After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

After having a good look at the sights, Su Yixuan didn't forget her business.

After quickly confirming the plan with Huo Yu and Long Yucheng, and with everything in place, Su Yixuan cast an invisibility spell and silently brought the three of them into the Golden Feather Guard's barracks using her flying artifact.

The Golden Feather Guard's barracks were not located inside the palace, but rather in the northwest direction outside the palace.

As dawn broke and a faint light appeared on the horizon, the barracks were already bustling with activity.

Like swords drawn from their sheaths, well-trained squads quickly lined up in front of the main tent. All the soldiers in formation were of similar height, upright, with resolute faces, and waiting for their superiors to review them without looking to the side.

Despite the heavy guard, the Zoroastrian disciples on duty were only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Su Yixuan led Huo Yu and Long Yucheng into the main tent quietly.

The commander of the Golden Feather Guard was a burly, resolute middle-aged man whose brows revealed a seasoned and composed demeanor.

He was not surprised to see the three people who suddenly appeared in the tent. His dignified gaze swept over Huo Yu and Long Yucheng before turning to Su Yixuan.

Su Yixuan had already put on her semi-permanent white flower mask and said softly:

"Commander Yun, these are the two friends I mentioned earlier. Thank you for your help."

Commander Yun nodded, his expression unchanged, but a barely perceptible hint of helplessness and doting appeared in his eyes. He then instructed his adjutant beside him:

"It's almost time for the shift change at Chenshi (7-9 AM). You should take them to Tang Xuan's team first."

Huo Yu and Long Yucheng remained silent. Under the arrangement of their adjutant, the two followed the changing of the guard to the west gate of the imperial city.

During the handover of the Golden Feather Guard, the two of them, like two fish disappearing into the sea, entered the palace without any hindrance.

……

The palace, bathed in the first light of dawn, exudes a mysterious aura. Golden sunlight filters through the staggered eaves of the palace, casting dappled shadows on the cobblestone paths.

Huo Yu and Long Yucheng's squad, consisting of ten people, walked within the vermilion palace walls, led by a stern-faced squad leader.

And the Zoroastrian disciple bringing up the rear was naturally Su Yixuan.

She was still dressed in red, and the silver ornaments all over her body swayed gently with her steps, making a tinkling sound that was particularly eye-catching in the solemn palace. However, none of the Golden Feather Guards accompanying her dared to turn their heads to look at her.

Su Yixuan had indeed put a lot of thought and effort into this plan, and in the past few days, she had been repeatedly scrutinizing every detail.

Besides winning over the commander of the Golden Feather Guard, she also went to great lengths to find the original senior brother on duty for this squad and persuaded him to let her take his shift for a day so that she could appear in the patrol team.

Fortunately, the rewards she received were obvious: ever since they met at the inn this morning, the system notifications that her favorability rating had been rising had never stopped. Long Yucheng's favorability rating for her had now reached fifteen, and she was only five points away from the next achievement!

However, what frustrated her was that although it was Huo Yu who made the request to enter the palace, Huo Yu's favorability rating remained at zero from the very beginning, never changing since the day they first met.

Despite the frustration, at least one person's favorability was steadily increasing, and with the second strategic milestone just around the corner, the subsequent plans couldn't go wrong.

This Golden Feather Guard squad patrolled the former imperial court area. Just as the squad was passing through palace gates and about to enter the Zichen Palace area, Su Yixuan suddenly stopped.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp and penetrating through the layers of palace walls, looking in a certain direction.

Seeing this, the team leader gestured for everyone to stop, then walked behind Su Yixuan and asked in a low voice:

"Has the Immortal Master made any discovery?"

His voice carried a hint of awe, clearly showing great respect for this disciple of the Holy Church who looked younger than himself.

Su Yixuan did not answer immediately, but instead pointed to two people in the group, her lips parted slightly, her voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable firmness:

"You two come with me to investigate, the rest of you continue patrolling along the original route."

The people she pointed to were naturally Huo Yu and Long Yucheng.

The squad leader did not raise any objections and respectfully replied:

"As ordered."

He had learned from the commander a few days ago that, as this Thousand Candles Ceremony was the grandest in six hundred years, the Zoroastrian disciples who had been accompanying him on patrol were of higher status than usual, so he naturally dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Su Yixuan led Huo Yu and Long Yucheng smoothly along the smooth bluestone road, passing several patrol teams of Golden Feather Guards along the way.

These teams were all led by Foundation Establishment stage Fire Worship Cult disciples. The male disciples would politely nod to Su Yixuan when they saw her, while the female disciples ignored her. However, no one asked her whereabouts or purpose from beginning to end.

The three walked along the bluestone path, making many turns and passing through countless palace gates before finally arriving at a garden.

The landscape, clearly man-made, is arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern. The fragrance of unnamed flowers permeates the air, creating a refreshing and delightful atmosphere.

At the heart of the garden is a meticulously maintained lotus pond. Above the pond, a pavilion draped with white curtains stands in the water. Occasionally, a few golden and red koi carp leap out of the water, splashing water droplets and adding a touch of life to this tranquil environment.

Su Yixuan looked around, carefully confirming that there was no one else nearby, before letting out a long sigh of relief. She turned around, looked at Huo Yu and Long Yucheng, and gave a faint smile:

“This is the inner court, the area where the concubines and princes live. The spiritual senses of the Golden Core stage uncles do not cover this place, so it is safe to speak here. From now on, as long as I lead the way, you can freely enter and exit any place except the residences of the concubines and princes.”

Just then, a crisp and pleasant notification sound rang in Su Yixuan's ears again:

[Target number one, Long Yucheng, has gained two points of favorability; current favorability is seventeen.]

Su Yixuan's smile became even more genuine.

She had secretly made up her mind that as long as Long Yucheng continued to increase his favorability towards her at this pace, she would gladly agree to whatever he wanted to do.

Even if Long Yucheng said he was going to the emperor's palace to assassinate that mortal emperor, she would only hand him the knife without hesitation and ask if he needed help holding down the dog emperor's feet.

From the moment Huo Yu stepped into the palace, he meticulously examined everything around him with his divine sense. So far, he has a general understanding of the layout of the cultivators within the imperial city.

At each of the four corners of the imperial city—east, south, west, and north—there are four Golden Core stage cultivators stationed, while an additional number of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators patrol every corner of the palace alongside the Golden Feather Guards.

But this is only the power in the open.

Although Huo Yu was directly above the Zoroastrian headquarters, his Golden Core stage divine sense was still unable to penetrate the ground and peer into the Zoroastrian sect's interior.

Huo Yu had learned from more than one Zoroastrian disciple that all the Zoroastrians had gathered in this city, and the number of cultivators hiding in the shadows was undoubtedly even greater.

Out of apprehension towards the sixteen Golden Core cultivators openly present, and also out of concern for the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at the Fire Worship Sect's headquarters, Huo Yu did not rashly unleash his divine sense to survey the entire imperial city. Instead, he turned his gaze to Su Yixuan:

Is there any place here that preserves historical records?