My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 212 Contact
Zhai Rang, dressed in magnificent clothes and riding a fine horse, walked in the middle of the procession.

Strong men disguised as guards and attendants escorted four or five carriages, which were moving forward slowly and unsteadily.

The burly man pretending to be a bodyguard next to Zhai Rang was none other than Shan Xiongxin, who had made great contributions the previous year.

Shan Xiongxin rode a tall horse, his expression one of extreme excitement.

"Brother, do we really not need to prepare any more gifts?"

Zhai Rang looked at him with a wry smile, "How many times have you asked? Does the Marquis need any more gifts? You've accomplished so much these past few days, this is enough. Don't think about offering any more gifts."

Shan Xiongxin was still a little nervous, "But I came up the mountain later, and the Marquis doesn't recognize me. I'm afraid."

Shan Xiongxin naturally already knew the identity of the bandit leader.

After he accompanied Zhai Rang on his journey and killed Liu Wuzhou, the people in the stronghold discovered this extraordinary warrior. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the strongest warrior in the stronghold. As a result, he began to be entrusted with important responsibilities, commanding more and more soldiers, and even began to take over Zhai Rang's identity.

Zhai Rang had no ambition and no desire to seize power, so he focused on his old profession, overseeing judicial decisions and other matters. In the following days, Shan Xiongxin defeated many bandits and his merits grew.

Qingzao Village was constantly at war, but their target wasn't the local militia below the mountain; rather, it was the bandits also holed up in the mountains. Most of the bandits were willing to surrender, since they had only come to the mountains because they had nowhere else to go. If someone was willing to take them in and give them food and shelter, there was no reason for them to refuse.

However, not all thieves are like that. The Eight Hundred Li Wild Buffalo Mountain is vast, and different thieves of different forces occupy different areas. Some are big and some are small, some are good and some are bad. Some are just honest dead people hiding from the authorities, while others are villains who specialize in robbing merchants and using human flesh as food reserves.

Qingzao Village continuously expanded its sphere of influence in Yeniu Mountain, eliminating the forces of bandits and setting up outposts and strongholds in various places. In this process, Shan Xiongxin played a significant role, leading by example and becoming invincible.

Because of his elevated status, several officials in the village also informed Shan Xiongxin of the true situation.

When Shan Xiongxin learned that his chieftain was Li Xuanba, the third son of the Duke of Tang and the Marquis of Bocheng, Shan Xiongxin's face turned red with excitement.

Just as he had guessed, he was indeed a truly important person!

After Li Xuanba arrived in Luoyang, he sent someone to contact Qingzao Village. Since Zhang Sengyuan could not easily move around, he sent Zhai Rang and Shan Xiongxin to pay their respects.

Dan Xiongxin had been muttering to himself the whole way. Zhai Rang, seeing his expression and noticing they were getting closer to their destination, reminded him, "Xiongxin, I must tell you, our Lord is not very old, but he is no ordinary child. You mustn't underestimate him."

Shan Xiongxin laughed, "Brother, there's no need to worry. Zhang Xiangzheng has mentioned Lord Jun to me many times. How could I not know? Lord Jun has achieved great things at a young age and is sure to accomplish great things in the future! He is the kind of great leader we should follow!"

"How dare I be so childish!"

Zhai Rang was relieved. His younger brother wasn't a bad person. Although he was a bit too eager to show off his talents and make a name for himself, he was still a very sensible person.

When they arrived in Mangshan territory, the number of patrolling soldiers suddenly increased.

Fortunately, Zhai Rang had made preparations in advance, and had made arrangements with familiar people along the way. The soldiers in Luoyang were of extremely high quality, unlike the soldiers in other places. They would let people pass after receiving money and would not rob or kill merchants.

After traveling for a long time, they finally met Zhang Du and his group who had come to greet them.

Upon seeing his old acquaintance Zhang Du, Zhai Rang led everyone to quickly dismount, and the group met again on the mountain road.

This time, because of their previous contact, they were quite warm to each other, with almost no restraint. Zhang Du greeted his brothers with a smile and then led them toward the mountain manor.

"Brother Zhai, the Marquis originally intended to greet you personally, but unfortunately, he has some business to attend to in Luoyang, so he had to send me to greet you first."

"How could I dare to let Lord Marquis personally greet me? I already felt apprehensive just to have Chief Secretary Zhang come out to greet me."

The mountain stronghold has now been incorporated into the management system of the Bafu, and Zhang Du, as the chief secretary of the Marquis, holds a very high position in the entire Li Xuanba rebel group, and no one dares to underestimate him.

Zhang Du led everyone to the manor, where many warriors came out to greet them. Zhai Rang and the others were also quite excited. They entered the manor together and received hospitality. Meanwhile, Li Xuanba was still at the Imperial Academy.

Yang Wang gradually loosened the restrictions, no longer forbidding anyone from entering or leaving as before. He changed the daily lectures to once every three days, but the ten-day and monthly exams remained unchanged.

Today happens to be the second ten-day exam. Just like last time, Li Xuanba was still surrounded in the very center. This time, the questions were a bit more difficult than last time, but not by much. They were still relatively basic. This time, the question was: "As a scholar, you should be clear about the five punishments and assist the five teachings."

This time, Li Xuanba didn't rush to solve the problem. As soon as he picked up his pen, he felt the intense gazes coming from all around him.

Li Xuanba hesitated for a moment, then began to make hand gestures. He first wrote something on his face, then gestured to his nose, then to his finger, then to his penis, and finally to chop off the neck.
The five punishments are easy to explain, but the five teachings are really hard to describe. He could only shake his head again, showing a look of horror and unbearable to look at, and pointed to his heart.

Yang Hao and the others suddenly realized what was going on and quickly began to analyze the problem: "The five punishments are tattooing, nose amputation, foot amputation, castration, and death penalty. Those who govern use punishment as a supplement, emphasizing education and moral guidance."

Yang Wang kept his eyes closed and remained silent.

Several PhDs in the distance had been watching this place. They saw Li Xuanba's hint, but didn't say anything. It wasn't like they were directly handing over what they had written; it was just a reminder, so it wasn't a big deal.

Assistant Instructor Lu, however, lowered his voice and joked with his colleague, "You wrote about the absence of birds in the sky before, guess how you'll interpret that this time?"

"I truly do not know."

"If it were up to me, I'd write, 'If your nose itches, cut off your finger; if your genitals itches, cut off your neck.'"

The teaching assistants looked utterly helpless.

Lu Shida was a southerner, but his classical studies were not influenced by the southern style at all. He was extremely good at debating. Among the doctoral assistants at the Imperial Academy, he was the youngest but also the most talkative. He was witty, had many friends, and was also quite academically capable. He was later hailed as a leading scholar after the two Lius.

"Lord Lu, please don't say such things anymore. You can write whatever you want, just don't write anything random."

After the exam ended, Lu Shida, with a clear goal in mind, strode towards those who received special attention—those who hadn't passed the exam last time. He first collected their papers and then happily began reading them, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Li Xuanba was once again surrounded by the crowd, and they had to give him the answer.

When they learned that their answers were similar to Li Xuanba's, they breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the difference wasn't too great, they should be able to pass. Well, that's good!
After the exam, everyone could go out to rest. Yang Hao and the others originally wanted to host a banquet for Li Xuanba outside to express their gratitude, but Li Xuanba declined. The people from Qingzao Village should have arrived today, and he still had to go and meet them.

After leaving the Imperial Academy, Li Xuanba hurriedly headed to the mountain manor.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!!!"

The many warriors from Qingzao Village paid their respects together.

Li Xuanba dismounted, walked a few steps to them, and helped them up with a smile, saying, "No need for formalities!"

"Zhai Jun, it's been a long time."

"My lord!"

Zhai Rang looked at Li Xuanba and said excitedly, "I am deeply grateful to you for saving me back then, and I would gladly give my life for you."

As he was speaking, he was about to bow again, but Li Xuanba helped him up. "I read Zhang Jun's letter. Since you arrived at the stronghold, you have made great contributions and achieved remarkable results. I have been looking forward to seeing you again."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Xuanba turned to the burly man beside him.

Shan Xiongxin was quite tall, but compared to Yuchi Gong, he was still a bit thin. After meeting Yuchi Gong, Li Xuanba was no longer surprised by any kind of strong man he saw.

"Is this Captain Shan?"

"This humble general pays his respects to Your Excellency!"

(End of this chapter)