Chapter 78: The Underwater Rescue

“Don’t worry. Maybe you won’t need to reach the highest Realm. Your problem might be solved before that.”

Lin Mu saw Zhou Shiyun’s worry and smiled slightly. “After all, if you Cultivate the Inchlight Sun-Seizing Secret Art to its peak, it’s said to revive the dead and regrow flesh and bones. Your problem, no matter how serious, can’t be harder than those two, right?”

Seeing Lin Mu’s playful wink, Zhou Shiyun couldn’t help but laugh. Her mood relaxed a little.

“I hope you’re right. If I’m guiding you, your progress should be faster. Maybe we really can do it in time.”

Knowing there was hope to survive, no one would easily give up, especially Zhou Shiyun. Working daily in a hospital, she understood the value of life better than most.

“I was thinking the same. With your guidance, it should greatly help my Cultivation of this Secret Technique.”

“I wouldn’t call it guidance. You have deep Cultivation Power. Surpassing me is only a matter of time. My own strange illness… I’ll have to rely heavily on you.”

“Well, you saved me first. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be alive sitting here now. To be precise, you gave yourself a chance to survive.”

Lin Mu gave a gentle smile. His words made Zhou Shiyun freeze.

“Gave myself… a chance to survive.”

She mumbled Lin Mu’s words, repeating them softly. Gradually, the light returned to her eyes.

“Exactly. Helping others is helping yourself. I saved your life. Who knew you possessed Martial Arts, giving you the chance Cultivate Inch Light Seizes Yang? And now, I have hope for my own cure.”

“Life’s twists have their reasons, it seems.” She smiled, handing the cloth scroll back to him. “Take this. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can refer to it.”

“No need, keep it safe,” Lin Mu declined, pointing to his head. “I’ve memorized all of it. Stored right here. Things can break or get lost. Keeping it in your mind is better.”

Zhou Shiyun giggled, remembering Lin Mu’s amnesia. She shook her head with a wry smile and put both scrolls away.

After dinner, they talked about acupuncture all night. Lin Mu got more and more excited as the hours passed. Eventually, Zhou Shiyun was simply too tired to continue. Only then did they return to their rooms to sleep.

Late at night, a torrential downpour crashed down outside. Sitting back against the wall on his bed, Lin Mu listened to the furious pitter-patter against the window and began to ponder the Secret Art revealed by the golden needles.

The next morning, the heavy rain showed no sign of stopping. After breakfast, Lin Mu prepared to leave. Four days had passed; if he didn’t return soon, the ladies back home would surely worry.

Bidding Zhou Shiyun farewell, he unfurled an umbrella and vanished instantly into the pouring curtain of rain.

He dashed across the street, flagged down a taxi, and headed towards Donghai University.

As they neared the central ring road, the taxi screeched to a halt.

People were frantically waving their arms ahead, blocking the road. They were warning oncoming vehicles: the underpass below the central ring was completely submerged. Driving in now was a death trap.

Many cars were already sunk roof-deep. People were scrambling to safety with the help of bystanders. Roadside water stood thigh-high on an adult, making movement incredibly difficult.

Lin Mu sighed, paid the fare, and got out.

This scale of rainfall was unprecedented for Donghai City. Such severe flooding meant the drainage system had failed utterly.

As Lin Mu carefully made his way along the flooded sidewalk, the roar of an engine cut through the downpour. A red Supercar, throwing up huge sprays of water, raced past him—heading straight for the submerged underpass!

Pedestrians yelled warnings, but it was too late. The driver didn’t seem to hear. The car hit the water like a swimmer doing a perfect dive, disappearing completely into the flooded tunnel.

Through the falling sheets of rain, the blurred outline of the car could be seen drifting further inside the tunnel.

Chaos erupted among the crowd gathered at the roadside the moment the car vanished. Some screamed for help; some brave souls immediately swam towards the tunnel mouth, hoping to reach anyone trapped inside.

Suddenly, a hidden undertow surged through the water, sweeping powerfully towards the tunnel. It instantly dragged the submerged car out of sight. The shockwave nearly pulled the rescuers in after it.

Panicked, the would-be rescuers struggled back, everyone suddenly far more concerned about saving their own lives than becoming martyrs.

“Finished,” voices murmured sadly at the roadside. “That driver won’t make it.”

Someone who could afford such an expensive Supercar surely came from a wealthy, powerful family. It felt cruel that they’d meet their end here, like a twist of fate.

Lin Mu, catching sight of the car just before it submerged, had jolted with a sense of familiarity. He pondered briefly, then realized with a shock: That’s Luo Bingyun’s car! The eldest daughter of the Luo Family?!

The thought that Luo Bingyun might be inside sent Lin Mu into immediate action. He didn’t even pause to remove his clothes. Zhenqi surged within him. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he shot straight into the churning water ahead.

With just two or three powerful strokes, he vanished into the dark mouth of the submerged underpass.

Passersby gasped, stunned by the sheer speed. Even world champion swimmers couldn’t have moved that fast, they murmured.

The relentless, blinding rain hampered every rescue attempt. People dived repeatedly along the roadside, pulling trapped individuals from half-submerged vehicles. Soon, sirens echoed as many Police Cars arrived.

The rescuers knew time was critical. Every minute mattered. Oxygen in trapped vehicles would deplete rapidly; delays meant death.

But the deluge created powerful, rushing currents that shifted vehicles unpredictably underwater, turning the rescue effort into a desperate, dangerous scramble. Cars known to be at certain spots moments ago were swept away in an instant.

Twenty or so figures plunged into the murky water again and again. After multiple exhausting dives, many were forced back to higher ground, their strength spent.

Many countrymen remained trapped below. Anxiety gnawed at everyone present; these were matters of life and death. No one was holding back.

After about ten minutes of frantic effort, someone remembered the red Supercar. That bright life, so abruptly snuffed out. For rescuers, hope faded with time; saving anyone inside was an increasingly slim chance.

They also puzzled: Why did the driver go so fast in such rain? Didn’t they see everyone waving them off? It seemed they simply couldn’t stop in time before plunging in.

The sight outside her car window filled Luo Bingyun with despair. Murky brown water surged violently. Debris—sticks, trash cans, scattered possessions—thudded repeatedly against the glass.

So young. So accomplished. She’d come to Donghai alone to oversee her family’s expansion into Huaxia. She’d just finalized a major deal after a grueling month of negotiations. Driving home, elated, ready for much-needed rest… she never expected this flood. Or this unthinkable trap.

She fought panic. Hysteria wouldn’t save her. But no matter how hard she pushed against the car door, it wouldn’t budge. The enormous water pressure on the other side sealed it shut.

She was strong-willed, but ultimately, she lacked the physical strength to overpower an ocean pressing in from all sides.

Water began trickling in from several points around the frame. Quickly, it became a cascade. The cramped interior of the Supercar filled rapidly. It was already at her knees.

Accepting her likely fate, Luo Bingyun felt an eerie calm wash over her. She tilted her head back, pressing her lips to the small pocket of air trapped against the headliner. She breathed the last dregs of oxygen.

Twenty-five years. Achievements most people wouldn’t glimpse in a lifetime. Countless accolades and success… none of it could save her now.

Why do we live? What’s it all for? The thought surfaced, bleak and clear. Career success? Fame? All rendered meaningless in an instant by death.

One profound regret filled her: No great love story. My life’s melody was always duty, responsibility – the Luo Family’s interests and honor above all else.

Slowly, relentlessly, the water reached her throat. Her time was nearly gone.

I left my family to conquer a market in Huaxia alone… and this is my end?

Bitter unfairness surged. So many beautiful things unexperienced. So much regret. Dying before finding someone who truly loved her…

A single, crystal-clear tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, dissolving into the watery grave filling her car.

In her final moments, the image filling her mind wasn’t her parents. Not the family conglomerate. It was a man. The chance encounter on the plane. The helping hand in the alley. Every meal he ever cooked for her.

The surging water reached the delicate curve of her flared nostrils. That man’s face was the last sight locked into her fading consciousness.

Lin Mu navigated the dark tunnel, searching. He surfaced once for air at a slightly elevated point, then plunged back into the murky depths, scouring the submerged lane with desperate focus.

The tireless effort paid off. On his fourth dive, he spotted it—a murky red shape slightly ahead. He pushed off powerfully with his legs, shooting forward like lightning.

He wasn’t wrong. It was the red Supercar.

Through the water-smeared glass, he saw the figure floating within: Luo Bingyun, just as he suspected.

She was motionless, unconscious, drifting limp in the water filling the cabin. Her beautiful hair fanned out around her head like dark seaweed.

Lin Mu didn’t know how long she’d been out. Time was critical. He pressed his palm flat against the windshield. Zhenqi exploded from his Dantian and surged through his palm. The reinforced glass cracked instantly into a web, then exploded inwards. He thrust his arm through the hole, grabbed Luo Bingyun firmly by the shoulder, and hauled her limp body out of the tomb.

As he turned towards the tunnel exit, one arm wrapped firmly around her, Lin Mu made a decision. Circulating his energy, he took a sharp inward breath. His free hand cradled her head. Leaning close, he sealed his lips over hers, forcefully expelling a pure stream of Zhenqi directly into her lungs, breathing life back into her.