Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

next morning

Li Ping sat in the armchair in the document room, flipping through the thick household registration books.

Hu Lie was coming for revenge, but relying solely on a few cheap talismans and Shi Gan's short crossbow was ultimately insufficient.

He needed to thoroughly muddy the waters of the county government, seize all the leverage over Zhao Heng and Chen Rang, and force them to contribute their manpower and resources.

Qian Duo carried in a steaming bowl of tofu pudding and placed it on the table.

"Sir, eat Old Li's tofu pudding from the east of the city while it's hot. I added an extra spoonful of chili today."

Li Ping picked up the spoon and stirred it, his gaze still fixed on the bottom of the booklet.

"You have plenty of money, come and take a look at these pages."

Li Ping pointed to a row of names crossed out with vermilion ink on the roster.

Qian Duo leaned forward, squinting as he read aloud.

"In Qingxi Township, Wang Ergou died suddenly, Li Si died suddenly, Zhang Mazi drowned, and an adult died of plague. What's wrong with that?"

"Life is cheap in the countryside; it's quite common for a few people to die."

Li Ping sneered and flipped open another yellowed booklet, which contained the roster of lowly slaves working in the mines and medicinal fields under the Bai family's name.

"Take a look at this."

Qian Duo followed Li Ping's finger and looked in the direction his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"The Bai family's Xishan mine has added three new lowly slave laborers: Wang Ergou, Li Si, and Zhang Mazi, whose ages and hometowns are exactly the same!"

Qian Duo gasped.

"This...this dead person can come back to life and go mining?"

Li Ping scooped up a spoonful of tofu pudding and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly.

"Zhao, the registrar, is making a fortune with no investment. With a stroke of his pen, he turns the living into the dead."

"Then they'll change these 'dead people' to lowly status and sell them to the Bai family as slave laborers."

"This isn't a household registration system; it's clearly the Book of Life and Death of the King of Hell."

Qian Duo was so scared he trembled.

"Sir, this is a deal that could cost you your life! Let's leave it alone."

"Zhao, the registrar, is ruthless. If he finds out we've exposed his past, he'll skin us alive."

"Don't care? He's trading living people for silver, and I can't even get a sip of soup. Where in the world is there such a cheap deal?"

Li Ping put down his spoon and was about to take a closer look when a commotion suddenly broke out outside the door.

Shi Gan strode in, carrying a bruised and swollen constable in his hand, and threw him to the ground like a chick.

"Sir, I caught this kid lurking around in the back alley."

Shi Gan patted the dust off his hands.

Li Ping recognized the man as Sun San, one of Zhao Heng's errand boys.

"Sun San, why are you in my office so early in the morning instead of attending to Registrar Zhao?"

Li Ping wiped his mouth and asked slowly and deliberately.

Sun San covered his face and stammered.

"I...I was ordered by the Registrar to fetch a few runaways from the dilapidated temple in the west of the city. I was just passing by...just passing by."

Li Ping's eyes flickered slightly as he flipped open the bottom book at hand.

"The dilapidated temple in the west of the city? Who are you referring to?"

Sun San dared not hide the truth and stammered in reply.

"It's a family of three. The man's name is Liu Dazhu, and he's said to be Lao Shuan's nephew from Yehuling."

"They couldn't pay the autumn tax, so Registrar Zhao classified them as lowly and they're being sent to the Bai family's quarry today."

Upon hearing the name "Old Man," Li Ping's face turned completely cold.

He had just won over the hearts of the people at Wild Fox Ridge yesterday, and today Zhao Heng is already targeting Lao Shuan's relatives.

If this person is taken away, the prestige that Li Ping has just established will become a joke.

Those who fled will only think that Li Ping is a useless piece of trash who can't protect people.

"Shi Gan, grab your weapons!"

Li Ping stood up and tucked the bottom volume into his pocket.

Outside the dilapidated temple in the west of the city

A dilapidated prison van was parked in the mud.

Several ruthless thugs were brandishing whips, forcing a blood-covered man into a car.

A woman nearby was holding a seven or eight-year-old girl, crying her heart out.

"Hurry up! Steward Bai is waiting for the people! If you're late, I'll skin you alive!"

The scarred-face leader cursed and kicked Liu Dazhu in the back of the knee.

Liu Dazhu groaned and knelt down in the mud, desperately protecting his wife and daughter behind him.

"stop"

A cold shout came

Li Ping, accompanied by Shi Gan and Qian Duo, slowly walked into the courtyard of the dilapidated temple.

Scarface turned his head, saw Li Ping, his expression changed, but he still forced a bow.

"Lord Li, we are on duty for Registrar Zhao, please do us a favor."

Li Ping walked to the prison cart and glanced at the man.

"Your name is Liu Dazhu?"

The man spat out a mouthful of blood and nodded weakly.

Li Ping took out the booklet from his pocket, flipped to a page, and pointed to the handwriting on it, saying...

That's strange.

"It's all written clearly in the bottom register of my document room."

"The Liu family paid their autumn taxes yesterday. They are law-abiding citizens. You robbed them in broad daylight. What is your punishment?"

Scarface was stunned.

"Sir, are you kidding me?"

"Registrar Zhao clearly signed the document changing their household registration; it's written clearly in black and white. They are now of lowly status!"

"Where's the document? Let me see it."

Li Ping reached out his hand

Scarface hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a piece of paper stamped with the registrar's seal from his pocket.

Li Ping took the paper, didn't even look at it, and stuffed it directly into his sleeve.

"This document is a forgery."

Li Ping said without batting an eye.

Scarface got anxious

"My lord! That bears the official seal of Registrar Zhao!"

"How could Registrar Zhao, who is known for his integrity and uprightness, commit such a heinous act of forcing good people into lowly positions?"

"It must have been you lackeys who betrayed the registrar and stole the seal!"

Li Pingyi shouted sternly

"Shi Gan, release them!"

Shi Gan, unable to contain himself any longer, raised his crossbow and aimed it at Scarface's head.

"Get lost! If you dare utter another word, I'll punch a hole in your head!"

The thugs exchanged glances, staring at the gleaming crossbow bolts, none daring to step forward.

They're just thugs who do things for money; it's not worth risking their lives for a few lowly statuses.

Scarface gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at Li Ping.

"Lord Li, this feud is now settled. Let's go!"

A group of people slunk away.

Liu Dazhu's family knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

Li Ping helped Liu Dazhu up and said in a low voice

"Go to Wild Fox Ridge and find Old Man Shuan. Tell him that I, Li Ping, have protected you."

"From now on, stay in the village and don't wander off."

"If the Bai family tries to arrest anyone again, throw stones at them."

Liu Dazhu left with his wife and daughter, expressing his deepest gratitude.

Qian Duo stepped forward, his face full of worry.

"Sir, if you take away that document regarding the change of registration, Registrar Zhao might become desperate and do something rash."

Li Ping patted his sleeves and sneered.

"If I tell him to jump over the wall and he doesn't, how am I supposed to find an excuse to break his legs?"

County government office, Registrar's office

Upon hearing Scarface's report, Zhao Heng was so enraged that he smashed the teacup on the table, spilling scalding tea all over the floor.

"Li Ping! This is outrageous!"

Zhao Heng's thin face was contorted, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

He kept his business of reselling household registrations extremely secret.

Now, Li Ping has not only abducted the person, but also taken away the document for changing the household registration bearing his official seal.

If that document were to reach the Jiangning City Inspector, Zhao Heng wouldn't have enough heads to lose even if he had ten.

"My lord, what should we do now? That brat has the records and a crossbow; a direct confrontation won't end well for us."

Scarface covered his swollen cheek and asked

Zhao Heng took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He walked to the bookshelf, pushed open a hidden compartment, and took out a small black porcelain bottle.

"Since he's courting death, he can't blame me."

A venomous glint flashed in Zhao Heng's eyes.

"Go and invite the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold outside the city. Tell him I have a big deal to ask him."

Scarface was startled: "Sir, you're going to use the bandits?"

"Doesn't Li Ping like to meddle in other people's business? I'll see how he manages to meddle when he's a corpse!"

Zhao Heng slammed the porcelain vase heavily on the table.

"Tell the people of Black Wind Stronghold that after this is done, they should get half of the grain from the granary in the east of the city!"