Simultaneous travel: I am rampant in the domestic area

Zuixianju was not a business like a typical brothel.

To the west of Kyoto flows the Ryūjō River. Before it flows into the Aoyama Mountains, the river slows down and forms a large, mirror-like pool.

Many flower boats floated freely on the lake, decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, resembling dazzling crystal palaces, and were extremely beautiful.

Guests usually register on the main building of Zuixianju, and then use their tokens to find the corresponding pleasure boat.

Zuixianju is not the largest of the brothel boats, but it is the most upscale. It is a two-story boat, exquisite and beautiful, with elegant furnishings. Most importantly, this flower boat is home to the most popular girl in the capital's entertainment scene, Miss Silili.

"Who are you? How did you get in?"

At this very moment, the famous courtesan, renowned throughout Kyoto, lay on her bed, staring in astonishment at the blind man sitting in a chair outside the curtain.

If she hadn't misheard, he must have said "Good afternoon" to her.

“Miss Li, I just said good afternoon to you. You only needed to say thank you, instead of ungrateful things like ‘Who are you?’ or ‘Where did you come from?’ I’m giving you a chance to say it again.”

Russell took a bite of the pastry on the table and said casually.

I must say, he truly lives up to his reputation as Kyoto's top courtesan; the sweets here are better than anything I've ever bought on the street.

"..." Si Lili was silent for a while, weighing the strength of both sides in her mind, and said in a muffled voice, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Russell nodded in satisfaction, stood up and walked to Si Lili, lifting her chin: "You are indeed quite pretty."

"?" Si Lili looked somewhat confused.

This blind man says she's somewhat attractive, can you see it?
And these movements, why are they so practiced?

"Does the great hero know whose person I am?" Although she was puzzled, Si Lili did not show it. Instead, she carefully reached for the dagger hidden under her pillow.

"Whose person is he? Tell me, maybe I know him," Russell said with great interest.

"Great hero, do you know Lord Fan Jian, the Marquis of Sinan? I am the mistress of Fan Xian, the eldest son of the Marquis of Sinan. Young Master Fan has already promised to redeem me. If you are after money, feel free to take whatever you like in the room. If you are after virtue..."

Of course, that was just her making things up. Last night, Fan Xian and she sat facing each other and chatted all night about music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs.

"How about raping her?" Russell gestured for Si Lili to continue.

Si Lili frowned: "This is the capital after all. Aren't you afraid that Young Master Fan will cause you trouble?"

“I think if he really investigates, you’ll be in more trouble.” Russell’s smile widened as he said this: “Don’t you agree, Miss Li Lisi?”

Upon hearing the name Li Lisi, Si Lili's face turned deathly pale.

This is her real name.

Although one of the reasons she rose to prominence in the Kyoto fashion scene and became a leading figure among the beauties was due to a rumor that her surname was not actually Si, but Li, a member of the royal family.

Rumors circulate that this young woman was actually a descendant of a royal family member from the early days of the dynasty, but had fallen into poverty because her ancestor had committed a serious crime.

This rumor was naturally fabricated and released by her.

No one would believe this rumor, but some people are willing to spread it and support it.

This mentality is actually quite easy to explain. Imagine those officials who kowtow to the emperor every day; if they thought that the beautiful woman tossing and turning beneath them was actually the emperor's "distant relative," they would probably feel much happier.

Furthermore, His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't care what a courtesan's surname is.

But the truth is, this rumor is true.

She is indeed a descendant of the Southern Qing royal family; her grandfather was the prince who was most likely to become emperor back then.

Everything was going smoothly for her; she was practically a shoo-in for the title of princess.

Unfortunately, a remarkable woman named Ye Qingmei suddenly appeared and, with a single Barrett grenades shot from 800 miles away, turned her grandfather into dust.

After their defeat in the power struggle for the throne, her whole family fled to the Northern Qi. After her parents passed away one after another, she and her younger brother were adopted by the Northern Qi royal family.

She had just received orders to travel south to the Qing Kingdom under the name Si Lili to act as a spy and gather intelligence for the Northern Qi.

But now, the name Li Lisi is being spoken by the person in front of us, which undoubtedly means that her identity as a spy has been exposed.

Without any hesitation, she pulled out the dagger from under her pillow and stabbed Russell in the chest.

Russell ignored her, the dagger piercing his chest, where it was blocked by the qi, rendering him unable to move.

"Who exactly are you? Let me die knowing the truth." Realizing the vast difference in strength, Si Lili simply dropped the dagger in her hand and said sorrowfully.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Seeing that Si Lili was determined to die, Russell quickly let go of her hand and sat back down in his original position: "I can't say much else, I can only tell you that I just came from Northern Qi."

"Are you His Majesty's man?" Si Lili asked suspiciously.

While it's possible, it's unnecessary. His Majesty doesn't actually have many usable cards, and wasting one for her would be a real waste.

"No, do you recognize this?" Russell shook his head, took out a wad of cloth from his pocket, and threw it in front of Si Lili. Si Lili unfolded the cloth, and what came into view was a begonia flower.

He tore this thing off during his one-on-one fight with Haitang Duoduo.

His clothes were torn off from the beating, so it was impossible for Haitang Duoduo to be unharmed.

He was just a hair's breadth away from being able to get this Holy Maiden of Northern Qi to hold the Unobstructed Assembly with him.

"Duoduo?" Si Lili asked in surprise.

Haitang Duoduo was one of her few close friends in the palace, so it would be reasonable for her to seek someone to protect her.

"She asked you to protect me?" Si Lili frowned.

“Of course not. I was framed in Northern Qi and she chased me to the border of Northern Qi. I almost got beaten to death by her. I couldn’t beat her, so I came to cause you trouble,” Russell said resentfully.

But Si Lili seemed not to hear her and continued, "How is she now? Is she alright?"

Seeing this, Russell lost the will to tease her any further and said, "Very good, she can eat ten steamed buns and two roast ducks in one meal, and she's really energetic when she fights people."

"That's good then." Si Lili nodded slightly, ignoring Russell's presence, and hugged her knees, looking worried.

If given a choice, which woman would willingly degenerate into staying in a brothel and doing such a dangerous job as a spy?

But she had no choice. In Northern Qi, her status was lowly, and she had a younger brother to support. All she could do was to help Northern Qi gather intelligence, hoping that one day she could change her fate.

Russell tilted his head, wondering if the woman was sick.

No, it should be said that the women in Joy of Life all have some problems to some extent.

Ye Qingmei is a fairy with lofty ambitions, Fan Ruoruo is a die-hard brother-obsessed girl, Ye Ling'er is a martial arts fanatic, and the eldest princess is even more of a lunatic.

Lin Wan'er... well, Lin Wan'er is literally sick, suffering from tuberculosis. If she hadn't met Fan Xian, she probably wouldn't have survived for more than a few years.

After a long while, Si Lili finally came to her senses, looked at Russell, and asked, "If you need any help, young master, please feel free to tell me."

It was just a polite remark at first, but no sooner had she finished speaking than Russell said very seriously, "Can I get something from you for free this time?"

"?" Half an hour later, under Si Lili's astonished expression, Russell was led by her to the outside of the flower boat.

The girls and clients outside could tell at a glance that Miss Si Lili had taken another client, and this one was blind.

Actually, Russell wasn't short of money; he had gold leaves given to him by Fan Xian.

However, while this amount of money would be more than enough to pay for other girls, Si Lili was simply too expensive, belonging to the category of high-end luxury goods, which he really couldn't afford.

And so, Russell walked out of Zuixianju openly and honestly, without spending a single tael of silver.

Afternoon, Fan Family Garden.

Sunlight filters through the sparse branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

When Russell returned to the Fan residence, Fan Xian had already returned from the Overwatch Council.

Ye Ling'er had already left, and the spy watching him had also been replaced. It seemed that he was working in two shifts, as the previous spy had gone back to report to his master.

"How is it?" Russell asked casually upon seeing Fan Xian.

“It was Wang Qinian who switched Teng Zijing’s files. His whole family is still alive.” Fan Xian’s tone was first light, then somber: “I’m feeling a bit down. I guess it will be hard to find this opportunity again.”

"How about I go beat him up again tonight?" Russell suggested. "If tonight doesn't work, then tomorrow night, and if tomorrow night doesn't work, then the night after. Keep beating him until he reports it to the authorities."

"This...isn't that a bad idea?" Although it was a rhetorical question, Russell could hear the desire in his heart.

But jokes aside, the biggest difference between the TV series version of Fan Xian and the novel version is that he is more of a gentleman, or rather, more in line with the universal values ​​of modern people.

After only a brief moment of contemplation, Fan Xian shook his head and rejected Russell's suggestion.

Russell doesn't care. Don't be fooled by Fan Xian's current elation. Once he finds out that Lin Wan'er is the "chicken leg girl" he's been longing for, he'll be furious.

"Forget about that, let's practice together." Fan Xian flicked his wrist, a look of eager anticipation flashing in his eyes, temporarily putting his worries aside.

Russell nodded slightly, placed a bag of still-steaming ghee cakes he had just bought from the street on the stone table, and then got into a pose.

Without much small talk, the battle erupted instantly.

Fan Xian took the initiative to attack. He was personally trained by Wu Zhu, and his moves were completely devoid of any set patterns, consisting entirely of deadly strikes.

He aimed straight for Russell's center, throwing a punch at his face with a fierce wind and a sound of air being torn apart.

Although he was only a seventh-rank official, his foundation was extremely solid and his true energy was refined. This punch was enough to shatter stone tablets.

Russell neither dodged nor evaded, and met the punch with his own domineering true qi at the seventh rank.

Since the fusion, he has discovered that his comprehension is about to break through the sky. In just two days, his domineering true energy has entered the door and is now gradually assimilating his original internal energy.

He wasn't worried about the so-called side effects of the domineering true energy.

To reiterate, if your meridians can't withstand the strain, it's purely because your energy levels are too low.

Russell obviously doesn't need to worry about this issue; he only needs to expand his meridians as much as possible, and his stats will help him improve everything else.

"Oh!"

The two fists collided, producing a dull thud. A visible shockwave suddenly spread out from the two men's fists, causing the surrounding flowers and plants to sway violently.

Fan Xian felt an overwhelming force surge up his arm, causing his blood to boil and his body to stagger back three steps uncontrollably, each step leaving a shallow footprint on the bluestone slab, and his arm felt sore and numb.

Are you a monster?
Fan Xian shook his numb fist and looked at Russell with a puzzled expression. He could clearly feel that Russell's use of domineering true qi far surpassed his own, who had been practicing domineering true qi for many years, both in terms of quality and quantity.

If he hadn't deeply embraced materialism, he probably would have thought this fellow villager had some kind of magic touch.

"Again!" Suppressing his thoughts, Fan Xian shouted and pressed forward again.

Fingers, palms, fists, and legs attacked Russell's vital points like a storm, a dazzling display of feints and real attacks.

Although Russell was blind, his mental perception gave him unparalleled insight. In less than thirty moves, he successfully suppressed Fan Xian and turned the tables.

What put even more pressure on Fan Xian was that when Russell's domineering true energy was activated, it seemed to carry a tyrannical "momentum" of its own. Every strike was as heavy as a mountain, causing his muscles and bones to ache slightly.

The two possess the same source of true energy, but their strength and application skills are vastly different.

"Bang! Crack! Thud!"

Muffled thuds echoed throughout the garden.

The two figures moved swiftly and intertwined, their movements so fast that they almost left afterimages. It was a direct collision of strength, speed, reaction, and the application of true energy!
Outside the garden, Fan Ruoruo looked anxious. Although she didn't know martial arts, she could clearly see Fan Xian's decline.

Fan Sizhe was overjoyed. He had never seen such a wonderful fight scene before. As he watched, he unconsciously imitated it with his hands and feet.

Aunt Liu was also here. She had actually come to admire the flowers and have some tea, but she never expected that Fan Xian would give her such a big surprise.

Besides them, a number of servants were also gathered at the entrance of the garden to watch the spectacle.

They could only see such battles between martial arts masters in novels and storybooks, let alone one of them being their own young master.

Whenever Russell gave up a move and Fan Xian gained the upper hand, they would all gasp in surprise and cheer for Fan Xian.

But sometimes, popularity and a loud voice can't save you; you have to have real talent.

This was not only a teaching exercise, but also a crushing defeat. Fan Xian felt like a small boat struggling in a raging storm, while Russell was the unfathomable ocean itself.

Suddenly, the shouts stopped. Unlike Fan Xian, who was completely focused, Russell took a moment to look and saw that besides the three masters of the Fan family, there was only a middle-aged man with a solemn face and regular features in the garden.

This must be Fan Jian, the Duke of Sinan.

Russell nodded to Fan Jian in greeting, and Fan Jian first nodded politely in response, but then immediately froze.

Damn it! Even a blind man can see!

But what truly horrified him was yet to come.

Russell threw a straight punch, which was an ordinary and unremarkable punch, and the internal force contained within it was just enough for Fan Xian to withstand. Russell planned to end the fight after Fan Xian blocked the punch.

For some inexplicable reason, Fan Xian froze on the spot.

Upon seeing this, Russell quickly withdrew some of his punching force, but the distance was too close, and his fist still landed solidly on Fan Xian's chest.

Fan Xian felt a tightness in his chest, but he eventually regained control of his body. He flew backward, performed a nimble somersault in the air, and barely landed. He staggered several steps before regaining his balance, his breathing becoming heavy.

Then, in front of everyone, he vomited a mouthful of blood.

At this point, the Fan family members started looking at Russell with strange expressions. Except for Fan Jian, everyone else seemed to want to punch Russell.

"Fan Xian, you're trying to scam me!" Russell opened his mouth, suspecting that he had been set up by capital and that Fan Xian was just putting on an act.

There's no way someone could lose control of their true energy at the seventh rank.

Fan Xian waved his hands repeatedly, grimacing as he rubbed his aching chest and arms, before saying, "I don't know what happened either. It seems like there's a reaction between two domineering true energies." (End of Chapter)