From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Bullshit! My injuries in the Black Pine Forest were much worse than this, and I still drank strong liquor!" Iron One-Eye cursed angrily. "Are you taking revenge? I only stole a piece of your meat before, right? Hurry up and give me a sip, just one sip!"

Zhao Sanhuai shook his head, waved the leather bag under Tie Duyan's nose, causing Tie Duyan to gasp for breath. Then he tilted his head back, gulped down a big mouthful, and let out a satisfied burp.

"Old Zhao, you've gone bad." Iron One-Eyed closed his eyes in despair. "Once I'm healed, I'll definitely drag you to the training ground for a good sparring session."

"Alright, I'm just as strong as you now." Zhao Sanhuai chuckled, picked up a piece of lean meat without chili peppers with the tip of his knife, and stuffed it into Iron One-Eyed's mouth. "Eat the meat, stop talking so much nonsense."

Compared to the rough and rugged nature of the military generals, Han Wuhen and Elder Liu's side appeared much more "refined," but the topic still revolved around "money."

The two sat on cushioned armchairs, with a small square table in front of them, on which were several delicate dishes of snacks and a pot of warm yellow wine.

"Elder Liu, I went through the Huang family's accounts last night." Han Wuhen took a sip of wine, his face flushed. "Guess what? All three iron mines the Huang family owns around White Stone City are rich mines! And one of them even contains a small amount of 'red copper'! That's excellent for refining array foundations!"

Elder Liu's eyes lit up as well. He stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly: "Red copper? Excellent! Our Hongyun City's defensive array was previously limited by materials, so we could only use ordinary black iron as the array base, which greatly reduced its defensive power. If we replace it with red copper, plus the mid-grade spirit stones we brought back this time, I am confident that I can upgrade this array to the point where it can withstand the attacks of a Golden Core stage cultivator!"

"That's not the main thing," Han Wuhen leaned closer and lowered his voice. "The Huang family also has a hundred-acre field of spiritual herbs outside the city, with a natural spiritual spring there. Those spendthrift sons of the Huang family only know how to plant ordinary Qi-gathering herbs there. I plan to sow all the seeds of the high-grade herbs we dug out from the Black Pine Forest there, and have True Person Ku Lian oversee it. In less than three years, our Hongyun City will be the largest distribution center for medicinal herbs within a thousand miles!"

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Elder Liu slammed his hand on the table. "In this way, we not only have military might and city walls, but also a continuous supply of spiritual veins and wealth. This is the true foundation for establishing a city!"

And in the center of the main grandstand.

Zheng Yi did not sit in the specially reserved high seat for him, but instead sat at the bottom of the stands, holding a wooden bowl.

Xiao Liu and Xiao Shitou flanked him, each holding a golden-brown roasted pork rib, their faces greasy from eating. Dozens of children from the orphanage surrounded them, some chasing and playing, others staring wide-eyed at the soldiers drinking and playing drinking games.

"Sir, have all those bad guys from the Huang family been driven away?" Xiao Liu asked, gnawing on a bone, his dark eyes reflecting the flickering campfire.

"We didn't just drive them away, we wiped them out of existence." Zheng Yi reached out and wiped the grease from Xiao Liu's mouth with his sleeve. "From now on, White Stone City will also be ours. When you grow up, you can go and see it over there. The mountains there are higher than here, and the water is clearer."

"I'm not leaving!" Little Stone hurriedly swallowed the meat in his mouth. "I'll stay in Hongyun City! When I grow up, I want to wear the same kind of armor as Uncle Guo, carry such a long spear, and guard the gate for you, sir!"

"Me too!" Xiao Liu waved the bone in his hand as if it were a weapon. "I want to be a great general! I'll beat all the monsters and bad guys who dare to bully us to death!"

Zheng Yi looked at the two innocent yet stubborn children, a gentle smile appearing on his lips. He didn't say anything like "Don't fight and kill," because in this cruel world of cultivation, teaching children to take up arms to protect themselves was the greatest act of kindness.

"Okay." Zheng Yi patted their heads. "Starting tomorrow, in addition to learning to read, I will teach you swordsmanship."

"Really?!" The two children jumped up excitedly, dropping the bones they were holding.

“Really.” Zheng Yi picked up the bone, blew off the ash, and handed it back to them. “But sword practice is very hard, ten times harder than pushing a shield. Anyone who complains of being tired and cries will only be able to work in the kitchen as a fire starter.”

"I absolutely won't cry! If I cry, I'll be a little dog!" Xiao Liu patted his chest and promised.

The night breeze swept through Hongyun City, bringing with it the aroma of wine and meat, and the sounds of laughter and chatter.

Zheng Yi picked up the wooden bowl in his hand and took a sip of the slightly cool wine. His gaze passed over the revelers, over the towering black rock walls, and looked towards the distant south.

There lies the deepest part of the Qingyun Mountains. There stands the largest cultivation sect in the area, the Qingyun Sect.

Huang Delong's dying roar still echoed in his ears. He knew that Huang's son, who was an outer sect steward in the Qingyun Sect, would never let the matter rest.

"Come on," Zheng Yi said silently to himself.

He was never afraid of trouble coming his way; he was only afraid that his sword wasn't sharp enough to protect the people in the city.

As night deepened, the revelry gradually subsided. The drunken soldiers helped each other back to their barracks, and the civilians dispersed in twos and threes. Only dark red embers remained of the campfire, flickering in the night wind.

Hongyun City enjoyed a rare period of tranquility.

But a storm is brewing.

……

Five days later.

Outside White Stone City, high in the sky.

A flying sword, over ten feet long and radiating a sharp blue light, pierced through the clouds like a streak of blue lightning, hurtling towards the city below.

At the tip of the flying sword stood a young man dressed in a flowing blue Taoist robe and wearing a white jade crown. He had a handsome face, but his brows revealed an undisguised arrogance and conceit. This man was Huang Yifei, the eldest son of Huang Delong and an outer sect steward of the Qingyun Sect.

Behind him stood two young disciples, also dressed in Qingyun Sect attire. These two were Huang Yifei's close junior brothers from within the sect, who had been invited by Huang Yifei to come down the mountain to "visit" Baishi City.

"Senior Brother Huang, is that your family's White Stone City just ahead?" A round-faced junior brother peeked down and asked in a slightly ingratiating tone, "I've long heard that Senior Brother Huang's family is a powerful force in the mortal world. Seeing it today, the scale of this city is indeed magnificent. It seems that the spiritual energy within hundreds of miles is converging on this city."

Another tall, thin junior brother chimed in with a laugh, "Yeah, I still drool over the jar of 'Hundred Fruit Wine' that Senior Brother Huang brought back to the sect last time. This time, Senior Brother promised to let us have a good time in the city for a few days. I heard that the girls at the Red Sleeve Pavilion in White Stone City are all so beautiful they could be squeezed for water."

As Huang Yifei listened to their flattery, his arrogance grew even stronger. He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering, looking every bit the otherworldly immortal, but the words that came out of his mouth were full of worldly greed.

"Don't worry, my two junior brothers. Once we're on my Huang family's territory, I can't guarantee anything else, but spirit stones, fine wine, and cauldrons will be plentiful!" Huang Yifei laughed heartily. "I sent word home that I was bringing two fellow disciples as guests. My father has probably already laid out a red carpet and prepared a welcoming banquet at the city gate. Although our Huang family can't compare to a sect, in this mortal realm, we're practically the local emperors!"

He controlled the flying sword, slowly descending the altitude. "Once we enter the city, junior brothers, take whatever you fancy. Don't be shy. Everything in White Stone City belongs to the Huang family!"

However, as the flying sword got closer and closer to the ground, Huang Yifei's smile gradually froze.

The anticipated scene of the city gates opening wide, hundreds of servants lining up to welcome the guests, and a red carpet being laid out did not materialize.

Instead, what met the eye was a deathly silence.

At the tall and wide passageway of the North Gate, there was no mahogany gate, only a huge, ugly gap with edges that looked like they had been melted and solidified. On the city wall, the Huang family's private soldiers' iconic yellow battle flags were nowhere to be seen. Instead, several strangers dressed in coarse cloth and carrying simple spears were lazily patrolling.

What terrified Huang Yifei even more was that when a gust of wind blew by, there was no welcoming incense in the air, only a faint, lingering smell of burning and blood.

"What... what's going on?" The round-faced junior brother also noticed something was wrong, sniffing. "Senior Brother Huang, your city gate... it looks like it was melted down with true fire magic?"

Huang Yifei's heart clenched suddenly, and an extremely ominous premonition instantly gripped him.

"Impossible! Who dares to touch my Huang family in this territory!" Huang Yifei shouted angrily, but he didn't even realize that his voice was trembling slightly.

He suddenly activated his true energy, and his flying sword transformed into a streak of light, directly leaping over the city wall and swooping down towards the Huang family mansion in the city center.

"Who goes there! Daring to fly on a sword above White Stone City!" The patrolling soldiers below noticed the commotion above them and shouted, but the flying sword was too fast for them to stop.

Huang Yifei ignored the ants below, his eyes fixed on what lay ahead.

The closer they got to the city center, the stronger the unease became. Although the shops on both sides of the street were still open, the patrolling soldiers were no longer Huang's private troops, but some unfamiliar soldiers wearing gray-white bone armor.

When the flying sword hovered above the Huang family mansion, Huang Yifei's body swayed violently, and he almost fell off the flying sword.

"Senior brother!" His two junior brothers quickly helped him up.

The scene below struck Huang Yifei like a bolt from the blue.

That once magnificent mansion, with its carved beams and painted rafters, covering dozens of acres and symbolizing the Huang family's supreme power, has been completely reduced to ruins.

The vermilion gate shattered into splinters. The towering screen wall collapsed to the ground. A large hole appeared in the roof of the main hall, like a blind eye gazing despairingly at the sky.

The courtyard was deserted; the once-precious flowers and plants had been trampled into mud. On the wide, bluestone-paved plaza in the front yard, there was a large, dark red, horrifying stain that could not be washed away. It was the mark left by a large amount of blood seeping into the stone.

“Father…Second Uncle…” Huang Yifei’s legs went weak and he knelt on the flying sword with a “thump”. His eyes bulged out of extreme shock and fear, as if they were about to burst.

He abruptly withdrew the spiritual power from the flying sword, and the three of them landed directly in the courtyard filled with broken bricks and tiles.

"This... Senior Brother Huang, your family has been robbed!" The tall, thin junior brother looked at the tragic scene around him and couldn't help but take two steps back. His hand was already on the hilt of his sword as he looked around warily.

Huang Yifei, as if possessed, scrambled to his feet and stumbled into the main hall.

The room was completely empty; all the valuable items had been removed, leaving only a few shattered armchairs.

He then rushed madly to the backyard, towards the artificial hill where the old man had secluded himself.

The artificial hill has been leveled, the stone door of the seclusion room is wide open, and the room is covered with cobwebs; not even a meditation cushion has been left.

"what--!!!"

Huang Yifei let out an extremely shrill scream as he looked up at the sky. The sound contained disbelief, despair, and hatred that festered like a venomous snake.

He couldn't believe it was true. How could his Huang family, with its late-stage Foundation Establishment patriarch and 1,500 elite private soldiers, be completely uprooted in just a few days? Not even a single intact brick was left!

"Who! Who did this?!" Huang Yifei knelt in the middle of the ruins, his hands digging into the soil with all his might, his fingernails curling and bleeding profusely.

"Senior brother, calm down!" The round-faced junior brother ran over and grabbed him. "This is not the time to go crazy! We need to find out what happened quickly. Since the other side was able to destroy your family, their strength is definitely not weak. We can't stay here any longer!"

"Yes...yes, find out who it is..." Huang Yifei's eyes were bloodshot. He turned his head sharply and looked at the courtyard gate like a bloodthirsty beast.

On the street, several passersby were peeking into the courtyard when they saw the three immortal masters descending from the sky. They were so frightened that they tried to run away.

"stop!"

Huang Yifei moved with lightning speed, rushing out of the courtyard gate in an instant and grabbing a skinny old man who looked like an old beggar from the city.

"Master, spare me! Master, spare me!" The old beggar was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Speak! Where are my Huang family members! Who destroyed my Huang family! If you mispronounce a single word, I'll tear your soul out and burn it to the ground!" Huang Yifei's face was ferocious, and the force in his hands was so great that he almost crushed the old man's shoulder.

The old man's eyes rolled back in pain, and he stammered, "It was...it was people from Hongyun City...a few nights ago, Mr. Zheng from Hongyun City...led a thousand armored soldiers into the city..."

“Hongyun City? That remote and impoverished place?!” Huang Yifei was stunned. Of course he knew Hongyun City; it was a gathering place for refugees where even the city walls were not properly built.

"Yes...it was them..." The old man swallowed hard. "Mr. Zheng cleaved open the north gate with a single sword stroke, killing Grandpa Huang and Second Grandpa Huang. Old Master Huang...Old Master Huang flew onto the roof and was killed by Mr. Zheng with a single finger...His body wasn't even properly recovered..." (End of Chapter)