The next morning.
The lord had Lesley seal away the Snake Heart Stone and ordered the caravan to keep moving.
Sarah suggested that Li Ang turn the caravan west at once and head for Long River Town first.
"My lord, since the enemy in the shadows knows your route, you definitely shouldn't do as they want!"
But Li Ang refused. "The enemy probably thinks the same way... We'll keep heading south, cross the forest, and go to that village..."
Sarah was puzzled. "The only one who could know your route is Ralph! Are you still going to the place he told you about?"
"Sarah, Ralph didn't do this. He probably couldn't afford an assassin like Risadiran. Ralph isn't the only one who could know my route. There are others..."
Li Ang spoke thoughtfully.
Sarah shook her head in utter confusion. "Others? The rangers? They couldn't afford one either..."
"Sarah, if you were that wounded elven assassin... where would you hide?"
"Of course, in the forest."
"Exactly. I'm going to catch him."
Sarah said nothing more. She merely put on a set of Ranger armor and remained at Li Ang's side.
Since the lord had made his decision, it was a subordinate's duty to solve his problems, not create more of them.
Though Sarah had never liked wearing heavy armor.
The caravan continued forward slowly, but Ansen no longer shot birds.
He now tended the wounded more carefully, perhaps hoping his brothers would recover faster and be able to help sooner.
Li Ang no longer stayed sprawled in the carriage either. He mounted Alice again, fully equipped, and even added a breastplate for the first time, padded inside with silk—effectively a crude homemade bulletproof vest.
His bow and arrows were slung across his back as well.
In his hand, he constantly