Chapter Forty-Eight: The Savior

As expected, to capture the leader is to defeat the bandits!
The two armies stood face to face, and the outcome had already been decided.
Lie Chang'an saw that the food supplies had returned safely to the convoy. While holding the mountain bandit chief captive, he retreated and shouted to the Crown Prince,
"Your Highness, take the lady and the provisions and leave first! I'll cover the rear!"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately ordered Jasmine to help Gu Li onto the carriage, then led the reorganized convoy, laden with food, down the mountain.
"We've let your provisions go; now release our chief and deputy chief!"
The mountain bandits, seeing the convoy moving farther away while their chief and deputy remained in Lie Chang'an’s hands, grew increasingly desperate and enraged.
Their downfall lay in their own arrogance; returning to their stronghold, they had indulged in celebration, forgetting that their enemies would follow and seize the opportunity to capture their leaders. Thus, their efforts yielded nothing—they'd lost both their treasure and their men.
"Don't worry. I'll release them once your convoy reaches safe territory."
Lie Chang'an silently estimated the time, calculating how long it would take for the convoy to be far enough away to ensure the bandits wouldn't pursue them after the hostages were freed.
About half an hour later, Lie Chang'an exchanged a look with Yu Yang, sheathed his sword, and kicked the two hostages out. Then, using his light footwork, he swiftly caught up with the convoy.

Gu Li and the others had already reached the foot of the mountain. The Crown Prince ordered the convoy to stop and wait for Lie Chang'an and Yu Yang to catch up.
A quarter of an hour later, the two arrived.
"Chang'an! Miss Yu!"
Hearing the Crown Prince's voice, Gu Li looked up to see two figures sweeping through the air, landing gracefully before them.
"Miss Yu!"
But before long, Yu Yang suddenly clutched her chest, collapsed to her knees, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Startled, the Crown Prince hurried forward to support her.
"Miss Yu was injured while saving me," Lie Chang'an said, his brow furrowed and his expression grave.
"I'm fine, it's not serious," Yu Yang replied, waving her delicate hand and shaking her head.

Gu Li noticed blood slowly seeping through Yu Yang's clothes at her chest. Seeing the worry and guilt on Lie Chang'an's face, Gu Li felt a complicated emotion she couldn't name. She quickly instructed Jasmine to help Miss Yu onto the carriage to bandage her wound.
Now, not only had she saved the Crown Prince's life, but Lie Chang'an's as well.
Gu Li sensed a foreboding—this Miss Yu would be hard to shake off.
Yu Yang was indeed injured saving Lie Chang'an, yet she hadn't needed to intervene; with his skill, he could have easily dodged the bandit's blade. Still, she threw herself in harm's way.
To avoid suspicion about her identity and to gain a measure of trust or at least lessen their vigilance, allowing her more time to travel with them and achieve her own ends, she had to let this 'accident' occur.
As expected, because she was wounded—especially while helping retrieve the provisions—Wei Chu couldn't, in good conscience, leave an injured woman behind. He allowed her to travel with them for the time being, promising she could depart on her own once she recovered.
Since Yu Yang was hurt, riding horseback was out of the question. Wei Chu had no choice but to let his sister endure some discomfort and assigned Gu Li to share the carriage with her.
Sharing a carriage with a woman she disliked, Gu Li truly felt suffocated. Especially knowing Yu Yang might be vying for Lie Chang'an's attention, Gu Li found her increasingly intolerable.
But she had no grounds for complaint; after all, she hadn't contributed at all, while Yu Yang had saved the lives of two of their most important allies.