Chapter 211: Chapter 208: Poetry Appreciation
Watching the miserable state of Old Tomb Digger, Hu the Eighth, and Mo Xiao, Wu the Old Ghost’s hands trembled slightly from a distance. He secretly wiped away a bead of cold sweat, thankful for his own cleverness.
Thank goodness he chose to trust Mo Qi at the last minute and hadn’t just foolishly stayed put.
Otherwise, he would have been right there with them, foaming at the mouth and suffering a mental breakdown.
"How was my poem? Come now, give me your appraisal."
The Pig Emperor seemed extremely pleased with its poem and looked expectantly at Old Tomb Digger and the other two.
Old Tomb Digger and the other two lay on the ground, looking half-dead. Their bodies twitched intermittently, as if they had been electrocuted.
’Appraisal?’
’What the actual fuck!’
’You call that damn thing a poem?’
’Okay, let’s put that aside for a moment and talk about your voice!’
’Was your throat consecrated by an Evil Divine Being or something?’
’How else could you produce such a horrifying sound?!’
’The three of us, all in the Void Realm, were nearly wiped out by a single poem from you!’
’If it weren’t for your close relationship with Mo Qi, you’d better believe we would’ve smashed your pig head in by now!’
"Hm? Why the silence?" The Pig Emperor, utterly oblivious to the problem, asked excitedly, "Did you not hear it clearly? Shall I recite another one?"
"No, no, please don’t—"
Mustering strength from some unknown source, Old Tomb Digger and the other two shot to their feet with a kip-up, their faces filled with terror. They stared at the Pig Emperor like mice seeing a cat.
"Master Zhu, your poetry... is truly in a class of its own! We are but crude men, unable to grasp its profound meaning. It’s best we don’t," Old Tomb Digger said, his smile more painful than a grimace. He wrung his hands, his survival instinct kicking into high gear.
"Yes, yes, your talent is far too precious to be wasted on uncultured folks like us," Mo Xiao added, gulping repeatedly to hide his panic.
"Your talent is overwhelming; we are unworthy of such a blessing," Hu the Eighth chimed in. She swore an oath then and there: pigs had just become her most detested creature in existence. Bar none.
Hearing the trio’s "praise," the Pig Emperor’s face lit up with joy.
Though its ego was swelling uncontrollably, it put on a "humble" front, waving its trotters. "Oh, you’re too kind. It’s all thanks to my brothers’ flattery. Since you all like it so much, I shall compose a poem to celebrate the creative resonance between us!"
The three were speechless.
’Were we flattering you?’
’Can’t you tell we’re politely refusing?’
’And "brothers"!’
’Who’s your brother? Why are you trying to get so chummy?’
’Also, where did you get the idea that there’s any "resonance" between us?’
"Pig Emperor, stop fooling around. That’s enough," Mo Qi said, stepping in. He couldn’t bear to watch any longer.
’If he let it keep this up, the people he had just worked so hard to win over might end up completely useless.’
"What are you doing? It’s one thing for an illiterate like you to be unable to appreciate my poetry, but are you going to stop others from enjoying it?" the Pig Emperor snorted in displeasure.
"Hmph! You’re just jealous! Jealous of my talent!"
Mo Qi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright, I’m jealous. Happy now? Just stop torturing them. The Dragon Plague in Old Tomb Digger is all yours to handle."
The Pig Emperor haughtily turned its head away, refusing to look at Mo Qi.
It then flew over to Old Tomb Digger.
Old Tomb Digger instinctively took a step back, maintaining his distance from the Pig Emperor.
"Before I remove the Dragon Plague, I have a question for you. What did you think of the poem I composed in your honor?"
"Um... if this old one may be so bold as to ask, does removing the Dragon Plague require me to listen to any more poetry?"
Old Tomb Digger had already made up his mind. ’If the price for curing the Dragon Plague was listening to the Pig Emperor’s poetry, then he thought having the Dragon Plague was perfectly fine. No need to trouble the Pig Emperor at all.’
"No, it doesn’t. Why? Did it leave you wanting more? Would you like to hear another?" the Pig Emperor asked, its interest immediately piqued.
"No, no, no!" Old Tomb Digger waved his hands frantically, breaking out in a nervous sweat before he even realized it.
Seeing the Pig Emperor’s expression turning sour, his mind raced.
’I can’t afford to offend this pig. Life will be miserable if I do.’
A flash of inspiration struck him, and he quickly added, "Master Zhu, the poem you composed for this old one was so incisive, its imagery so vivid! Especially the first line, ’Oh, what a large head, on a neck so thin.’ Perfect realism! Such precise wording, both concise and profound!"
"The second line, ’A wonder, a wonder, a wonder to see,’ masterfully employs repetition, vividly expressing your own inner conflict and bewilderment, Master Zhu!"
"The third line, ’And if you should ask me the reason why,’ may seem unremarkable, but it’s actually the linchpin of the entire piece! It not only voices your own innermost question, Master Zhu, but it also hooks the curiosity of countless poetry admirers!"
"And the final line, ’The triple corpse poison is a malady,’ brings it all full circle! It’s the masterstroke that completes the work. Absolutely brilliant! So thought-provoking!"
Old Tomb Digger’s "literary analysis" not only shattered everyone else’s perception of reality but also left the Pig Emperor deeply impressed.
’What? My poem has that much hidden meaning?’
’How come I didn’t know that?’
’Hahaha! Who cares! None of that matters!’
’I truly am a genius!’
"My deepest apologies, Master Zhu. This old one is unlearned and can only decipher a ten-thousandth of your profound intentions. Please allow me to study it at my own pace. Until I have fully grasped its essence, I wouldn’t dare trouble you to create another masterpiece. After all, one shouldn’t bite off more than they can chew."
Old Tomb Digger’s tone and expression were utterly, dead-on serious as he spoke.
A collective shiver ran down everyone’s spines.
’Are you serious with this "poetry appreciation"?’
’Old Tomb Digger, you’ve lost all integrity!’
"Hahaha! Old Tomb Digger, you’re the one who understands me best!" The Pig Emperor accepted the praise without a hint of a blush. "That’s right! Though you’ve only deciphered a ten-thousandth of my true meaning, that’s already quite impressive. Keep up the good work! Now, come, come, I’ll cure your Dragon Plague!"
The corner of Old Tomb Digger’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
’Fine, as long as you stop reciting poetry, you can say whatever you want!’
With the corpse poison removed, Old Tomb Digger officially became one of Mo Qi’s subordinates.
It wasn’t just him. After the Pig Emperor’s chaotic display, everyone present—whether they had been willing or not—now obediently submitted to Mo Qi, saving him a great deal of time.
Thus, Mo Qi had finally assembled a formidable core team.
But he also knew this was a vast world, and this group of people was far from enough.
Compared to the black-clad figures who had besieged his mother in his dreams, he was still leagues behind in both numbers and power.
The road ahead of him was long and unknown, destined to be fraught with peril.
"Little Brother Mo, what are your plans now?" Wu the Old Ghost asked as he walked up.
"I now control the Dragon Vein, so getting out of here isn’t difficult. But once we leave, the only way back in is through the Mountain and Sea Empire’s channels."
"For now, I don’t want the Empire to know about this secret. So, I’m going to set up a large, two-way Teleportation Array here. That way, I can come and go as I please after I leave."
"You can set up a Teleportation Array of that caliber?" everyone exclaimed in shock.
A Teleportation Array wasn’t something just any Array Master could set up, let alone a two-way one connecting the world Within the Pass to the outside.
Mo Qi smiled faintly. "As I’ve said, what you know of me is merely the tip of the iceberg."
