With Li Bai's talent, he could certainly enter the court and gain recognition. With Li Bai's personality, he certainly couldn't reside in the central core and bow down to the powerful. Chang'an City is too small to contain his wildness and arrogance. His arrogant boots have gradually distanced him from his mission. The tall warrior who takes off his boots is the one favored by the emperor.

Cui Beihai was saddened by the news for a long time. It's hard for one's character to change. He admires Li Bai, and in a sense, he doesn't want Li Bai to bow down to the powerful for his sake, as it would be a loss for the Tang Dynasty and even humanity.

However, the task of developing Li Bai has clearly failed. Cui Beihai will be reassigned, and his next task will no longer be "controlling charms" in Chang'an, but rather "stopping wars" in Luoyang. The schedule is not yet determined, so he is still lingering in the vicinity of Chang'an. He has encountered a formidable opponent who has the ability to kill him. He reports to the organization: he wants to leave after completing this mission.

Chang'an City possesses the glory of the Tang Dynasty, and Xuanwu Gate bears the traces of ancient bloodshed. The Tang Dynasty possesses the prosperity of agricultural civilization, yet its rulers still have the savage and martial spirit of nomadic tribes in their blood. The rules are simple: defeat the enemy, kill the enemy, and the victor becomes the king.

The bloodshed of political struggles in Chang'an City has never ceased, and the ghosts have never disappeared. Emperor Taizong of Tang was majestic and skilled in warfare, killing countless people. He was also once plagued by evil spirits, unable to sleep at night. People say it was fortunate that the two great generals, Wei Chi Jingde and Qin Shuobao, guarded the palace gates, allowing him to find peace. There are even legends among the people that the craftsmen painted portraits of the two generals and hung them at the palace gates, after which the evil spirits ceased to exist.

However, no one mentioned that there was a small wooden sign hanging beside the palace gate, engraved with the characters "Shan Hai" (mountains and seas). Nor would anyone know what Cui Beihai had done for the city of Chang'an.

The Tang Dynasty, and even future generations, remember the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. After Wei Zheng died of illness, Emperor Taizong said those famous words:

"A bronze mirror can be used to dress appropriately, a person can be used as a mirror to know success and failure, and history can be used as a mirror to know the rise and fall."

However, no one recorded the deeds of Cui Beihai and his colleagues. They were the mirrors of the Tang Dynasty, lurking in the darkness of Chang'an, witnessing the demons, exterminating the spirits, and guarding the lights of countless households. The dignitaries and commoners of Chang'an City would also not know: Cui Beihai encountered his lifelong formidable enemy during his final mission in Chang'an.

Cui Beihai had been planning to assassinate An Lushan all along, but it was not within his official duties. Inspecting and investigating officials fell under the jurisdiction of another organization known as the "Er Jian" (Elimination of Traitors). From a personal perspective, he had a deep affection for the cities of Chang'an and Luoyang, and a unique sense of closeness to the bustling lives of the people in the cities.

This kind of sentiment was very dangerous. The members of "Shan Hai" didn't need this kind of luxury emotion. They only needed to faithfully execute the organization's orders while concealing their own traces.

Cui Beihai had no choice but to take a roundabout approach. His official identity was an officer of the Taishi Bureau (Qin Tianjian), so he used this line to warn the court and bring the news of An Lushan's imminent rebellion to light.

While this work was still in preparation, Cui Beihai was targeted for assassination. When he walked through Zhuque Street in white clothes, he felt that he was being followed. In order to avoid affecting the innocent, he swiftly passed through the densely packed houses, leaped over the city walls, and led the pursuer to the desolate outskirts.

A pale hand emerged from the ground like a dense forest, and a voice as chilling as an owl's resounded, "Please, honorable gentleman in white clothes, come to the underworld for a drink!"