The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

The reason is that in a few days it will be the grand ceremony for Liu Zhengfeng, a master of the Hengshan Sect, to retire from martial arts. In the past few days, people from all walks of life have come to congratulate or watch the ceremony.

Swordsmen in green robes and burly men in short robes moved through the corridors, their weapons occasionally clashing softly.

Even the old woman selling flowers in the corner knew that the Liu family was going to hold a major event concerning the entire Hengshan Sect in the next few days.

Lin Mu stood outside the vermilion gate, his blue robes fluttering in the wind, with the newly acquired Heaven-Slaying Sword hanging at his waist.

The scabbard is simple and unadorned, yet it cannot conceal the sharpness within.

His eyes were clear as a cold pool, and his brows exuded a captivating aura of righteousness, setting him apart from the chivalrous figures around him.

Seeing his composed demeanor and the fact that he was a stranger but not as impetuous as ordinary martial arts practitioners, the gatekeepers of the Liu residence dared not be negligent and quickly cupped their hands and asked, "Sir, have you come to the Liu residence to offer congratulations or to visit a friend? Do you have a visiting card?"

"My name is Lin Mu. I have important business to discuss with Master Liu. Please inform him of my presence."

Lin Mu's voice was calm, without any emotional fluctuation, but it carried an undeniable certainty.

Seeing Lin Mu's extraordinary bearing and the sword at his waist, whose name was unknown but whose scabbard was of exceptional quality, the Hengshan disciples dared not delay and quickly stepped aside to lead the way: "Mr. Lin, please follow me. I will go and inform the manor lord immediately."

He was led through three courtyards, past a central courtyard filled with banana trees, until they reached the main hall where tea was served.

The hall was elegantly furnished, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls, and a faint aroma of tea permeating the air, making it seem like a completely different world from the hustle and bustle outside.

Just as Lin Mu picked up his teacup and his fingertips touched the warm porcelain bowl, he heard the sound of boots tapping on the bluestone slabs approaching from afar, the footsteps steady and powerful.

A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe with a refined appearance strode in; it was Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan School.

His five long tufts of beard were meticulously combed, but his brows showed signs of fatigue from preparing for the ceremony.

"Forgive my poor eyesight, but I do not know your esteemed name. What brings you to my humble abode?"

Liu Zhengfeng clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, displaying a humble attitude without the arrogance often associated with powerful figures from prestigious families.

Lin Mu put down his teacup, looked up and stared directly at Liu Zhengfeng, his tone resolute: "Senior Liu, forgive my bluntness, but you are about to face a great calamity."

"what?!"

Liu Zhengfeng's heart skipped a beat, and the refined smile on his face froze instantly. His long eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "What do you mean by that, young brother? I have been preparing for the grand ceremony recently. Although there are many trivial matters, no enemies have come to cause trouble."

"My friends in the martial arts world have given me some face, and they have been very polite to me at my residence these past few days."

"It is a good thing that the senior wants to retire."

Lin Mu lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, his gaze sharp as he looked directly into Liu Zhengfeng's eyes: "It's just that Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect is ambitious and has long coveted the position of leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. He also wants to annex the Hengshan, Taishan, and Huashan sects and unify the Five Mountains Sword Sects."

"As a pillar of the Hengshan Sect, with superb swordsmanship and extremely high prestige within the sect, how could he sit idly by and watch you leave unscathed?"

He leaned forward slightly and said, word by word, "Zuo Lengchan will definitely take advantage of the opportunity of washing his hands of the martial arts world to launch an attack, using swift and decisive measures to suppress the Hengshan Sect, make an example of them, and intimidate the other three sects."

"If you make even the slightest mistake, senior, not only you, but the entire Liu family will be in danger of being destroyed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar system notification sounded in Lin Mu's mind:

[Ding! You have come into contact with the influential figure Liu Zhengfeng, triggering the side quest: Save the Liu Family Mansion!]

[Mission Objective: Ensure that Liu Zhengfeng and his family of four survive the day he retires from the criminal life.]

[Task Reward: Randomly selected.]

Sure enough!

Lin Mu felt a little more at ease, but his face remained expressionless.

However, after the initial shock, Liu Zhengfeng's face showed obvious disapproval.

He shook his head repeatedly, his tone resolute: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Young man, you're overthinking it."

“As early as three months ago, Liu sent a letter of invitation to the leader of the alliance, explaining the reasons for his retirement in a sincere manner.”

"Although the leader of the Left Alliance did not give a clear answer at the time, he also did not object."

Liu Zhengfeng stroked his long beard, his eyes filled with a hint of stubbornness: "Left Alliance Leader commands the Five Mountains and is the leader of the righteous path in the martial arts world. He is a man of great principles and will not allow me to retire. Even if he does not allow me to retire, he would never resort to such a cruel act as wiping out my entire family!"

He paused, his tone becoming even more resolute: "The Five Mountains Sword Sects are of one mind and are like brothers. How could he kill me just because I retired? There must be some misunderstanding! Perhaps you've heard some rumors, young brother?"

In Liu Zhengfeng's view, although Zuo Lengchan was dignified, he was ultimately the leader of a prestigious and righteous sect, and valued his reputation above all else. He would never do such an unjust thing.

Moreover, his relationship with Qu Yang was extremely secretive, known to only a handful of people, so Zuo Lengchan might not be able to find any fault with him.

Looking at Liu Zhengfeng's almost naive stubbornness, Lin Mu shook his head inwardly.

poor person must have something mean!

Liu Zhengfeng is somewhat similar to Linghu Chong; he only cares about his own carefree nature and doesn't care about the safety of those around him.

Knowing full well that Qu Yang was an elder of the Demonic Sect, and that the Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Sun Moon Divine Sect were sworn enemies, they still chose to befriend him closely, which was tantamount to handing a knife to Zuo Lengchan right under his nose.

He not only courted his own death, but he also dragged his wife, children, and elderly parents down with him.

In the original storyline, Liu Zhengfeng's death was not unjust; it was the entire Liu family that was truly wronged!

Lin Mu instantly lost his patience to persuade him.

The mission requirement was simply to "ensure that Liu Zhengfeng and his family of four survive," not to change Liu Zhengfeng's mind, much less to save the entire Hengshan Sect.

"Since Senior Liu has such faith in Leader Zuo, then I will leave it at that."

Lin Mu stood up, clasped his hands in a detached manner, and said, "Farewell."

After saying that, he turned and left, ignoring Liu Zhengfeng's surprised and uncertain calls from behind, "Young brother, please wait!" He did not turn back and went straight out of Liu's residence.

Instead of wasting words here, we should prepare in advance.

Zuo Lengchan's men must have been lurking in the shadows for a long time, and there are probably countless eyes watching the movements of the Liu family right now!

For the next three days, Lin Mu found a secluded inn in Hengshan City to stay in.

During the day, he would either shop for medicinal herbs at the herbal medicine store—mostly rare medicines for detoxification and healing, and occasionally some ordinary herbs that seemed to be poisonous.

He possesses the [Negative Reversal System], so ordinary poisons not only cannot harm him, but can also nourish his blood and strengthen his bones and muscles. Therefore, he doesn't hesitate to buy medicinal herbs.

Whenever he had free time, he would practice the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique in a secluded spot outside the city.

The Heaven-Slaying Sword is incredibly sharp. In Lin Mu's hands, it is sometimes as fierce as thunder and sometimes as gentle as flowing water. When combined with Pure Yang True Qi, its power is unparalleled.

Under the moonlight, the cold gleam of the Heaven-Slaying Sword intertwined with his figure in a green robe, like a flowing painting.

In his spare time, Lin Mu would keep an eye on the movements around the Liu residence.

He noticed that there were many unfamiliar faces around the Liu residence.

These people, though seemingly martial arts practitioners who came to offer congratulations, were actually wary and their actions were disciplined, clearly indicating that they were highly trained experts.

Although the clothing of some of them was inconspicuous, the style of the swords at their waists subtly revealed the style of the Songshan School.

During this time, news spread throughout Hengshan that Yu Canghai, the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, was ambushed and killed outside the city while leading his disciples to the meeting.

The martial arts world was abuzz with discussion, and martial arts figures could be seen everywhere in teahouses and taverns engaging in lively debates.

"Have you heard? The Qingcheng Sect Leader, Master Yu, was killed outside the city! His head was even chopped off!"

"Really? Yu Canghai is skilled in martial arts, and there are many disciples of the Qingcheng Sect. Who would be so bold as to do this?"

"I bet it was the work of the evil cult!"

"No, no, I heard it was a hidden expert from the Lin family who made the move! Think about it, the Fuwei Escort Agency was destroyed by the Qingcheng Sect, how could the Lin family not seek revenge? They must have hired a top expert to assassinate Yu Canghai!"

"That makes sense! I heard that Yu Canghai died a gruesome death, his neck severed with a single blow. The person who struck him must have unfathomable martial arts skills!"

The disciples of the Qingcheng Sect were crying and wailing in Hengshan City, vowing to find the murderer and avenge their sect leader, but they couldn't find even the slightest clue.

No one connected this matter with the young man in blue who had spoken a few words to Liu and then left. Lin Mu was happy to have some peace and quiet and watched everything with a cold eye.

He knew that as the ceremony of washing his hands of his past life approached, an even bigger storm was quietly brewing in the Liu residence.

All he had to do was protect the lives of those four people when the storm came.

Chapter 8: Retiring from the Life of a Thing

April 23rd.

On the day of the Golden Basin Handwashing Ceremony.

The Liu residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and guests filled the house.

Disciples of the Hengshan Sect greeted guests, while groups of chivalrous heroes gathered, some discussing swordsmanship, others drinking wine, creating a lively scene.

Yue Buqun, accompanied by Linghu Chong, Yue Lingshan, and other Huashan disciples, sat on the east side, his gaze sweeping across the room, lost in thought.

The leaders of other sects also had their own thoughts, but Liu Zhengfeng was all smiles and busy entertaining guests.

At 3:45 AM, the auspicious time is approaching.

Liu Zhengfeng stood on the high pavilion in the courtyard and said loudly, "Thank you all for coming from afar to attend my retirement ceremony!"

"Although I, Liu, am retiring from the underworld today, as long as it does not violate morality, I will do my best to help my friends in any difficulties!"

As soon as he finished speaking, disciple Mi Weiyi stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master, the auspicious time has arrived. Please come into the hall to wash your hands."

The sound of firecrackers crackled and popped, and servants had already placed a gilded bronze basin filled with water at the entrance of the hall.

Liu Zhengfeng straightened his brocade robe and was about to step forward when he heard a cold shout from outside the gate:

"Wait a minute!"

Everyone turned to look at the sound, and saw a disciple dressed in the Songshan Sect's attire walk in with his head held high and his eyes sinister. He was Fei Bin, one of the thirteen bodyguards of the Songshan Sect.

He held an apricot-yellow flag in his hands, with the five large characters "Command of the Five Mountains Alliance" embroidered on it. He stopped in the courtyard.

"Senior Brother Liu, I have been ordered by Alliance Leader Zuo to ask you to postpone the Golden Basin Washing Ceremony for the time being."

Fei Bin spoke arrogantly, completely disregarding Liu Zhengfeng.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengfeng's heart sank, and he stopped in his tracks.

The words of the young man in the blue robe from a few days ago instantly exploded in my mind.

[Could what he said be true? Is Zuo Lengchan really going to attack me?]

Seeing Liu Zhengfeng in a daze, Fei Bin raised an eyebrow and said with displeasure, "Senior Brother Liu, Alliance Leader Zuo has given an order. Why don't you quickly accept the command flag?"

The hall was immediately filled with discussion.

"What does Leader Zuo mean by this? Retiring from the martial arts world is a private matter; what right does he have to interfere?"

"Although the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance has the authority to command the disciples of the Five Mountains, he can't control whether they retire or not, can he?"

"There must be more to the story..."

Yue Buqun stroked his beard, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and thought to himself: "Zuo Lengchan's move must be to weaken Hengshan, but I wonder what leverage he has over Liu Zhengfeng."

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Liu residence, Lin Mu was crouching in the dense shade of a sycamore tree, observing his surroundings under the cover of its branches and leaves.

He had long anticipated that the Songshan Sect would split its forces into two groups: one to hold back the enemy in the front hall, and the other to rush straight to the backyard to capture and kill Liu Zhengfeng's family.

Sure enough, a few moments later, several soft sounds came from the shadows of the west wall. More than ten disciples of Songshan Mountain crouched low and climbed over the wall. The leader whispered, "Quick! Liu Zhengfeng's wife and children are in the east wing. Seize them!"

"Anyone else who dares to resist will be killed on the spot!"

Before the words were even finished, a disciple from Mount Song drew his sword and slashed at a patrolling servant of the Liu family, instantly staining the bluestone pavement with blood.

"What kind of bandits dare to commit such a crime in broad daylight!"

Lin Mu shouted loudly, his voice resounding throughout the area, and everyone in the front hall heard it clearly.

Liu Zhengfeng's expression changed drastically, and he glared at Fei Bin: "You actually sent people to kill my family, you beasts! I'll fight you to the death!"

As he spoke, Liu Zhengfeng and Fei Bin started fighting.

at the same time.

Lin Mu slid down from the eaves like a raccoon dog, the Heaven-Slaying Sword in his hand humming as it was drawn from its sheath, and he pounced on the three people on his left.

"Where did this wild boy come from?"

A disciple from Mount Song noticed the unusual movement and swung his sword to stab.

Lin Mu neither dodged nor evaded, but swung the Yitian Sword, striking the longsword and severing it in two, while also cutting open the body of the Songshan Sect disciple.

The other two disciples from Songshan were enraged upon seeing this and attacked from both sides with their swords.

Lin Mu lightly stepped back, his figure drifting away like a willow catkin, avoiding the sword's edge while simultaneously slashing with his Heaven-Slaying Sword, striking the wrist of the disciple on his left.

With a clang, the longsword fell to the ground. The disciple cried out in pain, and before he could retreat, Lin Mu slit his throat with a single sword strike.

The disciple on the right felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing this. Just as he was about to cry for help, Lin Mu's figure was already in front of him, and the cold wind from his sword made him gasp for breath.