A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

The aftershocks of the fire attack gradually subsided. The story of Yang Hu treating the scalded soldiers and earning another military merit became common knowledge in the western camp.

Consequently, his reputation as a young medical officer also spread to the central military tent.

At noon that day, Commandant Chen came to find Yang Hu in person.

"Medical Officer Yang, come with me to the central command." Captain Chen's expression was grave. "Something terrible has happened."

Yang Hu's heart skipped a beat.

The central command tent was the very place where that hidden hand lurked deep within. It was heavily guarded, and ordinary people couldn't get in at all. He had been searching for so many days, trying to find a pretext to get in and take a closer look, but he had never been able to find a way in.

Now, opportunity has come knocking on our door.

"What's the rush?" Yang Hu's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face.

"Today, the central army is hosting a banquet to reward several officers," Captain Chen said in a deep voice as he led the way. "During the banquet, Vice General Li Chong was eating when he suddenly couldn't breathe. His face turned blue and purple, and he looked like he was about to die! The doctors in the tent were all helpless and were pacing around anxiously. I remembered your skills, so I came to find you."

Yang Hu tightened his grip and quickly followed.

The deputy general was already one of the highest-ranking officers in the central army. Those who could enter and leave the central command tent and participate in the reward banquet were all powerful figures in this region. Saving such a person was tantamount to doing a huge favor for the central army.

More importantly, this is a pass that allows him to legitimately and directly advance into the heart of the central army's territory.

If someone suddenly can't breathe while eating and turns blue or purple, they've choked; food is stuck in their airway. If left untreated, they'll suffocate.

The central command tent was imposing and solemn. Yang Hu followed Captain Chen inside, secretly memorizing the layout of the central command and the deployment of sentries as they walked.

"Treating illnesses openly, investigating cases covertly." He knew in his heart that what he had to do on this trip was far more than just saving people.

Inside the tent, chaos reigned.

The deputy general, Li Chong, was a burly man in his fifties. At this moment, he was slumped on the mat, his hands tightly gripping his neck. His face had turned purplish-black, and strange hoarse sounds were coming from his throat. His eyes had rolled back, and he was clearly on the verge of exhaling but not inhaling.

Several doctors who accompanied the army surrounded him, some patting his back, some pouring water down his throat, and some pinching his philtrum. It was a chaotic mess, but none of them worked.

Yang Hu saw the crux of the problem at a glance.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted, his voice carrying an undeniable authority, parting the panicked crowd as he strode forward.

The doctors were taken aback. When they saw that the newcomer was an unfamiliar young man, they were about to reprimand him, but Chen Xiaowei stopped them with a look.

He immediately realized that food had choked the person, blocking their vital breath.

Those doctors accompanying the army were busy patting backs, pouring water, and pinching philtrum, seemingly working hard and diligently, but in reality, it was all just scratching the surface and was completely useless.

The person was almost suffocating; gulping down water would only make them choke even more. These military doctors, who might be somewhat skilled at treating external injuries, completely lost their composure when faced with such an emergency.

There is no room for hesitation.

The human brain, lacking energy, can only survive a few breaths. If the delay continues, even a divine being would be powerless to save it.

This first-aid method came from the time traveler's knowledge, which was thousands of years ahead of this era. When the airway is blocked by a foreign object, the only way is to use the force in the abdomen to push the diaphragm upward, forcing out the last breath in the lungs and forcefully expelling the obstruction.

Yang Hu darted around to Li Chong's back, his arms passing under Li Chong's armpits and wrapping around his upper abdomen. He made a fist with one hand and pressed it against the soft spot between Li Chong's heart and navel, while his other hand clenched the fist.

"I'm sorry."

He exerted all his strength, thrusting inward and upward with great force.

This technique was unheard of. The officers and doctors watching were all dumbfounded, wondering what the young doctor was going to do.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to strangle Lord Li?" a doctor exclaimed in alarm.

Yang Hu ignored him, loosened his grip, and charged forward again.

Once, twice, three times.

With the first three thrusts, Li Chong's body trembled with the skillful force, and the blocked chunk of flesh was gradually forced upwards.

On the fourth time, a muffled "poof" was heard from his throat, and a piece of half-chewed meat stuck in his airway, along with a mouthful of saliva, suddenly flew out and landed on the ground several feet away.

Once his airway was cleared, Li Chong gasped for air, and his bluish-purple complexion visibly improved.

He gasped for breath, coughing violently. Though he looked pathetic, he had been pulled back from the brink of death.

"He's...he's alive!"

After a moment of deathly silence, the tent suddenly erupted in a deafening gasp of amazement.

The few medical practitioners who had been at a loss before turned ashen-faced, staring at the chunks of flesh on the ground, then at Yang Hu, unable to utter a single word. In all their years of medical practice, they had never seen, nor even imagined, that someone could be choked and saved so easily by rushing in from behind.

Once Li Chong caught his breath, he was helped to sit up. Still shaken, he looked at Yang Hu with eyes full of gratitude for surviving the ordeal.

"Who...who are you?"

"Reporting to Lord Li," Captain Chen interjected, his tone tinged with pride, "this is Yang Hu, our newly promoted medical officer of the Western Camp. He was the one who rescued the scalded brothers during the barbarian fire attack a few days ago."

"Excellent! Excellent Physician Yang!" Li Chong slapped his thigh and praised repeatedly, his voice booming. "If it weren't for you today, I'd probably have lost my life to this piece of meat! A dignified deputy general who has been on the battlefield and killed barbarians, almost choked to death by a piece of meat—if word got out, where would I put my old face?"

His self-deprecating remark relieved everyone in the tent, and they all joined in with their laughter.

"I will remember this life-saving grace!" Li Chong grabbed Yang Hu's hand and squeezed it tightly. "From now on, if you ever need my help, just say the word!"

The officers in the tent, witnessing this scene of the dead coming back to life, were all horrified.

In their lives, they had witnessed countless battles and heart-wrenching separations, but they had never seen a life on the verge of death brought back to life by such an unbelievable means.

A dangerous and shocking event was thus averted.

With his superb first aid skills, Yang Hu not only saved the life of a deputy commander of the central army, but also stepped into the heavily guarded central army tent.

He lowered his eyes and responded to everyone's thanks with a humble expression; his demeanor was impeccable.

But those usually gentle and calm eyes were now like the most sensitive probes. Out of the corner of their eye, they silently took in everything in the central command tent—the people, the objects, the layout, the expressions.

He noted down who carried the most weight in the tent, who whispered among themselves, which tent was the most heavily guarded, and which clerk looked the most suspicious.

Thanks to the immense favor of saving Li Chong's life, he finally found his place on the most crucial square of the chessboard.

He finally waded into the deepest, muddiest water.

As for the man-eating serpent at the bottom of the water, it won't be so easy for it to hide its tracks anymore.