The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 127 The Hook That's Thinking About Me
The tree-lined avenues of Longjin City are wide and flat, with the paving stones fitting together almost perfectly, making the carriage ride on the [Giant Dragon Avenue] very smooth, unlike the bumpy ride at Dragon Tail Pass that shook your brain.

But this is, after all, a city with a huge population base, with nearly 100,000 people in the upper and lower districts combined, making even the widest streets feel congested.

Fortunately, there are barriers and equally spacious sidewalks on both sides of the road, so most of the time you won't feel any obstruction if you're walking or strolling under the tree-lined road.

The carriage was not luxurious, at least not like Lord Mel's carriage, where the ceiling was inlaid with gold and jewels.

However, the interior of the enclosed space, made entirely of mahogany, is quite neat and elegant. It is the most expensive of those carriages, and the price for renting it for a day is 30 gold coins.

It wasn't that Tang Qi was deliberately enjoying the comfort of the carriage; it was just that the cheaper two-seater carriage couldn't accommodate two people while also carrying a 'vagrant' sleeping on the ground.

The effect of the Sleep Spell lasts only one minute.

This led Tang Qi to inquire about the painter's whereabouts from the captain of the guard. Not long after he carried the painter onto the carriage, he saw the bound artist struggling on the ground like a maggot:
"Let me go! Let me go! You damned scoundrel, you'll be bitten to death by a snake!"

Tang Qi knew he was referring to the [Long Rope Snake].

This type of snake is like a rope, long and slender. It takes only one year to reach adulthood and grow to ten meters in length. According to current records, the longest one is as long as 30 meters.

Given their omnivorous diet and decent intelligence, they are easy to tame. Some acrobats feed them fruit as their performance pets.

But precisely because they are quite intelligent, once they reach a certain age, they will realize whether their owners see them as family or as a tool for making money.

This causes them to frequently bite their owners who treat them badly.

People often use this idiom to warn others to treat themselves well, otherwise they will suffer 'karma'.

"You were bitten to death by a snake before I died."

Tang Qi was referring to the painter's debt.

He was somewhat disappointed that he hadn't been able to find a rag to gag the man.

Amidst the bustling traffic, the sounds of wheels rolling, pedestrians talking, and vendors hawking their wares grew increasingly noisy, and the painter's incoherent shouts as soon as he regained consciousness only added to the cacophony.

His sarcasm was like an ice dagger, piercing the other person's heart while sending a chill down his spine.

It even made him speak more pleasantly, and he said with a smile:
"Heh, heh heh. Sir, where are we headed?"

"your home."

"I haven't been home for a long time, so the house probably needs some cleaning first."

Why don't we change direction and go somewhere else? After I've tidied up my house, I can invite you over for a visit.

"Not interested in."

"I know a brothel where the girls all have exotic blood from [Fengshazhou] - black hair and brown skin."

Their waists are as lithe as snakes, their legs are long and supple, and they are accustomed to going barefoot or wearing sandals that expose their toes, often adorning their ankles with sparkling jewelry...

I'm a regular customer at that shop, and I can summon sixteen young girls to give you the imperial treatment you'd expect in Fengshazhou, so—"

"Not interested in."

Tang Qi forced himself to refuse, despite the pain in his heart.

Damn it, if Anbi hadn't been by his side today, he would have needed to instill good values ​​in the little girl, and she might have given in!
"How much did that guard captain give you? I... I can give you double!"

Do you have any money left?

"Then I'll definitely keep some secretly, just in case I need them someday."

"It's not about money."

Tang Qi pointed at his mouth, which was still trying to utter a sound.
"I'm just repaying a favor. So shut your mouth now, and after I get you home safely, you can do whatever you want, whether you want to run away or not."

"They'll definitely be waiting for me at home. How am I supposed to escape then?"

"That's your business."

"Can't we talk about this? Why don't you take a look and see if there's anything about me that you can use?"

Artists' looks are always bizarre, and this guy's hairstyle is an afro that can cover his eyes.

Now, in an attempt to prove something, he lifted his frizzy bangs, presenting his reasonably thin face to Tang Qi.

Once Tang Qi could see her face clearly, she immediately took off her upper body clothes, revealing her emaciated body, and then turned around to twist the hook...

"Put your damn clothes on!"

The guard captain's instructions prevented Tang Qi from kicking him out of the carriage.

But he still couldn't resist picking up whatever he was holding and throwing it at the painter who was trying to betray his sexual orientation—

With a "thud," the manuscript, sealed in a kraft paper bag, scattered throughout the carriage.

"Oh, sorry."

The painter quickly put on a shirt.

"You said you weren't interested in brothels, I thought you were a member of the Brothers Club and would be eyeing my hook... That upstart club is really the most popular in Longjin City."

"If you say another word, I'll pack you up and send you straight to the Red Scarf Gang's headquarters."

"Absolutely not—their headquarters is in the Deep Well Underground City, a dangerous place I wouldn't dare go."

The painter chuckled as he gathered the manuscripts in the carriage. Curiosity led him to glimpse a few words within, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask...

"The Guide to the Forest at Dusk? You're also an author."

"Is there a problem?" "No, of course not..."

While arranging the manuscript according to the page numbers marked in the lower right corner, the painter quickly skimmed through it.
"I am simply amazed that, as an adventurer, you possess a writing style that rivals that of a bard. You must have received a good education; could you be a nobleman?"

To be honest, Tang Qi is both.
"You can tell that?"

"Don't underestimate me. After all, I'm a well-known artist in Longjin City. Although your writing style is quite humorous, I can still see some research involved, which at least shows that you've been to school."

But few monks who love reading as much can be as humorous as you.

Look at the jokes on this page—

I often find myself reminiscing about why, back in the Kobold Cave, the falling rocks above us were triggered between the Black Serpent and me, even though the rocks were the ones leading the way.

It wasn't until later that I realized this was perhaps because they were afraid of harming their own kind, so the kobold traps were all designed according to standard body size.

Similar humor permeated the entire manuscript, without a single repetition!

The painter sincerely appreciated it.

"I bet that just copying all these jokes into a book would be enough to make you famous throughout Longjin City!"

The recognition from strangers gave Tang Qi a glimmer of confidence.

But considering that the painter in front of him might be exaggerating his abilities to save his life, Tang Qi didn't take it too seriously and simply said:

“If it were really as you say, I wouldn’t be running around Longjincheng every day just to find a publishing house willing to accept my manuscript.”

"How could that be? Even some publishers I know, like [Harbor Pigeon], haven't published any books as interesting as this one recently—"

Although the author asked me to draw the cover for "The Ghost Bride of Longjin City," I have to say that it is the most stinky, longest, and most boring book I have read in the past two years.

When it was published, it was marketed as a suspenseful, suspenseful, and terrifying story. However, apart from a few scary moments at the beginning, at least 70% of the content is about the tragic drama that two generations have been brewing in that mansion over the past thirty years!
Love triangles, sibling relationships, a father's lust for his daughter... it's as if the whole world is deeply in love with that ghost bride, even a dog is sacrificing itself for her.

The ending was more like a 'slime from the sewers', smelly and sticky—

The ghost bride forgave everyone, and they lived happily ever after!

I strongly suspect the author projected himself into the story, and while creating it, he lost sight of the difference between the sky and the earth.

What surprised Tang Qi even more than the content of the book was that he actually read the whole story from beginning to end:

"How could such a terrible book be published? The author must be very famous."

"A popular novelist, Mary Sue."

"Hmm, that sounds very famous."

Tang Qi nodded truthfully.

"Therefore, there is even less reason for this 'Guide' to be rejected—oh, I see."

The painter slapped his forehead and pointed to the manuscript in his hand.

"Image missing!"

"uh-huh?"

How could Tang Qi not see through the painter's intentions?

"After all that boasting, is this really your purpose?"

"No, no, no, let me hear you out first—"

The painter, whose plan had been interrupted, coughed twice, attempting to explain.

"Although your description is vivid enough, it is impossible for those who have never seen such a creature to remember its image through imagination."

This, in a subtle way, increases the reading threshold.

For example, in the illustration section about the Dire Wolf, you wrote that "compared to other wolves, their bodies and limbs are shorter, thicker, and more robust, their shoulders are broader, and their heads are larger and heavier."

That's vivid enough, but in fact their faces are also different, though it's hard to describe in words.

Adding a comparison illustration of two wolves would not only make the book less dry but also broaden your readership—for some, a picture book can be much more interesting than a physical book.

Putting aside his profession, the painter's words sounded quite sincere, and they did indeed touch upon some of Tang Qi's sore spots.

I'm good at songwriting and writing articles, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to painting.

"Could it really be due to a lack of illustrations?"

Seeing that Tang Qi was somewhat tempted, the painter quickly said:

"It's also possible that a highly reputable introducer is missing—"

Why can Mary Sue's terrible works be published? Precisely because she has a reputation for having written many best-selling books in the past!
Her loyal readers will also buy into it, ensuring that sales remain at a certain passing grade.

As an emerging author, you might worry about whether the book will sell...

If a reputable and respected person were to connect with them and act as a bridge, it might increase the chances of the manuscript being accepted.

The painter patted his chest, somewhat confidently stating...

"For example, me?"

(End of this chapter)