My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 16 Not Harming the Innocent
"Going out again?"

Duan Niang looked at Li Xuanba in front of her with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, I'm planning to go to the South Courtyard to host a banquet for some friends."

"A banquet?"

Duan Niang was startled. She quickly said, "Xuan Ba, hosting a banquet is not an easy thing. It requires a long time to prepare and is very expensive. There is no reason to invite someone so suddenly. If you really want to host a banquet for your friends, I will find a way."

"No need. We'll just take a walk in the orchard, chat about important matters, and pick some dates to eat."

"Oh"

Duan Niang was relieved and nodded with a smile, "Alright, will they come to pick you up? Is there anything you need to bring?"

Li Xuanba thought for a moment and replied, "If we have any at home, then let's bring some food, like flatbread or something."

"Baked flatbread? Xuanba, is this appropriate for the Zheng family?"

"It's better than bringing nothing at all. I'll just bring some food. If they don't eat it, I'll bring it back."

Although Duan Niang didn't quite understand, she still prepared it for him.

After taking his things, Li Xuanba headed to Li Yuanji's residence.

When the fourth brother learned that the third brother was going to take him on a trip, he was overjoyed and kept calling him "Third Brother".

He's always been like this. He's very reserved when he's with the eldest brother, but when he's with the second and third brothers, it depends on the situation. He'll only call them "elder brother" if he needs something from them, but if he doesn't find it interesting, he'll just call them by their names.

Li Xuanba currently has no personal attendants. Given their age, they are not allowed to go out on their own without someone to pick them up. Fortunately, Li Yuanji has someone on his side, the same person from yesterday. Chen Shanyi trusts Li Xuanba quite a bit, but he also repeatedly reminded him to keep an eye on the fourth brother.

The two brothers sat in the car. Li Yuanji looked at the package, then at the road outside, quite puzzled.

"If we're going to steal fruit from the South Courtyard, why do we need to bring food with us?"

"Of course it works."

"When we get to the South Courtyard, you stay outside and keep watch while I go in to get something. If anyone comes, shout something loudly."

Hearing Li Yuanba's words, Li Yuanji was suddenly moved.

Third Brother is better than Shimin.

In the past, when he went to the South Courtyard with Shimin, Shimin would act as a lookout outside while he went in to steal, so he was usually the one who got caught. Li Yuanji said solemnly and seriously, "Third Brother, you can go in and steal with peace of mind. With me outside, I will never let that old man Liu Chounu catch you!"

Li Yuanji wasn't cursing; it's just that the old man he was guarding really did have that name.

Speaking of Liu Chounu, Li Yuanji was filled with anger.

"That old Hu, if it weren't for my father taking him in, he would have been beaten to death long ago. Now he's so rude to us, thinking he's some kind of human being just a gatekeeper of a shabby orchard. He even dared to hit me!! If you ask me, we should think of a way to get rid of this old Hu."

Li Yuanji's complaints never ended, but they had already reached their destination.

Li Xuanba got off the carriage with his belongings. Li Yuanji was afraid that the carriage would arouse suspicion, so he specifically asked the driver to drive further away and hide it well. He said that if they were discovered, he would be punished. The honest man was quite frightened and nodded repeatedly.

Li Yuanji stayed here, while Li Xuanba moved closer to the courtyard wall.

However, he didn't climb over the wall. Instead, he walked along the courtyard wall. Li Yuanji stood at a distance, glancing at him a few times but not paying much attention. After all, if anyone got caught, it would be him.
Li Xuanba walked along the courtyard wall all the way to the main gate.

"Old man!!"

"Old Liu!"

Li Xuanba called out twice, and a moment later, Liu Chounu quickly walked out the door. When he saw Li Xuanba, he was quite surprised. Why did he come for two days in a row?

Li Xuanba took out a baked flatbread from his package and handed it to the other person.

"I brought food for my father-in-law."

"Oh dear, why must you do this, Third Brother?"

"This is your own orchard. You can go in and eat whenever you want, just don't try to climb over the wall like your brother did. You don't need to bring me any food."

"You guard this place all alone; it must be very arduous."

Liu Chounu chuckled as he put away the cakes, then muttered to himself, "I'm used to it, I'm used to it. It's quite comfortable. No one bothers me. I can go back to sleep when it gets dark and come here to sit when it gets light. It's not so bad."

"I feel bad for bothering you for the past two days." "It's nothing. Even if you came every day, Third Brother, it would be fine. My parents passed away early, and we couldn't save our children. I'm all alone now. I wish you could come every day, Third Brother, so we could talk to each other!"

Liu Chounu invited Li Xuanba into the orchard, without asking about the package or anything else, simply pointing him in a few directions before staying there.

He discovered signs of someone's presence yesterday, in the direction Sanlangjun had gone. He figured Sanlangjun had probably invited some friends, but it wouldn't be appropriate to bring them in through the main gate. However, as he said, this was his home, and he wanted to invite his friends in for a meal. Liu Chounu wouldn't stop him. Besides, Sanlangjun was always very kind to people.

Li Xuanba walked cautiously through the garden, and after a long while, he arrived at the place where he had been the day before. He looked back and then cautiously called out, "Are you still there?"

"Benefactor!"

Several people got up from a distance. They were in even worse condition than yesterday, covered in dust and mud. They quickly got up and surrounded Li Xuanba. Li Xuanba smiled and unpacked the package, sharing the food with them.

Zhang Sengyuan bowed repeatedly in thanks and then joined the others in eating heartily.

After they finished their ravenous meal, Li Xuanba carefully took out a map and laid it out in front of them.

Zhang Sengyuan was taken aback. "A map?"

"Can you understand?"

"I can't understand it, but I can read."

It's clear that among these people, Zhang Sengyuan's family background is the best, which can be seen from his name. The others are all named Da Zu, Hei Lian, or simply Da, Er, or San. Only his name is quite unique.

However, no matter how wealthy they were, they couldn't withstand the continuous forced labor.

Li Xuanba then explained to him, "You see, it's impossible for you to escape back to your hometown right now. People are arresting the dead everywhere, and if you get caught, you'll die. No matter which direction you go, you'll die anyway. There's only one way out right now."

"right here!"

"Wild Buffalo Mountain!"

Li Xuanba spent a full hour with Li Shimin today. Li Shimin was completely different from Liu Xuan; he didn't talk about empty words but focused on practical matters. His words gave Li Xuanba great inspiration.

“Bison Mountain has a water source that is not easily cut off. It is rugged on three sides, making it difficult for cavalry to advance. This side is a dense forest. Even if there were hundreds of people, let alone just a few of you, it would be difficult to find them if they hid inside. Most importantly, there are herds of bison here, as well as plenty of wild vegetables and fruits.”

"Once the number of officials searching has decreased, we can set off from the westernmost part of Buffalo Mountain and follow the mountain path. You see, there's only one checkpoint on this road, and we can also bypass it using the side paths on either side."

Li Xuanba spoke with utmost seriousness, leaving the others listening in stunned silence.

Only Zhang Sengyuan was diligently memorizing these things.

"Yes, and also, I've already found out how to get out of the city for you. Look."

Li Xuanba took out another map, which was much simpler. It was about the small road leading out of the city. He carefully explained the location of the road and the appearance of the tunnel to the people in front of him.

"You'd better set off tonight, get out of here, and head straight for Wild Buffalo Mountain. Someone will be here soon. The longer you delay, the worse it will be."

Zhang Sengyuan took a deep breath, looked at Li Xuanba in front of him, hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"My benefactor, may we know your name? If I survive this ordeal, I will repay your kindness with my life; if I perish, I will serve you like a slave in my next life."

"No need for that, my name is Li Xuanba."

"Mr. Li!"

Zhang Sengyuan led the crowd in a solemn bow to Li Xuanba.

"We will never forget your kindness!!"

"I never imagined that there would be such a living bodhisattva as you in Xingyang County. With your benevolence, Heaven will surely protect you."

Li Xuanba helped him up. "Alas, there is only one thing I want to entrust to you."

"Please speak, sir!"

"Never steal, never harm the innocent. If you encounter people as pitiful as you, lend them a helping hand."

Zhang Sengyuan frowned and pointed to the sky.

"We swear to Heaven that we will obey the orders of the virtuous man and will never harm the innocent!"

(End of this chapter)