Simultaneous travel: I am rampant in the domestic area

Chapter 225 The Lively City of Taiyuan
The brother-in-law's words are hard to judge.

He has just returned from his studies and is currently in a phase of excessive arrogance. He has the mentality of thinking he's the most important person in the world and that if you push him too far, he can cause all sorts of trouble.

In fact, with Gangzi out of the picture and both Prince Jin Li Keyong and Ghost King Zhu Youwen dying, Li Maozhen is definitely a top-tier fighter. The only ones in the world qualified to fight him head-on and gain the upper hand are a handful of people like Duo Kuo Huo from Yinshan, Corpse Ancestor Ying Gou, and the Lord of the Twelve Caves.

Unfortunately, of the two people present, one was well aware of Gangzi's martial prowess, and the other had witnessed Gangzi in actual combat. The Empress, in particular, was so impressed by her brother's boastful words that she wanted to kick the ground. For a moment, no one responded. Fortunately, her brother-in-law had been in the Twelve Caves for a long time and was not talkative, so he didn't find the atmosphere awkward. He continued to discuss the specific implementation plan with Russell in his usual confident tone.

The three returned to the city and went directly to the imperial palace that Li Siyuan had specially prepared, where the fake Li and Li Siyuan had been staying recently.

The enthronement ceremony was complicated and fraught with difficulties. Coupled with the threat from Russell, Li Siyuan dared not be negligent and wished he could do everything himself. The few remaining chief guards of the Tongwen Academy were busy working around the clock in Taiyuan and Jieliang to ensure that there would be no mistakes during the enthronement.

"I have met Mr. Li, I have met Prince Qi, and I have met the Empress."

As luck would have it, when the three arrived, the sixth brother, Li Cunli, was reporting to Li Siyuan about the arrangements for entertaining the princes.

“Zhengchen, it’s been a long time.” Li Siyuan was visibly taken aback when he saw Li Maozhen, but he quickly recovered, waved for Li Cunli to step down, and turned to introduce the fake Li: “Your Highness, this is the King of Qi of Qi Kingdom, the Empress’s brother, Li Maozhen, Li Zhengchen.”

"I never imagined that the Empress would have an elder brother." The fake Li sat on the jade dragon throne at the head of the table, with his Longquan sword placed to one side. His left hand was on his left leg, and his right hand was supporting his right cheek. He sat in a carefree and unrestrained manner.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Li Maozhen casually cupped his hands in greeting and sat down with Russell and the others at their own pace.

The truth behind this coronation was clear to everyone present, so there was no need for much formality or polite talk.

"Mr. Li, what brings you here?" Li Siyuan asked respectfully, adopting a very humble posture.

"Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?" Russell joked, but Li Siyuan acted as if he hadn't heard him and maintained his humble attitude: "Mr. Li is joking."

"How boring." Russell sighed. Ever since he showed off his skills last time, he hadn't seen Yuan Yuan's unruly demeanor again. "During this period, it is estimated that bad guys from all over the country will gradually arrive in Taiyuan."

"Mr. Li, rest assured, I have dispatched all the generals under the Tongwen Hall to ensure that no bad people will ruin your good deed with His Highness."

“No, what I mean is, don’t worry about them, let them in.” Russell shook his head: “The Bad People’s forces are deeply entrenched. Instead of spending time on prevention, we should send more people to Jieliang. As long as we guard Longquan, they won’t be able to cause any trouble.”

The Bad Guys with Yuan Tiangang in charge are completely different from those without Yuan Tiangang in charge.

Without a list, these scoundrels are everywhere and infiltrate every nook and cranny, a situation completely different from the time when Li Siyuan was in power.

"But what if Li Xingyun and the others don't come?" the fake Li asked at this moment. "Without Li Xingyun, we still can't open the Longquan Treasure."

Li Siyuan subtly looked up; this was also a question he was concerned about.

"That's my problem." Russell looked in the direction of the fake Li and Li Siyuan and said with a smile, "At worst, you can push me out. Anyway, you already know the location of the Longquan Treasure. Dig three feet into the ground, or even blow it up, you can blow up the underground cave. Let's see if the net you set up in Taiyuan can trap me to death."

"How dare I, Xiao Wang!" Li Siyuan's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his whole body covered in cold sweat.

How did he know! ?
This sentence was all that could be on Li Siyuan's mind.

The person monitoring Russell and the Empress was Li Cunren, his most trusted confidant, even though the two of them had been staying in the clubhouse for the past few days without coming out!
And then there was the fake Li, whose face was equally grim, and he also lowered his head, his eyes unfathomable.

"What's going on?" Li Maozhen frowned, his purple inner force surged, and he instantly appeared in front of the fake Li. He kicked Li Siyuan over, grabbed the fake Li by the neck with one hand, and lifted him up: "If you want to die, I will grant your wish now."

"King Qi has studied Gu techniques in the Twelve Caves for many years. Does he know any methods to control other people's minds?" Russell sighed. The saying "colluding with each other" was indeed true. These two together were sure to cause all sorts of trouble. Although he was not afraid, he couldn't stand being bothered by them.

"I've only learned a few types of Gu techniques, and I'm not proficient in them," Li Maozhen said calmly, implying that he couldn't do it. He could control people like walking corpses, but ensuring they were no different from normal people would be a challenge for him.

"Troublesome, should we kill him?" Before Russell could finish speaking, Li Maozhen, with his exceptionally strong execution skills, had already begun to gather his strength. The fake Li immediately rolled his eyes, and Russell quickly called a halt, saying that efficiency didn't have to be that high.

"I remember there's a Gu worm in the Southern Frontier called the Heart-Piercing Gu. When it strikes, it's like a hundred insects are gnawing at your heart," the Empress suggested. She had heard about this Gu worm from Li Xingyun, a young girl named Chi Meng who was quite proficient in it.

"..." Li Maozhen remained silent again, but he increased the force in his hand, and the fake Li began to stick out his tongue uncontrollably.

"..." The Empress was full of questions. So, what exactly did you learn during your sixteen years in the Twelve Caves, Brother Wang?

Double 4+4?

Feeling uncomfortable under his sister's gaze, Li Maozhen lost face and immediately dropped the fake Li, who was barely breathing, and grabbed Li Siyuan, giving him a brutal beating.

"Sigh... What a mess." Russell rubbed his forehead. These allies of his were all quite the entertainers, and he was a little envious of the other two Russells.

Who are Shao Bai Russell's teammates? The Eighth Prince of Bei Li, skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Tian Jiu Luo Su is not to be outdone. Although his martial arts skills are not great, he frequents Zi Lan Xuan. He has already made a name for himself in front of Zi Nu and Wei Zhuang. He also gets along well with Zhang Liang. He will definitely be a veteran of Liu Sha in the future, not to mention that he has a cousin-in-law behind him.

Ultimately, both the fake Li and Li Siyuan were infected with the Gu poison. Russell used the Raojiang Sacred Gu from the Qianling Treasure Box to implant a deep-seated psychological suggestion in the hearts of the two half-dead individuals, thus solving the problem at its source.

……

"Ji Ruxue greets the Empress."

The next day, Ji Ruxue, who had been traveling at full speed, finally arrived in Taiyuan. Even though she already knew about the coronation on the way, her first priority was to pay her respects to the Empress.

"You should know what happened. He went to so much trouble to heal you. Why didn't you stay by Li Xingyun's side? What are you doing here?" In the courtyard, the Empress crossed her legs, propped her chin on one hand, and looked at the woman in blue in front of her with a complicated expression. Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian stood behind her.

After going through so much, she finally returned unharmed.

"The Empress's kindness to this servant is as heavy as a mountain, I dare not fail to come." Ji Ruxue kowtowed, her tone respectful.

"Do you know what the consequences will be if you come here?" the Empress said quietly.

Ji Ruxue said firmly and confidently, "I am his greatest weakness, but I will also be his greatest motivation. My death may change him, and I believe the Empress does not want such a change to occur. Therefore, I will not die."

This is the effect of information asymmetry. Like Li Xingyun and others, Ji Ruxue was also unaware of Russell's existence.

She returned for two reasons: first, she wanted to gather as much intelligence as possible for Li Xingyun; second, she was certain she wouldn't die, because if she died here, everyone present would be buried with her, and she believed none of them would be willing to die with her.

At the entrance, Russell, who had just finished fishing with his brother-in-law and come up empty-handed but bought two fish as trophies to save face, observed the scene with great interest. At this time, Ji Ruxue still had long hair, which was pinned back with a hairpin. "Who is she?" Li Maozhen, who had initially thought it was just a spy from Huanyinfang reporting information, became interested when he turned around and saw Russell's strange expression.

"The emperor's woman," Russell succinctly stated.

The undisputed leading lady of Chinese animation, a woman among women.

Russell added in his mind.

"The emperor's woman? The emperor's taste is truly worrisome." Li Maozhen scrutinized Ji Ruxue carefully from head to toe, but finally withdrew his gaze.

If he were Ji Ruxue, he would never come at this critical juncture and give others a handle to use against him.

He had talked about Li Xingyun's matter with Russell more or less these days, so he naturally knew how deep the friendship between him and Li Xingyun was.

In this situation, all past favors are meaningless; preserving your life and avoiding causing trouble are the most important things.

Originally, Li Xingyun had no compelling reason to come, but now that Ji Ruxue has walked right into his trap, he does have one.

"A childlike heart." Russell nodded in satisfaction.

"Womanly compassion." Li Maozhen smiled dismissively.

“Even without Ji Ruxue, the Emperor would still come,” Russell said with a light laugh. “Given his character, he would never let the world fall into the hands of a false emperor.”

"The throne was clearly within his grasp, yet he discarded it like a worn-out shoe. He clearly had no ambition for it, yet he wouldn't let others fight for it. He was hypocritical and self-serving, utterly ridiculous," Li Maozhen continued.

"Hey! Are you looking for trouble with me?" Russell raised his eyebrows, realizing he couldn't argue with Li Maozhen, so he had no choice but to raise his fist and use physical means to shut Li Maozhen up.

Old Li's idea was not wrong, but his approach was indeed a bit difficult to handle.

Li Maozhen shifted his gaze elsewhere. He had lost all his arrogance over the past two days thanks to Russell. This extremely wicked Mr. Li, relying on his invincible Life-Destroying Gu, had been challenging him to sparring sessions whenever he had the chance, making Li Maozhen realize the gap between himself and the two Gang Realm experts in just two days.

The two entered the courtyard. The Empress waved her hand, and Ji Ruxue was about to leave when the Empress stopped her: "Stay here. You've been confused for a long time, and it's rare for you to be clear-headed. Come with me for a walk. If you don't want to, that's fine. Taiyuan has been quite turbulent lately. Your identity is special. If you want to go out, have Miao Chengtian accompany you."

"This……"

Is this right?
Ji Ruxue hesitated. Her current status was no less than that of a prisoner, so how could she still be so free?

As if sensing Ji Ruxue's confusion, the Empress raised her chin and pointed at Russell: "This man doesn't even care about the scoundrels, let alone you."

"The Empress is right," Russell readily agreed.

"May I ask who you are, young master?" Ji Ruxue looked at Luo Su, thinking to herself that this man might be the culprit behind the Empress's defection to the fake Li's side.

“Li Chungang.” Russell snapped open his folding fan, his mouth agape in a wide smile: “Look at Miss Xue’er, she greets you as ‘Young Master’ as soon as she sees you. You guys, you keep calling me ‘Master’ this and ‘Master’ that, you really don’t know how to speak properly.”

“If Mr. Li finds the name ‘Young Master’ pleasant to hear, we sisters can call it for you every day,” Miao Chengtian said with a smile, while Xuan Jingtian nodded in agreement.

"Then forget it. The gentleman is also good, and he's more composed." Russell refused without thinking, which made the two sisters playfully angry.

They arranged for the kitchen to take the fish down to make soup, and since the group didn't want to stay idle at home, they decided to stroll around Taiyuan City.

Taiyuan, as the capital of the Jin Kingdom, was already incredibly prosperous. Now, with preparations for the emperor's ascension to the throne, its liveliness has increased several times over, with every household decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, filled with joy.

"How lively!" The Empress looked at the people around her, laughing and chatting, and the children playing in the streets and alleys. She thought to herself, "How wonderful it would be if the whole world were like this."

“Yes, it’s certainly lively.” Russell nodded in agreement, but his mind was elsewhere.

You don't know until you go out and explore; once you do, you're amazed. You really can't stay at home, otherwise you'll never see so many familiar faces.

"Miss Xue'er," Russell called softly with a smile.

"What are your instructions, Mr. Li?" Ji Ruxue stepped forward and asked.

"Let me introduce you to a few people, it will be easier for you to send a message to the Emperor later." Russell closed his folding fan, pointed in a direction, and said with a smile, "See that one? Quinn, the leader of the Taiyuan Bad Guys branch. All the Bad Guys in Taiyuan are under his command."

Ji Ruxue looked in the direction Russell was pointing and saw the burly, bearded man selling wine and shaking dice on the street freeze.

"And this one is even more remarkable. Like the two upstairs, he is one of the Thirty-Six Captains of the Heavenly Gang, Duan Chengtian of the Heavenly Speed ​​Star, and is skilled in the 'Silent Technique,' allowing him to move freely among thousands of troops."

Another sentence caused Shangguan Yunque, Wen Tao, and the short, fat woodcutter who was bargaining with the woman to change their expressions drastically.

"And those, those, those, those are all bad guys. You can remember them so you don't go looking for the wrong people." Russell pointed to several more locations in succession, and the people he pointed to were all on high alert, and the atmosphere on the whole street suddenly became tense.

Li Maozhen looked around and revealed a sarcastic smile. He was confident that he could take down everyone Russell had pointed out within a hundred rounds.

"Mr. Lee."

Just then, a voice rang out, breaking the eerie atmosphere, and the clanging of armor filled the street.

The newcomer wore a black hat and a black captain's uniform; he was none other than Ba'er, the leader of Li Cunli's three top fighters.

"Ah, poor Baal." Russell stared at Baal for a moment, then sighed. In the original storyline, Baal survived until the middle of season five.

"What does Mr. Li mean by this?" Barr looked at Russell in a panic.

"It's nothing, I just have a question for the leader: your disguise is so flawless, how did you still make that child suffer so much?"

"..." Sanzenin remained silent, only drawing his sword in quiet contemplation.

(End of this chapter)