted violently, and an indescribable sense of panic instantly drowned him.
He stumbled to his feet, looking around and shouting Ling Xi’s name over and over again.
“Ling Xi! Where are you? Answer me!”
On the empty beach, only the sound of waves hitting the reefs answered his call.
Just as Gu Yunsheng was nearing despair, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly glimpsed a familiar figure lying beside a reef in the corner.
It was Ling Xi!
At this moment, he was like a stranded fish, lying there powerlessly. His long silver hair was scattered messily on the beach, having lost its former luster.
The place on his shoulder pierced by the fish arrow was still oozing blood, staining the surrounding seawater red. It was a shocking sight.
“Ling Xi!” Gu Yunsheng ran over like a madman and pulled Ling Xi into his arms, only to find the other’s body was frighteningly cold, his breathing so weak it was barely perceptible.
“Ling Xi, wake up! Don’t mermen live for a hundred years? Get up!”
Gu Yunsheng’s tears gushed out uncontrollably. He didn’t know why he was crying—was it fear, guilt, or… reluctance?
With trembling hands, he turned Ling Xi over and checked his breath. Finding a trace of weak respiration, he felt like he had grabbed the last straw of hope.
“Hold on, I will definitely save you!”
Gu Yunsheng gritted his teeth and used all his strength to drag the massive Ling Xi up from the shallow water.
Ling Xi’s fish tail beat unconsciously against the sand, seemingly silently recounting his pain.
Fortunately, luck was on his side. Before long, he found a fisherman’s hut with an unlocked door.
He dragged Ling Xi inside and backhandedly closed the door, finally letting out a small sigh of relief.
Looking around, Gu Yunsheng found that although the room was simple, it was clean and tidy, with various fishing tools arranged in an orderly manner.
Gu Yunsheng didn’t have time to think too much. The most important thing now was to pull the arrow out of Ling Xi and stop the bleeding.
He began searching everywhere for where a household might keep medical supplies. After rummaging for a while, he finally found a dusty wooden box under the bed.
Opening it, he saw some bandages, alcohol, and medicinal powders thrown in messily.
Gu Yunsheng’s eyes lit up; these things were usable and fairly complete.
He quickly supported Ling Xi onto a clear patch of ground and brushed aside his seaweed-like long hair, revealing the wound on his shoulder pierced by the arrow.
The arrow had pierced deeply into his flesh. The surrounding skin had already started to turn purple, looking particularly ferocious and terrifying.
At this moment, Ling Xi groaned, his brows knitting in pain.
Vaguely feeling someone touching his wound, the sensation was like being burned by fire, making him want to break free.
However, his body felt as heavy as lead, unable to move.
“Mmh… hurt… it hurts…” Ling Xi’s consciousness struggled between pain and weakness. He spat out a few words intermittently, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
“Bear with it, Ling Xi. Once I pull this damn arrow out, it won’t hurt anymore.” Gu Yunsheng was so panicked his voice shook, yet he patted the back of Ling Xi’s hand as if to comfort him.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here…” He stared at the arrow piercing Ling Xi’s shoulder, his face pale. He rubbed his face vigorously to steady his trembling hands.
He was a vet, yes, but Ling Xi was a merman. What did he know about merman injuries? …But now, he had to treat a dead horse as a living one.
Lowering his eyes, he moved deftly to wipe the skin around the wound with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball.
The burning pain caused an abnormal flush to appear on Ling Xi’s originally pale face.
“Mmh… It hurts…” Ling Xi couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, and his gigantic fish tail swept uncontrollably across a nearby table, knocking the items off with a crisp clatter.
Gu Yunsheng’s eyes panicked. He pressed down on Ling Xi’s body with both hands to stop him from thrashing.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here…” Gu Yunsheng’s voice trembled slightly, as if comforting Ling Xi, but even more so trying to convince himself.
He had never seen such a terrifying injury, let alone treated one himself.
Ling Xi’s hot breath sprayed onto his ear, carrying the moist scent of the sea, making his ears go inexplicably soft.
“Mmh… hurts… so uncomfortable…” Ling Xi moaned painfully. His huge fish tail beat uneasily against the floor, knocking the simple furniture of the wooden hut askew.
Gu Yunsheng dared not imagine what would happen if he let Ling Xi return to the sea. Would he die from blood loss? Be eaten by a school of fish? Or if the owner of this house suddenly returned, would they be scared to death by the scene before them?
“Don’t move, Ling Xi, I beg you. It’ll be over soon, very soon…” Gu Yunsheng’s voice carried suppressed pain, almost pleading.
He tried his best to hold Ling Xi down, but the other’s strength was frighteningly great.
In despair, he suddenly kissed Ling Xi… In this moment, he hoped this kiss could alleviate the merman’s pain. As long as he quieted down, Gu Yunsheng would do anything.
Gu Yunsheng’s kiss carried a trace of coolness as it landed on Ling Xi’s lips. The soft touch made him pause slightly.
Ling Xi’s pained movements halted. A trace of confusion flashed in his deep blue eyes, as if puzzled by this human’s sudden action.
“Ling Xi, be good, listen to me, bear it a little longer… it won’t hurt soon…” Gu Yunsheng’s voice was gentle. His thumb lightly rubbed Ling Xi’s jaw, carrying a somewhat ambiguous tenderness.
Ling Xi’s eyes grew increasingly unfocused. He could only hazily see Gu Yunsheng’s face; his dark eyes reflected Ling Xi’s own wretched state.
A strange numbing sensation spread between his lips and teeth, flowing through his limbs along with his blood, actually washing away some of the bone-eroding pain.
“Mmh…” Ling Xi let out an unconscious hum, his hands tightly gripping Gu Yunsheng’s tight-fitting tank top.
Seeing this, Gu Yunsheng rejoiced, knowing his plan was half successful.
So he kissed Ling Xi even more gently, using every method to soothe him and make him lower his guard.
“Good boy, listen, it won’t hurt in a second…” Gu Yunsheng whispered, just like he used to whisper when bandaging wounded furry animals.
The moment Ling Xi completely relaxed his guard, Gu Yunsheng’s gaze sharpened. He quickly pulled back and, with lightning speed, grabbed the fish arrow piercing Ling Xi’s shoulder and pulled it out by force.
“Ah!” Ling Xi let out a miserable scream. He snapped his eyes open, his deep blue pupils filled with pain and anger.
He wanted to struggle, but found his body was pinned down firmly by Gu Yunsheng, unable to move.
“Damn… hu… human! What are you doing!”
Ling Xi roared, feeling as if his wound had been torn apart. The intense pain made his vision go black in waves.
“Mmh… hurt…”
Ling Xi trembled all over from the pain. Blood gushed out recklessly, staining his scales and Gu Yunsheng’s hands red.
Ignoring Ling Xi’s anger, Gu Yunsheng grabbed the gauze soaked in strong alcohol and pressed it down.
The smell of blood made his stomach churn, but he forced down the discomfort and pressed the gauze tightly against Ling Xi’s wound.
Perhaps due to excessive blood loss, Ling Xi thrashed for a while before losing consciousness. His originally violently swaying fish tail fell powerlessly to the floor, kicking up dust.
Phew~ Gu Yunsheng let out a long breath, wiping the dense sweat from his forehead.
He looked down at himself. His white tank top was covered in Ling Xi’s blood and stained with dirty sand, looking extremely wretched.
The wound on the shoulder, thanks to Gu Yunsheng’s professional treatment, stopped bleeding quickly.
He slumped weakly to the floor, only now realizing his hands were shaking uncontrollably. After the operation, Gu Yunsheng felt as if he was about to fall apart.
After recovering for a moment, Gu Yunsheng panted heavily and carefully placed a finger under Ling Xi’s nose. Feeling the weak but steady breathing, his suspended heart finally settled down a lot.
Looking down, he saw that even in a coma, Ling Xi was still tightly gripping his tank top, his knuckles turning white, as if terrified that Gu Yunsheng would run away if he woke up.
Creak.
The door opened, the sound exceptionally abrupt in the quiet room.
Gu Yunsheng’s heart jumped violently, like a startled deer, almost leaping out of his throat.
He subconsciously wanted to find a place to hide, but looking around, apart from Ling Xi’s body and the bloodstains on the floor, there was nothing else in this simple wooden hut.
He knew the owner of the room had returned.
He tried hard to suppress his rapid breathing, attempting to make his expression look natural, but his clenched fists betrayed his nervousness.
He didn’t know how to explain the scene before him to this unmet owner—an unconscious merman, shocking bloodstains, and… his own wretched appearance.
Just as he was racking his brains, preparing to open his mouth and fabricate a not-so-outlandish excuse, a slender figure appeared at the door.
It was a young girl wearing a floral dress. Her long black hair draped smoothly over her shoulders, accentuating her jade-white skin.
Her features were exquisite, as picturesque as a painting, especially those eyes—large and bright, clear enough to reflect everything in the world.
Only… what a pity.
Gu Yunsheng’s gaze moved down, landing on those empty, spiritless eyes. Those eyes, which should have been lively and beautiful, were now covered with a layer of gray-white mist. No focus, no light; like two dusty pearls that had lost their original luster.
The girl obviously hadn’t sensed the anomaly in the room. She felt along the wall, step by step, walking in cautiously…
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