Hearing Li Shimin's words, Fang Er couldn't help but pity Li Xiaogong and Li Ji.
Did these two unfortunate companions meet the wrong master and follow a scoundrel?
But that wasn't all. Li Ji shook his head wildly. "Your Highness, I'm not afraid to admit it to my shame. That meal made me have diarrhea, and I still haven't recovered after two days. I have to squat in the outhouse once every incense stick's time. If I put this on, I'll definitely soil myself!"
"How about letting Old Nine take my place and the Emperor's? Let him wear it for a month himself, alright?"
Li Xiaogong was instantly dumbfounded. He pointed at Li Ji's nose and cursed, "Xu Shiji! Where has Ninth Master wronged you that you would betray me like this!"
Li Ji, originally named Xu Shiji, courtesy name Mao Gong, was granted the surname Li by Li Yuan after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, and was renamed Li Ji from then on.
Normally, people called him the Duke of England, and close acquaintances addressed him by his courtesy name Mao Gong. The full name Xu Shiji hadn't been called out by anyone in years.
Li Ji didn't get angry at this. Instead, he put on a pained expression and said with a fawning smile, "Ninth Master, capable people bear more burdens. This matter will trouble you. I will definitely not forget your kindness in return~~"
*Clang!*
Li Xiuning flicked her finger against the iron underpants, her phoenix-like eyebrows raised in anger as she glared at the three of them.
"Stop trying to pull the wool over my eyes! Ten days for each of you, no one gets out of it!"
"Now, immediately, put them on in your cabins!"
"Anzhi, you go keep an eye on them. If they dare to cheat, don't blame me for getting too close to you~"
Although she spoke of closeness, the raised fist clearly indicated otherwise!
Fang Er could only shrug helplessly at the three of them, then picked up the cloth bag again and looked at them. "Father, honored sirs, let's go. Don't make things difficult for this kid~"
When they returned to Li Xiuning's presence, the formidable leader held a steel knife and flicked each of their buttocks.
Only after hearing the crisp metallic sound did she nod with satisfaction.
The three men exchanged an awkward glance, then pulled Fang Er and walked towards the deck.
Wearing such a contraption, even with a layer of cowhide specially lined inside, it was still awkward to move.
Fang Er, walking at the back, watched them walk with their legs spread apart, his lips twitching as he secretly rejoiced.
"Hehehe, serves you right for sneaking snacks without me!"
"That's what you get."
On the deck, looking at the distant ice floes and land, Li Shimin changed the subject. "Anzhi, where are we now?"
Although Fang Er hadn't paid much attention, the sea area before them was easy to identify. There was land on both sides, and the fleet was clearly sailing through the middle of the Bering Strait.
So he pointed to the east and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the edge of the North American continent."
That area is precisely Alaska.
According to the original route, there was no need to pass through here to go to San Francisco. One would sail along the southern side of the Aleutian Islands, through the Gulf of Alaska to Vancouver.
From there, sailing south for a few more days would bring them to San Francisco.
The current route had been temporarily adjusted to search for traces of the Tianwei Department.
"Tsk tsk tsk, North America, South America. I wonder who named them. They sound so awkward to me~" Li Shimin muttered, shaking his head.
Having traveled to the Ming Dynasty, he knew that Fang Er definitely didn't name these places.
This kid must have been to other parallel worlds before, or perhaps he was from another world entirely, which is why he knew so many things that the Tang Dynasty didn't.
Fang Er had no way to respond to this. Who knew who named the seven continents!
Anyway, it wasn't a Chinese person, because it didn't fit the Chinese aesthetic~
"I've decided to rename these places!"
Li Shimin placed his thumbs on his waist. It had to be said, the edge of those underpants was very suitable for this pose.
"North America, from now on, it will be called~"
"Calling for the Duke, we've found the whereabouts of the Tianwei Department!"
Before the new name for North America could be uttered, Xue Rengui's voice came from the walkie-talkie on Fang Er's waist.
He quickly responded, "Report the location!"
"Based on the fleet, forty li south of the west coast!"
The communication network, formed by six helicopters, extended the call distance of the walkie-talkie, delivering the message back.
They recalled the two closest helicopters to the fleet, and everyone left the fleet and flew towards the land of Alaska.
The Tianwei Department had actually crossed the strait and arrived here!
This place was located within the Arctic Circle, with temperatures below zero year-round. The snow on the land never melted, and it was a vast expanse of white.
Fang Er took out sunglasses and handed them to Li Shimin and the others. "Put these on, otherwise you'll easily get snow blindness."
Snow blindness is an inflammation caused by ultraviolet radiation damaging the corneal and conjunctival epithelium.
It is characterized by swollen and red eyelids, congested and edematous conjunctiva, a strong foreign body sensation, and pain. Symptoms include photophobia, tearing, and inability to open the eyes. Blurred vision may occur during the onset period.
The three of them didn't understand what snow blindness was. After hearing Fang Er's explanation, they quickly took the sunglasses and put them on.
The originally dazzling white world instantly darkened.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you kid, you really carry all sorts of treasures with you. Quick, let your elder brother see what else you've got in that bag~" Li Ji didn't often interact with Fang Er and was very curious about him casually taking out several pairs of sunglasses. He reached out to touch Fang Er.
Fang Er quickly dodged with a laugh. "Hahahaha~ Duke of England, this kid doesn't like men, so don't get handsy with me~"
He had nothing in his bag, and if he was touched, it would be difficult to explain how he produced things afterward.
"Mao Gong, look quickly, what is that thing~" Li Shimin, seeing this, diverted the topic and pointed at the snow-covered ground below the helicopter.
Everyone followed his gaze. A white creature resembling a bear was galloping in the snow, seemingly chasing another small white object.
"Polar bear!"
"Arctic fox!"
"Damn, in a world of pure white, to distinguish two perfectly camouflaged creatures, what kind of eyesight does Old Li have?"
"Hiss, a white bear and a white fox, the pelts of these things are worth a fortune!" Li Xiaogong exclaimed, then said to Ge Luoyang, who was piloting the helicopter.
"Kid, chase after them. Ninth Master wants these two pelts!"
Fang Er spoke to stop him. "King of Hejian, you may not know, but these creatures are not uncommon here. There will be plenty of opportunities to catch them later. Let's go see the situation with the Tianwei Department first."
He felt a pang of reluctance to harm these spirits of the icy wilderness, for whom mere survival was already a hardship.
Pure white fur, compared to others, the only distinguishing feature is that it can highlight the owner's uniqueness.
However, at their status, this point was dispensable.
Therefore, Li Xiaogong was only momentarily enthusiastic and didn't insist after hearing Fang Er's words.