"Didn't expect to run into something like this right after arriving."
As Daniel Davis walked down from the mountainside, he saw a small village ahead where over a dozen armed figures wielding long blades, swords, and iron hammers were slaughtering villagers.
The sight immediately made his expression turn cold. He grabbed a tree branch beside him, split it into dozens of short segments in a flash, and then fired six of them like darts, each piercing the shoulder of an attacker.
The six men screamed in agony and collapsed. Their shrill cries made the remaining nine attackers freeze, their expressions shifting as they quickly regrouped.
"Who's there?! Sneaky bastard—attacking us from the shadows! Come out and face us!" yelled the apparent leader of the group, a young man brandishing a large machete.
"You've got some nerve." Daniel stepped forward, his eyes scanning the village corpses, likely the slain villagers. His expression became even colder. He had only pierced the six men's shoulders not because he was merciful, but because he didn't want them to die too easily.
His attack carried searing internal force. When the branches pierced their shoulders, fire-like energy had already spread through their meridians and blood vessels.
Even though he wasn't sure what world he had arrived in or who these people were, their actions alone made it clear—they were beyond redemption.
"I thought it was someone from the Six Doors or the Divine Constabulary. Turns out it's just some pretty boy. Kill him!" the young man sneered, waving his hand. Four men charged at Daniel.
"Six Doors... Divine Constabulary..." Daniel mentally noted the names. But his hands moved swiftly—four more branch segments shot out, piercing the shoulders of the four attackers with identical precision.
"Bastard! Kill him!"
Seeing the four collapse, the young man's expression changed drastically. He had thought the earlier attack was a sneak ambush—but now it was clear the stranger was a skilled master.
"Trying to take a hostage? Too late."
To his credit, the young man wasn't a complete fool. Instead of running, he attempted to seize a nearby villager as a hostage. But Daniel was a step ahead—he would never let that succeed.
"Scum like you don't deserve an easy death. So this is the dynasty I'm in, huh..."
With his Twin Perception Technique, Daniel read the young man's mind and scoffed. Then, he struck the man's chest with a Skull Blood Palm. The young man was a notorious bandit, infamous for leaving no survivors in his wake. Since he couldn't afford to offend the Six Doors or Divine Constabulary, he specifically targeted remote villages.
But this time was different. He had been hired by someone in black to carry out the attack. And not just any village—he had been ordered to slaughter a wealthy one near the capital. This was the third village destroyed under that man's orders.
As for the black-clad man's identity, the bandit knew nothing, only that he paid generously—more than what he could plunder.
From this man's mind, Daniel also learned what world he was in.
"Go ahead and bury the dead. They had a fair amount of money on them."
Daniel had intended to speak with the surviving villagers, but the fear in their eyes made him abandon the idea. Though he had saved them, his methods had clearly frightened them.
It reminded him of what happened with Feng Baobao years ago. He didn't care either way, but he also didn't intend to linger here.
The wealth left behind by the bandits would at least provide some compensation to the devastated village.
"We're from the Divine Constabulary. What happened here?"
Not long after Daniel left, a group of men arrived from the opposite direction and announced their affiliation upon seeing the state of the village. They immediately began collecting the bandit corpses.
"Six Doors... Divine Constabulary... Song Dynasty."
In the capital, inside a private room at the Drunken Moon Pavilion, Daniel had pieced together the general state of this world. It was the Song Dynasty—but not the historical one. The fact that even random bandits had martial arts, coupled with the presence of the Six Doors, confirmed this was a wuxia world with fairly powerful martial arts.
"Song Huizong, huh? Unlucky times to be alive... lucky for you I came."
Upon learning who the emperor was, Daniel pulled out his tablet to look up some context. Though martial arts likely changed the timeline slightly, major events would probably remain intact—most notably, the humiliating Jingkang Incident.
Daniel had never liked the Song Dynasty, ranking it low among all dynasties. In his view, they were pathetic—experts at internal strife but useless in foreign affairs.
"This world may not offer me much directly, but since I'm here, I might as well change it. A rebellion is too slow—looks like I'll have to start with the emperor himself."
At the Drunken Moon Pavilion, the most common topic he heard was the growing chaos throughout the land. Uprisings were beginning—most famously Fang La's rebellion and the rise of the Liangshan outlaws.
Though the capital remained seemingly prosperous, it was only a matter of time. Daniel had seen the refugees and the recent attempt to incite massacres in villages around the capital—clear signs that forces were moving behind the scenes.
"Lord An is distributing free relief grain!"
Someone shouted this in the street, and a crowd surged toward one direction, carrying all sorts of containers.
"'Savior of the people,' 'Buddha of a thousand homes,' huh... heh."
Listening to the crowd's praise of this "Lord An," Daniel chuckled. He wasn't saying good people didn't exist—but in this era, someone who acted that openly was probably not all that righteous.
"Who are you?"
Inside the imperial study of the palace, the emperor, painting quietly, turned in shock at the sight of a stranger appearing out of nowhere. He shouted for guards—but none came.
"Your calligraphy and painting are quite good. You should've been an artist, not an emperor."
This emperor was famous for his indulgences—one of the most distracted rulers in history. His talents in the arts were truly exceptional. But as a monarch, he was a disaster. The Jingkang Incident was well-deserved. But what of the innocent lives lost because of him?
"Impudence!"
Openly mocking the emperor was a capital offense. When no guards arrived, the emperor tried to attack.
In this world of martial arts, the emperor wasn't defenseless. Like Yang Guang before him, he was a formidable fighter.
But against Daniel, he stood no chance. A single slap sent him spinning through the air, crashing into the wall with a loud thud.
"Be a good puppet from now on."
With a flash of Feather Dust, the emperor's eyes glazed over, his mind instantly trapped.
"Just to be safe, let's add a few more locks."
Daniel embedded a talisman into the emperor's body, layering additional controls beyond the Feather Dust technique.
"Zhuge Zhengwo of the Divine Constabulary... Ah, so this is that Four Constables. No wonder it felt familiar."
With the emperor secured, Daniel began reviewing imperial records. Since he didn't plan to stay long, there was no point in slow infiltration—he would seize control swiftly.
"Lin Chong, the Panther Head. Drill instructor of the Imperial Guards—too bad I arrived late. Looks like Liangshan's strength in this world must be substantial."
Controlling the emperor, Daniel sought his first major position—Commander of the Imperial Guard. He learned the previous two commanders had been Zhuge Zhengwo and Lin Chong. Had he arrived earlier, he might've kept Lin Chong under his wing.
In a martial arts world like this, Lin Chong was no slouch—certainly not weaker than Zhuge Zhengwo.
"Eighty thousand imperial guards? There aren't even eight thousand—barely four. What a scam."
Before the emperor officially announced his appointment, Daniel began taking over the guards. Using both Feather Dust and Twin Perception, he quickly seized control. In chaotic times, heavy-handed methods were necessary—he didn't have time to play politics.
"Tiangang Five Thunder—Zhuge Zhengwo's weapon. So this is one of the Four Constables, huh? Quite the firepower. He abandoned it because it was too lethal? Heh."
At the military armory's training grounds, Daniel held a strange-looking weapon and fired at a target clad in heavy armor. It was obliterated instantly.
The Tiangang Five Thunder was a gun, resembling a type of Gatling gun. Though not as rapid, it could fire five powerful rounds at once—each like a divine thunderbolt.
The weapon had been discovered during Daniel's reorganization of the armory, presented by a craftsman. There were two in total—one had belonged to Zhuge Zhengwo, the other had been left as a display.
This world was certainly fascinating. The imperial records showed the existence of mechanical engineering, superpowers, secret arts, and more.
"Men!"
Two guards hauled a large chest into the yard and opened it, revealing dazzling gold bricks. The onlookers swallowed hard.
"Whoever can mass-produce this weapon—no matter if the power is slightly reduced—will get this chest of gold and an imperial commendation."
Zhuge Zhengwo may have deemed the Tiangang Five Thunder too deadly, but Daniel didn't. With enough of these, he could subdue the Jin and Liao kingdoms with ease.
Now that he understood the weapon's design, Daniel could replicate it himself. But he wanted the armory's full production capacity ready for the future.
In this era, the imperial armory was widely neglected—much like the Song army itself. That would change. He intended to build a force fully armed with Tiangang Five Thunder weapons.
"Your Majesty, the Commander of the Imperial Guard is a critical role. Appointing a stranger is bound to cause unrest."
When the emperor (under Daniel's control) officially announced Daniel's appointment, Chancellor Cai Jing immediately objected. Since Zhuge Zhengwo had founded the Divine Constabulary and resigned, his deputy—Cai Jing's man—had been leading the guards.
This version of the Four Constables had significant differences. For example, Emotionless was a woman. And the four hadn't yet assembled—Cold-Blooded was still a Six Doors detective, not yet recruited into the Constabulary, which had only recently been founded on a prince's suggestion.
"Chancellor Cai, are you defying the imperial decree?" Daniel stepped up beside Cai Jing and whispered, "Dear Grand Chancellor Cai... do you think I won't kill you right here? I already have a reason—defying a sacred edict."
His hand rested on Cai Jing's shoulder. Most feared the chancellor—even Zhuge Zhengwo couldn't touch him. But Daniel wasn't most people. If Cai Jing pushed further, Daniel really would kill him.
The Song Dynasty had rotted to the core. Only blood and fire could forge a new beginning.
"Your Majesty is wise. I was merely being shortsighted," Cai Jing said, instantly cowed by Daniel's killing intent. He cherished his life.
With Cai Jing backing down, the rest of the court had no objections. Zhuge Zhengwo frowned but said nothing.
"Your Majesty, I have a report: Grand Marshal Gao Qiu has been embezzling funds and siphoning off military pay. The Imperial Guard is now understrength, less than one-tenth its official size. The evidence is conclusive."
With Cai Jing handled, Daniel let go. Killing him could wait.
"I am innocent, Your Majesty!" Gao Qiu cried, crawling forward in protest.
"Gao Qiu, how dare you! Seize him!"
On the emperor's command, the guards rushed forward and detained Gao Qiu. Daniel stepped forward and, in full view of the court, crippled Gao Qiu's martial arts with a single strike.
In this world, even footballers like Gao Qiu had martial skill. His abilities weren't weak—hence his renowned skills in cuju (ancient Chinese football).
"Take him away."
"Dismissed!"
"Seal the place. No one escapes."
At the Grand Marshal's residence, Imperial Guards surrounded the estate, attracting a huge crowd. No one expected this turn of events.
"Well, now I have the funding I need."
For Daniel, taking down Gao Qiu achieved several goals: he didn't like the man, it eliminated a source of corruption, and it netted him a fortune in confiscated wealth. Gao Qiu had embezzled so much—now it could finally serve a better cause.
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