novelhk Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Chapter Title: Odd Changes, Even Remains Unchanged: The World of Heavenly Dragons, Misty Peak.
Because Russell used the chat group teleportation method, even though he had spent more than half a year in the mortal world, when he returned here, less than a second had passed.
Russell took Mrs. Wen's hand, gently stroking the back of her hand with his fingertips, and led her to the top floor of the main hall.
Standing here, the clouds and mist flow beneath your feet, and the surrounding peaks bow down like subjects.
"Let my wife take a good look at my empire."
Lady Wen's eyes gleamed with spiritual light, and her divine sense poured out. Having already advanced to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, her divine sense could cover a radius of 150 miles, easily taking in the entire situation of the Heavenly Palace.
The more she looked, the stranger her expression became.
"What's wrong?" Russell noticed her unusual behavior and turned his head to ask.
Madam Wen withdrew her divine sense, her expression subtle: "Why are there only women in the palace? Could it be that they are all yours, fellow Daoist—"
She roughly calculated that there were nearly three thousand palace maids in the entire Heavenly Palace, from chores such as sweeping and watering to guards who watched over the gates, from cooks in the kitchen to medicine boys in the herb garden, all of them were women. Even a sect like the Miaoyin Sect, which only accepted female disciples, did not have such a scene.
According to common knowledge in the cultivation world, these three thousand women should all be Russell's personal possessions.
Thinking back to the various pranks she had been subjected to the previous night, she became even more certain of this idea.
"What are you thinking?" Russell looked at Madam Wen's hesitant face and gave her a light slap on her buttocks. "This place used to be my senior sister's sect, but it was recently passed on to me."
"I see." Hearing this, Madam Wen was slightly relieved.
It wasn't jealousy, but rather concern about whether Russell's kidneys could bear such a heavy burden.
Even if you had three thousand concubines, it would take nearly ten years to complete a full cycle, even if you had kidneys of iron.
For a fleeting moment, an image flashed through her mind: Russell, utterly drained, his face sallow, his eyes sunken, leaning weakly against the headboard, while she sat beside him with a bowl of ginseng soup, earnestly advising him to exercise restraint—
Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up slightly.
"You must know alchemy, Madam?" Russell suddenly asked.
Madam Wen nodded hesitantly upon hearing this: "Yes, but I'm not very familiar with it."
She majored in swordsmanship and alchemy, but the latter was far inferior to the former, and she was even more inferior to those alchemists who specialized in this art.
"That's enough." Russell didn't seem to care. After all, the world was a huge makeshift operation, it was just a matter of time before it collapsed. "Then the alchemy room and herbal medicine room will be handed over to you, Madam."
Madam Wen was taken aback. Was she really being entrusted with such an important responsibility so easily? It seemed so unreliable.
Russell didn't think much of it, took out a jade slip from his sleeve, and handed it to Madam Wen.
This contains numerous pill formulas that Han Li has collected over the years, as well as the alchemy classics and notes he brought back from the Void Heaven Palace.
Lady Wen held the jade slip and straightened her expression: "I will certainly not fail in my mission."
"No need to be so serious." Russell waved his hand and naturally put his arm around her waist. "Wanqing has finished her cultivation. I'll take you to see her."
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Wen felt a tightness around her waist, and the scenery in her eyes seemed to rush backward like flowing water. When her vision cleared again, the two of them were already standing in front of a courtyard gate.
Mu Wanqing was still living in Tingxuexuan. Today, she was dressed in a black outfit, her long hair tied in a ponytail. She was sitting on the veranda, holding a cup of tea in her hand, staring intently at her phone, and occasionally letting out some hehehehehe.
Hearing the noise, she looked up, initially delighted, her gaze falling on Russell's face, a slight smile curving her lips. Then she noticed Madam Wen in Russell's arms, her brows furrowing slightly: "Russell, who is this young lady?"
Damn it! I'm so angry! How come another beautiful girl has appeared next to Russell!
No, I need to stay calm. I can't get angry, I can't lose my composure, and I can't let Russell think I'm a stingy person.
Madam Wen pulled away from Luo Su's embrace, straightened her clothes, stepped forward, and bowed gracefully to Mu Wanqing: "This humble servant is Bai Lan, greetings to Mistress."
Bai Lan was the name Russell gave her. Actually, Russell originally seemed to have planned to call her Bai Jie, but for some reason he changed it later.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Seeing that Madam Wen was humble and subservient upon meeting her, showing no intention of vying for favor, Mu Wanqing's displeasure dissipated considerably. She quickly stood up and helped her up, saying, "Sister Bai, you're too kind. Please come and sit down."
Russell sat down and casually asked, "Where's Xiaobai?"
Mu Wanqing was talking to Madam Wen when she heard this and turned around: "They went to Yunnan. They left this morning."
"Going to Yunnan?" Russell asked curiously. "For what?"
Should we go see Prince Duan or Duan Yu?
"It seems like I started watching a drama called 'The Legend of Mu Mansion,' and suddenly became interested in it," Mu Wanqing said after thinking for a moment.
Xiao Bai even discussed the plot with her, but unfortunately, she still prefers sweet romance dramas.
Russell clicked her tongue. That's not surprising; she's always been the type to do whatever she wants.
I remember watching The Legend of the White Snake before, where she went to Jiangnan, but she would return in a few days. Anyway, with her cultivation level, she could go anywhere in the world.
"Oh, right," Mu Wanqing said, as if she had remembered something, "Young Master Murong and Prince Ming have also sent letters. They will be back in two days."
Russell nodded.
Murong Fu went to pick up his retainers. These people had followed him for many years, and now that he had established himself in the Xiaoyao Heavenly Palace, he naturally wanted to bring them over.
Kumārajīva was sent by him to pick up Su Xinghe and the others. After all, his start-up capital was given by Wuyazi, and he also inherited the mantle of the Xiaoyao Sect. Now that he was cultivating immortality, he certainly couldn't forget his nephews, nieces, and grand-disciples.
Moreover, Su Xinghe was only bad at martial arts; in other aspects, he was just like Huang Yaoshi, proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, divination, astrology, mechanisms and formations, to agriculture and water conservancy.
His eight disciples also made their own achievements in their respective fields: Kang Guangling was good at playing the zither, Fan Bailing was good at playing chess, Gou Du was good at calligraphy, Wu Lingjun was good at painting, Xue Muhua was good at medicine, Feng Asan was good at mechanical devices, Shi Qinglu was good at flowers, and Li Kuilei was good at opera. It just so happens that the current Xiaoyao Heavenly Palace is in need of talents in these areas.
Russell's plan was simple and straightforward.
Once they returned, Russell planned to pass down the various methods of weapon crafting, alchemy, and herb cultivation. After that, he only needed to quietly wait for the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Palace to grow and expand. After a few years, when everyone had shifted from martial arts to fantasy, he would gradually erode the entire Tianlong world until the entire Tianlong world was incorporated into the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Palace's territory.
Russell was quite confident that this period would not be too long, at most five or six years, and the light of the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Palace would shine on every inch of the Heavenly Dragon World.
At dinner time, Tong Lao heard that Russell had come out of seclusion, so she came over to freeload a meal.
In the past two months, she has converted all of her ninety years of internal energy into magical power, and her cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the peak of Qi Refining. She came here this time to ask what she needs to prepare for Foundation Establishment.
Upon entering Tingxue Pavilion, she saw Madam Wen standing beside Mu Wanqing and immediately teased her, "Junior brother is truly blessed; one beautiful woman after another is throwing herself at you."
Russell was holding a bowl, about to ladle out soup, when he heard this he put down his spoon, sighed, and said with feigned disappointment, "I'm so lucky, but I haven't seen my senior sister throw herself at me."
The old woman chuckled and took a half step back, her face full of disgust: "Stop, stop, stop! Senior sister is too old to handle the tricks of you young people."
As she spoke, her gaze inadvertently swept over Mu Wanqing, recalling the strange and unusual things she had found under the bed when she visited her a few days ago.
Unable to withstand further questioning, Mu Wanqing blushed and revealed the uses of these toys in detail, leaving Mu Wanqing speechless and exclaiming that the world was going to the dogs and people's hearts were no longer what they used to be.
How can women be treated like this?
To this day, she still doesn't know why Mu Wanqing's expression at the time looked so infatuated—
Mu Wanqing also recalled what happened that day under the gaze of the old woman, and two red clouds suddenly burned on her pretty face. She wished she could bury her head in the soup bowl.
Russell didn't mind. After they had almost finished eating, he pointed to Madam Wen and said, "For the next month, this Miss Bai will be giving lectures. I'd appreciate it if you could find a few promising students to help them reach the Qi Refining stage as soon as possible. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can also ask her."
"Giving lectures?" The old woman looked at the stunningly beautiful woman next to Russell with a strange expression, her gaze scrutinizing her. She looked to be in her early thirties, with gentle eyes and a calm demeanor, more like a lady from a respectable family than a teacher.
"I wonder what realm this young lady Bai has reached now?"
Knowing that the person in front of her was Russell's senior sister, Madam Wen naturally spoke frankly. She bowed slightly and said honestly, "I have just broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm."
For a moment, both Tong Lao and Mu Wanqing were horrified.
They are no longer the clueless novices of cultivation they were two months ago. Now, they have a deep understanding of the differences between each realm.
They are still stuck in the Qi Refining stage, not even touching the threshold of Foundation Establishment, while the white-haired girl in front of them, the woman who sits quietly next to Russell and gently pours tea for them, is actually a Nascent Soul stage giant.
Moving mountains and filling seas, summoning wind and rain—in the blink of an eye, one can turn fertile fields into scorched earth or bring barren land back to life.
In the mortal world, beings of this level would be considered living gods or immortals.
"Where did you kidnap this person from?" Granny Tong turned to look at Russell, genuinely curious.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo.
As dusk fell, Lu Mingfei stood atop the city wall of Tokyo, gazing into the distance.
He was dressed in coarse cloth, his hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, and his face was much darker and thinner than it had been a month ago.
After spending two months on this land, he had begun to adapt to the climate and culture of the Song Dynasty.
When the four words "Jingkang Incident" transformed from a mere four words in history books into a real and tangible suffering before his eyes, he felt a profound sense of powerlessness for the first time.
During his month-long stay in Tokyo, he witnessed all the hardships of life. Before that, he couldn't even imagine that people could starve to death.
In chaotic times, even something as simple as surviving is incredibly difficult.
He suddenly remembered the battlefield when he first transmigrated to this world. He was so terrified back then that his mind went blank and he even forgot to run. But now, standing on the city wall, looking at the distant horizon, he was thinking about when the Jurchen cavalry would come again.
He also has moments when he feels like going crazy.
"Mingfei." A voice called from behind. Lu Mingfei turned around and saw a young man walking towards him.
The boy was only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a robust build, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He had an iron hammer hanging from his waist, and although his face still had a touch of childishness, there was already a hint of the heroic spirit of a military general in his brows.
"Brother Yue," Lu Mingfei replied.
"Father wants you to come back for dinner." Yue Yun walked to his side, patted his shoulder, and then pointed in the direction outside the city. His tone became more serious: "Be careful. Recently, small groups of Jurchen cavalry have been harassing the city. It will get dark soon, so don't fall into their trap."
"Don't worry, Brother Yue." Lu Mingfei nodded. "I know what's important."
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, although he shouldn't use his magic power too much, his divine sense was still intact. Within a radius of several miles, nothing could escape his perception. If he were to be killed by a hidden arrow, it would be too disgraceful for him, the protagonist of the dragon race.
The two returned to the Yue residence and saw a lamp lit in the main hall from afar. Yue Fei stood at the foot of the steps, looking up at the starry sky.
Hearing footsteps, Yue Fei turned around and said to Yue Yun, "Pack your things, we're going to war tomorrow."
Yue Yun's expression turned serious, and he quickly asked, "Are we going to pay our respects to the Emperor?"
"That's right," Yue Fei rarely smiled, "Don't delay, the sooner we set off, the sooner we can see the Emperor."
"Your Majesty"—Lu Mingfei rubbed his temples, feeling quite puzzled when he thought of this Zhao Song emperor.
This guy is completely different from the Wanyan Gou he remembers. Who knows what he was thinking when Yue Fei told him that the Emperor was determined to resist the Jin? Zhao Gou resisting the Jin? Those four words don't even come together!
I heard that he even issued an edict at Bagong Mountain, saying that the Song Dynasty could perish, but the world could not. This is simply a joke.
Either he has a problem with his history education, or there's something wrong with Zhao Gou himself.
"Your son obeys." Upon hearing this, Yue Yun did not hesitate at all and headed towards the military camp.
When the army sets out, it is never a matter of calling up troops and setting off on the spot; preparations are always made overnight in advance.
After Yue Yun had left, Yue Fei turned to Lu Mingfei, his tone no longer as serious as when he spoke to Yue Yun, but more like an elder looking at a junior: "Young Master Lu, what are your plans now?"
Lu Mingfei's eyes gleamed: "Could you take me to see the officials? Or you could pass on a message for me."
"What did you say?" Yue Fei asked curiously.
"Odd changes, even remains the same."
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