Dongzhou, a major town in the north of the river, is more than three hundred kilometers away from the provincial capital, Nanjiang. With the current extensive high-speed rail network in China, it takes just over an hour to reach there by bullet train.

Xu Chunliang was traveling alone for the first time, and with his current position, he could only afford a second-class seat. He booked a window seat in advance on the official website. The train compartment was not quiet; laughter, conversations, children crying, and the sound of phones playing out loud were intertwined, making it exceptionally noisy. Anyway, the journey wasn't long, and such an environment served as a form of mental training.

Xu Chunliang put on headphones and started listening to music. Shortly after the train started, his grandfather called, asking if he had boarded yet.

Xu Changshan said it was time to let his grandson go out and experience the world on his own, but deep down, he was still worried.

Xu Chunliang assured him everything was going smoothly. The old gentleman reminded him not to forget practicing acupuncture during this time, citing the saying, "mastery comes with diligence and is lost with idleness." To ease his grandfather's mind, Xu Chunliang specifically brought his needle kit and smoothly passed the security check.

Xu Chunliang chatted with the old man for a few moments before ending the call.

Just after hanging up, Cheng Xiaohong called. She called just to vent a bit, complaining that while Xu Chunliang went to Nanjiang to enjoy himself on public funds, all the big and small issues in the medical office fell on her shoulders.

"When the mountain has no tiger, the monkey calls itself king." Huang Lide considered himself the department head and bossed her around. The absent-minded Yang Zhen Gang could only cause trouble. Xu Chunliang hadn't been gone for half a day, and she was already on the brink of collapse.

Xu Chunliang deeply sympathized with Cheng Xiaohong but couldn't offer much help. He could only comfort her to endure for a week until he returned and could share the workload again.

Cheng Xiaohong complained that she might become mentally fractured before a week was up. Finally, she reminded Xu Chunliang to bring back a salty duck from Shuiximen when he returned, as her partner loved it.

Xu Chunliang readily agreed, happy to do such a simple deed that could bring joy. Cheng Xiaohong was caught up in love, very attentive to her current boyfriend, showing constant caring and concern.

Thinking he could finally end the call with Cheng Xiaohong, she still wasn't ready to hang up, telling him something important: This morning, Tang Mingmei, the head nurse of the neurology department, specially came to find him.

Xu Chunliang speculated it was probably about matchmaking. Tang Mingmei was a warm-hearted person. He reminded Cheng Xiaohong to keep an eye on Huang Lide and Yang Zhen Gang's movements while he was away from the hospital.

Cheng Xiaohong understood his implication, realizing Xu Chunliang's training trip was significant. Given his personality, he wouldn't easily give up and likely have plans when he returned. Cheng Xiaohong assured him, promising to closely monitor the two's every move.

Suddenly, the broadcast in the train compartment sounded: "Emergency assistance needed. Attention all passengers, we have a passenger in compartment 1 who has fallen critically ill, has lost consciousness, and is in a coma. If there are any medical personnel among the passengers, please proceed to compartment 1 immediately to assist in rescue efforts. The situation is urgent. Please proceed to compartment 1 as quickly as possible to assist and rescue. Thank you for your support!"

Xu Chunliang first looked around, the train compartment as noisy as ever with most passengers listening but not moving. Perhaps there were no medical workers among them, or they didn't want to involve themselves.

The emergency broadcast kept repeating, indicating the situation was very urgent. With forty-five minutes to the next station and high-speed trains following a strict schedule that doesn't allow for a mid-stop, the only medical resources available were those already present on the train.

At this moment, a conductor came running into his compartment: "Is there a doctor here?" Clearly, the situation was indeed urgent; not only was the request for assistance broadcast, but all train staff were mobilized.

Xu Chunliang stood up: "I'll go with you to take a look."

The conductor glanced at him, and though she didn't like judging by appearances, this young doctor seemed too young. Youth implied lack of experience, and with the patient's condition being critical, could he handle it?

However, since no one else in the compartment stood up, the conductor, after a brief hesitation, quickly nodded: "Please follow me!"

Xu Chunliang followed her to compartment 1, which was the business class area. Another doctor had already arrived before him. He was Li Jia Kuan, the head of the proctology department at Gusu Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Li Jia Kuan was short, chubby, and prematurely balding, with the middle portion of his head completely bald. He kept a long strand of hair on the left side to cover the barren area. Though his hair was sparse, it was combed neatly, showcasing a medical worker's meticulous lifestyle.

When Xu Chunliang arrived, Li Jia Kuan was kneeling to perform CPR on the patient, who was lying sideways in the aisle and appeared to be in his fifties. For the convenience of rescue, his upper T-shirt had been removed.

Standing next to him was a coldly elegant woman in black. Whether due to tension or the contrast with her black clothing, her exquisitely white face was striking but bloodless.

The attendants and the police officers on board were maintaining order at the scene. To facilitate the rescue, they temporarily asked the business class passengers to sit in the dining car.

As Li Jia Kuan performed CPR, he anxiously asked the attendant if there was an Automated External Defibrillator on the train. The attendant shook her head, noting that while most high-speed railway stations are equipped with AEDs, not all trains have them, as such sudden emergencies are rare.

Upon arrival, Li Jia Kuan found that the man's carotid artery had no pulse, and he had stopped breathing. He diagnosed the patient with cardiac arrest and immediately, with everyone's help, laid the patient flat, knelt on the ground, and began chest compressions.

Before Xu Chunliang arrived, Li Jia Kuan had been compressing for ten minutes, sweat streaming down his forehead. His single lock of hair, used to cover his bald spot, dangled down due to gravity, veiling half his face and swaying with his compressions, adding a touch of the bizarre. However, no one at the scene felt like laughing; faced with life and death, laughter was impossible.

Xu Chunliang approached the patient, placing his hand on the patient's pulse point, unable to detect any pulse. Checking the patient's fingernails, he noticed they were bluish-purple, and the lips were black—a clear sign of blocked heart meridians. The condition was extremely severe, and the root cure was to invigorate blood circulation and unblock the meridians.

However, the patient currently had no heartbeat. The immediate priority was to get his heart beating again; otherwise, the person was sure to die.

Li Jia Kuan glanced at Xu Chunliang and, from his actions, deduced that the newcomer was also a practitioner of TCM. He couldn't help but feel inwardly troubled, acknowledging the undeniable fact that TCM falls short compared to Western medicine in emergency care. At this moment, what was most needed was a cardiologist, not another TCM practitioner like himself, who could do nothing beyond CPR.

Li Jia Kuan dared not relax his hand movements in the slightest: "Can you do CPR?" Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is physically demanding, and he needed someone to take turns with him.

Xu Chunliang shook his head, having no idea what CPR was.

Li Jia Kuan glared: "Then why are you here?" He was already quite exhausted, but his medical commitment to treating and saving lives kept him going.

Xu Chunliang wasn't angered by his attitude and took a black ebony needle box from his backpack, stunning Li Jia Kuan. Was this boy going to perform acupuncture on the patient? Though he was also a TCM practitioner, he didn't believe acupuncture would help in such a situation, as CPR was the only viable method.

As time went on, the patient's condition showed no improvement, and Li Jia Kuan's confidence steadily waned. Were there no other doctors on this train apart from the two TCM practitioners?

"Don't mess around!"

A voice sounded from behind, as another doctor hurried over. This was Xu Donglai, a well-known specialist in the province and the director of the Endocrinology Department at Gulou Hospital in Nanjiang City. After identifying himself, he examined the patient, who was in poor condition. With the high-speed train 37 minutes away from its terminus in Nanjiang, stopping mid-way for hospital emergency treatment was out of the question.

The only option left was CPR. Xu Donglai took over the chest compressions from Li Jia Kuan, leaving Li Jia Kuan to handle artificial respiration. The two worked seamlessly together, but they both understood the dire prognosis of the patient who had suddenly fallen ill. For now, they could only do their duty and leave the rest to fate, hoping for a miracle through their efforts.

The attendant who had brought Xu Chunliang to the scene noticed he didn't seem to be of much help. She gently patted him and pointed outside, indicating that if he couldn't assist, he shouldn't create chaos there.

Unfazed, Xu Chunliang opened his needle box and sighed, "You can't save him like this. If his heart doesn't start beating in five minutes, his entire body's meridians will be irreparably blocked, and even a deity wouldn't be able to save him."

Xu Donglai angrily retorted, "What do you understand? Conductor, please remove unrelated individuals so they don't interfere with our rescue efforts." The audacity of the young man critiquing them was simply too much.

The attendant next to Xu Chunliang tugged at his sleeve, utterly embarrassed since she was the one who brought him.

Xu Chunliang had no intention of leaving: "Rescue isn't about treating a lost cause as a hopeful case."

He turned to the cold, enigmatic woman in black beside him, "Why don't you let me try?" He had deduced that she was the patient's companion and the one capable of deciding his fate.

The woman in black looked at him curiously. Even with the dire situation of her companion, her expression was as calm as a placid lake in autumn, unperturbed. From her beautiful phoenix eyes, Xu Chunliang detected a cool-headed rationality in the face of disaster.

Without waiting for her answer, Xu Chunliang drew out a needle, removed the patient's socks, and had no intention of interfering with the two doctors' treatment. But the situation was extremely urgent; if he didn't act soon, it would be too late.

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