Chapter 178: In Imminent Danger

Chapter 178: Chapter 178: In Imminent Danger

Lobak was slightly puzzled, but since he was worried about Wendy being alone by the stream, he didn’t pay it much mind. Besides, the Tiger Clan Leader was gone, and Hu Ya could no longer return to the Tiger Clan Tribe. It would be incredibly difficult for a mere cub to survive alone in the forest, constantly stalked by wild beasts.

Lobak carried the animal hide toward the stream. Just as he reached the bank, he spotted a tiny silhouette bobbing up and down in the water. Seeing that mop of blonde hair, the color instantly drained from his face. He threw aside the hide and plunged into the stream, forgetting even to take off his shoes.

Having been repeatedly tossed into the water and tormented by Hu Ya and his gang in the past, Lobak had gradually learned how to swim. Back then, he swam to survive; now, he swam for Wendy. No matter how many years passed after this day, Lobak would always be grateful that he had learned to swim back then, and even grateful to Hu Ya who had tormented him. Otherwise, his future mate would not have been able to stand by his side.

Struggling, Lobak managed to drag Wendy ashore. He patted her pale little face. Seeing her eyes tightly shut, her lips purple, and her breathing frighteningly weak, panic consumed him. Just then, an adult male happened to walk past. Lobak hurriedly shouted, "Sir! Please go fetch Clan Leader Ophelia! Something’s happened to Wendy!"

Hearing that Wendy was in danger, the man sprinted toward the tribe’s perimeter walls.

Once the man left, Lobak placed Wendy across his lap and pressed his arms firmly against her abdomen, forcing her to expel the water.

COUGH, COUGH.

Water spilled from her mouth, but she still didn’t wake up. Lobak was sweating profusely from anxiety.

At this moment, Ophelia and Klein finally rushed over. Seeing her daughter’s faint breathing, Ophelia’s legs went weak, and her eyes instantly turned red. Noticing this, Klein quickly grabbed her arm, his voice clear and steady. "Ophelia, you can’t panic. Wendy is counting on you to save her life."

Klein could tell at a glance that Wendy had drowned. Furthermore, with so much time having passed, it would likely be incredibly difficult to bring her back. However, to keep Ophelia from collapsing right then and there, he had to spur her into action. Hearing his words, Ophelia steadied her nerves and hurried to the edge of the stream.

"Clan Leader Ophelia, the Princess fell into the water. No matter how much I call out, she won’t wake up," Lobak said, his voice hoarse and brimming with guilt. "I’m so sorry, Clan Leader Ophelia. It’s all my fault. I failed to protect the Princess."

Ophelia was in no mood to reply. She crouched down and began checking Wendy’s nose and mouth. Then, she felt for the pulse on Wendy’s neck; it was already extremely weak. Knowing that every second counted, Ophelia hurriedly employed the Heimlich maneuver, picking Wendy up and supporting her abdomen while pressing down forcefully. This forced the remaining water out of the girl’s stomach.

Ophelia then noticed her daughter’s purple lips, a clear symptom of oxygen deprivation. With trembling hands, she pinched Wendy’s nose with two fingers and began performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. When blowing air into her lungs showed no improvement, she started doing chest compressions. It wasn’t until an agonizing three minutes had passed that Wendy finally opened her eyes.

The moment she opened her eyes, she threw herself into Ophelia’s arms and began to sob softly. "Mother, I was so scared."

"Don’t be afraid, baby. Mother is here," Ophelia coaxed, holding Wendy tightly in her arms and comforting her gently.

Seeing that Ophelia had actually managed to bring Wendy back from the brink, Klein breathed a sigh of relief. He had never seen such a kissing-like rescue method before. He wondered how many lives could be saved if this technique was widely taught.

Ophelia coaxed Wendy for a long while before carrying her back to the stone house, with Lobak trailing behind them, his head hung low. Ophelia settled Wendy into her own bedroom, then went to prepare a ginger soup to help drive the cold from her daughter’s body. However, the moment she stood up, she saw Lobak kneeling at the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"Clan Leader Ophelia, you should blame me. It’s all because I didn’t take good care of the Princess that she drowned," Lobak said, his attitude fully repentant. "Whether you want to beat me or punish me, I will accept it without complaint."

Seeing this, Ophelia handed the task over to Klein, asking him to go brew the ginger soup. She stayed behind to speak with Lobak. "Was it you who took Wendy to the stream?"

Lobak hesitated.

"Since you want to admit your mistakes, you need to tell me the truth. I’ll ask you again, were you the one who wanted to take her there?"

Lobak shook his head.

"Then did you push her into the water?"

Lobak’s expression turned serious. "I saw Hu Ya by the stream just now."

"Why would Hu Ya be in the Fuzu Tribe?" Ophelia frowned. If this was truly Hu Ya’s doing, then he had clearly come to view them as the enemies who killed his parents. She realized that she shouldn’t have been so soft-hearted as to spare his life back then. "Since it wasn’t you, why should I blame you?"

"Because I failed to take proper care of the Princess. If I had stayed by her side the entire time, she wouldn’t have been in danger."

Seeing how deeply Lobak blamed himself, Ophelia reached out and rubbed his little head. "What you say makes sense, but if Wendy hadn’t thrown a tantrum and forced you to take her to the stream, this wouldn’t have happened to her. So, your punishment is to take excellent care of Wendy from now on."

Although Ophelia’s heart ached for Wendy, she knew this incident had nothing to do with Lobak. Wendy had simply suffered an undeserved disaster on their behalf.

Not long after, Tyler returned from his hunting trip.

Ophelia recounted how Hu Ya had sneaked into the Fuzu Tribe and pushed Wendy into the water. Tyler was somewhat astonished by her words, and even more so, filled with lingering fear. "I am entirely to blame for what happened to the Princess. If it wasn’t for my soft heart begging you to spare his life, Wendy wouldn’t have..."

Seeing how all these people were trying to shoulder the blame one by one, Ophelia was left somewhat speechless. She raised a hand, cutting off the rest of Tyler’s words.

"Even if you hadn’t spoken up, I would have spared his life. I originally wanted to give him a second chance, but I never expected that at such a young age, he would have already learned to take revenge.

"Tyler, take some men and thoroughly search the Fuzu Tribe. The moment you find any trace of Hu Ya, capture him immediately."

Tyler’s expression was grave. "Understood. I absolutely will not go easy on him this time."

However, Tyler and his men searched for a long time, scouring the entire Fuzu Tribe, but they failed to find even the slightest trace of Hu Ya. As a result, Tyler could only instruct the male beastmen taking turns guarding the gates to remain vigilant and ensure Hu Ya never slipped inside again. For his heart to be so vicious at such a young age—this time it was merely pushing Wendy into the water, but next time, he might poison the tribe’s drinking water. Understanding the gravity of these potential consequences, the patrolling males became even more diligent.

Sure enough, they discovered a dog hole near the edge of the Fuzu Tribe. Rather than a dog hole, it was more accurate to say it was a gap maliciously broken through the perimeter.

"Tyler, he must have sneaked in through here and escaped the same way," Lam calmly analyzed, looking at the dirt around the hole. The disturbed earth was still fresh, and the footprints clearly trailed off in the direction of the stream.

"Take some men and seal this hole completely, then check the rest of the walls to see if there’s any other damage," Tyler ordered.

He then returned to the stone house and reported the matter to Ophelia. Ophelia’s face darkened, but right now, the most crucial thing was Wendy’s health. Falling into the water at such a tender age meant Wendy would likely develop a fever during the night. Because of this, Ophelia had brewed a fever-reducing medicine early on, keeping it warm in the pot so she could feed it to Wendy at a moment’s notice.