Chapter 140: Peace Talks Succeed, Three Imperial Edicts

The Dali Palace is no less majestic and imposing than the Daqian Palace, and perhaps even a step above.

This is because the Daqian Palace was originally renovated and rebuilt on the foundation of the previous dynasty's Dali Palace.

As for the Dali—or rather, Beili—Palace before one's eyes, it was rebuilt from scratch, so it appears three parts more magnificent and resplendent.

It is only in terms of the Array that it cannot compare to the long-standing accumulation of the Daqian Palace.

Chen Mo, holding the state credentials, stood before the East Gate of the Palace, with numerous Ministry of Rites officials behind him carrying several state gifts that had been selected long ago.

These were the most precious of the state gifts; the others were relatively not particularly valuable and not worth taking out for special inspection.

On this diplomatic mission, regardless of whether the subsequent peace talks could succeed, since the Emperor of Dali had received the delegation, both sides had exchanged state credentials.

According to protocol, the Emperor of Dali should have return gifts prepared for Chen Mo and the other members of the delegation to take back.

Furthermore, an auspicious day must be chosen to dispatch a delegation to Great Gan.

"Summon the Great Gan delegation to the court for an audience!"

A resonant voice traveled from afar, echoing both inside and outside the entire palace.

Chen Mo, holding the state credentials, stepped into the palace.

Walking along the central axis of the palace, one could see the Main Hall in the distance after passing through the Wu Gate, where the civil and military officials of Dali were now all gathered.

On both sides of the road, countless Yulin Guards stood watch, each one not uttering a word, staring fixedly at every member of the delegation.

Chen Mo walked at a steady pace, all the way to the front of the Main Hall.

The Main Hall of the Dali Palace had slight differences from that of Great Gan, but overall, they were not significant.

Chen Mo walked into the hall, where the civil and military officials of Dali stood in rows, casting their gazes toward him one after another.

With a thousand eyes upon him, Chen Mo remained calm, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Subject of Gan, Chen Mo, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

The numerous members of the delegation bowed along with him.

The Emperor of Dali, dressed in a bright red robe embroidered with a qilin pattern, appeared to be about forty years old, with deep eyes and a smile that was not quite a smile on his face.

"Rise, Minister." The Emperor of Dali smiled, his gaze scanning Chen Mo up and down.

Since peace talks were to be held, he naturally had to study the delegation members well; through many channels, he had already roughly understood Chen Mo's situation.

He knew that for this peace talk, Chen Mo, the chief envoy, was merely a front; while he had the greatest strength and the highest official rank, he was not responsible for the specific negotiations.

However, he still admired Chen Mo quite a bit; it was rare to see a young man with such high talent and such loyalty.

Young men with talent like Chen Mo's were not non-existent under Dali's rule, but they all came from noble families, and even if he wanted to win them over, he would have no opportunity to do so.

"Our dynasty has long heard that Dali is a land of fish and rice, a place of supreme virtue, where people do not pocket items left on the road, doors are not locked at night, the administration is clean and clear, and there are no famines at any time...

Therefore, our Great Gan wishes to trade goods with Dali and cultivate a friendship for a hundred generations."

Chen Mo read the state credentials aloud, saying many things in one breath, with the final sentence being the most important.

"Our dynasty has also heard that Great Gan's people are wealthy and the country is strong, with the populace living and working in peace...

We wish to trade with Great Gan and never raise arms again."

A Palace Attendant walked out and similarly read the Dali state credentials aloud.

Only now had the peace talks taken their first step; as for whether they could succeed later, that was hard to say, but regardless, there was at least this sign.

This could already be considered exceptionally good.

Next, the delegation presented the state gifts, and Dali also prepared return gifts according to protocol, with rewards for all members of the delegation as well.

It was just that these were all nominal positions, and the extra items bestowed were all Dali specialties.

They were relatively precious, but their value was not very high, and they certainly could not enhance cultivation.

After the state credentials were exchanged at the court, Chen Mo suddenly became idle again; the specific peace talk matters were handled by the arriving Ministry of Rites officials.

The conditions had already been set in stone beforehand, and all the delegation could do was make some minor adjustments within those conditions.

After the Ministries of Rites of both sides consulted time and again, and the Dali Imperial Court held countless small court meetings, the matter was finally settled.

The two countries temporarily ceased hostilities, signed a treaty at the border, agreed to trade, dispatched envoys to be stationed in each other's lands, and addressed each other as brothers.

As for the time limit, it was set at thirty years.

Peace was only temporary; both Dali and Great Gan felt that they could raise arms again once they had consolidated their strength.

Therefore, both sides naturally would not sign a treaty without a time limit.

Chen Mo even believed that whether it could truly be maintained for thirty years was a question mark.

Perhaps once one side resolved its domestic problems, it would find a reason to tear up the peace treaty.

It was not Chen Mo's place to sign the treaty; in reality, those responsible for signing it were the Innate Experts of the two royal families.

They would sign the treaty at the border of the two countries, with other Innate Experts and Golden Core cultivators acting as guarantors.

In this way, it could be ensured as much as possible that whichever side wanted to tear up the treaty would at least need a justifiable reason, rather than being able to tear it up at will.

But these things had little to do with Chen Mo; he and his many colleagues from the delegation took Dali's return gifts and headed back toward Great Gan.

Along the way, there were still Innate Experts guarding in the shadows, and Chen Mo kept his armor on at all times.

The treaty had not yet been signed, and taking action against him now could still cause the peace talks between the two countries to fall short of success.

Under the protection of numerous experts from the two royal families, Chen Mo finally returned to the territory of Great Gan.

Only then could he be considered completely secure; whether it was the Demonic Path or the Alien Races, the Innate Experts would no longer waste energy trying to take action against him.

But Chen Mo still did not leave the border; the treaty was about to be signed, and both Ministries of Rites needed someone there to bear witness.

He lingered there for another ten days or so, until the seventh day of the eighth month, an auspicious day calculated by the Imperial Observatory of both countries.

A high platform had already been built between the borders of the two countries, constructed by an Innate Expert using their methods.

It was a hundred feet high and over ten feet in circumference.

At the very peak was a high platform where four Innate Experts from the two royal families met.

Chen Mo stood behind Zhao Xuanxin, silently observing the ceremony from the side.

With many experts as witnesses, both sides signed the treaty, agreeing to be friendly nations and not to raise arms for thirty years.

With this, the whole matter finally came to an end, and Chen Mo originally intended to leave the delegation and quickly return to the Capital.

Firstly, having been away from home for several months, he wanted to go back and take a look.

Secondly, it was time to find a place to dispose of the items in his hands, and there was a fairly large marketplace near the Capital City.

Moreover, by selling items there with his status, even if he did not understand the Dharma Artifacts of Cultivators, he would still receive a very fair price.

However, what he did not expect was that he had just walked down from the high platform and returned to Bian City.

The Imperial Edict conferring rewards upon him had already arrived.

"By the grace of the Emperor, the decree says!

Qingmu County Baron, Third Rank Official Xuanwu General, Attendant of the Ministry of Rites, Chen Mo.

You, my beloved subject, remained calm in the face of danger, braved fire and water for me, and achieved merit in peace negotiations. Now, your salary is increased by two hundred shi, your official rank is raised by one level, and you are appointed as a Right Fourth Rank Xuanwu General.

You are rewarded with ten Three Treasures Profound Origin Pills, one hundred Blood Essence Stones, one hundred Spirit Deer Flowers, and a pair of Blood Garment Ganoderma. I hope you will cultivate diligently and achieve new merits for our Great Gan."

The Palace Attendant responsible for reading the Imperial Edict shouted aloud.

"Your humble subject thanks His Majesty!" Chen Mo bowed and reached out both hands to receive the Imperial Edict.

The rewards His Majesty gave him this time were undeniably generous; although his noble title was not raised, his salary was increased.

Most importantly, he was also rewarded with numerous cultivation resources.

With these resources, he could further accelerate the accumulation of Blood Qi in the Transformation Pearl.

Not only that, the Three Treasures Profound Origin Pills among the rewards could also nourish and enhance the three treasures of a Martial Artist: essence, energy, and spirit.

Even though his own three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit were already unified, consuming this pill could still increase his cultivation and lay a foundation for breaking through to the Innate Realm.

The preciousness of this pill was also self-evident.

As for his official position, it had also been raised by one level; the position of Xuanwu General could originally be held by either a Third Rank Official or a Right Fourth Rank.

Therefore, Chen Mo was only promoted by one level without changing his title; only when he advanced from Right Fourth Rank to Right Third Rank would his title be changed again.

"General Chen, His Majesty has another Imperial Edict sent here." The man from the palace smiled and took out another Imperial Edict.

"By the grace of the Emperor, the decree says.

Qingmu County Baron, Xuanwu General, Attendant of the Ministry of Rites, Chen Mo.

You are relieved of your duties as Attendant of the Ministry of Rites and are to immediately rush to Luantian Valley in Anzhou, lead an army of thirty thousand as the Commander-in-Chief of the central army, and do your utmost to encircle and suppress the Demonic Path scoundrels within the valley."

Acting on the spirit that those who are capable should do more, Zhao Huaili had arranged another task for Chen Mo, making him the Commander-in-Chief of the central army, responsible for encircling and suppressing the Demonic Path scoundrels.

This was reasonable, after all, as long as Innate Experts did not appear, Chen Mo's strength was already rare in the world.

Admittedly, there might still be Innate Experts among the Demonic Path, but there would be specialized Innate Experts to deal with them.

The matters Chen Mo was responsible for were still the encirclement and suppression of those ordinary Demonic Path scoundrels, whose strength was at most the Postnatal Realm.

"Your humble subject accepts the decree." Chen Mo took the second Imperial Edict and put it away.

"I have no troops under my command; since His Majesty has asked me to lead the army as Commander-in-Chief, who exactly am I to command?"

Chen Mo lowered his voice, his tone slightly puzzled, and calmly handed over a few banknotes.

The Palace Attendant who came to deliver the rewards beamed with joy the moment he saw the banknotes.

"General Chen, please rest assured, His Majesty had long thought of this. He has already sent your foster father, General Sun Shouren, to lead twenty thousand imperial guards to arrive near Luantian Valley in advance.

In addition, General Lu Chuan will also personally lead seven thousand cavalry to take orders under you.

Furthermore, there is another Imperial Edict; His Majesty has also prepared five hundred Yulin Guards for you.

The garrison commanders of several nearby prefectures will also lead their troops to support you. In short, please rest assured, the Imperial Edict says thirty thousand men, and there will definitely be more, not less."

That Palace Attendant smiled and said all these things.

Their official ranks were not high, and the power they held was not great, but because they were responsible for drafting and reading Imperial Edicts for His Majesty in various places, the information they knew was very extensive.

"Many thanks." Chen Mo smiled and handed over a few more.

Immediately, the Palace Attendant read the final Imperial Edict.

This Imperial Edict was relatively simple; it temporarily appointed Chen Mo as a Yulin Lang, so that he could command the five hundred Yulin Guards.

Not only that, the two Postnatal Realm experts in the delegation besides him and the remaining Yulin Guards were also temporarily under his command, to rush to Luantian Valley with him to encircle and suppress the Demonic Path scoundrels.

Besides the rewards for Chen Mo, everyone else in the delegation also received rewards, and for a time, everyone was full of joy.

Chen Mo then announced to the other two Postnatal Realm experts and those few Yulin Guards that they would set off for Luantian Valley tomorrow.

After arranging these matters, he took his rewards and walked into the quiet cultivation room.

(End of this chapter)