My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 4 Wei Wu Zu

Li Jiancheng pulled Liu Xuan along and strode towards the inner courtyard.

"My younger brother has been well-behaved and sensible since he was a child, completely different from my second child!"

"This guy is a born warrior, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's a natural-born Guan Yu or Zhang Fei, he has superhuman strength and is incredibly powerful!"

Liu Xuan just smiled politely. Compared to these things, he was actually more concerned about how the young lady's money was settled, whether it was paid in full at once or not.
"With his talent, he is destined to become famous throughout the world. I hope you can teach him diligently. When he becomes famous, you will also be proud of him!"

Hearing Li Jiancheng's words, Liu Xuan curled his lips. It was better not to become famous. If he became famous for teaching others how to use a hammer, he would become a laughing stock for all time.

If the other party hadn't given so much, I really wouldn't have...
"Xuanba!"

Before Liu Xuan could think further, Li Jiancheng had already led him to a small courtyard. He shouted loudly and then asked Liu Xuan to follow him into the house.

Liu Xuan frowned. These three boys were quite rude. They didn't come out to greet him when they heard the voice, and he had to ask them to come inside.

Upon entering the house, he saw the promising young general that Li Jiancheng had mentioned.

They saw an extremely thin and sickly little child, as thin as a bamboo pole, struggling to get up and happily bowing to the two of them.

Li Jiancheng ignored this and looked at Liu Xuan smugly, "This is my Sanlang."

Liu Xuan stared at Li Xuanba for a long time, then pursed his lips.

Is this some kind of future warrior?
Born with superhuman strength? Infinite power?
He looked at Li Jiancheng again, wondering if he had gotten himself into some kind of struggle for the crown prince position.

Is he trying to use me to get rid of the third brother? That doesn't make sense. Isn't this guy the rightful eldest son? Looking at the third brother like this, what threat could he possibly pose?
Li Jiancheng then introduced Liu Xuan to Li Xuanba.

"Xuanba, this Master Liu will be your teacher from now on. You must listen to him and learn martial arts from him diligently."

Li Xuanba was extremely excited.

He watched Li Shimin and Li Yuanji practice martial arts every day and felt an indescribable envy. He thought he would never have the chance to learn martial arts like them, but unexpectedly, his elder brother actually sent a teacher over.

"Thank you, brother!"

"Big brother, I will definitely not let you down! Big brother, I..."

As Li Xuanba spoke, tears welled up in his eyes again. Li Jiancheng waved his hand and said, "What else is there to say? Pay your respects to your teacher!"

"Ah, yes, greetings to Master Liu!!"

Li Xuanba hurriedly paid his respects to Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan hesitated for a moment, then helped him up and looked at Li Jiancheng, "Young Master, does Third Young Master look rather frail?"

"If you get sick, it's temporary; you'll recover quickly."

Liu Xuan said "Oh," and then got down to business, "That's good then. If you insist that I teach Third Young Master, I have no problem with that. However, I still have elderly and young family members at home. I resigned from my official post because I couldn't tolerate such a scoundrel. Now that I've come here, there's no one to take care of the family's livelihood."

"Don't worry, Lord Liu! I will have Steward Liu arrange a reward shortly, and it will surely satisfy you."

Liu Xuan laughed, "There's no rush. I'm purely focused on nurturing this promising young warrior; money is just an external thing to me."

Li Xuanba stood quietly to the side, listening to their story.

With his father and mother both away, Li Jiancheng was left to look after the house. He was in charge of all the affairs, big and small, and there was quite a lot to do. After giving these instructions, he prepared to leave Liu Xuan there and then go to attend to other matters.

He had just stepped out when Duan Niang stopped him.

"Son."

Duan Niang seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

"Duan Niang? What's wrong?"

"Young Master, Sanlang's health has always been poor. Should we postpone his martial arts training for a few more years?"

Li Jiancheng smiled and said, "Over the years, the adults have kept a very close eye on him. You have no idea how happy he was the day I took him out on horseback. You saw it just now; when he saw his martial arts teacher, he jumped up with joy. Have you ever seen him so happy before?"

"I've already given instructions. Lord Liu won't let him overwork himself. Letting him move around a bit will definitely help him recover sooner."

Hearing Li Jiancheng say this, Duan Niang could no longer persuade him.

Inside the house, Li Xuanba stood respectfully beside Liu Xuan.

"Teacher, I have always been slow-witted, but I will certainly study diligently and never let you down."

Liu Xuan swaggered to the seat of honor, cleared his throat, and subconsciously asked, "Have you ever been to school?"

"I have read it! I am studying at the Zheng family's clan school, currently reading the 'Collected Commentaries on the Analects,' and also reading other miscellaneous books."

Li Xuanba recounted all the books he had read over the years.

"You've read all these books?" "Teacher, I've been frail and sickly since childhood, so I rarely went out and stayed home to read. Although I've read quite a few books, I haven't been able to grasp their deeper meanings; I only know some superficial principles."

Liu Xuan looked at the young man in front of him with surprise.

This guy is clearly cut out for studying!
Although he felt a sense of appreciation for Li Jiancheng's talent, he did not forget the purpose of Li Jiancheng's visit.

He was silent for a moment, then shook his head again. “The country doesn’t value Confucianism now, so learning too much is useless. Perhaps your brother is right; learning how to use a hammer is more useful than learning the classics.”

Speaking of this, Li Xuanba was very curious, "Teacher, why did my brother make me learn to use a hammer?"

"Why? I'm curious too!"

"I've heard that during the Han Dynasty, there were generals who ordered their cavalry to carry golden maces as ceremonial weapons, and I've also heard that some wandering knights could kill people by wielding hammers. Why would your brother want you to learn this? Is it perhaps to toughen you up?"

"Perhaps."

Li Xuanba nodded, agreeing with his teacher's point of view.

Liu Xuan cleared his throat. "I will have someone get you several golden maces of different sizes and lengths. You must listen to me and practice diligently. In a few years, I will definitely turn you into an invincible warrior."

"This martial art is not as difficult as you think. The principles of the world are the same. When I was a scholar in the imperial court, I read countless treasured books. This Golden Gourd Technique is really nothing special."

"In a few days, I'll make you stop breathing; in a few months, I'll transform you completely; and in a few years, you'll be an invincible warrior."

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Liu Xuan began to boast loudly.

This has always been Liu Xuan's forte.

Li Xuanba's eyes lit up as he listened, his expression growing increasingly excited. His elder brother had found him a top-notch expert!
He asked eagerly, "Teacher, how should I practice? I want to start practicing right now!!"

Liu Xuan's voice stopped abruptly, and then sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Yeah, how do we even begin to practice?
Liu Xuan had never killed a chicken in his life, and he wouldn't dare to lay a hand on someone in a heated argument, for fear of getting beaten up. Martial arts were completely foreign to him; he could only boast about it, but as for actual practice...
He quickly pondered, and in an instant, a flash of inspiration struck him. He remembered something and murmured to himself, "Wear three layers of armor, wield a crossbow with a draw weight of twelve stones, carry fifty arrows, with a halberd on it, wear a hat and belt with a sword, prepare three days' worth of rations, and travel a hundred li in a day."

The next moment, he became confident.

"It's very simple. The first step is to learn how to run!"

"run??"

"Yes, run. You need to wear three sets of armor and run a hundred miles in half a day."

"what??"

Seeing Li Xuanba standing there dumbfounded, Liu Xuan explained, "Of course, you can't do it yet. If you can't wear armor, carry some things; if you can't run a hundred miles, run one mile! Just keep practicing like this, and one day you'll reach the level I'm talking about!"

"Let's not go anywhere else. I think your little courtyard is nice, so I'll practice here!"

"only!"

Li Xuanba did not hesitate. He took a small rope from somewhere and hung several scrolls of books on his body, which served as his armor.

Then, he began learning martial arts for the first time in his life.

Liu Xuan hadn't expected Li Xuanba to be so impatient, starting to practice right away. He was watching Li Xuanba very closely, afraid that something might happen to him. If anything went wrong, he would stop him immediately and try another method.

Liu Xuan knew nothing about martial arts. When it came to martial arts, he could only think of the Wei Wu Zu (a type of elite infantry). The method he used was the one used by the Wei Kingdom a thousand years ago to train elite warriors. It was said that the Wei Wu Zu could run a hundred miles in half a day while fully armed, wearing three layers of armor.

Until I can think of other ways to learn martial arts, this is the only way I can make do. The training method of the Wei Wu soldiers, who are said to be able to fight against a hundred men, should have some effect, right?
As Li Xuanba started running, gradually increasing his speed, his face turned bright red with excitement as he ran in circles around the yard.

This was the first time since he was born that he had taken a step and enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing through him.

The wind blew on his face, and the feeling was exceptionally refreshing. Li Xuanba couldn't help but laugh. His previous repression and frustration seemed to have been left behind, and his speed increased.

At the doorway in the distance, Duan Niang looked at him with worry. Several times she couldn't help but want to go forward, but seeing the joyful smile on Li Xuanba's face, she could only close her eyes and give up the idea.

The initial distance was inexplicably comfortable, but gradually, Li Xuanba's chest began to make a series of noises.

The noise grew louder and louder, and after a few more laps, Li Xuanba was no longer as relaxed as before.

His breathing became rapid and erratic, as if something was choking him, making a harsh noise.

Then, his legs protested, with intense pain starting in his thigh and spreading all the way to his ankle, making his steps heavier and his breathing more rapid.

The excruciating pain launched wave after wave of attacks. Li Xuanba was trembling all over, his steps were getting slower and slower, his expression was ferocious and his eyes were tightly closed. He could barely run anymore.

"Xuanba, you are invincible."

Li Xuanba suddenly opened his eyes.

Liu Xuan, who was about to help him up, was astonished to see the stubborn boy take another step and launch an indomitable charge.

(End of this chapter)