My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

He looked at his younger sister, who was exquisitely beautiful and incredibly cute.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva with great difficulty.

"Sizi..."

Li Chen's voice was trembling, "Brother has something to ask you, and you must answer honestly."

"That pink candy on the table...did you eat it?"

"Yes!"

Sizi readily admitted it, her big eyes curving into crescents.

"That candy was sweet, but it was too small. Sixteenth Brother, do you have any more? Sizi wants some more!"

Hearing this innocent and naive answer.

Li Chen's heart suddenly stopped for half a beat, and he felt like the sky was about to fall.

孽 孽!

The apple of the eye of the Tang Dynasty! The apple of her father's and mother's eye!

Because of a magical pill he acquired, he was stuck at the age of four or five, and would never grow up!

If Old Li and Empress Zhangsun found out about this...

They'd have to skin themselves alive, pull out their own tendons, and burn themselves alive!

Li Chen hurriedly pulled the communication jade talisman from his waist.

His hands trembled as he poured in his true energy.

next second.

Inside the Qin Prince's mansion, Li Chen's wailing, tearful roar, filled with grief as if he had lost his parents, echoed through the palace!

"Old Deng! Mother! Second Brother!"

"It's extremely urgent! Someone has died! Come to the Prince of Qin's residence immediately!"

"Your precious daughter...will never grow up!!!"

This roar, transmitted through the sound transmission jade talisman, exploded directly within the Taiji Palace and the Wei King's Mansion.

In less than ten breaths.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Above the backyard of the Qin Prince's mansion, space shattered one after another!

Three figures crashed into the courtyard like shooting stars, accompanied by a gale and a sense of urgency.

Li Shimin hadn't even buttoned up his dragon robe properly.

Empress Zhangsun's hair was not even properly combed, and half of her hairpin had fallen off.

King Li Tai of Wei was still holding half a pancake in his hand, panting heavily.

"Chen'er! What happened?!"

Empress Zhangsun was so anxious that tears were about to come out, and she immediately spotted Sizi standing next to Li Chen.

"Sizi! My dear daughter, where do you feel unwell? Let your mother take a look!"

Empress Zhangsun scooped the child into her arms and examined him from head to toe, her expression one of extreme panic.

Li Shimin also grabbed Li Chen by the collar, his eyes bloodshot.

"You unfilial son! What nonsense were you spouting in the telepathic message just now? What do you mean by 'never growing up'?!"

Faced with enraged parents.

With a bitter face, Li Chen had no choice but to grit his teeth and explain the miraculous effects of the "Aging Elixir" in detail.

"Father, Mother."

"That was an ancient divine medicine that I obtained by chance. It can lock in the traces of time and keep people young forever."

Li Chen lowered his head, like a child who had made a mistake.

"I was careless and left it on the table without putting it away. As a result... Si Zi mistook it for a candy and ate it."

"In other words..."

Li Chen took a deep breath.

"Sizi's figure and appearance will be forever frozen at this age. She will only be able to maintain the appearance of a four or five-year-old girl for the rest of her life."

Quiet.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

"Clatter."

The half-eaten pancake in Li Tai's hand fell to the ground.

Li Shimin loosened Li Chen's collar and took two steps back.

He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as if struck by lightning.

"Never...grow up?"

Li Shimin looked at his daughter, who was being held in Empress Zhangsun's arms and was still playing innocently with her teddy bear.

The mighty Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, this iron-blooded ruler who never flinched even when facing a Nascent Soul stage expert.

At that moment, my eyes actually turned red.

"Wow--!"

Empress Zhangsun completely broke down, and tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.

She held Sizi tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

"My poor daughter!"

"If she never grows up, how will she ever get married? How will she experience the joy of being a wife and mother?"

"God, is this a punishment for us?!"

A sense of despair and sorrow spread through the courtyard.

Li Chen looked guilty and wished he could slap himself twice.

however.

Just as the adults were engulfed in endless self-blame and sorrow.

The princess was held tightly in Empress Zhangsun's arms.

But she stretched out her chubby little hand with great effort.

The little girl gently wiped away the tears on her mother's cheeks with her soft palms.

"Don't cry, Mother, don't cry."

Sizi raised her delicate little face, her big eyes showing no fear whatsoever.

Instead, she beamed with an incredibly happy and pure smile.

"Mother, why are you so sad?"

"That's what Sizi said in her childish voice."

"Sizi thinks it's better if we never grow up!"

Empress Zhangsun and Li Shimin were both stunned upon hearing this.

"Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about?" Empress Zhangsun choked out.

"The rhinoceros isn't talking nonsense!"

The little girl shook her head very seriously, then hugged Empress Zhangsun's neck tightly.

"Look, Mother."

"When Sister Chang Le grows up, she will get married and will no longer be able to live in the palace with the Empress Dowager every day."

"Besides, my older sister is so tall, she can no longer sit in Mother's lap and ask for a hug."

Sizi pressed her little face against Empress Zhangsun's chest and rubbed against her contentedly.

Children speak without restraint, yet every word they utter strikes at the soul.

"What if the rhinoceros never grows up?"

"Then the baby can stay by Father and Mother's side forever, and always be your most beloved little baby!"

"Isn't it the happiest thing in the world for Sizi to be able to be held by his mother forever?"

boom.

These are heartwarming words from a child, brimming with utmost innocence and deep affection.

Like a gentle spring breeze, it instantly dispelled the gloom hanging over everyone's heads.

Li Shimin's hardened imperial heart was completely melted at this moment.

He stepped forward and embraced his wife and daughter tightly.

"well."

Li Shimin's eyes welled up with tears, and his voice, though hoarse, was filled with endless affection.

"My beloved daughter, you will never grow up! The vast empire of Tang is enough to sustain you for countless lifetimes!"

"Father and Mother will hold you for the rest of their lives!"

Li Tai, who was standing next to him, was also moved to tears.

He stepped forward abruptly, patted his chest, and solemnly swore an oath.

"Father, Mother, Sixteenth Brother!"

"Don't worry!"

"Your Majesty, I will return immediately and search through all the ancient alchemy books and formation diagrams of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Even if it costs me my life, I will definitely research the pharmacology of this age-preserving elixir, and one day, I will find a way to counteract its effects!"

Seeing this heartwarming scene, Li Chen finally felt relieved.

He let out a long sigh of relief.