Chapter 1

"Who knows if Gao Qiu and his son are dead... They were two scourges!"

In the early hours of dawn, the bustling capital of the Song Dynasty, Bianjing, was not at all quiet.

Earlier, residents near the capital had seen a meteor and made wishes for the corrupt officials who oppressed the people to be destroyed. Soon after, the meteor turned into a ball of fire and landed somewhere in Bianjing. First, there was a huge fire, and then half of the city's military patrols gathered at one place: the Gao residence...

When Gao Fangping opened his eyes, he found himself smaller.

This body, the size of a teenager around fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Yet, I have already graduated from university, found a regular white-collar job, and lived a life of eating and waiting to die."

Thinking about it, Gao Fangping felt very strange. He was wrapped up like a dumpling, and the room was filled with men and women in ancient clothing, who seemed to be servants and maids.

"Awake, young master is awake." An older servant shouted and ran out.

Gao Fangping, hearing them call him "young master," lost all hope. In his memory, any "young master" was usually a detestable existence, the kind everyone wanted to get rid of.

While thinking, he looked at the smallest, thirteen-year-old beautiful maid in the room.

The little maid was startled, knelt on the ground, and cried, "Young master, spare my life!"

"?" Gao Fangping didn't know what was going on. Seeing the maid was not yet an adult, he tried to be generous and said, "I'll spare you. No further pursuit."

The people in the room exchanged glances, all finding the young master's sudden change peculiar.

Gao Fangping wasn't as panicked and curious as those first-time time travelers in novels. Every time he read the beginning of a time travel novel, he thought the characters' reactions were quite foolish.

"Who can tell me what's going on?" Gao Fangping asked calmly, only then realizing his voice had changed along with his body.

"Report to the young master!"

A man with a mole on his lip said, "The manor suffered a disaster... No, it was actually a heavenly omen that fell right on our manor. The commotion was quite large, some houses were overturned, and some people were injured. Fortunately, under the young master's heroic leadership, the fire was controlled, and the rescued people were all grateful to the young master..."

Gao Fangping interrupted, "First, tell me where this is?"

The people exchanged glances, worried that the young master had become foolish after the injury.

The man with the mole whispered, "This is Bianjing, at home."

"Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty..."

Gao Fangping was drenched in sweat. The last thing he remembered was seeing a meteor at home, and then he knew nothing. The place where the meteor landed was also Bianjing, but it was Kaifeng in 2016.

Gao Fangping didn't bother to wonder why he had traveled through time. He was just in a different era. He needed to adapt as quickly as possible.

At this moment, the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man with a noble air entered, accompanied by two guards. This man had a military general's demeanor.

The middle-aged man didn't say much, just waved his hand, and the room was instantly empty.

He came to the bedside with a smile and sat down, saying, "It's good that you're awake. The imperial physician said there was no serious injury, but my son wouldn't wake up, which worried me greatly."

Imperial physician?

Gao Fangping felt a chill. Although he didn't know who this man was, someone who could have an imperial physician treat them was definitely not an ordinary person.

Seeing his precious son's eyes darting around, the middle-aged man said gently, "Do you feel any difference in your body?"

He seemed to have the air of a great villain, exuding a faint aura of killing, but Gao Fangping wasn't so noble. He lost his father at thirteen, and his mother remarried to a man he didn't like. Without a father's love, Gao Fangping was raised by his uncle.

So now, having a stepfather who cared, he wasn't moved to tears, but he didn't reject the feeling either. It was somewhat warm.

"Why aren't you speaking? Does your father ask if you feel any difference in your body?" the middle-aged man frowned.

"Ouch, it hurts..." Wrapped up like a dumpling, Gao Fangping thought he should complain about the pain.

The middle-aged man, hearing his precious son's voice was normal but the grammar and tone were strange, didn't mind. In fact, if this troublemaker ever acted normally, that would be strange.

"You've never been normal," the middle-aged man said, showing some literary elegance, stroking his chin and sighing, "You are frivolous, stupid, unlearned, and useless, yet you are the only one I truly care about. I don't expect you to be successful. I know you're not the type to do great things or hold office, so I have no requirements for you. If you can keep the family wealth and live a happy life, that's fine. Just be more careful when you cause trouble, because even though I have power, I can't keep taking the blame for you..."

Gao Fangping's eyes darted around, "Dear father, don't abandon me... I want to continue living as a wastrel."

"Ah..."

The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed. This troublemaker was being abnormal again.

But to be honest, hearing this good-for-nothing call him "dear father" and "sir" made him feel very comfortable. At least this good-for-nothing was now learning to make him happy, which was a good start.

The middle-aged man stood up, "Rest well, my son. The rest will be handled by your father... There must be no more incidents like with Lin Chong. Currently, there are undercurrents in the court. Those old foxes are more willing to see you as a wastrel rather than a capable person. But this time, you went too far with the issue of the imperial guard Lin Chong. You went too far, and you were particularly stupid. You didn't even finish the job, and it ended up in Kaifeng, causing me a lot of trouble. Lu Qian is even more despicable! Hmph!"

With that, the stepfather disappeared.

"Lin Chong! Gao Yanei... Gao Qiu the old man?"

Gao Fangping finally realized he was the notorious Gao Yanei, the playboy.

The stepfather was the big rat Gao Taiwei, oh, not yet Taiwei, but probably a military governor or something, and the commander of the palace guards.

Shaking his head, Gao Fangping calmed down and reflected on the villain's words. Indeed, he was stupid, targeting someone's wife and plotting against Lin Chong.

Lin Chong's position was low, and he held a military post. Given Gao Qiu's status and ability, Lin Chong could have been killed on the spot for carrying a weapon in the palace, and no one would have questioned it. In the Song Dynasty, the court's disregard for military officials meant there would be no ripple in the court.

"No wonder the villain father said it went too far, involving Kaifeng and during a turbulent time in the court, the pressure must have been immense."

Gao Fangping finally understood that things were different from what was written in the books. The books said Gao Qiu plotted against Lin Chong, but the cunning and experienced Gao Qiu wouldn't come up with such a foolish plan. It must have been the foolish Fu An and Gao Yanei's mischief, with Lu Qian's despicable push, that led to the situation, and Gao Qiu had to clean up the mess.

Suddenly, he thought of something and jumped up, "Not good!"

He hurriedly called for a maid to help him dress properly.

Earlier, he was wrapped up like a dumpling, but it was just a minor injury. The previous owner of this body was a good-for-nothing, more scared than hurt.

Looking in the mirror, the body was small and weak, but with delicate and handsome features, a standard pretty boy. Overall, Gao Fangping was satisfied.

"Maid, serve the young master breakfast."

"No, I'm in a hurry."

...

Stepping out, a group of sycophants surrounded him, praising the heavenly omen last night and how the young master led everyone to put out the fire... as if it were true.

"Shut up."

Gao Fangping shouted, and the group instantly fell silent, waiting like little chickens.

It felt great. In his previous life, if Gao Fangping spoke loudly at home, the landlord upstairs would pour water down. Here, he could speak louder.

A thug with a mole on his face, covered in tattoos like a nine-dragon, but the mole was quite disgusting, unless he wore a mask, he didn't look fierce at all.

The mole bowed, "Young master, where are you going to have fun today?"

"Lead the way, to Lin's wife Zhang's house." Gao Fangping walked out with his hands behind his back.

"My young master, you're going the wrong way, that's the back door, the front door is this way!" The mole awkwardly pulled Gao Fangping.

Gao Fangping's face turned red, adjusted his hat, and walked to the front door.

"Let's go, the young master is going to have fun!" The mole thought of the beauty of Lin's wife and smiled lewdly.

"The playboy isn't dead! Even the heavenly punishment is useless against this scoundrel!"

As soon as they stepped out, the street became chaotic. Some ran away, some watched, and a few brave ones threw things, including rotten potatoes and possibly knives.

Gao Fangping didn't want to dirty his expensive silk robes, so he cleverly stepped back.

"Rebellion! Beat them like lions rolling in embroidery!"

Finally, it was the "Little Nine-Dragon's" turn to show his loyalty. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his tattoos, and led a group of sycophants to charge, beating anyone in their way.

Gao Fangping watched, feeling dizzy. These guys were too ruthless, even beating children with great enthusiasm. It seemed Gao Yanei was a scapegoat, with most of the bad reputation coming from these sycophants.

"Enough, retreat, we have more important things to do."

Gao Fangping felt uneasy, and he didn't expect the people to be so bold. He didn't believe no one was behind this.

He thought, the people from Kaifeng were probably hiding in the shadows, waiting for the foolish young master to cause trouble and kill someone, which would be a significant blow to the villain father.

Thinking this, Gao Fangping decided to take the back door, which was safer.

As the servants fled, a thrown object indeed contained a flying knife, which stabbed into the "Little Nine-Dragon's" buttock. To maintain his fierce image, he didn't even groan.