Chapter 548: Chapter 545: Begging for Mercy
Tea requires water, but it also requires tea leaves.
Water without tea has no soul. It’s crude and unsophisticated.
Even though the Pig Emperor had made it clear that plain boiled water was sufficient, the Scab Chicken was obsessive. It was just that headstrong!
If there was no tea, it could just make some!
How, you ask?
With a flexible mind and some lateral thinking.
As a chicken, Mo Tu knew nothing about tea. In its mind, weren’t the tea leaves floating in the water just dried grass?
So, it found an empty spot in the tavern’s backyard, casually scooped up a handful of weeds, and tore them to shreds before adding them to the teacups.
As it added water to the cups, it thought smugly to itself: ’An excellent follower doesn’t raise problems; they solve them. Clearly, I, Mo Tu, am not just excellent, but truly exceptional! HA HA HA.’
Inside the tavern, the Scab Chicken pushed three cups of "tea" in front of Mo Qi, Xiao Zhengheng, and Di Zhong, respectively.
It was completely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere and failed to notice the tension among the three men.
"Tea time, tea time! This is a fine tea, a secret recipe from this Chicken Ancestor!" the Scab Chicken chirped happily, looking expectantly at Mo Qi.
’Praise me! Come on, praise me!’
To its disappointment, however, Mo Qi didn’t even glance at the tea from beginning to end.
The Scab Chicken’s appearance broke the stalemate.
Xiao Zhengheng and Di Zhong exchanged a look, sighing in relief.
They used the Scab Chicken’s interruption as an excuse to sit back down and pick up their teacups.
Their minds were entirely focused on how to salvage their relationship with Mo Qi, so they didn’t notice anything strange about the tea.
But when they distractedly chugged a large gulp, their faces instantly turned green.
Cold water. That’s right, the Scab Chicken had used cold water to "brew" the tea!
The smell of fresh grass, dry grass, dirt, rot, and even a strange sour stench all mixed together, rushing straight up the noses of Xiao Zhengheng and Di Zhong.
Because they had drunk so quickly, they had already swallowed it before they could react. All that remained was that "earthly essence" lingering in their mouths—a truly soul-crushing flavor.
BLECH!
The two of them fought back the urge to vomit, managing not to spit it out right then and there.
"How is it? Sweet, refreshing, and thirst-quenching, right?" the Scab Chicken asked, bursting with confidence.
Staring at the weeds in their cups, Xiao Zhengheng and Di Zhong were cursing its mother in their hearts.
If they weren’t worried about making things even worse with Mo Qi, they would have killed Mo Tu in a heartbeat.
Mo Qi also noticed their strange reactions. Puzzled, he looked down at his own teacup.
The sight left him speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
He never expected Mo Tu to pull a stunt like this.
’Well, it looks like this fight is unavoidable now.’
Mo Qi had expected Xiao Zhengheng and Di Zhong to fly into a rage out of humiliation and start a fight on the spot.
Who would have thought that they would merely glare at the Scab Chicken and leave it at that?
"Ah Heng, I alone will take responsibility for my actions. The future of the Demon Sect is at stake. Since we can’t eliminate this boy, we must get on his good side," Di Zhong said to Xiao Zhengheng via voice transmission.
Perhaps it was the Scab Chicken’s tea that had jolted him, but Di Zhong suddenly had an epiphany.
The Demon God Grand Ceremony was the key to the Demon Sect’s rise, and now, whether it awakened and acknowledged a master depended entirely on Mo Qi.
This tavern was Mo Qi’s territory; their chances of winning a fight here were slim.
Besides, even if they won and killed Mo Qi, the Demon Sect no longer had time to wait for the Demon God Grand Ceremony’s unnatural awakening.
Moreover, there was also the Master of the Desperate Mountain Range present, whose stance was unclear.
If this powerful being was on Mo Qi’s side, then their Demon Sect would be completely finished.
Therefore, no matter how they looked at it, making an enemy of Mo Qi was not a wise choice.
"Teacher, you...?" Xiao Zhengheng realized what was happening. He wanted to stop him but couldn’t find the words.
Di Zhong sent another voice transmission, this one self-deprecating. "In the end, I was the one in the wrong. I underestimated this young man, thinking he was just some lucky fraud. I never realized that I was the true frog in the well."
With that, Di Zhong stood up, walked over to Mo Qi, and bowed deeply.
"I’m sorry. I was blind. I mistakenly believed that you had only helped Zhang’er get acknowledged by the Demon God Grand Ceremony through a sheer fluke. I apologize for my previous words and actions, and I am willing to pay the price."
"But Zhang’er is innocent, and the Demon Sect is innocent. I beg you not to hold my mistakes against them."
Mo Qi listened, his face devoid of expression. He looked coolly at Di Zhong. "Is that all?"
’Just saying a few words? Is that what you fucking call an apology?’
Mo Qi didn’t care about Di Zhong’s reasons for being hostile.
All he knew was that, regardless of the reason, it was a fact that he had helped Xiao Zhang activate the Demon God Grand Ceremony.
Even if it really had been a fluke, a complete accident, it didn’t change the fact that he had done the Demon Sect a great favor.
But not only was Di Zhong ungrateful, he had even come looking for a fight.
’If I didn’t have some skill of my own, I’d probably have been killed by Di Zhong long ago.’
So, this wasn’t something that could be settled with a simple bow and a few half-hearted words of apology.
Seeing Mo Qi’s attitude, Di Zhong didn’t get angry. He simply sighed.
You reap what you sow.
He took out a dagger, about a foot long. Its pommel was a black skull, and the edge of the blade glowed with a blue light, clearly coated in a deadly poison.
"I know my previous offense is unforgivable. I hope my life can appease the anger in your heart."
As he spoke, Di Zhong reversed his grip on the dagger and pressed its point against his heart.
"Teacher, no!" Xiao Zhengheng exclaimed in shock.
Xiao Zhang also snapped out of his daze, his face paling. "Teacher, stop!"
That dagger was no ordinary weapon. It was called the Netherworld Dark Stab, a high-grade Immortal Artifact laced with a virulent poison.
With Di Zhong’s Cultivation currently suppressed to the Peak of the Void Realm, even a tiny scratch from the Netherworld Dark Stab would mean certain death.
"Master, I don’t know if I’m still qualified to call you that, but please, spare my teacher’s life! He meant you no harm; he just cares too much about the future of the Demon Sect."
Xiao Zhang knew that Di Zhong’s only chance of survival was if Mo Qi spoke up.
Otherwise, given Di Zhong’s loyalty and devotion to the Demon Sect, his suicide attempt was no joke.
"Young friend Mo Qi, for the sake of my son, Xiao Zhang, please reconsider!" Xiao Zhengheng’s status prevented him from saying the three words, "I am sorry," so uttering such a conciliatory phrase was already his limit.
Mo Qi’s expression remained unchanged. He said nothing, gave no indication of his thoughts.
"You don’t need to say any more! We of the Demon Sect have always been clear about debts and grudges. Since I have done wrong, it is only right that I pay the price!" With a grit of his teeth, Di Zhong prepared to plunge the Netherworld Dark Stab into his heart.
Just then, Mo Qi lifted his eyelids. With a single thought, Array Power descended, freezing Di Zhong in place.
"You...?" Di Zhong froze, looking at Mo Qi in confusion.
The father and son, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Zhengheng, breathed a sigh of relief, overjoyed. It seemed Mo Qi had a soft heart after all.
"Apologizing with suicide? For a man your age, you’re surprisingly childish."
"Your life is worthless to me. What does your life or death have to do with me? If you want to apologize, just showing your attitude isn’t enough. Show me some concrete action!"
PS: A good friend of mine got married yesterday, and I (the author, Mǐfàn) was the best man. I got put through the wringer and almost died, so that’s why I missed a day. So tired.
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