Chapter 34: Clinging to Death (Middle)

  Twelve laps, a distance of over 7,000 meters, is not an easy feat to accomplish, at least for Li Xian himself. It can be said that it was an unprecedented achievement, and it's no wonder that he would be exhausted. However, in the eyes of others, it's enough to make one anxious. But Li Xian himself didn't mind at all, on the contrary, he had a subtle excitement, because he had learned from Old Man Su that Li Baoyu was the only person in the Li family who had inherited the Li Jing military strategy.

  Li Jing, a military god of the Tang Dynasty, was praised by Emperor Gaozong as one of the top ten famous generals from ancient times to the present. He was compared with Sun Wu and Bai Qi, two of the most renowned generals in history. His learning was not ordinary, and many famous generals of the early Tang Dynasty received his guidance, including Su Dingfang, who was like a half-disciple to him. However, others like Hou Junji and Xue Wantche, who were also famous generals but were executed for treason, did not manage to obtain Li Jing's true transmission. As for Li Jing's two sons, Li Dequan and Li Deguang, they didn't even inherit his military strategies, let alone learn from him, as they had abandoned martial pursuits for literary ones. This shows how cautious Li Jing was in passing down his military tactics. His ancestors were all Buddhists, but he himself believed in Taoism, which says that being a general for three generations is a great taboo. Military tactics should not be passed down to the world carelessly, but rather should be reserved for those with affinity.

  It's clear that Li Baiyu is the destined person, and in this sense, if he can worship Li Baiyu as his master, there is hope to pass on the "Weigong Bingfa". Just thinking about it makes Li Xian drool with excitement. His mood is naturally exhilarated, and no matter how tired he is, it's worth it. Of course, that's what people say, but the fatigue is real. Poor Li Xian has never been so exhausted in his life, his small body almost fell apart, and as soon as he returned to the house, he fell asleep, sleeping from dusk till dawn without waking up. No matter how much Yan Hong and other maids called him, Li Xian just lay in bed, forgetting his own promise to get up early before sleep. Seeing that this was not working, Yan Hong and others finally brought out their ultimate move.

  "Hmm, haha, hey..."

  Li Xian was in a daze when he suddenly felt a strange sensation, his nose itched, his face hurt, and there was an inexplicable noise in his ears. He couldn't help but feel annoyed, and angrily opened his eyes to see a pair of big black eyes curiously staring at him. His anger dissipated instantly, and he thought to himself that the only person who dared to disturb him like this was Shangguan Wan'er. Li Xian could only sigh in resignation and stretched out his hand from under the covers to try and push the little girl away.

  "Wooo, hehe..."

  The little girl was addicted to pinching Li Xian's face, and was now digging into his nose and ears with glee. When she saw Li Xian wanted to hug her, she became very displeased, twisting her small body and making a series of indistinct protesting sounds, causing Li Xian to be at a loss and not daring to use force. He could only let the little girl continue to wreak havoc on his face, which was scrunched up in distress. The sight of him looking so helpless made all the maids, including Yan Hong, laugh so hard they were doubled over.

  "This group of dead girls, they deserve to be beaten! Li Xian knew he was being made a fool of by the maids, but he had no way to vent his anger. Who let him spoil Shangguan Wan'er so much? In his frustration, he could only roll his eyes and speak in a bad temper: "Yanhong, Wan'er is hungry, hurry up and send Lin's wife over, quickly."

  "Your Highness, it's getting late, Wan'er has eaten enough already. It's you who still needs to go to the Weiguo Gongfu, I'm afraid you won't have time for dinner." Yanhong had been serving Li Xian for a long time and knew that he was just making excuses, so she teased him with a smile. However, while teasing, Yanhong didn't slow down, and with a smile, she walked to the bed, coaxed and carried Wan'er up.

  Damn it, almost missed the big thing! Li Xian only remembered his appointment with Li Bo Yao yesterday, and in a hurry, he didn't care about anything else. He lifted the quilt, turned over and got up quickly, but he didn't expect that the soreness from running laps yesterday had not dissipated yet. With one big movement, his body lost control, and he fell straight to the ground, scaring Cui Liu and the other maids into cries of alarm.

  "Hurry, hurry, help me change my clothes, prepare the carriage for Gao Miao, I'm leaving right away!" Although he fell off his horse and was in great pain, Li Xian couldn't care less as he sat on the ground, shouting orders one after another.

  Li Xian was so anxious that he wanted to fly to the Wei Guo Gong Fu immediately, but the maids refused to let him go easily and forced him to change his clothes, take a bath, and have a full breakfast before letting him leave. By the time he arrived at the Wei Guo Gong Fu outside the south city, it was almost noon.

  "What's wrong, ill?"

  Li Xian waited outside the gate of Weiguo Gong's mansion for half a day, and only got a sentence from the doorkeeper who had gone to report the matter - "Weiguo Gong Li Dexiu is ill, please forgive him for not receiving guests." This far-fetched reason made Li Xian furious. He glared at the terrified manager of the Li mansion with cold eyes and hummed a cold snort.

  "As for the master's condition, he suddenly felt unwell last night and went to bed early this morning. The doctor has seen him and said it was due to overwork, so he needs rest and should not exert himself. Please forgive him, Your Highness." Facing Li Xian's anger, the steward of the Li household was slightly flustered but did not change his words, smiling apologetically as he replied.

  I'm going to go, not sick in the morning or evening, but got sick at this critical moment, how ridiculous! Li Xian is such a clever person, how could he believe that manager's nonsense? However, it's clear that Li Xian can't expose him directly, so he had no choice but to retreat and compromise. He furrowed his brow and gave the manager a sideways glance, saying in a cold tone: "Since Li Shaoyou is ill, I don't want to disturb him. Can I see Li Sijie instead?"

  "It's unfortunate that you've come at this time, sir. Yesterday, we received a letter from the second master saying that the second mistress is ill, and the third young master rushed to Longzhou yesterday. It will take some days for him to return." The steward of the Li household smiled wryly and came up with an even more absurd explanation.

  Alright, you want to play hide and seek with me? Well, it's not that easy. Do you think you can outrun the monk and the temple? Li Xian heard this and burst out laughing, but he didn't bother to argue with a servant. He thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I see, it's all because young Wang arrived too suddenly and caused a commotion." As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and headed towards the carriage, giving orders in a cold tone: "Let's go back to the palace!"

  Gaozong's physical condition had always been poor, and after contracting a dizzying illness in recent years, his health had deteriorated further. Every day after noon, he would fall into a deep sleep, sleeping for at least an hour before waking up. If his sleep was disturbed mid-way, he would be out of sorts for several days afterwards. This was well-known among the high-ranking officials in court, so no one dared to disturb Gaozong's rest during this time period. Li Xian was no exception, but when he stormed back to the Wei State Duke's residence, he had forgotten about this matter until he hastily arrived at the Chentian Gate and suddenly remembered it. Poor Li Xian had to suppress his urge to have an audience and waited patiently in his sedan chair for over half a time period before estimating that Gaozong should be awake by then. He then hurriedly submitted his card, and within moments, a eunuch arrived to summon Li Xian to the Wude Hall for an audience.

  "Your son has arrived to pay his respects to Your Majesty."

  Li Xiangang and his entourage entered the inner hall of the Wude Temple, where they saw Emperor Gaozong sitting pale-faced on a couch. They hastily rushed forward to pay their respects with repeated deep bows.

  "Xian'er is here, calm down, what's wrong?"

  Gaozong's dizziness had just had a slight relapse, and at this time his complexion was very poor. However, as soon as he saw Li Xian arrive, a warm smile still appeared on his haggard face, and he raised his hand to signal Li Xian to calm down.

  "Your Majesty, I have nothing important to say, just came to ask about your health. Your Majesty's body is important, I...” Li Xian handed over the token without knowing that Emperor Gaozong had another attack of his illness. After asking the eunuch who came to announce the imperial edict, he learned the inside story and didn't want to bother Emperor Gaozong with the matter of becoming a master at this time. However, since the imperial edict had already been issued, he had no choice but to enter the palace to pay his respects. At this moment, seeing Emperor Gaozong's face as white as paper made him feel very uneasy. He decided not to mention the main topic and planned to ask about his health and then leave. As for the matter of becoming a master, it could only be postponed for a while, and this matter was not urgent anyway.

  "Foolish child, this illness of mine is not something that happened overnight, it's nothing serious. Now, what is it that you want me to help with?" Gaozong was somewhat weak-willed, but he wasn't stupid. As soon as he heard Li Xian's words, he knew that he was hiding something and couldn't help but laugh. He waved his hand, cutting off Li Xian's words, and asked directly:

  "Your Majesty is wise and enlightened, I dare not deceive you. Yesterday, I visited the Left Valiant Guard and was fortunate enough to be favored by General Su, who gave me the opportunity to observe the martial skills of various generals. The impressive display truly broadened my horizons, and I am grateful that our great Tang Dynasty has so many strong and renowned generals. After being deeply inspired, my desire for military pursuits grew even stronger. Among them, I saw a general named Li Bo Yao, whose military strategy surpassed others. My heart was drawn to him, and I wanted to ask him to be my teacher. However, unexpectedly, this person turned out to be the descendant of Wei Gong. I am incompetent, and today I came to his residence but was unable to enter. So, I had no choice but to come to Your Majesty with a humble face."

  "What's to be done after Wei Gong? This matter is not easy to handle. Hmm, Xian'er, what do you think I should do?"

  Li Xian's matter of visiting Master Zuo Xiwei is not a big deal, but it can't be said to be small either. Yesterday's events were reported in full to Emperor Gaozong, who had already anticipated Li Xian's failure to some extent. However, as a loving father, Emperor Gaozong was not too worried, thinking that all problems could be solved with just an imperial edict.

  "Your Majesty, although Li Bo-yao is currently only a sixth-grade official, he is the descendant of a noble family. In my opinion, if we use force, it will not be beautiful. I do not dare to ask Your Majesty to issue an edict to fulfill this matter, but I beg Your Majesty to give me an imperial decree, allowing me to enter the Li residence under the name of rewarding Wei Gong, and the rest of the matters I can handle myself."

  "What? Is that all?" Emperor Gaozong had originally intended to issue an edict directly appointing Li Baoyu as the teacher of Li Xian, but he never expected that Li Xian would only ask for a single imperial decree of pardon. He was taken aback and looked at Li Xian with suspicion, asking in doubt:

  "The child really dare not deceive the emperor with empty words, this is enough." Li Xian had no intention of using forceful means to avoid backlash, as for how to persuade Li Jia's father and son, Li Xian had his own measure, so he responded proudly with a sentence.

  "Hmm, so be it. I shall grant this edict." The Emperor was not too willing to use force against the descendants of his meritorious officials, and seeing Li Xian speak with such confidence, he would not insist further. After a brief moment of hesitation, he readily agreed to Li Xian's request.

  It's done, hey, this time let's see what excuses Li family father and son can come up with! As soon as Li Xian heard that Emperor Gaozong had agreed to his request, the corners of his mouth curved upwards, and he smiled with a hint of excitement...