On the outskirts of Chang'an, there was an abandoned farm in a secluded spot.
A cold wind howled. Shirtless, Lei Zhen toiled before a massive millstone, sweating profusely. With each exertion, his muscles rippled like coiled dragons, causing Han Zeng and his gang of thugs to gasp in astonishment.
'Boss, this big guy has superhuman strength! We brothers couldn't last a single move against him. What's the point of training?' Han Zeng asked, squatting on a mound of earth and looking puzzled.
Meanwhile, Liu Bingyi stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes radiating the sternness of a drill sergeant.
[God-Level Mimicry: The Cold-Blooded Special Forces Commander]
'Brute force can only kill one person, skill can defeat a hundred, and battle formations can conquer the world.' Liu Bingyi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.
'Lei Zhen, stop.' He walked into the arena and beckoned to the towering Lei Zhen. 'Attack me with all your might.'
Lei Zhen hesitated, then said in a muffled voice, 'Brother, I'm strong. I'm afraid I'll hurt you.'
"Enough talk! This is an order!" Liu Bingyi's eyes narrowed and an intense aura of menace erupted, making Lei Zhen's heart tremble as he instinctively sensed a threat.
'Alright! Brother, watch out!' Lei Zhen roared, and his fist, as big as a millstone, charged straight for Liu Bingyi's chest. Just as the fist was about to touch his clothes, Liu Bingyi moved. Rather than meeting the blow head-on, he used an extremely unpredictable 'smooth, rounded step' (a special forces fighting technique), his body sliding past the force of the punch like a piece of paper.
Lei Zhen felt numbness under his armpit, then lost his balance. Liu Bingyi followed up with an elbow strike to the side of his spine while simultaneously executing a precise over-the-shoulder throw, slamming the 200-pound man heavily onto the muddy ground. The entire arena fell silent.
"Brute force is the shield, speed is the blade and the brain is the hand that wields the knife." Liu Bingyi pulled a condensed version of the Special Forces Training Manual from his pocket and slammed it onto Lei Zhen's chest. 'Lei Zhen, I want you to be able to take an enemy's head amidst a sea of soldiers, infiltrate in the dark, use the terrain to your advantage, and strangle an enemy with a thin rope.'
[Ding!] [Activating 'Comrade-in-Arms Training' mode. Lei Zhen's potential value is increasing. [Battle Formation Combination Attack Technique] unlocked: 20% progress.]
Liu Bingyi turned to the group of beggar youths. "Han Zeng, you're the same. You don't need brute force; you must learn 'instant kill'. Within three days, I want each of you to be able to silently eliminate a wild boar at a distance of five steps using this steel wire.' He displayed the Steel Wire Noose rewarded by the system; its hair-thin metallic lustre appeared particularly ferocious under the moonlight. "System, dilute the Primary Body Function Repair Fluid into their food." Liu Bingyi knew that this level of intense training would be unbearable for ordinary people, but with the system's help, these individuals could be transformed within a month.
[Ding! 200 reputation points consumed, repair fluid distributed.]
Lei Zhen got up from the ground, his gaze shifting from gratitude to admiration as he looked at Liu Bingyi. He patted his chest: 'Brother, I understand! I'm your hammer; you point and I smash!' The training was in full swing when a beggar responsible for perimeter security rushed in.
'Boss, something's happened at Shangguan Lane! The Huo family steward, Liu Si, has surrounded our house with his men. They're claiming to be searching for a fugitive, but they're actually forcing my sister-in-law to hand over her jade pendant!"
'Crack!' The dry branches beneath Liu Bingyi's feet crumbled instantly into powder. He cast off his instructor's coldness, a dangerous smile appearing on his face — the prelude to an actor adding 'extra scenes' before the villain's entrance. 'Lei Zhen, your first lesson has begun.'
Liu Bingyi mounted his horse with swift, elegant movements. 'Take your weapon. Tonight, I'll let everyone in Chang'an know: anyone who dares to touch a brick on my doorstep will pay with their life!"
The head steward of the Huo family, Liu Si, surrounded Liu Bingyi's earthen house with a dozen or so wicked servants and stood there arrogantly. The torchlight cast flickering shadows on Xu Pingjun's pale, stubborn face.
'That dead ghost Liu Bingyi isn't here, but you little wench are quite resilient,' sneered Liu Si, toying with the torch. 'If you don't hand over the Crown Prince's jade pendant, I'll burn this dilapidated house down today. A few lowly commoners die every day in Chang'an, and nobody will even notice.'
'That was Bingyi's only hope, you bunch of bandits...' Xu Pingjun clutched the wooden box tightly to her chest, her thin frame shaking in the cold wind. Just as Liu Si was about to set the house on fire, the sound of hooves slowly approached from the end of the long street, each step seeming to pound on one's heart.
Liu Si turned around and two figures emerged from the darkness: one dark-skinned and the other burly. The leader was dressed in a close-fitting black outfit and wore a blue ghost mask found only in the underworld.
[God-Level Mimicry: Judge of the Night – Chief of a Hundred Ghosts]
Liu Bingyi exuded a chilling aura, instantly lowering the surrounding temperature to freezing. This was due to the system's [Intimidation +10] enhancement coupled with an Oscar-worthy simulation of killing intent. Several cowardly henchmen were so frightened that they dropped their torches.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere in the Huo family's affairs?' Liu Si roared, his voice trembling with fear.
'You dare touch my elder brother's woman? You deserve to die!' Lei Zhen roared in a deep, rumbling voice. Instead of a knife, he wielded a solid iron bar thicker than an adult's thigh and unleashed the Battle Formation Combination Attack: Heavy Armour Crush.
Like a runaway heavy tank, Lei Zhen crashed into the crowd. The so-called elite servants of the Huo family were as fragile as paper compared to him.
'Bang!' Lei Zhen swung his iron bar casually, sending two servants flying five metres away and crashing into a stone wall. They lost consciousness instantly. Liu Si was terrified. He turned to run, only to find his collar gripped tightly by a cold, iron-like hand.
'Steward Liu, where are you in such a hurry?' The cold, hoarse voice of Liu Bingyi, muffled by his mask, carried a hint of mockery. 'You... who are you? I am Lord Huo Guang's old servant. If you kill me, there will be no place for you in the Han Dynasty!" Liu Si struggled desperately.
'Huo Guang?' Liu Bingyi sneered and suddenly exerted force with his right hand, pressing Liu Si onto the hard bluestone slab. He pulled a thin, steel cable the thickness of a hair from his waist; it gleamed with a ghostly blue light in the moonlight.
'Those legs used to run rampant on the streets of Chang'an, didn't they?' Without hesitation, Liu Bingyi precisely struck Liu Si's kneecap with his toe, using a deflection technique from special forces combat training.
"Ah—!" A piercing scream tore through the air. Liu Si's legs twisted into a grotesque position, bone fragments piercing flesh and instantly staining the snow crimson with blood. 'This first life is for repaying you for stealing the people's food.'
'This second life is for disturbing my wife.' Bending down, Liu Bingyi fixed his eyes behind the mask on Liu Si's dazed pupils. 'Go back and tell Huo Yu and Huo Guang that, from this day forward, the nights in Chang'an no longer belong to the Huo family.'
[Ding! Night ambush successful! The core henchmen of the Huo family have been crippled! Reputation +800, current total reputation 2,100! Unlocked reward: Advanced Disguise Technique — Thousand-Faced Gentleman (perfectly modifies bone structure and voiceprint for six hours)!'
[Side quest triggered: 'The Huo Family's Wrath.' Huo Yu is conducting a city-wide manhunt for the 'Green Ghost' tomorrow. Please use your acting skills to defuse the crisis. Liu Bingyi retracted the wire and turned around; the murderous intent in his eyes had vanished. He looked at Xu Pingjun, his eyes filled with tenderness.
'Pingjun, don't be afraid. They were just a few petty thieves, and they've already been dealt with.'
He didn't remove his mask, but gently reassured her in a tone that could only be his.
Xu Pingjun looked at the tall, green, ghostly figure. Despite the ferocious appearance of the mask, she felt an unprecedented sense of security.