“Grandfather, Your Highness!” David Johnson greeted each of them in turn, then pointed to the person beside him and said, “Little Baker heard that Grandfather is teaching Your Highness horsemanship, so he specially asked me to bring him over to have a look.”

“Brian Baker pays respects to His Highness the Prince of Lu, and to the Duke of England!”

Brian Baker?

Upon hearing the name, Henry Johnson immediately thought of Tang Bohu and almost burst out laughing. Then, from the surname Cheng, he thought of William Baker. However, William Baker had long since retired to his hometown to enjoy a peaceful life, so he never had the chance to meet him. What was this guy’s relationship to William Baker?

Realizing that more and more people were gathering here, and it was almost turning into a school, James Johnson felt a headache coming on, but he had no choice but to introduce them to Henry Johnson: “Your Highness the Prince of Lu, Brian is the eldest grandson of the Duke of Lu, Richard Baker. His father is Peter Baker, and their family has a long tradition of military service. Mr. Baker has already retired, and this time, father and son are accompanying the imperial entourage to the Eastern Capital.”

Henry Johnson greeted Brian Baker with a smile, already making plans in his mind. William Baker’s grandson? Good, I’ll ask Dad William Johnson to bring him over too! Oh right, where is that master archer Stephen White now? When I have time, I’ll have to ask James Johnson about him. If I could get him to teach me a few tricks, that would be great!

Chapter Twelve: Brian Baker’s Three Axe Moves

James Johnson was a high-ranking minister in the court. Although he now served as Henry Johnson’s tutor, he didn’t really manage affairs seriously, but he couldn’t possibly spend all day with a child. So, after teaching the basics of riding and instructing the household to keep an eye on Henry Johnson to prevent any mishaps, he immediately went off to handle official business. Without adult supervision, Henry Johnson quickly became close with the newcomer Brian Baker, and the four of them left the other members of the Li family behind.

David Johnson was thirteen, Brian Baker twelve, Emily Cooper twelve, and Henry Johnson eight.

Although Henry Johnson was taller than other children his age, and his mind was more mature than most adults, standing with three people at least four years older than him, he immediately became the little one. Even though he was the Prince of Lu, even though his father was the emperor and his mother the empress, he couldn’t change the fact that he was at least half a head shorter than the other three.

However, at this moment, the one being surrounded and admired was Henry Johnson, not because of his status, but because he was enthusiastically telling stories of Sui and Tang heroes, currently explaining William Baker’s three axe moves.

“They say the Duke of Lu, William Baker, wielded a mighty Bagua Xuanhua axe, and whenever he fought, he would always use three killer moves. The first move is to chop at the head—he swings the axe down from above, and if the opponent’s skills aren’t high, they’re down with the first strike. The second move is called ‘the little ghost picks his teeth’—when the opponent blocks, he pulls back the axe and swings it upward, aiming for the face. The usual reaction is to bend back like an iron bridge, but that’s exactly falling into the trap.”

The three beside him listened intently. When Henry Johnson paused, they all felt itchy with curiosity, and Brian Baker instinctively asked, “So what’s the third move?”

Henry Johnson glared at Brian Baker in annoyance: “Your grandfather’s third move, and you’re asking me?”

“But I’ve never seen Grandfather use an axe. The Bagua Xuanhua axe sounds really impressive!” Brian Baker scratched his head sheepishly. “How about you all come to my house and help me look for it? The old man’s weapons are all piled up in the storeroom…”

Emily Cooper, seeing the topic veer off, became anxious: “Hey, cut the nonsense, Henry, hurry up and tell us—what exactly is the third move?”

Seeing all three pairs of eyes on him, Henry Johnson became immensely proud: “The third move is ‘scratching the ear.’ Think about it—this is a cavalry battle. After the second move, the opponent is just getting up from the iron bridge, and the two horses are passing by each other. At that moment, you turn around and sweep horizontally—your opponent is doomed! That’s the famous William Baker’s three axe moves!”

At this point, even David Johnson was convinced. Although everyone had axes, if it was a battlefield axe, it must be truly awe-inspiring. Thinking of Brian Baker’s mention of his family’s armory, his eyes lit up and he clapped his hands: “My family has an armory too. Why don’t we go in and look? If we find one, we can take it out and practice!”

Practice with real axes? Henry Johnson, dragged along by Emily Cooper, followed behind David Johnson and Brian Baker in a daze. Who knew why these three were so interested? He was just making things up, but they took it seriously!

When the heavy iron door was pulled open, Henry Johnson took in the scene inside and gasped. This could really be an ancient weapons exhibition—every type of weapon imaginable was there, many of which he couldn’t even name. As he walked closer, a chill seemed to emanate from the racks, making him shiver involuntarily. All the weapons on the shelves were polished to a shine, and he looked at them one by one, wishing he could take them all back to his palace to play with.

“Found it!”

David Johnson had someone move aside two racks, and in the corner, there it was—a gigantic axe. Henry Johnson took one look and felt his scalp tingle, then gasped again.