RIN

At that moment, Rin's mind immersed in past memories while staring at the lone, blood-soaked figure on the horse. Ice white snow and strands of golden hair painted in dark red blood flashed before her eyes.

She continued to stare at An Sun's wounded body in a daze before quickly suppressing the anxiety in her heart and setting into action.

"Inform Governor Duyi of the situation and get a physician from Jilin now!" Rin shouted as she stared at the two nearby soldiers, her eyes flashing with a chilling glint.

Both soldiers broke from their terror and shock, rapidly nodding their heads. "Yes, Advisor Bai!"

Urgently, Rin strode toward An Sun where his injured body lay motionlessly onto his black horse.

"Help me get him into a tent!" Rin ordered expressionlessly.

Two Tuhan soldiers who had been nearby helped hoist An Sun's body from his horse and held him up while carrying him into a nearby tent.

Placing him down carefully on the bed, the two men shifted away to make room for the small figure who followed them from behind.

Rin lowered her gaze and looked at the slender figure covered in bloodstains lying weakly on the bed. She could not stop the frown growing on her lips nor the crease in her brows upon staring at him.

An Sun's face was incredibly pale, nearly transparent without a trace of color, while his lips were colorless and cracked. A few stray locks of damp black hair clung to his sweaty face. His chest rose slowly with rugged and tremulous breaths.

But what stood out the most was the wooden arrow pierced deeply into his shoulder.

When she saw the arrow in his shoulder, Rin felt her heart turn sour and as if she swallowed a large stone, her throat tightened.

She never expected An Sun to return injured.

The sound of urgent footsteps neared the tent. Rushing into the tent with sweat coating his forehead was Manchu.

"What the hell happened?!"

The usual humor in his eyes was gone, replaced with rage and anxiety. His gaze swept toward An Sun's injured body and the fists by his side clenched.

He cast a cold look to a soldier and ordered in a cold tone, "Hurry up and call for a physician!"

The Tuhan soldier standing by the side gulped anxiously when faced with Manchu's sharp glare, "Advisor Bai already ordered some men to get one from Jilin province, but he has yet to arrive."

Manchu's face turned dark. How could they wait when An Sun was in pain and bleeding to death? A feeling of helplessness filled him as he stared at the unconscious An Sun.

"I can hold off the bleeding until the physician gets here," Rin said suddenly.

Everyone within the tent stared at Rin with shocked filled expressions.

Manchu was slightly taken aback, "You know medicine?"

"A little," Rin replied lightly before walking toward An Sun's side.

Not shifting her eyes off the injured man, Rin ordered for hot water and a towel to be brought in. Once the items were delivered, Rin didn't hesitate to tend to An Sun.

Stretching her hands out to remove his clothes, she was stopped by a fierce and firm grip. Glancing up calmly and with slight annoyance, Rin's eyes met with Manchu's cool blue ones.

"Only a little?" The space between Manchu's brows was tightly furrowed as he spat coldly, "Do you think I'll allow you to endanger his life based on such words?"

Rin frowned but made no move to resist his grip, instead she stared into his eyes head-on.

"General Manchu, you should know by now I'm not one to take risks unless I'm certain of the outcome. Although the extent of my medical knowledge isn't that of a trained physician, I know enough to stabilize his condition. Lord An's wound isn't as bad as it seems but if not tended to now it will worsen."

Hearing Rin's words, Manchu sunk into silence. After a few seconds, he finally released his grip and stared at her and sighed tiredly.

"Do what you must."

Rin nodded and swiftly worked fast to remove An Sun's clothing.

Shedding the outer layers of his clothing, An Sun's white muscled chest bared to the air - a few bruises unveiled.

However, Rin paid no heed to his firm figure as her eyes were fixated on the arrow in the young man's shoulder.

The wound in his chest wasn't severe, however, it was still an unpleasant sight to look at. Fresh raw flesh was visible as blood exuded from his wound, covering his shoulder with a crimson color.

Thankfully, An Sun was smart enough not to remove the arrow, otherwise, he may have died from a loss of blood.

Rin clenched her teeth and removed those thoughts from her mind. Now was not the time to think about such things. He was alive and in need of her help right now.

She took the cloth with warm water by her side and wiped the sweat off his body. Rin treated to his wound patiently, her actions gentle and precise.

An Sun who was unconscious, knitted his brows together when Rin cleaned around his wound. Rin noticed and quickly softened her movements. She pursed her lips tightly and the depths of her eyes turned solemn.

While tending to his shoulder, Rin ordered for the guards to bring in more braziers while moving the ones inside closer to the bed.

By the time she had dressed his wound and washed him up, the Jilin physician arrived. He was an old man who wore white garments matching with his silver beard, his almond-shaped eyes filled with a humble composure.

After verifying An Sun's injuries, the old physician ordered for everyone to step out of the room while he attended to his injury.

Agreeing, Manchu and Rin left the tent in silence. For a full two hours, they waited inside another tent before the old physician came out.

"How is he?" Manchu walked up to the old man anxiously upon seeing him.

The old physician smiled humbly, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious, simply a minor wound. Thankfully, it was cleaned in time before it got infected. Your commander is a strong man, after some rest and medicine he'll be able to recover smoothly."

Manchu breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his head, "Thank you for your hard work."

The old physician hummed, "Although I recommend someone surveying him overnight in case he breaks out into a fever."

"I'll do it." Rin, who was silent the whole time, suddenly spoke.

Manchu glanced at her but said nothing. The old physician turned toward her and was slightly startled by the young boy's delicate appearance, but regained his composure and began explaining.

"If he does have a fever, feed him the medicine I left and cool him down with a cold wet cloth."

"Mm, I understand." Rin nodded softly.

Advising her on a few more details and pointers on tending to An Sun, the old physician bid farewell. Once the old physician was out of sight, Rin unfolded her arms and walked in light steps toward the tent's exit.

"Thank you."

Rin paused but didn't turn around. A few seconds passed before she finally continued walking and left the tent. Manchu stared at her disappearing back and sighed. He sank back in a chair and tousled his brown hair.

Why is it that he suddenly feel guilty for the little strategist?