My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

In Chang'an City, in the secret prison of the Hundred Cavalry Division.

The cold, damp air was filled with a nauseating smell of blood and mold.

The torches on the wall crackled and popped, their flickering light illuminating the torture instruments in the cell, making them appear particularly grotesque.

The more than thirty elite guards from aristocratic families who were brutally beaten by Li Chengqian last night are now all tightly chained to the rack.

Each of them had severe fractures, and some even had their jaws not set, leaving them drooling in pain.

Li Junxian, the commander of the Hundred Cavalry Division, stood in the center of the torture chamber, his brows furrowed and his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

It lasted all night.

The Hundred Cavalry used more than a dozen of the most cruel punishments, including clamps, whips, and even branding irons.

But these men in black were like stones, devoid of any feeling of pain. Apart from a few muffled groans, they didn't utter a single word.

"Commander, these men are all assassins raised by aristocratic families since childhood. They originally had poison sacs hidden under their tongues. If their jaws hadn't been dislocated last night, they probably would have committed suicide long ago."

A captain from the Hundred Cavalry Division wiped the sweat from his brow, his tone revealing deep helplessness.

"They would rather die than yield; we simply couldn't get them to talk."

Li Junxian gritted his teeth, preparing to have someone tortured.

"Squeak—"

The heavy iron door of the dark cell was slowly pushed open from the outside.

A figure dressed in a bright yellow imperial robe descended the stone steps at a leisurely pace.

Li Chengqian specially combed his hair today and wore a purple-gold crown.

Unlike the shirtless, muscular man who looked like a god of war last night, he now exuded the grace and majesty of a crown prince.

However, he was holding a bright red apple in his hand, and he was eating it as he walked, making a "crunch crunch" sound.

His casual demeanor seemed completely out of place in this gloomy and terrifying dark prison.

"Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Li Junxian and the soldiers of the Hundred Cavalry Division immediately knelt on one knee to pay their respects.

Get up.

Li Chengqian swallowed the apple in his mouth, walked to the rack, and glanced at the dying soldiers.

"Commander Li, how's the interrogation going? Have you found out which family sent this 'rat'?"

Li Junxian lowered his head in shame: "I am incompetent. These assassins are too stubborn. I stayed up all night and couldn't get anything out of them."

Li Chengqian let out a soft laugh.

"It's not your fault. Families of noble birth always invest heavily in raising dogs."

He casually tossed the half-eaten apple on the ground, grabbed a red-hot branding iron from the jailer next to him, and examined it closely.

"hiss--"

Li Chengqian suddenly flipped his wrist.

Without warning, the red-hot branding iron was pressed onto the blood-soaked chest of the suicide squad leader!

"Sizzle!"

The pungent white smoke from the instantly charred flesh rose into the air.

"Ugh—!!!"

The leader of the assassins' eyes bulged out, and a shrill, beast-like scream came from his throat. His muscles convulsed wildly from the excruciating pain, and even the thick iron chains rattled loudly.

Li Chengqian held the branding iron handle expressionlessly, burning it for a full ten breaths before slowly removing it.

"Will you tell me or not?" Li Chengqian looked at him.

The leader of the assassins was panting heavily, his eyes blurred with sweat and blood.

He fiercely raised his head and spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at Li Chengqian. Although he missed, the determination to die in his eyes was exceptionally resolute.

"You...you're dreaming!"

Li Junxian sighed, "Your Highness, it's no use. They're already used to physical torture."

"Yeah?"

Li Chengqian threw away the branding iron and wiped his hands with a white silk handkerchief.

He pulled over a grand chair and sat down imposingly in front of the leader of the assassins, leaning slightly forward.

"Since you're not afraid of physical pain, let's talk about some academic topics."

Li Chengqian's lips curled into a gentle smile. "Have you ever heard Confucius say, 'While one's parents are alive, one should not travel far; if one must travel, one should have a fixed destination'?"

The leader of the assassins was stunned for a moment.

Li Junxian and the soldiers of the Hundred Cavalry Division standing nearby were also dumbfounded.

What's gotten into His Highness the Crown Prince this time? Coming to the secret prison to give assassins a lesson in the Analects? This is such a drastic change in tone!

The leader of the assassins sneered, turned his head away, and completely ignored them.

Li Chengqian wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he smiled even more brightly.

He reached out and gently patted the leader of the assassins' charred cheek.

"Don't understand? I'll teach you."

Li Chengqian's voice suddenly lowered, like a chilling wind blowing from the deepest hell.

"What I mean is—your parents are in my hands now, you can't escape!"

"Even if you grow wings and run away, I have plenty of ways to catch you!"

These words were spoken.

The air in the dark cell seemed to have been sucked out instantly.

Li Junxian and the others felt an uncontrollable chill run down their spines, and stared in shock at the Crown Prince sitting in the grand chair.

What... what kind of Analects is this?!

This is practically gangster slang! How could the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty distort the teachings of the sages in such a brutal and self-righteous way?

The leader of the assassins, who was tied to the rack, suddenly contracted his pupils upon hearing this explanation.

But he gritted his teeth and feigned disdain, scoffing, "Don't give me that! We assassins are orphans from childhood, we don't have parents or family. You think you can fool me?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, they really won't shed a tear until they see the coffin."

Li Chengqian shook his head and slowly pulled out a thin sheet of Xuan paper from his wide sleeve.

He unfolded the Xuan paper and, by the light of the torch, began to read it in a calm voice.

"Zhang Sanniu. Real name unknown, code name Tiankui. From Shilibao, Wannian County."

"I have a 60-year-old mother who is bedridden year-round. I also have a wife, surnamed Wang, who supplements the family income by washing clothes for wealthy families."

"Oh, right. You also have a five-year-old son named Gouwa. Does he have a red birthmark about the size of a fingernail on his left buttock?"

With each word uttered, the leader of the assassins' bodies trembled violently.

When he heard the details of the birthmark, the determination and will to die in his eyes were like a thin, fragile piece of glass, instantly cracked!

"How...how did you know?!"

The leader of the assassins' voice changed completely, filled with endless panic and despair as he stared intently at Li Chengqian.

As assassins kept by powerful families, they did indeed have families. These families ensured their absolute loyalty by controlling their families. Their identity files should have been the deepest secrets of these families!

Li Chengqian folded the Xuan paper and tucked it back into his sleeve.

He stood up, walked to the leader of the assassins' ear, and every word he uttered was like a sharp steel knife, shattering the other's psychological defenses.

"Not only do I know, but I have also sent people to bring your elderly mother, your wife, and your adorable dog to Chang'an."

Li Chengqian wore an extremely sinister smile and patted the leader's shoulder heavily.

"Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of your family. I guarantee they'll wish they were dead."

Li Chengqian emphasized the word "good" very heavily.

"No! Please! Don't let the family be implicated!"

The leader of the assassins finally broke down.

His hard-won will crumbled completely in the face of the lives of his loved ones.

He struggled frantically against the chains, his face smeared with tears and blood, and roared at Li Chengqian.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

"It's the Cui family of Qinghe! And the Wang family of Taiyuan! It was a secret order issued jointly by the heads of both families, instructing us to infiltrate the Prince of Qin's residence and find out the immortal's whereabouts at all costs!"

"Your Highness, please have mercy and spare my elderly mother, wife, and children!"

With the first one taking the lead, the psychological defenses of the remaining suicide soldiers tied to the racks collapsed as well.

"I confess too! It was the Lu family of Fanyang who instigated it!"

"And us! We are the Zheng Clan's Shadow Guard!"