Seemingly drowning his sorrows in wine beneath the moonlight, Liu Bingyi sat in the courtyard. Yet the 'Eye of Insight' had already transformed the surrounding hundred metres into a red alert zone in his mind's eye.
[System Warning: Extremely dangerous targets detected.
Target count: 12 individuals (Class A assassins).
[Combat assessment: Encirclement formation. The host is facing a life-threatening crisis.
'Since you've come, don't hide beneath the tiles — it's draughty up there.' Liu Bingyi tilted his head back and swallowed a mouthful of cheap wine, his voice clear and sharp. There was not the slightest trace of drunkenness.
Twelve shadowy figures descended like vultures, sealing off every exit from the courtyard. The lead assassin wasted no words. His long sword reflected a sickly blue glow in the moonlight — a blade coated in deadly poison.
"Liu Bingyi, whether you're putting on a show or are truly crippled, you die tonight."
The assassin leader waved his hand. "Kill!"
Liu Bingyi rose slowly, crushing the wine cup in his hand to shards.
[Ding! Life-threatening danger detected. Automatically loading the Storm-Class Combat Module: Berserker's Fury!" Current status: All attributes amplified by 300%, pain receptors sealed."
"Lei Zhen, protect Pingjun. The affairs within this room are yours to handle.' Liu Bingyi commanded coldly.
The next instant, he moved.
His speed was beyond human capability. To the assassins, his figure instantly blurred into a mere afterimage.
[Imperial Guard Combat Art: Ultimate Technique: Throat Sever.
One assassin didn't even see Liu Bingyi move before a chill gripped his throat. A shard of broken wine glass, clenched between Liu Bingyi's fingers, had precisely severed his carotid artery.
"The first one."
Liu Bingyi murmured softly. With unnatural agility, he twisted his body to evade the thrusts of two swords before seizing one. To the assassin's horror, the blade shot forth like a venomous serpent, piercing his chest.
His fighting style was brutally efficient and devoid of the flashy techniques favoured by ancient swordsmen. Every strike aimed to cripple or kill.
The remaining ten assassins were gripped by terror. This was no spoilt son who only knew cockfighting — he was clearly a demon who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"This is the price you pay for doubting my bloodline."
Liu Bingyi's gaze flashed like lightning as he swung his sword, cutting a swathe through the air.
[System Divine Skill: Storm Combo"!
He transformed into a black whirlwind, reaping a bloody harvest across the courtyard. The cracking of bones, the sinking of blades into flesh and the wails of agony mingled together.
In less than a quarter of an hour, eleven corpses were strewn across the courtyard.
With blood dripping from his sword, Liu Bingyi approached the last surviving assassin leader, who was slumped against the wall. Veins bulged on his face — a side effect of forcibly activating the violence module — yet this only served to make him appear more monstrous.
"Go back and tell Zhang Hong, Tell the Huo family."
Liu Bingyi planted his foot on the man's chest and pressed the tip of his sword against his eyeball. His voice was hoarse and frenzied.
'Don't ever try to test me with such childish tricks again! If I want the Han dynasty's throne, no one can stop me. And if I don't, you'll have to beg me to take it!"
[Ding! The host has demonstrated unprecedented individual combat prowess, reaching peak intimidation! Reputation +3500! Unlocked reward: Gene Sequence Optimisation (Level 1), which will permanently enhance Agility and Reaction Speed! Obtained hidden equipment: Mystic Steel Soft Armour (impervious to blades and spears, and as light as a cicada's wing)!
Xu Pingjun peered through the door crack and caught sight of the blood-soaked figure bathed in moonlight, which seemed both divine and demonic. Rather than fear, heartbreak stirred within her, and she ran forward and embraced Liu Bingyi tightly from behind.
"Bingyi, stop killing... Enough."
The crimson glint in Liu Bingyi's eyes gradually faded. He tossed aside his sword, reverting to his gentle, loving husband. Stroking Xu Pingjun's icy cheek, he murmured softly,
'Pingjun, that was just acting. This time, I played the Grim Reaper."A streak of crimson dawn spread across the horizon. Not only had this assassination attempt failed to eliminate Liu Bingyi, it had also caused the Huo family to lose all control over the situation. From this moment onward, Liu Bingyi resolved to cease his passive defence.
He would deliver a true 'gift' to the Huo family — one sent in the name of the 'Imperial Great-Grandson'.
"Don't just stand there, Lei Zhen!" Liu Bingyi wiped the blood from his wrist and his gaze shifted instantly from that of a demonic warrior to the composed demeanour of a director. "Search these dead loyalists for their identification marks and toss them into the well. Then make the wounds of two of them look as if they were killed by the Huo family's secret 'Cloud-Piercing Crossbow'."
Han Zeng leaned in, a wicked grin spreading across his face. 'So the boss wants the Huo family to kill their own?'
'No. We want all of Chang'an to see that the Huo family will even kill their own loyal assassins to silence witnesses.' A devilish smile touched Liu Bingyi's lips. 'Then hang the corpse of their leader on the street sign in Shangguanli.'
[Ding! Host detected setting trap. Activate [Self-Inflicted Wound Simulation: Perfect Injury Simulation]?" "Activate."
As the system command was executed, the colour drained instantly from Liu Bingyi's face. Deep, bone-exposing wounds — non-fatal yet convincing — materialised on his abdomen and shoulder. His body temperature was lowered precisely, making him appear like a survivor who had just escaped death.
As dawn broke, the villagers of Shangguanli flung open their doors, their shrieks piercing the sky.
"Murder! The Huo family's assassins have attacked the imperial grandson's residence!'
Liu Bingyi lay covered in blood on the snow while Xu Pingjun wept beside him, genuinely terrified this time, her tears complementing the performance perfectly.
Within moments, news of this 'attempted massacre' reached the Prefect of the Capital and even the Censorate.
By the time the prefect's officers arrived, Liu Bingyi was leaning weakly against a wall, still clutching the ancient pendant symbolising the imperial bloodline.
'Your Excellency... I, Liu Bingyi, only wanted to be a man who spends his days fighting cocks and birds. Why would the Huo family refuse to spare my only child?" His voice was hoarse, each word uttered as if he were coughing up blood.
[God-tier Mimicry: The Humiliated, Life-Threatened Imperial Orphan]
The gathered crowd seethed with indignation. In the Han Dynasty, where moral reputation held sway, Liu Bingyi's "debauchery" during the day was now collectively reimagined as "the bitter pretence he wore to survive".
'This is outrageous! Does the Huo family intend to sever the late emperor's bloodline?' 'Who doesn't know that the second young master of the Huo family lost to Young Master Bingyi in a cockfight just days ago? This is clearly settling a personal grudge!'
[Ding! Successfully converted 'Assassination Crisis' into 'Political Bomb'. The Huo family's public reputation has plummeted to freezing point.
Reputation points: +4000.
[Unlocked reward: Advanced Diplomatic Speech — Debate the Court (50% bonus to verbal attack power during court confrontations).
[Side reward: Map of Changle Palace's Secret Passage.
Meanwhile, Zhang Hong at the distant Huo residence heard the news and spat out a mouthful of blood in rage. He had intended to resolve the matter discreetly, never expecting Liu Bingyi to expose it.
'Master,' Zhang Hong trembled, kneeling before Huo Guang. 'We underestimated Liu Bingyi. He's not just a madman — he's a genius at manipulating hearts and minds.'
Huo Guang stared at the snow piled outside the window, silent for a long while. For the first time, he sensed that the young man he had always dismissed as worthless was gradually transforming into a threat to the Huo family's power.
"Pingjun, give me your hand."
Leaning against the mottled earthen wall, Liu Bingyi's face was drained of all colour. He had not only feigned severe injury, but also precisely controlled his heart rate through the system, making his pulse barely detectable — as if the demon who had just slain twelve men instantly was nothing but a phantom.
Xu Pingjun trembled as she took his hand, tears falling onto Liu Bingyi's palm like broken beads.
'Remember this feeling, Pingjun.' He leaned close to her ear, his voice faint yet strangely lucid. 'When the officers arrive, just cry. The more wretchedly you weep, the safer we'll be. After tonight, no one in Chang'an will dare touch a single hair on my head.'
The dawn of Chang'an was shattered by Shang Guanli's piercing wails.
When the Jingzhao Prefecture constables arrived at the scene, they were horrified by what they saw: the palms of the twelve dead assassins were covered in thick calluses from years of gripping swords. Though no tokens from the Huo household were found on their bodies, the faint traces of a private seal visible at the collar of one man were enough to send shivers down the spine of any seasoned bureaucrat.
'Your Honour, look at these wounds,' an elderly coroner whispered to the prefect. 'All fatal injuries, inflicted with extreme cruelty. But Young Master Liu Bingyi's injuries are far more severe — his internal organs appear to be completely displaced.'
[Divine Mimicry: The Doomed Imperial Orphan] [System Feedback: Public outrage at 95%. All Liu clan relatives in Chang'an now feel extreme peril.
Just as the prefect hesitated to report the Huo residence, Han Zeng led a group of beggars to cause a commotion in the crowd.
"Good heavens! Isn't this the money that the Second Young Master of the Huo family lost to Prince Liu Bingyi in a cockfight just days ago?" Han Zeng 'accidentally' produced several gold ingots bearing the Huo family seal from a dead body's pocket — actually slipped there by Liu Bingyi the previous night — and bellowed at the top of his lungs:
"The Huo clan not only stole the imperial grandson's money, but now they're after his life too! Where is justice? Late Emperor, open your eyes!'
This outburst transformed the incident from a 'simple assassination' into 'the Huo family defying imperial authority and subjecting the imperial grandson to vigilante justice'.
[Ding! The host has successfully escalated the assassination into a 'political scandal', achieving the advanced accomplishment of 'King of Backlash'! Reputation Points: +5000! (Reputation tier upgraded, unlocking Level 2 system permissions.) [Special reward: Advanced Heartbeat Simulator (simulates feigned death for 24 hours). [System Notice: Huo Yu, the second son of the Huo family, has reached maximum hatred. However, Huo Guang's apprehension has shifted to 'uncertainty'. The host is temporarily safe.
Half an hour later, in the main hall of the Huo residence, Huo Guang slammed his fist down on the table so hard that the teacups shattered. "Useless! All of you are useless!'
He stared at Huo Yu, who was kneeling on the floor, trembling with rage. 'I sent you to deal with a worthless piece of trash, yet you returned with twelve corpses! And you took the family gold ingots with you too! Did you want the whole world to know that you sent them?"
"Father, I didn't give them the gold ingots..." Huo Yu protested, utterly exculpatory.
Huo Guang closed his eyes, feeling an inexplicable chill for the first time. 'Liu Bingyi slipped them to them. We misjudged him. He is no worthless scum! He's a venomous dragon lurking in the mud, waiting for us to take the bait. Not only did you take the bait, but you dragged the entire family down with you.'