Then Ma Teng looked at the brother and sister dressed in Han Chinese clothing beside him and asked softly, "Are you Han Chinese who were captured by the Xiongnu? Where are you from?"

Hearing Ma Teng's question, the girl nodded, "Half a year ago, the Xiongnu killed my whole family and brought us from Jiuyuan as captives."

"Are you also from Jiuyuan?"

"Um!"

The girl continued, "My family name is Yan, and my name is Yan Jin. This is my younger brother, Yan Mao."

"Alright! We should head back now. You should come back with us too!"

Seeing the pitiful brother and sister in front of him, Ma Teng decided to take them back with him. After all, they no longer needed to fight, so taking them along wouldn't hurt.

"Thank you, General!!"

Upon hearing that Ma Teng was willing to take them back, Yan Jin's tears rolled down her cheeks once again.

"Sister, can we go home now?"

"Yes, yes, the Emperor has sent people to take us home!!"

Yan Jin hugged her younger brother and said happily, and Yan Mao also laughed happily.

Seeing the siblings in this state, Lu Bu, Ma Teng, and the other Imperial Guards soldiers couldn't help but have their eyes redden.

For these compatriots who remain hopeful despite adversity, they feel a very heavy burden on their shoulders.

To make the journey easier, Ma Teng lifted his younger brother Yan Mao onto his horse, while Yan Jin was assigned to Lü Bu. It is unknown whether this was intentional on Ma Teng's part.

After they had finished packing, Lü Bu and his sister Yan Jin followed Ma Teng's group and sped off towards the Han Dynasty in the south.

On horseback, Yan Jin felt Lu Bu's strong arms, carefully protecting him in the middle, and a sense of security he had never felt before surged into Yan Jin's heart.

During the journey, Ma Teng constantly directed the group to bypass the larger Xiongnu tribes, so no accidents occurred along the way.

After traveling for several days, Ma Teng took out the map he had marked, confirmed his location, and excitedly went to Lu Bu's side.

"Fengxian, we are less than a hundred miles from the border of the Han Dynasty. We will be able to return to the Han Dynasty before dark!"

Lu Bu nodded, looked south, and a longing expression appeared on his face.

Soon, after half a day of travel, Ma Teng and Lü Bu finally arrived at Yanmen before sunset.

Upon returning to the residence arranged for them by the prefect, Ma Teng discovered that Gongsun Zan had already returned before them.

Seeing that Ma Teng's team had suffered far fewer casualties than his own, Gongsun Zan's expression became somewhat unnatural.

Gongsun Zan stepped forward and asked with a laugh, "Brother Shoucheng, you are indeed skilled. After such a long battle, you have only lost a few dozen men. I wonder what your secret is? Please do not hesitate to teach me!"

"Brother Bogui, what are you saying! We were just lucky to encounter a small number of tribes."

"I see!"

Gongsun Zan nodded, feeling much more at ease, and paid little attention to Lü Bu beside Ma Teng.

Watching Gongsun Zan's retreating figure, Ma Teng chuckled inwardly. How could he not hear the sour undertone in Gongsun Zan's words?