My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 21 The Rebel Leader
The next day.

The sky was not yet fully bright, and the moon's blurry outline was still visible.

The streets were deserted.

Liu Chounu, carrying a bundle on his back, was walking briskly towards the Li residence.

Normally, the city would be awakening around this time, and everyone would be busy. But now, the city is somewhat frightening. As far as the eye can see, the roads are deserted, and you can't even hear the barking of dogs.

Liu Chounu learned the news last night that the Third Prince was short of a personal attendant and was being asked to go and fill in.

This greatly surprised Liu Chounu. Although Liu Chounu looked strong, he was already an old man. He was fifty-eight years old. If he lived for another two years, he would be sixty years old, which was considered advanced age.

Sanlangjun was the most favored one in the mansion. Whether it was the head of the family, the mistress, or even the young master Jiancheng, they all showed him great favor.

Yes, it's also because he was frail and sickly from a young age.

If such a beloved young man wanted to serve as a servant, the person in charge of the household would surely arrange the best for him. Why would they let an old man like him serve as a servant?

Liu Chounu couldn't understand it.

He was not a big shot; he was just an ordinary soldier in his youth who fought against the Eastern bandits and was lucky enough to survive the battlefield.

However, he injured his hand during a quelling of an internal rebellion and could no longer draw his bow and shoot arrows. Fortunately, the old master was kind and kept him by his side, and many years have passed since then.

I don't know why Young Master Jiancheng would ask me to be the attendant of the Third Prince.

He was supposed to go to the Li residence last night, but he wanted to hand over the responsibility of guarding the orchard to his successor before leaving. However, it was almost dawn today and the person still hadn't arrived. Helpless, Liu Chounu had no choice but to come to the residence to report first.

Most of the servants knew him, and soon someone led him to Sanlangjun's residence.

At this moment, it was still quiet here, and it seemed that Sanlangjun had not yet gotten up.

Liu Chounu then stood at the door and waited.

After waiting for a long time, we finally heard sounds coming from inside.

Liu Chounu then called out "Third Master".

A moment later, Duan Niang opened the door and saw Liu Chounu. Duan Niang was quite polite to her, as if she already knew about the matter of the servant.

Liu Chounu followed her into the courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw all sorts of things displayed there: straw figures, light armor, wooden hammers, and more.
I had only heard that Sanlangjun was fond of reading and physically weak, but I never expected that he was also quite fond of martial arts.

However, Liu Chounu was not surprised. As disciples of the frontier, almost none of them were not good at martial arts; riding and archery were basic standards for them.

When he entered the room, he smelled a strong medicinal odor.

Li Xuanba stood up happily.

"Old Liu."

"Sanlang-kun!"

Liu Chounu bowed.

"Haven't you eaten yet? Aunt Duan, could you bring some food?"

"No need, no need. I brought some cakes with me, how could I dare to eat with you, my lord?"

"Why not? My father always eats with his servants!"

The Li family didn't have many rules. Li Yuan was usually quite easygoing with his servants. In fact, he was easygoing with most people, and he was very good at making friends. His second son was very similar to him in some ways.

Liu Chounu ate his meal cautiously, glancing at the Third Young Master in front of him from time to time.

He seemed somewhat restrained at that moment.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke.

"Third Master, I was suddenly informed yesterday that I would be appointed as your personal attendant. I am already quite old, and I really don't know what I can do."

Li Xuanba thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Old man, you may not know this, but I am most fond of martial arts. I am currently learning from my teacher and I lack experience. I have long heard that you are an elite warrior who has made many contributions in the past, so I wanted you to stay by my side to help me fill in the gaps in my knowledge."

Hearing this, Liu Chounu breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled, revealing his old, gap-toothed smile, "Then I know what to do. I am honored by your high regard, and I will certainly speak frankly and without reservation from now on."

Li Xuanba's appetite has increased significantly, and he can eat more each day.

Duan Niang no longer cared about his martial arts training. If martial arts could really improve his health, then he should practice more!
She happily added more vegetables and meat to Li Xuanba's plate, while Li Xuanba just kept his head down and ate heartily.

Old Liu was stunned. He couldn't believe that this skinny guy could eat so much!
After finishing his meal, Li Xuanba went to read and do his homework. He was busy for a long time when Liu Xuan arrived, and then he began practicing martial arts.

For Li Xuanba, practicing martial arts is now the most important thing. Since he started practicing martial arts, the frequency of his illness has decreased, he sleeps better, eats more, and his mental state and all aspects are getting better and better.

Liu Xuan saw things most clearly. At first, when Li Jiancheng said that this guy was a potential general, Liu Xuan thought that Li Jiancheng wanted to murder his younger brother. But now it seems that this kid probably really has some talent.

This guy has changed a lot, he's different every day. Whether it's running or throwing the hammer, he's improving at an exaggerated rate.

This put immense pressure on Liu Xuan. If he didn't have any talent, that would be one thing, but if he did have talent, he absolutely mustn't let it be ruined by me!

When Li Xuanba stopped to rest, panting, Old Man Liu kindly wiped his sweat.

Old Liu glanced at Liu Xuan again and couldn't help but think to himself: This man is really not to be judged by his appearance. He looks like a pale-faced fat man, but he is really good at training!
He whispered to Li Xuanba, "My lord, when you run later, you must pay attention to your breathing. If your breathing becomes erratic, you won't be able to run. Also..."

The two were talking in hushed tones when Liu Xuan suddenly opened his eyes.

"What are you talking about?!"

Li Xuanba quickly replied, "Master, this old man Liu is a former soldier, an elite soldier in the army. He was just teaching me the secret to running."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xuan suddenly felt a little timid.

Could it be that I've run into an expert? This whole thing I've been doing is just a haphazard attempt; what if they figure it out?
Just as he hesitated, Old Man Liu looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

"Master Liu's teaching is truly excellent! When I was young, the army trained in the same way—running back and forth, ramming, and throwing hammers. We also threw shields back then. Nowadays, the young men come up right away and learn riding and archery, underestimating these basics. As a result, they can ride horses, but after only half an hour, they feel unbearable pain and dare not ride anymore. They can also shoot arrows, but after only four or five shots, their arms ache and they dare not shoot anymore."

"Back then, which of those fierce warriors in the army who were skilled in horsemanship and archery didn't start by practicing running in formation, throwing stones, and wielding axes?"

"They just don't understand this principle; Lord Liu is far more astute!"

Liu Xuan was taken aback.

Um? ?

Could it be that I truly possess martial arts talent?
He cleared his throat. "Yes, old man, you're right. Few of these young men these days can endure hardship. Xuanba is one of the few who can. I trained him using the old methods from the military, but Xuanba is still young, so I simplified a lot of things."

"I can see that, I can see that. If you need to practice together, please don't hesitate to ask. Although I am old, I can still help."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Looking at Liu Xuan's arrogant expression, Liu Chounu could only sigh again: He is truly a master!
After completing his training for the day, Li Xuanba asked Liu Chounu to take him out.

Now that he has attendants, Li Xuanba can finally leave the house without asking anyone for help.

There were quite a few carriages in the manor, so Li Xuanba didn't need to ask his elder brother for permission; he could just tell the steward.

Li Xuanba instructed Old Man Liu to drive the carriage towards the orchard.

As the carriage traveled along the road, Li Xuanba leaned out to look around.

He didn't know what had become of Zhang Sengyuan and his men, whether they had escaped or managed to reach the place he had told them about.

When they arrived at the orchard, the young man had already taken over Old Man Liu's position and become the new guard.

He was quite frustrated with the appointment, and when he saw Li Xuanba, he began to complain, hoping that Li Xuanba could say a few words for him to the young master so that he could do some other work.

Inside the orchard, Li Xuanba found no more footprints, nothing at all.

He then had Liu Chounu drive the carriage to the location of the secret passage.

But the place remained empty, without a soul in sight.

Hopefully they have escaped safely.

At the foot of Buffalo Mountain.

Zhang Sengyuan stood on a high place, holding a broken knife. In front of him were dozens of people dressed in tattered clothes.

Zhang Sengyuan pointed into the distance and said, "Gentlemen, we plan to build a village in the mountains so that we can live there temporarily!"

"If you are willing to follow us, then you must abide by our rules!"

"We are not thieves! We don't do anything immoral!"

"And the reason we saved you from this attack on the officials was because of our leader's orders. Our leader said that we should help the other innocent people!"

"We do not plunder the people, we do not kill or set fires, we only fight the government officials and rescue our brothers in distress!"

"If you are willing to abide by this, you will all be brothers of my Qingzao Village from now on!"

(End of this chapter)