His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

Feng Xingyu was puzzled.

To watch him die with your own eyes?

"You want me to put on a show for them?"

"Need not."

Mo Sangyu shook her head slightly: "It's not that troublesome, you don't need to get involved."

"So...you're looking for someone similar to me?"

"Not a similar person, but an exact replica... a mannequin."

"Um?"

Feng Xingyu frowned slightly, clearly finding it difficult to understand.

dummy?

No matter how lifelike the double or disguise, it cannot escape the eyes of a true master.

Not to mention it's a mannequin.

Mo Sangyu rarely saw Feng Xingyu so curious, so she reluctantly showed it to him.

She raised a finger, and a faint, dark blue light emanated from her fingertip, gradually condensing into a transparent ice talisman.

"An avatar outside the body".

She tossed the ice talisman into the air, her eyes narrowing: "Appear!"

As she spoke, the suspended ice talisman suddenly spun and its light intensified.

Under Feng Xingyu's slightly astonished gaze, a human figure was quickly sketched out, gradually becoming clearer from the blurry to the solid.

The light dissipated.

Another "Phoenix Chariot" appeared in the study.

They wore the same dark-colored casual clothes, had the same upright posture, and the same cold and eerie eyes. Even the indifferent and aloof look between their brows was exactly the same.

He stood there quietly, his breathing steady, his eyes calm as he looked at Feng Xingyu.

If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, Feng Xingyu would have almost thought that there was an incredibly clear mirror standing in front of him.

He looked closely and found that even the slightest creases on the collar and the shadows cast by the eyelashes were exactly the same.

It's terrifyingly real.

The only difference he noticed was that the mannequin carried some strange, inhuman aura.

It's hard to spot unless you get close.

When did Black Cloud Temple acquire such bizarre and unpredictable methods?

Feng Xingyu stared at his other self opposite him; it would be a lie to say he wasn't shocked.

However, he tried his best to remain calm, not wanting to appear like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world in front of Mo Sangyu.

Mo Sangyu snapped his fingers, and the avatar outside him seemed to have been stripped of its support, turning into specks of icy blue light and quietly dissipating into the air.

It was spotless, not even a trace was left.

"How is it?"

Mo Sangyu clapped her hands and asked in a calm tone, "Will this be enough to keep it from that person?"

"Um."

Feng Xingyu slowly exhaled, his voice low and deep, "This dummy is incredibly realistic. Are you planning to send it back to the Black Swamp?"

"That's right."

Having said all that, how could Feng Xingyu not guess her next plan?

She made those people see "him" enter the Black Swamp, or see "him" being dragged into the Black Swamp by those dangerous vines and never coming out again.

This way, we can buy ourselves more time.

And that's how the matter was settled.

With time running out, everyone began to take action, each fulfilling their assigned duties.

They carried out the plan secretly, step by step, according to Mo Sangyu's instructions.

The primary task was to find a suitable base.

Mo Sangyu asked Feng Xingyu for the most detailed map of the surrounding area and information on the distribution of forces.

For the next few days, she spent her time in her room studying maps and piles of intelligence files.

Topography, water sources, resources, climate.

And, relationships with surrounding powers, key transportation routes...

She observed very carefully, occasionally picking up a pen to make marks in certain places.

Yan Qing and the others would occasionally come over to discuss with her what kind of place would be suitable, but in the end, Mo Sangyu would veto them all.

Later, they simply stopped caring and focused on other matters.

The biggest project was figuring out how to make these 100,000 troops disappear without a trace.

By the time the news reached the capital, "Feng Xingyu" was already dead.

His troops originally numbered only 10,000 and were regular soldiers.

The other 90,000 men were all unofficial personnel he recruited himself, a motley crew of all sorts of people.

Even if everyone disappears by then, the Emperor of Dayou won't care too much. At most, he'll think that the monkeys have scattered when the tree falls.

With their commander Feng Xingyu gone, they knew they were no longer favored by the Great You Dynasty, so they naturally disbanded and went their separate ways to make a living.

Without Yan Qing and the others' "help," Mo Sangyu moved much faster and finally found the most suitable base on the evening of the fifth day.

She used a charcoal pencil to draw a circle at a certain location on the map.

Inside the study.

Everyone gathered around the desk, looking at the circle that Mo Sangyu had drawn, shaking their heads and sighing.

"Youdu City? Princess Consort, you'd better not even think about that place," Gu Jinzhi said first.

His very first words were a denial.

Yan Qing couldn't help but shake his head: "This place, the Princess Consort, is probably unaware of. It's a tough nut to crack, no, a diamond in the rough..."

Feng Xingyu remained silent, only looking at Mo Sangyu with a silent gaze.

The place she chose was called Youdu City.

Youdu City has an extremely unique geographical location.

It is located at the border of the Great You, the Western Rong, the Northern Di, and several grassland tribes, like a wedge embedded between these forces.

It's about a hundred kilometers from their current location, not too far.

Youdu City does not belong to any country.

It possessed its own independent government and armed forces, and its commerce was extremely developed, attracting caravans and goods from all directions, making it a veritable floating gold mine.

More importantly, it is situated in a treacherous location, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one side providing access.

Moreover, the city wall was constructed using a special mixture of materials, making it exceptionally sturdy and extremely easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Over the years, many have coveted this prize and tried to take it over, but all have ultimately failed.

It is said that the city lord of Youdu City is powerful and knows an ancient and mysterious formation that makes the sky above the city impervious to swords and spears, and even the most skilled light-footed martial arts cannot cross it.

The only entrance and exit was that city gate, which required rigorous inspection.

Such a place is impregnable; to think of taking it over as a base is simply wishful thinking.

But it must be said that everyone agrees that the princess has a keen eye, picking out the most outstanding person at a glance.

"Is it that hard to chew?"

Mo Sangyu leaned back lazily in her chair, her fingers lightly tapping the table: "Then I'm even more interested."

Several people looked at each other.

But then she continued, "A stable, wealthy, and well-defended base is the cornerstone of our future development."

"If we just find a tribe or a remote place, we will not only have to rebuild, which will cost a lot of manpower and resources, but we will also have to worry about being discovered by the Great You and surrounding forces, which will greatly affect our development speed."

"In comparison, if we could take Youdu City, it would be like ascending to the heavens in one step."

"But the Crown Princess..."

Gu Jinzhi tried to make her tone sound less like she was pouring cold water on our plans: "We might not even be able to get through the city gates, let alone..."

"I didn't say you were allowed to go."

Mo Sangyu interrupted him, a wild and charming smile curving her lips: "I like challenging things. Things that are easily obtained are meaningless."

She looked at Feng Xingyu.

"Give me half a month to try. If it doesn't work, we'll settle for the next best option: the western valley you had your eye on, or the northern grassland tribe."

Yan Qing couldn't help but say, "Princess Consort, are you going alone? That's... not a good idea, it's too dangerous."

The crucial point is that if she gets injured, it will be His Highness who suffers.

Mo Sangyu ignored him and looked at Feng Xingyu, asking, "Do you believe me?"

A brief silence fell over the study.

Feng Xingyu stared at her for a long time before nodding slightly.

He only said two words: "I believe you."

This is insane! This is insane!

It's one thing for the princess to have wild ideas.

Why is Your Highness so impulsive?

That's Youdu City, which none of the Nine Provinces dare to even dream of!

Where did the princess get this courage?

Even Gu Jinzhi thought it was unreliable!

"Just trust me."

Mo Sangyu was actually quite pleased to hear this answer.

"I need a detailed map of Youdu City, Mr. Gu. How long will it take to get it for me?"

"..."

Gu Jinzhi pondered for a while before saying, "Three days."

"Okay, then three days it is."

Mo Sangyu made the final decision.

Although everyone believed that the princess would definitely be devastated this time, they couldn't persuade her otherwise, so they could only hope that she would be alright as long as she didn't get hurt.

"How are your plans progressing?"

"Everything is going smoothly. Our informants in the capital have sent word that all relatives have been secretly moved. Your Highness, your sister is a bit of a problem. She's being used as a pawn to threaten you and is being closely watched. We can only get her out of trouble by finding a way to cause an accident, otherwise we risk alerting her."

"Any method will do as long as we can get her out."

With Mo Sangyu's words, Gu Jinzhi had no more worries.

"My situation is also going well. The troops have been divided into units and are ready to begin their transfer in the next couple of days. Now we are just waiting for the military pay to arrive so that we can begin Your Highness's plan to fake your death."

"There's another problem."

After Yan Qing finished speaking, Yuan Zhao, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Yesterday I went to take stock of the underground banks. Currently, all the silver in our accounts is less than 100,000 taels. Even with three months' worth of military pay, this amount of money will only last for half a year. We must find a way in advance, otherwise we will have no income once we leave here."

Underground banks?

Mo Sangyu raised an eyebrow.

It turns out that Feng Xingyu also owns an underground bank.

Presumably, that money exchange should be located in the area around the Colosseum.

"Alright, let's split up. I'll go to the arena again in the next three days and try to make as much money as I can. As for your bank, try to keep the cash on hand and don't lend it out anymore."

"Your Highness, you...you still want to go to the arena?"

Mo Sangyu already knew about the incident being discovered at the arena, and also knew that Feng Xingyu had taken the opportunity to swindle 10,000 taels of silver from someone else.

She smiled and countered, "What, are you afraid of the arena's power?"

"How is that possible!"

Yan Qing immediately retorted, "It's just that we've been here for eight years and have established some rules to gain people's trust..."

"The rules are set for them, not for ourselves."

"But can the Crown Princess guarantee that she will only profit and never lose?"

"Whether it's a profit or a loss, we'll know when I get back."

Mo Sangyu got up and walked outside. After a few steps, she remembered something and suddenly turned back to look at Feng Xingyu: "Oh, right..."