Chapter 48: The Peng Family of Hebei (5)
Translator: bjgoofy
“Haa... Haa...”
The labored breathing of Yingying came from behind me.
Since she had not yet lost consciousness, I urgently called out to her from behind.
“Yingying, don’t be afraid and take slow, deep breaths.”
Judging from her reaction, this was clearly anaphylaxis.
Anaphylaxis, also known as anaphylactic shock, is a severe allergic reaction caused by an overactive immune response.
It usually occurs immediately upon exposure to the triggering substance, and there was no time to waste.
If not handled properly, her blood pressure could drop, her airway could become blocked, and she could die.
That’s why I changed direction from heading to the Medical Hall and instead rushed toward the Family Head’s Pavilion.
The only ones who could save a child on the brink of death were either the Peng Family Head, my father-in-law, or Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons.
And the closest one right now was the Family Head’s Pavilion.
Usually, either my father-in-law or Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons would be there, so it seemed like the fastest option.
“Haa... Orabeo... Haa...”
“Yes, just hold on a little longer, Yingying!”
Yingying’s frail voice called out to me from behind.
Using qinggong, I propelled myself forward, and as soon as I saw the Family Head’s Pavilion, where I expected my father-in-law to be, I shouted toward it.
“Father-in-law! Miss Peng has collapsed!”
-Bang!
At my shout, the doors of the Family Head’s Pavilion swung open wide.
From inside, my father-in-law and the Peng Family Head rushed out with startled expressions.
“What!? Again?”
“What happened, Soryong!?”
“Yingying!”
It seemed that the Peng Family Head had coincidentally been at the pavilion.
Thinking that was fortunate, I quickly stopped and laid Yingying down on the stone floor to check her condition.
A face drained of all color. Lips turning blue.
The wheezing sounds coming from her indicated that her airway was narrowing.
I quickly took off my outer garment, placed it behind Yingying’s neck to secure her airway, and called out to the Peng Family Head.
“She’s having difficulty breathing, Family Head!”
“Understood. Hand her over to me! I’ll infuse my energy into her.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Peng Family Head, who had already dealt with this situation several times, swiftly and expertly moved to infuse energy into Yingying.
Yingying’s pale face, the red hives swelling up all over her body, and her entire body drenched in cold sweat.
It was a critical situation, but as the Peng Family Head infused energy into her, I could see her complexion slowly returning.
‘As expected, qi treatment is truly amazing.’
Seeing Yingying’s rapid improvement, I couldn’t help but be impressed by qi treatment.
What the Peng Family Head was doing for Yingying was a form of qi therapy.
In my past life, qi treatment had felt like something only frauds claimed to do, but here, it was actually being used as a miraculous form of healing.
The usual emergency treatment for anaphylaxis focuses on raising blood pressure and keeping the airway open.
Since the patient’s blood pressure can drop and the airway can swell, the typical course of treatment involves administering epinephrine, steroids, and antihistamines, followed by intubation and oxygen support.
But here, everything was being resolved with just qi.
By infusing energy, they could open the airway and accelerate the heartbeat, handling everything with internal energy alone.
After a short while of the Peng Family Head infusing qi into Yingying, my father-in-law, who had been checking her pulse beside him, asked,
“Miss Peng’s symptoms are the same as last time. So, son-in-law, did you see what caused her to collapse? You were right next to her, so you must have noticed something.”
“Yes, did you confirm what caused it?”
Since I had been right beside her this time, they were asking if I had determined the cause.
“Yes, sirs. I saw it clearly.”
I nodded in response to my father-in-law and the Peng Family Head’s question about whether I knew why Yingying had collapsed.
I had been right beside her and had seen exactly what triggered the anaphylaxis.
The Peng Family Head urgently questioned me again.
“So, what was the cause!?”
In response, I lifted Yingying’s swollen, reddened left wrist and showed it to them.
“She was stung by a bee.”
“A bee?”
“A bee!?”
However, the elders tilted their heads in confusion at my answer.
My father-in-law, who had initially seemed hopeful, now looked slightly disappointed.
“Hmm… She was stung by a bee? Well, rare as it is, I suppose it’s possible for a bee sting to cause this. But that alone doesn’t explain why Miss Peng collapsed before.”
He had been expecting a more revealing answer, but upon hearing mine, he seemed to think it wouldn’t lead to any new discoveries.
If a bee sting were the cause, the Peng Family or others would have noticed it the last time she collapsed.
A child being stung by a bee would have cried out, just as she had this time.
So he seemed to believe that her current collapse and the previous one were unrelated.
“Then, you didn’t find the real cause? This time, it was just bee venom?”
“That seems to be the case. Some people are particularly sensitive to bee venom, and it looks like Miss Peng is one of them.”
The Peng Family Head and my father-in-law exchanged words with regretful expressions.
I smiled and replied to both of them.
“No, Father-in-law. Because she was stung by a bee, I believe I can now figure out why she collapsed before as well.”
Rather than the bee sting preventing me from finding the cause, it had actually made it much easier for me to uncover the truth.
“Huh? You think you can figure it out?”
“You think you can find the cause!? Then, do you have a hypothesis? Tell me, why exactly did our Yingying collapse before!?”
Both men looked at me with wide, astonished eyes.
Just in case, I took a step back and gauged their reactions before answering.
I wasn’t an idiot, after all.
I couldn’t afford to get grabbed by the collar again like last time.
“Before that, I think we need to remove Miss Peng’s clothing. Would that be alright?”
At that, a vein momentarily bulged at the Peng Family Head’s temple before quickly subsiding.
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled heavily before responding.
“Hoo… Fine, but what’s the reason this time? And could you please explain first before doing anything? Every time my daughter collapses, you immediately suggest removing her clothes. I assume there’s a reason, but from my perspective…
And on top of that, you’re standing there shirtless while saying it… Haah…”
“Ah… W-Well, I was in a hurry…”
Hearing his response, I realized I should have explained the purpose of my actions first.
But up until now, I had been stating what needed to be done first and only explaining why afterward.
It must have been a habit from my past life as a broadcaster.
Back then, I would often end videos with cliffhangers, saying things like, ‘Tomorrow, we’re going to catch Korea’s most venomous snake!’ to keep viewers hooked.
‘It became a habit because that’s how you create engagement.’
Scratching my head with an awkward expression, I saw the Peng Family Head nod and ask,
“Well… I did hear that you’ve become quite close with my daughter. Yingying sees you as an older brother?”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Alright, but why must you undress her this time? You’re really making me question your intentions. And you standing there with your shirt off isn’t helping…”
“S-Seriously, that’s not it!”
Startled, I frantically waved my hands and explained to him.
“I need to examine her entire body closely.”
-Crunch.
Hearing that, the Peng Family Head clenched his fist and asked again.
“I told you to explain first…”
Sensing that I was about to get punched for real, I quickly answered.
“There’s something I need to find!”
“Find? Find what?”
The Peng Family Head blinked in confusion at my words.
***
-Click.
The door to the chamber slowly opened, and nunim stepped out.
However, her face remained expressionless as always.
Since her expression gave no indication of the results, my father-in-law and the Peng Family Head immediately rushed toward her with urgent questions.
“So, did you check, Miss Tang? Was it really there? Was it?”
“Hwa-eun, did you confirm it? Was it really there, just as Soryong said?”
At their inquiries, nunim looked at me, smiled faintly, and nodded.
“Yes. Just as Soryong said, it was definitely there.”
“Oh! So it’s true!?”
“It was really there?”
“Yes, there were many blotches on her body, making it difficult to distinguish, but I found a couple of old marks, and one fresh mark on her back.”
Hearing that she had found something, both elders reacted with excitement.
From inside, my mother-in-law’s voice called out, irritated by the commotion.
“The child has yet to regain consciousness, so please keep it down.”
“Ah, understood, Madam Tang.”
“Yes, dear.”
The reason they were so excited was that nunim had found the traces I had told them to look for on Yingying’s body.
While my suspicions were already strong enough, this was a crucial step in confirming undeniable evidence.
“You were right, there were marks. Now stop dragging it out and tell us why my daughter has been collapsing all this time. You said you’d explain once we confirmed the marks, didn’t you?”
The Peng Family Head now wore a look of utter impatience.
Since I had said I would explain everything once we confirmed the traces on Yingying’s body, he was now demanding answers.
Glancing briefly toward the chamber where Yingying lay sleeping, I answered,
“Yes, I am certain that Yingying has been suffering from bee venom poisoning.”
“Bee venom?”
“Bee venom, you say?”
The three of them tilted their heads in confusion at my response.
The Peng Family Head questioned me again.
“No, but earlier, the Tang Family Head said it wasn’t bee venom… And if she had been stung by a bee, wouldn’t we have noticed? Our backyard has no flowers, only stone-paved ground, so there’s no reason for bees to be there.”
He was saying that no one had seen her get stung, and that if she had been, they would have noticed.
It was a completely valid point, so I nodded in agreement.
They clearly cherished Yingying dearly, and they weren’t the kind of parents who would overlook something so crucial.
“Yes, of course. However, while it is indeed bee venom, it wasn’t from a bee sting, which is why it was difficult to notice.”
“Huh? It’s bee venom but not from a bee?”
“Bee venom but not from a bee?”
Nunim, my father-in-law, and the Peng Family Head blinked in confusion at my words.
Smiling, I nodded.
“Yes. As those of the Tang Family know, poisons do not always have the same effect on everyone.
For some, even a single drop on the tip of a needle is enough, while others can withstand ten times that amount without it taking their life.”
At that moment, my father-in-law spoke up, nodding in agreement.
“Soryong is absolutely right, Peng Family Head.”
“Fine, fine, I understand that. But just explain it properly already. You really know how to drive people crazy with suspense.”
At their continued urging, I continued my explanation.
“Yingying was born with a body that is more vulnerable to bee venom than others. You saw that just now, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Exactly. I may not know everything, but one thing is certain, Yingying’s body is extremely sensitive to bee venom. So, what caused her collapses? Bee venom.
But she was never stung by a bee at home?
That’s because she wasn’t stung by a bee, she was stung by one of its cousins, a close relative of the bee.”
“A cousin of the bee? A relative?”
“There are other creatures related to bees?”
The elders all looked at me as if they had never heard of such a thing.
Pointing toward the inner courtyard where the Peng Family members were staying near the mountain, I grinned.
“Well then, shall we go catch the bee’s distant relative that almost killed our Yingying?”
After all, am I not the expert in exterminating distant relatives?
Whether it’s the distant branches of the Tang Family or the distant kin of bees, once Maewoon Fabre is on the case, they don’t stand a chance.
*****
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