My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 19 The whole world is against me
These guys' goal was indeed to invite Li Xuanba.

Following Li Shimin's instructions, Li Xuanba declined the invitation by saying that the master was not allowed to come. They then dared not invite him again, saying that they would find an opportunity to visit. Li Xuanba then did not refuse again.

When the three brothers returned home, Li Shimin went straight into his house, saying that he wanted to study the classics.

Li Xuanba, on the other hand, was about to begin training.

Li Yuanji was left alone, with nothing to do and feeling extremely bored.

Li Xuanba's courtyard is no longer as empty as it used to be; now it's filled with more and more things.

Liu Xuan sat in the seat of honor, holding a book in one hand and gesturing with the other, his expression quite strange.

In the courtyard, the young man wearing wooden armor was giving it his all. Under the blazing sun, Li Xuanba looked as if he had just emerged from the water. As he ran, sweat poured down like raindrops, and the ground seemed to be soaked. His speed was not too fast, and he kept a steady pace, running past Liu Xuan again and again.

"Master, Master."

Li Xuanba stood panting beside Liu Xuan, his eyes barely open.

Liu Xuan quickly hid the book in his hand so that Li Xuanba wouldn't see it.

After letting Li Xuanba wipe the sweat off his face and move around for a while, he was allowed to sit down.

Liu Xuan had taught quite a few disciples, but this was the first time he had encountered such an honest disciple.

He runs as many laps as he's asked, never complaining or slacking off, demonstrating a deep trust in himself from the inside out.

Liu Xuan didn't consider himself a saint, but Li Xuanba's actions made him feel somewhat guilty.

In any case, shouldn't we teach him something real?
These past few days, Liu Xuan has been frantically searching for books on martial arts. He has asked his disciples and friends to find some books on martial arts. There are many books on military affairs, but there are really not many on martial arts.

He did find a few books on swordsmanship, but he himself couldn't understand them.
Liu Xuan only wanted to do something useful for him before leaving, even if it was just out of respect for him.

"Ahem, Xuanba, how are your studies of the classics going lately? Is there anything you don't understand?"

Liu Xuan suddenly asked.

Li Xuanba thought for a moment, "Everything went smoothly. Today, Master Zheng even praised me, saying that I can freely look at the Zheng family's book collection from now on."

Liu Xuan stared at Li Xuanba in astonishment, scrutinizing him from head to toe for a long time.

"nice"

He had long recognized that Li Xuanba was a scholar, so it was understandable that the Zheng family praised him. However, letting him freely browse through the library was quite unexpected.

Although it's true that powerful families aren't as fond of hoarding books as rumored, hiding them from outsiders, it's still difficult for outsiders to freely browse them. Judging from this, the Zheng family values ​​this young man very much.

Liu Xuan earnestly instructed, "This is a good thing. Remember this: when you go in to read books, look for the annotations. The more famous the book, the more you should read its annotations; those annotations are the real treasures."

The Li residence, east courtyard.

Young Master Li Jiancheng was sitting inside the room, surrounded by many people who were loudly discussing something.

Li Jiancheng looked helpless as he listened to the argument, his face showing distress.

He never imagined that managing a household would be so difficult. Only after his parents left did he realize just how many things could happen in a family. There was something going on every day, and he could never have a moment's rest. Major issues involved farming, while minor issues involved servants fighting.

"We must assign people to keep an eye on the farm!"

"Spring plowing must not be stopped! We must not back down because of some thieves!"

"If you ask me, we should just send some of our men out to patrol and kill some thieves, so they'll know the consequences and won't dare to do it again!"

"You make it sound so easy. Do you even know what the situation is like outside the city? They're even redeploying manpower. Before the patriarch left, he repeatedly instructed us to be patient and not to make a fuss!"

"That doesn't mean you have to put up with being bullied!"

As everyone was arguing, Li Jiancheng was about to speak when Manager Liu strode in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Li Jiancheng was taken aback, rubbed his forehead, and looked at everyone. "You all must be tired. Let's rest for a while and talk later."

After everyone dispersed, Li Jiancheng looked at Steward Liu and said, "Let him in."

A moment later, Li Xuanba appeared in front of him.

"Big brother!"

Li Xuanba bowed and greeted him. Upon seeing his younger brother, Li Jiancheng's expression improved considerably. He looked him up and down and nodded with satisfaction, "Hmm, not bad, you've finally regained your spirits."

"Come here, sit down!"

"Why did you come all of a sudden? Did something go wrong with your martial arts training?"

Li Xuanba obediently sat down next to his elder brother. "No, it's just that we haven't seen you for four or five days and we all miss you quite a bit."

Li Jiancheng then realized that he hadn't contacted the kids for quite some time.

He sighed deeply, “I didn’t understand when the adults were at home, but now I know how difficult it is to manage a household. These past few days I haven’t even had time to take care of my own affairs, let alone come to see you.”

"Brother, you've worked hard. If there are many household matters to attend to, you might as well consult with Steward Liu and the others."

As Li Xuanba spoke, he looked at Steward Liu, who was standing to the side.

Li Jiancheng glanced at Steward Liu as well, hesitating to speak. "Let's not talk about that. How have you been training these past few days? Are you still aching? Are you still coughing at night?"

Li Jiancheng asked a series of questions, and Li Xuanba hurriedly answered them.

After chatting for a while, Li Xuanba said, "Brother, there is something I don't know if I should tell you."

"Just say it. What are you hesitating for in front of me?"

"I want a personal attendant."

"A constant attendant?"

Li Jiancheng responded with an "Oh," and added, "That's true. You're getting older, and you need someone to accompany you when you go out, Manager Liu."

He whispered a few instructions to Manager Liu, who then went out and quickly returned with several strong young men.

These young men were all around twenty years old, energetic, tall and robust, and clearly capable people.

Li Jiancheng said, "Go ahead and choose. Pick any of them. These people are all capable. I feel more at ease having them with you."

Li Xuanba hesitated before saying, "Brother, I already have someone in mind."

"Oh? Who is it?"

"Old Liu from the South Courtyard."

"Liu Chounu?"

Li Jiancheng was somewhat surprised, as were the energetic young men. One of them immediately said, "Third Master, Liu Chounu is old, stubborn, unreasonable, and doesn't understand reason. He struggles even to guard the orchard, so how can he be a long-term attendant?"

Li Jiancheng glared at the young man, then looked at his younger brother, "Xuanba, why would you want him to be your personal attendant?"

“Brother, I feel sorry for him because he is all alone, without a wife or children, and guards the garden by himself. Besides, Old Man Liu may seem cold, but he is actually kind-hearted and upright. I want him to stay with me.”

Li Jiancheng reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, his eyes full of tenderness.

This kid has been kind-hearted since he was a child.

"Alright, let Liu Chounu be your personal attendant."

After Li Jiancheng finished speaking, he looked at the young man who had spoken earlier and said, "You just said that Liu Chounu is too old to guard the orchard, right? From now on, you will take his place in guarding it!"

"Ah!! Young Master, I..."

"Ok?"

"only!!"

Li Jiancheng pulled the third brother aside and instructed, "I have things to do. You go back first. Tonight, bring those two good-for-nothings and come here again. It's been a long time since the four of us have eaten together."

"it is good!"

As dusk was just beginning to fall, Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, and Li Yuanji appeared at the entrance of the East Courtyard.

They stood in a row from left to right, from tallest to shortest.

As soon as Manager Liu stepped outside, he saw these three, standing there in a damn neat row!
He led the three of them into the house.

"Big Brother!!"

The three of them exchanged greetings together. Li Jiancheng, who was sitting in the seat of honor, shuddered. He had been feeling listless due to exhaustion, but now he was completely awake.

"Everyone, sit down!"

The three brothers sat down with smiles on their faces.

These three brothers, though not on good terms with each other, all liked their eldest brother very much. This was probably because the eldest brother was quite a bit older than them and didn't joke around like the other three, thus maintaining his authority as the eldest brother.

Since they were all brothers, there was no restraint. As soon as they sat down, they started eating and drinking heartily, chatting and laughing.

"Big brother! I was praised by the teacher in class today. The teacher said 'good' four times in a row!"

Li Shimin was the first to start showing off.

"Yes, Not Bad!"

"Big brother! I got praised too, and they even let me see their family's book collection!"

Li Xuanba also chimed in with a boast.

"very good!"

After the two finished speaking, they both looked at the fourth brother, and even the eldest brother's gaze was fixed on him.

Li Yuanji, who was happily munching on a chicken leg, suddenly froze, dropping the leg onto the table, his small eyes filled with confusion.

"what?"

(End of this chapter)