Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The morning light filtered through the carved window lattices of the west wing, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor. Zhen Mi's fingertips, gripping the handkerchief, were slightly white, and the silk embroidered with twin lotus flowers was wrinkled. Ever since Ma Chao and Zhang Wei had fled to Micang Mountain to support Zhang Lu, she had been guarding the window all day, unable to eat or drink, her mind wandering, her ears catching every subtle sound in the courtyard, her heart growing heavier with each passing moment.

The wooden door creaked softly. The frost still lingering on Ma Chao's black armor, his cloak swept across the threshold, stirring up a gust of wind laced with the scent of gunpowder. The moment their eyes met, Zhen Mi nearly dropped the teacup in her hands, her eyes instantly welling with tears. She instinctively took a half step forward, then abruptly stopped, her embroidered shoes scraping against the carpet. All the tender affection she'd shown him while he was unconscious, cleaning his wounds and carefully feeding him medicine, now burned her cheeks, leaving her both delighted and embarrassed.

"Miss Zhen, I'm back." Ma Chao took off his helmet. His forehead was slightly damp with sweat, and his pale face was a bit tired. He noticed her hesitation to speak, and his eyes swept over the cold medicine on the table. An inexplicable warmth welled up in his heart.

Zhen Mi twisted the corner of her handkerchief, her throat choking with cotton wool. "Is everything going well?" Before she could finish her words, the door burst open, bringing with it a gust of wind carrying a strong medicinal aroma.

Hua Tuo rushed in, leaning on a bamboo stick, his silver eyebrows raised like a halberd: "General Ma Chao!" He pounded the bamboo stick heavily on the blue bricks, making the medicine pots on the desk buzz. "I just snatched you back from the hands of the King of Hell, and you dare to run to Mi Cang Mountain to fight?" He grabbed Ma Chao's wrist with a swift movement and inserted three silver needles into the acupuncture points. "Look at this pulse! Your breath is weak, and your blood is like a cold pool. If you continue to suffer like this, I can't save you even if I fight with my old bones!"

Zhen Mi cried out in surprise, subconsciously stepped forward and then suddenly stopped, and could only clutch her handkerchief and stand by anxiously. Ma Chao suddenly chuckled, and groaned at the pain in his wound: "Old sir, calm down." He looked at the sir's face, which was red with anger, and his tone was unusually gentle, "Micang Mountain has been defended, and the Yizhou army has retreated." His eyes inadvertently swept across Zhen Mi's pale face, and his voice became even softer, "I can't... let the people I care about worry about me waste their time."

"General, why are you doing this!" The old medical immortal raised his eyebrows and slammed his bamboo staff to the ground, shaking the light and shadows on the ground. "Your heart meridian is damaged and has not recovered yet. How can you fight on the battlefield? If you continue to suffer like this, even the Golden Immortal can't save you!"

"The Western Liang cavalry is currently trapped in the northern Mang of Chang'an, and the sound of war drums is like a death warrant." Ma Chao's voice was hoarse, with a hint of rust in it, as if it carried the smoke of the battlefield. "Not to mention..." His Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, and the phantom of Sun Ce, covered in blood before his death, appeared before his eyes again. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot. "My sworn brother avenged me, but was killed by Xiao Xiao on the way. If I were to be afraid of death, how could I face him in the afterlife?"

Hua Tuo's hand trembled slightly as he grabbed the pulse pillow. When he felt the weak pulse, his eyes reddened: "How can you be recuperating? You are clearly gambling with your life!" He paused, his tone becoming more earnest. "Listen to my advice, endure this serious illness for six months, and wait until your strength recovers..."

"Half a year?" Ma Chao suddenly burst into laughter, startling the birds sleeping under the eaves and echoing in the silent courtyard, revealing endless desolation and tragedy. "I can wait, but the soldiers of Xiliang can't! They are fighting bloody battles on the battlefield, waiting for me to return and lead them to retake Chang'an. How can I hide here and recuperate in peace!"

Ma Chao suddenly straightened his back, the sound of his black armor clashing against each other as crisp as cracking ice. He knelt on one knee and pounded his silver spear into the ground, making a dull thud on the blue bricks. "Thank you, sir, for saving my life!" He raised his gaze, blazing like flames. "But please forgive me for not being able to obey your order—I must leave for Chang'an in the next two days!"

The medicine pot in Hua Tuo's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and the brown medicine liquid flowed like a river on the ground: "This is nonsense!" The old doctor's silver beard trembled violently, "Do you really think you have an indestructible body? You dare to go on a long-distance attack when your heart meridian is not healed. This is not going to war, but going to die!"

Zhen Mi suddenly grasped the handkerchief, her knuckles white as frost. She stumbled forward half a step, then froze in her tracks, tears welling in her eyes. "Why are you so anxious?" Her voice trembled like a leaf in the wind. "Even...even if the battle is urgent, we should wait until the injury is healed..." Before she could finish her words, Ma Chao cut her off.

"I can't wait!" Ma Chao suddenly stood up, the friction of his armor grating. "The Western Liang cavalry is fighting for every inch of land outside Chang'an. Every day of delay means thousands of people will be left dead in the wilderness!"

"If I linger here, how can I be worthy of those brothers who died for me?" He turned and looked out the window at the overcast sky, and his voice was as low as thunder. "The war drums of Chang'an will not allow me to rest for a moment."

When the carved wooden door was pushed open, a gust of wind, carrying the scent of the wild countryside, swept in. The old shopkeeper, hunched over, clutched a medicine bag wrapped in oilcloth. Morning dew still stained his gray temples, and his calloused hands clutched a ginseng plant covered in dirt. His voice trembled with excitement: "Young lady! Look at this century-old ginseng! I traveled three towns to find it..."

The words stopped abruptly. He looked up and saw a figure in black armor inside the room. Surprise instantly blossomed on his wrinkled face: "Ah? You're awake!" Tears welled up in his cloudy eyes, and his torn hands subconsciously rubbed against his clothes, as if he was afraid of dirtying the other person.

Ma Chao raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at the worn patches on the old shopkeeper's shoulders and the muddy trouser legs, then turned to look at Zhen Mi.

"This is the old shopkeeper of my caravan," Zhen Mi's eyes were slightly red, and her voice was choked with sobs. "These days, he has been running all over Hanzhong in the wind and snow, just to find the herbs that can save you..."

Ma Chao suddenly straightened his back, his black armor clashing with a clear sound. He raised his hand and solemnly adjusted his clothes, then knelt heavily on one knee: "Old man, your kindness is great. Ma Chao will never forget it!"

"No, no, no!" The old shopkeeper hurriedly went to help, his calloused hands trembling in the air, "Get up quickly, get up! As long as you can get better..."

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The old shopkeeper's face turned pale instantly, and his wrinkled hands tightly grasped the medicine bag: "No, General! Your body is just fine now, you should rest."

The old shopkeeper's hands were shaking so badly that the old ginseng in his arms almost slipped out. His cloudy eyes were bloodshot: "General, if you go to Chang'an, what will happen to my young lady?" His calloused fingers clenched the corner of his clothes tightly, as if he wanted to squeeze a hole in the fabric.

Ma Chao was slightly startled, his fists clasped in mid-air: "My lady's kindness is great, I will repay you later. But..."

"I'll report back later?" The old shopkeeper suddenly raised his voice, his aged voice filled with suppressed anger, "A few words can be worth the sacrifices of my young lady?" He suddenly opened his clothes, revealing the densely packed bills sewn into the lining, "In order to save you, the entire caravan's goods were sold at a low price! These days, the young lady has been guarding your bedside without taking off her clothes, taking care of your excrement and urine, boiling and changing medicines..." When he spoke of the emotional part, his throat tightened, "Not to mention ordinary couples, even biological parents may not be able to do this!"

Ma Chao's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze unconsciously fell on Zhen Mi's pale face. She bit her lip and hurriedly avoided his gaze, but she couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes.

The old shopkeeper took a deep breath, straightened his hunched back, and said with a hint of pride: "Don't think we are easy to bully just because we are businessmen! My daughter comes from a famous family in Jizhou, Hebei Province. She was originally the second daughter-in-law of Mr. Yuan! She lowered herself and gave you her heart without caring about her reputation..." The old man's voice suddenly choked, "Now you pat your butt and leave. How can she face the anger of the family? How should she live in the future?"

Ma Chao's body trembled violently, and the silver ornaments on his black armor jingled. He looked at Zhen Mi in disbelief, only to see the fear hidden in her lowered brows. Only then did he realize that behind those gentle cares, there was such a heavy sacrifice. His Adam's apple rolled twice with difficulty, and he took a half step forward, but stopped when he saw the old shopkeeper's vigilant gaze: "Old man, since I have received this favor, even if Yuan Shao comes to ask for the person, I will not retreat!"

"That's easy to say!" The old shopkeeper suddenly sneered, pointing his skinny finger at Ma Chao's chest, "The Yuan family has three officials for four generations, and their students and former officials are all over the world! What can you do to bear the responsibility? Are you just saying it casually because my young lady is in trouble?" He was so angry that he trembled all over and threw the medicine bag in his arms to the ground, "When I ran all over Hanzhong looking for medicine, you were still unconscious! Now you make a promise so lightly, do you think we are three-year-old children?"

The old shopkeeper suddenly grabbed the medicine bowl on the table and, with trembling hands, splashed the remaining medicine onto the blue brick floor. "You're trying to fool me with a three-year-old? If the Yuan family stamps their feet, the whole world will tremble! You're just a military commander, what right do you have..."

"Let the old man know!" Ma Chao's black armor rumbled, and his silver spear clanged, illuminating the entire room with a cold light. "While Yuan Shao of Jizhou is undoubtedly powerful, I, Ma Chao of Xiliang, am not bluffing!"

The old shopkeeper took a half step back, knocking over a medicine rack and sending ceramic jars tumbling and clattering. Zhen Mi cried out in shock, her lips covered. Then she saw Ma Chao stride forward, the chill of his armor piercing her face. "Let alone Yuan Shao's daughter-in-law, even the Emperor of Chang'an wouldn't matter!" He suddenly knelt on one knee and pounded the ground with his silver spear, sending dust rustling through the room. "No grass grows where my Xiliang cavalry treads. I, Ma Chao, will protect those I want, and I will kill anyone who stands in my way!"

Before he could finish his words, a sudden gust of wind blew up outside the window, carrying dust and sand that rattled the window frames. The old shopkeeper looked at the fire burning in the young man's eyes and vaguely remembered the legendary Xiliang God of War who had terrified the princes of the world. His Adam's apple moved, and he couldn't utter a word.

Ma Chao slowly turned around, his eyes sweeping over Zhen Mi's pale but rosy face. His voice suddenly softened, as if a spring breeze had broken the solemnity of the battlefield: "Miss Zhen, you took care of me without taking off your clothes when I was unconscious, and you even sold your goods to save my life..." His Adam's apple rolled slightly, "How could I treat such deep affection and kindness as a passing cloud?"

Zhen Mi looked up suddenly, and the handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers slipped from her fingers. The morning light filtered through the carved window lattice, coating her eyelashes with a layer of fine gold, making her watery eyes even clearer and brighter.

"If the young lady doesn't mind me being a rough warrior," Ma Chao took a half step forward, the silver ornaments on his black armor jingling with his movements, as if he was holding his breath in nervousness, "for the rest of my life, come wind and snow, or sword light, I will protect you."

This startled the old shopkeeper, causing the medicine bag in his hand to drop to the ground with a "clatter." Zhen Mi bit her lip, a blush spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, like a setting sun on the horizon. She clutched the hem of her skirt and nodded gently, the jade hairpin in her hair swaying slightly, sending up a shower of shattered light.

"Good! Good!" The old shopkeeper suddenly burst into laughter, his wrinkled face blossoming like a chrysanthemum, and his hunched back straightened a little. "I told you my young lady has good taste!" He wiped the tears from his eyes. He had been worried about how Zhen Mi would end up.