My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Many people subconsciously touched their chests. The normal winter chill, under the influence of psychology, actually felt like their energy had been drained, and their hands and feet became icy cold.

"Good heavens! No wonder my back and waist have been aching these past few days; it turns out the evil Taoist priest sucked my life essence!"

"What a tragedy! For his own immortality, the emperor is using the lives of ordinary people to fill that sorcerer's bottomless pit!"

"This is going to make us childless!"

Panic, like a flood bursting its banks, spread wildly among the crowd.

Such scenes are not limited to Deyuelou.

The taverns in the East Market, the cloth shops in the West Market, the slums in the south of the city...

Countless storytellers, hooligans, and even bribed beggars were using the same rhetoric to spread this vicious rumor throughout Chang'an.

"The True Immortal Protector of the Nation is a demon!"

"Golden rain is a poison that drains away life!"

"The emperor has been bewitched by evil spirits and wants to sacrifice the entire city's population!"

Fueled by the machinations of those powerful families with ulterior motives, the rumors spread at a terrifying speed.

The people, who were originally grateful to the immortal and worshipped him, instantly turned their awe into boundless fear when faced with the terrifying rumors that "endangered their own lives," and were then quickly incited into overwhelming anger!

A single spark has already ignited a prairie fire.

……

Taiji Palace, side hall.

Li Shimin had just been reprimanded by Empress Zhangsun and was sitting on a soft couch, sulking with a dark face.

He held a cup of tea that had gone cold in his hand, feeling increasingly aggrieved. He, the mighty Khan, had been outmaneuvered and humiliated by a rebellious son; he simply couldn't swallow this insult.

"Bang!"

Just then, the door to the side hall was suddenly pushed open.

Li Junxian, the commander of the Hundred Cavalry Division, didn't even have time to announce his arrival before kneeling down on one knee in front of Li Shimin.

He was covered in sweat, his face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and his voice was trembling violently.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

Li Shimin frowned, his heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind.

Li Junxian, the sharpest hidden blade in the emperor's hands, was always unfazed even when Mount Tai collapsed before him. What could have caused him to lose his composure like this?

"What's the panic! The sky isn't going to fall! Speak!" Li Shimin shouted in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty... Chang'an is in chaos!"

Li Junxian swallowed hard and began to report hastily.

"A rumor has spread from who-knows-where, saying that His Highness Prince Qin is not a true immortal at all, but a demonic cultivator who sucks people's life essence! It says that the golden rain that fell from the sky that day was a deadly poison from tigers and wolves that burns away the lives of ordinary people!"

"Rumors say... that Your Majesty, in your quest for immortality, has colluded with sorcerers to sacrifice the lifespans of all the city's inhabitants..."

"presumptuous!!!"

Li Shimin slammed the teacup in his hand onto the gold brick, shattering it into pieces.

He suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot, like an enraged lion, his whole body exuding a terrifying killing intent that could destroy the world.

"This is spreading heresy and misleading the public! This is utterly destructive!"

Li Shimin was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and his knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.

As an emperor with unparalleled political wisdom, he didn't need to think at all; he instantly saw through the conspiracy behind the rumors.

"Great! Excellent!"

Li Shimin laughed in extreme anger, his laughter revealing endless coldness and cruelty.

"These rats are determined to fight me to the death! Having witnessed the power of a true immortal, they know they can't win, so they've come up with this despicable and vicious scheme to incite the people and destroy the foundation of my nation!"

"Li Junxian!"

"Your subject is here!"

Li Shimin strode up to Li Junxian, drew his sword from his waist, and threw it on the ground with a clang.

"I'll give you half an hour!"

"Mobilize all the spies from the Hundred Cavalry Division and mobilize the Chang'an city defense battalion! Go into the city immediately and arrest all those storytellers, hooligans, and thugs who spread rumors and cause trouble!"

"Anyone who dares to resist will be killed on the spot! Investigate! Find out exactly who is behind this! I will exterminate their entire family!"

"As you command!"

Li Junxian accepted the order and rushed out of the side hall like a whirlwind.

A bloody battle on the dark web erupted in Chang'an at dusk.

The spies of the Hundred Cavalry Guard appeared like ghosts in teahouses and taverns, their gleaming swords held to the necks of those who spread rumors, their blood staining the snow in the deep alleys.

however.

Li Shimin underestimated the destructive power of rumors spreading among the ignorant masses, and also underestimated the madness that aristocratic families would unleash in their struggle for survival.

Once panic is ignited, it can no longer be easily extinguished by simple force.

The arrest by the Hundred Cavalry Division not only failed to quell the rumors, but was instead used by the secret agents of those powerful families as irrefutable evidence that the emperor was "guilty and wanted to kill to silence witnesses"!

"The emperor sent men to silence us!"

"Don't be afraid, everyone! If we don't burn that evil Taoist to death, we'll all have our lifespans drained sooner or later!"

"Go to the Qin Prince's mansion! Burn the evil Taoist priest to death! Eliminate this scourge for the sake of all living beings!"

Under the frenzied instigation of certain individuals.

Those refugees, beggars, and ordinary people who were completely blinded by fear picked up hoes, sticks, and even lit torches.

They formed a vast and mighty flow of people.

Like a raging black dragon, under the cover of night, it surged mightily toward the Qin Prince's Mansion in the north of the East Market!

……

The Qin Prince's Mansion at this time.

Li Chen had just finished dinner and was lying in a rocking chair, leisurely listening to Qin Wan'er explain the strange tales in an ancient book to him.

Sudden.

A chaotic and deafening commotion, like a tsunami, came from outside the high walls of the Prince's Mansion.

"Burn this evil Taoist! Act on behalf of Heaven!"

"You evil Taoist, come out and face your death! Give us back our lifespans!"

"Burn down this demon's palace!"

The silence of the Qin Prince's mansion was instantly shattered by angry roars, the crackling of burning torches, and the dull thud of countless stones hitting the vermilion gate.

Flames shot into the sky, illuminating half of the night sky over the East Market in a fiery red.

"What's going on?!"

Qin Qiong and his son, along with Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who were practicing martial arts in the east courtyard, immediately rushed over with their weapons upon hearing the commotion.

Qin Wan'er's face also turned pale, and she looked towards the door in a panic.

Only Li Chen.

He remained lounging lazily in the wicker chair.

He turned his head slightly, listening to the deafening shouts and banging on the door outside. A chilling, sinister light gradually welled up in his dark, deep eyes.

"A bunch of stupid idiots who don't know what's good for them."

Li Chen slowly stood up and straightened his white robe, which was without a single wrinkle.

He glanced at the wary Crown Prince and the Qin family father and son, a cruel and domineering sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Let's go."