The next day.
Liu Zhenyuan took four Grand Protectors and nearly a hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards to escort Qiu Luan, his treasures, and Altan Khan's tribute back to the capital.
Word had already spread of how he had intimidated Altan Khan into surrendering and offering tribute before an army of a hundred thousand at the Mongolian command tent that day.
Liu Zhenyuan's reputation soared!
As the principal architect of the peace negotiations, his outstanding service should have earned him a promotion. But Liu Zhenyuan declined as usual, so Jiajing instead increased his salary to that of an associate commander-in-chief, secondary second rank, and bestowed five Immortal Pills upon him as a mark of imperial favor.
Everyone else involved received rewards according to their contributions.
Cao Jinxing's reward arrived too-his seclusion time at Flying Tiger Pool was extended to ten days, and he was granted an opportunity to study the half of a Heavenly Book Stele on the sixth underground level of the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
When Cao Jinxing heard the news, he froze for quite some time. Jiajing really is getting more generous. He's not even keeping the Heavenly Book to himself anymore!
It actually left him a little touched.
From the perspective of an employer alone, Jiajing really did give him a lot. He had never shortchanged him.
His heart surging, Cao Jinxing decided without another word to head down to the sixth underground level and study the stele first!
This was a Heavenly Book!
Using the Five Poisons Cult's half of a Heavenly Book Stele, Song Chengxi had already created the Cold Toad Art, a top-tier fourth-grade internal art. He might also have developed accompanying supreme techniques or some secret art. That was why the powerful stele guardians had sought to wipe him out, fearing he would return