My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The consumption of liquid true essence was enormous, and a layer of fine sweat seeped from Li Chen's forehead beneath his mask.

He had to maintain this "effortless" and aloof image in front of ordinary people.

Half an incense stick later, a ball of medicinal liquid, about the size of a longan and a mixture of blue and purple, slowly took shape in mid-air.

Li Chen pointed with his left hand, forming a sword-like gesture.

The medicinal liquid instantly transformed into a stream of light and entered Empress Zhangsun's brow.

Extremely pure wood-elemental spiritual energy enveloped the medicinal power, forcefully surging through Empress Zhangsun's meridians.

"Hmm!"

Empress Zhangsun suddenly arched her body, coughed violently, and spat out a large mouthful of foul-smelling black phlegm.

As soon as she spat out that phlegm, her rapid breathing instantly calmed down. Although her face was still pale, the lingering deathly aura had completely disappeared.

"Your Majesty..." Empress Zhangsun slowly opened her eyes, her voice much clearer than yesterday.

Li Shimin let out a long breath, his legs trembling as he gripped the edge of the bed.

Li Chen extinguished the flames and subtly tucked his hands back into his sleeves. His fingertips trembled slightly.

This time, refining ordinary medicinal herbs drained nearly 40% of his true essence.

"Today's treatment is over." Li Chen turned around, his voice slightly hoarse.

After comforting his wife, Li Shimin turned around and looked at the old man with a very complicated expression.

The image of "killing one's son to pass on the throne to one's brother" reflected in the water mirror last night was like a red-hot iron nail, firmly embedded in his mind. Li Tai was already confined to the Prince of Wei's residence, but this incident instilled in the emperor a profound fear of the future.

Li Shimin's gaze slowly fell on Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was standing to the side.

Li Chengqian shivered instantly, and the clothes on his back clung to his skin.

"Immortal Master."

Li Shimin stepped forward, his voice extremely low, carrying a hint of pleading.

"Yesterday's water mirror... Immortal Master, you have seen through the secrets of heaven. Since Qingque has harbored such rebellious thoughts... what about Chengqian? Chengqian is my eldest son, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. His future..."

Li Chengqian's legs went weak, and he knelt down.

He dared not look up, staring intently at the texture of the blue brick floor, his heart pounding like a drum.

Li Chen rolled his eyes inwardly as he looked at the father and son.

Li Chengqian's future rebellion and subsequent exile—if this were revealed now, Li Shimin would probably tear the roof off this palace today. He's currently expending too much of his true energy and doesn't have the energy to watch them put on a full-blown brawl.

"Cough cough cough..."

The old man suddenly bent over and let out a violent cough that sounded as if he was about to cough up his lungs.

He waved his hand, turned around, and walked out of the hall.

"The heavenly secrets have backfired, and my lifespan is limited. I cannot withstand the torment of your Li family's fortune. I am tired today, I will come again tomorrow."

Before he could finish speaking...

The old man's figure blurred briefly at the entrance of the hall, like a wisp of grayish-white smoke drifting directly out along the threshold.

He activated the Wind Control Technique at full power and disappeared outside the layers of palace walls in the blink of an eye.

Li Shimin stood there, staring at the empty gate, speechless for a long time.

……

After leaving the imperial city, Li Chen did not immediately return to the side hall.

The mutton flatbread in the storage bag had gone cold; Little Sizi loved eating it fresh out of the oven and still warm.

Wearing the skin of an old man with white hair, he strolled along Zhuque Street and came to the familiar flatbread stall in the West Market once again.

The stall owner looked up and saw him, so startled that he dropped the pliers on the ground with a clatter.

Several people buying cakes nearby also took three or four steps back instantly, staring at him as if they had seen a ghost.

"Old...old man..." the stall owner stammered, "Weren't you...were you taken away by the Chang'an County government?"

Yesterday, he crippled a servant of the Wang family in Taiyuan in the street, and today he's standing here unharmed, selling pancakes. This old man is either a true deity or has powerful connections behind him.

"Make me ten more mutton flatbreads. Freshly baked." Li Chen pulled a small piece of silver from his sleeve and threw it on the cutting board.

Just as the stall owner was trembling as he wrapped the pancakes.

A series of hurried footsteps came from the street corner.

Several new guards dressed in silk short jackets were escorting a young man in a blue brocade robe toward them.

The young man wore a straw hat, had several plasters on his face, and walked with a limp. He was none other than the young master of the Wang family from Taiyuan who had wet his pants in the street yesterday.

Last night, the old master of the Wang family was terrified by the warning from the Hundred Cavalry Division. This morning, he kicked him out and made him personally deliver gifts to several noble families with whom he had good relations to apologize.

The young man was walking with his head down, full of complaints, when he reached the flatbread stall.

He subconsciously raised his head.

My gaze pierced through the gaps in the straw hat and met a deep, somewhat mocking, aged face.

That greyish-white robe, those eyes that seemed to see right through one's soul.

The young man's pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints. The suffocating feeling, the near-death experience, and the extreme humiliation of wetting his pants from yesterday surged into his mind like a tsunami.

He opened his mouth wide, making a "clucking" sound in his throat, and took three steps back, his legs trembling like reeds in a storm.

Li Chen took the hot flatbread and put it into his sleeve.

He turned his head, looked at the young man with a face full of disbelief, and slowly grinned into an extremely wicked smile.

He took half a step forward and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, uttered a few words lightly:

"Unexpected, isn't it? Surprised, isn't it?"

"You...you..." The young man pointed at Li Chen, his eyes rolled upwards, and he couldn't even catch his breath.

"Bang!"

He fell straight backward, his head slamming heavily onto the bluestone slab, and with a kick of his legs, he passed out completely.

The surrounding guards were terrified and drew their short swords.

As soon as Li Chen saw the other person fall, he immediately let out an exaggerated scream.

"Oh my god! Is this a staged accident?!"

As he shouted, he nimbly retreated more than ten feet, his hands protecting his chest.