My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The Qin Prince's Mansion was still shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning.

After last night's soul-searching heart-to-heart talk, Prince Wei, Li Tai's heart, which had been twisted by power, was finally completely straightened.

He originally planned to go to Li Chen and his elder brother to formally thank them first thing this morning, and then turn over a new leaf.

However, the day did not fulfill everyone's wish.

"Li Qingque! You unfilial son! Get out here right now!"

A thunderous shout shattered the morning tranquility of the Qin Prince's mansion.

Immediately afterwards, Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, carrying a water-soaked cowhide whip, stormed into the backyard of the Prince of Qin's residence like an enraged lion.

Li Junxian and several guards following behind him didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

"Father...Father Emperor?!"

Li Tai, who was squatting in the courtyard washing his face, saw the menacing horsewhip in Li Shimin's hand and was so frightened that his fat body trembled violently, and he even dropped the towel in his hand into the basin of water.

"You beast! If it weren't for your elder brother risking his life to protect you yesterday, you would have been meeting the King of Hell long ago! Today, I will beat you to death, you unfilial son who harmed your own brother!"

Li Shimin's eyes widened, and he rushed forward, raising the horsewhip in his hand high, as if to lash it out fiercely!

"Father, please calm your anger!"

Crown Prince Li Chengqian, whose head was still wrapped in thick white bandages, rushed out of his guest room upon hearing the commotion and stood in front of Li Tai.

"You still dare to protect him?! Chengqian, get out of my way!" Li Shimin was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at him.

At this critical moment.

"stop!"

With a sharp, angry shout, Empress Zhangsun, surrounded by several palace maids, strode into the backyard.

"Guanyinbi? What brings you here too?" Li Shimin's whip, which was raised in mid-air, froze, and a look of guilt flashed across his face.

Empress Zhangsun strode forward, snatched the riding whip from Li Shimin's hand, and threw it hard on the ground.

"Your Majesty! Didn't you cause enough trouble yesterday?!"

Empress Zhangsun's eyes were slightly red as she pointed to the blood-soaked bandage on Li Chengqian's head, her voice filled with immense heartache and anger.

"Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs! Yesterday, you lost your mind in the Ganlu Hall, and that bronze candlestick you smashed almost killed Chengqian! Today, you've come to the Qin Prince's residence with a riding whip. Do you intend to beat Qingque to death as well, causing our imperial family to turn against each other before you'll be satisfied?!"

Faced with the Empress's stern question, which was punctuated by tears.

Li Shimin's raging anger was instantly extinguished as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

Looking at his eldest son's head injury, and then at his second son trembling with fear, he felt a wave of lingering fear and regret. If Chengqian hadn't blocked that blow yesterday, Qingque would probably be a corpse by now.

"I...I was so angry with this rebellious son that I lost my mind..." Li Shimin muttered in a low voice, trying to explain himself, like a child who had done something wrong.

Empress Zhangsun ignored him, turned around and helped Li Tai up from the ground, then touched the Crown Prince's cheek tenderly.

And in the corridor not far away.

Qin Qiong, Qin Huaidao, and Qin Wan'er, who was carrying a tea tray, stood there in a row, staring in disbelief as the Great Khan of the Tang Dynasty was reprimanded by the Empress until he could not lift his head.

Li Shimin noticed the gazes of his ministers, and his old face immediately turned bright red. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

In this Qin Prince's mansion, his imperial authority has been completely shattered into pieces.

"Mother, Qingque has truly realized his mistake."

Li Chengqian knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you allow Qingque to remain in the Prince of Qin's residence for a period of time to reflect on his actions. With my sixteenth brother watching over him, he will certainly not dare to cause any more trouble."

Just then, Li Chen yawned and slowly walked out of the main hall.

"Alright, Old Deng, stop yelling in my yard."

Li Chen rubbed his eyes. "I'll keep him. Consider him a handyman to sweep and do chores in my palace. If you have nothing else to do, take your mother back to the palace quickly, don't keep me from going back to sleep."

He glared fiercely at Li Tai: "Since your sixteenth brother is willing to take you in, you'd better stay here and reflect on your actions! If you dare to harbor even the slightest wicked thought again, I will not let you off lightly!"

Having said that, Li Shimin could only reluctantly take Empress Zhangsun and slink back to his residence.

……

The storm has subsided.

Li Tai, the former King Qingque of Wei who once held sway in Chang'an, has now settled down permanently in the Prince of Qin's residence.

but.

After only a few days, Li Tai became completely bored and even began to question the meaning of life.

He discovered that everyone in the Qin King's mansion was a monster!

The training ground in the east courtyard shakes violently from morning till night every day.

His elder brother Li Chengqian, along with Duke Qin Qiong and his son, these three muscular, violent freaks, would spend their days frantically wielding stone weights weighing several thousand kilograms, punching each other repeatedly. The terrifying destructive power made Li Tai's legs tremble.

And that seemingly gentle and charming eldest daughter of the Qin family, Qin Wan'er.

Under her sixteenth brother's guidance these past few days, she actually managed to set up a bronze alchemy furnace half the height of a person in the backyard. Her slender, fair fingers could even manipulate a ball of blazing red flames, making them roll and leap beneath the furnace! The pills she refined had an enticing fragrance, so strong that even the stray cats outside the palace would catch a few more mice from the aroma.

Even the youngest sister, Xiao Sizi!

The little girl carried a short, black cane around the palace every day. With a casual swing of the cane, she could freeze a water vat into a giant block of ice!

In this terrifying fairy nest filled with supernatural power.

Prince Li Tai of Wei, a man of great learning who usually considered himself the greatest talent of the Tang Dynasty, suddenly realized that his proud poems and songs were utterly worthless here!

He's just a fat, useless piece of trash who can't even lift a water tank!

That afternoon.

With nothing to do, Li Tai wandered aimlessly around the palace like a ghost.

Unbeknownst to him, he had walked to a secluded courtyard behind the main hall.

yard.

Li Chen was squatting on the ground, completely disregarding his image.

In front of him lay a jumble of things. There were several pieces of meteorite iron emitting a faint spiritual energy, some unknown ores, and a few bones that looked like those of some kind of wild animal.

A pure, golden flame was rising from Li Chen's right palm!

He was refining weapons.

The inner fire of a Golden Core cultivator possesses an extremely terrifyingly high temperature.

Li Chen casually picked up a piece of incredibly hard meteorite iron and threw it into the flames. In just a few breaths, the meteorite iron melted into a ball of crystal-clear molten iron!

Subsequently, Li Chen used his divine sense to guide the molten iron, continuously stretching, deforming, and fusing various materials.

Li Tai stood at the courtyard gate, staring intently at the movements in Li Chen's hands. His eyes, which were somewhat small due to being squeezed by fat, shone with an unprecedented fervor and obsession.

From a young age, he had a strong interest in ingenious skills and craftsmanship, and even secretly oversaw the compilation of some books on geography and water conservancy.

However, he had never seen such a magical and illogical manufacturing method!

No stove or hammer is needed.

With just fire and willpower, one can transform stubborn rocks into divine weapons!

"Interested in this?"

While carving the sword blank in his hand with his divine sense, Li Chen asked a question casually without turning his head.

Li Tai's body trembled slightly.

He was silent for a moment.

Then, the once high-ranking and ambitious Prince Wei nodded vigorously, his eyes revealing an extremely rare longing.

"I want to...I want to learn." Li Tai's voice was a little hoarse.

"Oh?"

Li Chen stopped what he was doing and extinguished the pill fire.

He turned his head and looked at Li Tai, who was completely infatuated. Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in his deep eyes!

"Good heavens!"

Li Chen let out a wild scream of joy in his heart, "How could I have forgotten about that! The historical Li Tai, although he failed in the struggle for the throne, was an absolute academic genius and a research fanatic!"

"This fat guy is not only incredibly talented in literature, but he also possesses exceptional aptitude for geography, arithmetic, and even craftsmanship! Isn't this exactly the kind of perfect 'science and engineering guy who's also a tool for crafting weapons' that I've been searching for?!"

The way Li Chen looked at Li Tai instantly changed to as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

The henchmen are in place (Qin Qiong and his son, and the Crown Prince), and the tools for alchemy are in place (Qin Wan'er).

If we can now convince Li Tai to become our research and weapon-making tool.

Then, in this Tang Dynasty, I can truly free my hands completely and live a perfect immortal life where clothes are handed to me and food is served to me, and I can ascend to heaven while lying down!

Li Chen stood up and dusted off his hands.

He walked up to Li Tai, a mysterious yet irresistibly alluring wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Do you really want to learn?"

Li Chen patted Li Tai's broad shoulder, his voice like a devil's whisper.

"Want to learn? I'll teach you!"