Section 165

Having this power is the only way to truly hold the right to speak.

Dingyuan Marquis also knew this well, so he didn't mention high-grade dragon marrow at all. Giving this item away would be too beneficial for the Great Xia Empire.

Chapter 202: Signing the Truce Agreement, A Great Harvest

Looking at the Emperor-level weapon that had fallen to the ground, Dingyuan Marquis was stunned.

At this moment, he was extremely awkward, unable to retreat or advance.

On this trip, the Azure Emperor had specifically instructed him before leaving to meet the Great Xia Empire's truce conditions to the greatest extent possible, and under no circumstances should war break out again.

Although the mission he was carrying out with his troops was humiliating, it carried the will of the Azure Emperor, and he had no right to resist.

If he were to just leave dejectedly like this, and the Great Xia Empire continued its attack, how would he explain himself to the Azure Emperor?

Although this trip was humiliating, he knew that the Incumbent Azure Emperor was not a conservative ruler who would sell out the country for stability; perhaps he had his own considerations.

This was also the spiritual pillar that supported Dingyuan Marquis, allowing him to endure the nausea and come all the way to the Great Xia Empire to beg for mercy.

"What, still not leaving?"

Xia Feng looked coldly at Dingyuan Marquis, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

"Imperial Son... three pieces of high-grade dragon marrow, fifty Emperor-level weapons and Martial Skills, all of mid-grade Emperor-level or above, how about this?"

Dingyuan Marquis took several deep breaths, then gritted his teeth and spoke each word slowly.

"Three pieces? Are you trying to send off a beggar!?" The Lingxiao Pavilion's Great Dragon General didn't know where he had popped out from again. He pointed at Dingyuan Marquis's nose and cursed, "How did the Nichao Empire send out such a stingy fellow like you? You want a truce with just three pieces of high-grade dragon marrow? Get lost, get lost, get lost! Tomorrow I'll bring people to kill you at your house and clean out your entire fortune!"

"What the hell!"

"Just three pieces of high-grade dragon marrow? Do you know that my outhouse is paved with mid-grade Dragon Crystals?"

The Lingxiao Pavilion's First Martial Emperor Great Dragon General, who should have been a person of high status, was at this moment like a rogue butcher in front of the Imperial Capital gate, spitting everywhere and pointing fingers at Dingyuan Marquis's nose.

Xia Feng, however, had the corners of his mouth turned up. Before he could say anything, this Great Dragon General very understandingly came out to play the bad cop.

He had seen before that when Summer Bright became the Xia Emperor, this kid had placed all his bets on him.

It was not surprising for him to come out now and express his loyalty again.

The Great Xia Empire citizens watching couldn't help but laugh, some even holding their bellies in laughter.

Dingyuan Marquis had never suffered such humiliation from birth until now, but today, he had endured enough humiliation for his next life.

Fortunately, with many lice, one doesn't itch; after several rounds of back-and-forth, he was no longer as easily angered as before.

"Imperial Son, what exactly... is your intention?"

Xia Feng blinked a few times. Originally, he was also making an exorbitant demand. Seeing that the atmosphere was built up enough, he also coughed twice.

"How about this, two pieces of high-grade dragon marrow, plus..."

"One piece! One piece at most!" Dingyuan Marquis gritted his teeth.

"Imperial Son, this is our Nichao Empire's final concession. We can only offer one piece of high-grade dragon marrow at most. Any more, and it's better to just fight!"

"Forgive my bluntness, but I'm afraid your Great Xia Empire doesn't have more than two pieces of high-grade dragon marrow stored, right? These are the Foundation of a nation. This time, I will make the decision to agree to compensate you with one piece!"

Seeing Dingyuan Marquis panting heavily, his eyes red like a mad bull, Xia Feng stopped pressing.

At this moment, his goal had been achieved. His main target was high-grade dragon marrow.

Everyone knew this item was very precious, which was why Xia Feng said he wanted three pieces.

This is how bargaining works. By setting the price high at the beginning, you can get the benefits that best meet your goals in the subsequent negotiations.

"One piece of high-grade dragon marrow is acceptable, but you must also add two hundred pieces of Low Grade Dragon Marrow, ten pieces of high-grade dragon marrow, and ten thousand High-Grade Dragon Crystals. We don't need Emperor-level weapons and Martial Skills anymore."

Xia Feng looked at Dingyuan Marquis, without the slightest hint of backing down in his eyes. "These are the Great Xia Empire's conditions. Accept them if you can; if not, then there's no need to talk further."

Looking into Xia Feng's eyes, Dingyuan Marquis knew that this Imperial Son was absolutely not joking.

A look of contemplation flashed in his deep pupils. After about half an incense stick's time, he immediately gritted his teeth and said, "Alright!"

Thinking of the Azure Emperor's instructions before he left, Dingyuan Marquis finally chose to agree to Xia Feng's conditions.

Although mid- and Low Grade Dragon Marrow were precious, they were acceptable for the vast Nichao Empire. The main issue was the high-grade dragon marrow and ten thousand High-Grade Dragon Crystals... but they were also within the acceptable range.

Ten thousand High-Grade Dragon Crystals were only about a year's mining output, and the most important high-grade dragon marrow was just one piece. Although it was a major loss, it wouldn't cause severe damage.

"Then let's sign," Xia Feng smiled.

Soon, the Great Xia Empire revised the truce agreement that had the Azure Emperor's handwritten order. After writing down their additional conditions, Xia Feng and Dingyuan Marquis each wrote their names and stamped the imperial seal.

From then on, the war between the two great Empires ended.

After signing the agreement, Dingyuan Marquis remained silent throughout, immediately taking his men back to the Nichao Empire to begin preparing the items Xia Feng had requested.

He had thought the Azure Emperor would be harsh on him, but unexpectedly, after learning about the compensation, the Azure Emperor's face was calm, and he gently waved his hand, telling him to retrieve it from the national treasury.

He even spoke softly, saying that his trip had been difficult.

This made Dingyuan Marquis feel flattered and also further solidified his belief that his Azure Emperor had a backup plan.

As a result, the grievances and humiliation he had suffered in his heart finally faded a little.

About half a month later, the Nichao Empire's compensation arrived at the Great Xia Empire.

According to the contract, Xia Feng gave up the twelve cities of the Nichao Empire. He went to the front line and withdrew all the soldiers.

This period of experience in the army also left a very deep impression on him.

In this war, Xia Feng's reputation was extremely high. Every action he took showed great style, and the Martial Emperors of the Nine Ascendant Tower suffered heavy casualties. This kind of achievement even surpassed Summer Bright's back then.

Many young soldiers regarded Xia Feng as a spiritual idol. Within the Great Xia Empire, the names of Xia Emperor Summer Bright and Imperial Son Xia Feng were soaring, and they even held the prestige of being able to rally a hundred responses with a single call.

After withdrawing the last batch of soldiers to Ling City, Xia Feng took off his helmet and handed it to Yu Siya, who was beside him.

Yu Siya lightly picked it up and followed Xia Feng closely.

The remaining Nine Girls also followed Xia Feng and entered the interrogation hall in Ling City together.

And inside the interrogation hall, the ground was full of bloodstains.

There was a half-dead man, lying on the ground in rags, howling and begging for mercy.

Beside this man, there were also three corpses with terrifying death states. Some were charred black like dry charcoal, while others had all their flesh and blood drained, leaving only skeletons.

Behind him, four Huang Realm Martial Emperors sat on chairs, looking at him with little interest.

When Xia Feng entered the interrogation hall, the four Huang Realm Martial Emperors stood up with a whoosh, then knelt on the ground one after another, cupping their fists.

"Lingxiao Pavilion's Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Flying Generals, greetings, Imperial Son!"

"Dispense with the formalities." Xia Feng waved his hand. "How is it? Has he confessed any other accomplices?"

Chapter 203: Exposing the Traitor, The Dust Settles

"No more, only three in total." The Fourth Flying General shook his head. Seeing Xia Feng walk over, he quickly stepped forward and kicked the pile of black charcoal away, so as not to dirty the Imperial Son's boots.

"Three, plus him makes four." Xia Feng nodded, then turned his chair and looked down at the man begging bitterly.

"Xia Naiwu arranged for you?"

"Imperial Son... Imperial Son, spare my life! It was my fault, I shouldn't have revealed your whereabouts to that traitor Xia Naiwu!"

The captain lying on the ground looked at Xia Feng, and with a jolt, scrambled up from the ground. He stumbled and crawled to Xia Feng's front, snot and tears streaming out.

"Actually, in my heart, I have always deeply respected the Imperial Son. Look, you personally led the army against the Nichao Empire, reversing the decline, and even beat the Nichao Empire into begging for mercy. Throughout history, you are the only one in the Great Xia Empire who has done this!"

"Imperial Son, you are the guardian deity of the Great Xia Empire. Even if the first Xia Emperor were alive, he would be far inferior to you!"

Xia Feng's face was expressionless. Looking at the captain in front of him, he only felt pity for him in his heart.

"I originally thought Xia Naiwu and his father had both become useless, and I didn't really want to bother with them. I never expected these two to run directly to the Nichao Empire, just relying on that Qinghe Princess's connection?"

Xia Feng sneered, "No matter what, they are still people named Xia, yet they could run to the Nichao Empire to be someone's dog. What benefits did they promise you that made you willing to risk your life for someone who had lost power?"

"Imperial Son, I, I..."

The captain's whole body trembled immediately. Then he raised his head, just about to recount the story he had prepared earlier.

"Never mind, no need to ask. It's a waste of time."

But the next second, Xia Feng directly raised the Qingxue Sword, and with a flick of his wrist, a head rolled onto the ground.

The captain's head had wide-open eyes, full of disbelief.

Until his death, he couldn't figure out why Xia Feng had killed him when he hadn't even finished speaking.

How is this different from the direction of a normal story? What if there was some big secret he hadn't told?

Unfortunately, no matter how many thoughts he had, they could only vanish with his life.

Xia Feng kicked the captain's head away, then turned to the four Flying Generals and said, "Throw his head outside the city wall to feed the stray dogs. Announce to the other soldiers that this is the fate of traitors and spies."

After personally killing this traitor, Xia Feng felt much more comfortable in his heart.

Having such a calamity hidden by his side was a ticking time bomb. This was why Xia Feng and the Ten Girls had been ambushed many times by the Nichao Empire before.

But fortunately, his Realm was high enough that he always managed to escape danger.

But if the experts sent by the Nichao Empire were a little higher in Realm just once, perhaps Xia Feng and the Ten Great Saintesses would truly have been in trouble.