The next day.

In a valley filled with the fragrance of spiritual medicine.

An elderly man with white hair and beard was sitting under the eaves of a thatched cottage. In front of him, a clay pot was placed on the stove, stewing succulent fish meat, bubbling and rolling in the broth, emitting an enticing aroma.

From afar, the old man saw a figure appear at the entrance of the valley and a smile immediately spread across his face.

Not until the young man approached did the elder call out, "Yuan Ming, your timing couldn't be better. I'd just put the pot on the fire and hadn't even started eating when you arrived."

"I was afraid the Fisherman would have to enjoy his fish without wine, so I brought you some," Yuan Ming replied with a laugh, unceremoniously.

As he spoke, he lifted the two deep red wine jugs he was carrying in his hand.

"Ah, you really brought wine?" A light shone in the Fisherman's eyes as soon as he saw the wine.

He hurriedly got up to greet him.

"How could I forget what I promised you?" Yuan Ming said, smiling as he handed over the wine.

"Good, good, good, just in time to join me for a couple of drinks," the Fisherman chuckled, ushering Yuan Ming to sit down.

"It smells so good, the fish today seems especially fresh," Yuan Ming couldn't help but praise, as he smelled the fragrance.

"Eh, of course. For this pot of fish, I put at least three types of spirit grass, each over thirty years old. It's both nourishing and flavorful; I wouldn't let just anyone taste this," the Fisherman beamed with a smile.

"Elder, is it really alright to use the spiritual medicine from the Medicine Garden so directly?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who would know? You come here often, and I'll make sure you're as vigorous as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger," chuckled the Fisherman.

"I wouldn't dare refuse your kind offer, Elder. But I'll have to focus on my cultivation in seclusion for some time. After it's finished, I'll bring more wine to see you," said Yuan Ming.

"It's good to be diligent in your practice," the Fisherman nodded approvingly upon hearing this.

...

At night.

The bright moonlight leaked through the windowpane, spilling onto Yuan Ming's body.

He held an incense burner in his arms, his body bathed in its luster.

At that moment, Yuan Ming suddenly had a premonition and slowly opened his eyes.

"It's another full moon night, when will I be able to return to my homeland in the Central Plains?" he uttered with a soft sigh.

His gaze sharpened slightly, landing on the green incense burner in his hands, and his eyes flashed momentarily.

The Tai Chi Pattern on the incense burner had already lit up more than half, but it was still slightly short of being fully illuminated.

"It's been several months, and it's still not completely lit up…" Yuan Ming thought to himself.

Just then, an idea struck him, "Since this incense burner is also a type of Magic Treasure, I wonder if there would be any new changes if I try to stimulate it with mana."

Thinking so, he held the incense burner with both hands and began to channel his mana into it.

As soon as the mana flowed in, Yuan Ming noticed something was off.

Different from the usual activation of a magic artifact, his mana was absorbed by the incense burner, as if devoured.

Yet, there was no significant change to the incense burner.

"Not enough?" With that thought, Yuan Ming began to pour his mana into it with all his might.

"It's lit up…"

After a good while, as Yuan Ming had transferred most of his mana into the incense burner, a soft glow finally shone from the Tai Chi Pattern on its body.

"It actually worked! Does this mean that I can light the incense again?" Yuan Ming was delighted at the thought.

With that, he ceased his cultivation immediately, closed the window, locked the door, and returned to the side of his bed.

The last time he lit the Black Incense, he successfully possessed the body of a young emperor, thereby obtaining the Cultivation Method of the Nine Elements Technique and changing his fate.

Therefore, Yuan Ming had always wanted to try lighting the incense again.

Regrettably, subsequent attempts had all ended in failure; he was never able to light the Black Incense.

This time, the light emanating from the Tai Chi Pattern on the incense burner might just be the new opportunity he was waiting for.

With this in mind, Yuan Ming did not hesitate. He took a Fire Stick, igniting it, and went to light one stick of Black Incense in the burner.

The Flames from the Fire Stick approached the head of the incense, and the flickering flame quickly licked it.

Before long, a wisp of blue smoke began to rise; the second Black Incense had indeed been lit.

The scent, somewhere between sandalwood and pine, quickly spread throughout the room.

The moment Yuan Ming inhaled the fragrance, his consciousness began to grow heavy, and the room around him blurred.

Confronted with this familiar sensation again, he did not panic as he did the first time but tried hard to keep his eyes open, fighting against the grogginess.

Unfortunately, his struggle did not last long, and darkness enveloped his vision, losing all consciousness.

Soon after, a cacophony of noises surrounded him.

Yuan Ming felt someone push his shoulder and his eyes groggily opened.

"Wang Shun, have you lost your mind? Do you know what day it is today, and you dare slack off to sleep?" He rubbed his eyes and saw that the person speaking next to him was a round-faced man dressed in a brown short robe, looking like a servant.

"What are you staring at me for?" The round-faced man subconsciously touched his cheek.

Yuan Ming didn't rush to answer but instead looked down at his own attire, which was similar to that of the round-faced man; it appeared he was also some kind of servant.

"Quite a big disparity…" Yuan Ming mused to himself.

Last time, he had been a young Emperor, and this time, he had become a low-grade servant.

"I just took a little nap, why are you making such a fuss?" Yuan Ming imitated the round-faced man's tone and said.

"Still talking back? Cut the chatter, hurry up and bring the horses over, they've prepared the carriage at the front, the madam is getting ready to go to the City God Temple to offer incense. If you delay any further, you'll be in for it," the round-faced man urged.

Only then did Yuan Ming take the chance to observe his surroundings.

He found himself seemingly within the confines of a grand manor, with a stable big enough to fit four or five houses behind him, housing seven or eight magnificent horses with tall posts.

All these horses were either black or white, red, or yellowish-brown solid colors; not one had a mixed coat, and they all looked spirited.

"What day is it today?" Yuan Ming asked.

The round-faced man looked at him strangely upon hearing this, and questioned, "Wang Shun, have you encountered something evil?"

"What evil could I have encountered? I just drank a bit of alcohol last night and am a bit dazed from sleep today," Yuan Ming said.

"If it weren't for your slight skill in tending horses and the master's fondness of you, with how you act, could you have even entered our General Mansion? Move faster, or I'll be the one getting a beating alongside you," the round-faced man said exasperatedly.

The General Mansion? So, he had become a servant in the General Mansion?

"You still haven't said what day is today?" Yuan Ming continued to ask.

"Good lord, today is the temple fair at the Southern City God Temple. Our madam spent a large sum of silver to snatch the opportunity to offer the first incense, you better hurry up or I will really lose my temper," the round-faced man spoke angrily.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming finally stood up and headed towards the stable.

Subconsciously, within the stable, he picked out three white purebred horses and led them out by their reins.

Following etiquette, the General's Wife could use a sedan chair pulled by no more than three horses.

Since they were needed to pull a carriage and not be ridden, saddles were unnecessary. Yuan Ming followed the round-faced man out of the stable leading the three horses to the front courtyard.

In a spacious courtyard at the front, a luxurious and exquisitely decorated horse carriage was already waiting there.

Yuan Ming led the three spirited horses forward, strapping them side by side to the carriage.

After everything was in order, he waited for the arrival of the General's Wife.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yuan Ming looked around and saw beyond the courtyard, where tall tree shadows stood—it seemed to be a garden.

In the distance, there was also a gray tower about five stories high, the Eight Treasures Pointed Gray Tower.

"Huh..."

For some reason, as Yuan Ming looked at the silhouette of that high tower, he felt a sense of familiarity.

At this moment, a procession carrying a beautiful sedan chair arrived in their direction.

Following the sedan chair were several young and beautiful maids, and behind them trailed two rows of soldiers, armed and wearing armor, each one exuding a murderous aura, obviously seasoned veterans of battle.

"Wang Shun, keep your head down, have you lost your mind?" At this point, the round-faced man's voice of warning came from beside him.

Turning to look, Yuan Ming saw the other man had already stepped aside, holding his hands at his sides, with his head bowed, only daring to look at the tops of his feet.

Although Yuan Ming did not have the awe of a servant, he didn't want to cause trouble for the original owner of the body and likewise bowed his head.

When the sedan chair stopped in front of them, immediately, maids assisted the majestic and elegant General's Wife as she transferred to the carriage.

Only after the lady and her personal maid boarded the carriage did the others form a procession to accompany it on either side.

Yuan Ming was responsible for driving the carriage to the south of the city.

Fortunately, there were a few cavalries at the front of the procession leading the way, otherwise Yuan Ming would have really been worried about taking the wrong path and being found out.

The procession of horses and carriages passed through several courtyards before finally leaving the mansion to the outside.

The roads outside the General Mansion were so wide that it amazed Yuan Ming. The ground was paved with neatly arranged tiles, swept clean.

The residences distributed along the road were quite sparse, but just by looking at the gates, one could tell they all belonged to the rich and powerful, each one displaying extravagant elegance within the limits of regulations.

The procession moved leisurely towards the south of the city.

Yuan Ming looked at the streets along the way, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.

He didn't know if his own memories were merging with those of this body, but he increasingly found the streetscape on both sides familiar.

Especially the two rows of straight pine trees reaching into the sky on both sides of the road. Each tree was so thick that it would take two adults to encircle them.

"This is quite strange..."

Filled with doubts, Yuan Ming continued driving the carriage into another area.

Unlike the previous area where the nobility lived, spacious and quiet, here the streets became noticeably narrower, with the ground covered not in large stone slabs but densely packed with fired blue bricks.

And the roads were lined with a large number of street-facing buildings, packed closely together, appearing in orderly rows.

These buildings had various signboards and banners hanging outside, some even built with bamboo or wooden canopies on the exterior decorated in diverse styles to stand out from the others.

Having spent a long time in the Southern Border, Yuan Ming's memories of the Central Plains were fragmented, but many scenes that had been dormant in his memory still matched the sights before his eyes.

The bustling alleyways, the crowded shops, the throng of pedestrians, along with the enthusiastic cries of vendors...

All at once, Yuan Ming felt as if he wasn't inhabiting someone else's body but had personally arrived here.

He spotted a small vendor's sign by the roadside that read "Sweet Rice Wine Balls" and couldn't help but lick his lips.

Even though he hadn't seen any sweet rice wine balls or even remembered what they specifically looked like, Yuan Ming's memory already conjured up the warm, sweet, and soft texture.

From a nearby restaurant, the rich aroma of alcohol diffused through the air, mingled with the scent of food, a taste utterly distinct from the beverages in the Southern Border, and incredibly mellow.

All he saw, heard, and smelled around him was imbued with an indescribable sense of familiarity.

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