Traveling back to the Northern Song Dynasty: Picking up a princess as my wife

The next morning, as dawn broke, Xiao Yuchen was still nestled in the gentle embrace of his dreams when Zhao Yingluo gently lifted him up, like a delicate breeze in the morning light, silently drawing him into the cozy world inside the car.

Li Zhen's parents, their eyes filled with reluctance, knew that Li Zhen and his family had to leave. They repeatedly gave him their advice, their words filled with heartfelt wishes for a safe journey, as if each utterance was the gentlest concern for his distant adventure.

"Child, be careful on the road, and remember to come home often." There was a barely perceptible sob in Li's mother's voice as she gently stroked Xiao Yuchen's hair, as if she wanted to convey her reluctance to part with him and her blessings.

Li's father, with his broad shoulders, silently offered his support, his eyes firm yet warm.

In this heartwarming and poignant scene, the vehicle slowly started, carrying hopes for the future and expectations for family, and drove off into the distance.

Upon returning to his company, Li Zhen went straight to the warehouse and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, quietly moved all the supplies Fang Zhen had purchased into his spatial storage. In addition, he transferred a sum of money into the company's account for daily cash flow and expenses for Fang Zhen and the others.

After returning home, Li Zhen and Zhao Yinglu tidied up briefly, changed into Song Dynasty clothes, and then, holding Xiao Yuchen, prepared everything for their journey through time.

Li Zhen skillfully picked up a syringe and began drawing blood from his veins. Once he felt the blood volume was sufficient, he carefully soaked and wrapped the jade pendant with his still-warm blood. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the jade pendant seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

After doing all this, Li Zhen closed his eyes, held Zhao Yingluo's hand, and began to think about his room in Li Family Village during the Song Dynasty.

Almost simultaneously, the jade pendant emitted a dazzling light, until the light enveloped the three of them and made them disappear from the spot.

When Li Zhen opened his eyes again, he found himself in his house in Li Family Village. Seemingly wanting to verify something, he went outside and had someone call Yue Peng over.

"Yue Peng, how long have Yingluo and I been away this time?"

Yue Peng was used to Li Zhen's eccentric behavior. He thought for a moment and replied, "It's been almost a month. Look, the willow trees have sprouted."

Li Zhen thought to himself: Why is the time difference between the two sides of the journey so different each time? Last time I traveled back for more than half a month, and less than two days had passed here. But this time it has been almost a month there and a month here. It's a bit confusing.

Seeing his leader looking like this, Yue Peng assumed something had happened and began to ask him with concern.

When Emperor Huizong heard that Li Zhen and Zhao Yingluo had returned, he ran over to them. He didn't give them a friendly look, but instead picked up the child and started to comfort him.

"You two are heartless. You've been gone for so long. The old folks miss Xiao Yuchen."

Zhao Ji's gaze slowly swept over Xiao Yuchen, and a hint of surprise arose in his heart. He examined him closely and saw that the child not only did not appear thin or weak, but had actually grown taller, exuding a vibrant energy of healthy growth.

This discovery subtly dispelled some of his resentment towards Li Zhen, causing the words of reprimand he was about to utter to linger in his throat and ultimately transform into a gentle smile.

He gently stroked the child's head, his eyes filled with love and relief, thinking to himself, "It seems I was overthinking it. This child is thriving under Yingluo's care."

This sudden sense of relief was like a ray of warm sunshine in spring, warming the surrounding air and making Zhao Ji's mood exceptionally bright. You see, he had been unable to eat or drink properly for the past month since Xiao Yuchen left.

The young couple exchanged a smile, a smile that concealed a hint of helplessness and bitterness, as if they understood each other without needing to say a word. Zhao Yingluo sighed softly, gently took the hands of her father and child, and slowly stepped into the house, shutting out the noise and chill of the outside world.

Although spring has quietly begun to stir, with tender green shoots emerging from the branches, the lingering chill of winter still hangs in the air, carrying a hint of reluctance and longing. She thought to herself, in this time of fluctuating temperatures, the child's body is especially delicate, and a slight mishap could lead to catching a cold. How anxious and uneasy she would feel!

Yue Peng followed Li Zhen to the study, where Li Zhen asked, "How has the village been lately? Has anything unusual happened?"

Hearing this, Yue Peng hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Li Zhen the truth.

"Nothing else is wrong, except that Prefect Zhang of Anyang Prefecture sent people to see you several times, but I declined them all. After inquiring with the people, I learned it was about grain. Also..."

Li Zhen: "Stop being so wishy-washy, just say what you have to say."

Yue Peng quietly closed the door and windows, ensuring every sound was gently swallowed by the night. Then, he lowered his voice and whispered to Li Zhen, "Recently, our spies in the village have caught a whiff of something unusual. The behavior of Wang Cheng, the eunuch beside your father-in-law, has been quite strange lately. He's been spending a lot of time with Fang Bucun and the others. We don't know what they're plotting."

Furthermore, it seems that overnight, many unfamiliar faces appeared around the mountain stronghold, like vines spreading silently in the dark, their origins elusive. After careful investigation, our troops discovered that most of these uninvited guests appeared to originate from the distant south, carrying an air of mystery and the unknown; while a few were even more troublesome, being spies sent by the Jurchens, lurking in the shadows, their intentions unpredictable.

I know that acting rashly at this time might alert the enemy and be detrimental to the overall situation. Therefore, I chose to be patient and observe. Now that you're back, could you come up with an idea and let's see what to do?"

Li Zhen: "You did a good job on this. Although we are not afraid of others, we cannot make enemies for no reason. Only by expanding the power of the stronghold can we remain invincible in this chaotic world."

Then he said to Yue Peng, "Select fifty trustworthy brothers and reorganize them into a new team. Take them to the training ground in the back mountain for training. I want to build a Divine Martial Army. I've been patient for so long, and I have to show those people how strong our mountain stronghold is."

With the weapons and equipment purchased from Russia, Li Zhen was confident in building a superior army. Since these weapons were very important, they had to be kept in the hands of his own people.

In less than two days, bursts of gunfire rang out from the training ground in Beishan. These gunfire sounds were not like those of semi-automatic rifles, but rather like a continuous series of firecrackers.

Because the AKA-74 uses a smaller caliber ammunition than the AKA-47, its recoil and handling are much easier to control. Although its power is not as great as the former in modern warfare, this small-caliber ammunition is enough to crush any so-called super weapon in this era.

Watching the fifty men on the training field skillfully operate automatic rifles, and how they performed various actions such as climbing, stabbing, fighting, and grappling with great precision, Li Zhen's smile never faded.