Chapter 80 - 080 Almost Buried Alive

Words : 1556 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Outside, the excavation proceeded rapidly, and Du Heng was dug out in just two minutes. But in those two minutes, it felt as if two years had passed. His body was immobilized, he could barely hear any sounds from outside, and everything before his eyes was pitch black. He called out for Zhang Xi, but there was no response. With his waist and abdomen tightly compressed, breathing became increasingly difficult. Although he knew people outside were desperately trying to save him as quickly as possible, an uncontrollable agitation still churned within him. In the end, Du Heng was dragged out. Breathing in the fresh air, free from the oppressive darkness, Du Heng instantly felt a sense of relief. However, he had been so severely compressed earlier that he couldn’t straighten his back, and his lower body was somewhat numb. What a terrible ordeal! I was almost buried alive. After being dragged to the side, the village head asked anxiously, "Doctor Du, Doctor Du, are you alright?" While Du Heng struggled to regain sensation in his lower body, he shouted, "Hurry and dig for Zhang Xi! He’s still alive!" Seeing that Du Heng was fine, the village head breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately stood up and hurriedly called for people to dig for Zhang Xi. As for Du Heng, since he wasn’t dead, he could just lie there. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious. After lying there for a minute or two, Du Heng felt sensation return to his lower body. He managed to struggle to his feet and slowly moved his waist, gradually feeling better. Feeling his still aching and weak waist, and watching everyone frantically digging, Du Heng finally felt a pang of lingering fear. If I’d been just a little unluckier back then, I might have really been done for. The situation with Zhang Xi was precarious. His position was awkward, the collapsed roof above him was thick with mud, and the fallen earthen walls beneath had absorbed so much water they offered no support. The slightest misstep in digging caused further cave-ins. For a while, everyone worked with utmost caution. It took a continuous seven or eight minutes before Zhang Xi was finally dragged out of the mud and water. Du Heng, forgetting his own waist soreness, quickly rushed to Zhang Xi’s side. From his earlier vantage point, it had looked as though the large roof beam had struck Zhang Xi squarely on the forehead. Even if the beam had only grazed his forehead, its sheer weight wasn’t something a human head could withstand. I just hope Zhang Xi’s head is still in one piece, not smashed to bits. "Zhang Xi! Zhang Xi!" The village head rushed over to the extracted Zhang Xi, calling his name. Seeing no response, he began to pat Zhang Xi’s face. The village head lightly patted Zhang Xi’s face a couple of times, but Du Heng felt each pat like a blow to his own heart, causing it to lurch unsteadily. Seeing the village head about to pat him again, Du Heng quickly cried out, "Mr. Zhang, don’t shake him! Don’t move him!" With such a heavy beam hitting his head, even if his skull isn’t fractured, it’s bound to be a cerebral hemorrhage. Shaking his head now would only be hastening his death! The village head stopped at Du Heng’s shout. Turning, he saw Du Heng push his way through the crowd. Du Heng ignored everyone else and immediately began to check Zhang Xi’s condition. Zhang Xi’s body was caked in mud, obscuring everything. His face was a mixture of blood and mud, with a visible, severe wound on the crown of his head. A wound started on his forehead and extended to the crown, about three fingers wide. A flap of skin and flesh had been torn away and was now grotesquely piled on top of his head. It’s clear what happened, Du Heng thought. The large beam must have grazed his forehead as it fell, then, lacking support, continued to press down, tearing away the scalp with it. Zhang Xi was incredibly lucky. If he had crawled just five centimeters further forward, that beam would have struck him squarely in the face. Du Heng glanced at the external wound but didn’t focus on it further. He used a piece of his own clothing to wipe Zhang Xi’s face. Soon, a pale, cyanotic face was revealed to everyone. Du Heng took a look and then lifted Zhang Xi’s eyelids. Du Heng felt Zhang Xi’s hand; it was already ice-cold. His pulse was so faint it was almost imperceptible. "Thick cotton clothes! Thick clothes! Get them to me, quickly!" Even as he shouted, Du Heng was already taking off his own outer clothes and covering Zhang Xi with them. Seeing this, the others also took off their coats and covered Zhang Xi. "Fei! Fei, where are you?" "Here! I’m here!" Du Fei came running from nearby. Du Heng pulled out his car keys and tossed them to Du Fei. "Fei, go to my car and get my medicine box, quickly!" Du Fei acknowledged and sped off with the car keys. Du Heng turned back and continued to squat beside Zhang Xi, pulling out the needle tool kit he always carried in his pocket. There’s no time to worry about disinfection or hygiene now. "Mr. Zhang, help me hold the needle tool kit." Du Heng glanced at Zhang Xi. "Someone help me! Expose his wrists and take off his shoes." People nearby quickly did as Du Heng instructed. "Don’t let the sleeves cover his wrists." With that said, he swiftly inserted needles into PC-06 on both of Zhang Xi’s wrists, then rapidly needled KI-01 on the soles of his feet. There are three common methods for acupuncture point selection: nearby point selection, remote point selection, and symptomatic point selection. The three methods can be used in combination, without any clear restrictions, depending on the actual situation. The best point for Zhang Xi now would be Baihui (GV20), but looking at that mangled pile of scalp on his head, I really can’t bring myself to needle it. ’For coma, needle the philtrum; for the soles, take KI-01.’ These are established maxims, summarized by the ancestors. I just need to follow them. After placing the needles in both locations, Du Heng observed Zhang Xi’s complexion, then performed ten diffusing points bloodletting. He used a three-edged needle to prick a bead of blood from each fingertip. Next, he continued to needle GV-26, applying the strong stimulation method continuously. Du Fei was quick to leave and quick to return. About three minutes later, he came rushing back, carrying the medicine box on his back. Zhang Xi still hadn’t regained consciousness. Du Heng’s brow furrowed. He took the medicine box and pulled out Storax Pills. Storax Pills have an aromatic effect for resuscitation and are used for Promoting Qi to Alleviate Pain. They are indicated for phlegm-induced coma due to phlegm misting the heart orifices, stroke, hemiplegia, impaired limb movement, as well as heatstroke, and cardiac and stomach qi pain. Commercially available Storax Pills cost over 60 yuan for the cheapest and over 300 yuan for the most expensive. The significant price difference is due to variations in the medication’s ingredients. The pill I’m holding, Du Heng thought, is one I concocted myself in the pharmacy during the past two months when I had free time, using only the finest ingredients. Calculating the cost, this single pill, excluding labor, is worth at least fifty or sixty yuan, let alone an entire box. His heart ached for a second, but Du Heng still scraped off the pill’s wax coating, crushed it into powder with his fingers, pried open Zhang Xi’s mouth, and administered it. It wasn’t that I was stingy about the money; making these pills is just incredibly troublesome. About a minute later, Zhang Xi finally showed a reaction. Du Heng breathed an inward sigh of relief. He applied strong stimulation to Zhang Xi’s philtrum once more. Only when Zhang Xi fully opened his eyes did Du Heng remove all the needles. Zhang Xi opened his eyes, but they were devoid of any spark, filled only with confusion and even a hint of dullness. Du Heng sighed inwardly. I hope it’s just a concussion; he should recover after a while. If it’s a cerebral hemorrhage, that would be serious trouble. For now, all I can do is observe him further. He quickly cleaned and bandaged the laceration on Zhang Xi’s scalp. Then he checked his leg. Zhang Xi’s really lucky, he thought. It’s not broken, just badly bruised. Du Heng gestured to the onlookers. "Everyone, please help me gently lift Zhang Xi into my car." At Du Heng’s call, several strong men carefully lifted Zhang Xi, while others assisted, watching out for the slippery mud to prevent anyone from falling. Du Heng pulled the village head aside and asked worriedly, "Mr. Zhang, are you absolutely sure there’s no one else trapped?" "No one else," the village head confirmed. "The other families are all accounted for. If anyone were missing or hadn’t come out, they would have raised an alarm long ago." Hearing this, Du Heng couldn’t help but sigh again at how unfortunate it was to be a solitary bachelor.

Chapter 80 - 080 Almost Buried Alive

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