Chapter 63

In the early summer, the scorching sun shone fiercely upon the earth. Under the blazing heat, a group was advancing rapidly. The dust they kicked up was left behind, and the official road was filled with flying dust. Passersby kept a wide berth, pointing and whispering about the group.

"Speed up a bit more. We must return as soon as possible." Li Er sat on his horse, his steed galloping swiftly. The jet-black coat of the horse had long turned to a dusty yellow. Li Er, who usually cared for his horse, was now too preoccupied to tend to his beloved steed. The sooner they returned, the greater the hope. He feared that before they reached Chang'an, Li Jiancheng would have already made his move. If that happened, the safety of Changsun and the other wives and children in Chang'an would be in grave danger. So he wished for them to go faster, even faster.

The horse Li Er rode, the Tayan Wu Zui, was a rare and excellent steed, so it could endure the rapid gallop. However, the horses of the Black Armor Guards behind him, though also top-notch warhorses, were nearing their limits after five days of relentless galloping. Each horse was exhausted.

"Your Highness, we cannot go any faster. If we continue like this, we will collapse before we reach Chang'an. That would be like going to our deaths. Since the Emperor only asked you to bring three thousand Black Armor Guards, it means the military power in Chang'an has not yet fallen into their hands. The Eastern Palace and the Six Armies, the Sixteen Guards, should still be under the Emperor's control. We still have time," Qin Qiong said, looking at the exhausted soldiers behind him.

"I know, but every day we are not in Chang'an, the more uncertain things become. How can I be at ease? Guanyinbi, Chenggan, Kuan, and Lizhi are all in Chang'an. If the Crown Prince makes a move against them, how can a group of women and children possibly survive? I left a team of Black Armor Guards, but they cannot protect the entire Qin王府," Li Er was very anxious. The sudden imperial edict for him to return to support the throne had made him uneasy, losing his usual calm and wisdom.

"Your Highness, doesn't the Qin王府 have a secret passage leading outside?" Fang Xuanling was also in military attire, riding a horse with a long sword at his waist. He sat steadily on the horse, moving up and down with its gallop, showing no sign of being a scholar.

In this era of war, scholars who dared to join the military also had considerable martial skills, especially those like them who had always followed Li Er on the battlefield. Their martial arts might not match those of famous generals, but they were not to be underestimated.

While Li Er was rushing back to Chang'an, the Qin王府 was still peaceful, like the calm before a storm. The entire Chang'an was immersed in a strange, almost deathly silence. The Eastern Palace and the Qi王府, which were usually bustling with people, now saw no one entering or leaving for a long time. The same was true for Li Yuan. Changsun sat by the table in the main hall, reading the intelligence reports from the Qin王府's spies, her brows furrowed, her face grave.

Changsun was a strong-willed woman. Otherwise, she could not have managed the Qin王府 so well in Chang'an while Li Er was always on the battlefield, even engaging in political struggles with the Crown Prince and others. Although this was partly due to Li Jiancheng's concern for Li Yuan's attitude, it also showed that Changsun was not an ordinary woman.

"It seems the Tang Dynasty is about to change. I didn't expect this day to come so soon. My brother is still in Longyou, and it's likely that..." Changsun was very anxious. The critical moment was at hand, and the man she relied on was far away. This perilous situation filled Changsun with despair. If the Qin王府 could not be protected, she decided to burn it down to prevent it from falling into the Crown Prince's hands and becoming a bargaining chip against her brother. She secretly made this decision and called her trusted steward to prepare oil, dry grass, and other flammable materials as a last resort.

Li Kuan, however, was completely unaware of the situation. He was a political novice and cared little about the political storms. His only concern was to save his own life. Knowing some of the history from the future, he knew that in about half a month, a life-or-death event would occur. Before that, there might be changes, but he believed they would not be significant. Moreover, after several days of intense training, his strength had steadily improved, and he was now at the Mingjing level. He could now take down four or five of his previous self and had more physical strength. He could probably draw a three-stone bow, though he had not practiced archery, so his accuracy would not match that of the elite soldiers.

At that moment, Li Kuan was practicing his boxing. He had spent much more time on it recently, and the small courtyard was in ruins, with the few half-grown trees being the first to fall. Li Kuan, with his hands wrapped in hemp cloth, struck the trees with his fists, using full force. This target helped him consume his physical strength much faster, reaching his limit more than five times a day. He took medicine like candy to enhance his training.

Although he trained intensely, Li Kuan was very careful. While hitting the trees, he did not let himself get visibly injured, as there were eyes everywhere in the Qin王府, and he did not know who they belonged to. Li Kuan noticed a few inconspicuous places that seemed slightly off, but he did not bother to investigate. Since these things were not secret, they would eventually be discovered, so there was no need to hide them. The few people monitoring him were likely the Black Armor Guards around his father, so Li Kuan did not drive them away or tell Changsun.

Li Kuan's feet dug into the ground like the roots of a thousand-year-old tree, firmly anchored. His legs were spread slightly wider than his shoulders, and his body was in a half-squat, slightly undulating, like he was on the back of a galloping horse. His hands were clenched into fists and held at his waist, his chest out, head up, and eyes looking straight ahead.

Indeed, Li Kuan was practicing the horse stance. The saying "First stand for three years, then learn to fight" emphasizes the importance of the horse stance. It is one of the most important basic skills in traditional martial arts. In his previous life, Li Kuan had practiced the horse stance for over ten years to break through to the Mingjing level. This time, with his previous experience, his progress was much faster, and he had reached the Mingjing level in less than two years. However, because his progress was too fast, his foundation was not solid, so after consolidating his Mingjing level, he began to focus on basic skills, with the horse stance being the simplest and most important. A weak foundation would not allow for good boxing.

The horse stance not only helps stabilize the lower body but can also accelerate the cultivation of internal strength, which refers to the robustness of the internal organs, allowing them to withstand stronger impacts and reducing the risk of internal injuries. It does not refer to the kind of internal strength that can kill with a flower or injure with a leaf.

Li Kuan was so engrossed in his practice that two small heads peeked out from the door. The two little girls, Li Lizhi and Nianwei, giggled and ran into the courtyard. Li Lizhi ran ahead, and Nianwei, waving her little hands, followed behind, both laughing and filling the small courtyard with joy.

"Brother, Lizhi has come to play with you!" Li Lizhi called from a distance.

"And Weiwei too!" Nianwei, seeing her sister didn't mention her, tugged at her sister's sleeve, pointing to herself with her little finger and pouting, indicating that she was also there. Li Lizhi had to add this sentence.

"Hehe..." Seeing her sister introduce her, Nianwei was very happy, her little mouth showing her baby teeth, her big eyes squinting, and her ponytail swaying like a squirrel's tail.

"You two, you're here to disturb me again!" Li Kuan, with a slight numbness in his legs, looked at the two little girls running closer and smiled wryly.

"I came because I like Brother. I wouldn't go to anyone else!" Li Lizhi pouted.

"Me too!" Nianwei nodded vigorously, showing strong agreement.

"Alright, you came because you like Brother, not because you want the shaved ice!" Li Kuan knew what the two little girls wanted. Since last summer, when Li Kuan used nitre to make ice, the Qin王府 had a new summer treat: shaved ice.

Fine ice shavings, mixed with sweet syrup, were served in small porcelain bowls, and eaten with a small spoon, providing the best relief from the afternoon heat. Li Kuan did not do this for profit, so he did not spread the technique. The Qin王府 did not need it, so Changsun, though aware, did not spread it. There were many poor people in the world who could not even afford food, let alone shaved ice. So Changsun occasionally sent some to the palace, but did not spread it further. As for the families of the Tiancefu generals, unlike Li Er, who could only place his family in Chang'an, most of their families were in Luoyang and would only move to Chang'an when the country was truly at peace. So they did not know about this treat, otherwise, with the personalities of Cheng Chumo, Changsun Chong, and Chai Lingwu, who had met Li Kuan twice, they would probably come to the Qin王府 every summer.

"Not at all! Lizhi wants Brother to teach her how to box." Li Lizhi tilted her head and said seriously.

"What? You want to learn boxing?" Li Kuan was somewhat incredulous. The last time Sun Simiao mentioned that Xinyi Quan might help Changsun and Li Lizhi's illnesses, Li Kuan considered it for two days but was rejected by Changsun. At that time, the little girl also thought that learning martial arts was not ladylike and voted against it. Now she wanted to learn. What was going on?

"And Weiwei too!" Nianwei, who could not be left out, also wanted to learn. It had become a habit that whatever her sister did, Nianwei also wanted to do, from embroidered shoes, small floral dresses, wooden horses, to even small hair clips. If she did not get the same as her sister, she would cry, with tears streaming down her face. Now the little girl tilted her head, wanting to learn: because her sister was the best, and she wanted to be just as good.

"Learning boxing is very hard. Are you afraid?" Li Kuan and Li Lizhi stared at each other for a full minute, making Nianwei, who was waiting on the side, impatient. She reached out to pull the two dazed siblings, and Li Kuan finally spoke.

"Lizhi has thought it through. I can endure the hardship. I just want Brother to teach me!" Li Lizhi answered with a serious expression.