Chapter 606: Guardian General of the Nation

"Xinzhou lies to the south, the capital to the north; you may travel northward directly."

Above the auspicious clouds, windless and waveless, Prince Xin sat down directly, appearing carefree; he untied his bundle, which contained not other items but a jar of fine wine, several small dishes for accompaniment, and a bowl of refined wheat rice—nothing else.

Prince Xin drank wine and ate wheat rice, as if certain he would die on this journey; he decided to become a well-fed corpse, for all matters at his mansion had already been arranged, leaving only the news of his death to reach Xinzhou City.

"Are you very hungry?" Li Yi said.

Prince Xin said: "I ate little at the banquet, and was startled repeatedly; now my stomach is empty. After thinking it over, I brought food to eat properly on the road, for I do not know when I will eat again."

"So you do not believe you can return alive from the capital," Li Yi said.

Prince Xin gave a self-deprecating smile: "Master, your abilities reach the heavens; this journey to the capital will surely turn things upside down. I am caught in the middle—I am already grateful if I get a good death, and dare not hope for more."

"You do not believe I can protect you fully?" Li Yi asked.

"I do not," Prince Xin continued drinking and eating.

Li Yi said: "Your temperament is good—unafraid of life or death, suited for fist training. If this world truly has no place for you, I will send you away from it, to the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, to train fists and martial arts. Though you will suffer hardship and lose the comforts of being a prince, perhaps years hence you may become a martial master of extraordinary strength."

"Leave this world?" Prince Xin finally set down his cup and chopsticks, staring at Li Yi in shock.

As a prince who had read widely since childhood and understood the great affairs of the world, he was no fool; one sentence had already revealed to him a crucial truth.

"Master, you are not of this world?"

"Neither is he," Li Yi said calmly: "When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How many past events do I recall?"

Before he finished reciting the poem, Prince Xin spat out a mouthful of wheat rice; he leapt to his feet in shock and terror, shouting: "This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

His emotions surged wildly, as if a long-held belief had been overturned; he lost his former calm and composure, descending into hysterics, his face flushed, his whole body trembling, repeating his words over and over as if to refute Li Yi.

Li Yi merely sidestepped the spewed food and continued riding the crimson auspicious cloud northward.

Here, the sky was high and the earth vast, a thousand li uninhabited; no matter how the two spoke or what they discussed, no third person heard.

"There is nothing impossible about it. I came to this world; naturally, others may come too. That poem is the best proof," Li Yi said. "Prince Xin, you are intelligent—you guessed the truth the moment I uttered the first line, or you would not be so agitated."

"Impossible! You, evil Daoist, must have stolen this poem from somewhere, then come to Xinzhou to seek me out and fabricate this lie to deceive me! You wish to use me to spread rumors to achieve some secret goal!" Prince Xin roared in fury: "Kill me, evil Daoist—I would rather die than become your pawn!"

Without another word, Prince Xin leapt off the auspicious cloud, plunging downward to smash himself to death.

But he had not fallen far before a crimson auspicious cloud caught him and lifted him back up.

"Do not be so agitated. If you wish to live or die, first help me find the one who wrote that poem," Li Yi said calmly. "Besides, your death solves nothing—I already know the man is in the capital. Even without your guidance, I can find him with a little more time."

Prince Xin remained agitated: "It is different. If you find him, you merely find him—but no one will believe the poet came from another world. But if I am involved, it is different. If, if—"

He dared not continue.

"So you are afraid. No wonder you want to live or die," Li Yi said with a slight shake of his head. "But the more you react this way, the more curious I am about the identity of the poet in this world."

He still could not confirm the cross-worlder was his father; he needed to see him with his own eyes to verify.

"I am not afraid—I am merely aware this matter involves great stakes," Prince Xin said. "I wish this were all your evil Daoist scheme, for then it would be simple."

Li Yi smiled: "Do you think my using such a trick has any meaning?"

Prince Xin fell silent. He no longer spoke, only slumped upon the auspicious cloud, picked up the jar of wine, and drank it down in great gulps, desperate to drown himself in drunkenness, even to the point of death, so he would not be drawn into this turmoil.

"Think it over slowly, but do not try to live or die, for death cannot escape anything—I understand a few methods of soul-binding," Li Yi said.

Prince Xin said nothing, only drank incessantly.

Unfortunately, the jar he brought was too small; even drinking it dry could not get him drunk, and his mind grew clearer instead. Frustrated, he hurled the jar away, lay back, and resigned himself to fate.

The cloud-riding technique moved swiftly.

Li Yi traveled northward, crossing mountains, rivers, villages, and towns; soon, a brilliant glow appeared on the distant land—a thousand lights shining together.

In a world resembling ancient times, only the capital, gathering all the people of the realm, could boast such splendor with a thousand lights at night.

"Is that the capital?"

Li Yi slowed the cloud, gazing at the distant city—indeed, it was magnificent.

It gathered the essence of heaven and earth, coiled with dragons and crouched with tigers, its aura extraordinary. The city spanned three hundred li.

Backed by towering mountains, encircled by nine rivers, spiritual veins, earth veins, and water veins crisscrossed, converging the incense and faith of all under heaven into the rising qi of dragons and tigers.

Though it was night, it was as bright as day.

Within the city, objects resembling hot-air balloons, tied by ropes, floated high in the sky, emitting light and heat to illuminate the entire metropolis; even at night, streets were packed with crowds, as if there were no difference between day and night—only supreme prosperity and bustle.

Li Yi had crossed many worlds and seen many ancient cities, but in splendor and grandeur, this one stood first.

With such abundant human presence, incense worship flourished here—no telling how many deities it might birth.

Merely by gazing, he saw a thick plume of blue smoke rushing toward him from the capital—a general, sword at his waist, clad in armor, tall and mighty. Though a spirit born of incense, he had been venerated by the court for countless years; his body had transformed from ethereal to solid, appearing now like a heavenly general descending from heaven.

"That is the Southern Guardian General of the Capital!" Prince Xin exclaimed. "How did you, Daoist, draw that great deity here?"

As a prince, he had seen the statues of the Four Guardian Generals in the capital—each eighteen zhang tall, standing at the four cardinal directions of the city, gazing across mountains and rivers, terrifying the realm.

But this was his first time seeing a Guardian General manifest. Normally, they never appeared unless a powerful demon or ghost threatened the capital's safety—only then would they wield divine weapons and leave the city to slay monsters.

Li Yi squinted, flicked his robe, and slowly rose: "Naturally, it was my formidable aura that drew him here."

One word, one phrase, one detail—all correct!

Even from afar, he sensed the Guardian General's immense power.

The mountain gods and earth spirits near Xinzhou were like dwarves beside giants.

"I am Zhang Jian Gong, Southern Guardian General of the Capital. Daoist ahead, halt!" The Guardian General announced his name, stopping near Li Yi, stepping forward and gripping his sword.

Li Yi's crimson auspicious cloud hovered in the sky; he remained calm: "I am Tai Yi, come from Xinzhou, seeking to enter the capital. Why do you block me?"

Zhang Jian Gong regarded him calmly: "Your aura is extraordinary. I saw a crimson glow carrying the qi of dragons and tigers speeding northward—faster than imaginable. The mountain gods, city gods, and guards you passed could not stop you. Seeing you head straight for the capital, I had no choice but to appear."

"And the man beside you is the current Prince Xin?"

He then recognized Prince Xin and bowed: "Your Highness, I salute you."

Prince Xin hurriedly said: "General, please, no formalities—rise quickly."

He dared not act like a prince.

He knew Zhang Jian Gong had served twelve dynasties—his status was exalted beyond measure; a mere idle prince like himself could not compare.

Zhang Jian Gong nodded slightly, acknowledged the courtesy, then ignored Prince Xin and fixed his gaze on Li Yi: "When did Xinzhou produce such a master? Why have I never heard of you? Why do you bring Prince Xin into the capital? If you do not speak truthfully, I will not permit you to enter."

He could ignore minor demons and spirits sneaking into the capital, but he dared not overlook this Daoist claiming to be Tai Yi.

This man's aura was exceptionally rare.

Li Yi said: "I enter the capital only to seek someone, not to cause trouble. General, if you grant me passage, all may remain peaceful. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?" General Zhang Jian Gong asked, hand on his sword.

Li Yi said directly: "Otherwise, if we fight, I may shatter the three-hundred-li capital, unleash boundless slaughter. I can simply walk away, but you—your incense will scatter, your statue will crumble, and the people will curse you."

"Bold! You dare threaten me, Daoist?" General Zhang Jian Gong's eyes flared, his sword humming.

At his anger, thunder rolled across heaven and earth, lightning flashed.

Prince Xin stared wide-eyed at Li Yi.

Is this Daoist always so arrogant?

One word out of place, and he threatens to destroy a three-hundred-li capital.

"Not a threat—a fact," Li Yi stepped forward again; the qi of dragons and tigers coiled around him, magic power surged skyward, his robe fell away, revealing crimson-feathered purple-gold armor; in his hand, a divine wooden bow appeared—unstrung, yet already humming with astonishing divine power.

Wind and clouds shifted instantly; silver lightning wove through golden flames.

Such an aura was truly astonishing.

Even General Zhang Jian Gong's face turned grave.

(End of Chapter)