From the fake emperor to the concubine

The next morning, the rain gradually stopped, the dark clouds in the sky began to dissipate, and the long-awaited sunshine appeared. The air was filled with the scent of earth and grass, exceptionally fresh.

Zheng Yi stood in the courtyard, watching the dawn gradually brighten on the horizon, and made a decision in his heart.

"Bowen, pack your bags. We're leaving for Qingyun City today," he said.

"Go to Qingyun City?" Zheng Bowen was somewhat surprised. "Patriarch, you just defeated Han Tianxiong, shouldn't you rest for a few more days?"

“There’s no time to rest,” Zheng Yi said. “The Han family won’t make any moves for now, but the deadline for the Lu family is approaching. Wang Tianhai needs help, so I have to get there as soon as possible.”

"Who does the patriarch plan to take with him?" Zheng Bowen asked.

“I’ll go alone this time,” Zheng Yi said. “You all stay in Tianyuan City and guard the residence. Although the Han family has retreated for now, it’s hard to guarantee they won’t make a comeback. With the Heavenly Thunder Formation, you should be able to handle it.”

“Yes, Master.” Zheng Bowen nodded.

Zheng Yi gave a few more instructions, then went out and flew towards Qingyun City.

He moved very fast along the way, like a streak of light streaking across the sky.

After breaking through to the late stage of the Mahayana realm, his flying speed became much faster than before. What used to take half a day could now be covered in just two hours.

Just after noon, Zheng Yi arrived in Qingyun City.

From the air, Qingyun City remains that ancient border town. The city walls stand tall, the gate towers majestic, and the houses are neatly arranged, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. Although small, the town is well-organized, giving it a peaceful and serene feel.

Zheng Yi landed in front of the city lord's mansion. The guards recognized him and rushed to greet him.

"Mr. Dark Night, you've arrived!" the guard said respectfully. "Lord Wang is in the council hall. Please wait a moment, sir, while I go and inform him."

"No need, I can go by myself." Zheng Yi waved his hand and stepped into the city lord's mansion.

After passing through several corridors, we arrived at the entrance of the council chamber.

The door was open, and voices could be heard coming from inside.

Zheng Yi went inside and found Wang Tianhai discussing matters with several people. Besides Wang Tianhai, there were Tieshan, Fengling, and Qingsong, as well as several officials from the city lord's mansion.

"Mr. Dark Night!" Wang Tianhai's face lit up with surprise when he saw Zheng Yi, and he quickly stood up to greet him. "What brings you here?"

“Let me check on things,” Zheng Yi said. “The Lu family’s deadline is approaching, and I’m worried there might be problems on your end.”

“You’ve come at the perfect time, sir,” Wang Tianhai said. “We’re currently discussing strengthening the city’s defenses, and we’d like to ask for your advice.”

He invited Zheng Yi to sit next to the head of the table, and then continued, "Senior Qingsong has been setting up the formation these past few days and has already achieved some results."

Qingsong stroked his beard and said, "These past few days, I've carefully surveyed the terrain of the City Lord's Mansion and Qingyun City, and I've discovered that the feng shui here is excellent, suitable for setting up large-scale formations."

"I have already set up a 'Protective Yuan Array' in the City Lord's Mansion, which can withstand attacks from early-stage Mahayana Realm experts. However, this array can only protect the City Lord's Mansion, not the entire city."

"To protect the entire city, a larger formation is needed. But this requires a lot of materials and time, and it's difficult to complete in a short period of time."

Zheng Yi nodded after listening.

"The Protective Array can already protect the City Lord's Mansion, which is quite good," he said. "As for the entire city, we don't need to worry about that for now. As long as the City Lord's Mansion is safe, the Lu family won't dare to act rashly."

“Sir, you’re right,” Wang Tianhai nodded. “However, formations alone are not enough. The city guards’ combat effectiveness also needs to be improved.”

"How is the city guard?" Zheng Yi asked.

"Not good," Wang Tianhai sighed. "Although the city guard has over three thousand men, most are ordinary cultivators with weak combat capabilities. Moreover, Deputy General Zhang Wu has been bribed by Lu Yunfei and has been secretly plotting. I've already found an excuse to transfer him, but the morale of the city guard has still been affected."

"Where is the new deputy general?" Zheng Yi asked.

“It’s Chen Feng,” Wang Tianhai said. “He’s my trusted confidant, utterly loyal. But his cultivation is only at the late stage of the Integration Realm, and he lacks seniority, so some people in the city guards aren’t entirely convinced.”

Zheng Yi frowned.

The city guard's problems were more serious than he had imagined. If the city guard's fighting strength was weak and their morale was low, they would probably be at a great disadvantage when a real battle broke out.

“I have an idea,” he said.

“Please speak, sir,” Wang Tianhai said quickly.

"The city guard's problems can't be solved simply by replacing officers," Zheng Yi said. "We must fundamentally improve their combat effectiveness and morale."

How to improve?

“First, we need to strengthen their training,” Zheng Yi said. “Although the city guards are numerous, they lack combat experience. We can have Tieshan lead them in combat training to improve their fighting skills and teamwork.”

“Brother Tieshan?” Wang Tianhai looked at Tieshan.

"No problem." Tieshan patted his chest. "Training soldiers is my forte. Give me a month, and I guarantee I'll train them into an elite force."

"Secondly, improve their treatment," Zheng Yi continued. "Why are the soldiers' morale so low? Because they see no hope. If we can improve their treatment and make them feel that following you offers a promising future, their morale will naturally rise."

Wang Tianhai nodded. "That's achievable. I've been raising funds these past few days, planning to increase the city guards' pay by 10%."

“Ten percent isn’t enough,” Zheng Yi said. “It needs to increase by at least thirty percent.”

"Thirty percent?" Wang Tianhai hesitated. "That would require a lot of money."

"We can figure out the money problem gradually," Zheng Yi said, "but the morale issue must be resolved as soon as possible. If the city guards lack the will to fight, no matter how many there are, it's useless."

Wang Tianhai thought about it for a moment, and finally nodded.

“Okay, I’ll raise it by 30%,” he said.

“Finally, there’s one more thing,” Zheng Yi said, “You need to establish your authority within the city guard.”

"Establish prestige?" Wang Tianhai asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Yes,” Zheng Yi said. “Although you are the city lord, you haven’t been in power for long, and many in the city guard don’t know you well enough. They don’t know your strength or your character, so naturally they won’t follow you wholeheartedly.”

"You need to do something to show them your strength and decisiveness. Only then will they truly recognize you and be willing to serve you."

Wang Tianhai pondered for a moment, "What you say makes sense. But how exactly should we do it?"

“We can hold a military parade,” Zheng Yi said. “Have the entire city guard assemble and demonstrate your strength in front of everyone. Then announce the pay raise, and incidentally, rectify military discipline and deal with a few bad apples. This way, your prestige will naturally be established.”

Wang Tianhai's eyes lit up. "Sir, that's a great idea!"

He turned to the official beside him, “Immediately issue the order: a military parade will be held in three days. The entire city guard must assemble without fail.” “Yes, sir!” the official replied, turning and leaving.

For the next three days, the entire Qingyun City was busy.

Tieshan began intensive training for the city guards, with training sessions from morning till night, leaving the soldiers complaining bitterly. However, the results were also evident; in just three days, the morale of the city guards had significantly improved.

Qingsong continued to improve the defensive formations of the City Lord's Mansion, setting up several smaller formations to elevate its defensive capabilities to a new level.

Fengling was secretly monitoring Lu Yunfei's movements and keeping a close eye on news about the Lu family.

Zheng Yi wasn't idle either. He wandered around the city every day, learning about the situation in Qingyun City and looking for areas for improvement.

He discovered that although Qingyun City's walls appeared sturdy, they actually had many weaknesses. In some places, the bricks had weathered, and in others, the protective barriers had failed, making it difficult to withstand a large-scale attack.

“The city walls need to be reinforced,” he said to Wang Tianhai. “At the very least, those leaks need to be patched up, and then the restrictions need to be redone.”

“I know,” Wang Tianhai sighed, “but it requires a lot of money and materials. I’m currently short of funds and truly lack the resources.”

"I'll figure out the money problem," Zheng Yi said. "We can also purchase materials from Tianyuan City. The key is that you need to finish repairing the city wall as soon as possible."

“Alright, I’ll arrange for someone to do it right away,” Wang Tianhai said.

Three days later, the military parade was held as scheduled.

The weather was sunny and clear that day.

More than 3,000 city guards gathered in the square in front of the city lord's mansion, forming a neat square formation, their armor gleaming and their banners fluttering.

Wang Tianhai, clad in armor, stood on a high platform, looking down at the soldiers below.

"Soldiers!" he proclaimed, "I, Wang Tianhai, am your city lord. Today, I have several matters to announce."

"First, starting next month, the city guards' pay will increase by 30%!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd, and the soldiers beamed with delight. A 30% pay rise was a considerable sum of money.

"Secondly, I have decided to rectify military discipline and severely punish the bad apples!" Wang Tianhai's voice grew stern. "Over the years, some members of the city garrison have oppressed the people, embezzled military funds, and tarnished the reputation of the city garrison. I will not tolerate these people!"

With a wave of his hand, several guards escorted up several people who were bound hand and foot.

Those men were officers in the city guard, who had long been bullying and oppressing the soldiers. Wang Tianhai had wanted to deal with them for a long time, but had never had the opportunity. Today, he was seizing the chance to make an example of them.

"These men embezzled military funds and oppressed soldiers; their crimes are unforgivable!" Wang Tianhai shouted. "Guards, execute them in public!"

The guards raised their knives, their blades gleaming coldly.

The men were terrified, their faces ashen, and they begged for mercy. But Wang Tianhai was determined to enforce military discipline and remained unmoved.

With a flash of light, several heads rolled to the ground.

The soldiers below were startled, but then erupted in cheers. These men, who had always been arrogant and domineering, had long incurred the wrath of the crowd. Now that they were finally executed, everyone applauded with satisfaction.

"Thirdly, I want to show everyone my strength!" Wang Tianhai continued.

He jumped down from the platform and landed in the center of the square.

"Is there anyone who would like to spar with this old man?" he asked.

The audience was completely silent; no one dared to step forward.

Wang Tianhai was a master at the early stage of the Mahayana realm, and no one in the entire city guard was his match. Who would dare to spar with him?
“Since no one dares to step forward, then I’ll show everyone what I’ve got,” Wang Tianhai said.

He took a deep breath, and his spiritual energy began to surge. A powerful aura erupted from him, like a mountain, making the soldiers on the square gasp for breath.

Then, he struck out with his palm.

boom!
A gust of wind surged from his hand, accompanied by a whistling sound, and slammed towards a boulder on the edge of the square.

The boulder was more than two people tall and weighed at least several thousand kilograms. But under Wang Tianhai's palm strike, it shattered like paper, turning into a pile of rubble.

"Amazing!"

"Lord City Lord is mighty!"

The soldiers below the stage were stunned and cheered. They hadn't expected their city lord to be so powerful.

Wang Tianhai withdrew his palm strike, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"You have all witnessed my strength," he said. "As long as you follow me, I will certainly not treat you unfairly. But if anyone dares to betray me, the consequences will be the same as that stone!"

"I am willing to serve the city lord!"

"I am willing to serve the city lord!"

The soldiers below the stage shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Zheng Yi stood aside, watching this scene, and nodded slightly.

The military parade was a great success. Wang Tianhai demonstrated his strength and decisiveness, increased the soldiers' pay, and dealt with the bad apples. After today's actions, the morale of the city guards will surely be greatly boosted.

"Mr. Dark Night, what do you think?" Wang Tianhai walked over and asked.

"Not bad." Zheng Yi nodded. "Morale has improved a lot. Next, we need to continue to strengthen training and improve combat effectiveness."

“I understand,” Wang Tianhai said.

After the military parade, Zheng Yi remained in Qingyun City to help Wang Tianhai strengthen the city's defenses.

He allocated a portion of his funds to purchase a large quantity of materials from Tianyuan City for repairing the city walls and setting up protective barriers. He also commissioned Qingsong to design several simple formations, which were placed at key locations on the city walls to enhance their defensive capabilities.

Tieshan continued training the city guards tirelessly from morning till night. Under his rigorous training, the city guards' combat effectiveness improved rapidly, and they were already taking the shape of an elite force.

Fengling secretly set up an intelligence network, planting spies in every corner of the city to monitor the movements of Lu Yunfei and other suspicious individuals.

Ten days later, Qingyun City had a completely new look.

The city walls had been newly repaired, their bricks and stones sturdy, and the defenses were tight. At regular intervals along the walls stood watch towers, each manned by well-trained archers. The guards at the city gates had been replaced by elite soldiers from the city's garrison, their armor gleaming, their vigilance impeccable.

The City Lord's Mansion was impregnable. The protective array set up by Qing Song covered the entire mansion, forming an invisible barrier. Even a master at the early stage of the Great Ascension Realm would have to exert considerable effort to break through. (End of Chapter)