Chapter Thirty-Six: Temporary Agreement

  Don't be fooled by Li Dequan's title of "Guo Gong" which shines brightly on his head, in reality he is just an ordinary person. Not to mention that his ability is far inferior to his father Li Jing, even in terms of character and courage, he is not comparable to his father Wan Yi. Faced with Li Xian's soft and hard tactics, Li Dequan did not have the firmness and bravery that his father had when he refused Emperor Taizong of Tang's invitation to participate in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. He was intimidated by Li Xian and was drenched in sweat, a perfect example of "a tiger father has a dog son".

  "My lord, your highness, I, though being the father of Sanlang, am not suitable to make decisions on his behalf. If this matter is what my son wishes for, then I, I will have no objections."

  Li Dexin was completely out of order, and when he looked at Li Xian's face again, it became increasingly gloomy. He panicked even more, extremely rudely lifted his sleeve to wipe his face, stuttered and spoke, and without any sense of responsibility, he kicked the ball to his own son.

  "Alright, if Wei Gong can be saved, Xiao Wang will be eternally grateful. In that case, please invite Li Sijia to come and discuss the matter further, is that alright?"

  Iron should be struck while it's hot, Li Xian wouldn't let go of this opportunity to turn the tide, as soon as Li Deqian finished speaking, Li Xian immediately followed up with a smile.

  "Someone come, go and call Sanlang to come over."

  Things having come to this, Li Dexiu, even if he was unwilling, had no choice but to reluctantly order his servants to invite Li Baoyu over for a conversation.

  "I will see you later, Your Highness, I have seen Father."

  Li Bo Yao was unwilling to show his face in front of Li Xian, and when he received the edict earlier, he had no choice but to come out and welcome him. As soon as the ceremony was over, he quietly slipped away and hid, not wanting to meet Li Xian. However, his own father couldn't withstand Li Xian's pressure, so even though he didn't want to, he could only follow the servant who came to summon him into the hall. When he saw Li Xian sitting at the top with a smile on his face, Li Bo Yao's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he didn't dare show any disrespect in front of Li Xian, so he quickly stepped forward and paid his respects, asking after Li Xian's well-being without delay.

  "General Li doesn't have to be polite, Little Wang has disturbed you without being invited, and Hai Han is an individual case."

  For Li Boyao, the successor of Wei Gong, Li Xian still attaches great importance to him. He couldn't possibly put on airs in front of him as a prince, so he casually waved his hand and signaled Li Boyao not to bow.

  "Thank you, Your Excellency."

  Li Baiyu knew the purpose of being summoned, but didn't want to take the initiative to speak up. After thanking him, he walked behind Li Dequan and stood still, with a look of not daring to glance sideways.

  "Lord Wei, can what we previously discussed be considered settled?"

  Li Bei Yao didn't say a word, and Li De Xian naturally didn't want to make things worse, so the hall immediately fell silent. However, Li Xian apparently had no intention of letting the silence continue, and with a smile, he nodded at Li De Xian and opened up the conversation.

  "Of course, of course." Li Dequan's momentum had already been taken away, and he had no intention of resisting Li Xian. At this moment, seeing Li Xian speak up, he couldn't keep silent anymore, and hastily put on a smile. Then, he turned his head to look at his own son and said with some helplessness: "Third Son, the Crown Prince of Zhou has expressed interest in following you to learn martial arts, what do you think?"

  How? Needless to say, of course, he was unwilling, but since things have come to this point, directly refusing Li Xian is not feasible. Li Bo Yao had already thought about this before coming and had a way to deal with it. At this time, seeing his own father ask, Li Bo Yao calmly took a step forward, first nodded to his own father, then turned to Li Xian, bowed, and made a fist in greeting: "I'm fortunate to be seen by Your Highness, but I'm just a low-ranking general, lacking in talent and learning. If I were to hinder Your Highness's future prospects, it would not be good."

  "General Li is too modest, Xiaowang actually doesn't ask for much, only to strengthen his body and mind. If General Li is willing to teach me, I will definitely work hard and not disappoint General Li's name." Li Xian couldn't be swayed by Li Bohao's humble words, and after gesturing for Li Bohao to dispense with the formalities, he smiled and replied.

  "I'm not worthy of teaching you, and my ancestors had a saying: 'Martial arts can only be taught to those with the right affinity.' I won't forget this for even a single day. Now, since Your Highness wants to learn our family's martial techniques, you'll need to prove your affinity first." Li Bo Yao stood up straight, his expression unchanging, and threw out this precondition in a firm tone.

  Huh? Fate? Hey, good idea! This little Li is much more cunning than old Li, worthy of being the successor of Wei Gong! Li Xian is a clever and experienced person, who has seen through Li Bo Yao's plan to retreat at once. To put it simply, fate is just an excuse, if you say there is one, then there is one, if you say there isn't, then there isn't. It's not up to Li Bo Yao to decide whether or not Li Xian will become his apprentice.

  "Oh? Haha... " As soon as Li Bo Yao's voice fell, Li Xian immediately threw his head back and burst out laughing, laughing so hard that both Li Bo Yao and his son were stunned, unable to understand why Li Xian was laughing so hard.

  "Why are you like this, Your Highness? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

  As soon as Li Xian started laughing, he couldn't stop, and Li Bo Yao couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Although she didn't dare to scold him, her tone of questioning was tinged with a hint of anger.

  "No, no, haha, Little Wang was just being impolite for a moment, General Li, please don't mind. Lee Hsien stopped laughing and shook his head: "General Li misunderstood, Little Wang is not trying to learn the military strategy of your ancestors, but only wants to strengthen his body. General Li only needs to teach me some martial arts skills on horseback, which shouldn't go against your family's teachings, right?"

  "Are these words true?"

  Li Beiyou didn't expect Li Xian to say something like that, and for a moment he was at a loss for words, the words slipped out of his mouth, but as soon as he finished speaking, he had some regrets, unfortunately it was too late, so he could only pray that Li Xian wouldn't take advantage of the situation.

  "Of course, Xiaowang guarantees no empty words. If General Li does not believe it, Xiaowang can swear an oath to heaven!"

  Li Xian is a shrewd person who can squeeze oil out of stone, and Li Baiyu's prayer didn't seem to work. As soon as his voice fell, Li Xian immediately raised his right hand like an oath and spoke passionately.

  "Your Highness doesn't have to be like this. I will send someone to deliver the letter."

  Li Baiyu's prayers were ineffective, and although she was helpless, she could only respond with a sentence.

  "Alright, it's settled then. Little Wang will inform the Emperor and come to your esteemed residence on a auspicious day to pay his respects as a disciple. Today has been quite troublesome, I bid you farewell." With that, Li Bei Yao was already being pressed for an answer, and Li Xian naturally thought to take advantage of the situation and leave after dropping this sentence, so as to avoid any further entanglements.

  "Your Highness, wait."

  If Li Xian had indeed reported back to Emperor Gaozong like this, then the gesture of becoming a disciple would have been irreversible. Regardless of whether Li Xian actually learned anything from Li Bo Yao or not, the title of "Master" would have been firmly fixed on Li Bo Yao's head, and there would be no possibility of shaking it off. When he saw Li Xian preparing to leave, Li Bo Yao became somewhat anxious, and without thinking, he hastily called out to stop Li Xian in his tracks.

  "Oh? General Li, is there anything else you'd like to entrust me with? I, Xiaowang, will listen and obey."

  Li Xian took advantage of the situation and sold his cleverness, not caring whether Li Bo Yao had agreed or not. He put on a respectful and humble appearance, which made Li Bo Yao so angry that he couldn't even speak, and his face began to show signs of distress.

  "I, Li Bo-yao, dare not speak of our past interactions. It's just that I have some words to say beforehand. If there is any offense, please forgive me, Your Highness." Li Bo-yao, after all, was a disciple of Wei Gong, and though he didn't reveal his thoughts, he had a strong presence, reminiscent of his ancestor. Facing Li Xian's humble attitude, Li Bo-yao remained unmoved, calmly paying his respects.

  "General Li, please go ahead and give your orders, I will do my best to carry them out."

  When Li Xian saw Li Bo Yao's confident appearance, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed in his heart, but he didn't take it too seriously. He just smiled and nodded slightly.

  "I must inform Your Highness that my martial arts skills are quite different from others, and the training process is extremely arduous. If Your Highness can endure it, I will do my best to instruct you. However, if you cannot persist, please forgive me for not daring to teach you." Li Bohao bowed his head and spoke in a gentle tone, as if considering Li Xian's thoughts.

  Suffering? This is a life-and-death question! Li Xian has lived for three lifetimes, and although he hasn't suffered less, most of it was spiritual torment, and he hadn't really experienced physical suffering. The incident at the South Campus running track at the beginning of the month was already an unprecedented explosion of character. If something like that were to happen again, Li Xian wouldn't know if he had the courage. At this moment, hearing Li Bo Yao's words, he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. The problem is that at this point, Li Xian has clearly lost his way back, after all, the imperial edict announcing his apprenticeship to learn martial arts has already been announced to the world. He can't just let it drop like that, or else he would be ridiculed by the world. The consequences of that are not something Li Xian wants to see.

  "General Li can rest assured, Little Wang will certainly follow the general's orders and there will be no slackness." Since there was no way to retreat, Li Xian could only grit his teeth and stick it out to the end.

  "Your Highness, I will remember your words. If you can really do so, I will not dare to hide anything from you. As for the matter of becoming a disciple, let's wait until Your Highness has tried it out and then decide," Li Xian's reaction was quick, and his expression was well-hidden, but Li Bo Yao still keenly detected the flicker of hesitation in Li Xian's eyes, and felt greatly relieved, so he immediately made a decisive statement.

  "All right, it's settled then. From now on, every three days, Little Wang will come to pay his respects and receive teachings." Li Bo Yao spoke reasonably, and Li Xian couldn't argue anymore, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.

  "I dare not, it's better for the young master to come to my humble abode." Li Bohao didn't want Li Xian to keep running to his own mansion every other day. What if Li Xian could really keep this up for three or two months? Even if he got bored afterwards, Li Bohao feared that he would still be unable to shake off the detestable title of "master", at least in the eyes of others. It was like having mud splattered on his body - even if it wasn't feces, it was still filthy.

  "Alright, it's settled then. Little Wang will go to the palace first and report to His Majesty before making further plans." Although Li Bei Yao had seen through his intentions, Li Xian didn't seem to mind at all. He laughed and bowed his head in respect, saying a word of thanks, and then left the Wei Guo Gong Fu with Li family's father and son, returning to the palace without another word.

  "Sanlang, how could you agree to go to Zhou Wangfu? Alas, this...this..."

  Li Xian left with a happy face, but Li Dequan was worried and his face was all wrinkled. As soon as Li Xian's carriage left, he didn't even enter the gate of the mansion, but stomped his feet outside the door and scolded Li Bohao.

  "Father, do not worry, the child has his own way of handling things. Although this child is intelligent beyond others, he may not necessarily be able to endure hardship. He may be able to hold on for a while, but later on, he will surely become lax. When that time comes, the child will have his own plan to extricate himself."

  This thing happened because Li Dequan couldn't withstand Li Xian's sharp words, and his relationship with Li Bo Yao wasn't that great. However, facing his father's complaints, Li Bo Yao didn't dare say anything insincere, so he could only offer gentle consolation.

  "Alas, never mind, never mind, go ahead and bother with it then!"

  Li Dexin was not a wise man to begin with, facing such a result, he was extremely worried in his heart, but also had no choice, could only sigh, shake his head, and walk into the mansion with a sorrowful face, his back slightly more hunched than usual...