Bai Zhi's breathing suddenly turned shallow and rapid, her chest rising and falling faintly as though something had caught in her throat. Her eyes were half-open and unfocused, her fingers lying weakly over the bed's edge, their tips gone white.
Chen Wuya immediately sensed something was wrong. His palms were still pressed to either side of her abdomen, and he could feel the once-steady pulses of force weakening. He knew she was about to give out.
"Zhi'er!" he said in a low voice, slowly increasing the pressure of his palms as a thread of warm true qi seeped into her body along her meridians. "Hold on a little longer. The child's head is already out. Just one last step."
Bai Zhi's lips moved, but no sound came out. Her body went limp, as though every last bit of strength had been drained from her.
Chen Wuya's heart clenched. He could not let her pass out. What they needed most right now was that one breath of hers.
He withdrew his right palm and gave her Jianjing Acupoint a light tap. The force was not heavy, but it carried a trembling shock. Bai Zhi sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes refocused, and she saw him clearly.
"Listen to me," Chen Wuya said, staring into her eyes. "You're not the only one exerting yourself now. I'm here, and the child is fighting to come out too. If you let go, he'll have to bear it all alone."
Bai Zhi panted, a vague response rolling from her throat.
The next contraction came more fiercely than any before. Her back arched violently, her toes curled, and her entire body stretched taut to its limit like a fully drawn bowstring.
Chen Wuya steadily supported her waist and abdomen with both hands. As he guided