My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 10 Regret, I shouldn't have done it in the first place.
The three brothers skipped and hopped along the street, enjoying the most wonderful happiness in the world.

Li Shimin's several attendants followed at a distance behind them, not daring to get too close.

Once he left home and school, Li Shimin became like a wild horse. He charged ahead, shouting at the top of his lungs, his voice seemingly drowning out the entire street. He didn't care at all, shouting, jumping, and occasionally uttering a few lines of music he'd heard from who-knows-where.

Li Xuanba looked around, feeling quite astonished.

His mother and older brother had taken him out before, so he was not unfamiliar with the city.

However, the streets in his memory are not like they are now.

He remembers that when he used to go out with his family, the city was quite lively, with people coming and going, old and young, men and women. You could often see vendors carrying goods and hawking their wares. They would boast about their goods to anyone they met and even make up auspicious sayings to make people laugh.

You can see the servant standing at the door, soliciting customers and praising him to everyone he meets.

Sometimes, you can even see some Hu people driving livestock through, and they also sell some strange trinkets and toys.

But now, this road leading to the south of the city is completely empty.

On the road, apart from Li Shimin's voice, nothing else could be heard. The doors of the houses along the road were tightly closed, as if they were locked up. The vendors and servants were nowhere to be seen. Occasionally, three or four constables could be seen walking quickly by, and a few carriages would pass by in a hurry. After walking for a long time, one could barely see one or two people, and they were all just hurrying on their way without stopping.

"The city isn't as fun as it used to be; nobody goes out anymore."

"The year before last was so much better, you guys have no idea, back then..."

Li Shimin boasted about his past experiences, leaving Li Yuanji stunned. Li Xuanba simply looked around quietly, remaining silent.

Li Shimin suddenly tugged at him, then put his arm around his neck and pointed to the empty street in front of him.

Then I heard him laugh and say, "See? This is what it means for the wise to find joy in water and the benevolent to find joy in mountains!"

"The wise are as soft as water, flowing wherever it is lowest, only daring to bully those weaker than themselves! The benevolent are as rigid as mountains, closing their eyes, sitting there, doing nothing, caring about nothing!"

"That's why there's a next line: 'The wise are happy, the benevolent live long.' The wise bully others every day, so they must be happy. The benevolent do nothing, so they must live a long life!"

Li Yuanji secretly leaned closer, listened to his words, and slowly nodded, remembering that he would answer the same way next time he was asked!
Li Shimin let go of his younger brother, saying, "Don't keep a long face when you're out having fun, be happy."

"With so many wise and capable people in the court, is it any of your business, a mere child, to worry about matters of state?"

"Whether it's the canal or the Great Wall, they'll be completed sooner or later. Once they're finished, things will naturally be different. Besides, I've heard that once the canal is built, it will irrigate a lot of farmland and shorten many journeys, which will be of great benefit."

Li Xuanba nodded hesitantly.

The three brothers walked for a long time before reaching their destination. The road there was not smooth, and there were small houses in both places. In the distance, they could see a small ditch and a narrow wooden bridge that could only be crossed by one person at a time. Further west, they could see many orchards, but there was no fruit to eat at this time of year.

Their family owns a small house nearby, but they don't go there often.

The brothers began to seriously search for toads, but at this time, it seemed that these things were not easy to find. Li Shimin and Li Yuanji searched for a long time, and Li Xuanba also looked around, but found nothing. They did find a few small insects, but Li Yuanji stomped them to death.

"Wait here for a moment, let's cross the bridge and take a look over there."

The wooden bridge was somewhat unstable, and Li Shimin was still not entirely comfortable letting his younger brother cross it.

Li Shimin took Yuanji to the other side to search, and the servants had no choice but to follow.

Li Xuanba stood in the shade, looking around. Even though he hadn't caught the toad, he was still happy. He enjoyed this life outside. He picked up some pretty stones and collected them.

Just then, a person suddenly rushed out from the alley to the south behind him.

The man didn't look very old, about the same age as the older brother. He was dressed in rags, covered in dust, and looked terrified.

Upon seeing Li Xuanba, he became even more frightened and quickly rushed towards the alleyway across the street.

Li Xuanba stood there stunned. Everything had happened so fast that he barely had time to react.

He stood there stunned for a moment, then cautiously looked into the alley. It was a dead end, impossible to cross. Just then, the sound of barking came from the south. Li Xuanba turned his head and saw a man who looked like a constable leading a large dog rushing out from the narrow alley.

The large dog barked incessantly. The constable glared fiercely at his surroundings, and upon seeing Li Xuanba, he looked him up and down before softening his expression. He asked in a foreign accent:

"Sir, did anyone pass by just now?"

"It looks like someone passed by and headed towards the city."

The official turned around, glanced into the distance, and then began to mutter curses under his breath. Li Xuanba only understood part of what he said.

The officer did not continue the pursuit, but led his dog back the way they came.

Li Xuanba watched the man and dog disappear into the distance, then looked again at the alley to the north.

“That road is blocked. They’ve already left. Come out.” A moment later, the man from before cautiously poked his head out, panting. He looked at Li Xuanba and quickly bowed his head, “Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!”

"Who are you? A fugitive? Or a dead man?"

"No, no, sir, I am just a farmer. I came from Henan Prefecture and was conscripted to work on a canal in the north. I arrived here yesterday, and many people fled, so I fled with them. I still have elderly parents at home."

After saying a few words, the man burst into tears.

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanba sighed helplessly.

"You'd better hurry up and leave, or you won't be able to escape if someone sees you later."

"Okay, thank you, thank you."

As the man spoke, he turned around and looked ahead. He hesitated several times, wanting to leave, but his expression was blank, as if he had no idea where to go.

Li Xuanba cleared his throat and muttered to himself, "This place is so boring. I should have walked west along the alley, turned right after walking five miles, and there's an orchard there. No one watches over it at night, and I could eat some dates and have water to drink. It's much better than here."

The young man trembled, then immediately realized what he had done. "Thank you so much for your great kindness! I will never forget it!"

He stared intently at Li Xuanba, looking him up and down as if trying to memorize his appearance, before quickly fleeing the scene.

"Got it! Got it!"

Li Yuanji's shouts came from afar. Li Xuanba turned around and saw Li Yuanji running towards him, showing off the prey in his hands.

They played for a long time, and then returned home accompanied by their entourage.

Li Shimin and Li Yuanji are not practicing martial arts today. They only go every few days; no one could stand going every day.

Li Shimin returned home, closed the door, and began to bury himself in his studies.

He wasn't jealous of his brother; he just wanted to prove himself.

When Li Xuanba returned, Liu Xuan had been waiting for him for a long time.

Li Xuanba felt a little embarrassed. He had been having too much fun outside and had forgotten that he had a teacher waiting for him.

Fortunately, Liu Xuan didn't blame him at all. Why complain about such an easy job?

Li Xuanba began his training today, which was no different from yesterday. However, with yesterday's experience, Liu Xuan's plan for him was much more detailed, with arrangements made for everything from rest time to the duration of each run.

After resting and running for about eight laps, Liu Xuan called him over, ready to teach him the exquisite hammer technique.

"Lift it up and throw it forward!"

"Okay, pick it up."

"Lift it up and throw it forward!"

The exquisite hammering technique Liu Xuan mentioned involved throwing the wooden hammer as far as possible.

If he dared to teach the second or fourth son like this, trouble would surely ensue. The second son might complain, and the fourth son might smash his clothes. But the third son is different. This silly boy is easy to talk to. Right now, he is happily repeating the operation without complaining or questioning. He is getting happier and happier as he practices.

After completing the day's training, Li Xuanba's hands were sore that he could barely use them, and his whole body was soaked in sweat again, as if he had just jumped into the water.

But his spirits were getting better and better.

"I will diligently learn the exquisite hammering techniques taught by my teacher!"

Looking at this guy's sincere face and those shining eyes, Liu Xuan felt a little uncomfortable.

He simply waved his hand, "I should rest tomorrow; I'll come back the day after."

Li Xuanba escorted his teacher all the way out.

Stepping out of the gate, Liu Xuan let out a long, helpless sigh. He walked quickly towards the carriage, his hands behind his back, muttering to himself:

"Where can we find a proper way to use a hammer for this brat?"

"Troublesome, so troublesome."

"I shouldn't have been greedy for this money."

"I regret it..."

(End of this chapter)