My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 3 You Know a Hammer
This white-haired gentleman was also surnamed Zheng, named Faxian. As an elder in the clan, although he held no official position, he was of very high seniority, and the younger members of the clan dared not be disrespectful to him.

The adults in the Zheng family probably knew what kind of person their child was, so they specially found this strong-willed old scholar.

For prominent families, classical studies are indispensable and must be studied; they should be studied in times of peace and even more so in times of chaos.

Many small tables were arranged side by side in the courtyard, and everyone took their seats.

Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, and Li Yuanji sat in the second row, where servants had prepared books, writing brushes, and ink, placing them on small tables in front of them.

Most of the people present were apprehensive, keeping their heads down to avoid eye contact with Old Man Zheng.

This teacher was quite strict. Although he considered what he taught to be just "early childhood enlightenment," it was actually quite difficult for the children. He used books passed down in the Zheng family for their enlightenment.

Take, for example, the Analects with Collected Explanations, which is currently being explained.

The Zheng family possesses a vast collection of books, all of which are top-secret versions with their own annotations. They have exclusive versions of various texts, including the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Classic of Filial Piety, the Zhongjing, and the Yuefu, demonstrating their deep-rooted family scholarship.

Zheng Faxian swept his gaze across the many students below the stage, making sure that those who tried to avoid him were the ones who had to stand up and answer.

In that instant, his gaze locked onto Li Shimin.

Li Shimin knew something was wrong, but he was still woken up by him.

“Well, a few days ago, I sat here and told you about ‘the benevolent find joy in mountains,’ asking you to go back and ponder the meaning behind it. Now, tell me what meaning you came up with.”

Li Shimin glanced at his younger brother, then looked at Zheng Faxian with a sincere expression, "Sir, as you know, on the day of class, my brother accidentally fell off his horse and injured himself. I've been taking care of him for several days and haven't been able to leave. I really have no choice."

Zheng Faxian rudely interrupted Li Shimin, "Enough!"

He looked at Li Shimin with exceptional disappointment, "You are so intelligent, why are you unwilling to study diligently?"

Li Shimin was prepared to be beaten, but Zheng Faxian did not make a move this time. He just sighed regretfully, "I hope you won't regret it later."

This made Li Shimin feel even worse than if he had been beaten. His face turned red, and he lowered his head, not daring to say a word.

Zheng Faxian then looked at the next disciple and continued to ask questions.

Even the children of the Zheng family didn't answer very well. They either stammered or uttered a bunch of nonsense, showing a very superficial understanding, which was in line with their age, but Zheng Faxian was not satisfied at all.

He always held his disciples to the highest expectations.

He seemed determined not to let anyone off the hook, and began to check each person one by one. When it was Li Yuanji's turn, Li Yuanji pointed at Li Xuanba and quoted Li Shimin's words. However, Zheng Faxian was not disappointed or even surprised. He didn't even wait for Li Yuanji to finish speaking before letting him sit down.

This fellow wasn't disappointed at all; instead, he sat down smugly, winking and making faces at Li Shimin, clearly very happy.

Li Xuanba naturally stood up to answer the question, "Lofty mountains stand tall and majestic, unyielding to wealth and honor; such is what the benevolent find pleasing."

Zheng Faxian frowned again. "Superficial, still superficial! Is this your level?"

"I'll let you off the hook today because you've been recovering from your injuries. But I'll ask you again next time, and if you can't answer... hmph!"

After testing everyone's knowledge, Zheng Faxian flew into a rage, berating them for "leading the worst generation" and "being foolish and ignorant, their minds not on learning." He unleashed a torrent of abuse on everyone for a long, long time before finally getting to today's topic: "transmitting but not creating."

Everyone was so confused by what they heard that they felt dizzy and their eyes were spinning.

After finally enduring the course, Zheng Faxian led the way and left before the rest of the group dared to stand up.

The three brothers gathered together, and Li Yuanji couldn't help but wail, "When will this ever end? I can't understand what he's saying anymore. I don't know why I'm wasting my time here!"

Li Shimin clenched his fists, "You can't say that. Father had his reasons for sending us here. How can we let him lose face? Next time, I will definitely..."

As they were talking, several children from the Zheng family in the distance suddenly burst out laughing.

One of them looked at Li Shimin and said loudly, "Brother Li, there's no need to force it!"

“Studying the classics is an elegant pursuit; some people can learn it, and some cannot. It is different from riding horses and shooting arrows.”

"If they can't learn it, why force them? Wouldn't it be better to tell the adults at home and leave sooner?"

"That's right, why don't we go back to your border region? I've heard there are many great scholars there. We could follow them and learn the classics in the foreign language. That should be much easier to understand!"

"Hahaha~~"

The others also burst into laughter.

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, sizing up the guys in front of him.

Before their arrival, the place was already chaotic enough. The Xingyang Zheng family was an extremely large clan, with its members residing in many counties within the prefecture. Their relationships varied, some were close and some distant, and even those from the same place or the same prefecture had extremely complex relationships.

But when the three brothers arrived, they began to get along well, after all, there was an outsider and a common target to focus their fire on.

This age is inherently restless, and Li Shimin and his group came from afar, specifically from the west. The differences between the two sides in various aspects were enormous, and their perceptions were also different, which led to their constant discord.

The era of powerful clans was not yet over, and the scions of these clans did not hold those of so-called "frontier warriors" in high regard.

Li Yuanji bared his teeth, already rubbing his fists together, ready to make a move, but Li Shimin stopped him, signaling the two brothers to leave with him.

"Are you just going to leave like that? They've practically been pointing their fingers at us and calling us barbarians from the frontier. How can you be afraid?"

Li Yuanji was extremely dissatisfied with his second brother's concession.

"There are too many of them, they'll be left alone."

Li Shimin said calmly.

Li Xuanba, however, said, "Brother, this is inappropriate, inappropriate. Father is an official here and still needs Zheng's help. How can we ruin his plans? Even if we want to retaliate, we should proceed gradually."

Li Shimin neither confirmed nor denied this statement, but noted that his third son was sometimes too cautious, unlike the son of a 'warrior' family.

The three brothers walked out the door, got into the carriage, and soon forgot about what had happened in the courtyard. They began to excitedly talk about their next destination, or more precisely, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji's next destination.

They not only had to study the classics, but also martial arts, including horseback riding and archery.

The two men didn't care much for classics, but they were extremely fond of fine horses and bows. Moreover, the instructors for riding and archery were all trusted men under their father's command, who treated them very well. The soldiers were even willing to play with them. It was a wonderful place, but unfortunately, Li Xuanba couldn't go. With his physique, which made him breathless after walking just a few steps, he couldn't handle such strenuous work as riding horses and shooting arrows.

He could only look at the two brothers with envy, listening to their stories of "shooting an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces," and then he gripped the jade pendant at his waist tightly.

The carriage first returned to the side gate of his house. Li Xuanba got out of the carriage, and Duan Niang was waiting for him with a smile. Just as she was about to say a few words of praise, Li Xuanba spoke first.

"Duan Niang, can I go with them to learn horseback riding and archery?"

"no!"

This time, Duan Niang was very determined.

Li Xuanba quickly explained, "I feel much better."

"That's not OK!"

Seeing Li Xuanba's dejected expression, Duan Niang softened her tone, "Even if you recover, it will take time. How could you be fully healed in a day? You have to eat one bite at a time, don't rush it, you'll be fine sooner or later."

Li Xuanba nodded without saying a word.

"We'll come find you later, and bring you some arrows!"

Li Shimin smiled and waved to his younger brother. The carriage, filled with laughter, quickly disappeared into the distance. As the laughter faded, only Li Xuanba's solitary figure remained.

He continued to watch the departing carriage with envy for a long, long time.

He turned and walked into the courtyard, his head down, repeatedly touching the jade pendant, muttering to himself, "If my illness is cured, I will also go riding horses and shooting arrows."

"I can also hit a bullseye from a hundred paces away."

"if."

Her petite figure walked into the winding, quiet path while muttering to herself.

Meanwhile, in the main room of the front courtyard, Li Jiancheng was meeting with a distinguished guest.

The young and handsome Li Jiancheng sat in the seat of honor, with Steward Liu standing to his right.

A middle-aged man sat to his left. The man was tall and slender, but his face was full of vicissitudes, and he really had the air of a master.

He seemed to be a rather arrogant person, but judging from his clothes, his living conditions were probably not very good.

Manager Liu explained, “Young master, we were unable to find the Master Ziyang you requested. Instead, we found this Master Yantong. His surname is Liu, and his given name is Xuan. He is from the same clan as me. He has studied the classics diligently since childhood and is well-read. He is a renowned scholar and is considered the foremost Confucian scholar in the North. Therefore, his hometown calls him Master Yantong, saying that he is proficient in everything.”

Hearing that he hadn't been able to find that expert, Li Jiancheng was somewhat disappointed, but then he stared at the 'expert' in front of him again.

Putting everything else aside, his appearance and demeanor really do seem like those of a master. Moreover, Manager Liu is not one to speak carelessly. Could he also be a prodigy?

Just as Li Jiancheng was sizing up the other party, Steward Liu added, "Lord Liu used to be a scholar in the imperial court. He only recently returned and started teaching in the local area, instructing many disciples."

After a few brief introductions and pleasantries, Li Jiancheng finally got to the point.

"Lord Liu".

Do you know anything about hammers?

"what???"

Before being invited to the prefect's residence, Liu Xuan had thought about many things. He thought that the other party would be worried about his reputation, after all, he had been imprisoned for fabricating books in his early years.

I also thought that the other party might ask why I was demoted, and I was afraid of rumors about me being greedy or immoral.

But I never expected that the other party would directly humiliate me.

You called me here just for this?

Seeing the other party's expression change, Li Jiancheng quickly explained, "Please don't misunderstand. What I mean is that I want to find a master for my younger brother so that he can learn martial arts and how to use a hammer. That's why I'm asking this question."

Liu Xuan's face turned as red as blood in an instant.

Learning martial arts? Teaching people how to use a hammer?
He was trembling with rage. If it weren't for the other person's status, he would have really wanted to hit him with a hammer and teach him how to use a hammer.

This is deliberately humiliating me!

Manager Liu was also stunned at this moment, his eyes wide open.

"Young master? Martial arts?? You're not a young master! Third Young Master is frail and sickly, how could he possibly learn martial arts?!"

When he heard Li Jiancheng say he wanted to find a teacher for Li Xuanba, he only thought about academic subjects and never considered martial arts. Besides, who the hell practices martial arts with a hammer? Aren't they supposed to practice riding and archery? And how could a great scholar like Liu Xuan possibly use a hammer?

This has really offended Liu Xuan. After all, Liu Xuan is a renowned Confucian scholar. This is bad!

Manager Liu was now filled with deep regret.

Li Jiancheng frowned. "He'll recover sooner or later. None of you can see his potential. Just do as I said and look for someone. As long as we can find someone capable of teaching him martial arts, even if it costs a hundred or a thousand gold pieces, it's worth it! I will never go back on my word!"

"Cough cough."

Then a soft cough was heard from the side.

Li Jiancheng turned around.

Liu Xuan's eyes were shining, and he was full of energy, showing no trace of his previous dejection and weariness.

He flicked his sleeves and struck a majestic pose.

"Actually, I also know about hammers!"

"He was most skilled with a hammer in his life."

(End of this chapter)