Chapter One: Signing In and Gaining Hai Dafeng!

Divine Continent, the Great Tang Dynasty.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.

Two youthful boys, their faces still tender, sat back to back, both gasping for breath, clearly just having finished a fight.

“Old Bai, damn you! You really don’t hold back!”

The boy in dragon robes turned to glare fiercely at Bai Muge, then snapped irritably, “In the whole of the Great Tang, you’re the only one daring enough to hit me like this!”

Bai Muge smiled faintly. “Second Brother, that’s a bit much. Just now, you clearly said we’d fight for real, no holding back!”

“But I didn’t say you could pull a dirty trick and go for—my vital parts!” Little Prince Li Chen cursed, rubbing his lower belly with a pained expression.

From time to time, a hiss of pain escaped him.

Clearly, Bai Muge had hurt him rather badly…

“Ahem, that was an accident…” Bai Muge tried to explain, embarrassed.

There was no helping it—his skills were no match for Li Chen, so he’d had to resort to some underhanded moves. Otherwise, he would have been the one pinned to the ground and beaten.

“Damn you!”

Li Chen was about to launch a sneak attack when, just at that moment, the graceful figure of a beautiful girl approached from outside the Imperial Study.

Li Chen immediately stopped, straightened up, and tried to appear dignified, lest the girl see through him.

“Elder Brother, Brother Mu.”

The girl called out softly, carrying two jars of wine as she entered, her face alight with a smile. “You must be tired from fighting. Here, have a drink to quench your thirst.”

“Little sister, don’t give him any!” Li Chen snorted, snatching the wine from Li Shixuan and gulping it down without a trace of imperial decorum.

But Bai Muge was momentarily stunned, his gaze fixed ahead.

For in that instant, a virtual panel appeared before his eyes:

“Detected: host’s behavior is despicable and shameless, meeting system requirements. Sign-In System activated. Would host like to sign in?”

“What’s this?” Bai Muge froze.

He’d been in the Great Tang for more than two months, and at last his golden finger had finally activated? But “despicable and shameless”—had the system made a mistake?

After a brief hesitation, Bai Muge responded without delay: “Sign in!”

“Sign-in successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Grandmaster of the Inner Palace, Hai Dafu!”

Bai Muge: “…”

Before he could figure out what was happening, a jar of wine waved before his eyes, accompanied by Li Shixuan’s sweet voice: “Brother Mu, here!”

Bai Muge came back to himself to find the wine jar’s seal had already been opened.

The rich aroma of wine immediately filled his nose.

“You’re the best, Shixuan!” Bai Muge grinned, knocking back a mouthful of wine. With a look of disdain, he turned aside and, with a veiled jab, said, “Unlike someone who, after losing, wouldn’t even spare me a sip!”

“That’s right, Elder Brother, you’re so stingy!” Li Shixuan nodded, her eyes full of Bai Muge.

Little Prince Li Chen: “…”

Seeing his own sister treating Bai Muge with more intimacy than himself, Li Chen could not help but sigh.

“Ah… My little sister is growing up…

She’s not even married, and already her loyalties are shifting…”

Li Shixuan’s cheeks flushed as she pouted and ignored Li Chen.

Bai Muge glanced at Li Shixuan—her features already exquisite, her figure beginning to take shape, with plenty of room yet to grow. In the future, she’d surely be a stunning beauty.

If she became his wife, it wouldn’t be so bad!

Just then, a young eunuch burst in, his steps hurried and voice urgent: “Your Majesty, the… the King of the South has arrived. He requests an audience.”

“What?!” Li Chen was shocked.

Bai Muge and Princess Li Shixuan were also startled, a sense of unease rising in their hearts.

The King of the South was none other than Li Chen’s imperial uncle—Li Xian.

He now held command of two hundred thousand troops and had been granted the title by the late emperor.

Though Li Chen was nominally the master of the Great Tang, in reality, all decisions were made by the King of the South.

The loyal ministers and generals of the court dared only seethe in silence.

Several loyal and courageous men had already perished at Li Xian’s hands.

Li Chen’s position as prince was an awkward one.

So when the King of the South sought an audience, the eunuch hurried to report, and the hearts of Li Chen, his sister, and Bai Muge were filled with trepidation.

But soon, Bai Muge regained his composure first.

“Now that my system has been activated, what do I have to fear from the King of the South?”

Before, he had feared Li Xian for the sake of survival, but now—

Things were different!

“Don’t be afraid, Second Brother,” Bai Muge said solemnly to Li Chen. “I’ll hide with Little Sister; you deal with him.”

With that, he pulled Li Shixuan behind a screen, leaving only Li Chen and the eunuch in the room.

“… Li Chen.”

“… Eunuch.”

Telling me not to be afraid? Then why are you hiding yourself?

Helpless, Li Chen hurriedly tossed the wine jar to the eunuch, dashed to the dragon throne, adjusted his robes, and called out, “Summon my uncle.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The eunuch obeyed and went to summon the King of the South.

Sitting on the throne, Li Chen began to tremble.

For the past two years, since his father’s passing, he had lived humbly, playing the part of a puppet emperor and avoiding offending Li Xian, lest he lose his life.

As for Bai Muge, though his father now served as Minister of Revenue, he too dared not cross the King of the South.

They had always lived with caution.

Behind the screen—

Bai Muge’s mind stirred. He asked the system, “System, where’s Hai Dafu, my reward?”

“He’s waiting outside the hall. The host only needs to summon him.”

“How skilled is Hai Dafu? Can he defeat Li Xian?”

“Rest assured, host. It’s nothing for him.”

With this reassurance, Bai Muge’s heart eased a little.

After all, with the King of the South holding power, he’d endured for two months already—it was time to turn the tables!

“Second Brother,”

Seeing the King of the South had yet to appear, Bai Muge reflected for a moment and made a decision.

He stepped out from behind the screen and whispered something into Li Chen’s ear.

Li Chen frowned. “Old Bai, are you sure this man… can really kill him?”

“I’m not sure yet. We’ll see when they fight.” Bai Muge shook his head. Though the system was confident, he’d never met Hai Dafu and dared not make any promises.

He didn’t want to risk his life on a reckless gamble.

“But it’s worth a try. We have nothing to lose.”

After a moment’s thought, Bai Muge said seriously, “Second Brother, the palace is full of the King of the South’s spies. Hai Dafu is a stranger to all of us—he doesn’t know us, nor do we know him.”

Li Chen quickly understood Bai Muge’s intention.

He nodded. “I’ll stall my uncle. You summon Hai Dafu.”

“Understood.” Bai Muge nodded, feigning departure from the study while silently calling out to Hai Dafu in his mind.

Meanwhile, the King of the South, Li Xian, was striding swiftly toward the Imperial Study.