Another arrow swiftly made its way towards Zhang Mei Xiang. Before Hao Xuan could do anything, she bent her body 90° backward, dodging the arrow.

"Zhang Mei Xiang, run away from here. I need to stop them." Hao Xuan lifted his sword that was kept at the base of the tree.

"I cannot leave you here alone." Zhang Mei Xiang said without looking at Hao Xuan while her eyes were tracing the attackers. "You are already injured."

"My left arm is injured, not the right one. I can still use my sword with my right hand. Now go." Hao Xuan unshielded his sword to stop another arrow coming towards him.

"Hao Xuan, why don't you understand? I cannot leave an injured person like this. And you saved my life just a few moments ago." Zhang Mei Xiang held Hao Xuan's right hand, trying to stop him.

"Zhang Mei Xiang, why don't you listen to me?" Hao Xuan pulled her towards him while his eyes intensely stared into hers. "Besides being a doctor, I am a warrior as well. I can protect myself. Just go."

Zhang Mei Xiang's thin lips quivered wanting to say something but she felt so powerless against the other's dominant voice and strong orders that she kept staring at him. Upon receiving no response, Hao Xuan slightly pushed her, shielding her with his strong muscular figure.

Meanwhile, the members of the Xiongnu tribes already started to shower them with arrows. Hao Xuan swiftly moved his sword and efficiently stopped all the arrows from touching his body. Before Hao Xuan could let out a breath, he heard the neighs of horses. A frown suddenly appeared on his face and he turned his face back to check on Zhang Mei Xiang.

"Zhang Mei Xiang, they are so many in number. We need to escape." Hao Xuan held her hand and then started to run from there.

The people of Xiongnu tribes had very sharp eyes and were experts when it came to hunting their prey. They pulled the reins of the horses and quickly followed Hao Xuan. Though they were following them through the woods, the horses' pace didn't slow for a moment. Letting put huge neighs, the horses ran after Hao Xuan and Zhang Mei Xiang.

Hao Xuan was running with all his might holding Zhang Mei Xiang's hand with a right hand and his sword with the left hand. Hao Xuan was one of the best generals of the Qin army who had outstanding skills to escape from clutches of death. But since Zhang Mei Xiang was a girl of the 21st century, she couldn't cope up with his pace.

"Hao Xuan, I-I cannot..." Zhang Mei Xiang said breathlessly.

"If you don't run then they will kill us." Hao Xuan replied without slowing his pace.

Suddenly another arrow got pierced into Hao Xuan's left upper arm, at the same place where he received an arrow a few minutes ago. Due to combine force of his own speed and the speed of the arrow, Hao Xuan couldn't control himself and fell on the ground.

"Hao Xuan!" Zhang Mei Xiang screamed as she knelt down to support him.

Hao Xuan lifted his right hand to pull the arrow out of his arm. He pulled the arrow tightly using all his strength. But the arrow got pierced in the flesh so tightly that it only moved a little instead of coming out. Zhang Mei Xiang looked at him helplessly whose brows got knitted together due to the unbearable pain.

"Hao Xuan..." Zhang Mei Xiang's voice cracked as she looked into his eyes. "Should I try?"

"No." Hao Xuan said breathlessly. He took a deep breath and again held the body of the arrow. Closing his eyes tightly, he pulled the arrow with all him might. This time the stubborn arrowhead came out from his upper arm and the blood started to gush out of the wound. His teeth sunk into his lower lip to control the pain. He opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Mei Xiang who was looking worried at him. "Zhang Mei Xiang, let's go." He held her arm and stood up.

Before Hao Xuan's leg could move a single step forward, the Xiongnu people reached them and stood in front of them with their horses.

"Xue Hao Xuan, it's useless to escape. Surrender to us." A man with exceptionally small eyes and flat nose, wearing a good quality fur unmounted from his horse.

"Never!" Hao Xuan growled holding his wounded arm with his right hand.

"You!" That man grumbled. "Never mind, I will kill you slowly that you would beg us to kill you."

Hao Xuan didn't say a single word. He kept shielding her with his body, hiding her behind him. Zhang Mei Xiang was so scared at the situation that her hands trembled continuously.

"Xue Hao Xuan, perhaps you don't know that our leader and I learned about dark powers." That man chuckled bitterly. "Within no time the entire Qin empire will collapse and our Xiongnu tribes will rule over China."

"In your dreams." Hao Xuan glared at that man.

"Well, then try to protect that girl." That man smirked and jerked his right hand. Light flumes of black smoke formed on his hands which was floating freely above his fingers.

A deadly smirk spread across that man's face and he pushed the smoke harshly with his right palm towards Zhang Mei Xiang.

Zhang Mei Xiang's eyes were glued to the smoke while fear conquered her. The more the smoke proceeded towards her, the more her knees wobbled. When the smoke was about to hit her, she closed her eyes tight, holding her face with her hands.

After a few minutes, Zhang Mei Xiang's fingers shivered as she didn't receive any external stimulation on her. She slowly removed her hands from her face and the sight that welcomed her made her jaws slack.

Hao Xuan was standing before her holding his palm up. A green glow was floating above his palm which looked like a ball of plasma. A green aura was emitting from the plasma-like green glow which stopped the black smoke at a distance of about a yard.

The man who lead a troop Xiongnu army fumed on witnessing Hao Xuan taking control over the situation. He spun his hand and held it up. As a result, a dark black smoke formed on his palm. He pushed his hand with a force and the black smoke came towards Hao Xuan.

Hao Xuan pulled his hand with a force and then pushed it forward, causing the green glow to fall on the ground. Zhang Mei Xiang tightened her grip on Hao Xuan's shoulder as the green glow converted to a green fire and it encircled the Xiongnu troop.

"Zhang Mei Xiang, run!" Hao Xuan held her hand and started to run from the place, trapping the Xiongnu troop in the green fire circle.

After running for some time, Hao Xuan felt his knees were giving up. His pace became slower than before. Suddenly he got stumbled.

"Hao Xuan..." Zhang Mei Xiang held his arm, supporting him and preventing him from falling down. "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Z-Zhang Mei Xiang, I don't think I will make it." Hao Xuan was breathing heavily. "Run away from here before they can catch us."

"No!" Zhang Mei Xiang shook her head in denial. "I am not leaving you alone. Hao Xuan, please just hold on a little. We will surely find a shelter."

Hao Xuan chuckled without humor. "How will you find shelter here?"

Zhang Mei Xiang realized that Hao Xuan's wound was becoming worse and it was the main reason because of which Hao Xuan couldn't support himself. She held Hao Xuan's right arm and put it around her shoulder while her other hand held his body. "Hao Xuan, please don't give up." She started to guide Hao Xuan.

Supporting Hao Xuan, Zhang Mei Xiang ran through the woods. The more they walked into the woods, the more denser it became. Soon it almost became impossible for Hao Xuan to run through the woods. Zhang Meng Xiang tightened her grip around him while her eyes searched the entire place, looking for shelter.

Zhang Mei Xiang's eyes sparkled as she spotted a small entrance of the cave.

"Hao Xuan, go into the cave. The entrance is small but we need to enter it, otherwise, we won't survive." Zhang Mei Xiang quickly bent down, making it easy for Hao Xuan to enter the cave.

Hao Xuan lowered his head to avoid getting hit by the moist, crude wall of the cave. He slowly stepped into the cave, followed by Zhang Mei Xiang. She helped him sit and the latter leaned to the wall of the cave.

The cave wasn't as small as it appeared from outside it. The cave was large enough for 4 people to stay for a night there. The cave walls were dry showing that the cavern wasn't used by animals for a long time. Only the entrance of the cave allowed the light to illuminate the cavern. But it wasn't enough to brighten the whole cave. It was pitch dark inside the cave and looked like the residential of ghosts like in horror movies.

Zhang Mei Xiang quickly took the sword from Hao Xuan's hand and kept it aside. She searched for a cloth to bandage his wound to stop the flow of blood. When she found no cloth, she held the lower part of her lower garments and tore them.

"What are you doing?" Hao Xuan struggled to speak. He felt his eyelids were becoming heavy.

"Don't speak." Zhang Mei Xiang tied that torn piece of cloth around his wound.

Her brows suddenly got knitted when she found Hao Xuan's breathing was becoming shallow. She touched the blood which was making its way down his arm with her fingers and rubbed them together to feel the density of the blood. Her eyes widened when she realized that the blood was less dense than normal blood. She immediately lowered her head to smell the blood. Zhang Mei Xiang gasped when she recognized that the blood contained a deadly poison. 

"Hao Xuan..." Zhang Mei Xiang immediately looked at him. A frown formed on her face as she saw that the young man was smiling faintly at her. "Why are you smiling?"

"Didn't I say that I won't make it?" Hao Xuan smiled. "It's one of the deadliest poison. It needs to be treated within 24 hours otherwise the person will die."

"Huh!?" Zhang Mei Xiang gasped. "What should I do now?" She held his hand.

"Nothing can be done now. The poison already spread in my body. It already has been 2 hours after the poison entered my body." Hao Xuan took a deep breath. "The sun is about to set."

"Hao Xuan we still have 22 hours to save you. You stay here. Don't move." Zhang Mei Xiang stood up. "I am Going to find the herbs for you."

"Are you crazy!?" Hao Xuan tried to sit.

"I said don't move!" Zhang Mei Xiang ordered in a strict tone. She adjusted her robes. "I will be back soon. Please hold on." She said in a soft tone, squatting before him. Tears swelled in her eyes as she looked at his pale face which looked cheerful and energetic that morning.

"Why are you crying?" Hao Xuan wiped her tear that escaped her eye without a warning.

"I-I am sorry." Zhang Mei Xiang moved back, wiping her tears. "I will be back soon." Saying so she left the cave.

"Don't fall into their hands." Hao Xuan said in a low voice as he saw her figure disappear into the woods. He closed his eyes for a moment. But fate decided to play hard on him. He suddenly heard the wild growl of the Xiongnu troop leader.

"Where are you, General Xue? Come out now." It was the voice of the same man who used his powers against Hao Xuan that noon.

Hao Xuan quickly hid at the corner of the cave to avoid suspicion while his ears became extra sensitive to every single sound.

"We have your girl, now come out!" That man shouted using all the air in his lungs.

Hao Xuan who never feared facing death gasped hearing the words. His heart skipped a beat while an unknown fear took over him.

"Zhang Mei Xiang...." Hao Xuan uttered as he felt his entire body become weak and helpless.

Word count: 2100