By the time they reached seven or eight years old, their vital energy and blood far surpassed that of ordinary people, and their essence, energy, and spirit were even more abundant.

A year ago, Lily, with the help of medicinal pills, successfully stimulated her vital energy and blood, allowing her to condense her qi and strengthen her bones, making rapid progress day by day.

Richard Clark, on the other hand, was still in the foundational stage.

According to Lily, Richard Clark was still too young; stimulating his vital energy and blood too early would cause adverse reactions in his body.

Therefore, even though Richard Sullivan had already mastered the Dragon-Subduing Technique, he had never made a breakthrough.

Richard Clark himself was not in a hurry. He practiced martial arts simply out of interest; achieving something would be great, but if not, just strengthening his body would suffice. Since Richard Sullivan was not anxious, Lily was even less likely to push him. She had taught Richard Sullivan the Dragon-Subduing Technique in exchange for medicinal aids. The less Richard Clark cared, the happier Lily was, because most of the prescriptions she received benefited her. Why should she worry about Richard Clark's progress and waste her efforts?

“Lily, last time you said that only scholars can use the spear—what does that mean?”

During breaks from training, Richard Clark always liked to chat with Lily to broaden his knowledge.

Lily explained, “This ‘scholar’ has two meanings. The spear is a cavalry weapon, extremely powerful but very difficult to master. In the ‘Preface to the Manual of the Horse Spear’ it says: The use of the horse spear, though not an ancient method, has been passed down in recent times and has become an art. To wield a spear well, there are many requirements. On one hand, you must reach the level of transforming spirit and changing tendons to be able to use the spear.

On the other hand, both using and defending against the spear have secret techniques, passed down within families and not known to outsiders.

Therefore, there are also requirements regarding one’s background... In short, the horse spear is extremely powerful, but very hard to master. If you want to learn the spear, unless you have a special opportunity, it’s difficult to become proficient. Little scholar, I advise you to give up on learning the spear and focus on your training.”

The Manual of the Horse Spear was written by Emperor Jianwen of Liang, Xiao Gang, and describes various methods of using the horse spear.

But this book was mostly controlled by aristocratic families, and ordinary people had no access to it. Who knows if the Anyuan Hall has a copy of this book?

Richard Clark knew that George Sullivan might have this “Manual of the Horse Spear,” but it probably wouldn’t be easy to find.

He didn’t necessarily want to learn the spear; it was just that Lily’s tone carried a hint of contempt and mockery, which made him uncomfortable.

Lily’s meaning was clearly to mock him: a guy from a humble background wants to learn the spear?

Fortunately, Richard Sullivan was good at maintaining his composure. Although Lily had mocked him, he didn’t show it on his face. After all, he was already over forty years old—was there any need to argue with a little girl? Still, he had other plans in mind.

“Humble background” referred to being from a low-status household.

Richard Sullivan knew that this was an era where background mattered. If he always carried the label of humble origin, he would inevitably be looked down upon. If he wanted to attract Li Shimin’s attention, he had to accomplish something, or at the very least, shed the label of humble birth.

But changing household registration was not easy.

Not to mention how complicated the official procedures would be—if people found out he wanted to raise his status, even getting past the The Sullivan Family would be difficult.

He needed the right opportunity and the right event!

Thinking of all this, Richard Sullivan couldn’t help but feel a bit dispirited.

Lily stood up. “I’m going to do the laundry... Little scholar, don’t overthink things. It’s better to keep your feet on the ground.”

Although Lily usually seemed rather cold and her words could be sharp and biting, she actually had a good heart.

She probably felt she’d been too harsh just now, so she offered some comfort.

Richard Sullivan smiled and stood up as well, saying, “Then I’ll go make some tea. Grandpa will be back soon, and I can help him relax.”

Chapter Five: The Second Master of Anyuan Hall (Part Two)

Lily stood up. “I’m going to do the laundry... Little scholar, don’t overthink things. It’s better to keep your feet on the ground.”

Although Lily usually seemed rather cold and her words could be sharp and biting, she actually had a good heart.

She probably felt she’d been too harsh just now, so she offered some comfort.

Richard Sullivan smiled and stood up as well, saying, “Then I’ll go make some tea. Grandpa will be back soon, and I can help him relax.”

David Sullivan liked to drink tea, but his way of drinking tea was quite different from later generations.

Richard Clark had also enjoyed tea in his previous life, but mostly by steeping it in boiling water. People in the Sui Dynasty, however, mainly prepared tea by boiling it.

Richard Clark had started learning how to boil tea when he was four years old.

Now his tea-making skills were extremely refined. Not only did David Sullivan enjoy it, but even George Sullivan would sometimes ask him to make tea.

He moved a small stove out under the main hall corridor and soon had a fire going.

While adjusting the stove’s temperature, Richard Sullivan used a tea grinder to crush yesterday’s dried tea cakes into a fine, even powder. Don’t underestimate the skill required for grinding tea—it takes patience and a steady, even hand. The tea powder must be ground evenly to preserve its flavor. Back when Richard Clark was learning to grind tea, it took him a full three months.

As Richard Clark placed the tea kettle on the stove to boil water, David Sullivan returned.

He didn’t look very happy; his chubby face was so gloomy it seemed about to drip water.

“Grandpa, you’re back early today!”

Richard Sullivan quickly stood up to greet him. After living in this era for five years, he had gradually gotten used to his identity.

Just play the role of the grandson!