Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

At the bottom of the valley, the white horse abruptly stopped, its front hooves stomping the ground heavily, stirring up a cloud of dust. It slowly turned, facing the following guards, and let out a low, warning growl. Zhen Mi, on horseback, was also startled by this sudden turn of events, her face pale with fear. She clutched the reins tightly, her palms wet with sweat.

Seeing this, Zhen Mi hurriedly leaned over, gently stroked the white horse's mane, and soothed it with a soft voice. Then, she raised her hand to signal everyone to stop and not follow, intending to see what the white horse was going to do.

The white horse seemed to understand her meaning, slowly turning around and continuing forward at a steady pace. The valley was unusually quiet, with only the clatter of horse hooves echoing. Finally, the white horse stopped beside a patch of grass. It used its head to push aside the weeds, revealing the person lying underneath.

Zhen Mi took a closer look and saw an unconscious general. His sword-like eyebrows slanted down to his temples, revealing a heroic air. His eyes were closed, and his long lashes cast a shadow on his eyelids. His nose was high and straight, with a strong line that exuded determination and courage. His thin lips were bloodless, cracked, and flaky, revealing a sense of weakness. His skin was fair, but unusually pale and lifeless from the excessive blood loss. His long hair was scattered in a mess, with a few strands clinging to his face. A single strand of white at each temple stood out against the jet-black hair, adding a touch of age.

The silver armor he wore was dusty and tattered, bearing the marks of fierce fighting. Even more shocking was the sight of three arrows piercing his body, their arrowheads piercing his chest from his back. Beneath him lay a dark pool of blood, staining the surrounding ground crimson.

Zhen Mi took a deep breath, bravely dismounted, and cautiously approached the unconscious general. Half-knelt beside him, she placed a trembling hand under his nose. Feeling the faint but real breath, she felt a surge of joy and quickly turned to call for the guards to come and rescue him.

But at this moment, the white horse seemed to have misunderstood her intention, thinking that she was going to leave. It stretched its neck anxiously, gently bit her clothes with its mouth, pulled it back to prevent her from leaving, and made an anxious low growl in its throat.

Zhen Mi was startled by this sudden action and quickly stopped moving, turning her head to look at the white horse. Seeing its eyes full of anxiety and reluctance, she reluctantly but patiently reached out her hand and gently stroked the horse's mane, her voice soft and earnest: "Be good, I'm not leaving, I have to go and call for help, otherwise I can't move him on my own." The white horse seemed to understand her words, its ears twitching, and after a moment's hesitation, it slowly opened its mouth.

Seeing the white horse loosen its grip, Zhen Mi quickly waved to the guards in the distance and shouted, "Hurry! There's a wounded man here!" The guards heard the shout and rushed over. They carefully lifted the unconscious general, moving as gently as possible, for fear of hurting him.

Returning to the convoy, Zhen Mi was extremely anxious and immediately ordered everyone to place the general on the carriage. She quickly rolled up her sleeves and prepared to treat the general's wound, but when she saw the wound, she couldn't help but gasp.

Three arrows lodged deeply in the general's left chest, dark red blood clotted on the shafts. The surrounding clothing was soaked in blood, clinging to the skin. The flesh at the wounds was turned outward like blooming blood-red petals, the edges swollen and red, emitting a sickening stench of decay, clearly beginning to fester.

Zhen Mi calmed herself, took a deep breath, picked up the scissors, and carefully cut open the clothing around the wound. Every movement was extremely cautious, fearing that it would pull on the wound and increase the general's pain. As the clothing was cut open bit by bit, the wound was completely exposed. The tragic scene was so horrific that no one present could bear to look at it.

The old shopkeeper watched from the side, his brows twisted into the shape of a "川" character, shaking his head and sighing, "Miss, these three arrows were all in the left chest, too close to the heart. Although she is still breathing and her heart is not injured, judging by the severity of the wound and the festering, I'm afraid she is beyond saving."

Zhen Mi ignored the old shopkeeper's words. Her eyes were focused on the injured man who needed urgent care. She bit her lower lip tightly, beads of sweat covering her forehead. She reached out and grasped one of the arrows. She looked at the guards beside her and said in a deep voice, "On the count of three, we'll pull it out together. Move quickly." The guards nodded, their expressions solemn.

"One, two, three!" As soon as the words fell, everyone exerted their strength simultaneously, and the arrow was pulled out violently, with a stream of black blood spurting out. The general's body trembled violently, and he groaned in pain in his unconsciousness. Zhen Mi didn't even bother to pause, and quickly pressed a clean cloth to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto the general's blood-stained chest.

As the arrow was pulled out, the general grunted, his body twitching uncontrollably. The white horse, which had been quietly guarding the carriage, suddenly became extremely anxious. It raised its front hooves high, kicking the air repeatedly, neighing shrilly, its mane shaking violently with its movements. It circled the carriage anxiously, occasionally poking its head into the carriage and nudging the general with its nose, as if calling him to wake up, or expressing its dissatisfaction and anxiety to everyone. Seeing the black blood gushing from the general's wound, the white horse became even more uneasy, breathing heavily, and scratching the ground with its hooves, sending up a cloud of dust.

After great effort, she finally stopped the bleeding and applied medicine to the wound. Zhen Mi washed the blood from her hands, sighed softly, turned around and walked over to the white horse, gently stroking its neck and soothing it softly. Under her comfort, the white horse gradually calmed down, only occasionally paddling its hooves anxiously.

At this time, the old shopkeeper frowned and slowly approached Zhen Mi, his face full of worry: "Miss, this general's origins are unknown, and he is so seriously injured. We are really not sure we can save him."

Zhen Mi's eyes were firm as she shook her head slightly. "Look at this white horse. It's so human and intelligent. I think its owner must be extraordinary. Since we've come across this, we can't just stand by and watch. Any help we can give is appreciated."

The old shopkeeper sighed helplessly, his eyes filled with worry. "That being said, think about it, how could he have been so badly injured for no reason? Maybe someone is hunting him down. If we save him, we'll be taking all the trouble on ourselves. The risk is simply too great. Besides, even if we do our best to save him, if he still doesn't make it and is discovered by his family or companions, we'll be implicated, and that would still be a problem."

Zhen Mi raised her head slightly, gazing at the clear sky, and murmured softly, "I'll do my best and leave the rest to fate. I only ask for a clear conscience." Seeing Zhen Mi's resolute expression, the old shopkeeper knew that further persuasion would be futile. He could only reluctantly compromise, sighing and saying, "Forget it, forget it. I'll do as you say, young lady."

At the old innkeeper's command, the caravan set off again. The wheels slowly rolled, creaking dully and raising clouds of dust. The carriage carrying the injured general was placed in the center of the procession, its surrounding guards vigilantly observing the surroundings for any unforeseen circumstances.

Amazingly, the white horse followed the carriage closely, refusing to leave. Whenever someone approached, it would prick up its ears, let out a low neigh, and paw the ground with its front hooves, adopting a defensive posture to prevent anyone from approaching the carriage. Only when Zhen Mi approached the carriage would it quiet down, even nudging its head affectionately against her shoulder.

Zhen Mi sat inside the carriage, occasionally changing the damp cloth on the general's forehead, checking his injuries, and whispering a few words to him, even though he remained unconscious. Her eyes were filled with concern and anticipation, hoping the general would soon regain consciousness. The caravan slowly moved along the winding road, surrounded by a silent wilderness, where only the sound of horses' hooves and wheels echoed.

Zhen Mi stood by Ma Chao's side, watching his closed eyes and pale lips. Although they had never met before, she felt an inexplicable pang of distress. Even though Ma Chao was injured and unconscious, the heroic spirit between his sword-like brows and bright eyes remained. But now his face was pale, and his bloodstained robe was torn and tattered, revealing a somewhat disheveled look, no longer the demeanor he once commanded on the battlefield.

Yet, for some reason, this Ma Chao held a firm grip on Zhen Mi's heart. She gazed at the two striking strands of white hair at his temples, a pang of bitterness welling up in her heart, wondering how many brutal battles he had endured, how much unimaginable pain he had endured, to end up in this state. Zhen Mi gently picked up a damp cloth and carefully wiped the blood and dust from Ma Chao's face, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a rare treasure. With each smudge, Ma Chao's handsome features became clearer, and Zhen Mi's heartbeat quickened. She sat in the dim carriage, her eyes fixed on Ma Chao, her hands clutching the corners of her clothes, praying that he would escape danger and regain consciousness.

Not long after, Zhen Mi's hope was dashed by reality. Ma Chao hadn't regained consciousness, and his condition had taken a turn for the worse. Seeing him trembling, Zhen Mi reached out to touch his forehead, startled by its scorching heat. She quickly touched her own forehead, comparing it again and again. Ma Chao's temperature was alarmingly high.

"What should I do..." Zhen Mi muttered to herself, her voice tinged with tears. She frantically searched the medicine chest, desperately trying to find some herbs that could reduce her fever, nearly knocking over the bottles in her panic. After finally finding the herbs, she immediately called for her guards to boil some water, her eyes fixed on Ma Chao.

Back in the carriage, seeing Ma Chao twitching from time to time in a coma, Zhen Mi's eyes were sore and tears welled up in her eyes. She held Ma Chao's hand tightly, as if this could pass on strength and help him survive this crisis.

Zhen Mi returned to the carriage with the prepared medicine and gently sat down beside Ma Chao. She scooped up a spoonful of the medicine, put it close to Ma Chao's lips, and whispered, "General, wake up and drink this medicine. Only then will your illness heal." However, Ma Chao did not respond. His tightly closed eyes showed no sign of opening, and his face became increasingly flushed due to the high fever.

Seeing this, Zhen Mi could only gently place the spoon against Ma Chao's lips, trying to let the medicine flow slowly into his mouth. However, Ma Chao, who was unconscious, did not swallow at all, and the medicine slid down the corners of his mouth, wetting his collar. Zhen Mi's eyes were red, and she was anxious, and she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it. She took a deep breath, calmed down, and tried again. This time, she gently lifted Ma Chao's jaw with her hand, slightly adjusted the angle, and slowly put the medicine in the spoon into his mouth, but it still did not work, and most of the medicine still flowed out.

Zhen Mi looked at the medicine soup in her hand that was gradually getting colder, feeling helpless, and tears blurred her eyes again.