Simultaneous travel: I am rampant in the domestic area

Chapter 223 Big-Eared Thief, Let's Split Up

"I want to! I want to be emperor so badly! I dream about it all the time!" Fake Li pressed down on the edge of the table, no longer suppressing his desire, staring intently into Russell's eyes, trying to discern what he wanted from his gaze.

There's no point in struggling now. Since they know I exist but haven't killed me, I must still be of use to them.

Fake Li knew very well that the only thing he was truly useful to him now was probably his face.

They asked themselves if they were willing to become emperor, probably because they wanted to use his face to get what they wanted. But whether they genuinely supported him or wanted to control him as a puppet, as long as he was alive, he still had hope.

"It's good that you want to, but I'm afraid you'll be scared out of your wits by Gangzi." Just as Luo Su was about to joke, he saw Fake Li suddenly slam his hand on the table and glare angrily at Luo Su: "How dare you address the Bad Commander like that!"

Russell: "You child..."

This child is truly hopeless.

He has a good temperament and resilience, but as soon as he gets involved with Yuan Tiangang, he seems to lose his mind.

It's as if, with his intelligence, he couldn't possibly not know that Yuan Tiangang wanted to use him to sharpen Li Xingyun's knife. He knew, but he was unwilling to face it, secretly hoping for that impossible miracle.

"Pfft~" The Empress watched from the side. Having known Li Chungang's wicked nature all along the way, she couldn't help but chuckle when she saw him get the short end of the stick.

Russell rubbed his temples. He was about to say something, but Fake Li's shout made him choke. Oh, he remembered: "Do you know why Gang... the Bad Commander let you come back?"

“Give me a chance to prove myself, and I will prove to him with facts that I am more suitable to be the ruler of all people than Li Xingyun!” the fake Li said without hesitation.

"Do you even believe what you're saying?" Russell sneered. "You know better than anyone that no matter how far you've come, if Li Xingyun says he's willing to ascend the throne at the last moment, everything you've done will be for his benefit. You yourself will become a useless pawn, abandoned and crushed by Yuan Tiangang."

"..." Fake Li was exposed for what he least wanted to admit, his fists clenched, and he remained silent.

Russell didn't care what the fake Lee thought and continued to speak:

"Let me calculate. What is your current plan? Go to Taiyuan to find Li Siyuan, then find an opportunity to get the Blood Weeping Record from the Corpse Ancestor Hou Qing, exchange blood with Li Xingyun, and finally call on all the feudal lords in the world to force them to take sides."
How foolish! Without any exchange of benefits, relying solely on verbal promises and depending on the power of the Bad Guy Commander, even if they succeed in the end, it will be like water without a source or a tree without roots. What doesn't belong to you will never belong to you.

"What you need is power that truly belongs to you, prestige that belongs to you, and achievements that belong to you, so that the hearts of the people can win the hearts of the people and the will of Heaven can prevail."

"Enough!" Fake Li interrupted, looking at Russell angrily. "Anyone can make sarcastic remarks. If you have other ideas, you can bring them up. There's no need to mock me here."

He's not stupid; how could he not have thought of what Russell said?

But what could he do?
Having followed the Bad Commander for many years, he had no time to develop his own power or accumulate his own reputation.

"Putting myself in your shoes, if I were you, I really wouldn't know how to break this deadlock either," Russell said, then changed the subject. "But now you've met me, met us. If you're willing, Qi Kingdom can be your help. It will take the Bad Commander at least two months to return from the isolated island. These two months are your only chance to turn the tide."

"Opportunity? What opportunity?"

"Ascend the throne, Your Highness." Russell poured tea and pushed the teacup in front of the fake Li: "The Qi Kingdom will campaign for you, and in the name of Li Xingyun, summon all the lords to witness and put an end to everything."

"Ascension to the throne? Are you crazy?" The fake Li didn't reach for the cup of tea, but frowned. "You know I'm not the one."

“No? What nonsense are you talking about?” Russell pointed his folding fan at the Empress: “The Prince of Qi says you are, the Prince of Jin says you are, all the princes say you are, who in the world dares to say you are not?”

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms in the world of Bad Guys are quite different from those in official history. In this world, after Zhu Wen's death, various vassal states stood side by side, among which the Qi and Jin states were the most powerful. If these two states jointly supported the descendants of the Li Tang dynasty to ascend the throne, there would not be much opposition in the world.

This can be seen from the fact that after Yuan Tiangang's death, Li Siyuan was able to assume the regency and eventually ascend to the throne.

"Then why do you think they would listen to us?" Fake Li picked up his teacup, swirled it, but didn't drink. "Just like you said, without an exchange of benefits, everything is like water without a source or a tree without roots. How do you know they won't turn against us?"

"Because of me, because of the Longquan Treasure." Russell said confidently, "I can deal with Yuan Tiangang. The Longquan Treasure can not only greatly increase the national strength of Qi Kingdom, but also give the feudal lords of the world a way out."

"Do you know where the Longquan treasure is?! Who are you? Are you Li Chunfeng?"

Fake Li was horrified. He wouldn't have thought it too far-fetched if Russell said he could predict other things, but the Dragon Spring Treasure was the only exception. It was shrouded by Yuan Tiangang's special formation, and no divination method in the world could predict it.

In this world, the only person who could rival Yuan Tiangang in divination was that person from two hundred years ago.

Furthermore, Russell was so confident that he could deal with Yuan Tiangang...

Could it be that there were other people who took the elixir of immortality back then?

"I am Li Chungang." Russell shook his head, then looked at the water cup in the fake Li's hand: "What will Your Highness choose?"

“I have no other choice.” Fake Li drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.

An alliance was formed.

"Go to Xuanwu Mountain and retrieve the Longquan Sword."

Inside the carriage, Russell's voice rang out, and Miao Chengtian immediately turned the carriage around and headed towards the Celestial Master's Mansion.

……

Xuanwu Mountain.

"It is indeed more impressive than Huanglong Mountain."

In front of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Russell stood side by side with the Empress, while the two Holy Maidens, Fake Li and Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian, were not by his side.

When the fake Li separated from the four at the border of Jin, Russell instructed him to go to Taiyuan to contact Li Siyuan, issue the King of Jin's decree, and summon all the feudal lords of the world to meet at Jieliang Salt Marsh in Jin.

Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian also returned to Fengxiang with the edict from King Qi, ready to respond to King Jin's order and issue King Qi's order at the same time.

Bertrand Russell unconsciously compared Xuanwu Mountain with Huanglong Mountain.

The fortune of Huanglong Mountain has run out, and even with the presence of Qi Tianchen, Mo Yi, and Luo Su, it is difficult to continue. With the arrival of the immortal Zhao Yuzhen, the fortune of the Taoist sect is irreversibly shifting towards Qingcheng Mountain.

It can be said that as long as Zhao Yuzhen lives, Huanglong Mountain will be suppressed by Qingcheng Mountain.

"Huanglong Mountain? What kind of holy land is that?" the Empress asked curiously. "A small sect in the south, with only three to five people per generation, what kind of holy land is that?" Russell shook his head and stepped forward to knock on the door of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

The Taoist priest who opened the door was slightly surprised to see the Empress behind Russell, and quickly cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Prince Qi."

"I have come to see the High Priest Master today. Please convey my message to him." The Empress stood with her hands behind her back, her back to the Taoist priest, and spoke calmly without turning around.

"Please wait a moment, Your Highness." The Taoist nodded, and without closing the door, he used his lightness skill to rush into the Celestial Master's Mansion. Not long after, a still charming female Taoist priest walked out from inside the door, came to Your Highness, and cupped her hands, saying, "Your Highness, I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

"Master, I have come on behalf of Li Xingyun to retrieve the Longquan Sword that was entrusted to the Celestial Master's Mansion. Please lead the way, Master."

Xu Huan had no doubts. After all, it was common knowledge that Prince Qi was Li Xingyun's staunch supporter, and besides Li Xingyun and Zhang Zifan, no one else knew that the Longquan Sword was in the Celestial Master's Mansion.

She welcomed Russell and the Empress into the mansion, and while leading them to search for the Dragon Spring Sword, she casually asked, "Where is Young Master Li now? Zifan and Lin Xuan have been looking for him these past few days."

"They have already met in Qinghe Town on the coast of the Bohai Sea, and Li Dabai and the Qingguo and Qingcheng sisters are with them." The Empress had already learned about the team's composition from Russell, so she was at ease when Xu Huan asked her questions.

"That's good." Xu Huan breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Zifan and Lu Linxuan have already gotten married. As a mother, she sincerely doesn't want them to continue to struggle in this turbulent world. But at the same time, she understands that her son has the world in his heart, so she can only do her best to help him.

Not long after, the Empress carried Longquan on her back and walked out of the Celestial Master's Mansion with Russell.

It was only then that Xu Huan realized that Russell, who had been following behind Prince Qi, did not seem to be an attendant.

"What all these warlords have fought tooth and nail for all these years is now completely useless."

On her way to Jieliang, the Empress played with the Qianling Treasure Box in her hand and sighed.

Because of this thing, both the Ghost King and the Brahma Heaven died violent deaths.

"Do you want to know what's inside?" Russell then took the Qianling Treasure Box from the Empress and made a move to open it, but the Empress quickly stopped him: "Without the secret techniques of the Twelve Caves, be careful not to fall into a trap if you open it rashly."

"Just a Gu worm." Russell was not afraid at all. Facing the Empress, he turned the treasure box towards himself, and with a flick of his hands, he opened the box. A burst of purple light immediately burst out from the box, and an invisible force tried to pull Russell into the illusion.

Russell softly recited the words "Imperial Edict," and the illusion shattered instantly. He immediately took action, pinching the Miao Sacred Gu in the treasure box and injecting his true energy into it to maintain the Gu worm, the exotic flower, and the blood puppet, lest they die and alert Yuan Tiangang.

"What is this?" The Empress curiously took the clay figurine made of blood and soil. The figurine was in the shape of a child, the Miao holy child chosen by the Twelve Caves back then, who knew the true location of the Dragon Spring Treasure.

"The Holy Child of Miao Region." Russell explained simply. He was also grateful to the Empress, otherwise he would have almost forgotten about this child. When the Longquan Treasure was discovered, he would have had to send people to Shu to search for him.

“Yuan Tiangang has lived too long and his obsession is too deep. Otherwise, with his abilities, why would he need to go through all this trouble?” Russell shook his head and stuffed the things in his hand back into the treasure box.

Just as Russell said, Yuan Tiangang's three hundred years of internal energy were so profound that his martial arts, intelligence, and political acumen were far beyond what the rest of the world could achieve.

Such a person can easily establish a dynasty, or easily destroy one.

The course of nature is constant; the major trends cannot be changed, but the minor trends can be altered.

Just like when Zhang Zifan replaced Li Siyuan later, all he had to do was change his name. Unfortunately, Yuan Tiangang's domineering ways and his own pride would not allow him to act in this way.

"A few houses nestled against the mountain and beside the water, peaceful whether walking or sitting; an ox and half an acre of land, the harvest or the barrenness depends on the heavens; after the rain, when the sky clears, row a small boat, fish on one side, wine on the other..."

As Russell's leisurely "Ballad of Peace" played, the Empress seemed to be influenced and drawn into the peaceful scene he had created.

They traveled in silence for three days and three nights, finally arriving in the State of Jin before dusk on the third day, reaching the largest salt marsh in Jieliang.

Big-eared thief and fake Li had been waiting here for a long time.

“Prince Qi, and Li Chungang, Mr. Li…” Li Siyuan first greeted the Empress, and then turned his attention to Russell.

"Has the secret order been sent out?" Russell asked.

"Ten days ago, when we set off, we sent messengers to the eight kingdoms of Wu, Yue, Chu, and Shu. Judging by the time, all the kings in the world have received them now, and those who acted quickly have already begun their journeys." Li Siyuan lightly fanned himself with his Xiuwen fan, his voice filled with an indescribable malice.

“That’s good.” Russell nodded. “Then we can start preparing for His Highness’s enthronement. Let’s hold the enthronement ceremony in Taiyuan. Prince Jin, please take this opportunity to do your best.”

"The coronation ceremony is fine, but there's one thing." Li Siyuan narrowed his already small eyes, his Supreme Qiankun Gong internal energy flowing through him, and looked at Luo Su: "Although you and I are both subjects under His Highness, I am still the Prince of Jin. It is inappropriate for you to give such orders as soon as we meet."

"Oh? What does the Prince of Jin want?" Russell looked over with interest. This plot seemed familiar. Wasn't this the same attitude Big Ears had when he first met Gangzi?

"Let me test Mr. Li's abilities!" Li Siyuan closed his fan and moved swiftly. His thick, bony arms pulled up a fierce wind, like a steel whip, and struck Russell. The air currents exploded violently as he struck.

Fake Li made no move, simply standing aside with his arms crossed, observing coldly.

He also wanted to test Russell's strength. If he couldn't even beat Li Siyuan, or could only barely contend with him, then he would consider Russell's previous promise as bullshit.

"The Supreme Divine Universe Technique, unfortunately, it's not pure enough, far inferior to your godfather's." Russell's lips curled into a smile. He neither dodged nor avoided the attack. If Huang Jinyuan were here, he might be able to muster some energy, but now...

Without any movement, Li Siyuan looked horrified. His palm stirred up ripples in front of Luo Su, but he couldn't advance an inch. His internal force was like a mud ox sinking into the sea when it met Luo Su's barrier of energy.

He had only ever felt this way with Yuan Tiangang.

Li Chungang... Li Chunfeng... Damn it, another old monster!

"Senior! Spare me! Spare me! I know I was wrong!" Feeling his internal energy being consumed rapidly, Li Siyuan disregarded his pride and hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, can we now proceed with the arrangements for the coronation ceremony as I have instructed?" Russell stepped forward, and Li Siyuan was immediately thrown back. Without hesitation, he performed a fierce tiger-like move and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "I will go and make the arrangements immediately."

“That’s right.” Russell nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s split up. You take care of the coronation, and I’ll take care of the Dragon Spring Treasure.”

Li Siyuan nodded repeatedly in agreement. For some reason, he felt a chill on his neck when Russell suggested splitting up.

(End of this chapter)