At the end of the seventh year of the Yuanfeng era, an imperial edict shook the entire city of Chang'an like a thunderclap: 'A general amnesty.' Although Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, had been dead for several years, the court reopened the doors to release prisoners in an attempt to bring good fortune, as the health of the young Emperor Liu Fuling was deteriorating.
At the gates of the prefectural prison, the heavy iron doors creaked and scraped open. Liu Bingyi emerged from the 'living tomb' that had imprisoned him for months, dressed in faded, patched, coarse linen clothes and under the glaring sunlight.
'Bingyi! Here!' In the distance, Xu Pingjun pushed a rickety wooden cart and waved frantically. Beside her stood an elderly woman with grey hair and a thin figure — Liu Bingyi's nominal maternal grandmother, Zhenjun. Liu Bingyi did not rush over.
[God-Level Mimicry: The Confusion and Gratitude of Rediscovering the Light of Day]
He squinted as if stung by the sunlight, then his shoulders trembled slightly. His performance conveyed the lingering fear of escaping death and the guilt towards his family, etched into his very being. The patrolling soldiers, who had initially intended to reprimand him, felt a pang of sympathy upon seeing his frail appearance and turned to yell at the other prisoners instead.
'Grandmother, Pingjun... I'm back.' Liu Bingyi gripped their hands tightly, his voice hoarse and his eyes reddening.
'It's good you're back, it's good you're back.' His grandmother wiped away her tears. 'But... our family...' Back at his home in Shangguan Lane, Liu Bingyi truly understood the meaning of 'utter poverty': a few drafty mud huts; the only item in the yard was a broken earthenware jar; a pot simmered on the stove, containing a thin, watery vegetable porridge; and there wasn't a single grain of millet to be found.
Grandmother nervously rubbed her hands. 'Bingyi, Lord Bing sent some relief, but a couple of days ago, the wicked servants of the Huo family stole our last bit of stored grain under the pretext of searching for fugitives.'
Liu Bingyi looked at the empty rice jar. There was a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes, but he smiled bitterly and resignedly. 'It's all right. As long as one is alive, there is hope.'
[System notification: Host detected to be in extreme poverty. Main quest [Starting Up – Earning Your First Pot of Gold] activated.
[Quest suggestion: Use the system-rewarded 'Drought-Resistant Seeds' or 'Modern Administrative Logic' to 'get something for nothing' on the Chang'an black market.
Liu Bingyi knew very well that getting rich through farming would be too slow. The pace of a long novel wouldn't allow him to spend six months on it.
'Pingjun, do you have any useless rags left at home?' Liu Bingyi suddenly asked.
'I have some scraps of cloth. What are you going to do with them?' A mysterious smile played on Liu Bingyi's lips. He decided to go to the busiest cockfighting arena in Chang'an.
This was where the powerful and wealthy of the Han dynasty mingled with local ruffians. Intelligence was most valuable there and money changed hands quickly. He spent his last ten reputation points in the system shop, exchanging them for a small bottle of 'modern trace element supplements' (commonly known as 'stimulants for fighting cocks').
'I'm going to "trick" our family into creating a prosperous era.' Disguising himself as a penniless nobleman with a 'secret family recipe', he wrapped a few pieces of stone in rags and pretended to treasure them. Just as he was about to leave, the courtyard door was kicked open.
'Oh, isn't that the newly released death row inmate, the imperial grandson?' The leader was Liu San, the Huo family's lackey who had stolen the Liu family's rations a few days ago, dressed in silk. Several burly men carrying clubs followed behind him, all looking at Liu Bingyi with mocking expressions.
'I heard your maternal grandmother left behind an old pendant belonging to the Crown Prince of Wei. Hand it over. A poor wretch like you doesn't deserve to wear it. Young Master Huo just happens to need a fan pendant.'
Xu Pingjun turned deathly pale, instinctively protecting the old wooden box in her arms. Liu Bingyi stood in front of the two women, his head bowed and his shoulders trembling violently. Was it fear? No, he was struggling to suppress the bloodlust brought on by the Imperial Guard Combat Technique.
'Want the jade pendant?' Liu Bingyi raised his head, a fawning, humble smile on his face. 'Third Brother, the jade pendant is inside. Let's talk in private. I also want to show my loyalty to Young Master Huo.' Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw a rusty iron bar in a corner of the courtyard that could be fatal.
In the West Market of Chang'an, the most boisterous arena for testosterone-fuelled revelry in the Han dynasty, dust flew, feathers and sweat mingled and money and curses resonated in the cockfighting ring. Everyone gambled within this small, round pit, from royalty to commoners, risking ruin or overnight riches.
Dressed in patched hemp clothing and clutching a 'treasure' wrapped in layers of rags, Liu Bingyi hunched his shoulders and timidly squeezed into the crowd.
[God-level Mimicry: A Down-on-His-Luck Gambler Carrying an Ancestral Treasure, Desperate to Cash Out] His eyes darted around and his steps were hesitant. He was the epitome of a spendthrift who was blinded by losses and ready to sell his last remaining possessions. 'Get out of the way! Get out of the way! You poor wretch, get lost!' Several servants shoved him.
Deliberately stumbling, Liu Bingyi 'accidentally' revealed a corner of the cloth bag in his arms — a rooster, entirely black with eyes so sharp they were almost eerie. It was merely a 'defective product' that he had acquired by the roadside in exchange for two vegetable pancakes. Its legs were slightly lame and it had a bald patch on its wing.
But to those around him, the rooster stood tall and proud, its eyes gleaming with a fighting spirit that was unnatural for a bird — because Liu Bingyi had just fed it modern trace element supplements.
"Oh my, my 'Black General'!" Liu Bingyi exclaimed dramatically, clutching the bag tightly and staring in horror at a magnificent pavilion not far away. Seated in the pavilion was Zhang Fang, a distant relative of the Huo family and a notorious playboy in Chang'an.
Zhang Fang was passionate about cockfighting and had an eagle eye; he spotted the 'Black General' in Liu Bingyi's arms at a glance. Despite its poor appearance, the rooster's spirit was boundless, giving it the appearance of a ferocious beast. "Halt!" Zhang Fang waved his fan and his wicked servant immediately blocked Liu Bingyi's path. 'Young master, we desperately need food, and this ancestral "Fighting God Chicken" is truly not for sale!' Liu Bingyi's face was pale and his voice trembled as he feigned indifference.
'Not for sale? That's because you think you don't have enough money.' Zhang Fang sneered and pointed to the red-feathered chicken that had won three consecutive matches. 'This is my "Crimson Blood". If your bald chicken can last three moves, this gold ingot is yours.' He casually tossed down a glittering gold ingot, which immediately elicited a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd.
'This kid's gone mad with greed, using a lame chicken to fight Young Master Zhang's "Crimson Blood"?'
In less than ten breaths, this bald chicken will be dead.' Liu Bingyi, trembling with fear, placed 'Black General' into the pit, muttering, 'Black General, you'd better live up to expectations! The lives of my whole family depend on you.'
[System Monitoring: The rooster's hormone levels have reached their peak, instantly increasing its fighting power by 400%.
The moment the match began, Black General, who had been hunched over, suddenly leapt up like a bolt of black lightning.
Unlike an ordinary fighting rooster, it didn't peck wildly. Instead, it nimbly dodged the red-feathered rooster's dive with a sidestep using the footwork that Liu Bingyi had adjusted yesterday based on the Imperial Guard's fighting techniques. Then its lame leg kicked out powerfully and accurately struck the red-feathered rooster in the back of the head with a dull thud.
The 'Crimson Blood' rooster, which had won three consecutive matches, didn't utter a sound before tumbling head over heels into the pit. It convulsed twice before dying. Deathly silence fell over the entire arena. 'This... this is impossible!' Zhang Fang stood up abruptly, his face ashen.
Liu Bingyi seemed stunned and collapsed to the ground. After a long pause, he finally reacted, scrambling to his feet and grabbing the gold ingot. He wailed, "I won! I have money to buy rice! Thank goodness!'
This reaction, seemingly based solely on luck, utterly insulted the self-proclaimed expert, the 纨绔 (wán kù, a spoiled, dissolute young man).
'Wait!' Zhang Fang's eyes flashed with greed. 'I want this rooster. Name your price.'
Liu Bingyi clung tightly to the bald rooster and shook his head violently. 'I won't sell! This is my lifeline! You'll have to help me pay off my debts at Shangguanli and give me another hundred gold pieces."
'A hundred gold pieces? You're robbing me!' the servant cursed. Liu Bingyi stiffened his neck, suddenly activating his God-Level Mimicry: The Greed of a Street Rogue, and his eyes gleamed. 'Young Master, this chicken is a "divine bird" that can win a hundred consecutive matches. Take it to gamble with the nobles in Weiyang Palace and you'll earn far more than a hundred gold pieces!'
Zhang Fang was hit where it hurt by these words. He thought: 'If I could present this chicken to the amusing emperor in the palace or win it back in an even bigger gamble, it would indeed be a risk-free, highly profitable venture.'
'Deal! Here's a hundred gold pieces in cash. Take it and get out of here!'
Liu Bingyi took the money, bowing and scraping as he left the arena. As soon as he stepped outside, he turned down a dark alley. The fearful expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an air of cold command.
'One hundred gold pieces. That should be enough to start the business.' He casually tossed aside the 'Black General', whose life force had been exhausted and who would die within an hour. At that moment, a system notification sounded: 'Ding! Cross-generational scam successfully completed using 'acting skills + modern pharmaceuticals', reputation points +200!' Title obtained: Junior Mastermind.
Liu Bingyi straightened his clothes, took a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his hands. Moments ago, he was penniless; now, he was the most powerful 'hidden tycoon' in southern Chang'an.
'Pingjun, today we won't eat wild vegetables; we'll have braised pork.'
He smiled as he strode towards the dilapidated yet cosy little house. Meanwhile, Zhang Fang was excitedly leading the near-death "divine chicken" to find its next victim.