My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Li Chen casually tossed the remaining half of the flatbread into the bamboo basket beside him.

He patted the sesame seeds off his hands, his languid expression vanished completely, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, revealing a wicked grin that was definitely not that of a cultivator, but rather resembled that of a street thug.

He pushed through the crowd and strode out.

The two Japanese envoys to Tang China were preparing to kick the old man again, forcing him to pay for their worthless wooden clogs.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from behind.

Before they could react, two large, iron-like hands silently reached out from behind and slapped them hard on the shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.

"Slap! Slap!"

The force of those two slaps was perfectly controlled; they didn't shatter their bones, yet they carried an irresistible downward pressure, causing the two bow-legged dwarfs to suddenly sink, their knees almost buckling.

The two Japanese men's expressions changed drastically. They let out a cry of surprise and turned around abruptly like startled wildcats. Their hands instantly gripped the hilts of the short swords at their waists, and they stared warily at the white-robed young man who had suddenly appeared before them.

"Who are you? How dare you offend the envoy of the Great Japanese Empire?" The Japanese man on the left frowned and questioned him in broken Tang Dynasty Mandarin, his sword already drawn an inch.

Li Chen did not answer.

Instead of backing away, he smiled and took another half step forward.

Under the wary gazes of the two Japanese men, Li Chen casually bent down, his expression instantly transforming into a mysterious and obsequious sycophant.

He first looked around warily, as if afraid of being overheard by the surrounding people, and then winked at the two Japanese men.

"Gentlemen, are you envoys from the East China Sea?" Li Chen lowered his voice, his tone revealing a deliberately feigned obsequiousness.

The two Japanese men paused for a moment, then exchanged a glance. Seeing that the Tang Dynasty man before them didn't seem to be there to right a wrong, they loosened their grip on their sword hilts slightly.

"Yes, our envoy to Tang China, what's up?" The Japanese man on the right raised his chin, looking arrogant.

Li Chen's smile widened, his face scrunched up, making him look just like a ruthless merchant eager to sell stolen goods.

He quietly gave a thumbs-up and shook it: "I've heard so much about you! I've been watching you two for a while now. You two have extraordinary physiques and imposing presence. The swords at your waists are also quite remarkable. You're clearly destined for great things."

Although the two Japanese men didn't quite understand the complex idiom "extraordinary bone structure," they knew from Li Chen's expression and gestures that he was flattering them.

The wariness on their faces lessened slightly, and a smug, cold smile appeared on their lips.

Seeing that the time was right, Li Chen suddenly moved between the two of them, lowering his voice so low that only the three of them could hear it.

"To be honest, I happen to have a batch of good things that can't be brought to light."

As Li Chen spoke, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, making a counting motion.

"Peerless treasures, from blueprints for smelting to formulas for weapons, are all available."

"I wonder if you two envoys would be interested in taking this back to your countries to present to your Emperor?"

Smelting blueprints? Weapon formulas?

The moment those two words were uttered, the eyes of the two Japanese envoys to Tang China lit up instantly, like hyenas seeing carrion in the dark, radiating an undisguised greed.

Their primary mission upon arriving in the Tang Dynasty was to collect these advanced technologies and formulas.

However, the Tang Dynasty government strictly controlled these things, and they could only learn the basics and had no access to the core knowledge.

Now, a merchant from the Tang Dynasty has actually come to our door?

"You... have the recipe? Really?" The Japanese man stared intently at Li Chen, his breathing becoming rapid.

"It's absolutely true, but there are too many people and eyes around here, and too many government spies, so we can't say it here."

Li Chen mysteriously pointed to a dark and narrow alley across the street, "Come with me to that alley next door, there's no one there. I'll take out the treasure and present it to you two properly. As for the price, we can discuss it."

The two Japanese looked in the direction Li Chen was pointing.

It was an extremely remote dead-end alley, pitch black inside, indeed a good place to trade illicit goods.

They looked Li Chen up and down again. He was all alone, without even a weapon on him, and looked like a pale-faced scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken.

The two of them were samurai with swords, so they weren't afraid of any tricks the scholar might pull.

Greed triumphed over reason.

"Yoshi! You lead the way, we'll go take a look." The Japanese man nodded and released his hand from the hilt of his sword.

A cold glint flashed in Li Chen's eyes, but he maintained his fawning smile.

He turned around, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and led the two Japanese envoys to Tang China, whose minds were filled with top-secret formulas, away from the noisy crowd, step by step towards the quiet, deserted dead end.

The noise of the street was gradually left behind as they walked.

The sunlight was blocked by the high walls, and the alleyway quickly became dark. Moss grew on the damp corners, and the stone slabs underfoot became slippery.

This place is so secluded that even a stray dog ​​wouldn't venture there; it's truly a prime location for illicit activities.

At the deepest part of the alley, there was a brick wall blocking the way.

Li Chen stopped in his tracks.

"Where's your...treasure? Take it out and let us see." The two Japanese men following behind urged impatiently, their eyes already scanning Li Chen eagerly.

Li Chen had his back to them, then slowly turned around.

The shadows of the alleyway covered his face, and the fawning, obsequious smile from before had completely vanished, replaced by a chilling, cruel sneer, as if he were looking at two pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

"Sweeties, here you go."

As Li Chen spoke, he slowly slipped his right hand into his wide sleeve.