Since they couldn’t let the scouting team return to its main force and report on their whereabouts, Li Yang had the bandits gradually form an encirclement to trap them. When the scouts realized what was happening, they naturally gave up on being stealthy and brandished weapons, preparing to fight their way through.

Things soon became messy as the bandits and the scouts clashed. Metal blades struck one another as men grunted, snarled, and shouted while lunging, punching, kicking, slicing, and bludgeoning each other. Since there were less than ten scouts matched up against almost twenty bandits, it was only a matter of time before the bandits incapacitated them all. But the scouts refused to go down easily, so the skirmish was particularly fierce.

Yan Yixuan and Cang Xiyu had no convenient places to hide here, so they entrusted their backs to the nearest sturdy tree and tried to stay out of the way as much as possible. If any scouts tried to attack these two noncombatants, the Ruan Shu standing guard over them was quick to subdue them.

Yan Yixuan hated the feeling of being a burden and wanted to find some way to protect himself so that Ruan Shu could focus more on defending himself. After some deliberation, the young man decided he would climb the tree behind him to remove himself from the battle and promptly followed thought with action.

Cang Xiyu gaped as Yan Yixuan nimbly scaled the tree. Once he was perched on a tree branch, the young man impatiently urged him, “Don’t waste time, Official Cang. Come on up so Brother Ruan won’t have to protect you anymore.”

Cang Xiyu gritted his teeth. “I’m an official from a literary family! Where the hell would I have learned how to climb trees from?!”

Yan Yixuan clicked his tongue. “Why are you so proud that you’re useless?”

Puffing up with outrage, Cang Xiyu retorted, “Well, at least I don’t have arms that are so weak that I can’t protect myself!”

However, the young man was unimpressed. “And yet my weak arms were enough to defeat the assassins you sent after me.”

Cang Xiyu, “……”

He couldn’t refute that…

After repelling another scout, Ruan Shu turned to them exasperatedly, “Must you both bicker now of all times?!”

Yan Yixuan immediately pointed at Cang Xiyu. “Brother Ruan, you know I never used to do this before Official Cang joined us. It’s his fault.”

Ruan Shu looked at the young man, then turned to peer at the official thoughtfully. “You know, he’s right.”

Cang Xiyu sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He just knew this duo would find some way to target him again!

Taking advantage of the relative peace in their immediate surroundings for now, Yan Yixuan requested, “Brother Ruan, can you get me a bow and some arrows so that I can help you too?”

Ruan Shu looked at him worriedly. “How are your arms? Can they handle it?”

The young man smiled. “Yes. They’re a bit weak but I should be able to shoot for at least a few meters.”

Now that he had Ruan Shu and Cang Xiyu traveling with him, the young man’s burden had lessened by a considerable amount. And since Ruan Shu refused to let him strain himself and cooked him nutritious food every day, Yan Yixuan’s daily fatigue also reduced significantly.

After a moment of contemplation, Ruan Shu realized it as well and nodded in assent. He then turned to yell at the nearest bandit, “Ask someone to get me a bow and some arrows!” He didn’t dare to move from his position here and leave his brother and the official open to attacks.

The bandit heard it and nodded. Immediately, he had to skip back to avoid a quick slash trying to take advantage of his distraction, then followed it by the execution of a nimble turn to avoid a stab. Before the opponent could retract his arm, the bandit grabbed it and pulled him forward with a hard jerk, making sure the opponent’s chest landed hard on his knee. The opponent fell down with a pained wheeze as all breath rushed out of him, only for it to be followed by a kick to the head that knocked him out cold.

Done with that, the bandit was finally free to look for a spare set of bow and arrows and returned with it a dozen minutes later.

After taking them from Ruan Shu, Yan Yixuan sat with his back straight and the tree branch underneath firmly clamped between his legs for stability. Though it felt strange to do this without solid ground under his feet, the young man quickly adjusted to the feel, propped up the bow, and drew the first arrow.

Aiming through narrowed eyes, he let go before his fingers could tremble under the strain. The arrow cut through the air and sliced open the side of a scout’s thigh in the distance. The scout jerked in alarm and looked behind him frantically. The bandits who had been engaging him took this opportunity to quickly beat him down until he stopped fighting.

Yan Yixuan pursed his lips. He had actually been aiming to skewer that man’s leg. But he supposed in such a tense situation, as long as he didn’t hurt or distract an ally, it could be counted as useful. And since shooting from a high vantage point made his position easily defensible, he could just take more time to aim without fear of being targeted.

With that in mind, the young man nocked the second arrow and aimed again, then let it loose. This time, he succeeded in piercing another scout’s leg as he wanted. As the scout screamed in pain and fell to the ground while clutching his bleeding leg, Yan Yixuan allowed himself a small smile. He looked down at Cang Xiyu and arched a brow smugly.

Cang Xiyu wordlessly turned away, refusing to admit that of the two, he was the one who was more useless.

Unwilling to remain a burden when even a younger and weaker man was contributing, Cang Xiyu started looking around for something he could use as a weapon. He knew he didn’t have it in him to stab into someone’s flesh and feel hot blood spurting against his skin. So he chose a relatively hefty branch that lay on the ground and clutched it tightly in his hands, ready to swing it at the head of any potential enemy.

 Since neither the bandits nor the scouts were soldiers, they couldn’t justify killing people easily. They thus aimed to incapacitate their assailants as much as possible, leading to the battle getting dragged out. But inevitably, as more and more of the scouts were downed, the fighting turned in the bandits’ favor. Victory grew increasingly closer and the conflict began winding down.

Unexpectedly at this time, a scout who had snuck up behind the tree sprung out and charged towards Cang Xiyu, catching him completely off-guard. As the blade came slicing down at him, Cang Xiyu froze, the branch in his hands forgotten in shock.

Knowing he didn’t have the time to draw an arrow and aim, Yan Yixuan’s eyes flashed sharply. Without wasting time, he leapt down and landed on the scout, sending the other man crashing to the ground.

The assailant’s body provided decent cushioning for the young man. But without anything to ease his fall, the scout’s head thudded on the hard ground and his eyes grew unfocused. Before he could recover, Yan Yixuan whipped out the dagger hidden in his sleeve and plunged it into the scout’s shoulder to temporarily disable his leading arm while deliberately missing anything important.

The scout jolted and screamed shrilly as blood quickly spread around the wound. While he was still reeling from the pain, Yan Yixuan quickly patted the scout down and took away anything he could use as a weapon.

All the while, Cang Xiyu could only stare at him dumbly. His body trembled from the sudden surge of terror and adrenaline while his face was whiter than a sheet.

By now, Ruan Shu had realized that there was trouble here, but the scout he was fighting seemed determined to keep him occupied. Unable to disengage from the fight quickly, Ruan Shu glanced back to determine that Yan Yixuan and Cang Xiyu were at least in no immediate danger before focusing on his own battle. He trusted that his brother’s skills would keep him safe for at least a short while.

Meanwhile, the injured scout quickly recovered his senses and realized what was happening. His expression twisted into a scowl and he furiously tried to unbalance Yan Yixuan to escape out from under him. The young man clenched his jaws and struggled to hold the scout down with his weight and restrict his movements with his limbs, but it was quickly becoming apparent that his strength was insufficient.

Seeing this, a panicking Cang Xiyu reflexively rushed over with a yell and brought down the branch in his hands like a club. The scout barely had the chance to widen his eyes in alarm when the thick end of the branch whacked the side of his head with force and sent him into unconsciousness.

Now that he didn’t need to make a conscious effort to hold the scout down, Yan Yixuan relaxed and panted with exhaustion. His body ached in many places and one of his legs hurt terribly due to his fall from the tree. After regaining his breath, the young man looked up at the shaken Cang Xiyu and remarked, “Well, it seems you finally learned how to use that branch.”

Cang Xiyu turned to him, his expression dull as if he hadn’t yet managed to wrap his head around what just happened.

Yan Yixuan decided to give him some time to digest things and slowly got up. His bones hurt so much, but thankfully nothing seemed cracked or broken. Dragging his heavy body, he carefully shuffled towards the base of the tree and plopped down before sighing. Slumping back against the trunk, the young man tried to ignore the many aches and pains that sang together in agonizing symphony. He definitely didn’t have the energy to climb up the tree again. But a brief glance around showed that there were only a couple more scouts left to take care of, including the one Ruan Shu was beating back, so he had no pressing need to hide from danger now.

Cang Xiyu gradually came out of his shock and walked over. He quietly sat down beside Yan Yixuan and stared down at his own hands that still clutched the branch tightly, the sudden fright he just experienced making him unable to let it go.

The young man closed his eyes to rest and didn’t say anything.

Cang Xiyu spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, “Thank you for helping me. If you didn’t jump down at that time, I would probably have been killed or well on my way there.”

Yan Yixuan shrugged. “I know, which is why I did it.”

Cang Xiyu turned to look at him, complex emotions in his dark gaze. “But why did you do something so reckless? You could have broken a bone.”

The young man lazily waved it away. “I’ve already fallen down a cliff once, so what more damage can leaping from a tree do?”

Cang Xiyu looked down again and grew silent. He only now understood that Yan Yixuan may mess with him mercilessly, but when it counted, the young man would put himself in harm’s way for him. Yan Yixuan could have left him to be killed or hurt badly and avoided risking himself, especially while he was so weak and when trying to help would only put him in danger. But he still refused to abandon him.

Cang Xiyu softly muttered, “Is this what it means to be your friend?”

Yan Yixuan blinked at him with surprise, then turned away with discomfort. He wasn’t very good at speaking of emotional matters, so he could shrug and say awkwardly, “I suppose so.”

Cang Xiyu smiled, feeling a little choked up. He loosened his grip and carefully placed the branch down, then stared at the ground in contemplation.

He was someone used to the treacherous ways of the imperial court, where allying with someone only ensured a political bond, not an emotional one. He knew that even if he was in mortal peril, such types of allies would rather cover for themselves and pretend they didn’t see him than lend a helping hand. In return, he would give them the same courtesy. He was accustomed to such thinking and never saw anything wrong with it. After all, why should he care about people he wasn’t close to and who weren’t useful to him personally, especially when it was possible that their issues could negatively impact his own precious family?

Due to such a mindset, Cang Xiyu never really saw the point in being loyal to people just because he was loyal to a cause or faction. If he wanted to come out on top and suffer the least damage, it was obvious that he had to choose the winning side. And he had thought that he found what he sought in the opposing faction.

But then Yan Yixuan had to come and turn everything on its head.

The person Cang Xiyu thought would be the winner turned out to be the biggest fool. The person he tried to kill to please the fool ended up taking him under his wing. He had to start from the bottom in another faction now and climb back up painstakingly, making his worth known again.

But his objective didn’t change. He still wanted to be on the winning side. He still didn’t offer his loyalty to people just because he was a part of their faction. He was still perfectly prepared to abandon the ship if he realized at any point that it would sink.

But then Yan Yixuan changed everything again.

After being sent with the young man to Sui and seeing him being harassed by the prince, Cang Xiyu expected him to rely on others to save himself. He expected the young man to crumple under the pressure and give in or just abandon the task here and run back to the empire. Wouldn’t that be easier than being tormented like this? What else could someone in his position do?

To his astonishment, Yan Yixuan instead dealt with everything calmly and with resourcefulness. He never let his own physical weakness or the need for diplomacy get in the way. He had perfectly mapped out the limitations of his circumstances, then ruthlessly pushed the prince to the brink of it. Cang Xiyu had never thought he could admire anyone more than how much he had once admired Song Hai. But now, the amount of respect he had for Yan Yixuan far exceeded it.

However, Yan Yixuan didn’t put himself above him or act superior. He pragmatically and methodically carried out his plans without putting on unnecessary airs. He teased and messed with Cang Xiyu, but never took it too far. And when Cang Xiyu saw how stoically the young man pushed himself forward despite his physical restraints, it made a faint protectiveness bud towards him.

Suddenly, Cang Xiyu realized he was getting emotionally involved. Even though he must only be a tool to the young man, Cang Xiyu had begun to care about him. This imbalance he perceived between them made him feel a sense of crisis.

After the young man was lost in the landslide and Cang Xiyu returned home, he tried to push those feelings away. Yan Yixuan would be fine. He had the empress and the general on his side after all. He didn’t need to let his worry or sympathy for the young man cloud his judgment. He should instead take this time to disengage from him before he was affected any more.

But Ruan Shu and Ning Wei didn’t let him purge his emotions in peace and dragged him back to Sui. Before he knew it, Cang Xiyu was surrounded by danger and following Yan Yixuan once again. Seeing the young man struggling grimly yet without complaint, his emotions grew complex.

In the end, Cang Xiyu realized that fighting against his increasing regard for Yan Yixuan was futile. He admitted defeat and let himself succumb to caring about the young man. It didn’t matter if he was only a tool to this person. As long as he could be useful and lessen the pain this young man had to endure, it was good. So he humbled himself in front of the prideful Yan Yixuan and offered to carry him.

When Yan Yixuan later admitted to him indirectly that he was his friend, Cang Xiyu was naturally happy. He was secretly honored that this young man cared about him in return as well. But he didn’t realize just how deep this care would be. He could never have imagined that the friendship Yan Yixuan offered was one where the young man was willing to put his life on the line for him. It overwhelmed him, but it also strengthened his own regard for Yan Yixuan. He never wanted to betray this bond.

And so, for the first time in Cang Xiyu’s life, he gave his unwavering loyalty to someone who wasn't his family.

He shifted his gaze to the young man sitting beside him. Strangely enough, giving this brat his loyalty wasn’t as restrictive as he thought it would be.

Looking away again, Cang Xiyu smiled to himself.

A few minutes later, having finally finished subduing his opponent and handing him to the bandits to tie up, Ruan Shu hurried over to them to check if they were alright, especially Yan Yixuan. It was only after the young man reassured him several times about his wellbeing that Ruan Shu relented.

“Yixuan, you might be uninjured but you must still hurt and feel tired,” Ruan Shu guessed, then reprimanded, “With how weak your body is, I would’ve thought you’d know to take better care of yourself.”

Yan Yixuan smiled and assured, “Unless it’s an emergency, I won’t resort to anything so drastic again, I promise.”

Ruan Shu nodded approvingly and patted the young man’s head. “Alright, you did well to hold up till now. Rest properly.”

At the side, seeing Yan Yixuan being scolded, Cang Xiyu felt guilt gnaw at him. He really wasn’t much use at all… He turned to Ruan Shu and asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Ruan Shu smiled at him. “Yes, there is.” He pointed to a pile consisting of the three men he’d knocked out and said, “Drag over the guy you and Yixuan took care of and pile him with them.”

Cang Xiyu perked up at the opportunity to be useful. “And? What should I do after that?”

Ruan Shu stared at his eager expression for a moment, then rubbed his chin contemplatively and said, “Well, you could also sit on them to make sure none of them escapes. I mean, I did make sure they were all unconscious and restrained, but you can act the part of a rock and be the extra insurance holding them down.”

Yan Yixuan burst into chuckles while Cang Xiyu pressed his lips together, looking wronged. So now he was demoted from a donkey to a rock?!

But since he had nothing much to do anyway, Cang Xiyu decided to follow Ruan Shu’s instruction and obediently sat down on the pile of four men, looking aggrieved and reluctant throughout.

In the meantime, Li Yang oversaw his men tying up the passed out scouts into a heap and knocking out anyone who woke up. Since these scouts were in actuality the first prince’s guards, and not people specifically trained to be professional scouts, they didn’t need to be searched for poison in their teeth or other precautions an information agent usually employed. So, all the bandits had to do was make sure they couldn’t escape.

While all that was going on, Li Yang came over to Yan Yixuan and asked, “We got them all and no one escaped. Now, what do we do with them?”

Yan Yixuan, Ruan Shu, and Cang Xiyu looked over to the scouts thoughtfully. Yan Yixuan then said, “Leader Li, please wait a moment as we decide on our next course of action.”

Li Yang nodded and drifted back to supervising the bandits.

Yan Yixuan and Ruan Shu put their heads together and began muttering to each other with serious expressions, gesturing over to the scouts every now and then. Cang Xiyu grew curious and strained his ears to try and hear what they were whispering together so secretly about. But unable to discern anything, he soon lost interest.

Cang Xiyu shifted on the pile of men serving as his current seat and grumbled at how bumpy and uncomfortable they were to sit on. He finally understood why the young man always wished that Cang Xiyu was fatter while being carried on his back.

As he pondered such nonsensical things, Cang Xiyu’s gaze wandered here and there and over to Yan Yixuan and Ruan Shu again. Seeing that they had stopped whispering to each other and were now peering at him with identical expressions of consideration, Cang Xiyu stiffened, feeling a bad premonition.

As uneasy caution filled the official’s expression, Ruan Shu grinned predatorily.

Pushing aside the need to flee thrumming under his skin, Cang Xiyu hesitantly questioned, “Why are you both looking at me?”

Yan Yixuan smiled almost kindly, alarming Cang Xiyu even more, and said, “Official Cang, didn’t you want to be useful? Well, you now have an opportunity.”

Cang Xiyu’s eyes widened and he gulped nervously. What had he gotten himself into now?!