My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 238 The Two Lius Return
Changsun Wuji nodded slightly.

"If that's the case, then it really might be aimed at Xuanba."

"But why?"

"Those Turks came to Luoyang with only one goal: to make that Duji the next Khan. I really can't understand what Xuanba could possibly be doing to them."

"Changsun Wuji said."

"If they were colluding with Yang Xuangan, then they shouldn't have gone to assassinate Xuanba. What's so special about Xuanba?"

Li Shimin pondered for a long time, "Either they've discovered a secret and therefore want to eliminate Xuanba, or they want to create chaos in the country so they can profit from it."

"Let them investigate first. If they can find their location and know who they are in contact with, then this matter will be much easier to handle."

As the two were talking, they had already returned to the Li residence.

Previously, Li Shimin did not inform Li Jiancheng because he did not have conclusive evidence. Now that he had learned a lot from Liu Hongji, he naturally wanted to report this matter to his elder brother.

When Li Shimin arrived at the East Courtyard, Li Jiancheng was not there. The servants there told him that the young master had gone to greet the two Liu brothers.

Liu Xuan and Liu Zhuo were sitting in the same car.

Liu Zhuo's face was even paler than before, and he looked rather listless. His health was deteriorating. When Li Jiancheng and the others set off earlier, Liu Zhuo was seriously ill and almost went to see the patriarch. Liu Xuan stayed behind to accompany him.

Liu Xuan only accompanied Liu Zhuo to Luoyang after Liu Zhuo's condition improved.

The two sat in the car, and they debated continuously throughout the journey.

These two were the most outstanding Confucian scholars in the world. They were knowledgeable in everything, from astronomy and geography to major world affairs. They were evenly matched.

Just as Liu Xuan was about to resume the debate, Liu Zhuo smiled and said, "We're almost in Luoyang now, so you don't need to use this method to prolong my life anymore, do you?"

Liu Zhuo knew perfectly well that Liu Xuan had taken the initiative to debate with him along the way, insisting on determining who was better. In reality, Liu Xuan was afraid that something might happen to him on the road, so he could distract him and keep him focused on something so that he wouldn't be consumed by his illness.

Hearing his words, Liu Xuan couldn't help but laugh. "That was true at first, but later I really wanted to compete with you. However, you are seriously ill right now. If I were to win against you now, wouldn't I be ridiculed?"

"You might not be able to beat me."

As the two were talking, they felt the carriage stop. Before they could react, they heard the voices of Li Jiancheng and Li Xuanba.

"teacher!!"

Liu Zhuo tried to get up, but Liu Xuan pressed him down and then said to the outsiders, "It's windy outside, so let's not meet for now and go back to the manor first!"

Li Jiancheng agreed and personally led the way. This time, the guards at the city gate dared not check at all and let them pass directly. Li Jiancheng then led his teachers back to his own residence. After the carriage entered the east courtyard, Li Jiancheng stepped forward to invite his teachers to get down.

Liu Xuan helped Liu Zhuo out of the car.

Li Jiancheng and Li Xuanba hurriedly bowed and paid their respects.

"teacher!"

Are you alright?

Li Jiancheng looked quite worried, but Liu Zhuo replied with a smile, "I'm fine, I can still debate with Guangbo for days and nights!"

Li Jiancheng held Liu Zhuo in high regard. In his view, this teacher was simply a genius. While the scholars of the classics were busy studying the Analects, this man was engaged in mathematics, physics, and astronomy. With what he knew and what his teacher had studied, they could write many works that could change the world.

He helped the teacher into the house.

Li Xuanba walked over to Liu Xuan with a smile.

Liu Xuan glanced at Li Xuanba. This master and disciple pair were not as close as Li Jiancheng and Liu Zhuo. Liu Xuan simply looked at the boy in front of him and said, "You're growing quite fast. You were only up to my chest a while ago, but now you're up to my shoulder. In a few more years, you'll probably be as tall as me."

"Master!"

"Come on, to your courtyard. I'll see if you've neglected your studies and martial arts." The two walked along the road, and Liu Xuan continued to ask, "Are the great scholars of the Imperial Academy still as foolish and ignorant as before?"

"Well, Master, I think they're quite impressive. Chief Scholar Yang, Dr. Chu, and Assistant Professor Lu, among others, all have extremely high academic abilities."

"Ha, Yang Wang is just a crude and uncouth brute with a rudimentary understanding of history. As for Dr. Chu and Assistant Professor Lu, who are they?"

Li Xuanba knew that Liu Xuan couldn't possibly be unaware of them; it was just blatant disdain. He scratched his head and explained, "They all highly regard the teacher's scholarship."

That's because they can't refute it.

"Don't get too close to them, they will lead you astray. They don't understand anything and they only talk about fallacies, which will affect you."

"But Master once said that we need to learn from the strengths of many schools of thought."

"They have no strengths."

"."

Liu Xuan followed Li Xuanba back to the courtyard. Liu Chounu greeted him with a bow. Liu Xuan nodded, still arrogant. He looked around and found the courtyard empty, without a single weapon. Liu Xuan was furious.

"You've only been away from Lou Fan for a short time, and you've already become this lazy? I told you to practice every day and not to forget, how could you disobey?"

“Master, I have never disobeyed. I don’t usually live here. All my things are at the Imperial College. I have never been lax for a single day.”

Li Xuanba quickly explained, and Liu Chounu, who was standing next to him, also said, "That's true."

Liu Xuan nodded, and Li Xuanba quickly brought a chair. Liu Xuan sat down, and Sanshi brought tea. Liu Xuan sat lazily in the courtyard, looking at Li Xuanba standing in front of him, and asked softly, "How is your martial arts training going?"

Li Xuanba looked ashamed.

"This disciple is ashamed, as I have still failed to meet Master's requirements."

"Now, even if one can wear a single layer of armor and run for more than ten miles, a thrown iron hammer can only hit about thirty paces."

Liu Xuan paused for a moment, said nothing, and simply took a sip of tea.

"Um"

"keep it up."

"My elder brother gave me a pair of heavy hammers, which I couldn't use. I could only use them to build up my strength. I spent the rest of my time practicing the spear techniques my master left me, and now I can use them on horseback."

Liu Xuan looked at Liu Chounu, who smiled and said, "This spear technique is very suitable for you, my lord. It is powerful and unrestrained, and ordinary people really can't use it. If you use a long spear, ride a tall horse, and wear heavy armor in the future, I'm afraid few people will be able to stop you."

This spear technique was taught to Liu Xuan by Zhang Xutuo. Zhang Xutuo was strong, and his spear technique was fierce and heavy, lacking the flexibility of ordinary spear techniques and more brutal. When fighting alongside Yang Su, he liked to charge ahead and kill many people, wearing heavy armor and rushing into the enemy ranks to kill.

Historically, Zhang Xutuo once did something truly outrageous. When 20,000 rebel troops attacked the city, the soldiers were caught off guard and were still assembling. Zhang Xutuo led five cavalrymen out and charged directly into the rebel ranks, killing indiscriminately and throwing the rebels into chaos. He fought his way out until his own soldiers regrouped before finally breaking free from the mass of rebels. Then, he led his regrouped soldiers in another charge, and the rebel army collapsed immediately.

The hammer that Li Jiancheng gave to Li Xuanba was good for training and could be used as a weapon like a stone lock, but it was not suitable for fighting. It was short and heavy; even if you could lift it, you would run out of strength before you could kill many people.

However, Zhang Xutuo's spear technique was quite suitable for Li Xuanba. After all, he hadn't even learned archery these days, and had been focusing on building strength and training his body like crazy. With the blessing of the jade pendant, he could train like crazy every day without needing to rest or worry about getting injured, and his physical fitness had skyrocketed.

Liu Chounu occasionally saw him wielding that big hammer to train, and he felt a little scared.

Liu Xuan did not inquire further about martial arts. Instead, he tested his disciple's knowledge of classical texts. After confirming that his disciple had indeed been diligent in his studies, Liu Xuan was satisfied.

"That's right, we weren't led astray by those people."

"However, don't become complacent just because you've achieved this much. You're still far from perfect. Your current level of scholarship is not even up to what I was when I was six or seven years old. As for your martial arts, well, ten or thirty li is far from enough. A hundred li or several hundred li is your goal!"

"Here!!"

(End of this chapter)