The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Two maids led the way with lanterns, revealing a woman in a pale purple dress and a light gauze outer garment, with skin as white as snow and features as beautiful as a painting.

Her glances revealed both a natural allure and a touch of aloofness.

The moment she appeared, she seemed to steal the spotlight and become the center of attention.

"It's Miss Lili!"

"Today I can actually see its true face!"

"I wonder which young master is so fortunate to have such a beautiful woman..."

Lin Mu's gaze narrowed slightly—under his golden eyes, he could clearly see that the courtesan had a hidden flow of true energy within her body. Although she tried to suppress it, it could not escape his eyes.

Judging from his true qi cultivation, he is at least a seventh-grade master.

"Purple is indeed very charming."

He chuckled softly and whispered.

The woman in front of me, Si Lili, was even younger and more beautiful than I had imagined. Her temperament, which was a blend of allure and aloofness, was truly captivating.

The madam led the people into a private room. Si Lili bowed gracefully and handed over a jade plaque engraved with the four characters "Black Gold Plum Blossom".

"Young master is very talented."

Her voice was soft and beautiful: "'Clouds remind me of her clothes, flowers of her face'... Such verses are unheard of."

She looked up at Lin Mu, her gaze gentle as water: "Your poetry is superb, and you are an extraordinary person. I wonder if you would be willing to take a boat trip on the lake with me, enjoying the gentle breeze and bright moon, a cup of tea, and discussing poetry and literature?"

Although her words were tactful, the meaning was clear—she wished to invite Lin Mu to join her for a chat.

Lin Mu closed his folding fan and smiled slightly: "How could I refuse an invitation from a beauty?"

Chapter 69: Warm Red Silk Curtain

[Ding! You have encountered the lucky character Si Lili, triggering the side quest: Siblings Reunited.]

[Mission Requirements: Help Si Lili reunite with her younger brother within one year.]

[Task Reward: Randomly selected.]

The carved boats swayed gently on the waves, and the copper bells on the eaves, adorned with dappled moonlight, rang out with a melodious sound in the night of the Qinhuai River.

Lin Mu traced the icy patterns on the celadon wine cup with his fingertips, listened to the system notification in his mind, smiled slightly, and thought to himself, "It was definitely worth coming to Drunken Immortal Abode."

In the original novel of "Joy of Life", Si Lili was an outstanding female supporting character. She had the dual identity of being a secret agent of Northern Qi and a descendant of the royal family of Southern Qing. It was within Lin Mu's expectations that she could trigger side quests.

He looked up at the woman sitting opposite him. The candlelight reflected on her delicately drawn eyebrows, making her usually charming and gentle eyes appear slightly tense.

"It is my great pleasure to share a drink with Miss Lili tonight."

Lin Mu raised his glass, the wine shimmering with an amber light: "This glass is for you."

Si Lili quickly raised her hand to pick up her wine glass, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against the glass's rim, the slight coolness calming her down.

A gentle smile spread across her face, and her voice was as soft as honey: "Young master, you are too kind. Tonight, Lili will belong to you. I only ask for your pity."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them tilted their heads back and drank the wine in their glasses.

Si Lili poured three more cups in succession, her smile growing more charming with each cup, but a subtle, almost imperceptible scrutiny lurked in her eyes.

She deliberately added a special sleeping potion made in Northern Qi to the wine. An ordinary person would become dizzy after drinking one cup, and after three cups, even a ninth-rank master would fall asleep for half an hour.

Lin Mu drank calmly, one cup after another, his face not showing any signs of exhaustion, but rather his eyes were even clearer.

Just as Si Lili was wondering what was going on, she saw the man opposite her suddenly sway, his arm braced on the table, his head heavily pressed against his sleeve, and he fainted.

"Whoo~"

Si Lili breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, nothing unexpected happened.

She came to gather intelligence, and although she was prepared to lose her virginity, she didn't want to give herself away so soon.

Even if they had to hand it over, they had to exchange it for valuable information in order to save their own and their brother's lives.

Si Lili got up, walked to Lin Mu's side, and carefully helped him up.

The man's arm was draped over her shoulder, and his warm, masculine body made her inexplicably flustered.

She bit her lip and laboriously half-supported, half-carried him to the bed in the inner room. Then she reached out and untied the jade belt of his outer robe, revealing the moon-white inner garment underneath.

When she saw Lin Mu's physique, she couldn't help but swallow hard.

He quickly shook his head to calm himself down.

"Clap!"

She clapped her hands, and a maid dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) immediately walked in.

This person was a bodyguard she brought from Northern Qi. Not only was she beautiful like a lady from a noble family, but she also possessed remarkable martial arts skills. Her daily duties included gathering intelligence and protecting her safety, and she only obeyed her orders.

"Take good care of Young Master Lin and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Si Lili lowered her voice and gave the order, her gaze sweeping over Lin Mu, who was fast asleep on the bed, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

This person, in terms of appearance, physique, and literary talent, perfectly suited her taste.

But she was just a caged bird, at the mercy of others, deprived of freedom, and unable to do what she wanted.

"Yes, young lady."

The maidservant responded respectfully and then came to the bedside.

However, just as Si Lili was about to leave, Lin Mu, who was lying on the bed, suddenly moved. He slightly raised his wrist, and with a faint trace of internal energy at his fingertips, he struck the maid's acupoint on her waist with lightning speed.

The maid froze on the spot, not even having time to utter a cry of surprise, before becoming as still as a statue.

Si Lili had just reached the door when she heard the noise and turned around abruptly. She saw that Lin Mu had already stood up, his clothes slightly open, his hair a little messy and lazy, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, showing no sign of being drowsy.

Lin Mu raised his hand to brace himself against the door frame, trapping Si Lili between his arms and the door panel, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery: "I thought you'd come up with some tricks, is this all?"

Si Lili's heart tightened, and her fingertips subconsciously reached for the short dagger at her waist, but Lin Mu pressed her wrist down first.

The man's palm was warm and strong; she struggled twice but couldn't break free.

"The sleeping potion in the wine is of the highest quality from Northern Qi."

Lin Mu chuckled, his fingertips caressing the delicate skin on her wrist: "Unfortunately, it won't work on me."

He had long ago discovered that the alcohol contained a drug and a negative reversal system; the more he drank, the more energetic he became.

He had originally wanted to see what Si Lili would do after she drugged him, but he didn't expect her to have her maid do it for him.

Isn't this consumer fraud?

Lin Mu leaned down slightly, pressing Si Lili closer, his breath carrying a faint scent of alcohol, but not overpowering: "You can deceive my feelings, but you can't cheat me out of my money. If word gets out that you, Miss Lili, are trying to fool customers by 'switching' things, it'll probably ruin the reputation of Zuixianju, won't it?"

Si Lili was forced to press her back against the door panel by him, and the cold touch of the wood calmed her down a little.

Knowing she had met her match, she quickly concealed the panic in her eyes and put on a considerate expression: "Young master, you misunderstand. Lili did not mean to deceive you."

"To be honest, this Drunken Immortal Abode is the property of Prince Jing's heir. If you wish to listen to music, appreciate dance, discuss poetry and painting, I will certainly accompany you to the end."

She paused, then deliberately emphasized, "But if I want to do other things... Lili is powerless to do so, she really can't make the decision."

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow, reached out and pinched her chin, gently lifting it so that she had no choice but to look him in the eye.

His eyes were deep, carrying an undeniable authority: "If you can't make the decision, then I'll make it for you."

Si Lili abruptly turned her head to avoid his touch, her voice carrying a hint of determination: "Young Master, don't force me! If you continue to force me, I will have no choice but to prove my innocence with my death!"

"To prove one's innocence by dying?"

Lin Mu chuckled and ran his fingertip across her cheek: "Are you afraid of being held accountable by the Prince of Jing, or are you afraid of being blamed by the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi?"

"Son!"

Upon hearing the name of the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi, Si Lili's expression changed drastically. She abruptly looked up at Lin Mu, her eyes filled with shock: "You... what nonsense are you talking about?"

Lin Mu released his grip, turned around and sat back down in the chair at the table. He poured himself a glass of wine and casually said, "Stop pretending. I've already investigated your background thoroughly."

"Si Lili, or should I call you... Li Lisi?"

"It is widely rumored that you are a descendant of a royal family member from the early days of the founding of the Southern Qing Dynasty, and that you fell into poverty because your ancestors were convicted of a crime."

Lin Mu tapped his fingers on the table, making a crisp sound: "But only I know that you are not only a descendant of the Southern Qing royal family, but you also fled to Northern Qi and were taken in by the Northern Qi royal family."

"Later, the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi used your brother's life to blackmail you into becoming a spy planted by Northern Qi in Southern Qing. Am I right?"

Si Lili's face turned deathly pale instantly, her lips trembled slightly, and even her hands, which were gripping the door, began to feel cold.

She never expected that her most deeply hidden identity would be so thoroughly understood by this complete stranger!

The thought that the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi might poison her brother after her identity was exposed, and that the Southern Qing royal family would never let her go if they found out her background, sent chills down her spine.

She instinctively wanted to kill him to silence him, but when she remembered Lin Mu's impressive agility, she immediately changed her mind.

To be able to drink wine laced with sleeping pills like water, one must be at least a ninth-rank master. Her meager skills are nothing compared to that.

Moreover, judging from the appearance, the other party is neither from the Surveillance Bureau nor from Northern Qi.

[Could it be Dongyi City? This person is so young yet already possesses a ninth-grade cultivation level; his talent is no less than that of Haitang Duoduo. Why have I never heard of him before?]

"Who...who are you?"

Si Lili's voice trembled slightly, her eyes filled with fear and confusion.

"I'm just a passerby in Nanqing."

Lin Mu drank the spiked wine, poured himself another glass, and swirled it around: "I don't belong to the Surveillance Bureau, nor do I serve any princes or nobles. After all, no power has the authority to order me around."

His tone carried an innate confidence, which only deepened Si Lili's doubts.

Si Lili composed herself and tentatively asked, "Since you know my identity, you should understand that if I were to lose my virginity here, neither the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi nor the royal family of Southern Qing would let it go."

"Why would you, young master, risk such a huge trouble for a moment of pleasure?"

"trouble?"

Lin Mu put down his wine glass, stood up and walked to Si Lili, raising his hand to stroke her cheek.

His fingertips were warm, yet they sent a shiver down Si Lili's spine, as if they possessed some kind of magic that could see through people's hearts.

"If I were afraid of trouble, I wouldn't have boarded your pleasure boat tonight."

Lin Mu's voice was deep and had a peculiar magnetism: "You say you have no choice in the matter, then I will give you freedom."

"At least tonight, at this moment, you don't need to be a spy for Northern Qi, nor do you need to be a pawn of Prince Jing. You only need to be my woman."

His words seemed to carry a certain allure, causing Si Lili's tense nerves to relax slightly.

Si Lili looked into his deep eyes, which held an almost domineering confidence and a kind of inquiry and certainty that she couldn't understand.

Perhaps knowing she was powerless to resist, or perhaps her inner longing for "freedom" was touched, her tense body gradually relaxed (Qian Hao Zhao), her long eyelashes drooped slightly, concealing the complex expression in her eyes.

"Young master... seems to know everything."

Si Lili murmured softly, her voice as light as a breeze: "Does the young master know what I truly desire?"

Lin Mu leaned down slightly, bringing his breath close to her ear. His warm breath sprayed onto her sensitive neck, making her tremble slightly.

His voice was deep and clear, carrying a subtle allure: "Of course I know. What you want is both far away within the high walls of the Northern Qi palace and right before your eyes."

"Serve me well tonight, and I'll guarantee your brother's safety, how about it?"

Without waiting for Si Lili's response, he lifted her up in his arms with a slight effort.

Si Lili gasped and instinctively reached out to hug his neck, pressing her cheek against his warm chest, where she could clearly hear his strong heartbeat.

Lin Mu carried Si Lili to the bed. When he passed the maid whose pressure points had been sealed, his gaze did not linger, as if she were just an insignificant decoration.

Gently, Si Lili was placed on the bed covered with brocade bedding. The thin gauze curtains hanging above the bed fell down, blurring the candlelight and the boundary between the two.

After one day.

The two spoke frankly with each other. Si Lili learned about Lin Mu's strength and knew him well enough to understand that Lin Mu could indeed rescue her brother.

Si Lili wasn't sure whether the other party would act for her sake, and simultaneously for both Southern Qing and Northern Qi.

Chapter 70: The Second Prince

The next morning, before dawn.

The Qinhuai River is shrouded in mist, which has not yet dissipated. The wisps of mist, like gauze, wrap around the flower boats moored on the bank, creating a hazy and dreamlike scene.