Chapter 608: Embroidered Uniform Guard

Li Yi struggled to walk through the streets of Jingcheng, as every citizen—rich or poor—treated him like a wish-granting machine, asking for wealth, marriage, or official rank; after giving a few brief pointers, he seized an opportunity and quickly slipped away.

After leaving several streets behind, no one recognized him anymore; they merely thought him an ordinary Daoist and paid him no further attention.

Yet after this episode, Li Yi noticed a surprising accumulation of incense belief gathering around him.

Of course.

The more people there are, the easier it is to gather incense belief—but his incense belief is unstable; today these commoners believe in him, but in a few days, when they forget and dismiss it entirely, the incense aura clinging to him will vanish.

To secure stable incense belief, one must receive imperial recognition; only then can one peacefully govern a territory and gather the incense of countless people. Without it, fleeting beliefs cannot sustain steady cultivation.

Had Li Yi not been searching for his father, he might have raised a banner and rebelled right in Xinzhou City—whether he succeeded or not, at least he could have seized a flood of incense power.

"Prince Xin, are you still not ready to reveal where the author of those verses now resides? You promised me this before. If you break your word, you know what I am capable of."

Li Yi spoke as he wandered through the splendor of Jingcheng.

Prince Xin walked beside him, gazing at the familiar streets of the capital, silent: "I lived in Jingcheng for sixteen years. Five years ago, I was granted the title of Prince Xin and left the capital for Xinzhou. The words you spoke from the clouds shook me to my core—I've been replaying them in my mind ever since."

"Should I die? Should I let fate unfold and lead you to the author of those verses to uncover the truth? Or should I delay, wait, and observe?"

Li Yi said: "Then you've already made your decision."

Prince Xin halted his steps, then gazed into the distance: "Suddenly, I turned around—and there, amid the dim lantern light, was the one I sought. The author of those verses is there."

He extended a hand and pointed.

But the night was vast; even with Jingcheng's bright lanterns, vision was limited. He added: "Head north, eighty li, to the heart of the capital, deep within the imperial palace."

Li Yi heard this without surprise; he felt it was only natural.

No matter who the cross-worlder was, once they entered this world and understood its cultivation methods, as long as they didn't rebel, they could only come to Jingcheng, infiltrate the court, and ideally enter the palace—only then could they steal the incense belief of the realm and begin cultivation.

"Then use your status as Prince Xin to enter the palace and arrange a meeting with this person," Li Yi said.

Prince Xin smiled bitterly: "I can enter, but you cannot. Arranging a meeting is extremely difficult—not because I refuse to help, but because the chance is slim. If you trust me, write a letter. I will deliver it to the palace myself tomorrow morning. If the author reads it and agrees to meet you, all is well. If not, I am powerless—and I am willing to die by your hand."

Li Yi's gaze shifted slightly as he considered this.

He did not know whether the one who had infiltrated the palace was a stranger from Earth or his own father.

If it were a stranger, entering the palace recklessly would be perilous—he might enter but never leave, for no cross-worlder willingly shares their coordinates with another.

Moreover, the power of incense gods in this world is not insignificant. If he caused too much commotion, he might fail to find the man and instead gain countless enemies. He had come here to cultivate, not to fight. He still intended to gather incense belief, open acupoints, and strengthen his cultivation base.

He thought for a moment.

Li Yi said: "Very well. I will trust you once. Write a letter now. Deliver it tomorrow morning. Once it reaches the author's hands, everything will become clear."

Without further words, he sat down at a night market stall by the roadside, took out brush and paper from his Five Elements Bracelet, and wrote swiftly.

Prince Xin glanced curiously—but could not recognize a single character.

Clearly, these were not the characters of this world.

Li Yi had written in simplified characters, and the message was simple: only an address and his name. Any cross-worlder would understand at once; nothing else needed to be said.

When finished, he slipped the letter directly into Prince Xin's hand.

Prince Xin's expression went blank for a moment, then he clenched the letter tightly in his fist, terrified of losing it.

"Don't be tense. Just do your part. Go now—you no longer need to follow me. You may go to the palace alone, but hurry. My patience is limited." Li Yi then stopped a passerby leading a horse, seized the animal, and handed it to Prince Xin.

"I understand, Daoist. Rest assured—by tomorrow morning, this letter will be in the author's hands." Prince Xin drew a deep breath; for some reason, his whole body trembled.

This Daoist was unknown to him, but he knew full well how immense the stakes were.

He did not know whether what he had done today was right or wrong.

Yet some questions could not be ignored—even if it cost him his life, he had to find out.

"Yah!"

Prince Xin mounted the horse, one hand gripping the reins, the other clutching the letter, charging down the road, shouting: "I am Prince Xin! Urgent business to the palace! All who are not involved, clear the way!"

The crowd immediately parted.

But soon, several men in embroidered uniforms, swords at their waists, rode out from the shadows and chased after him, bowing respectfully: "If you are truly Prince Xin, you may take the Imperial Road straight to the palace. But if you are an impostor, your entire clan will be exterminated."

"My identity will be verified by others. Embroidered Uniform Guards, lead the way. Say no more," Prince Xin snapped.

The Imperial Way is a road nine zhang wide, connecting the four cardinal directions of the capital; normally only officials attending court are permitted to walk it, and even then they must use the side paths, each two zhang wide, while only the Emperor and imperial princes may walk the center—except in special circumstances, such as urgent military reports or the coronation of a top scholar, when special permission is granted to walk the Imperial Way.

The Imperial Road was nine zhang wide, stretching from east to west and north to south. Normally, only officials on their way to court were permitted to walk it—and even then, only the two-zhang-wide side paths. Only the Emperor and imperial princes could use the center. Exceptions existed: urgent military reports or newly crowned top scholars might be granted the privilege.

Prince Xin was soon guided onto the Imperial Road. He spurred his horse, rode into the center lane, and raced toward the palace.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards dared not follow, yet feared losing him; they immediately sent secret signals to nearby guards to track him, and dispatched swift pigeon messages to report upward.

Soon, numerous hidden agents appeared along the Imperial Road, watching Prince Xin gallop past, their eyes cold and hostile.

His identity remained unconfirmed—if he were a fraud, the Embroidered Uniform Guards would kill him mid-journey without hesitation. No impostor would be allowed to approach the palace alive; afterward, his identity would be investigated and his entire clan exterminated.

This place was eighty li from the palace.

Even at full gallop, Prince Xin would need time to reach the palace.

As the secret orders spread,

one word, one line, one sentence, one meaning, one look!

Soon, several Daoists appeared on the Imperial Road nearby, watching Prince Xin pass, accompanied by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

"He carries the aura of a dragon-serpent—truly fitting for a prince."

"He is about twenty-one years old—matches Prince Xin's age."

These Daoists were verifying his identity; every word and gesture was recorded by nearby Embroidered Uniform Guards, who then sent another secret order.

If the Daoists, through aura-reading, found no dragon-serpent aura on him, he would be shot dead on the spot.

Thus, though Prince Xin rode unimpeded, he was in truth surrounded by hidden peril.

After another twenty li, two squads of soldiers clad in bright armor, wielding spears and banners, emerged from side roads, took position on the side paths, and escorted him forward.

Clearly, his identity had been confirmed; the court had dispatched Imperial Guards to ensure the safety of the prince entering the palace.

Why he had violated imperial decree by leaving his fiefdom and entering Jingcheng was none of their concern.

At this moment,

Li Yi, sitting beside the stall, froze as he saw the Embroidered Uniform Guards suddenly surge onto the street.

When did this incense-god world also have Embroidered Uniform Guards?

And why were their eyes glowing so brightly?

They had clearly cultivated the Evolution Method.

Their strength was low—perhaps at the Spirit Medium or Spirit Sensing stage, though some might have reached Spirit Perception.

"Has a cross-worlder taught the Evolution Method in this world?" Li Yi's heart sank.

Teaching the Evolution Method in an incense-god world seemed beneficial—but if it went wrong, disaster would follow.

Once an evolutionist reached the Soul Realm, they could simultaneously cultivate incense godhood. With incense power bolstering them, they would become living, flesh-and-blood gods, fully remedying the innate weaknesses of incense deities.

Would they not go mad competing for incense belief?

Yet these dangers would not be visible immediately; adapting the new method to this world would take time.

"Could the cross-worlder have used the Evolution Method as leverage to gain high rank, wealth, and incense belief—thus entering the palace?" Li Yi pondered.

Many questions filled his mind.

But his identity would be revealed by tomorrow morning.

All Li Yi needed to do now was wait patiently.

With that, he rose from the stall and prepared to find a quiet place to await events.

The passerby whose horse he had taken stared at him helplessly, wanting to curse—but seeing he was a Daoist, tall and imposing, he dared not speak, only stood nervously aside, waiting for a chance to ask for compensation.

"Stop staring. I won't cheat you—I'll repay you the horse." Li Yi glanced at him, tossed him a gemstone, and walked away.

The man, suddenly blessed with great fortune, was overjoyed, bowing deeply toward Li Yi's departing figure.

(End of Chapter)