Chapter 950 - 956, - 957: First Arrival at Poison King Valley

The third year of Zhenghe, mid-March.

The location where Great Wei and Baiyue meet, Qiushan Pass.

In the morning, Chen Mo and his entourage hastily arrived at the gate of Qiushan Pass, where Baiyue’s official soldiers wielded blades and stood at the city gate, inspecting the identification of those entering and leaving.

Baiyue, a small country on the border of Central State, is weak and honest. During the chaotic ending period of the Great Song, Baiyue did not invade the Great Song.

When Chen Mo succeeded the Great Song and established Great Wei, Baiyue sent envoys to Celestial River and submitted a state letter to the Court.

The letter stated that, firstly, the Princess of Baiyue congratulates Chen Mo, recognizes him as the ruler of the Xin Dynasty, and hopes to continue maintaining a friendly relationship like with the Great Song.

There was naturally no reason for Great Wei not to agree to this.

Chen Mo also loves peace; if people do not offend me, I will not offend them.

Before coming to Baiyue this time, Chen Mo had already sent envoys to Baiyue to announce his visit.

Therefore, when Chen Cultivator took out the travel documents, the Baiyue soldiers, who had already received orders, only asked Chen Mo’s group to remove their armor, which Baiyue would keep, and return them intact when Chen Mo went back.

Chen Mo understood and ordered his men to cooperate.

After entering Qiushan Pass, they were on Baiyue’s territory.

Baiyue is mountainous, and these are not ordinary small hills; nestled amidst towering mountains are countless villages, which are similar to the settlements within Great Wei.

Baiyue’s "infrastructure" is very poor. Qiushan Pass has only one official road leading to Baiyue’s Capital. The rest of the roads are either small paths or mountain trails, without maintenance, and are rugged.

The Imperial Guard struggled to transport a large batch of betrothal gifts along these difficult paths.

Moreover, the wilderness is full of venomous insects, tigers, and leopards; they traveled a hundred miles in five days, moving slowly and halting frequently.

"Erlang, there are even more mountains in Baiyue than in Yu State,"

Han Anniang, riding on horseback, arrived at a spacious area, gazing at the boundless mountain ranges in the distance and sighed.

The road to the Poison King Valley is impassable by carriage, so they abandoned the carriage long ago and opted for horseback or on foot.

Since Han Anniang couldn’t ride a horse, Chen Mo rode with her, holding her from behind, and said with a smile, "Indeed, most are untouched, ancient forests rich in Grass and Wood Spirit Qi."

Here, almost every tree is as thick as a barrel, towering three floors high, with crowns that obscure the sun, and have hardly been exploited.

"Baiyue’s population is sparse, mostly gathered in villages similar to your Great Wei’s cities built of stone and yellow mud. The forests are teeming with venomous creatures and predators, so hardly anyone ventures deep; even when collecting firewood, it’s only around the villages, without going far," Nalan Yiren laughed lightly.

"Baiyue is sitting on a goldmine without even realizing it; if these woods were transported to Great Wei, they’d fetch a fortune. Such sturdy trees are perfect for building war vessels," observed Chen Cultivator with shining eyes.

He even saw some Golden Rattan Wood requiring the embrace of several adults.

This transported to Great Wei, just one could sell for thousands of liang.

"Lord Chen, even if these roads were cleared, it’s tough to transport them to Great Wei; even with carts and horses, it’s hard to get through," Sun Meng said.

"That’s true," Chen Cultivator said, looking at the towering trees, heaving a sigh.

Typically such trees require shipping, yet Baiyue lacks a canal.

"This place, for cultivators honing Little Qing Spirit Qi or Grass and Wood Spirit Qi, is a cultivation sanctuary," Chen Mo said.

"Certainly, any mountain here harbors centuries-old Grass and Wood Spirit Qi," at home, Nalan Yiren spoke more, saying, "Don’t be fooled by our smaller population compared to your Great Wei; we’re a nation of martial arts, and our number of martial artists exceed that of the Great Song."

Before Chen Mo, the cultivation techniques were not released to civilians.

Chen Mo’s previously practiced Blood Nourishing Technique was obtained only after Chen Da, the military advisor, earned a promotion to Centurion, inaccessible to commoners.

However, in Baiyue, the Baiyue Court distributed it freely, allowing everyone to cultivate.

Although it was only the most basic technique, it offered cultivation opportunities to the populace.

Even after Chen Mo ascended, techniques were only spread within the military, permitting unrestricted free practice among all troops.

"Lord Chen, remember this point, and when we return, implement it," Chen Mo suggested to Chen Cultivator.

"This..." Chen Cultivator hesitated.

"Speak your mind; no need to hold back," Chen Mo said.

Chen Cultivator spoke frankly to Chen Mo.

The reason Great Wei has yet to implement it universally is due to its large population; the Court believes, if everyone were to cultivate, it could disrupt stability.

The saying goes, harboring weapons, murderous intent emerges.

Imagine, if during the end of the Great Song, that rebelling group of Celestial Master Thieves were all cultivators, they might have overthrown the Great Song’s regime already.

"Moreover, even if universal implementation happened, the common folk lack the means to cultivate. Lower-Grade Martial Artists cultivate Blood Qi, which requires enough meat for sustenance. Pardon my bluntness, but although the realm is peaceful now, many are still struggling for food, let alone cultivation. Additionally, reading to understand cultivation techniques requires literacy, which costs money," Chen Cultivator explained.

"I know your point, but things must proceed step by step; Rome wasn’t built in a day. As for literacy, even before my ascension, I promoted County Schools. Now, after ascending, with the new policies, each state and county is establishing County Schools. While I don’t expect every citizen to be exceptionally learned, knowing and understanding the terminology in cultivation techniques is achievable.