From the fake emperor to the concubine

He first went to the Jade Pavilion to retrieve the seven silver tokens. As expected, Miss Hongyu kept her word; the tokens were all legitimate, bearing the holder's name and basic information, and could be used anywhere in the Tianyuan Domain.

With official tokens, everyone could finally move around Qingyun City openly and legitimately.

Zheng Yi then went to the government office in the east of the city to complete the transfer of ownership of the house. The procedure was very simple; all he needed to do was show the contract and the deed, and pay a transfer fee.

After completing the transfer of ownership, Zheng Yi had someone clean the house and purchased some daily necessities and cultivation resources.

Three days later, the group left the barren wasteland and moved into their new home in Qingyun City.

The new house wasn't large, but it was very clean and comfortable to live in. Everyone chose their rooms and settled in.

"Finally, we have a decent place to stay," Zheng Bowen exclaimed.

“Yes, it’s much better than the stone houses in the barren wasteland,” Zheng Hongzhi said with a smile.

Su Wanqing stood in the courtyard, watching the busy figures of everyone, a hint of warmth flashing in her eyes.

Just a few days ago, she was a fugitive being hunted, homeless, and living hand to mouth. Now, however, she has a stable place to live and a group of trustworthy friends.

All of this is thanks to Zheng Yi.

“Young Master Zheng is truly an extraordinary person,” Su Wanqing murmured softly.

After moving into his new house, Zheng Yi began to go out hunting monsters in a planned manner.

He discovered that hunting demonic beasts was indeed the most profitable and highly efficient method. With his strength, dealing with demonic beasts at the Integration Realm was almost effortless, and each half-day trip would bring back spoils worth tens of thousands of spirit stones.

The Black Forest was teeming with black wolf demons, making it his most frequented destination. The wolf packs there seemed endless, and he always returned laden with spoils.

Besides the Black Forest, Zheng Yi also visited the swamps in the east of the city and the Flaming Mountains in the south.

The toad demons of the swamp are troublesome; they are adept at hiding and possess extremely potent venom. But for Zheng Yi, these are no problem. His divine sense can detect an area of ​​dozens of miles, and no demon beast can escape his perception.

The Fire Lion Demons and Fire Python Demons of Flaming Mountain are stronger, with even the weakest being at the mid-stage of the Integration Realm. However, their materials are also the most valuable, with a single Fire Lion Demon worth at least 30,000 spirit stones.

In just half a month, Zheng Yi had earned hundreds of thousands of spirit stones and become a major customer of Baicaotang.

Manager Sun treated him with great courtesy, personally greeting him every time he came to deliver goods and offering very reasonable prices.

"Mr. Zheng, you're here again?" Sun Fu greeted him with a smile. "What good stuff have you brought today?"

"Several fire lion demons and one fire python demon." Zheng Yi took several corpses out of his storage bag.

Sun Fu's eyes lit up, and he immediately called his men to inspect the goods.

"The three fire lion demons are all in the late stage of the Integration Realm and are of excellent quality. The fire python demon is at the peak of the Integration Realm and is well preserved." The subordinate reported the numbers while inspecting them.

"Boss Zheng, the total price for this batch of goods is 150,000 spirit stones," Sun Fu said. "As usual, I'll give you a discounted price of 140,000 spirit stones. Is that acceptable?"

“Okay.” Zheng Yi nodded.

Sun Fu immediately had someone fetch the spirit stones and handed them to Zheng Yi.

"Boss Zheng, you are truly a master among masters," Sun Fu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. "The monsters of Flaming Mountain are so difficult to deal with, yet you managed to hunt down so many all by yourself. It's truly admirable."

"You flatter me," Zheng Yi said casually.

He put away the spirit stones and turned to leave Baicaotang.

Walking down the street, Zheng Yi calculated his income for the past two weeks.

With the proceeds from hunting demonic beasts, plus his previous savings, he now has nearly 500,000 spirit stones. This amount is enough for them to live in Qingyun City for a long time.

But Zheng Yi was not satisfied with this.

Five hundred thousand spirit stones may seem like a lot, but for cultivators, it's actually nothing. A good magic weapon can cost hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, and a high-grade pill can cost tens of thousands. If you want to buy the resources needed to break through to the Mahayana stage, five hundred thousand spirit stones is simply not enough.

"I need to keep making money," Zheng Yi thought to himself.

He decided to go further afield tomorrow, hoping to find even more valuable monsters.

Back at the mansion, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Zheng Bowen and Xiao Tianxing were practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, Zheng Hongzhi was setting up a defensive formation, Liu Ruyan and Su Wanqing were preparing dinner in the kitchen, and Chen Feng was cleaning the courtyard.

Upon seeing Zheng Yi return, everyone gathered around him.

"The patriarch is back!"

How was your day?

"Master, you've worked hard!"

Looking at the concerned faces of everyone, Zheng Yi felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"It went very smoothly; I earned 140,000 spirit stones," he said.

"One hundred and forty thousand?!" everyone exclaimed. "The patriarch is too formidable!"

"Alright, stop making a fuss." Zheng Yi waved his hand. "By the way, how's the formation going?"

"It's more than half done," Zheng Hongzhi said. "In another two or three days, it will be completely finished. Then this residence will have four layers of defense, making it virtually impossible for ordinary people to break in."

“Okay.” Zheng Yi nodded. “Safety first, the formation must be done well.”

"Don't worry, Master, I understand," Zheng Hongzhi said earnestly.

At dinner time, everyone sat together, eating and chatting.

The atmosphere was harmonious, and everyone had a smile on their face.

Su Wanqing looked at all this, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Having arrived in Qingyun City for only half a month, their lives have undergone a dramatic transformation. From fugitives fleeing disaster to "city dwellers" with property, they have all been brought together by Zheng Yi.

“Young Master Zheng,” Su Wanqing suddenly spoke, “I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

"What is it?" Zheng Yi asked.

“I want to go hunting monsters with you,” Su Wanqing said. “My injuries have fully healed, and I don’t want to stay at home eating for free.”

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Su Wanqing.

“Miss Su, hunting demonic beasts is very dangerous,” Liu Ruyan said worriedly. “You’ve only just recovered; you should rest for a while longer.”

“Yes, Miss Su,” Zheng Bowen added, “the monsters outside are not easy to deal with; it would be too dangerous for you to go alone.”

Su Wanqing shook her head and said firmly, "I know hunting demonic beasts is risky, but I don't want to be protected all the time. I'm also a cultivator, and I have my own abilities. I want to do what I can to help others."

Zheng Yi looked at Su Wanqing and remained silent for a moment.

He could sense that Su Wanqing wanted more than just help; she wanted to prove her own worth. She was a proud woman who didn't want to always be seen as someone who needed protection.

“Okay,” Zheng Yi nodded. “You’ll come with me tomorrow.”

"Really?" Su Wanqing's eyes lit up.

“Really,” Zheng Yi said, “but you must follow my instructions and not act on your own.”

“I understand,” Su Wanqing said earnestly. Seeing that Zheng Yi had agreed, the others didn’t say anything more.

The following morning, Zheng Yi and Su Wanqing set off together for the Black Forest.

Along the way, Zheng Yi taught Su Wanqing the techniques and precautions for hunting monsters.

"The most important things in hunting monsters are observation and judgment," Zheng Yi said. "You need to first observe the type, number, and strength of the monsters to determine if you can handle them. If the opponent is too strong, don't fight head-on; retreat first."

"Also, after killing a monster, dispose of the corpse as soon as possible. The smell of its blood will attract other monsters, and if you delay too long, you'll run into trouble."

Su Wanqing listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

She was at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm. Although she couldn't compare to Zheng Yi, dealing with ordinary Nascent Soul Realm demonic beasts shouldn't be a problem. She couldn't defeat demonic beasts at the Integration Realm, but with Zheng Yi around, her safety shouldn't be an issue.

Upon arriving at the Black Forest, Zheng Yi led Su Wanqing into the woods.

"You deal with those few Nascent Soul Realm black wolf demons first, I'll watch from the side," Zheng Yi said, pointing to a few black wolf demons not far away.

“Okay.” Su Wanqing nodded and gripped the longsword in her hand tightly.

Su Wanqing moved like lightning, instantly rushing to the front of the black wolf demons.

Those were four black wolf demons at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. They were gnawing on something under a big tree. Upon hearing the noise, they immediately raised their heads alertly, bared their fangs, and pounced on Su Wanqing.

"Well done!" A glint flashed in Su Wanqing's eyes as she swung her longsword, sending a beam of light straight for the throat of the black wolf demon in the lead.

The black wolf demon reacted quickly, dodging the sword to the side, and at the same time opened its blood-red maw to bite at Su Wanqing's arm.

Su Wanqing turned her body and skillfully avoided the attack. At the same time, she swung her sword backhand and cut a deep wound in the black wolf demon's abdomen.

"Awooo—" The black wolf demon let out a miserable cry, and blood gushed out.

But Su Wanqing didn't give it a chance to breathe. She followed up with three more sword strikes, each one cunning and ruthless, aimed straight for the vital points.

Puff puff!
Three streaks of blood flashed, and the wounded black wolf demon collapsed to the ground, dead.

“One.” Su Wanqing murmured, a hint of excitement flashing in her eyes.

But she had no time to be happy, as three other black wolf demons had already surrounded her from three directions.

They seemed to realize how formidable Su Wanqing was, and instead of fighting alone, they cooperated with each other. One of them attracted attention from the front, while the other two attacked from the left and right sides.

"You cunning beast," Su Wanqing sneered.

She didn't panic, but calmly observed the movements of the three black wolf demons. When the black wolf demon in front pounced, she suddenly blurred, turning into a blur, and appeared behind the black wolf demon on the left.

"Go to hell!"

With a single thrust, the sword struck the black wolf demon squarely in the back of the head.

The black wolf demon collapsed to the ground before it could even let out a scream.

Two.

Seeing that things were not going well, the remaining two black wolf demons turned around and tried to escape.

"Trying to run away?" Su Wanqing wasn't about to let them get away with it. She flashed forward and blocked their path.

With two sword strikes, two beams of sword light intertwined, simultaneously slaying the two black wolf demons.

"Four of them, all taken care of." Su Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed her sword.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her breathing was a little rapid, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.

This was the first time she had dealt with so many demonic beasts on her own. Although they were only black wolf demons in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, the fact that she was able to kill them all cleanly and efficiently proved her strength.

"Not bad." Zheng Yi stepped forward and nodded. "Agile movements, sharp swordsmanship, and composure in combat. However, there are a few areas that need improvement."

"Please enlighten me, Young Master Zheng," Su Wanqing said humbly.

“First, you shouldn’t pause after killing the first black wolf demon,” Zheng Yi said. “Any pause in battle could give the enemy an opportunity. You should press on and continue the attack while the momentum is building.”

Su Wanqing nodded and carefully wrote it down.

"Secondly, you used two sword strikes when dealing with those two black wolf demons that tried to escape," Zheng Yi continued. "Actually, you could have easily finished them off with one strike. You just needed to change the trajectory of the sword energy so that it hit both targets simultaneously. This would have saved spiritual energy and been more efficient."

"Hit two targets at the same time with one sword?" Su Wanqing asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zheng Yi didn't explain further, but instead raised his hand and waved it, sending a sword aura shooting out from his fingertips. The sword aura suddenly split into two in mid-air, striking two trees about ten feet apart.

"This—" Su Wanqing's eyes widened, "Sword energy can be used like this?"

"Sword energy is simply the outward manifestation of spiritual power; how you use it depends entirely on your control," Zheng Yi said. "You can't do it now, but you can practice slowly. Once your control over spiritual power becomes more refined, you'll naturally be able to do it."

“I understand,” Su Wanqing said earnestly. “Thank you for your guidance, Young Master Zheng.”

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "Let's rest for a bit, then we'll continue deeper. There are Black Wolf Demons at the Integration Realm there. You observe from the side and see how I deal with them."

“Okay,” Su Wanqing replied.

The two continued deeper into the Black Forest.

They hadn't gone far when they encountered a group of black wolf demons at the Integration Realm.

There were five black wolf demons in the pack, led by a wolf king at the mid-stage of the Fusion Realm, while the other four were at the early stage of the Fusion Realm. They were entrenched in an open space, seemingly fighting over something.

"You stay here and watch, don't make a move," Zheng Yi said to Su Wanqing.

“Yes.” Su Wanqing stepped aside, staring intently at Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi strode towards the group of black wolf demons, making no attempt to conceal his aura.

The wolf king spotted him immediately, letting out a long howl to summon his minions for battle. Five black wolf demons spread out in a fan shape, surrounding Zheng Yi.

"Not bad, you know how to cooperate," Zheng Yi said calmly. "Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, cooperation is useless."

He raised his right hand, and five sword energies shot out simultaneously, each heading straight for one of the five black wolf demons.

The five sword energies were incredibly fast; the black wolf demons had no time to react before their heads were pierced by the sword energies.

The five black wolf demons, including the wolf king who was in the mid-stage of the Integration Realm, all fell to the ground and died at the same time.

From the moment Zheng Yi made his move to the end of the battle, it took only a breath.

Su Wanqing was dumbfounded.

She knew Zheng Yi was strong, but she didn't expect him to be this strong. Five black wolf demons at the Integration Realm couldn't even last a single round against him; they were easily killed.

"Is this the power of the Mahayana Realm?" Su Wanqing murmured, a strong longing welling up in her heart.

If she had that kind of strength, she wouldn't have to worry about being hunted down anymore, nor would she need to rely on others for protection.

"Let's go, let's deal with the body." Zheng Yi's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Su Wanqing quickly followed and helped Zheng Yi put the five black wolf demon corpses into his storage bag. (End of Chapter)