My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 215 Change

"Go and pay your respects to your mother and sister first. I'll talk to you later."

Li Shimin, understanding the bigger picture, despite having much to say to Xuanba, still made way for him to pay respects to his elder. Li Yuanji, however, lacked this understanding. Wiping away his tears and snot, he grabbed his third brother's hand, saying, "Third brother, since you left, I haven't had a single good day."

"Li Shimin forced me to study and forbade me to go out. He also slandered me to my elder brother."

Li Shimin frowned.

This kid is a bit ungrateful. In the past, when he was young, Li Shimin was too lazy to argue with him and just took it as teasing him.

But at his age, he's not completely naive anymore; he knows everything.

I wasted so much time on his studies, accompanying him as he studied and working hard for his exams, but this guy turned on me the moment he saw Lao San and started talking about my faults.

The second brother felt somewhat disheartened, and his gaze towards the fourth brother became colder.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The third brother, with a stern face, gave a stern rebuke, which startled Li Yuanji.

"Do you still think of yourself as a three or four-year-old child? How can you call your older brother by his first name?"

"Does your brother urge you to study just to make things difficult for you? Isn't it because he hopes you will make progress?"

"What are you trying to do, being so tactless?!"

Li Xuanba launched into a tirade, and before Li Yuanji could say anything, Li Xuanba grabbed his arm and pulled hard, declaring, "Today, I'm going to have a serious talk with you about how to get along with your elder brother!"

Li Yuanji cried out in pain. Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and grabbed his third son, "Xuanba! Let go! Let go! Do you want to break his arm?!"

Li Xuanba continued to exert force, his face stern, and said seriously, "Brother, don't pay any attention to him! If we don't discipline him now, who knows how arrogant he'll become in the future!"

Li Shimin said helplessly, "You want to teach him to respect his elder brother, but what about you?! You don't even listen to me! Let go!"

Li Xuanba then released Li Yuanji's hand. Li Yuanji looked at Li Xuanba in fear and hid behind Li Shimin. Li Shimin looked down at the fourth prince's arm and only saw a large, bright red patch.

The fourth brother is disobedient, and the third brother is also straightforward; they really show no mercy!

"Go see your mother!"

Li Shimin reprimanded him.

Only after Li Xuanba left them did Li Yuanji cover his hands and burst into tears.

"Oh, don't cry."

“Xuanba has always been straightforward. He's bound to get angry if you say that to his face. Be careful in the future. If what you just said gets out, it could be a crime. Do you know what disobedience is? Calling your father and brothers by their full names is a capital offense.”

While Li Shimin was coaxing his younger brother, Li Xuanba had already met two familiar faces again.

Liu Chounu and Sanshi.

Because of the urgency of the trip, Li Xuanba did not allow Liu Chounu to accompany him. Although Liu Chounu was strong, he was old, and the weather was bad at the time, so he dared not let him take the risk.

After a long absence, Liu Chounu still looked the same, as tall and strong as ever. However, his complexion was quite good, and he was beaming with a smile, appearing much more cheerful than before.

"Lang Jun."

"Is the old man alright?"

"It's okay!"

Liu Chounu laughed, "My mistress took pity on me and arranged a marriage for me, so I have an old wife and a few more sons."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanba laughed, "That's a good thing, it's just that you were in a bit of a rush and didn't wait for me!"

Liu Chounu simply shook his head. It turned out that Madam Dou had taken pity on him, being all alone and childless, so she found a pitiful widow in Loufan and betrothed her to him.

The widow's husband and brother-in-law all died in the forced labor, so she took in the children of her brothers-in-law and raised them together, a total of six children. Her righteous act was praised by many people, but it was indeed not easy to raise six children on her own.

Lady Dou then stepped in and arranged a marriage between Liu Chounu and the widow. Liu Chounu was all alone and had no children, so his family suddenly became lively with several more children, so he no longer had to worry about the family line ending. The widow also no longer had to worry about her future.

Then, Li Xuanba looked at Sanshi.

The changes in San Shi are quite significant.

Her skin became fair, and she finally gained weight; she must have been a bit older than Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba looked at her and simply said, "You've become more beautiful."

San Shi paused, then smiled. Although his heart was overflowing with countless words he wanted to say, he couldn't utter a sound when he actually saw Xuan Ba. Liu Chounu cleared his throat, "The mistress has been waiting for her young master for a long time."

Li Xuanba had no choice but to bid them farewell for the time being, and walked towards the carriage with a smile.

When Li Xuanba stepped into the carriage, there were already three people sitting inside.

Madam Dou, Duan Niang, and Li Xiuning.

"Mother!"

"Duan Niang!"

"Sister!"

Li Xuanba and his entourage paid their respects.

When Duan Niang saw him, she covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes glistening with tears, "He's so tall, so tall."

Madam Dou's expression remained gentle as she gestured for Li Xuanba to sit beside her. "Not bad. Your teacher was worried that you wouldn't train hard once you got to Luoyang, but it seems you haven't neglected your training."

Li Xiuning said with a smile, "How could he be delayed? I think he's enjoying it."

While they were exchanging pleasantries, the group continued to move forward slowly.

Li Jiancheng rode a tall horse at the head of the procession, accompanied by many nobles. They chatted and laughed, with everyone surrounding him, enjoying the conversation.

They had accommodations in the city, and the group escorted Li Jiancheng here, agreed on a date for their next meeting, and then dispersed.

The Li family finally entered the mansion.

Everyone was tired and needed to rest. Li Xuanba didn't bother his mother any longer. After leaving Madam Dou's place, he quickly went to find Li Jiancheng.

Li Jiancheng was busy directing everyone to move, but when he saw Li Xuanba, he put down what he was doing, pulled his younger brother into the inner room, and had the door closed.

"what is going on?!"

"Was it your second brother who instigated this?"

Li Jiancheng began by questioning him.

Li Xuanba knelt obediently before his elder brother and began to recount how he had released Zhang Sengyuan in the city, and then talked about how he had set up camps and recruited soldiers at Yeniu Mountain and Chenghou Mountain.

Li Jiancheng was increasingly astonished as he listened.

He and his father had previously guessed that the second son was responsible for all of this. However, their initial guess was not that the second son led the establishment of the camp, but rather that he might have some connection with these bandits.

But he never expected that it wasn't just a simple relationship; these bandit strongholds were actually created by his own younger brother.

It's not surprising that the second son would do something like this, but the third son?

Li Jiancheng stood there, stunned, and remained silent for a long time.

Li Xuanba would rather his brother give him a good scolding, but seeing his brother so silent and dazed, Li Xuanba felt increasingly uneasy. Just as he was about to speak, Li Jiancheng suddenly burst into laughter.

He was laughing very happily.

Li Xuanba stood there, stunned, staring blankly at him.

“Xuanba, do you know? For so long, I’ve felt so choked up. When I fell off my horse earlier, I thought of many things, many terrible things.”

“These things keep me from finding peace. Every time I close my eyes, I can subconsciously think of them. I never knew if I could avoid them.”

As Li Jiancheng spoke, he suddenly looked at Li Xuanba, and then he laughed.

"I understand now."

That wasn't a prophecy, and things aren't static.

The eldest brother raised his head, his face once again radiating confidence, and his entire demeanor instantly changed. He looked at Li Xuanba and said, "You can handle this matter with confidence. I manage many industries in Hedong, including grain, ironware, and people. Whatever you need, I will provide!"

"Did you send people to Hedong to expand your influence there?"

"Brother, this is what I mean."

"Okay, I understand. Go and call your second brother in! Let him come in to discuss important matters!"

"Here!!"

(End of this chapter)