Palace Estate's Hidden Criminal

"Who are you?"

"Do you have a travel document for entering the city?"

Checks were even stricter in the capital.

All merchants and travelers from other regions had to possess travel documents issued by checkpoints along the way, as well as someone to vouch for them, before they could enter the city to do business.

Locals living near the capital who entered the city early each morning to work or sell wild goods from the mountains might not earn much, but they were at least familiar faces. As long as they were not carrying large quantities of goods, they were usually waved through after a simple check.

But people like Li Yan, carrying swords and spears, were targets of special attention.

Those who traveled the martial world needed a local merchants' guild or the Divine Fist Society to vouch for them.

Without one, they could forget about entering the city for the rest of their lives.

A bronze mirror hung above the gate. Its surface had been polished strangely, and even when a person came close, their reflection remained somewhat blurry.

This thing was called the Demon Revealing Mirror.

It did not reflect people. It reflected light.

If Celestial Fiend Qi was circulating, the blurry image on its surface would twist.

Some wealthy households hung one of these things outside their gates.

It was said that when certain things that were not human came to the door, they would hurriedly leave to avoid revealing their true forms.

Of course, this kind of ritual artifact was complicated to make. Ordinary people could not afford to use one.

Even if someone obtained a genuine artifact, it would be stolen before long.

And the one at the capital gates naturally was not a fake.

No spellcaster entering the city could conceal their identity.