The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Lin Mu lifted the beaded curtain and walked down the steps of the boat with ease. Si Lili followed behind him, her slender shoulders wrapped in a plain cloak, her fingertips slightly clenching the hem of her clothes, as if she were grasping something.

Her eyes still held a hint of daze, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the twists and turns of last night.

Although she had lowered her guard against Lin Mu somewhat, she never expected him to act so quickly.

As soon as it was light, he would take her to redeem her from her servitude.

"Son."

She spoke softly, a barely perceptible tremor in her voice: "The Second Prince's side..."

On the surface, Zuixianju is owned by Prince Jing's heir, but in reality, the real owner behind the scenes is the second prince, Li Chengze.

This prince, whom Emperor Qing used as a whetstone and to compete with the crown prince, secretly ran such places, both to amass wealth and to win over court officials.

It also has the meaning of gathering intelligence.

It's just that it's not a good thing for a prince to run a brothel, so Li Chengze made the Prince Jing's heir the apparent owner.

Si Lili is secretly a spy for the Northern Qi, but on the surface she is the most beautiful courtesan at Zuixianju. Zuixianju has invested a lot of money to promote her, and it is not something that can be resolved by giving her some money.

Lin Mu was quite confident. He figured that news of his "upper ninth rank" had already spread, and as long as Li Chengze had any sense, he wouldn't offend him for the sake of a courtesan. Instead, he would try his best to win him over.

Looking at Si Lili from the side, her features were still clear even amidst the swirling mist. Lin Mu summoned a carriage, and after taking his seat, he instructed the driver to head towards the residence of the Second Prince, Li Chengze.

Inside the carriage, Lin Mu held Si Lili's hand and said calmly, "Don't worry, this is a small matter, it's no problem for me."

"Ah."

Si 837 responded with a sound of agreement, without saying anything more.

Because of her experiences over the years, Si Lili has always lacked a sense of security, was wary of the people around her, and lived cautiously.

Now that his identity has been suddenly exposed, he can't help but feel uneasy.

I only hope that I haven't entrusted myself to the wrong person.

The wheels rolled on, making a soft rumbling sound as they passed through the gradually awakening streets.

The Second Prince's residence was heavily guarded.

The carriage stopped at the main gate, and Lin Mu and Si Lili got out.

The gatekeeper saw that Lin Mu's face was unfamiliar but his demeanor was extraordinary. He also saw that the woman behind him, though without makeup, had a radiant appearance. He knew that she was no ordinary person.

"Go and inform the Second Prince that Lin Mu has come to visit."

"Master, wait a moment."

The gatekeeper seemed to have heard of Lin Mu's name. When Lin Mu introduced himself, he dared not be negligent and hurriedly went inside to announce his arrival.

However, a moment later, the Second Prince Li Chengze personally came out to greet him.

Lin Mu took one look and saw that Li Chengze had a handsome appearance, bangs, a scholarly temperament, deep eyes that concealed sharpness, and wore luxurious brocade clothes but did not appear ostentatious.

[It does indeed look somewhat like an alpaca.]

Looking at Li Chengze's side-swept bangs, Lin Mu's lips curled into a smile.

Behind Li Chengze followed a swordsman in black, with a cold and stern face, an imposing presence, and sharp eyes.

It was Xie Bi'an, renowned for his "fast sword" and hailed as the foremost swordsman in Kyoto.

"I have long heard of Young Master Lin's great name. Meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed a man of exceptional talent. Please come in."

Li Chengze wore a perfectly measured smile, appearing very enthusiastic.

A prince personally going out to greet Lin Mu, a mere commoner in white, is certainly not as approachable as Li Chengze.

The news that Lin Mu was a ninth-rank official had already spread among the high-ranking officials of Nanqing.

With a cultivation level of the ninth rank, he is extremely rare in the Southern Qing Dynasty. In the army, he would at least be a general.

Not to mention that Lin Mu is so young, no one dares to say whether he can reach the Grandmaster level in the future.

Li Chengze was in dire need of talent, and such a person was worth his personal effort to win over.

Upon entering the living room, tea was already prepared.

Lin Mu sat down casually, without any intention of beating around the bush, and stated his purpose directly: "I have come to redeem Miss Si Lili from her servitude."

Li Chengze's smile paused slightly, then deepened, his tone becoming tentative: "Is Young Master Lin truly interested? Miss Lili is the star of Zuixianju; the effort and money invested in nurturing her are considerable. However… if Young Master Lin were to speak up, it's not entirely unnecessarily difficult, but…"

[Ding! You have come into contact with the destined figure Li Chengze, triggering the side quest: Join the Faction.]

[Mission Requirements: Within one month, join the faction of either Emperor Qing, the Second Prince, or the Crown Prince.]

[Task Reward: Randomly selected.]

The system notification sounded, but Lin Mu remained calm.

For him, joining the camp was merely a temporary measure, and he could change course at any time.

Seeing that Li Chengze was reserved and waiting for his response, Lin Mu said calmly, "What are your conditions? Please speak freely."

"readily."

Li Chengze smiled and said, "This prince has always cherished talent. If Young Master Lin is willing to become my disciple, not only will Miss Lili be offered to me with both hands, but you will also enjoy high official positions, generous salaries, wealth and honor in the future."

Lin Mu did not take these words to heart.

Let alone Li Chengze's inability to ascend the throne, even if he were to become emperor one day, in Lin Mu's eyes, he would be no different from an ordinary person.

However, since there are mission rewards available, he doesn't mind temporarily using the name.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Second Prince. I have no problem being your retainer, but I will act only according to my own will and will not be bound by any rules. Furthermore, I will only act for you once."

Lin Mu's tone was calm, yet left no room for argument: "If you agree, then bring me the indenture."

A hint of amusement flashed in Li Chengze's eyes: "Young Master Lin, are these conditions... perhaps a little lacking in sincerity?"

"That's because the Second Prince doesn't know my strength. Below the Grandmaster level, I have no rivals, and above the Grandmaster level, I can trade one for one."

Lin Mu's gaze swept over Li Chengze, his imposing manner slightly revealed. "Whether you agree or not, I can take Si Lili away. It's just a matter of whether there's more or less trouble."

[One for one above Grandmaster level!]

(cdbh) Li Chengze was shocked.

Although there is only one rank difference between the Ninth Rank and the Grandmaster, they are worlds apart.

He sensed the certainty in Lin Mu's words and became even more interested in him.

Xie Bi'an, however, felt a competitive spirit. He stepped forward and looked at Lin Mu: "I am Xie Bi'an. I would like to ask Young Master Lin for a few pointers. Would Young Master Lin be so kind as to grant me your instruction?"

"Why not."

Lin Mu also wanted to test the quality of this "One Sword Breaks Through Time".

The two entered the courtyard.

Xie Bi'an, sword in hand, looked at Lin Mu, who was unarmed: "Young Master Lin, what weapon do you use?"

Lin Mu casually said, "No need, make your move."

Xie Bi'an's expression changed slightly; this was clearly a sign of looking down on him!

If you don’t steam the steamed buns, you’ll lose your breath.

"That's offending."

Xie Bi'an drew his sword and thrust it forward with his swift swordsmanship.

Then, Lin Mu casually punched him, sending him flying into the wall, where he was embedded and turned into a lifelike mural.

Si Lili and Li Chengze were both dumbfounded.

Xie Bi'an was a ninth-rank martial artist, yet he couldn't even last a single move against Lin Mu.

This claim that I am invincible below the Grandmaster level is no exaggeration.

"Did you kill him?"

Seeing Xie Bi'an's body stuck to the wall, which he couldn't pry off, Li Chengze swallowed hard.

Lin Mu said calmly, "No, but I'll need to lie down for a few days."

"That's good."

After quickly weighing the options, Li Chengze smiled again: "To have Young Master Lin's assistance is better than having an army of 100,000. This is a token from my residence; Young Master Lin may come and go as he pleases."

Li Chengze handed a gold token to Lin Mu, then turned to his servant and ordered, "Go and fetch Miss Si Lili's indenture."

Lin Mu accepted the token, and a system notification sounded.

[Ding! Side quest: 'Join a Faction' completed. Reward: Guiding Skill!]

[Guiding Technique: Originating from the world of Swallowed Star, this cultivation method optimizes cellular energy carrying capacity and absorption efficiency, extending the absorption time of genetic energy from 5 minutes in the basic method to 1 hour. The cultivation speed difference between different levels of Guiding Technique can reach dozens of times.]

【Do you want to receive it? 】

Lin Mu silently said, "Receive."

Suddenly, a stream of information flooded into my mind.

Lin Mu was pleasantly surprised to find that the guiding technique he had obtained was S-rank, which was exclusive to the Limitless Martial Arts Academy and could amplify his abilities by dozens of times.

By adopting the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture, one can sense and absorb cosmic energy, and guide the energy through specific routes to strengthen targeted organs and tissues.

It is a level higher than the "Invincible Vajra Divine Skill," and can be cultivated to the planetary level, allowing the physical body to briefly travel through space.

As Lin Mu was digesting the guiding technique, a servant arrived with a thin piece of paper bearing an official seal and respectfully presented it to him.

Lin Mu didn't even look at it, and handed it directly to Si Lili next to him.

"From now on, you are no longer the manager of Zuixianju, but simply yourself."

Si Lili took the light piece of paper, but her fingertips felt it weighed a ton.

From a young age, she was like a piece of duckweed, caught in the covert struggle between Northern Qi and Southern Qing, never thinking that she would ever be able to escape.

She looked up at Lin Mu, her eyes glistening with tears, her lips trembling slightly, and finally she uttered only a soft whisper: "Thank you, young master."

Lin Mu nodded slightly and turned to Li Chengze: "Your Highness, we'll take our leave now."

"Okay, take care, come visit again sometime."

Li Chengze also knew that he couldn't control someone like Lin Mu. Being able to get the other party to owe him a favor and do him a favor was already a huge profit.

Naturally, he couldn't treat his subordinates the same way he treated his own men, bossing them around as he pleased.

After Lin Mu and Si Lili left the mansion, Li Chengze had someone dig Xie Bi'an, that unfortunate child, out of the wall.

He suffered some internal injuries, but nothing serious. He will be able to get out of bed after a few days of rest.

"We've really struck gold!"

Li Chengze immediately began to ponder who he should take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate.

The images of Emperor Qing and the Crown Prince flashed through my mind.

There is no kinship in the royal family.

What's more, they encountered the inhuman Emperor Qing.

A father who is not kind will not be a son who is not filial.

When Emperor Qing used Li Chengze as a whetstone for the crown prince, it was already destined that only one of Li Chengze and Li Chengqian could survive.

Chapter 71: Awakening Spiritual Power

The carriage sped away from the Second Prince's residence, seemingly even lighter than when it arrived.

The curtains swayed gently in the breeze, letting in a few rays of morning sunlight that fell on the two people sitting opposite each other in the carriage.

Si Lili secretly glanced at Lin Mu across from her.

His expression was calm, his gaze fixed on the receding street scene outside the window, his profile sharp and defined.

A sense of curiosity arose in her heart.

What is the background and purpose of this young master who suddenly appeared in Kyoto and whose methods are unpredictable?

A moment later, the carriage slowly came to a stop.

"Sir, it's here."