Chapter 755: Farewell to the Northern Border Specialty

His fourth elder brother arrived, and Baili Zhang was so busy he didn't even turn his head; the Great King manually turned him around, and Baili Hu instinctively stepped back.

Baili Zhang grabbed a handful of berries in one hand, lifted his head and glanced at his fourth elder brother, counting that as a greeting, his hand, mouth, and face all red and purple.

"...... Too undignified; why aren't you managing him either?"

The Great King gave him a look, as if to say he didn't want to bother; without offering some food to coax him, Old Seven went on strike even before Little Gold did, and he could vaguely see a familiar temperament in Old Seven. Still, he himself regretted it, after all, Li Xu was about to arrive.

Baili Hu himself had come just in time, and he reminded the Great King: "Have someone tidy him up a bit—people are about to arrive."

To vividly demonstrate his abundant martial virtue, the Great King made Lake Heart Island today a grand spectacle: rows of fully armored soldiers as solid as an iron tower guarding the holy carriage, and he even drove away the attending palace maids and eunuchs. A glance revealed a stern, icy masculinity, exuding overwhelming intimidation—don't you think?

So right now, truly no one is doing this job.

The Great King lifted Old Seven's sleeve, deciding to sacrifice his clothes to save face. He discovered the boy's little robe was made of Azure Cloud Brocade, blaming himself—he had specifically instructed the aunt on how to dress Old Seven properly.

The experienced Great King immediately let go of the Azure Cloud Brocade, then he grabbed a tablecloth and hastily wiped Old Seven's face……

Baili Hu: ……

Too bad the wiping came late; the child's wailing still left a big flowery face, the juice had dried……

The Great King knew when to retreat; since it had come to this, he might as well pretend nothing had happened. It was getting late, so he began to summarize today's teaching results.

He affected a tone, imitating the way the palace instructors spoke: "Today's Thousand Character Lesson ends here; next I will give you a summary of your performance. Little Gold student, your classroom discipline is good—full marks ten, I'll give you a nine. Keep improving, got it? Eat less, learn more, understand?"

Little Gold: ……Huh? What's all that gibberish?

Wei Shen: ……

"Baili Zhang, your classroom discipline is terrible; you even need snacks to be pacified! Reluctantly giving you an affection score—five points. As for academic performance, two points. You have no potential; at your age you still can't speak clearly, and reading is a struggle. Well… if your family can afford it, buy some sheep to raise now, you'll find use for them when you grow up."

Baili Zhang nodded honestly: "Oh~"

Baili Hu hadn't reacted yet; he asked the laughing Wei Shen beside him, "What does the Great King mean? What's so funny?"

Wei Shen: "It means studying is hopeless—go home and herd sheep! Hahaha~"

Baili Hu: ……

Li Xu was brought to the Viewing Stop Terrace, and what he saw was this scene.

The entire Viewing Scenery Pavilion held just these four people, big and small, amid laughter and chatter; beside them crouched a giant beast with its head tilted. Well… compared to the two by the dock, they couldn't even be called giant beasts. But next to the small child, it felt very oppressive.

All the way here he'd already had enough surprises; waiting to switch from land to water route, arriving at this small island in the middle of the lake, even the best mental preparation was useless.

By the dock sat two huge creatures fishing.

Are these even animals?!

If he wasn't mistaken, the golden-brown one was a bear, and the white one was the Bai Ze that Baili Jing had once taken to Chang'an.

What did they say back then? Northern Border Specialty.

Upon stepping onto the dock, Li Xu decided to withdraw his earlier doubts. Baili Jing wasn't neglecting to train his troops; he just couldn't see clearly from above the clouds.

From the dock to the Viewing Stop Terrace, winding corridors followed the water, pavilions and terraces scattered, ancient trees cast shade; meanwhile along this route there was a guard every two steps, and fully armored soldiers lined the water. Baili Jing today truly displayed his ceremony to the fullest.

In the sweltering heat they stood straight in their mysterious armor, like motionless bronze statues gazing ahead. If you insist on staring at them, they'll look back and meet your eyes—that glance, just that glance, feels as if your whole being has been locked onto by a ferocious beast.

Li Xu was certain these soldiers differed from those raised in Guangling, having endured countless battles' baptisms, wading through seas of corpses and blood.

He didn't know the Great King had spared no expense for Guangling; the troops standing there today, though not his Blade Hawk Cavalry, were still elite units that had seen the most combat, transferred in.

What bad idea could the Great King have? He just wanted people to let Li Xu see the difference between the army Guangling bought with money and the army he forged through war.

The mysterious armored cavalry had campaigned against the Xianbei tribes, the Xiongnu royal city, and captured Chang'an. How could Guangling compare?!

Li Xu understood, so as he went on his steps grew heavier, his heart weighed down like a stone. Upon entering the Viewing Stop Terrace and seeing this scene, his whole person was momentarily stunned.

He first ruled out the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old and the flower‑faced child; there were two youths of similar age. He tried to tell them apart, and relying on that year's brief encounter, he vaguely recognized the Great King from their eyebrows and eyes.

This guy has grown quite a bit.

The other one is probably the Jing King about eighty percent. The larger one is Wei Er, and the smaller one he isn't sure whether is a child of the Wei family or a young son of the Ningde Emperor.

There wasn't time to think too much; Li Xu followed Liang Er in performing the salute.