My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Since that day at noon, when the awe-inspiring Heavenly Tribulation and the subsequent golden spiritual rain erupted over Chang'an, the entire situation of the Tang Dynasty has been like a deep pool tossed with a boulder, completely boiling over.

That's a living, breathing deity!

He is a true immortal who can summon wind and rain and bring flesh back to life from bones!

This terrifying power, transcending mortal imperial authority and breaking the boundaries of life and death, drove all the powerful clans that controlled half of the wealth and power of the Tang Dynasty into an unprecedented frenzy. They dreamed of finding this immortal, even if it was just a tiny bit of the secret to immortality, it would be enough to keep their families prosperous for another thousand years.

However, Li Shimin kept the news tightly under wraps.

Almost all of the Hundred Cavalry Division's spies were mobilized, keeping a constant watch on the movements of the major clans for twelve hours straight. Any attempt to openly inquire about the immortals would be met with ruthless retaliation from the imperial court.

However, the reason why powerful families have been able to stand for centuries is naturally due to their unimaginable resources and intelligence networks.

After a thorough and meticulous investigation by multiple parties.

The head of the Cui family of Qinghe finally set his sights on a place that defied all common sense—the Qin Prince's Mansion, which had just been bestowed upon him not long ago, located north of the East Market!

The residence of Li Chen, the sixteenth prince of the Tang Dynasty.

All signs indicate that since this prince, who was once virtually invisible in the cold palace, moved into this palace, the emperor and empress not only visited him incognito every few days, but even the crown prince, whose leg ailment had been cured and who had become incredibly strong, often stayed there for an entire day.

More importantly, some night watchmen have vaguely seen strange lights flowing above the palace in the dead of night.

The head of the Cui family was certain that the immortal who had undergone tribulation, or the immortal's disciple, was hiding inside the Qin Prince's mansion!

In order to test the truth, and also to avoid offending this possible immortal.

The Cui family made a very bold yet extremely cautious decision. They did not send their murderous assassins, nor did they involve the cunning and treacherous officials in the court.

Instead, they sent the most outstanding woman of this generation of the Cui family, the eldest daughter of the Qinghe Cui family—Cui Wanqing.

now.

A carriage that appears unassuming on the outside but is actually made of exquisite materials and lined with thick, precious mink fur is slowly traveling along the street leading to the Prince of Qin's residence.

Inside the carriage, Cui Wanqing sat upright like a lotus flower.

Today she wore a light blue pleated ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a snow-white fox fur cloak over it.

She possessed stunning beauty and a refined, elegant demeanor befitting a lady of high birth. Her eyes, as clear as autumn water, shone with a wisdom and composure far beyond that of women her age.

"Miss, the Prince Qin's residence is just ahead."

A deep, resonant male voice came from outside the carriage. The speaker was Cui Meng, a top expert served by the Cui family and the commander of the guards responsible for escorting Cui Wanqing.

"Understood. Stop the car, we'll walk there to show our sincerity."

Cui Wanqing parted her lips slightly, her voice as clear and crisp as pearls falling onto a jade plate.

The carriage stopped at the street corner.

With the help of her personal maid Huan'er, Cui Wanqing slowly stepped down from the carriage.

The three of them, master and servant, walked through the thick snow on the ground toward the vast and magnificent mansion.

The streets were deserted, so quiet that the only sound was the crunching of their footsteps on the snow.

As they got closer to the Qin Prince's Mansion.

The brows of the guard commander, Cui Meng, furrowed involuntarily. His large hand, gripping the hilt of his sword, was uncontrollably covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

"Commander, what's wrong?" The maid Huan'er noticed Cui Meng's unusual behavior and asked in a low voice.

"It's too quiet..."

Cui Meng took a deep breath of the cold air, his eyes fixed on the tightly closed vermilion door in front of him, his tone revealing a strong sense of fear and confusion.

"This is the residence of a prince! According to the regulations of our Great Tang Dynasty, even the least favored and idle prince should have two stone lions in front of his residence and twelve fully armed guards who take turns standing guard for twelve hours a day."

Cui Meng swallowed hard.

"But look at this. This Qin Prince's mansion doesn't even have a gatekeeper, and there isn't even a single footprint in front of the door. It's like... a dead house where no one lives!"

Upon hearing this, the maid Huan'er shuddered in fright and clung tightly to Cui Wanqing's side.

"Miss, this place has an eerie atmosphere. Should we...should we still knock on the door?"

Cui Wanqing raised her head and looked up at the imperial plaque hanging above the door, which bore the three gilded characters "Qin Prince's Mansion".

She keenly sensed that although the mansion appeared quiet and still.

But around this mansion, there seemed to be an invisible and intangible aura. No matter how strong the wind and snow were outside, they would inexplicably weaken as soon as they reached the vicinity of the mansion's courtyard walls.

"Now that we've come, there's no reason for us to back down just because we haven't seen the true God."

A resolute look appeared on Cui Wanqing's stunningly beautiful face. The family had entrusted her with such an important task; she absolutely could not return empty-handed.

"Commander Cui, go knock on the door. Remember, be proper and don't act rashly," Cui Wanqing instructed.

"Yes, Miss."

Cui Meng took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the inexplicable sense of horror in his heart.

He tiptoed to the two incredibly heavy vermilion doors.

Each of these two doors is covered with heavy brass studs, and each door weighs at least several hundred kilograms. Normally, it takes four or five strong men working together to push them open.

Cui Meng reached out and grasped the huge brass animal head door knocker on the gate.

He did not use his internal force to bang on the door, but instead knocked gently three times, following the etiquette of visiting an elder.

"Knock...knock...knock..."

The dull knocking sound carried far through the silent snowstorm.

The three servants held their breath and stood quietly at the bottom of the steps, waiting.

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

There was no movement inside the mansion. There were no barking dogs, no servants announcing their arrival, and not even the slightest sound of footsteps.

"Miss, it seems no one is home. How about we come back another day?" Cui Meng turned around and suggested in a low voice.

Just as Cui Wanqing frowned slightly, intending to have Cui Meng knock again,

"Squeak—"

A sickeningly loud, dull thud as a wooden door rubbed against its hinges suddenly erupted in the quiet street!

Cui Meng felt his hair stand on end, and as if he had been electrocuted, he suddenly took a big step back, and his right hand instinctively drew half of the horizontal sword from his waist!

He stared intently at the two large doors in front of him.

Under the horrified gazes of the master and his two servants.

The two incredibly heavy vermilion doors, without anyone pushing or pulling them, opened automatically towards the interior of the mansion with a slow, heavy scraping sound!

The door gap widened until it opened completely to both sides, revealing the scene inside.

A gust of wind blew out from inside the main door.

However, behind the gate, in front of that spacious blue brick screen wall.

It's completely empty!

There wasn't a single person in sight!

"A ghost...a ghost!"

The maid Huan'er could no longer bear the terrifying scene, which was comparable to that in a supernatural novel. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, her face pale and her whole body trembling like a leaf.

Cui Meng was on high alert.

Although he was a top expert, his hand holding the knife trembled violently when faced with this bizarre scene that completely exceeded the common sense of martial arts.

The door opened by itself!

There's no one inside!

Is this the legendary ghost army borrowing a passage, or the gates of hell opening wide?!