Simultaneous travel: I am rampant in the domestic area

Chapter 221 Li Chungang of the Tang Dynasty

A biting wind howled, and snowflakes fluttered down.

Because it is located at the border between Qi Kingdom and Mobei, the winters here are exceptionally cold. The world is covered in white, birds and beasts have disappeared, and all things wither.

The cascading waterfalls on the high mountains were all turned into ice sculptures overnight.

The rising sun brought no warmth, and the biting wind blew the last remaining leaves from the forest.

In this icy, snowy landscape, in a place rarely visited by people, wisps of smoke rise from the chimney of a wooden house and drift away on the wind.

Soon after, the smoke from the chimneys thinned, the door was opened from inside the house, and the rich aroma of food immediately filled the air.

Russell moved a table over, arranged the three dishes and soup on plates, and warmed a pot of Shaoxing wine on a small stove. Facing the small courtyard surrounded by a fence and the snow falling all around, he enjoyed his lunch very comfortably.

Since returning from the mysterious space that day, he had suddenly transformed from someone who couldn't even kill a chicken into a master who was unmatched except by Gangzi. Without hesitation, he sold his shop and, according to the divination he had received from Huanglong Mountain, came to this desolate wilderness to wait.

Thanks to the many videos of wilderness construction that he had seen while he was sleepless in his previous life, Russell had been bored these days and built his own small courtyard in this remote place. The courtyard was not large, but it was complete and well-equipped. In addition to two vegetable gardens, there was also a storage room and a stable.

What does it mean to be comfortable? This is what it means to be comfortable.

"Hiccup~"

Fifteen minutes later, Russell let out a burp, very satisfied with his cooking.

He purchased the Shaoxing wine, winter clothes, and food from a nearby town. Because it was some distance from the town, he also bought a slow horse and a carriage from a horse shop at a bargain price.

He collected the dishes and chopsticks, used his internal energy to melt the ice in the sink, quickly washed and wiped them clean, and put them away in the cupboard.

The current timeline is roughly in the middle of the third season. The real and fake Lao Li and Ji Ruxue are trapped on an isolated island overseas by Gangzi. The eldest brother-in-law is also planning to escape from the Twelve Caves. There are frequent local wars between the Northern Desert and the Qi Kingdom, but due to Yelü Abaoji's suppression, no large-scale battles have occurred.

In conclusion, although the main plot is already more than halfway through, there are still many exciting moments worth joining in.

……

As night fell, snow fell heavily.

Winter nights always come exceptionally early.

In this vast expanse of snow, three people on two horses galloped through the heavy snow. One horse led the way, while the other carried two people.

The horse was being driven by a slightly naive girl in purple, who looked flustered. The woman on her back, wearing a scarlet fox fur coat, was extremely pale and weak.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed, and the snow on the branches slid off with a soft rustling sound.

"Empress, my sister is dying," the girl in purple said anxiously.

The one called Empress was a handsome young man dressed in a red outfit. Upon hearing what the person beside her said, she immediately reined in her horse and turned around. With just one glance, she knew that if she didn't find a place to heal her injuries, her trusted confidante, who had followed her for more than ten years, might not be able to return to Fengxiang.

"I will heal Miao Chengtian here. Xuan Jingtian, go and see if there is a place to stay for the night." The Empress gave the order while helping Miao Chengtian off her horse and sitting down to meditate. She began to channel her inner energy into her. The woman in purple agreed and rode off to search for a place to stay.

"Your Majesty, I can hold on. There's no need to waste time on me." With the internal energy flowing into her body, Miao Chengtian quickly awoke from her unconsciousness. She struggled to get up, but the Empress pressed her shoulder down and pushed her back down: "Don't push yourself."

(Miao Chengtian)

"But Fengxiang..."

"Fengxiang has Yangyan Tian in charge, so one more night won't make a difference. Hold your breath and concentrate, and do not circulate your qi."

Miao Chengtian then gave up, nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and said no more.

Dadada, dadada—

After an unknown amount of time, the Empress and Miao Chengtian opened their eyes at the same time.

They heard the approaching sound of horses' hooves and the turning of carriage wheels, and they became alert.

They only breathed a sigh of relief when the carriage arrived in front of them, because the driver was none other than Xuan Jingtian, who had just gone to find the way.

(Xuanjingtian)
“Sister, Empress.” Xuan Jingtian was overjoyed to see that although her sister’s face was still pale, her aura was no longer weak.

"Sister, where did you find this carriage?" Miao Chengtian asked, looking puzzled.

In this desolate wilderness, far from any town, Xuan Jingtian found a carriage in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, which truly piqued her curiosity.

Although the empress did not speak, her eyes also conveyed an inquiring meaning.

"Empress and sister, please listen to me. There is a family nearby whose head of household is named Li Chungang. He is a very kind man. When he learned of your situation, he lent me his carriage so that I could come here to pick you up," Xuan Jingtian explained.

"People?" The Empress frowned slightly, surprised that someone would settle in such a remote place.

However, they had no time to ask further questions, as it was already late, the snow was falling heavily, and the chill had already spread.

Miao Chengtian was born with a severed meridian, making her extremely susceptible to cold. Although the Empress suppressed her injuries with her profound internal energy, it was only a temporary fix.

The Empress helped Miao Chengtian onto the carriage and continued to suppress his injuries with her internal energy, while Xuan Jingtian drove the carriage back the way they came.

The carriage wasn't moving slowly, and the wheels made a constant, screeching sound as they rolled over the snow-covered road.

"Empress, sister, the residence of Young Master Li is just ahead. He is right in front of the door." After a short while, Xuan Jingtian's voice rang out from outside the curtain. The Empress immediately stopped her cultivation and lifted the curtain to look outside.

Under the orange lantern stood a man carrying a lotus lantern, but the light was dim and his face was not visible.

"Thank you for waiting here, Young Master Li." Xuan Jingtian stopped the carriage and bowed to Luo Su. Luo Su nodded, stepped aside, but his eyes unconsciously drifted to the carriage behind Xuan Jingtian. He smiled and said, "It's nothing. Charcoal and hot water have been prepared inside. Quickly take your sister inside to warm up."

"Thank you, young master." Xuan Jingtian thanked him again, and at this moment the Empress helped Miao Chengtian out of the carriage.

As she approached, by the dim light of the lantern, the Empress finally saw Russell's face clearly. It was a young and peaceful face, his clothes were simple yet neat, and the lotus lantern he carried swayed gently in the cold wind, as if it could dispel the chill around him.

A master...

The Empress thought to herself, but made no sound until she entered the room. As Russell had said, the charcoal fire was burning brightly, the water in the copper kettle was bubbling and steaming, and several teacups were placed on a large square table.

"Sit down." Russell gestured for everyone to sit down, opened four teacups, poured a cup of hot tea for each person, and then looked at Miao Chengtian, whose face was pale, and said with a light smile, "I put a few slices of snow ginseng in the water. Miss, you were born with a blocked meridian, and you have internal injuries and cold air entering your body. Drink a few more cups and you will feel better tonight."

"Thank you!" Xuan Jingtian gratefully accepted the tea, tasted it himself to confirm it was fine, and then fed it to Miao Chengtian. After drinking a cup of snow ginseng soup, Miao Chengtian's complexion visibly improved. Xuan Jingtian was delighted and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Young Master also knows medicine?"

It should be noted that even Li Xingyun only confirmed Miao Chengtian's illness after close contact, while Russell was able to discover it simply by looking at her. Doesn't this show that Russell's medical skills are far superior to those of the legendary gynecological master, San Sheng Nie?
“I don’t understand, but a friend of mine does. Once he understands, I understand too,” Russell said, a smug smile creeping across his face.

"It seems that this friend you mentioned is very important to you, young master." Xuan Jingtian observed Russell's expression and followed up the conversation accordingly.

"Brothers and sisters, dearest friends and family," Russell said with a very serious tone.

This friend is naturally Shao Bai Russell. The three of them—himself, Tian Jiu Russell, and Shao Bai Russell—are all relying on Shao Bai Russell for support. Although Tian Jiu Russell has also learned martial arts, well, how should I put it? At full strength, he can fight Hong Lian to a standstill, with both sides winning and losing, but his combat power is practically nonexistent.

"Does the young master live here alone?" the Empress asked.

She observed her surroundings for a long time. Whether it was the wooden table with its still-speckled surface in front of her, the iron plow gleaming coldly in the corner, or the brand-new marks on the teacups on the table, everything indicated one thing: Russell had not lived here for long, at most no more than half a month.

“Alone.” Russell nodded. Seeing that the Empress had been looking for a long time, he simply said, “I only settled here half a month ago and have been waiting for you for a long time.”

"Wait for me?" Upon hearing this, the Empress couldn't help but find it absurd: "How do you know who I am, and how do you know I would come?"

“Of course I know.” Russell said with a composed air, picking up his teacup and gently swirling it, then smiled and said, “Prince Qi, Li Maozhen, the Empress, or perhaps I should address you as, Shuiyun Ji?”

The last name, in particular, made the Empress involuntarily frown; only she and her brother knew this name.

and so……

Suddenly, the Empress looked at Russell excitedly: "You know my brother? He's back? Where is he?"

“I don’t know him, but don’t worry, if you calculate the time, he should be coming out of the Twelve Caves in about a month.” Russell pretended to do some calculations, then nodded affirmatively and comforted him.

"Who exactly are you?" The Empress finally stood up abruptly from her seat, drawing her Qi King Sword with a clang, the tip pointing directly at Russell, her expression full of vigilance.

Russell's behavior, demeanor, and tone all reminded her of the guy in the Hidden Soldier Valley. No, Yuan Tiangang was just domineering, but Russell was full of wicked humor.

Seeing the Empress move, Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian also wanted to move, their daggers at their waists. But in just a moment, Miao Chengtian suddenly saw Luo Su's figure sway and realized that he had been immobilized by acupoints while still holding his sword drawn. Xuan Jingtian beside him was in the same situation.

"Don't get excited, girl." Russell placed his hand on Miao Chengtian's shoulder, and his powerful internal energy poured into her meridians like a mighty river, enveloping her meridians that had been further damaged by forcibly raising her qi: "Phew! Luckily I acted quickly, or you would have ruined my debut single."

"You..." Miao Chengtian felt the rising heat within his body and the gradually dissipating pain, and he couldn't believe it.

"Who exactly are you?" Upon seeing this, the Empress's heart eased slightly, but she did not lower the Qi King Sword she was holding. She suddenly remembered that Russell claimed to be Li Chungang, and couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "What is your relationship with Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang?"

"Guess." Russell's lips curled into a wicked smile. It was no wonder he named her that the Empress thought this way; it would be best if everyone in the world thought the same.

He used the same trick again, his figure flashing. The Empress was about to draw her sword when she felt her aura being pulled by an invisible force, as if she were being drawn into a vortex. The next moment, her hand felt light, and the Qi King Sword, scabbard and all, was already in Russell's hand: "Let's talk about business first."

The Empress snorted coldly and had no choice but to grit her teeth and sit down, but she still couldn't help but mock, "Mr. Li's skills are no less than those of the Bad Commander, yet he has remained unknown until now, and now he has come to find me. He must have a great plan."

Unexpectedly, Russell straightened his expression and shook his head seriously: "I only wish to save one person and one country, nothing more."

"Is this the friend Mr. Li mentioned?" the Empress asked curiously.

Although her first impression of Li Chungang wasn't good, it was undeniable that he was indeed an extraordinary person. She was very curious about what kind of person he could truly respect and who could be compared to a nation.

"Guess again," Russell said, keeping everyone in suspense once more.

"..." The Empress was speechless. Whenever she tried to have a serious conversation with him, he would always make her lose interest in continuing the conversation.

However, now that she was at the mercy of the other party, with her life and fortune in their hands, she could only patiently continue asking, "So, Mr. Li, have you found a way to save that person?"

“Naturally, to save that one person, one must first save this country, and to save this country, Your Highness Prince Qi, you are the path I have chosen.” Russell looked at the Empress with burning eyes.

"Mr. Li, you must be overestimating me." The Empress asked in bewilderment, "Although Qi is not weak among the states, it is located in a remote area. Now that Zhu Wen has been destroyed, Jin should be the leader of the vassal states. Since you have the heart to govern the world and benefit the people, why did you abandon Jin and choose Qi?"

"Of course it's because you're pretty," Russell said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, the one I choose is bound to succeed, so why wouldn't I choose someone I find acceptable?"

Yes, just like Yuan Tiangang intimidated the feudal lords, he can do the same.

He would kill anyone who dared to sit on the dragon throne.

This is Bad Guys, not Snowy Mountain.

There wasn't a single young eunuch in the imperial palace who shared the fate of the nation and could stop him.

"Sir, you are so confident that you have forgotten about the Bad Commander," the Empress reminded him. "As long as he exists, Li Xingyun will be the rightful emperor, and all the feudal lords in the world will have to bow down and submit to him."

“The Bad Commander is also human, and humans have weaknesses.” Russell tossed the Qi King Sword back to the Empress, then patted Miao Chengtian on the shoulder and said, “Tomorrow, we’ll first treat this girl’s congenital incurable meridians, and then I’ll teach you how to fight Gangzi.”

(End of this chapter)