From the fake emperor to the concubine

But Zheng Yi, standing to the side, sensed an unusual atmosphere.

This Lu Yunfei is definitely not as simple as he appears on the surface. His eyes are deep and sharp, and while talking to Wang Tianhai, he frequently glances around, as if observing something.

"This is a formidable character," Zheng Yi thought to himself. "I must handle this carefully."

Wang Tianhai invited Lu Yunfei into the city lord's mansion and arranged for him to sit in the main hall.

“Young Master Lu has come from afar; you must be tired from your journey,” he said. “I have prepared lodgings; please go and rest.”

"No rush," Lu Yunfei said with a smile. "I've just arrived in Qingyun City and haven't even paid my respects to City Lord Wang yet. How can I go to rest as soon as I arrive?"

"What does Young Master Lu wish to do?"

"I'd like to first understand the situation in Qingyun City," Lu Yunfei said. "I've heard that City Lord Wang has just regained his position, and there are still some unstable factors within the city. I'd like to know how City Lord Wang is handling these issues?"

This was a very pointed question, and Wang Tianhai was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Young Master Lu,” Zheng Yi began, “Lord Wang is well aware of the situation in the city. Young Master Lu has just arrived; perhaps you should rest first. There will be plenty of time to learn more later.”

Lu Yunfei turned his gaze to Zheng Yi and looked him up and down.

"And who is this?" he asked.

“I am Dark Night, a friend of Lord Wang,” Zheng Yi said.

"Dark Night?" A glint of light flashed in Lu Yunfei's eyes. "So you are the renowned Mr. Dark Night. I have long admired your name, and meeting you today, I can see it is indeed well-deserved."

"Young Master Lu, you flatter me," Zheng Yi said calmly.

"I heard that Mr. Dark Night displayed his skills exceptionally well in yesterday's negotiations, causing my uncle considerable trouble," Lu Yunfei said with a smile. "After my uncle returned, he spoke highly of Mr. Dark Night, saying he is a formidable figure."

"Elder Lu, you flatter me," Zheng Yi said. "I was merely stating the truth."

"The truth?" Lu Yunfei raised an eyebrow. "What you said, sir, doesn't sound like the truth. It sounds more like you're bluffing to put pressure on my uncle."

Zheng Yi smiled slightly, "What Young Master Lu thinks is his business. I am merely doing my best to help City Lord Wang secure fair terms for cooperation."

"Fairness?" Lu Yunfei laughed. "In this world, what is fairness? There is only strength and weakness. What the strong say goes, and the weak can only obey."

“Young Master Lu’s insights are quite unique,” ​​Zheng Yi said, “but I cannot agree with them.”

"Oh? Why?"

"Because strength and weakness are relative, not absolute," Zheng Yi said. "Today's strong may be tomorrow's weak, and today's weak may be tomorrow's strong. So don't be overconfident and think you'll always be strong."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunfei's smile froze slightly.

He sensed a hidden meaning in Zheng Yi's words, as if he was hinting at something.

“Mr. Dark Night is indeed very knowledgeable,” he said. “I have learned a great deal.”

He stood up. "Lord Wang, I'd like to go and rest first. We can discuss this later."

“Very well.” Wang Tianhai stood up. “I will have someone escort Young Master Lu to his residence.”

"No need," Lu Yunfei waved his hand. "I can go myself."

He walked out of the hall with his entourage.

After he walked away, Wang Tianhai finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

“Sir, this Lu Yunfei is no simple man,” he said. “The questions he asked just now were clearly a test for me.”

“Yes,” Zheng Yi nodded. “His trip to Qingyun City wasn’t just as a liaison. He’s here to gather intelligence, to understand the true state of Qingyun City.”

"Then what should I do?" Wang Tianhai asked.

"We'll respond to all changes with constancy," Zheng Yi said. "If he wants to gather information, we'll let him. But we need to be clear about what he should and shouldn't know."

"Important matters must never be known to him. For example, our strengthening of defenses, recruitment of experts, and contact with other forces must all be kept secret."

"As for some trivial matters, you can reveal them to him appropriately, making him feel that he has discovered information and lowering his guard."

Wang Tianhai nodded. "I understand."

“Also,” Zheng Yi added, “we need to have someone keep an eye on him and keep track of his movements. If he does anything unusual, tell me immediately.”

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

In the following days, Lu Yunfei indeed began to make moves around.

Under the guise of an inspection, he visited Qingyun City to learn about its situation. He went to the city guard barracks, inspected the city wall's defensive facilities, and also visited several merchant guilds and gangs in the city.

Wang Tianhai sent people to keep an eye on him and report his every move to Zheng Yi.

"Sir, this Lu Yunfei is terrifying," Wang Tianhai said worriedly. "In just a few days, he has almost completely figured out the situation in Qingyun City. He knows how many city guards there are, what the weaknesses are in the city walls' defenses, and which merchant guilds and gangs in the city support me and which oppose me."

“He’s a direct descendant of the Lu family, and he’s received specialized training. Gathering intelligence is his forte,” Zheng Yi said. “You don’t need to worry too much; these are things he should be doing.”

“But the more he knows, the worse it is for me,” Wang Tianhai said.

“Not necessarily,” Zheng Yi said. “Most of what he knows is superficial. He doesn’t know the truly important things.”

"for example?"

"For example, he doesn't know that you've been secretly strengthening defenses and preparing to set up formations within the city," Zheng Yi said. "He also doesn't know that you've sent people to contact the Town Commandery and other powerful families. These are the most important things."

After hearing this, Wang Tianhai felt a little more at ease.

“The sir is right,” he said. “As long as he doesn’t know these things, I still have hope.”

"By the way," Zheng Yi asked, "any progress on the matter of contacting the Town Commandery?"

“There are some,” Wang Tianhai said. “The people I sent have met with an officer from the Town Commandery and told him about my situation. The officer said the Town Commandery would consider my request, but it would take some time to discuss it.”

“That’s good news,” Zheng Yi nodded. “At least the Town Command didn’t directly refuse. Let’s continue to follow up and see what decision they ultimately make.”

“Okay,” Wang Tianhai said.

Just then, Chen Feng hurriedly entered the study.

"Lord Wang, something has happened," he said, his face grim.

"What's the matter?" Wang Tianhai asked. "Lu Yunfei just went to the city guard's barracks and talked for a long time with Zhang Wu, the deputy commander of the city guard," Chen Feng said. "I don't know what they talked about, but when Zhang Wu came out, his expression was very strange, as if he was considering something."

Wang Tianhai's expression immediately changed.

Zhang Wu is the deputy commander of the city guard, second only to the commander. If Lu Yunfei tries to win him over, it could be a huge problem.

"That Lu Yunfei is really a handful," he said through gritted teeth.

“Don’t worry too much,” Zheng Yi said. “It’s expected that Lu Yunfei wants to win over the city guards. The key is whether Zhang Wu will be won over by him.”

“I don’t know Zhang Wu very well,” Wang Tianhai said. “He was promoted during Li Tiancheng’s time, and I have no connection with him.”

“Then we need to be careful,” Zheng Yi said. “Send someone to keep an eye on him and see if he does anything unusual lately. If he really has been won over by Lu Yunfei, you need to be prepared.”

"What preparations?"

"The worst-case scenario is to replace him," Zheng Yi said. "Before he does anything detrimental to you, remove him from his key position."

Wang Tianhai nodded. "I understand."

He turned to Chen Feng, "You continue to keep an eye on Lu Yunfei and Zhang Wu, and report back immediately if anything happens."

"Yes." Chen Feng replied and turned to leave.

Only Zheng Yi and Wang Tianhai remained in the study.

Wang Tianhai sat in the chair, his face full of worry.

“Sir,” he began, “I increasingly feel that the situation is very unfavorable for me. Lu Yunfei has only been here a few days, and he has already begun to undermine my staff. If this continues, I fear that in a month and a half, I will truly have no ability to resist.”

"Therefore, we must speed up our pace," Zheng Yi said. "In the next month and a half, we must strengthen our capabilities as much as possible to prepare for the future."

“But the time is too short,” Wang Tianhai sighed. “What can you do in a month and a half?”

“There are many things we can do,” Zheng Yi said. “The key is to have determination and the ability to take action.”

He looked into Wang Tianhai's eyes. "Master Wang, how much are you willing to pay for Qingyun City?"

Wang Tianhai paused for a moment, then a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"I am willing to pay any price to save Qingyun City," he said.

"That's good." Zheng Yi nodded. "Since you're so determined, then let's go for it."

"Starting tomorrow, we must accelerate our pace. Strengthen our defenses, recruit top experts, and forge alliances—everything must be implemented as quickly as possible. Time waits for no one; we have no room for hesitation."

Wang Tianhai took a deep breath and nodded.

“Very well, we will do as you say, sir,” he said. “Starting tomorrow, I will certainly devote myself wholeheartedly.”

Wang Tianhai began to take active steps.

He spread the word that Qingyun City was recruiting guards with high salaries and generous benefits; as long as one was strong enough, one could receive a substantial reward. As expected, the news attracted many applicants.

However, most of them were not strong enough. Those who came were either rogue cultivators in the Golden Core stage or disciples from small sects in the Nascent Soul stage; there were very few true experts.

"Sir, this can't go on," Wang Tianhai said with a worried expression. "Although many people have applied, none of them are usable. There isn't a single expert at the Integration Realm, let alone at the Great Ascension Realm."

“Experts aren’t so easy to recruit,” Zheng Yi said. “They either already have a place to belong, or they have their own connections and don’t need to be bodyguards. Recruiting truly skilled individuals requires some special methods.”

“What method?”

“It can be done through some special channels,” Zheng Yi said. “For example, there are agencies in Tianyuan City that specialize in introducing top experts. They have a lot of information on experts, and as long as you can afford it, you can find suitable candidates.”

"A brokerage agency?" Wang Tianhai's eyes lit up. "Sir, do you know where such an agency is located?"

“The ‘Myriad Manifestations Pavilion’ in Tianyuan City is one of them,” Zheng Yi said. “The Myriad Manifestations Pavilion is the largest information trading center in the Tianyuan Domain. Besides buying and selling intelligence, it also provides talent introduction services. I heard about it before when I was in Tianyuan City.”

"That's wonderful," Wang Tianhai said. "I'll send someone to make the contact right away."

"No need to send anyone, I'll go myself," Zheng Yi said. "Recruiting experts is very important and cannot be delegated. Besides, I have some other matters to attend to in Tianyuan City, so I can take care of them at the same time."

"What is it?" Wang Tianhai asked.

“I had a magic artifact custom-made at the Hundred Refinements Workshop, it should be ready soon,” Zheng Yi said. “I’ll go pick it up and also inquire at the Myriad Elephants Pavilion.”

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir," Wang Tianhai said.

The next morning, Zheng Yi set off to return to Tianyuan City.

At his speed, he could reach Tianyuan City from Qingyun City in half a day. He flew all the way and arrived at the city gate of Tianyuan City around noon.

Tianyuan City remained as bustling and vibrant as ever, with people coming and going on the streets. The sounds of hawking, laughter, and horses' hooves mingled together, creating a lively scene of everyday life.

Zheng Yi entered the city and first went back to his residence to check on everyone's condition.

"Master, you're back!" Zheng Bowen greeted him immediately upon seeing him.

"Hmm." Zheng Yi nodded. "How's things at home these past few days? Has anything happened?"

“No,” Zheng Bowen said. “Everything is peaceful. The Han family hasn’t sent anyone to harass us again.”

"That's good," Zheng Yi said.

He walked into the courtyard and saw Su Wanqing meditating and cultivating in a corner, Zheng Hongzhi studying formations, Xiao Tianxing practicing swordsmanship, Liu Ruyan organizing medicinal herbs, and Chen Feng sweeping the courtyard. Everything was in good order, which pleased him.

"Wanqing, how's your cultivation going?" He walked up to Su Wanqing and asked.

Su Wanqing opened her eyes and stood up.

"Patriarch, Wanqing feels she's making rapid progress lately," she said. "The connection between the Heavenly Fire Token and me is becoming increasingly strong. When I cultivate, I can feel a fiery power flowing through my body, and my spiritual energy is increasing much faster than before."

"That's good." Zheng Yi nodded. "Keep up the good work and strive for a breakthrough as soon as possible."

“Yes,” Su Wanqing replied.

Zheng Yi then looked at the array formation that Zheng Hongzhi was studying and found that he had thoroughly understood the properties of the Purple Lightning Stone and was designing a new lightning-type array formation.

"Hongzhi, how's the formation research going?" he asked.

"Master, I have some leads," Zheng Hongzhi said. "The lightning power contained in the Purple Lightning Stone is extremely pure, and it can be used to set up a formation called the 'Heavenly Thunder Formation.' Once triggered, this formation will unleash a powerful lightning attack with immense destructive force." (End of Chapter)