Simultaneous travel: I am rampant in the domestic area

Chapter 222 Prisoner Li, Wants to Be Emperor but Doesn't

"Mr. Li, do you mean that if I take this, my illness will be cured?"

Inside the wooden house, Miao Chengtian had a strange expression on her face. She held a porcelain bowl in both hands, which was filled with a milky white liquid with a strange smell.

Looking at the strange liquid bubbling and occasionally bursting out of the potion, she was really unsure of what to do. She could only look at the Empress, who was also helpless. She had participated in the entire process of brewing the liquid, and the steps were correct in theory. She just didn't know why the appearance was so bizarre.

“Just eat it, would I lie to you?” Russell squinted at Miao Chengtian, as if he felt heartbroken that she doubted his character: “This is the essence of a hundred herbs that I spent forty-nine days and used countless rare herbs to make. It’s guaranteed to cure all diseases.”

You were definitely referring to semen, weren't you... And where did this forty-nine days come from? I chopped the firewood for your stove, and it definitely didn't take more than two hours from putting the food in the pot to taking it out...

Miao Chengtian's lips twitched, once again experiencing Russell's unreliability and eccentricity.

She took a deep breath to mentally prepare herself, held her breath, picked up the teacup, and gulped it down in one go.

yue～

The taste of the ruminated vomit made her feel nauseous, and even though her facial muscles had started to twitch, she managed to suppress the urge to vomit with the Empress by her side.

The medicine took effect quickly, and a warm current emanated from her dantian. But before she could properly feel it, a strong sense of dizziness suddenly surged up and rushed into her mind.

Russell immediately stepped forward, picked up Miao Chengtian around the waist, and placed her on the bed. He then sat cross-legged, placed his hands on her back, and began to regulate her meridians with his inner energy.

Congenital meridian deficiency cannot be cured by medicine. In the original novel, Li Xingyun treated Miao Chengtian by starting with her cultivation technique, using a modified version of the "Dianluan Daofeng Jue" to unblock her meridians.

Today, Miao Chengtian's cultivation of this technique has begun to show initial results. The blocked meridians in his body have begun to slowly unblock, and it is only a matter of time before he is completely cured. However, this time, his meridians were injured by cold internal force, and cold air entered his body, which caused the condition to relapse.

The medicine that Russell had just brewed contained not only various precious medicinal herbs, but also the yang energy of animals such as tiger penis, sheep penis, bull penis, and pig penis. After drinking a cup, even a eunuch without testicles would get hard, which was just right to dispel the cold from Miao Chengtian.

"Empress, my sister..." Xuan Jingtian stood at the door, looking at Luo Su and Miao Chengtian on the bed with a worried expression. Luo Su's behavior made it seem like he was just teasing them.

"Trust him." The Empress crossed her arms and looked out the window, her expression equally worried. However, she was not worried about Miao Chengtian, but about the Qi Kingdom. The snow was still falling heavily, showing no signs of stopping.

Although Yang Yantian is in Fengxiang, if she doesn't return soon, the central government will inevitably experience turmoil.

Especially now that Li Siyuan is in charge of the Jin state, she finds it hard to believe that he would be able to stay out of trouble.

"Hmm~"

After about half an hour, Miao Chengtian on the bed let out a soft moan and slowly woke up. Luo Su also got out of bed and shook his hands: "How are you feeling?"

Miao Chengtian tried circulating his qi, and felt that it flowed like a vast ocean without any obstruction. The gloomy feeling in his body had also disappeared. He was overjoyed and quickly got out of bed to thank the master, saying, "My meridians have been severed. Thank you for saving my life."

"Thank you so much, sir. You have shown me such great kindness that I would gladly go through fire and water for you." Xuan Jingtian also stepped forward and bowed.

Russell waved his hand, indicating that it was a trivial matter. He told Xuan Jingtian to help Miao Chengtian to the side room to rest, while he himself came to the Empress's side and stood side by side: "Relax, the Bad Commander's plan has not yet begun. Meng Po is watching over Li Siyuan, so he dares not make any big moves."

"The Bad Commander's plan?" The Empress frowned slightly. The person in front of her knew far too much. If he didn't possess an intelligence agency powerful enough to overturn the entire world, then he truly was as shrewd as he claimed.

"You said last night that you could help me fight against the Bad Commander. Now, can you tell me what you really want?" the Empress continued to ask.

"What do you think is the weakness of the Bad Commander?" Russell asked instead of answering.

"The weakness of the Bad Marshal? Li Xingyun?" the Empress asked tentatively. Apart from Li Xingyun, she couldn't imagine anything that could be called Yuan Tiangang's weakness.

"If I said yes, could you bring yourself to lay a hand on him?"

Russell looked at the Empress with amusement, and the Empress fell silent for a moment.

“It’s arrogance.” Russell shook his head, looked up at the sky, where leaden clouds churned and piled up, and snowflakes fell like thousands of white feathers: “Three hundred years of life, two hundred years of solitude, can erase most of a person’s emotions.”

Especially for a chess player like Yuan Tiangang, who was invincible for three hundred years, his sense of awe had long since been lost to history along with his repeated acts of defying fate.

"Are you sad? Is it because of the Bad Commander?" The Empress seemed to sense the melancholy in Russell's words. She turned to look at his face, trying to find a clue from his expression.

"No, just a feeling of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both emotion and reflection). Russell's emotions came and went quickly. He just suddenly realized that with the existence of this mysterious space, his strength would only increase with each enhancement. In this way, even without the elixir of immortality, he wouldn't have to worry about his lifespan."

He can live for a very, very long time, so long that all the characters in the story grow old and die, and then the world completely changes to a state he no longer recognizes.

When that time comes, he might also be like Yuan Tiangang, treating the world as his own chessboard, either playing a move or entering the game, watching the rise and fall of dynasties, living into the modern era and into the future.

But that's a long time from now. At least for the next few decades, he doesn't need to think about these things.

Suppressing his emotions, Russell continued, "Do you know that Li Xingyun has a body double?"

"A stand-in? What stand-in?" The Empress asked in surprise. Russell then casually mentioned a secret that she was unaware of.

“It’s the work of the Bad Commander,” Russell explained. “His martial arts, skill, and knowledge are exactly the same as Li Xingyun’s. Even his appearance is identical to Li Xingyun’s through years of disguise.”

"Why would the Bad Commander arrange such a substitute? Is he trying to switch the roles... No, that's not right. If that were the case, why would he bother to promote Li Xingyun like this? He could just ascend the throne directly..." The Empress has ruled Qi Kingdom for sixteen years, ensuring that the people of Qi Kingdom are not displaced in this chaotic world. She is certainly not a fool. As she pondered more deeply, her eyes became brighter and brighter: "Could it be, a whetstone?"

“Exactly.” Russell smiled and nodded, then told the Empress about the life of the fake Li, making a point of stating that the fake Li was also a legitimate member of the Li Tang royal family.

"You want to support this stand-in to take the throne?" Upon hearing Russell's words, the Empress's brows furrowed. If that were the case, even if it meant mutual destruction today, she would never let him have his way.

If this fake Li is as Russell described, then given his character, if he were to ascend the throne, the world would likely have yet another tyrant.

Fortunately, Russell just smiled and shook his head: "How could that be? This throne is destined not to belong to the brothers. One of them is suitable, but his heart is not in it; the other is not suitable, but he sees it as a lifeline."

"Then what do you mean by mentioning him?" the Empress asked, puzzled.

"What I'm trying to say is, if we calculate the time, by the time we return to Fengxiang, the dragon will have already entered the sea, the tiger will have returned to the mountain, and Gangzi, who is confident that he has everything under control, will not appear for the time being. The world will become lively again, and your brother will also return. At that time, you might as well try to stand with him."

Russell reached out and caught a snowflake, which lingered on his fingertip. "I can almost picture his expression," he said. "It'll be very interesting."

"..." The Empress remained silent. Based on Russell's words, wasn't he implying that her brother would become a traitor?
Absolutely ridiculous!
……

The third day has arrived.

After two days of heavy snowfall, the snow finally stopped, allowing the Empress, the other two, and Russell to set off on their return journey.

However, instead of returning directly to Fengxiang, they went to a small coastal town.

"You've been fiddling with those few copper coins the whole way. What were you calculating?"

Inside the carriage, the Empress, now dressed as the Prince of Qi, rubbed her forehead. On the table in front of her, three copper coins were spinning rapidly. Russell himself was constantly calculating, and in just one hour, he had directed them to move to four or five different positions.

“When the wind rises and the waves surge, people are carried away by the waves. We always need to do more calculations to determine our location.” Russell shook his hand and assured, “This time there will be absolutely no problem. You two, go to ten miles west of the city. There is a local temple there. Wait for us there.”

"Yes." Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian, who were holding the reins outside the carriage, nodded in agreement, and the carriage slowly started moving again.

"Speaking of which, Li Xingyun and Ji Ruxue are here too. Are you sure you don't want to go see them? After all, the next time you meet, you'll be on opposite sides."

"Business is more important." The Empress tapped her fingers lightly on the table twice, thought for a moment, and ultimately decided not to meet.

……

"Damn..."

Outside the city, the fake Li, who had finally escaped from Zhang Zifan, Chi Meng and the others, staggered toward the depths of the forest.

He had the Flowing Trace Gu planted by Chi Meng in his body, so he dared not linger for even a moment.

However, his condition was extremely poor. First, he was severely injured by Yuan Tiangang on the deserted island, and his muscles, bones and internal organs were all seriously damaged. Then, he drifted on the sea for a day and a night, and the cold air entered his body. After finally being rescued, he was forced by Chi Meng to interrogate Li Xingyun's whereabouts with the Heart-Piercing Gu.

If he hadn't also mastered the Huayang acupuncture technique, which seals the meridians and protects the heart, he probably would have already fainted.

No, running away like this isn't a solution...

After running for several more miles, the fake Li felt that the true energy in his body was showing signs of getting out of control, so he had no choice but to stop and start acupuncture to stabilize his condition.

Now that Yuan Tiangang has given his permission, there are many things that were previously unthinkable but can now be done, such as forming factions to seize power and pursuing personal gain to usurp authority.

His destination was Taiyuan.

With the King of Qi as his backer, Li Xingyun must find a force that can rival the King of Qi and the Qi Kingdom in order to fight against Li Xingyun, regain the Bloodstained Record, successfully undergo the blood transfusion, and gain Yuan Tiangang's recognition.

Now, he needs to find a fast horse or a carriage.

He paused to adjust his breathing by the roadside, ensuring that his internal energy wouldn't be disrupted or reversed, and continued forward while observing both sides of the road. Not far ahead, he saw a dilapidated local shrine standing alone, and in front of the shrine, a carriage pulled by two fine horses.

God helps me too!

Fake Li thought to himself, and was about to rush forward to kill and seize the carriage, but before he could reach the carriage, he saw two women, one in red and one in purple, standing beside it.

Wonderful Heaven! Mysterious Pure Heaven!
How did they get here!

Panic flashed across the fake Li's face. As Li Xingyun's clone, he naturally knew everything about Li Xingyun's surroundings and was familiar with all the information about everyone around Li Xingyun.

Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian were the most capable assistants under the Prince of Qi. With them here, it was obvious who was in the carriage.

Let's go! Let's go right now!
Without any hesitation, the fake Li turned around, ignoring his internal injuries, and forcefully gathered his qi. At that moment, a dazzling light flashed through the carriage, and a voice rang in his ears. His shoulders slumped, making his blood almost freeze.
"Your Highness looks rushed. Where are you headed?"

"Prince Qi!"

Fake Li turned his head stiffly and, sure enough, saw the person he least wanted to see at that moment.

He fled in haste and didn't have time to buy the cosmetics needed for disguise. Now his face is covered in cracks, which he can't hide even if he wants to.

God will kill me!

The fake Li let out a mournful cry in his heart, and was about to utter the classic line, "Kill me or torture me, it's up to you," when he saw the King of Qi behind him release him.

"Someone wants to see you. Come with me," the Empress said coldly.

"See me?" Fake Li was puzzled, but also curious about who could possibly command this proud Prince Qi.

The fake Li followed Prince Qi into the carriage and saw Russell, dressed in white, drinking tea alone.

"I am Li Chungang. Your Highness, we have finally met." Luo Su offered tea, and the fake Li did not stand on ceremony and was about to take it, but Luo Su grabbed his wrist instead. As his true energy surged, the fake Li could feel the faintly agitated true energy in his body quickly calm down.

Such speed! Such terrifying internal force! Fake Li's pupils trembled, and he looked at Russell in disbelief. He felt the same oppressive feeling that he had only felt from Yuan Tiangang.

Upon hearing the name Li Chungang mentioned by Russell, he felt a jolt of fear and immediately asked, "What is your relationship with the Commander-in-Chief, Li Chunfeng?"

Russell smiled but said nothing.

Seeing this, the fake Li didn't mind and instead asked, "May I ask, Mr. Li, what brings you and Prince Qi here to wait for me?"

"You're on the right track." Russell nodded approvingly, glanced at the fake Li, then shook his head. "He's done a good job teaching you to stay calm under pressure. It's just a pity..."

"What's a pity?" Fake Li frowned. He hated guys who only said half of what they meant.

"That's not important. What's important is whether you want to be emperor or not."

(End of this chapter)