The dim light of an oil lamp illuminated Xu Pingjun's delicate face inside the simple mud house. Liu Bingyi gently wiped away her still-wet tears with his calloused yet unusually warm hands.
'Pingjun, you've suffered these past few days,' he murmured softly, his eyes filled with pity.
But just as this tender moment was reaching its peak, the 'Eye of Insight' suddenly sounded a sharp, dark red alarm!
[System alert: high-risk target detected approaching.] [Target location: three zhang outside the main gate.] [Target combat strength: unfathomable.]
Liu Bingyi's gentleness vanished instantly. His right hand fell naturally to his side, holding a silver needle that he had brought from prison. Stepping aside to block Xu Pingjun's view, he fixed his sharp hawk-like gaze on the rickety wooden door.
'Since our distinguished guest has arrived, why hide in the shadows and watch us make fools of ourselves?'
The door was pushed open as soon as he had finished speaking.
The newcomer was dressed in a long blue robe and had a refined appearance, yet he exuded an air of quiet authority. He was none other than Bing Ji, the Chief Justice.
Bing Ji looked at Liu Bingyi, who stood holding a needle and radiating a chilling aura. A flicker of intense surprise crossed his eyes, quickly turning to relief. 'Bingyi, you're not only alive, but you've matured considerably.' Liu Bingyi did not lower his guard. Although Bing Ji had indeed protected him many times in his memory, in this world rife with intrigue, no one could be completely trusted except himself.
[God-Level Mimicry: The Stubbornness and Grief of a Fallen Imperial Grandson]
Liu Bingyi gave a self-deprecating laugh. His eyes were slightly red, but he didn't put down the silver needles in his hand. 'Lord Bing, are you here to collect Liu Bingyi's body, or to send me back to death row?'
Bing Ji sighed, lifted his robe and bowed deeply to Liu Bingyi. "This old minister, Bing Ji, greets the great-grandson of the Emperor," he said. A fire broke out in the county prison and a prisoner died — that prisoner was Liu Bingyi. From this day forward, you will live in the shadows until you reclaim everything that belongs to you.'
Liu Bingyi's heart trembled. [Eye of Insight] Feedback:
Target: Bing Ji.
Loyalty: 95 (Die-hard Loyalist/Entrusted Minister).
Real-time thoughts: 'The only bloodline of Emperor Wu has grown into such a man! Heaven has not forsaken the Han dynasty. This old minister will protect it even in death!'
Having confirmed the other party's sincerity, Liu Bingyi withdrew his murderous intent and stood up. The roguish air of a local ruffian had vanished, replaced by an air of nobility that even Bing Ji found chilling.
"Everything that belongs to me?" Liu Bingyi walked to the window and gazed in the direction of Weiyang Palace. 'Liu Fuling sits there now, with Huo Guang standing behind him. What right do I, the 'grandson of Crown Prince Wei' who has spent eighteen years on death row, have?'
Bing Ji replied in a deep voice, 'Because you have the blood of Emperor Xiaowu flowing in your veins! The current emperor is weak and has no heir. Bingyi, your identity is the most vicious curse of this empire. But if used properly, it can be the sharpest sword to sever the Huo family's power!'
[Ding! Main Quest Triggered: Hidden Dragon in the Abyss.]
[Quest Objective: Under Bing Ji's cover, establish the first legitimate force — the Folk Knights Alliance.
[Quest reward: Special Forces Training Manual (Simplified Version), Reputation +500. Liu Bingyi stared at the system panel, a maddened smirk playing on his lips.
He turned to Bing Ji and held out his hand. 'Lord Bing, I can be your shadow, but I want more than just to survive. I want every beggar, every singer and every groom in the Han dynasty to act as my eyes and ears. I want to watch every cup of tea that Huo Guang drinks at home and every concubine he chooses tonight."
Bing Ji's pupils contracted sharply. He had assumed that Liu Bingyi merely wanted to survive, but this young man intended to set up a surveillance network right under Huo Guang's nose.
"Very well! I will station you in Shangguan Lane, where all kinds of people gather and the Huo family's influence is weakest. Furthermore, I will secretly provide you with money and provisions," said Bing Ji in a low voice.
'No need for money or provisions,' Liu Bingyi interrupted, his eyes sharpening. 'Give me an identity that allows me to enter and leave all the gambling dens and cockfighting arenas without arousing suspicion. I want to return to their notice as 'Chang'an's Number One Playboy'." That very night, Bing Ji left.
Liu Bingyi stood in the courtyard, holding the Imperial Censor's token that Bing Ji had left him. 'System, I want to use Drought-Resistant Seeds. What I'm growing isn't just grain, but the future of this vast empire.'
Turning to look at the sleeping Xu Pingjun, he whispered, "Pingjun, soon, I will make you the only empress in that palace."
After Bing Ji left, the lights in the room started to flicker even more violently.
Liu Bingyi didn't rest immediately. He knew that, in this era, so-called 'safety' was nothing more than a handout from the strong. As he was destined to become the protagonist of a long story, he had to swiftly combine this body's martial prowess with the wisdom of his past life.
He sat cross-legged, sinking his consciousness into the system space.
[System notification: Host has made contact with the historical core NPC, Bing Ji. Reputation value has increased greatly! Current reputation: 650] The shop is now open: Basic Technology, Modern Tactics and Special Forces Equipment.
Exchange items include the Special Forces Training Manual – Physical Fitness and the Basic Reconnaissance Satellite Perspective (effective range: three miles).
Liu Bingyi knew very well that the biggest weakness of the ancient intelligence network was its 'lag'. If he had perception abilities beyond his time, the so-called power struggles would be nothing more than a game of chance where he could dominate even the weakest opponents.
A warm current surged up his spine and into his limbs, and Liu Bingyi abruptly opened his eyes. His retina displayed... A miniature map of Chang'an showing every patrolling soldier and lurking scout within a three-mile radius, marked by flashing red dots.
'Pingjun, I'm going out to see some old friends,' he said gently as he tucked his wife in. However, his eyes turned icy the moment he turned away. He leapt out of the window, his movements as swift as a cat skimming across the rooftops.
Huaili Lane in southern Chang'an was a gathering place for beggars, ruffians and disillusioned wanderers.
Liu Bingyi skilfully slipped into a shop called 'Old Horse Knows the Way'. Even before he stepped inside the dilapidated blacksmith's shop, three rusty longswords were pressed against his chest.
'Where did this newbie come from? We don't forge iron here; we beat people.' A burly, one-eyed man spat out a blade of grass and looked at him maliciously, grinning. Liu Bingyi didn't even glance at the three swords; instead, he activated God-Level Mimicry: Guo Jie, Ancestor of the Western Han Dynasty's Wandering Swordsmen.
His aura of fearless chivalry and disregard for life instantly exploded. Rather than retreating, he took a step forward, allowing the sword tips to pierce his prison clothes and press against his skin. "'Blind Seven' isn't dead yet, is he? Tell him that the life he owed me back then should be repaid today.' Liu Bingyi's tone was calm yet carried an undeniable certainty, leaving the one-eyed man stunned. Although the young man before him was dressed in rags, the ruthlessness in his bones sent chills down the spine of this seasoned killer.
"You… you're Brother Bingyi?" An aged voice came from behind the house, and a ragged old man leaning on a cane emerged. His cloudy eyes stared intently at Liu Bingyi. When he saw the distinctive old scar on his hand, his cane clattered to the ground.
"Heaven has eyes! You really did escape the living grave!' Ah Qi was someone that the original owner of this body, Liu Bingyi, had rescued from several soldiers when he was a street urchin. No one knew that this lame, blind beggar was actually the leader of the Beggar Gang in southern Chang'an.
'Ah Qi, I need you to do a few things.' Liu Bingyi sat down on the main seat. The firelight from the stove cast a dim, godlike glow on his face.
'Firstly, I need you to find out the locations of all of Liu Si's mistresses and their residences within three days. Secondly, I need you to suppress all rumours in the city about the Emperor's great-grandson dying in prison and spread another rumour: "The Emperor's grandson is not dead; the true dragon has entered his dreams". Thirdly...' Liu Bingyi pulled a stack of papers with strange symbols and charcoal drawings of training movements on them out of his robes.
'Select fifty orphans with clean backgrounds and absolute loyalty. I want to train them myself. I don't need thugs, but soldiers capable of infiltrating the deep palace, thousands of metres...' 'The "ghost" that takes heads.'
Looking at the strange postures on the stack of papers (modern special forces combat techniques), A-Qi asked somewhat hesitantly, "Brother Bingyi, can these movements kill?"
'They can't kill.' Liu Bingyi smiled slightly. There was a mysterious air about him. 'But they can destroy a nation.'
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on establishing your first 'secret base'. Reward: Special composite crossbow blueprint and potent wound medicine (50 doses).'
By the time Liu Bingyi walked out of the blacksmith's shop, the sky had turned pale white. He looked... As he looked at the majestic Weiyang Palace bathed in the morning light in the distance, he sneered inwardly, 'Huo Guang, you think you control the Han court, but you don't know that beneath Chang'an, in the capillaries of this empire, I have already planted a seed that will devour the heavens and the earth.'
By day, I am the dissolute emperor's grandson who idles away his days in your eyes; by night, I am the sole king of Chang'an. Liu Bingyi straightened his clothes and strode towards his earthen house, his face once again displaying that carefree, arrogant smile. His grand drama of vying for the throne had only just begun.