Troubled times: Start practicing spiritual practice by taking care of your sister-in-law.

The third year of Zhenghe, mid-March.

At the border between Wei and Baiyue, there is Prison Mountain Pass.

In the morning, Chen Mo and his party hurriedly arrived at the gate of Qiushan Pass. The Baiyue officers and soldiers stood at the city gate with blades in their hands, checking the identities of those entering and leaving.

Baiyue was a small country on the border of Zhongzhou. It was weak and honest. At the end of the Song Dynasty, when the country was in chaos, Baiyue never sent troops to invade the Song Dynasty.

When Chen Mo inherited the Song Dynasty and established the Wei Dynasty, Baiyue sent envoys to Tianchuan and submitted letters to the court.

The letter said that first of all, Princess Baiyue congratulated Chen Mo, recognized him as the leader of the new dynasty, and hoped to continue to maintain friendly relations with the Song Dynasty.

Naturally, there was no reason for the Great Wei to refuse this.

Chen Mo is also a peace-loving person. I will not offend others unless they offend me.

Before coming to Baiyue this time, Chen Mo also sent envoys to Baiyue to say hello.

Therefore, when Chen Xiu took out the pass, the Baiyue officers and soldiers, who had already received orders from their superiors, simply asked Chen Mo and his men to take off their armor. The Baiyue side would keep it and return it intact when Chen Mo returned.

Chen Mo also understood and ordered his subordinates to cooperate.

After entering the Qiushan Pass, you will reach the territory of Baiyue.

The Baiyue people are very mountainous, and these are not ordinary small mountains. There are countless large and small mountain strongholds hidden among the mountains. These mountain strongholds of the Baiyue people are similar to the villages in the territory of the Wei Dynasty.

The "infrastructure" of Baiyue was very poor. There was only one official road from Qiushan Pass to the capital of Baiyue. The rest of the roads were either small roads or mountain roads. They were not maintained and were full of potholes.

The Guards were transporting a large amount of betrothal gifts and it was difficult for them to move.

Not only that, there were poisonous insects, tigers and leopards everywhere in the mountains and fields. We had to stop and go along the way. It took us five days to walk a hundred miles.

"Erlang, Baiyue has more mountains than Yuzhou."

Han Anniang rode on her horse and came to an open area. She looked at the endless mountains in the distance and sighed.

The road to the Poison King Valley was impassable by carriages, so they had long since abandoned the carriages and chose to ride horses or walk.

Han Anniang couldn't ride a horse, so Chen Mo rode with her, hugged her from behind, and said with a smile: "Yes, most of them are primitive forests with few human traces, and the plants are rich in spiritual energy."

Almost every tree here is as thick as a bucket and ten feet tall, with its canopy covering the sky and blocking the sun, and has basically never been mined.

"There are few Baiyue people, and they mostly gather in the form of mountain strongholds. There are few cities like those built with stones and yellow mud in your Great Wei. There are many poisonous insects, tigers and leopards in the forests, and almost no civilians will go deep into these mountains and forests. They collect firewood around the mountain strongholds and will not go far." Nalan Yiren chuckled.

"The Baiyue people have a mountain of gold but don't realize it. If these trees were shipped to our Great Wei, they would be sold for a lot of money. Moreover, trees this thick can be good materials for making warships." Chen Xiu's eyes lit up when he saw these big trees.

He even saw a golden nanmu tree that was so thick that it took several adults to hug it.

If we take this to Wei, just this one would be sold for tens of thousands of taels.

"Sir Chen, even if we cut down the Baiyue route, it will be difficult to transport the goods to our Great Wei. Even horses and carriages can hardly pass through." Sun Meng said.

"That's true." Chen Xiu looked at the towering trees and sighed.

Normally, trees like this have to be transported by boat, but there are no canals in Baiyue.

"This place can be regarded as a holy place for martial artists who cultivate Xiaoqing spiritual energy and plant spiritual energy." Chen Mo said.

"Of course not. Any mountain here has spiritual energy from plants and trees that are thousands of years old." When she got to her home, Nalan Yiren became more talkative. She said, "Although we Baiyue people are fewer than you in Wei, we all practice martial arts, and the number of warriors is greater than your Song Dynasty."

Before Chen Mo, cultivation techniques were not passed down to common people.

The blood-nourishing technique that Chen Mo had practiced before was acquired by Chen Da, a military officer, after he made meritorious service and was promoted to centurion. It is simply impossible for ordinary people to access it.

But in Baiyue, the Baiyue court provided free training, and everyone could practice.

Although it is only the lowest level of martial arts, it also gives people the opportunity to practice.

Even after Chen Mo succeeded to the throne, the skills were only spread within the military, and the entire army was allowed to practice it for free.

"Master Chen, please take note of this and implement it when we return." Chen Mo said to Chen Xiu.

"This..." Chen Xiu hesitated to speak.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't be so hesitant." Chen Mo said.

Chen Xiu spoke in front of Chen Mo.

The reason why Wei has not yet implemented it among the entire population is mainly because Wei has a large population, and the court feels that if the entire population is allowed to practice, it will be detrimental to stability.

As the saying goes, when you have a sharp weapon, you will be filled with murderous intent.

Just think about it, if all the rebels in the last years of the Song Dynasty were practitioners, they would have overthrown the Song regime long ago.

"In addition, even if it is promoted to the whole nation, the people will not have the conditions to practice. The lower-grade warriors cultivate blood and energy. If they want to have enough blood and energy, they have to eat meat. Forgive me for being frank, but the world is stable now, but there are still many people who cannot get enough food, let alone practice. In addition, if you want to practice martial arts, you have to be literate, and reading and writing costs money." Chen Xiu said.

"I know what you mean, but we have to do things step by step. You can't become fat in one bite. As for reading and literacy, I promoted county schools before I ascended the throne. Now that I have succeeded to the throne, I have implemented new policies. All states and counties have begun to establish county schools one by one. I don't ask every citizen to be well-educated, but it is still okay for them to recognize and understand some words in the exercises.

As for those who cannot afford meat, we should first promote the cultivation method. When the national strength of Wei increases and the people's lives improve, they will naturally practice cultivation."

Chen Mo doesn't want them to become warriors immediately after promoting the skills.

You have to take it slow, it's a long process.

As for what Chen Xiu said about the threat to rule.

Chen Mo was not afraid, because what was being demoted was only a low-level skill.

What's more, he didn't expect his dynasty to last for thousands of years.

Each generation has its own things to do.

He can ensure that he will not harm the people.

But can he guarantee that his descendants will all be wise and benevolent rulers, and not incompetent rulers?
This is impossible.

Chen Xiu understood what Chen Mo meant, and bowed and said, "Your Majesty is very kind."

Chen Mo waved his hand and looked at Nalan Yiren: "Yiren, how long will it take to get there?"

"almost."

After leaving the forest, Nalan Yi pointed to the mountain in the distance and said, "Do you see that highest mountain? After crossing that mountain, we will reach the Poison King Valley. I have asked the poison-eating bees to go back and report the news. After the elders receive the letter, they will send people to meet us."

Two days later.

Chen Mo and his group were walking on a mountain road, leading their horses. At this time, they were walking on a small road halfway up the mountain, next to a cliff, which was covered in fog and could not be seen to the bottom. But everyone knew that if they fell down, they would be seriously injured or paralyzed if not dead. They walked along the side of the mountain and did not dare to ride horses. Not only people were afraid, but horses were also afraid.

If it weren't for Nalan Yi's ability to tame animals, the horses would have stopped at the intersection of this road and no amount of pulling or forcing would have worked.

"Everyone hold hands and be careful not to fall down." Sun Meng instructed.

"Originally, we wanted to enter the Poison King Valley, but there was only the road below. However, the road below is home to many poisonous insects in our valley, and they are now in the mating season, which is when they are very aggressive. Not only you, but even the people in our valley will be bitten by them if they pass through this road. For this reason, the ancestors in the valley spent more than ten years to build the road we are taking now." Nalan Yiren was walking in front, and when she heard Chen Mo's words, she turned around and said.

There is something else Nalan Yiren didn't say.

That is to say, there were too many ordinary people among Chen Mo and his group, and Nalan Yiren had to take care of them. Otherwise, if she had used her lightness skills, she would have arrived long ago.

"Ann, are you tired?"

This mountain road is full of twists and turns. If the route is expanded, it would probably be about 10 to 20 miles long. Han Anniang has not done any hard work for many years and has lived a life of luxury. If she walks to the end, her feet will probably be blistered.

"Not tired." Han Anniang held Chen Mo's hand tightly. There was a cliff next to her, and she was also afraid.

"We still have to walk a little further. Let me carry you on my back."

"No, no need."

Han Anniang didn't want to cause trouble for Chen Mo, but Chen Mo had already squatted in front of her, leaving her no chance to refuse.

She could only lie on Chen Mo's back with a blushing face. When she felt her hips being lifted up, she looked back shyly, afraid that others would say something.

Fortunately, she adapted to the situation soon. She spread her legs, clamped Chen Mo's waist, and let him hug her legs.

Chen Mo's steps were steady. Lying on his back, Han Anniang was not afraid of the cliff next to them at all. She closed her eyes and dozed off.

Soon after, there was movement ahead.

It was the people from Poison King Valley who came out to greet Chen Mo and the others.

There were five people in total, two old men and three middle-aged men.

"Second Elder, Third Elder, Uncle Mo, Uncle Mu, Uncle Yang." Nalan Yiren greeted them with a smile, and said, "Why are you the ones coming out to pick us up?"

"This is the first time that the son-in-law comes to visit us, so of course we have to come in person and not be impolite." said the second elder in a purple robe.

"We should have come earlier, but the Great Elder ordered us to collect the poisonous insects in the valley first so as not to disturb the guests. That's why we were delayed for some time." The Third Elder in black robe glanced at Chen Mo behind him and said with a smile: "Yiren, this is the son-in-law, right?"

Nalan Yiren blushed, did not deny it, and nodded slightly.

Upon seeing this, the five of them all looked towards Chen Mo. They all looked at him as if he were their son-in-law, sizing him up and down, and were very satisfied.

"Yiren, why don't you introduce me to her?"

At this time, Chen Mo put Nalan Yiren down and walked forward.

Nalan Yiren's face turned even redder. Her skin was already fair, and this redness was particularly eye-catching.

At this moment, she was like a shy little girl, introducing them in a low voice: "This is Elder Qin, the second elder of the valley, this is Elder Liu, the third elder of the valley, and this is..."

It was the first time for the second elder and the other four to see Nalan Yiren like this, and they couldn't help but chuckle.

After Nalan Yiren finished the introduction, the five people bowed to Chen Mo solemnly: "I greet your majesty."

Just now when I spoke to Nalan Yiren, I called him son-in-law, but now that we are greeting each other face to face, I naturally cannot be impolite.

"Thank you for being so polite. You are all Yiren's elders. How can you be polite to a junior like me? Just call me Xiao Mo." Chen Mo said.

"How did this happen?"

"No, no, no."

"Yiren told us that you are the monarch of Wei and you must not lose your manners."

The five second elders all shook their heads, but they were more and more satisfied with Chen Mo in their hearts. What they did was their business. At least Chen Mo didn't put on airs in front of them.

"By the way, where is the Great Elder? It has been more than two years since we last parted in Yelang." Chen Mo said with a smile.

But as soon as these words fell.

None of the second elder and the other five answered immediately.

Nalan Yiren noticed something was wrong, her face changed, and she asked anxiously, "Second Elder, what happened to the First Elder?"

Seeing Nalan Yiren's anxious eyes, the second elder and the third elder looked at each other, then the second elder sighed and said, "Originally, the first elder asked us to keep it a secret from you, but I know that when you meet him, you will be able to see it yourself.

I'm afraid the Great Elder doesn't have much time left."

"what?!"

Nalan Yiren's delicate body trembled violently, and then her whole body shook, and she said in a trembling voice: "How could this happen? Before I left, I was fine."

"In fact, before you left, Yiren, the Great Elder's health was already failing. He was holding on and even took rejuvenation pills, just to make you think that he was fine. But in fact, when he forcibly raised his poison power to the eighth level, his health was already irreversible." said the Second Elder.

Nalan Yiren's body trembled even more violently, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Then why didn't you tell me earlier? Why, why did you tell me now?"

"It was the Great Elder who told us not to tell you, saying that you had finally started your own life and you should continue on. If I had told you at that time, you would never have left." said the Third Elder.

"I don't want my own life, I just want him to be fine." Nalan Yiren cried very hard.

The Second Elder felt very distressed when he saw her appearance. He would not have wanted to tell her if he could not hide it this time.

He sighed and said, "Yiren, I'll tell you the truth. The Great Elder's condition was incurable at the time. Even if you stayed, it would be useless. He did this because he wanted to see you get married before he passed away. It would be best if he could hold your child. This way, when he goes down to see the old Valley Master, he will have an explanation."

"Yiren, even if you don't come back by yourself this time, we will send a message to ask you to come back in a month or two." said the third elder.

Nalan Yiren was crying so hard that she couldn't speak. She slowly squatted down with her body shaking.

Chen Mo remained silent. He did not expect such a thing to happen before he even reached the Poison King Valley.

Chen Mo helped Nalan Yiren up.

Han Anniang handed her a handkerchief.

The second elder consoled her, "Yiren, don't be sad. The first elder is very happy to know that you are back and getting married. If he sees you like this, he will be sad too.

In the last days of his life, just let him live happily. "

(End of this chapter)