After all, ordinary people had no chance to interact with those lofty princesses and noble ladies. So, having Si Lili—this fallen "princess" wandering outside the palace—serve him was nothing short of delightful.
Thus, even though the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was both prestigious and expensive, every night, many foolish spendthrifts would throw away fortunes in hopes of becoming Si Lili's honored guest.
However, tonight, the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was acting strangely. Despite the pleasure barge being docked at the shore, the eagerly awaiting young masters were barred from boarding.
Two towering black-clad guards, each over two meters tall, stood like iron pagodas at the gangplank, blocking all the young masters outside.
Just as the attendants brought by these young masters were about to clash with the two black-clad giants, the madam of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion hurriedly explained that the pleasure barge had been privately reserved for the night.
Reserving the entire Drunken Immortal Pavilion was no easy feat—it required at least several thousand taels of silver. Anyone who could spend such an exorbitant sum for mere entertainment undoubtedly came from an extraordinary background.
Hearing this, the young masters could only curse under their breaths, calling the spender a "wastrel," before dispersing to other pleasure barges in search of their own amusements.
Meanwhile, the so-called "wastrel," Xiao Feng, was currently embracing the renowned capital courtesan, Si Lili, while sipping fine wine fed to him by the beauty.
Si Lili's willow-leaf brows, dark shimmering eyes, and vermilion lips naturally exuded an enchanting charm as they parted slightly—truly deserving of her title as the capital's top courtesan.
Xiao Feng intended to use the [God's Lobby] to siphon the world's origin energy from Joy of Life. The best way to do this was to alter the original plot.
Simply put, it meant stealing the female leads and supporting female characters while suppressing the male leads and supporting male characters.
In the original story, Si Lili was a significant supporting female character with considerable screen time. Coupled with her current identity as a top courtesan, Xiao Feng naturally had no reason not to claim her.
It had to be said—Si Lili's figure was exceptional. A classic case of "slender branches bearing heavy fruit," with all the right curves in all the right places.
After several rounds of drinks, Xiao Feng finally swept Si Lili into his arms and carried her toward the nearby fragrant bed.
???
Under Si Lili's puzzled gaze, Xiao Feng—who should have been knocked out by the incense—showed no signs of drowsiness.
Though Si Lili appeared to be the capital's top courtesan, her true identity was that of a Northern Qi spy.
Originally named Li Lisi, she was a descendant of the Southern Qing royal family. Her grandfather had once been the prince most likely to ascend the throne.
However, during the struggle for imperial power, Ye Qingmei intervened and eliminated two princes—one of them being Si Lili's grandfather. Afterward, Prince Cheng took the throne, and following his death, the Qing Emperor succeeded.
Si Lili fled with her parents, but her father died under a hail of blades. Her mother had no choice but to take her and her younger brother to the Northern Qi.
Upon learning of their identities, the Northern Qi court took them in and raised them in the palace.
Later, Si Lili's mother fell ill and passed away, leaving her and her brother to rely on each other.
The Northern Qi emperor favored Si Lili, but the Northern Qi empress dowager despised her. To survive and protect her brother, Si Lili voluntarily requested to become a spy in the south under the empress dowager's orders.
Though she became the capital's top courtesan, Si Lili remained a virgin. Whenever a guest sought to stay the night, she would use a special incense to knock them out.
But even the most cautious could slip up.
Tonight, it was clear Si Lili had met her match. She never expected Xiao Feng to be immune to the incense, nor that her maids would be blocked outside by Xiao Feng's servants.
[Omitted 20,000 words…]
Early the next morning
As the gentle sunlight streamed through the barge's skylight onto the soft bed, Xiao Feng slowly opened his dark, star-like eyes.
"Mwah!"
Gazing at Si Lili, whose disheveled hair and peaceful slumber showed no signs of waking, Xiao Feng had no intention of disturbing her. He quietly slipped away and left the barge without a sound.
Because Xiao Feng had conquered Si Lili before Fan Xian could, the [God's Lobby] managed to absorb some of the world's origin energy.
Though the amount wasn't substantial, it allowed the [God's Lobby] to unlock new abilities—such as creating artificial humans and modifying simulated environments.
"Young Master!"
The moment Xiao Feng stepped out of Si Lili's boudoir, two towering black-clad guards approached him.
These two were robots personally crafted by Xiao Feng, their strength comparable to top-tier ninth-grade martial artists.
Out of a certain mischievous whim, Xiao Feng had named them: Dian Wei and Xu Chu.
"Dian Wei, Xu Chu, let's go!"
Xiao Feng flicked open his white jade folding fan with a smile and led the two onto a luxurious double-horse carriage, heading straight for the Xiao Manor in the capital.
Since the early plot of the original story mainly unfolded in the Qing Kingdom's capital, Xiao Feng had arranged for the purchase of several estates and businesses there to facilitate his future life in the city.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop…"
Dian Wei drove the carriage swiftly, soon entering the capital's eastern district.
Those who lived in the eastern district were almost exclusively high-ranking officials, nobles, or wealthy magnates—commoners had no place here.
Thus, the streets here were relatively quiet, with grand mansions spaced every dozen meters or so, each guarded by a pair of stone lions staring blankly at passing carriages and palanquins.
After roughly fifteen minutes, the carriage bearing the embroidered character "Xiao" finally halted before an extravagant estate.
At the entrance of the sprawling estate stood two golden-lacquered stone lions, each over three meters tall, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.
Above the vermilion gates hung a massive plaque inscribed with two gilded characters: Xiao Manor!
Seeing Xiao Feng's return, the servants hurriedly opened the gates and ushered him and Xu Chu inside.
Meanwhile, Dian Wei steered the carriage around to the rear entrance—free of high thresholds—and entered the manor.
The moment Xiao Feng stepped into his private courtyard, four stunning maidservants—each in the bloom of youth—approached with fresh clothes, towels, and other necessities.
Under their meticulous care, Xiao Feng, who had reeked of seafood earlier, now emerged as a fragrant noble young master after his bath.
At the same time, the original protagonist, Fan Xian, was also riding an unremarkable carriage into the Fan Manor next door.
That's right! To better interfere with the plot, Xiao Feng had specifically purchased the estate adjacent to the Fan residence.
At first, the original owner had refused to sell. But after some "persuasion" from Dian Wei and the others—along with Xiao Feng's generous offer—the deal was eventually sealed.
(End of Chapter)