From the fake emperor to the concubine

Li Tiancheng's expression changed. "Sir, how much do you think is appropriate?"

"Ten million." Zheng Yi held up one finger. "Ten million spirit stones, and I'll help you kill Wang Tianhai."

"Ten million?" Li Tiancheng gasped. "Isn't that a bit too outrageous, sir?"

“Wang Tianhai is a master at the early stage of the Mahayana Realm, and he must have many guards,” Zheng Yi said. “Killing him would be a great risk for me. Ten million spirit stones is a fair price.”

Li Tiancheng fell silent.

He originally thought five million spirit stones was already a very high price, but he didn't expect Zheng Yi to ask for ten million. This price was indeed a bit beyond his budget.

"Sir, could you lower the price a bit?" he tentatively asked. "How about eight million?"

"Ten million," Zheng Yi said firmly. "Not a penny less."

Li Tiancheng gritted his teeth and finally nodded.

“Alright, ten million it is,” he said, “but this city lord has one condition.”

"What conditions?"

“Sir, you must kill Wang Tianhai within a month,” Li Tiancheng said. “A month later, the Town Command will send people to Qingyun City to inspect. If Wang Tianhai is still alive, my situation will be very dangerous.”

"A month?" Zheng Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

“Then it’s settled.” Li Tiancheng stood up and extended his hand to Zheng Yi. “This city lord will pay five million spirit stones as a deposit, and the remaining five million will be paid after the matter is settled.”

Zheng Yi shook hands with him. "Deal."

Li Tiancheng had someone fetch a storage bag and handed it to Zheng Yi.

“This is a deposit of five million spirit stones,” he said. “The city lord will send someone to inform you of Wang Tianhai’s hiding place.”

Zheng Yi took the storage bag, probed it with his divine sense, and after confirming that there were indeed five million spirit stones inside, he put it into his pocket.

“Lord of the city, there is one more thing,” he said.

"Sir, please speak."

"I heard that the City Lord's Mansion has connections with the Han family?" Zheng Yi asked tentatively.

Li Tiancheng's expression changed slightly. "Why did you suddenly ask this, sir?"

"It's nothing, just curiosity," Zheng Yi said. "The Han family is one of the nine great families. To be able to establish connections with them, the City Lord's Mansion must be quite powerful, right?"

Li Tiancheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Sir, you are very well-informed. Yes, the City Lord's Mansion does have some dealings with the Han family. But those are just ordinary business dealings, nothing special."

Zheng Yi nodded and did not ask any further questions.

He could sense that the city lord was hiding something on this matter. The relationship between the city lord's mansion and the Han family was probably not as simple as he made it out to be.

"Alright, it's getting late." Zheng Yi stood up. "City Lord, farewell."

"Take care, sir." Li Tiancheng saw him to the door. "This city lord awaits your good news."

Zheng Yi nodded, turned around and left the city lord's mansion.

After leaving the city lord's mansion, Zheng Yi did not immediately return to Tianyuan City, but instead took a stroll around Qingyun City.

As he walked, he pondered his conversation with the city lord.

The city lord's request for him to kill Wang Tianhai was not inherently problematic. Two people vying for the position of city lord and fighting each other was common in the world of cultivators.

But what puzzled him was why the city lord would ask him, an outsider, to do this?
Logically speaking, the city lord's mansion should have its own assassins and killers. Why not use its own people instead of spending ten million spirit stones to hire an outsider?
Unless the people in the city lord's mansion are unreliable.

Or rather, the city lord didn't want his people to know that he was dealing with Wang Tianhai.

There must be something hidden behind this.

Furthermore, the city lord's mention of the connection between the Town Commandery and Wang Tianhai is also quite intriguing.

The Town Domain Division is the official agency of Tianyuan Domain, responsible for maintaining order and mediating disputes. Logically, they should be neutral. However, judging from the city lord's words, the Town Domain Division doesn't seem neutral; on the contrary, they appear to be colluding with Wang Tianhai.

What does this mean?
This shows that the Town Administration also has its own interests; they are not truly neutral, but rather another force.

"The waters of Tianyuan Domain are deeper than I imagined," Zheng Yi sighed inwardly.

He continued to wander around the city, gathering information.

Through conversations with various people, he learned more about the city lord and Wang Tianhai.

It turns out that the coup d'état twenty years ago was not as simple as the city lord had described.

Although Wang Tianhai was mediocre in ability at the time, he was not an irredeemable villain. He was merely a ruler who maintained the status quo, without any great achievements, but also without committing any major mistakes.

Li Tiancheng launched the coup not because he disapproved of Wang Tianhai's actions, but because he wanted to seize the position of city lord.

After the coup succeeded, Li Tiancheng not only failed to treat Wang Tianhai kindly, but also subjected him to cruel persecution. He executed all of Wang Tianhai's family members, leaving only Wang Tianhai alone to be exiled to the border to suffer.

"So the city lord was the bad guy all along," Zheng Yi thought to himself.

His impression of the city lord worsened. This man, for the sake of power, was ruthless enough to kill and silence witnesses; his methods were appalling.

But regardless, he has already accepted the task, so he must complete it.

Ten million spirit stones is no small sum.

Moreover, through this encounter with the city lord, he learned a great deal about the inner workings of Qingyun City. This information will definitely come in handy in the future.

Zheng Yi stayed in Qingyun City for a day, and only returned to Tianyuan City after finding out the situation.

Back at his residence, he told everyone about his meeting with the city lord.

"The city lord actually ordered the family head to kill someone?" Zheng Bowen exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes,” Zheng Yi nodded. “He wants me to kill the former city lord, Wang Tianhai.”

"The former city lord?" Su Wanqing frowned. "Didn't the city lord seize the position through a coup? Why didn't he kill Wang Tianhai himself, instead of asking an outsider?"

“That’s exactly what I don’t understand,” Zheng Yi said. “The City Lord’s Mansion should have its own people, so why would they spend ten million spirit stones to hire me? Unless… he has some unspeakable reason.”

Everyone fell into deep thought.

“Perhaps the city lord wants to make the family head a scapegoat,” Zheng Hongzhi suddenly said.

“Scapegoat?” Zheng Yi looked at him.

“Yes,” Zheng Hongzhi said. “Think about it, Patriarch. Wang Tianhai is the former city lord. Although he was exiled, he still has some old subordinates and supporters in Qingyun City. If the city lord personally kills him, those people certainly won’t let it go.”

"But if an outsider committed the murder, the situation is different. The city lord can shift the blame to the outsider and pretend he knew nothing. That way, even if his former subordinates and supporters want revenge, they won't be able to pin it on the city lord."

Zheng Yi nodded; Zheng Hongzhi's words made sense.

The city lord likely hired him to commit murder to make him a scapegoat. "But that doesn't matter," Zheng Yi said. "I'm using the identity of 'Dark Night,' so the city lord has no idea who I really am. Even if he wants to pin the blame on me, he won't be able to find me."

“The patriarch is right,” Zheng Bowen nodded.

“Alright, let’s put this matter aside for now,” Zheng Yi said. “The city lord has given me a month; I’m not in a rush. Let’s investigate Wang Tianhai’s situation thoroughly before deciding what to do.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In the following days, Zheng Yi began to secretly investigate Wang Tianhai's situation.

He did not act rashly, but first sent Zheng Bowen and Xiao Tianxing to Qingyun City to gather information. The two disguised themselves and infiltrated the city, visiting various places to collect intelligence about Wang Tianhai.

Meanwhile, Zheng Yi himself was not idle either. He changed his appearance to an ordinary one, put on coarse cloth clothes, and disguised himself as a wandering cultivator, traveling around the villages and towns around Qingyun City.

On this day, he arrived at a small town east of Qingyun City.

The town is called Willow Creek Town, nestled beside a clear stream. It's a small town with only about a hundred households, but it boasts a tranquil environment and simple, honest people.

Zheng Yi walked into the only teahouse in town and found a seat by the window.

"Sir, what would you like to drink?" a middle-aged woman asked with a smile as she approached.

"A pot of tea and a few plates of snacks, please," Zheng Yi said.

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir." The woman replied and turned to prepare.

Zheng Yi looked around and found that there were seven or eight people sitting in the teahouse, mostly residents of the town, chatting in twos and threes.

He pricked up his ears, listening to the conversations around him.

"Old Li, have you heard? Master Wang is back," a tall, thin old man said in a low voice.

"Really?" another short, stout old man exclaimed in surprise. "Wasn't he exiled to the border? How did he come back?"

“Absolutely true,” said the tall, thin old man. “My son works as a farmer outside the city and saw Master Wang’s men with his own eyes. I heard there are several hundred of them, all stationed in the mountains outside the city.”

"If only Master Wang could come back," the short, stout old man sighed. "Back when Master Wang was the city lord, our lives were much better than they are now."

“Indeed,” the tall, thin old man chimed in. “Back in Lord Wang’s time, taxes were light, corvée labor was minimal, and he often sent people to our town to help repair roads and dig wells. Unlike Lord Li now, who only knows how to squeeze the land dry, exploiting the people to the last drop of wealth.”

"Shh, keep your voice down." The short, stout old man looked around nervously. "It'll be troublesome if the people from the city lord's mansion hear us."

The two old men stopped talking and lowered their heads to drink their tea.

Zheng Yi's heart stirred slightly after hearing this conversation.

It seems that Wang Tianhai has a very good reputation among the people, at least much better than Li Tiancheng now.

He decided to inquire further.

“Auntie,” he greeted the middle-aged woman, “I’m from out of town. I’ve heard there’s a Master Wang around here, quite famous. I wonder who he is?”

Upon hearing the words "Master Wang," the woman's face revealed a complex expression.

“It’s normal that you’re from out of town and don’t know,” she said in a low voice. “Master Wang was the former city lord, named Wang Tianhai. He was driven out twenty years ago by the current city lord, Li, and has been exiled to the border ever since.”

"Oh?" Zheng Yi feigned interest. "What kind of person is this Master Wang?"

"He was such a good man," the woman said, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. "When Lord Wang was the city lord, life was so much better for us common folk. He never levied taxes arbitrarily and often reduced or waived taxes for the poor. In years of famine, he would open the granaries to distribute grain and provide relief to the victims."

"Is it really that good?" Zheng Yi asked, somewhat surprised.

“Of course,” the woman said. “I remember one year there was a drought, the crops failed completely, and the people were starving. Lord Wang personally led men to open the city lord's granaries and distributed the grain to everyone. At that time, he said that the people were his providers, and he couldn't watch them starve.”

As the woman spoke, her eyes reddened slightly.

"It's a pity, good people don't always get good rewards." She sighed. "Later, that heartless bastard Li Tiancheng launched a coup, drove Master Wang away, and killed all of Master Wang's family, leaving Master Wang alone to be exiled to the border."

"That bad?" Zheng Yi frowned.

“Indeed,” the woman said. “Master Wang’s wife, son, daughter, and dozens of servants were all killed by Li Tiancheng. I heard that blood flowed like a river, and the entire city lord’s mansion was stained red with blood.”

Zheng Yi fell silent.

He never imagined that Li Tiancheng would do such a thing. When they met at the City Lord's Mansion, Li Tiancheng acted like such a gentleman; he never expected that he would be such a cruel person behind the scenes.

"Auntie, how is Master Wang now?" he asked.

"I heard he's back," the woman said in a low voice. "He's in the mountains outside the city. The people are all hoping he can reclaim his position as city lord. As long as Lord Wang becomes city lord, our good days will return."

Zheng Yi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He paid for the tea and left the teahouse.

Walking along the town's narrow streets, Zheng Yi felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

He originally thought it was just a simple assassination mission: kill someone, get ten million spirit stones, and leave. But now it seems things are far more complicated than that.

Wang Tianhai does not seem to be the "mediocre and greedy" bad guy that Li Tiancheng described. On the contrary, he is a good city lord who is deeply loved by the people.

Li Tiancheng, the seemingly upright city lord, is the real villain.

To seize the position of city lord, he launched a coup, murdered innocent people, and exiled the former city lord. Compared to Wang Tianhai, such a person is worlds apart.

"If I kill Wang Tianhai, wouldn't I be aiding and abetting evil?" Zheng Yi thought to himself.

He continued to visit surrounding villages and towns to gather information.

Over the next few days, he visited more than a dozen villages and towns, and spoke with hundreds of people. The information he received was always the same: Wang Tianhai was a good person, and Li Tiancheng was a bad person.

The people all hoped that Wang Tianhai could regain the position of city lord and liberate them from Li Tiancheng's tyranny.

Li Tiancheng's actions over the years have been even more shocking to Zheng Yi.

He levied exorbitant taxes and levies, which were as numerous as hairs on a cow. The common people worked hard to cultivate the land for a year, but most of their harvest had to be handed over to the city lord's mansion, leaving them with barely enough to make a living.

He oppressed the good and allowed his men to run rampant. The city lord's men committed all sorts of atrocities in the city, abducting women and killing civilians, but the government turned a blind eye and never investigated.

He colluded with powerful families, betraying the city's interests. It is said that he had close ties with the Han family, frequently selling Qingyun City's resources to them at low prices for personal gain.

"How can someone like that be fit to be the city lord?" Zheng Yi thought angrily.

He originally only wanted to make money and didn't care about the political struggles in Qingyun City. But now, he finds it difficult to stay out of it.

If he kills Wang Tianhai, it will be tantamount to helping Li Tiancheng consolidate his rule. In that case, the people of Qingyun City will continue to suffer, and Zheng Yi will become an accomplice.

This is not what he wants.

Five days later, Zheng Yi returned to his residence in Tianyuan City. (End of Chapter)