Snow fell suddenly in Chang'an.
Clutching the large sum of money he had won at the cockfighting arena, Liu Bingyi was crossing the Yong'an Canal, which was the only route to Shangguanli. The wind was colder here than elsewhere because this was where Chang'an's most desperate souls gathered.
[System alert: high combat power detected ahead!] [Combat power assessment: S rank (original potential!)] [Status: extremely hungry, frenzied]
Liu Bingyi paused, his gaze piercing through the snow. Under the stone bridge ahead, he saw a burly man, nearly two metres tall, surrounded by a group of thugs. The man's muscles bulged, making him resemble an iron tower. Yet he clutched a half-moldy, cold steamed bun tightly and remained unmoved as blows rained down on him.
The ringleader of the thugs yelled, "Beat him! Beat him hard! This big oaf dared to steal my steamed bun!'
The burly man didn't fight back; he merely protected the dirty cloth bag at his chest and let out a beast-like growl: 'No... don't touch it! This is for my mother!' Liu Bingyi didn't waste any words. His figure blurred and the 'Imperial Guard Combat Technique' erupted instantly.
'God-level Mimicry: The Shadowless Asura.'
The thugs hadn't even seen Liu Bingyi's shadow before they felt a sharp pain in the back of their necks; every strike had precisely hit a pressure point or joint. In less than ten seconds, all five thugs were lying on the ground, groaning. Liu Bingyi stood with his hands behind his back as snowflakes fell on his blue robe, giving him an otherworldly air of grace.
'Get up,' he said calmly, looking at the burly man. The burly man slowly raised his head, revealing a face weathered by time yet exuding simple, honest strength.
[Target: Lei Zhen (Descendant of a former Northern Army elite soldier)]
[Loyalty: 15 (Warning)]
Real-time inner monologue: 'This pretty boy is so fast... Is he going to steal the steamed bun that I'm giving to my mother?" However, Liu Bingyi didn't snatch the burly man's steamed bun. Instead, he pulled a large, steaming piece of braised beef from his pocket and tossed it directly into the man's arms.
'Moldy stuff — even a dog wouldn't dare feed it to him. Take this, and take your mother out for a good meal.' The burly man was stunned. He stared at the heavy, glistening piece of beef in his arms. His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty and his eyes were filled with disbelief. 'You... why are you helping me?'
Liu Bingyi suddenly smiled. He activated God-level Mimicry: A Respectful and Ambitious Hero in a Chaotic Era.
'Because you have hands that can kill, yet a heart that cannot bear to.' He stared directly into the burly man's eyes, his voice carrying a penetrating force that pierced the soul. 'Come with me and I can ensure your mother has meat at every meal and that your extraordinary abilities will no longer be wasted on humiliation. Do you dare?"
The burly man knelt in the snow, clutching the beef tightly to his chest. His voice boomed like thunder: 'My name is Lei Zhen. As long as it can save my mother, this life is yours from this day forward! Even if it means charging into the Weiyang Palace, I won't bat an eye!"
[Eye of Insight] Feedback: Lei Zhen's Loyalty: 15 → 98 (Die-hard loyal! Hidden bond triggered: master and servant united). System reward: The host gains a deputy general bonus and their martial arts attribute is permanently increased by 10%.
Liu Bingyi took a step forward and helped the iron-willed man, who could smash through city gates, to his feet. He knew that Han Zeng's beggars were his 'eyes' for gathering intelligence, while Lei Zhen was his sharpest 'spear', his fiercest and most loyal general, who would help him reclaim the throne and lead the charge into battle. 'Han Zeng, come out,' Liu Bingyi called out into the darkness.
Han Zeng emerged from behind a tree carrying thick leather armour. "Boss, you're in luck! You've just picked up a little devil!"
'Arrange the best room for Lei Zhen and his mother at the base and find the best doctor to treat her,' ordered Liu Bingyi.
He then turned to Lei Zhen. 'From now on, call me "Young Master" in public, but in private, I'm your elder brother.'
'Brother!' Lei Zhen called out in a muffled voice, wiping away tears. At that moment, his world was illuminated by its first ray of light from the cold, desolate wasteland.
[Ding!] [First S-rank original historical general recruited, achieving the "Capable Assistant" achievement].
[The system shop has unlocked the blueprints for 'Special Forces Heavy Armour' and 'Battle Formation Combination Technique'.] Meanwhile, Liu Bingyi stood by the Yong'an Canal, watching Lei Zhen escort his mother away. The tenderness in his eyes gradually faded.
'Now I have eyes, and I have weapons. Next, it's time to see just how many secrets are hidden in that decaying palace.'
He took the command token given to him by Bing Ji out of his pocket and stroked it gently with his fingers. In this long story, he was no longer a pawn to be slaughtered. He was slowly tearing apart the darkness shrouding the Han dynasty.