After crossing the bridge, the group began traveling through the forest stretching on this side. It was just like before when Yan Yixuan and the bandits journeyed towards the empire, except that now there was the addition of Ruan Shu and Cang Xiyu.

Yan Yixuan watched the backs of the two extra people in front of him and smiled to himself. No matter what, it was more comfortable to have people he was much more familiar with staying with him.

The young man discreetly rubbed his chest to get rid of the vague ache beginning to bloom there, then cleared his throat and called, “Brother Ruan, can I ask you to lend me a dagger or knife? I’d like to have a weapon just in case there’s another fight later.”

Ruan Shu nodded and began rummaging in the small bag of essentials he carried with him.

Cang Xiyu looked back at Yan Yixuan strangely. “If you want a weapon, why not use your general’s sword?”

The young man lovingly stroked the sword hanging from his hip. “This is meant to be used as a talisman, not a weapon.”

Cang Xiyu shook his head. What did he expect from a lovestruck youngster? Logic? Bah!

Ruan Shu finally found one of his spare daggers and handed it to Yan Yixuan. Gratefully accepting it, the young man slid it into his sleeve with practiced ease. Then as he continued walking, Yan Yixuan caressed Ning Wei’s sword and smiled softly to himself, lost in memories.

The bandits and Cang Xiyu couldn’t help but notice how much livelier and open the young duke was after just a brief meeting with Ning Wei.

Li Yang, in particular, was intrigued. He had thought that the prideful yet quietly competent young man he had gotten to know was his true face. But now, he wasn’t so sure, and it piqued his curiosity. He wondered if delving into Yan Yixuan’s life in the empire would shed some more light.

“So many people seem to know the brat,” Li Yang began conversing. “Is he really such an important person in the empire?”

Cang Xiyu tucked his hands into his sleeves and scoffed. “‘Important’ is putting it lightly. Do you know what he’s called back in the capital among officials? The Demon of the Imperial Court. Now that’s a title you don’t earn easily among people who are used to engaging in battles of wits often.”

Ruan Shu coughed to hide his amusement while Yan Yixuan said modestly, “To be fair, I was only given that title recently.”

Cang Xiyu huffed. “Yes, because the things you were called before that were much worse.”

Yan Yixuan asked smilingly, “Oh? For example?”

Cang Xiyu opened his mouth, then snapped it closed again. Giving him a look, he said cautiously, “I won’t say anything else, lest I lose my head by being the messenger.”

Yan Yixuan laughed and let it go.

The bandits’ second-in-command, Wang Yin, grew interested in their conversation and backed up to walk beside them. He asked doubtfully, “The brat is supposed to be a court official, isn’t he? Does that mean he takes part in running the country at such a young age? Is he any good at politicking and all that stuff?”

“Of course he is!” Cang Xiyu declared with some pride. “At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised even if he and the empress he’s in cahoots with are secretly running the entire continent and all the countries in it!”

Cang Xiyu paused with a sudden look of doubt. “Duke Yan, you don’t really run the continent, do you?”

Yan Yixuan simply smiled.

Growing nervous, Cang Xiyu questioned, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Could it be…it’s really true?!”

Unable to hold it back anymore, Yan Yixuan burst out laughing. “No, I don’t rule the world, Official Cang.”

Cang Xiyu huffed with displeasure. “Then you should have just said that!”

With a twinkle in his eyes, the young man replied, “But watching you squirm was so entertaining.”

Cang Xiyu, “……”

Looking away with a face gone red from embarrassment, Cang Xiyu muttered to himself, “You really are a demon!”

Chuckles erupted from those within earshot and Yan Yixuan cheerfully went along, but he couldn’t help stealthily massaging his thigh away from Ruan Shu’s gaze. After an eventful day full of physical activity, his body was rapidly nearing full exhaustion.

But the young man didn’t want to drag down the others and inconvenience them. He was determined to keep going for as long as he could before informing them of his condition. And who knew? Maybe by some miracle he’d manage to make it all the way to when they made camp at night.

As Yan Yixuan persevered, he suddenly noticed that his vision had been slowly narrowing as fuzzy darkness crept up the corners. He shook his head to clear it and ended up stumbling over a protruding tree root in his path. He habitually caught himself on a nearby tree trunk and tried not to pant. His head started spinning due to the sudden jerk of almost tripping.

Ruan Shu heard him stagger and turned to him with worry. “Yixuan, what happened? Are you alright?”

Yan Yixuan waved his concerns away with a reassuring smile that looked more weary than anything. Without thinking, he said, “Yes, I’m fine. I’m used to this already.”

Ruan Shu stilled. His voice was icy as he asked, “You’re used to this? How long has this been going on for you to be used to it?”

The young man froze with an expression that said he slipped up.

Since Ruan Shu and Yan Yixuan stopped, the others slowly came to halt as well and looked back to see what was wrong.

Cang Xiyu and Li Yang had heard everything by now. While Cang Xiyu decided to stay out of this and silently gloat that the young man got himself into trouble, Li Yang’s eyes gleamed brighter. It seemed that if there was anyone he could successfully tattle on Yan Yixuan to, it was Ruan Shu.

“Do you want to know in what all ways he has been pushing himself?” Li Yang asked Ruan Shu.

Ruan Shu nodded, his expression like that of a parent who had just come to know of their child’s misbehavior.

Ignoring Yan Yixuan’s forbidding glare, Li Yang happily went into detail about all the ways the young man had been neglecting himself and how he stubbornly insisted on cooking and hunting animals for them instead of resting even though he was already tired to the bones every day.

With every word, Ruan Shu’s fury mounted. He skewered Yan Yixuan with a burning gaze.

The young man winced and automatically straightened his back like an obedient child. He quickly glanced around to find cover, but other than Ruan Shu, there were only two people near him. He couldn’t hide behind the traitor Li Yang, and as for Cang Xiyu… Eh. He wasn’t that reliable.

In the end, Yan Yixuan decided that the only recourse left for him was…to act pitiful and cute!

And so, Yan Yixuan bowed his head and hunched his shoulders as if with remorse, then tried to muster up some wetness in his eyes, which was fairly easy considering how the combination of a throbbing head and blurry vision tended to cause his eyes to water. Biting his lower lip, he looked up through his lashes at Ruan Shu and blinked sadly. He reached out to hesitantly pull at the edge of Ruan Shu’s sleeve as if afraid he’d be pushed away. “Brother Ruan, I’m sorry, so…forgive me?”

Ruan Shu felt a violent tug in his heart while the others stared at the young man as if wondering whether a ghost had possessed him.

Despite knowing that Yan Yixuan was only pretending, Ruan Shu had to press his lips together and curl his fingers to resist his younger brother’s adorableness with all he had. He cleared his throat and pretended to be unaffected. “Yixuan, you should save your acting for Ning Wei. I won’t fall for it,” said the man who almost fell for it.

Yan Yixuan let go of his sleeve and sighed in defeat, wishing he was the type who could pout to vent how wronged he felt. He finally muttered, “I only wanted to return home and see Ah-Wei sooner…”

Ruan Shu’s heart softened. He finally gave in to his urge to pamper his lovable brother and patted his head. “Alright, I won’t be mad at you anymore. But you have to take better care of yourself now.”

Yan Yixuan perked up and nodded quickly.

Ruan Shu then continued with a smirk, “Not that you have any other choice with me here to keep an eye on you.”

Yan Yixuan, “……”

Well…he wasn’t wrong.

Standing witness to this exchange, Cang Xiyu and the bandits looked at Ruan Shu with awe. It seemed they were wrong before. As someone who could get Yan Yixuan—a duke and a much-respected official who was acknowledged even by the empress—to bow his head and admit his wrongs, Ruan Shu must be the one who was truly on top of the food chain!

Ruan Shu disregarded the weird light in their eyes and kept his focus on Yan Yixuan. “Now that it’s decided, Yixuan, I keenly recall you stumbling just now. Could it be because you are overtaxing yourself again?”

Yan Yixuan contemplated lying but didn’t see any point in it, so he decided on being truthful. “Yes, I’m a little tired.”

After all their years of friendship, Ruan Shu knew what being ‘a little tired’ meant coming from Yan Yixuan’s mouth, and he naturally grew alarmed. “Yixuan, you should have told me earlier! Is it difficult to walk?”

Yan Yixuan hesitated, then nodded.

Ruan Shu immediately said, “Come over here and get on my back. I’ll carry you till we make camp.”

The young man shook his head. “Brother Ruan, if we come across trouble, it will be better if you have your hands free to fight. It won’t do to burden yourself with me like this.”

Ruan Shu’s expression grew conflicted. “Are you expecting more conflict?”

Shrugging, Yan Yixuan replied, “We don’t know if there are more search teams looking for me here on this side. The prince has surely not given up. Defeating a few teams doesn’t equate to us winning. The only way to do that would be to make the prince back off or reach the empire before he can get to us.”

A tense silence fell over them.

Then Ruan Shu sighed. “In short, we need to move quickly, and we won’t be able to do that unless you accept being carried by someone.”

Yan Yixuan sent him a helpless glance.

Li Yang placed his hands on his hips and offered, “If you won’t let your friend help, then take one of my men.”

Yan Yixuan gave him a wry smile. “I’ll have to refuse for the same reason I refused Brother Ruan. Everyone who can fight needs to have their hands free.”

There was a moment of contemplative silence, then all eyes turned as one to look at Cang Xiyu. He was both fit enough to carry Yan Yixuan around while also not being part of the fighting force.

Cang Xiyu sighed and straightened his sleeves. “Duke Yan, would you like me to carry you on my back?”

Yan Yixuan studied him for a moment, then smiled. “No, I wouldn’t dare to bother Official Cang.” While he was growing to like and even trust this person, it wasn’t enough for him to feel comfortable with getting so close to the other man and letting him have even this small measure of control over him.

Cang Xiyu looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Please keep my title out of this. You need support, so why are you being prideful now of all times?”

Yan Yixuan arched a brow and retorted, “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I’m prideful all of the time.”

Cang Xiyu rolled his eyes. “Stop arguing and just get on. We can move faster if you aren’t dragging everyone down with your slow pace.”

Ruan Shu frowned. That was going a bit too far, but he understood that the official was only trying to poke at Yan Yixuan’s sore spot to spur him on. Unfortunately, this sort of approach was bound to backfire with the young man, especially when used by someone he considered an outsider. Unless Cang Xiyu had a quick way to change Yan Yixuan’s opinion on him, this would most likely not go over well.

Sure enough, Yan Yixuan gritted his teeth and began walking quickly as if to show that he wouldn’t drag down their speed. He didn’t want to keep wasting time here like this.

Cang Xiyu didn’t let him go far and dragged the young man to a halt with exasperation.

Yan Yixuan shook off his grip and frowned. “Official Cang, what are you trying to do?”

“You’re not in the condition to go on like this,” Cang Xiyu pressed.

The young man sighed and massaged his forehead. They couldn’t keep stalling here like this for such an insignificant reason. “Fine, I’ll ask Brother Ruan to carry me since there’s no other option.”

“That won’t do,” the official stated. “As you said, he needs both his hands free just in case.”

Now Yan Yixuan was puzzled and a little annoyed. “Then what do you want me to do?”

Cang Xiyu looked at him with an indecipherable expression, then slowly knelt down and bowed.

Caught off-guard, the young man startled and took half a step back before he could stop himself.

In a tone more serious than one he had ever used since their first meeting, Cang Xiyu spoke, “Duke Yan, you are the one who pulled me and my family over from the losing side. You know that you have earned my loyalty for it. On top of that, you still hold the incriminating evidence against me that you collected after my attempt at assassinating you.”

He looked up at Yan Yixuan with an intent expression, expressing his sincerity with every word, “Wasn’t all of it so that you can use me as a tool? Wasn’t it so that you can be reassured of my loyalty without doubts? Wasn’t it so that when the time came to use me, you can do so without doubting and faltering, even if it was only as someone to carry you when you are tired? So what need do you have to feel prideful and cautious when I’m a mere tool in your arsenal? Do you care that much about what your tool thinks of you?”

Yan Yixuan looked at him with a hooded, expressionless gaze. Then he smiled and said softly, “Since you are going so far to convince me, I’ll agree.”

Cang Xiyu sighed with relief.

“But you should know one thing,” Yan Yixuan said, walking around the kneeling official. “I don’t consider you a tool.”

Cang Xiyu’s eyes widened. But before he could digest what he heard, he was broken out of his daze as Yan Yixuan clambered onto his back.

The young man sighed quietly at how warm and steady this person’s back felt. It was completely unlike how unreliable he was.

With some effort, Cang Xiyu straightened. Yan Yixuan felt lighter than he expected, the hard edges of his bones poking him in the back. The young man’s limbs were thin as they wrapped around him. And when Cang Xiyu supported Yan Yixuan’s legs around his waist, he marveled at how fragile they felt. Protectiveness welled in his heart but he pushed it away. The duke wouldn’t appreciate his sympathy.

Affected by the complex emotions swirling in his mind, Cang Xiyu cleared his throat and decided to needle this young man to disperse his own awkwardness. “What are you sighing for? Am I not comfortable enough? A duke of the first rank like you must be used to more luxurious vehicles than poor old me.”

Without missing a beat, Yan Yixuan pinched Cang Xiyu’s back lightly as if to assess him and retorted, “Yes, indeed. You’re so firm that it’s like hugging a wooden board. I’d prefer it if you got fatter.”

Cang Xiyu, “……”

Yes, yes, it was his fault for even attempting to tease this brat.

Now that the matter was resolved, the group began moving again.

Ruan Shu walked over and looked to make sure Yan Yixuan was comfortable. Then he patted Cang Xiyu’s shoulder and told, “See? Despite what you said about being useless in the beginning, you are being very helpful now.”

Cang Xiyu burst out, “What helpful?! I’m no more helpful than a horse would be in this situation!”

Yan Yixuan cheekily piped in, “Actually, a horse would be much more useful and comfortable right now.”

Ruan Shu added insult to injury and nodded. “You’re more like a donkey, but less cute.”

Cang Xiyu, “……”

So, in the end, he was actually less useful than a donkey?! When this master and servant pair got together, the damage they dealt grew even more lethal!

With a harrumph, Cang Xiyu decided to just keep his mouth shut to avoid digging pits for himself. Without his unintentionally entertaining input, Yan Yixuan and Ruan Shu lost interest in talking as well and lapsed into silence.

Yan Yixuan leaned his head forward on Cang Xiyu’s shoulder and rested quietly. Cang Xiyu turned his head a little to look at him and realized that the young man’s breathing wasn’t smooth. But the slight tenseness in his body was the only sign of his discomfort. Cang Xiyu smoothened his stride, hoping to offer some relief.

Looking forward again, Cang Xiyu suddenly asked, “Duke Yan, didn’t you say earlier that you didn’t consider me a tool? Then may I know what exactly I am to you?”

Beside them, Ruan Shu looked over with interest.

Yan Yixuan shifted on his back and opened his eyes a slit. He pursed his lips together, hesitant to answer. Then he finally spoke, “You’re an ally, of course.”

Before Cang Xiyu could say anything, Ruan Shu burst into laughter.

Yan Yixuan shot him a glare, warning him not to get involved. But when had Ruan Shu ever listened to such dissuasion?

“Pardon him, Official Cang,” Ruan Shu said merrily. “Yixuan tends to use the word ally to mean friend a lot of times.”

Cang Xiyu blinked, taken aback.

Yan Yixuan flushed a light pink. “How would you know? I’ve never had a friend I’d said that to before!”

Ruan Shu nodded cheerfully. “Yes, but can you claim that you don’t consider him a friend?” He sounded confident.

“……” Yan Yixuan didn’t feel like lying for such a small matter, so he buried his face into Cang Xiyu’s shoulder and promptly pretended to be dead.

Cang Xiyu tried not to smile too widely. He felt both pleased and amused that Yan Yixuan had finally opened himself to him enough to consider him a friend.

So of course he wanted to take this opportunity to tease the young man. “Duke Yan, I didn’t know you were such a dishonest person. Oh, but since we are friends, should I call you Xiao-Yan now?”

Yan Yixuan shot another half-hearted glare towards a chortling Ruan Shu for setting him up for this. He then muttered, “What Xiao-Yan? Is this how you address another member of the imperial court, Official Cang? I won’t answer you unless you use my title properly.”

Cang Xiyu laughed happily. “Yes, yes, as you wish, Duke Yan.”

The young man murmured something uncharitable about traitors and bullies, then went back to pretending to be dead.

From then on, Cang Xiyu was in a much better mood, walking with a lightness in his step as he hummed carefreely.

When mealtime arrived, the group found a good place to stop, freshened up a bit with the water they carried, and began preparing food.

With Ruan Shu here, Yan Yixuan decided he didn’t need to hunt or cook this time lest he earned his brother’s wrath. He instead patiently went to wait beside Cang Xiyu to show that he was obediently resting.

Ruan Shu watched him with satisfaction. Then, used to such menial chores, he swiftly secured enough fresh meat for the whole group and set about readying his catch before cooking with his usual efficiency. He had brought his own spices and used them just as generously as Yan Yixuan had before. A tantalizing aroma soon filled the camp.

The group’s appetite was stoked and they eagerly waited for the dishes to be ready with watering mouths. Scenting the similarity to Yan Yixuan’s cooking, the bandits cast glances at the young man. They recalled him mentioning before that he learned cooking from someone else. Could he have meant Ruan Shu? But seeing that stubborn brat waiting at the side in a well-mannered fashion, they couldn’t help but think again about how powerful Ruan Shu was.

Since Ruan Shu had often interacted with and learned about the herbs the physicians prescribed for use in Yan Yixuan’s meals, he searched for whichever ones he could find nearby and whipped up a nutritional meal specifically for the young man.

As everyone sat down with full bowls and began eating, Yan Yixuan looked at the others’ delicious-seeming food and poked his own healthy but unappetizing meal with a dark expression.

Ruan Shu noticed it and chided, “Yixuan, what are you pulling a long face for? Eat it quickly while it’s warm.”

Feeling wronged, Yan Yixuan said, “I’ve already gone through so much inconvenience, so why do I still have to put up with this bad-tasting thing that dares to call itself food?”

Ruan Shu looked at him with puzzlement and concern. “What’s gotten you so ill-tempered and uncooperative recently? You never used to complain about such minor stuff before.”

The young man replied sarcastically, “Well, you know how wandering in forests while eating foraged food is such a wonderful memory for me…” Yan Yixuan snapped his mouth shut, suddenly feeling that he was whining too much. He sighed and ate a mouthful of his meal instead. His Brother Ruan took great pains and made this out of consideration for him, so he should stop being so ungrateful.

Ruan Shu grew worried, only now remembering that the young man must indeed have many painful memories about roaming in the forest like this. But he knew that Yan Yixuan wouldn’t welcome his pity or concern. So Ruan Shu instead looked at the young man with exaggerated sympathy and spread his arms open dramatically. “Oh, you poor little thing! How could I have not realized how you felt? Come, take solace in your big brother’s bosom!”

Yan Yixuan leaned away from him and gave him a look. “Piss off.” But he had to admit that this ridiculousness did make him feel less gloomy.

Ruan Shu laughed and dropped the act. He playfully poked the young man on the forehead and asked, “Who taught our proper little duke how to use such impolite language?”

Yan Yixuan bared his teeth at him in a smile. “Wasn’t it you, my dear Big Brother Ruan?”

Ruan Shu, “……”

Ah, that was true.

From beside them, the Cang Xiyu who was too busy devouring the delicious food took a moment to shake his head at this pair before diving back into his bowl.

Yan Yixuan also began his meal in earnest, learning to derive a sense of comfort in its familiar bad taste.

As they concentrated on eating, the regular clack of chopsticks hitting the bowls floated in the space along with the sounds of chewing and some relaxed chatter. When the meal was over, everyone washed their own dishes and put them away before resuming their travel. And when Cang Xiyu offered to carry Yan Yixuan this time, the young man easily accepted.

As the group made their way forward steadily, Li Yang resumed walking by the trio of Yan Yixuan, Cang Xiyu, and Ruan Shu. Keeping pace with Cang Xiyu, the bandit leader looked at the young man on his back and spoke, “Brat, I want to ask you something, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Ever since he’d heard Yan Yixuan offer to let himself be taken by the first prince’s people so the bandits could escape, there was something Li Yang had been wondering about. But since it was a sensitive subject, he had avoided bringing it up until now, when the young man looked relaxed and in a more stable mood.

Yan Yixuan had been struggling to fight off the sleepiness brought about by the combination of physical tiredness and a full belly, so he jumped on this chance to distract himself with a conversation. “Ask and we’ll see.”

Li Yang looked reluctant as he inquired, “What would you have done if you were really captured?”

At the side, Ruan Shu frowned, but he didn’t interrupt. Cang Xiyu perked up his ears, somewhat interested in the young man’s answer.

Yan Yixuan was silent with thought for a few moments. Then he replied, “I would, of course, try to escape every chance I got, but I doubt I would succeed. After all, there’s only so much I can do if I’m rendered unconscious, my mouth is blocked, my hands and feet are restrained, and then I’m put in a box without room to maneuver and barely enough to breathe. That psychotic prince will probably be too vigilant to leave me with a way out.”

The nearby bandits and Cang Xiyu all looked at him with horror. How could he describe such a chilling situation in that calm and methodical tone?

Meanwhile, Ruan Shu hid his distress while renewed anger surged at the prince. Knowing how Yan Yixuan’s brain worked, Ruan Shu felt even more helpless as he wondered—How many times did the young man imagine himself being put in that situation, including all the suffering, then try to find a way to break out of it just so he would be prepared if it really happened?

Li Yang looked at the young man’s composed expression and decided it was safe to prod further, “What about after you’re carted off to the palace? Didn’t you say that that old king will try to make you his plaything?”

Cang Xiyu muttered disparagingly, “The way that old man kept staring at him with a smitten and covetous gaze all the time, he would definitely have done that if given even half the chance.”

But Li Yang kept his gaze fixed on Yan Yixuan and went on, “If that happened, then would you have held out hope that help would arrive or…” He trailed away, feeling that it was too much to ask such a thing outright.

Yan Yixuan lifted his head from where he had been resting it on Cang Xiyu’s shoulder and peered at him curiously. “Leader Li, are you asking me if I would commit suicide to preserve my honor if I fell into the king’s hands?”

Li Yang nodded with perceivable discomfort. “I’ve seen that you can be quite…proud, and not at all like someone who would bear letting his dignity being tarnished like that.”

Ruan Shu was suddenly hit with worry. What Li Yang said was true. If they had been late in rescuing Yan Yixuan, would he really have…?

Yan Yixuan’s arms tightened around Cang Xiyu as his gaze grew distant. With a small smile, he answered, “I might be prideful, but I know how to be pragmatic, and I won’t be cruel to the ones I love. If the worse scenario truly happened to me, I know I’ll have people who would do everything they could to rush to my rescue. After all the effort they’d have to put through to make it to me, they do not deserve to see just my lifeless corpse.

“For them, no matter what form of torture I’m put through, I’m willing to bear it, survive, and wait. It might leave me with lifelong scars and change me from the person I am now. But I trust that once I’m back in my loved ones’ care, they will nurture me with affection until I’m able to function as a normal person again.

“In short, it won’t be a hopeless situation, so I don’t need to take as drastic a measure as ending my life.”

Li Yang looked contemplative, while Cang Xiyu was stunned that this young man had thought it through to such a degree.

After listening to all this, Ruan Shu had to turn away and blink off the wetness in his eyes. To know that Yan Yixuan counted on them, him included, to accept and care for him after such a thing, already showed how much his trust and dependence on them had grown. Ruan Shu felt a lump growing in his throat and swallowed.

A solemn silence thickened the atmosphere.

Then Li Yang broke it by chuffing softly. “Brat, you’re a kind person.”

Yan Yixuan was startled. He rested his head back down on Cang Xiyu’s shoulder and refuted, “Kind is the last word people associate with me.”

Li Yang laughed and patted him on the back, then increased his pace so that he could go and discuss something with his second-in-command, Wang Yin, who was just a few steps ahead.

Meanwhile, Cang Xiyu began teasing the young man on his back, “Is the great Duke Yan feeling shy at being called kind?”

Yan Yixuan scoffed and reached around to pinch both of the official’s cheeks. Pulling them mercilessly, he asked, “What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

Cang Xiyu staggered at the sudden assault and tried to curse, but could only let out garbled noises. He had half a mind to just drop the brat and free his hands for retaliation. But in the end, he had no choice but to capitulate under the young man’s ruthless fingers to make him let go.

Lifting up a shoulder to rub a stinging cheek, Cang Xiyu groused, “You know, Duke, you’re like a datura fruit. I thought that once I got through all your thorns on the outside, I’d be met with soft pulp on the inside. But who knew that what awaited me within was poison.”

Yan Yixuan laughed. “That might be true for you. But those who know how to handle me well know better. For example, my dear Ah-Wei will find that the poison of this datura fruit can be made into aphrodisiac and be appreciated well.”

Cang Xiyu clamped his mouth shut. He did not want to know what all things that aphrodisiac might result in! He really didn’t want to know!

Talking and bickering like this, the group merrily made its way through the forest.

But before long, trouble came.

One of the bandits making up the rear of the group slowly drifted forward and spoke to Li Yang in a soft voice, “Leader, there’s a team wearing red-edged celadon robes that seems to be following our tracks. They must be the prince’s people. What should we do?”

Li Yang frowned and slowed down his pace until he was beside Cang Xiyu and consulted Yan Yixuan about the matter.

Yan Yixuan’s expression worsened. “If it’s a small team, they’re probably scouts for a much larger group. Don’t let them get away and convey our location to whatever main force they are from.”

Li Yang gave a short nod and quickly dispensed orders. Without giving the scouts a chance to realize that they were found out, the bandits speedily circled around the area to cut them off and prevent them from escaping.

Once the scouts noticed that they were trapped, their expressions turned fierce and they unsheathed their weapons.

A battle began.