From the fake emperor to the concubine

“Sir, you are indeed a straightforward man,” he said. “How much payment do you require? Just name your price; as long as I can afford it, I will certainly not disappoint you.”

Zheng Yi held up two fingers.

"Two million?" Wang Tianhai asked.

Zheng Yi shook his head.

"Twenty million?"

Zheng Yi nodded.

"Twenty million spirit stones," he said. "I want twenty million spirit stones as payment for helping you reclaim your position as city lord."

Wang Tianhai's face was somewhat pale.

Twenty million spirit stones—that's an enormous number. Although he's accumulated some wealth over the years, it's still far from twenty million.

"Sir, isn't this price too high?" he said with a wry smile.

"Is that too much?" Zheng Yi said dismissively. "Li Tiancheng offered me ten million to kill you, and I'm only charging twenty million to help you reclaim your position as city lord. Isn't that a bargain?"

Wang Tianhai was speechless.

From this perspective, 20 million is indeed not too expensive. After all, regaining the position of city lord is completely different from saving one's life.

“But I don’t have that much money right now,” he said. “Although I’ve accumulated some wealth over the years, it only adds up to five or six million spirit stones.”

“I know you don’t have that much money right now,” Zheng Yi said, “but you will in the future.”

"What you mean, sir?"

"Pay me after you reclaim your position as city lord," Zheng Yi said. "Can't the city lord of Qingyun City really afford twenty million spirit stones?"

Wang Tianhai's eyes lit up.

Yes, how could he not have thought of that? As long as he regains his position as city lord, all the resources of Qingyun City will be his. What are twenty million spirit stones?
“Sir, you are right,” he said. “As long as I can reclaim the position of city lord, I can come up with not only twenty million, but thirty or even fifty million.”

"Then it's settled." Zheng Yi stood up. "The twenty million spirit stones will be paid in full after you reclaim the position of city lord."

“It’s a deal.” Wang Tianhai also stood up and said solemnly.

The two looked at each other and smiled, which meant they had reached an agreement.

“By the way, sir, there’s something I’d like to confirm,” Wang Tianhai suddenly asked.

"What's up?"

"What are your plans, sir, regarding the five million spirit stones that Li Tiancheng gave you as a deposit?"

Zheng Yi was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

“Of course I’ll keep it,” he said. “It’s money he gave me, not money I stole or robbed, why should I return it to him?”

Wang Tianhai was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Sir, you are indeed a remarkable person," he said. "In this way, not only did Li Tiancheng fail to kill me, but he also gave you five million spirit stones for nothing. He truly lost both his wife and his army."

"He deserves it," Zheng Yi sneered. "Who else would you screw over if not him?"

Wang Tianhai laughed heartily, "Well said, sir!"

After he finished laughing, his expression turned serious.

“Sir, now that we have reached an agreement, what are your plans?” he asked.

"A plan?" Zheng Yi pondered for a moment. "I don't have a specific plan yet. But before I make a plan, I need to understand some things."

"Sir, please speak."

"First, how many men do you have under your command? What is their strength?"

"I have over three hundred men under my command," Wang Tianhai said. "Among them, there are more than a dozen experts at the Integration Realm, the strongest being Chen Feng, who is at the late Integration Realm. The rest are mostly Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators."

Zheng Yi nodded.

With over three hundred people of varying strengths, taking down Qingyun City would indeed be quite difficult.

"What about the City Lord's Mansion? How many people are there? What is their strength?" he continued to ask.

“The city lord’s mansion has far more people than I do,” Wang Tianhai said. “The city guards alone number over three thousand, plus the city lord’s own guards and retainers, totaling at least four or five thousand.”

"Where are the experts?"

“Li Tiancheng himself is at the peak of the Integration Realm,” Wang Tianhai said. “He also has three late-stage Integration Realm retainers under his command, more than a dozen mid-stage Integration Realm experts, and dozens of early-stage Integration Realm experts.”

Zheng Yi frowned.

The difference in strength is indeed quite significant. In a head-on confrontation, Wang Tianhai's side would definitely lose.

"However, the City Lord's Mansion also has weaknesses." Wang Tianhai seemed to have seen through his thoughts and continued, "Li Tiancheng has been tyrannical and oppressive for years, and has long lost the hearts of the people. The people in the city hate him to the bone, but they dare not speak out."

"Moreover, many of my former subordinates are in the city guard. When I was exiled, they couldn't save me and could only endure the humiliation and remain in the city guard. Over the years, they have been secretly helping me, waiting for the day I return."

Zheng Yi nodded. "That's good news. How many of them are your former subordinates?"

“There are about seven or eight hundred people,” Wang Tianhai said. “They will respond to me in a critical moment.”

"Seven or eight hundred people," Zheng Yi pondered. "Adding your three hundred-plus men, that makes over a thousand. If we coordinate from within and without, and with the support of the people, we should have a chance."

“Sir, you are right,” Wang Tianhai nodded. “My original plan was to first contact my old subordinates in the city, and then, with their combined strength, take over the City Lord’s Mansion in one fell swoop. However, I have always been worried that Li Tiancheng’s side has too many experts, and even if we take the City Lord’s Mansion, it will be difficult to hold it.”

“But with your help, sir, things will be different.” He looked at Zheng Yi, his eyes full of expectation. “With your strength, sir, you are more than capable of holding off Li Tiancheng and his retainers. As long as you can restrain them, I can successfully take over the City Lord's Mansion.”

Zheng Yi nodded. "I understand the general situation. The specific plan still needs further careful consideration. Please arrange for me to meet with your old subordinates and get a feel for the situation in the city."

“Alright,” Wang Tianhai said, “I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

He paused, then said, "Sir, I have another request."

"What's up?"

"May I inquire about your true identity, sir?" Wang Tianhai asked. "I have long heard of the name 'Dark Night,' but I know nothing of your true identity. Since we are now in a cooperative relationship, I feel it is necessary for us to learn more about each other."

Zheng Yi remained silent for a moment.

He knew Wang Tianhai had a point. It was indeed inappropriate for two people to be collaborating on such a large project without even knowing each other's true identities.

However, he couldn't possibly reveal his true identity to Wang Tianhai. He had made too many enemies in the Tianyuan Domain, and exposing his true identity could bring trouble to himself and those around him.

“Master Wang, I’m sorry,” he said, “I cannot reveal my true identity at the moment.” A hint of disappointment flashed across Wang Tianhai’s face, but he quickly regained his composure.

“I understand,” he said. “Everyone has their own secrets, and I won’t force you.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Master Wang,” Zheng Yi said. “I will let you know if there is an opportunity after things are done.”

"Then I'll be waiting for that day." Wang Tianhai smiled slightly.

After chatting for a while, Zheng Yi said goodbye and left.

After leaving Mangcang Mountain, Zheng Yi did not immediately return to Tianyuan City. Instead, he found a secluded spot nearby and sat down to think.

What he just discussed with Wang Tianhai was just a general framework. The specifics of how to proceed still need careful consideration.

First, he needed to gather more information about the City Lord's Mansion. The deployment of the city guards, the defenses of the City Lord's Mansion, and Li Tiancheng's daily routine—all of these required detailed investigation.

Secondly, he needed to devise a meticulous plan. Simply attacking the city lord's mansion wouldn't be enough; the losses would be too great. The best approach was to achieve the greatest effect with the least cost.

Finally, he needed to consider the follow-up issues. After Wang Tianhai regained his position as city lord, he needed to obtain the twenty million spirit stones as soon as possible and then leave Qingyun City. No mistakes could be made during this period.

"It seems we still need some time to prepare," Zheng Yi thought to himself.

He stood up and flew towards Tianyuan City.

Back at the mansion, he told everyone about the results of his negotiations with Wang Tianhai.

"Twenty million spirit stones?" Zheng Bowen exclaimed. "Patriarch, you've made an incredibly lucrative deal!"

“Yes, with the five million spirit stones Li Tiancheng gave as a deposit, that makes a total of twenty-five million spirit stones,” Xiao Tianxing said excitedly. “This is practically a windfall.”

"Don't get too excited," Zheng Yi poured cold water on the idea. "The money isn't in our hands yet. Until Wang Tianhai reclaims his position as city lord, all of this is just empty talk."

After everyone calmed down, they all nodded in agreement.

“The patriarch is right,” Zheng Hongzhi said. “The City Lord’s Mansion is quite powerful; to take it down, we need a meticulous plan.”

“I’m already considering it,” Zheng Yi said, “but before that, I need your help with a few things.”

"Please give your orders, Master," everyone said in unison.

"Zheng Bowen, Xiao Tianxing, you two continue to gather information in Qingyun City. This time, focus on investigating the city guard's deployment and the city lord's mansion's defenses."

“Yes,” the two replied.

"Zheng Hongzhi, you're in charge of studying the city lord's mansion's defensive array. If possible, find a way to break it."

“Yes.” Zheng Hongzhi nodded.

"Su Wanqing, you lead the team to continue hunting and earn spirit stones. Also, keep an eye out for any unusual activity."

“Yes,” Su Wanqing replied.

"Liu Ruyan and Chen Feng, you two stay at the residence and take good care of the family."

“Yes,” the two replied.

After Zheng Yi finished making the arrangements, everyone went about their own business.

For the next two weeks, Zheng Yi secretly made preparations.

He made several trips to Qingyun City to meet with Wang Tianhai's former subordinates and learn about the situation in the city. Those former subordinates were loyal to Wang Tianhai and had been secretly gathering intelligence and building up their strength for many years, just waiting for the day Wang Tianhai would return.

Through these people, Zheng Yi learned many secrets of the City Lord's Mansion. The deployment of the city guards, the rotation of guards, Li Tiancheng's daily routine—all this information was carefully recorded by him as the basis for formulating his plans.

Zheng Bowen and Xiao Tianxing also brought back a lot of useful intelligence. They discovered that although the city lord's mansion was heavily fortified, there were several loopholes that could be exploited.

Zheng Hongzhi studied the defensive formations of the City Lord's Mansion and found several weak points. If these weak points could be breached, the City Lord's Mansion's defenses could be quickly dismantled.

All preparations are proceeding smoothly.

On this day, Zheng Yi came to Mangcang Mountain again to discuss the final action plan with Wang Tianhai.

Inside the cave, Wang Tianhai was discussing matters with several trusted confidants. Upon seeing Zheng Yi enter, he quickly rose to greet him.

“Mr. Dark Night, you’ve arrived,” he said. “Please have a seat.”

Zheng Yi sat down and glanced at the people present.

Besides Wang Tianhai, there was also Chen Feng, the man in the green robe, and two other experts at the late stage of the Integration Realm. These three were Wang Tianhai's most trusted confidants.

"Is everyone here?" Zheng Yi asked.

"Everyone's here." Wang Tianhai nodded. "What are your orders, sir?"

Zheng Yi did not speak immediately, but took out a blueprint from his pocket and spread it out on the stone table.

The drawing was a map of Qingyun City, with the streets, city gates, and the location of the city lord's mansion clearly marked. Several key locations were also specially marked in red.

"This is a map I drew after gathering intelligence over this period of time," Zheng Yi said. "My plan will begin with this map."

The crowd gathered around, examining the map closely.

"Our target is the City Lord's Mansion," Zheng Yi said, pointing to its location on the map. "The City Lord's Mansion is located in the city center and is heavily guarded; a direct assault is impossible."

"So my plan is—to coordinate an attack from within and without, using a feint to the east while striking in the west."

He paused, then continued, "First, we'll create some commotion outside the city to attract the city guards' attention. We can spread the word that Lord Wang is going to lead his men to attack the city. This way, the city guards will definitely concentrate their main force near the city gates, reducing the number of guards at the city lord's mansion."

"Secondly, taking advantage of the reduced number of guards at the city lord's mansion, the city's former troops can seize the opportunity to rebel. They can create chaos, such as arson or panic, to further distract the city guards."

"Finally, when the defenses of the City Lord's Mansion were at their weakest, Master Wang and I led our elite troops to break through the gap at the back of the mansion." He pointed to a red dot on the map, "This is the weak point in the City Lord's Mansion's formation, which can be breached quickly. We entered from here and headed straight for Li Tiancheng's bedchamber."

"Once Li Tiancheng dies, the City Lord's Mansion will be leaderless, and the city guards will collapse. Then, Master Wang can step forward and rally the troops, and the situation will be settled."

After Zheng Yi finished speaking, he looked at everyone.

Wang Tianhai and several of his confidants exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with surprise and admiration.

This plan is simple and clear, yet comprehensive. Every step has been carefully designed, with each link interconnected and leaving no room for error.

"Sir, your plan is truly brilliant," Wang Tianhai exclaimed sincerely. "I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

"You flatter me, Master Wang," Zheng Yi said. "This is just a general framework; the specific details still need careful consideration."

"Don't worry, sir, I will arrange everything properly," Wang Tianhai said.

He looked at the map, his eyes gleaming with excitement. (End of Chapter)